The Big Leap

"The Big Leap" by Charles E. Fritch is a science fiction story that dives into the mind of Cantrell, an astronaut on a moon mission teetering on the brink of sanity. He must face his deep seated phobia of animals stemming from a harrowing childhood dog attack. The tale portrays Cantrell's psychological journey while in space and the terror of the unknown to reveal the human condition. The narrative takes a bizarre turn when Cantrell imagines the Earth as a living being, leading him to believe humanity is a parasite and questioning his own sanity. He ultimately rejects the mission and spirals into a mental crisis, forcing those on Earth to grapple with his startling transformation and thought-provoking existential revelations, which challenges everything they understand about reality and the universe.