Explore "Nightmare Tower" by Sam Merwin on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Lynne, who had been largely brought up on stories of pioneer space-flights in which the passengers had to endure tremendous initial acceleration, was pleasantly surprised by the takeoff. She probably would have known better had her conditioning and training not geared her to such complete uninterest in anything beyond the atmosphere that she seldom thought of the stars except as pretty lights in the sky.
She did have to strap herself to her bunk before the immense silver teardrop rose slowly upward toward space -- but as the stewardess explained in routine tones the strap was a mere precaution against a possible lurch caused by brief failure of one of the launching jets. And within five minutes after takeoff a tiny sign lit up over the cabin door that read UNFASTEN BELTS -- SMOKING PERMITTED.