The Last Tomato

On day 412 of the journey to Titan, Tavita walked into the greenhouse with a small knife and a smile she couldn't hide. Three months earlier, just before the first harvest, a fungus had killed almost every plant on board. Only one tomato plant had survived, weak and half dead, and Tavita had looked after it every single day. It had produced just one tomato, and this morning it was finally red.

Within ten minutes, all six crew members were standing around the plant. None of them had tasted anything fresh in over a year. "So," said Bogdan, the engineer, "who's going to eat it?"

That simple question started the worst argument of the whole trip. Bogdan reminded everyone that he had repaired the greenhouse lights during the power failure. Femi, the doctor, said that a few of them were low on vitamin C, so it was really a medical decision. Astrid pointed out that it was Fernanda's birthday on Friday. Fernanda, who was the youngest, said nothing, but she didn't stop looking at the tomato.

Commander Halvorsen raised her hand. "Enough. We're going to draw names, and that's the end of it." She was already tearing a page into six pieces when Tavita spoke for the first time. "It doesn't matter who eats it. If anyone eats the whole thing, we're going to lose the seeds. This is the only plant we have. Without its seeds, there won't be any tomatoes next year, or the year after."

There was a long silence. Bogdan looked down at his boots, a little embarrassed. He had been thinking about one tomato, and she had been thinking about the next hundred. "So what are we going to do?" he asked quietly.

Tavita cut the tomato open and carefully scooped the seeds onto a paper towel to dry. Then she cut what was left into six thin slices, one for each of them. The first slice went to Fernanda. "Happy early birthday," said the commander. Nobody ate quickly. Femi closed his eyes. Astrid laughed for no reason at all. Fernanda said it tasted like her grandmother's kitchen.

A week later, when the seeds were dry, Tavita put them into a small envelope and passed it around with a pen. One by one, all six of them signed it. Then she sealed it and put it in the seed box, next to a note in her careful handwriting: Day 412. First harvest. Plenty more to come.