Birthday on The Moon

First Edit, Part 19

Their journey around the moon had taken them to the sea of tranquillity, across hills, mounds of rocks, up a mountain, across dangerous ledges and had rewarded with the best possible cheese in the world - and with a front-row seat to the whole solar system. On one ever said that adventure would be safe, secure or harmless, but instead by omission they meant dangerous, deadly, and daring. Only those who could stomach the danger dared to dangle themselves in harm's way. They started to approach the base of the mountain as their rocky colossal bid them farewell to its first-ever guests.

"When it comes to danger," began Grandpa, with a surplus of oxygen in his lungs, "know your environments," he added, "sometimes it wants to kill you, other times it wants to kiss you." Adrian tried to understand his thinking, so he thought and instantly agreed with him. Even the cheese looked at itself trying to understand him, it was thinking about the pool it had left but was expected with the prospects that the strangers had in store for them.

"Would we ever come back?" asked Adrian.

"Maybe," he replied as they bounced and bobbed their way across the flat ground.

"I am glad I came with you," admitted Adrian, it was not the tight, ugly, spacesuits that were talking but his heart. "Being at home, with books, is nothing. We have seen and done so much. Made our own adventure and history."

"A lot," said Grandpa exhausting his gasps of air, "and it has been a close one too - too close!"

"Yes, but we made it!"

Woody was happy to tag along for the ride, not to mention he was content to sleep and do nothing - but going for a walk and a chance to explore was always his top priority. Grandpa, on the other hand, felt accomplished to know that he had what they came for: cheese. He saw potential in the lunar cheese, the now dubbed Huygen Cheese. He dared to daydream about the competitions and shows he could enter it in. The cheese was eager for a new life. However, Adrian felt that his books at home only helped him to imagine the world outside and beyond his bedroom. Stepping, feeling and squeezing it in his hands and breaking the air was different thus the books could not compete. It made him hole inside, like a butterfly that found its place in the world amongst the flowers. He felt closer to finding his purpose and destination in the world. A butterfly that was free to explore, witness the world and take pleasure in its existence. Not like a small, slimy snake that was repulsed by everyone it saw, rejected by the world and even most cuisines. Having to hide away and live a long, miserable existence. A voyage, a holiday - is what they all needed.

"We came close a few times," commented Grandpa, reciting all the danger they went through as they progressed towards the spaceship.

"I know, but we made it," Adrian replied, stepping over rocks and kicking up dust clouds as he bounced.

"You need to be more careful," Grandpa replied, oxygen was not always a factor when delivering warnings, "imagine if you had gotten hurt, or worse," he wanted to continued but his lungs would not allow it. They were running out of air and it was slowly fleeting away as they worked overtime, "I am running out of air," his lungs allowed him to comment, "we have to move fast," he remember the spare oxygen canister.

"Yes, I understand," said Adrian, as they faced fewer and fewer odd-shaped rocks and bumps, "I will be careful - I always am," he said, "that is one thing that the books taught me: safety."

"How is your oxygen?" replied Grandpa, his lungs feared being drained. Adrian looked down to the gauge with anticipation and saw nothing. He tapped on the dial, but it was unresponsive, as though it had ran out of oxygen and energy. "I am not sure how much I have," reported Grandpa.