The Big Tomorrow

In Short

This short story captures the obsessive nature of technological ambition during the dawn of the space age. It follows Joshua Lake, an aging inventor who trades his financial independence and dignity to a rival for the resources to launch a lunar rocket. As the project faces catastrophic setbacks and humiliating compromises, the narrative explores the thin line between visionary pursuit and madness. It remains a poignant, stark look at the cost of progress, enduring because of its unvarnished portrait of a man who defines his entire existence by an unreachable horizon.

The Story

Joshua Lake is a man defined by a single, all-consuming purpose: to land a rocket on the moon. His company, Lake Interstellar Enterprises, is a shell of its former self, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy with an empty payroll account and a staff of skeptical engineers. Years earlier, Lake had split from his business partner, Lee Gorman, over this very dream. While Gorman went on to build a thriving, practical industrial empire, Lake squandered his resources on a series of failures, including a disastrous rocket launch that resulted in the deaths of five pioneers. Despite the wreckage of his reputation and his finances, Lake remains unshakable in his conviction.

Facing total ruin, Lake makes a desperate, final move. He approaches his former partner, Gorman, to beg for the funding necessary to complete his latest project. Gorman, a man who harbors deep resentment and enjoys wielding power, agrees to bankroll the mission—but only on the condition that he can systematically humiliate Lake. He demands total control of the company, forces Lake to beg for every expense, and subjects him to public degradation. Lake accepts these terms with a terrifying, hollow obedience, viewing his own humiliation as a small price to pay to keep his dream alive.

The final countdown arrives. On the day of the launch, Lake forces Gorman at gunpoint to stand with him on an observation platform, ensuring his benefactor witnesses the culmination of their three-month struggle. The rocket streaks into the sky, a momentary triumph that briefly silences the years of doubt. However, the victory is short-lived. Just hours later, Gorman returns to inform Lake that the rocket has crashed in Canada, killing the four-man crew.

Despite the loss of his company, his credibility, and the lives of the men he sent into space, Lake does not retreat into the rest his wife, Myra, desperately hopes for. Instead, standing amidst the ruins of his life, he looks toward the future with a terrifying, renewed intensity. He rejects the suggestion that his journey is finished, insisting that at sixty-three, he is only just beginning. He remains a man possessed, already planning his next attempt to conquer the moon, fundamentally unable to exist outside the grip of his obsession.

How It Unfolds

The brink of collapse Joshua Lake faces his office manager, Lucy, knowing his company is bankrupt and his payroll is unfunded. He stares out his window at the moon, finding in its light the only source of strength he has left.

The shadow of the past Lake recalls his bitter break with his former partner, Lee Gorman, who dismissed the lunar project as a fool's errand. He reflects on his past failure in the Amazon, where a technological error led to the deaths of five men, leaving him a social pariah.

The final gamble With no other options, Lake approaches Gorman to beg for financing. Gorman agrees to pay, but his true motivation is to systematically break Lake’s spirit through constant surveillance and petty cruelty.

The launch of the dream Lake secures the launch site and forces Gorman to attend the event at gunpoint. They watch together as the rocket ascends, a fleeting, bright defiance of the gravity and debt that have anchored Lake for years.

The return to zero Word arrives that the mission failed and the crew has perished. Gorman seizes the company as promised, leaving Lake with nothing but his own intractable nature.

The cycle resumes Myra attempts to convince Lake that he has earned a reprieve, but he is already looking past the failure. He declares his intention to build again, proving that the obsession that destroyed his life is also the only thing that sustains it.

The People

Joshua Lake is a man who has replaced his common sense with a singular, blinding vision. He is bone-weary and aged by the years of struggle, yet he possesses a strange, quiet courage that borders on madness. He views his life as a series of obstacles to be surmounted, treating the deaths of his crews and the loss of his property as necessary, if tragic, steps toward a goal that exists only in his mind.

Lee Gorman serves as the cold, rational antithesis to Lake. Having built a successful business through grit and pragmatism, he feels deeply betrayed by Lake’s past choices. His willingness to fund the rocket is fueled entirely by a desire for vengeance; he wants to own the man who once walked away from a "sound" business. He is a bully who finds a dark, complex satisfaction in orchestrating Lake’s downfall, even while he remains mesmerized by the other man's stubbornness.

Myra Lake is the tether to reality that Joshua can no longer feel. She is a supportive, observant wife who has spent years watching her husband wither under the pressure of his project. She wants nothing more than for him to stop, to find peace in a quiet life, but she ultimately realizes that his dream has become his life support. She is a tragic figure, witnessing the slow erosion of the man she loves by an entity she cannot fight.

In Its Own Voice

"There are certain rare individuals in this world who seem bereft of all common sense."

These words open the narrative, framing Lake as a man whose intelligence is entirely subsumed by an unachievable goal.

"I'm going to be the first man to send a rocket to the Moon."

This final declaration, spoken after the death of his crew and the loss of his business, highlights the chilling, cyclical nature of his obsession.

What It's Really About

At its heart, this is a study of the "obsessive" personality—the kind of person who discards every social and moral tether to pursue an idea that others deem impossible. It asks whether such individuals are heroes or villains, or perhaps something more dangerous: a force of nature that cannot be reasoned with. The book interrogates the cost of progress, questioning whether the "big tomorrow" is worth the wreckage left in its wake. By showing Lake’s utter disregard for the lives he sacrifices, the text moves beyond a simple story of exploration to become a critique of a mindset that values the destination above all human consequence.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate psychological depth over standard science-fiction spectacle will find this story compelling. It reads like a modern Greek tragedy, where the "flaw" is not a lack of effort, but an excess of it. The prose is lean and precise, mirroring the exhaustion and focus of its protagonist. It is an uncomfortable read, as it forces the reader to confront the reality that for some, the drive to achieve is not a choice, but a biological imperative—one that leaves no room for love, ethics, or happiness.

The period-specific dialogue and the 1950s-era industrial setting give the story a distinct atmosphere of retro-futurism, but the emotional core remains relevant. You may find the character of Joshua Lake difficult to sympathize with—his callousness toward the families of his fallen crew is stark and unforgiving—but you will find him impossible to look away from. The book does not offer a happy ending or a moral lesson; it offers an unflinching look at a man who would rather burn his world to the ground than stop staring at the moon. It is a haunting, concentrated portrait of a life consumed by its own ambition.