Birthday on The Moon

First Edit, Part 14

                "Do we have everything?" the question punctured the silence of them realising where they are. Grandpa did not come all this way to forget simple stuff when they needed it the most.

"Yes," replied Adrian, having had enough of the nagging: the food was ready, the canisters lined up and the tools were in the bags. The spacesuits were a snug fit and Woody has his own and was eager to stretch his legs since the last thud of a landing was on his feet. They were all eager to stretch their legs.

"This," Grandpa pointed inside his helmet towards Adrian, "is a radio, I will talk to you once we get through the doors," gesturing towards the controls as he readied himself to go through the doors," once you are through I will close the outer door remotely. Don't worry," said Grandpa as he took control of the situation again. Adrian fiddled with his radio and put on his helmet; he had not walked through that door since he almost forgot his camera. Adrian made his way past the small kitchen and bathroom to the door to the outside world; a strange foreign land was waiting to be discovered. The large round door with a heavy wheel protruding out of the middle of it. It was beyond airtight but also bomb, fire, lava, poison, acid and even dustproof just to make sure that they did not have to do much cleaning either. Protection and security were paramount to Grandpa, as Adrian stepped through the door, Grandpa looked down at his watch ticking away until the birthday. The easy piece was over, now for the challenging part, Grandpa thought.

Grandpa took no chances with the design as he unlocked the door for Adrian, his gloves helped with the grip of the wheel but made it hard to wrap his hands around the handle. It opened like a sardine can; precise and unloading a stuffed container. Adrian stepped through the first doors to leave and they banged behind him, shutting tight, as Grandpa sealed it them from the inside. The other set of doors were in front of him in a very small chamber, the bolts and hinges of the next door were stiff from the crash-landing. It became loose and cracked open as Adrian turned its wheel, releasing what little air surrounded him into the wild. As the air escaped it let ambient light in from the moon; a light that had never touched metal before as the door swung gently opening, revealing the white rolling hills, empty skyline and bland horizon that he found himself surrounded by, he took his first step and went into the unknown. Looking down from the door frame; there was a short drop; a mini cliff. He looked near him for some ground to step onto and there was a small mound to the side of the ship that was a large step away. Stretching forth his right foot, encased in airtight brown metal he planted it firmly on the ground, keeping his left foot at the door frame, creating a firm foothold for the rest of his body to swing onto the moon. Shifting his weight so both feet was on the grey dust: he had done it. Thousands of miles, through trouble, danger, squabbles and doubt; he had (crash) landed on the moon and had set foot there in one piece.

Standing at the top of the small hill, the metal door behind closed by itself, he turned as it banged shut, he may have made his first steps but now he was alone. The moon gave him a strangely cold comfort as he bounded his way down the hill, looking along the horizon. Nothing could be seen, heard, felt or even smelt in every direction, only rocks, dust and craters. He began to wonder what all the fuss was about. The moon was busy as a library and as welcoming as a graveyard. The low gravity made walking in the boots bearable as he bounced up and down to get used to his new body weight.

"Wee," he shouted jumping up and landing, getting ready to jump higher. He flew in the air and made a crash landing of his own; getting used to the gravity and suit combination would take time.

"Ofh," he cried, but no one could hear him in space, only through Grandpa's radio. He began to admit how slow the moon was; an ancient relic from a time lost and forgotten to all of mankind. It would be the first time in a long that someone stepped, jumped or even came here. Adrian did not miss or think of home much, he began to feel that he had found his new home searching for adventure and chasing the horizon as the stars twinkled across the sky. He began to see clearly, even though there was not much to see. He could feel his personality and character beginning to change and grow with his hop and step he made on the moon. Adrian was preparing to jump again but his thoughts were interrupted