Birthday on The Moon

First Edit, Part 16

Grandpa was right: the cheese was everywhere around them - the good stuff anyway. It was playing the smart game of hide and seek by hiding in plain sight. But once they found a little bit of it, the rest just fell into their laps - and stuck to their boots too. The taste-o-meter began to forget anything other than "taste: good". Winning the lottery one thing, but this was taking it to the next level - and they didn't even have to buy a ticket but instead build a spaceship. Either way, Grandpa thought it was a good deal.

"More here," one of them said as they were being swallowed up by the hysteria and the cheese. The taste-o-meter could only agree as it had forgotten how to disagree.

"The consistency," one of them commented, "texture and colour is good nor does not crumble," it added. Woody was content to explore and to sniff around, he occasionally watched as they rummaged through the dirt, packing the lumps in their bags as it also clung onto their boots. The Sea of Tranquillity did not care either, it had been there for millions of years and a few missing specks of cheese would make no difference. Not to mention it did not know how to treat its guests, if they wanted something then it supposed that it would simply let them take it. It continued to let them wander deeper and deeper into it until they found themselves surrounded in every direction b the same things; they had more cheese than they knew what to do with it, but they didn't know where to go with it. The moon looked all the same, especially when you don't know what to look for.

"That is odd," said Adrian, standing up straight after digging through piles of cheese, "what is that?" he looked upon the strange horizon, it all looked empty and this part was especially empty and featureless. The rocks, hills and mounds on the moon did not know how to pride themselves by their appearance, often they would have gazed at through telescopes thousands and thousands of miles away, so they cared more about how they look at long distances more so than up close and personal.

"What do you mean?" asked Grandpa covered by the cheese, it was tempting him to dig deeper and hunt deeper; the device only kept confirming this and encouraging him to carry more. "what don't you recognise?"

"This looks different," replied Adrian. The Moon was uneventful on the best of days, but they did not need a holiday brochure to tell them that, he wanted to ask more did could not articulate the words; what they were staring at was just different. Adrian thought that being temporarily misplaced often mean permanently.

"Well," said Grandpa, reaching for the map, worrying that they may be in a bad part of town, "we- erm," he began waffling, "I think... There should... Isn't there a..."

"I think," stated Adrian as Grandpa almost reached peak waffling, "that we are lost."

"No, we aren't," insisted Grandpa, reading the map - it wanted to be read as the map wanted to get home too, "we are momentarily displaced," mustering all the sophistication he could, considering he was covered in white, pale cheese.

"We are lost and I know it," He dropped the lump and wanted to cry. His cheese covered fingers could not reach to wipe away the tears forming in his eyes and comfort him.

"No. We. Are. Not," Grandpa insisted with authority, reaching to hold Adrian with his hand. Woody was carefree and wanted attention, he had had enough of this area and was gently covered in cheese, he realised that not standing still meant that you would not sink easily. He did not understand what issue was, they were no far from the spaceship and yet he was panting and covered in cheese. He ran up to Adrian for and attention. He began barking.

"Wood!" shouted Adrian, the static noise distracted Grandpa as he tries to muster all the concentration he had, "we are lost," he said to Woody only to be greeted by a blank slate. He held Woody tight looking for reassurance.