The Man on the Moon

Katie was watching the live broadcast with her parents. Their black-and-white television showed the details as if they were there with the astronauts. Katie could not believe how real everything seemed. She felt she could reach out and touch the moon. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath as astronaut Neil Armstrong made his first step on the moon.

When her father finally turned the knob and shut off the television, Katie’s mind was filled with thoughts about space. If men could land on the moon, what would stop them from landing on other planets? What if there were other people out there in space who might come and land on Earth? Suddenly, it seemed as if everything she knew about the universe could change.

“That was pretty exciting, wasn’t it?” Katie’s father’s words interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes, Daddy. I don’t think I will ever forget it.”

“You won’t,” her father assured her. “Someday, when people talk about a man landing on the moon, you will remember exactly where you were when it happened. This memory will stay with you when others have faded away.”

Katie believed her father. She couldn’t imagine ever forgetting what it was like to see something so exciting happen. Her grandfather had not been as impressed. In fact, throughout the entire broadcast, he had claimed the entire event was faked and that someone in Hollywood was trying to trick everyone into believing man had really landed on the moon. Katie had looked at her mother when he said that, but her mother had only winked at her before turning her head to continue watching the television. Katie might not agree with her grandfather, but she did not want to be disrespectful and argue with him.

That night, when Katie looked at the stars, she thought about what it would be like to go into outer space. She knew she would not want to do it, but she secretly hoped that someday a woman would join the list of men’s names who went to the places men were just starting to explore.