Astronauts

Once there were two brothers named Alex and Max. Alex and Max had always wanted to be astronauts from as far back as they could remember. When they were six years old they started doing push ups, and extra science homework, and watching every YouTube video they could find about NASA. As they grew up they studied math and science every day and worked out to keep their bodies as strong as possible. Finally came the day when they were old enough to apply to the NASA Astronaut School. They filled out the application, sent in their grades and recommendations teachers had written for them, and submitted videos of their strenuous work outs. And then they waited. And waited. Many months passed until one day, a letter arrived at the door from NASA. They boys eagerly tore it open only to read “Dear Alex and Max. You are not what we’re looking for in astronauts. You will never go to space.” At first Alex and Max were devastated. They had worked for this their entire lives. Could the dream really be over already? But then Max had an idea. “Alex, we don’t need NASA to go to space! We can do it ourselves!” The boys grabbed some paper and pencils and sketched out how they might get to space on their own. Soon the back yard was filled with wood and metal and wires and gas tanks and all kinds of construction debris. They worked for months, hammering and sawing, soldering and welding, until one day, they stood back and admired their work. There in front of them stood a real, live, rocket. They high-fived, put on their space helmets, and climbed in. Alex checked all the dials while Max made sure the engine was ready. Alex looked around but couldn’t find the gas gauge. “Max, are the gas tanks full?” he asked. Max couldn’t find the gas gauge either, so he pulled out some paint and a paint brush, and painted a large gauge on the dashboard in front of him. He made sure to make the needle point to Full. Both boys felt much better now that they knew they had enough gas. Once everything was ready Max looked at Alex. “Ready?” he said. “Ready!” said Alex. Max struck a match and lit the fuse leading to the rocket booster. They waited… and waited… and then a huge rumble sent their rocket blasting into the air. They made it almost as high as the top of the neighbors tree before the shaking contraption fell apart around them and flung them out into the air. Alex ended up scratched and bruised in the branches of a tree and Max lay groaning in a nearby blackberry bush. Slowly they pulled themselves together and found their way back to the house, wiping the blood and dirt from their arms and legs. They both got to the house at the same time, locked eyes, smiled wide, and gave each other the biggest high-ever ever. “Yeah! Astronauts!” They’d always known they could achieve anything they set their minds to.