Earth - X409
When she got home - a little thirteen years old red-haired girl - she didn't know this day was a beginning of something, and she would be the one to decide where it will lead to.
She opened the white house door, ready to eat lunch after another day at school. She wasn't tired, oh no, although all of the jumping and running around school with some friends. And she wasn't bored. She knew there was a whole long day to do whatever she will like to do, and that anything could surprise her.
Even lunch could surprise her;
What will she eat today? Rice? Lasagna? Salad?
She wouldn't refuse to anything, because she was so very hungry.
Right after she took the first step into the house, she declared she came home. She did not notice that she was saying it, it was just sort of a reflex.
"Hello, sweetheart. How was at school?" another reflex answered her, while she was going upstairs, to put her things in her own room.
"Was alright," was one of her usual answers, just like "OK," and "Nice". She would always give this short answer, because she didn't know what should she tell. The funny moments that happened at school weren't that funny now, and sad moments didn't feel that important now. It didn't matter. She put her purple school bag on the light pink sheets of her bed, and went out of her blue room. One split second before she went down the stairs, she turned her back and took a serious look at her bag, like there was something she missed. Something she noticed, but didn't pay attention to. But she saw her bag. Just the purple bag, ripped a bit here and there, laying there, waiting gor someone to open it.
"Alrighty, then," She said and went down step by step.
When she sat down by the wooden table, on the wooden chairs, in this small room they called 'Dining Room', lunch was served. It was delicious, as always. Just imagine yourself returning home from school, or work, or a walk around town, to a great lunch that includes your favorite kinds of food.
Her father picked all the dirty dishes off the table to the sink and started washing them. Her mother gave her a kiss on the forhead and asked her if she got a lot of homework today, and if she had some spare time today. She doesn't do that. The girl had a hunch something is happening.
"No, we didn't get a lot of homework. And some of it is not for tomorrow," She explained, "So yes, I have some spare time. Why?" The girl needed answers. She wasn't really sure what were her questions, but she needed some answers. Maybe through the answers, she will understand what she wanted to ask.
"Well, you do remember granpap, right? And his invention he made for you, so you could talk to the moon people?" Said the mother.
Oh. That was a bit of a surprise. She didn't heard of the machine in a while. They didn't announce it in front of the people, and didn't try it out. She was disappointed; Not because she wouldn't speak to the moon people, but because her grandpap's wish wouldn't come true: they never remembered the moon together. And now, no one will.
"Yes." She answered. But she thought she needed a longer answer, so she continued, "Yes, I remember. Of course I remember, how could I forget? I was there when they finished. We... Remembered the moon." She whispered that last sentence. It was sort of a reminder just for herself, that she has a promise to keep. "What about it?"
"Well... You know that they didn't announce it at the end, but..."
"But what?" The girl was too curious now. You've got to be careful with curious kids, or else you'll disappoint them and then they won't like you. That's the harsh truth. But the mother did not disappoint the girl, she sure didn't.
"They did give it a try. And it worked! You got a letter from a moon girl at your age this morning. It's on yout bed, go check it out!" The mother was excited, but the girl was even more. Maybe the most excited she has and will ever be. Well, there's that engagement thing... It doesn't matter now. The girl could run around the neighborhood fifteen times. And she did. Just upstairs. And obviously, just one time. But she did it fast.
She entered the blue room of hers and moved her bag, and there was indeed a tiny, brown, a bit wrinkly letter. It didn't have a stamp on it, and not a name. But she didn't mind that stupid tiny details, she just opened it. On the paper was a mark of a company she didn't recognise, but it had the words 'Moon' and 'Space' in it, so it was assuring her it was really a letter from space. From the moon. She couldn't know how much happiness this mark can give her.
She read the letter quickly with a big smile on her face, and laughed a little, because it was ridicolous, but she she found it also beautifully honest. The girl thought she wants to know this person better. There was more to this dipressing truth, and she knew it. She didn't think twice as she ran to the green office room and sat by the wooden desk, took a piece of paper and one black pen. She was smiling all along, excited. Before even starting to write, she drew the moon, like a banana, and wrote beneath it 'rip granpap'. It wasn't because of sadness, in fact, it was because of happiness. Of course she wasn't happy her grandfather died, but she was happy his dream lived. This was the final proof that the moon wasn't forgotten, not yet. And she will fight for it.
Just after she drew and wrote those tiny things, she started writing the actual letter.
dear moon child,
And then she got stuck. Her brain was blank. She had no idea what to write (...sounds familiar), and she had no idea how to write a letter.
"Mom?" She called to her.
"Yes, darling?" The mother answered while going up the stairs.
"What do I write them? What should I write?" And by the time she asked that, the mother was standing behind her.
"Well, hon, you can write what you want. At first, you can thank her for writing you, and then... Tell her how is it here, on Earth," She advised the girl. "And you start a sentence with a capital letter, sweetie."
"Yes, I know, but this isn't an essay in English, mom." The girl answered her mother while she was leaving the room. The mother's chuckle was heard in the hallway. The girl shook her head and looked back to her letter. She did as her mother told her, and started writing with a thank you.
thanks very much for writing me! it's so nice of you. i was so excited to know my grandpap's machine worked, and i'm very happy a girl my age could write me! from the moon!!! it's amazing, so thanks :)
Thank you part - done. Now she needs to introduce herself, of course.
so my name is Raven, i didn't actually catch your name... what is it?
i live on earth 13 years already and i love my family and also watching tv
oh my god do you guys have tvs on the moon?! what shows do you watch?
also, i have a lot of friends!!! there's Corey and Coleen and Jackie and Gary and they are all very fun. who are your friends??
so thanks again for writing
i hope you will write back!
earth child girl Raven
She was happy with the letter she wrote. She was happy the moon girl wrote to her.
"Mom? Where are the envelopes?" She asked.
"In the third drawer,"
The girl opened the third drawer, and there indeed was a pack of brown envelopes. She grabbed one brown envelope, fold the paper and put it in the envelope. On the back of it she wrote it was from an Earth child to a Moon kid. Just to make it mysterious. It made ne laugh. I mean her, it nade her laugh.
She searched in the drawers for the stickers, and when she found them, she took the biggest, most yellow smiling one, and put it on the envelope. It looked perfect. She took it and ran to her mother's room.
"Look, mom! It's here. It's perfect. When do we send it? I hope she'll like it, and I hope she'll like me," The girl said to much, she realised it, and she stopped.
The mother laughed. "We'll send it tomorrow, honey. And I'm sure she'll like you." She winked to the girl. The mother was happy that her father affected her daughter that much. It was something he couldn't do with his own children. They never listened.
"So no school tomorrow?" The girl was excited.
"No school tomorrow."
The girl ran back to her blue room, and put the letter on her pile of books she loved to read, on her messy desk.
She searched for an empty drawer, and she found one. She put the letter, the first letter she got, in it. This drawer is going to get full, and she's going to love it. This drawer is going to be one of the best things that happened to her. Her words, not mine.
