Al to the Moon
It was a dark and stormy night. My wife was out, the dogs had already
gone to sofa, and I didn't feel like any more Brainly. As I shut down the
computer, I said to myself, "Self ! What else can we do for some fun ?"
I listened for an answer, but there was only the echo of crickets in the
stillness. My self had no ideas either. I decided to turn in early, and
started for the stairs.
That's when I saw it ! There, on the end table beside the sofa, the book
that my wife had been reading ... our dog-eared copy of the 19th Century
Jules Verne classic, "From the Earth to the Moon".
"That's it !" I exclaimed. "I've got a few hours before bed time ! I'll go
where no man has gone before, at least no man in the last 43 years !"
I went to the kitchen, made a sandwich, and put it in a bag with a
bottle of water.
I went to the front-hall closet and took out my heavy jacket.
Then I went to garage, rolled back the roof, climbed into the barrel,
fastened my seat belt, pushed the button, and braced myself, as
the spark ignited the package of smokeless powder underneath.
Less than two hours later, I was skipping around on the surface of the
Moon. Down on Earth, it was the day of the New Moon, so up here,
I was treated to the awesome sight of the Full Earth in my sky.
After a while, I was beginning to get drowsy. It was past my bedtime,
but that wasn't the worst part. Since there is no air on the Moon, it
had been a few hours since the last time I took a breath, and I was
definitely beginning to feel it. So, with regret, I climbed back into the
barrel, pushed the button, and was on my way home.
Of course the return trip was much quicker, because it was downhill
all the way.
THE END