Birthday on The Moon

First Edit, Part 9

Grandpa's shoes were untouched on the kitchen floor leading the garden, but where was he, he thought. Putting on his shoes Adrian ran to the shed in the garden looking for Grandpa, it was tall, old and parts of it began to rot away. The aged wooden door creaked as he pushed it forward, the lock was rusted away. The room was as dark as night; it did not see much of the sunlight through its dirty windows. As it creaked open the spiders and other insects ran away from the light of the morning behind Adrian. A gentle breeze came from within the shed. The dust, cobwebs and rust littered the shed, it would have been the perfect hiding place for him if he could stand the stray spiders and encroaching darkness. Adrian felt his chance for adventure and discovery slowly slip away. Where was he, Adrian kept thinking.

There was a small work station filled with utensils, space cables, electronics, gadgets and gizmos, when he was not travelling he was always tinkering with something from somewhere.

"Where is he?" said Adrian as he looked around the shed. He slowly closed the door to back away and bumped into his mother, who was standing behind him.

"Where is who? Your Grandpa?" asked his mother, looking down at him with a stern face.

"Ah," he said without expecting her, "I am looking for Grandpa."

"He left earlier and will be back soon," she said, "now come on, it is time for breakfast," she turned and marched to the kitchen in her elegant morning dress.

Adrian retreated from the darkness of the shed - Grandpa would turn up eventually, he hoped.

Breakfast was also often a chore, listening to his parents talk about the gossip in the neighbourhood. Adrian could not stand idle chat as it lacked a direction in life. A noise came from the kitchen door as the turned to be unlocked, someone walked through. With the heavy boots stepping through and leaving defiant footprints on the carpet, a figure stepped through. Adrian was too focused on his breakfast, ignoring the chatter that his parents called gossip as the figure came sat down next to him. He turned to it and jumped - interrupting the latest gossip, much to his parents' agony.

"Where have you been?" he asked immediately, "what happened?" asked Adrian. Without taking his coat off Grandpa sat next to him to help himself to the coffee.

"What?" he replied, "what do you mean?" pouring away into a spare mug.

"Yes," said Adrian, "I am ready!" his parents now looked puzzled as well as annoyed.

"Ready for what?" one of them said, "where are you going?" said the other. The latest gossip was happening in front of them.

"Somewhere for his birthday," said Grandpa with a smile and without thinking, the mug was full and steam bellowed out of it. They slowly returned to their gossip, but with their guard up.

"Ah yes, the moon," replied Grandpa softly, "about that."

"Oh, what? What happened?" said Adrian, grasping at straws, clinging tight to his Grandpa's arm.

"I have been waiting for you to be ready and I must say it did not take a long as I thought," replied Grandpa with a grin forming, "but first, let's have breakfast. We have a lot to talk and think about - it has been a long night".

Adrian felt uplifted; a weight had been taken off his shoulders and hope had begun to take root. The hope of a different life than that of his parents and of their rituals, he saw his chance and was taking it.