Touching the Moon (SGA) (Gen)
Title: Touching the Moon
Rating: All
Notes: Inspired by the Google moonshot competition.
The moon swung in lazy circles on the mobile. Occasionally the moon crossed through the beam of a flashlight propped up on the ground and almost glowed from the light. Madison reached up and touched the moon, stilling it. Half-lit, half-dark, the moon hovered over her nose. She flicked it and it began to spin again, wildly at first.
Downstairs Mommy and Uncle Rodney were arguing. Uncle Rodney wanted to touch the moon, but Mommy refused to help him. She said it would be dishonest, lying. Uncle Rodney didn't care. Madison stilled the mobile again. Her daddy had bought her the mobile when she was still a baby. He told her stories about all the planets. The moon is where dragons live. Once upon a time they married princesses.
The argument must have been over, because Madison heard people on the stairs. Uncle Rodney was still talking though. Someone knocked on her door. "Madison, turn off your flashlight and go to sleep, please." She sounded tired and annoyed, and so Madison clicked off her light and climbed up into her bed. She put the flashlight down by the statue Uncle Rodney got for her when she was still a little kid a couple years ago and went to sleep.
The next morning, Uncle Rodney was still grumpy at breakfast.
"Jeannie, why can't you understand? You could pay Maddy's college with this money. Radek and I can't enter. We need you." Madison liked that Uncle Rodney called her 'Maddy.' That's why she started calling him Uncle Rodney instead of Uncle Mer. It was her special name for him; made him smile, too.
"Mer--" Mommy was still annoyed.
Madison listened as she ate her cereal. If Mommy would help Uncle Rodney and his funny friend Radek get some kind of machine to the moon, they would win a lot of money. If Mommy tried on her own, Uncle Rodney said, the prize money would not cover costs-- whatever that meant.
By the time Uncle Rodney was ready to leave, he was in a very bad mood. Madison frowned. Uncle Rodney brought her presents, what if he got so upset he didn't come back? Suddenly she got an idea. She ran up to her room and cut the moon off her mobile and then wrapped it up in a kleenex. She hurried back downstairs.
"Madison, Uncle Mer is leaving n--"
"Wait!" Madison sprinted to the door and pushed the bundle into Uncle Rodney's hand. "Here," she said. "A present."
"For me?" Uncle Rodney looked really surprised.
Madison nodded. "Open it." Uncle Rodney peeled off the tissues and pulled out her moon, he held it up by the cut string.
Mommy gasped. "Madison, is that from your mobile? Your--"
"It's the moon," Madison said to Uncle Rodney. "For you."
Uncle Rodney smiled all crooked and then knelt down and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Maddy. I'll take good care of it."
Madison grinned and kissed her uncle good-bye. Mommy and Daddy might not be happy that she'd given Uncle Rodney her moon, but she didn't care. She and Mommy waved good-bye as Uncle Rodney got into his car and drove away.
"When will he come back?" she asked.
"I don't know," Mommy replied and she closed the door.
Back on the Daedalus, Radek found Rodney in the commissary. "I take it your sister won't help us?"
Rodney shook his head. "She thinks it would be dishonest to use alien technology to win a human contest or something like that."
"Did you explain that doing so was the only way to make the $20 million prize worthwhile?"
"She didn't care." Radek cocked his head; Rodney did not sound nearly as disgruntled as Radek had expected him to be. Then he noticed that Rodney was holding something in one hand.
"What is that?"
Rodney turned over his hand, opened it, and smiled. "My niece heard me and Jeannie discussing." He held up the small globe by a string. "She gave me the moon." The moon twisted in the air, almost glowing beneath the commissary lights.
Rating: All
Notes: Inspired by the Google moonshot competition.
The moon swung in lazy circles on the mobile. Occasionally the moon crossed through the beam of a flashlight propped up on the ground and almost glowed from the light. Madison reached up and touched the moon, stilling it. Half-lit, half-dark, the moon hovered over her nose. She flicked it and it began to spin again, wildly at first.
Downstairs Mommy and Uncle Rodney were arguing. Uncle Rodney wanted to touch the moon, but Mommy refused to help him. She said it would be dishonest, lying. Uncle Rodney didn't care. Madison stilled the mobile again. Her daddy had bought her the mobile when she was still a baby. He told her stories about all the planets. The moon is where dragons live. Once upon a time they married princesses.
The argument must have been over, because Madison heard people on the stairs. Uncle Rodney was still talking though. Someone knocked on her door. "Madison, turn off your flashlight and go to sleep, please." She sounded tired and annoyed, and so Madison clicked off her light and climbed up into her bed. She put the flashlight down by the statue Uncle Rodney got for her when she was still a little kid a couple years ago and went to sleep.
The next morning, Uncle Rodney was still grumpy at breakfast.
"Jeannie, why can't you understand? You could pay Maddy's college with this money. Radek and I can't enter. We need you." Madison liked that Uncle Rodney called her 'Maddy.' That's why she started calling him Uncle Rodney instead of Uncle Mer. It was her special name for him; made him smile, too.
"Mer--" Mommy was still annoyed.
Madison listened as she ate her cereal. If Mommy would help Uncle Rodney and his funny friend Radek get some kind of machine to the moon, they would win a lot of money. If Mommy tried on her own, Uncle Rodney said, the prize money would not cover costs-- whatever that meant.
By the time Uncle Rodney was ready to leave, he was in a very bad mood. Madison frowned. Uncle Rodney brought her presents, what if he got so upset he didn't come back? Suddenly she got an idea. She ran up to her room and cut the moon off her mobile and then wrapped it up in a kleenex. She hurried back downstairs.
"Madison, Uncle Mer is leaving n--"
"Wait!" Madison sprinted to the door and pushed the bundle into Uncle Rodney's hand. "Here," she said. "A present."
"For me?" Uncle Rodney looked really surprised.
Madison nodded. "Open it." Uncle Rodney peeled off the tissues and pulled out her moon, he held it up by the cut string.
Mommy gasped. "Madison, is that from your mobile? Your--"
"It's the moon," Madison said to Uncle Rodney. "For you."
Uncle Rodney smiled all crooked and then knelt down and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Maddy. I'll take good care of it."
Madison grinned and kissed her uncle good-bye. Mommy and Daddy might not be happy that she'd given Uncle Rodney her moon, but she didn't care. She and Mommy waved good-bye as Uncle Rodney got into his car and drove away.
"When will he come back?" she asked.
"I don't know," Mommy replied and she closed the door.
Back on the Daedalus, Radek found Rodney in the commissary. "I take it your sister won't help us?"
Rodney shook his head. "She thinks it would be dishonest to use alien technology to win a human contest or something like that."
"Did you explain that doing so was the only way to make the $20 million prize worthwhile?"
"She didn't care." Radek cocked his head; Rodney did not sound nearly as disgruntled as Radek had expected him to be. Then he noticed that Rodney was holding something in one hand.
"What is that?"
Rodney turned over his hand, opened it, and smiled. "My niece heard me and Jeannie discussing." He held up the small globe by a string. "She gave me the moon." The moon twisted in the air, almost glowing beneath the commissary lights.