"Incoming spaceship!" David yelled, tossing a crumpled-up sock across his room. It landed, with a soft thud, right inside his toy box. "Three points!" he cheered, grabbing another sock from his floor. "David!" His mom popped her head into his room, a paintbrush tucked behind her ear. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked, watching the sock fly through the air. David just grinned. "Practicing my free throws for the big game on the moon!"
"The moon?" Mom raised an eyebrow, her face full of amusement. David nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It's gonna be me and the moon mermaids versus the alien all-stars!" Mom chuckled, "Moon mermaids? Where did you hear about this?" David, always the adventurer, had a wild imagination, and often got lost in his own fantastical world.
"I traveled there in my sleep!" David exclaimed, puffing out his chest. "And guess what? They love basketball on the moon!" This made Mom laugh. "Well, in that case," she said, "you better get lots of practice. No gravity on the moon, you know." David's eyes widened. "No gravity? Woah, that's gonna be awesome!"
That night, as soon as David's head hit the pillow, he was off! Zooming through the stars, past twinkling lights and giant planets, he landed with a bouncy thud on the moon. It was just as he imagined! Bright, dusty ground stretched out before him, dotted with craters and glowing rocks. And the sky! It was a deep, dark blue sprinkled with millions of stars.
He spotted the basketball court in the distance, lit up like a beacon. As he got closer, he heard the most beautiful singing. It was the moon mermaids, warming up for the game! They were even more amazing than he imagined. Their tails shimmered with scales of silver and blue, and their hair flowed like waterfalls.
"Hey, you must be David!" One of the mermaids called out, her voice as clear as a bell. "We've heard so much about your free throws!" David, a little starstruck, just managed to stammer a hello. The game was unlike anything David had ever seen. Without gravity, they were soaring through the air, passing the ball with flicks of their tails.
David, a natural athlete, quickly got the hang of it. He was dribbling between craters, making impossible shots, even dunking the ball with a flick of his wrist! The crowd roared with laughter and cheers every time he made a basket.
The alien all-stars were tough competition, though. They were tall and lanky, with long arms that seemed to stretch across the entire court. But David and the mermaids worked together, passing the ball, blocking shots, and scoring basket after basket.
The game came down to the wire, the score tied. There were only seconds left on the clock. The alien all-star captain had the ball. He was about to take a shot when suddenly, David leaped into the air, his arm outstretched. He snatched the ball, spun around, and threw it with all his might.
The ball soared through the air, a perfect arc against the backdrop of the Earth. It sailed through the hoop just as the buzzer sounded! David and the mermaids had won! David woke up with a huge grin on his face. His room was bathed in the morning sunlight. He could have sworn he heard the faint echo of cheering and a mermaid’s laugh. He bounced out of bed, grabbed a sock, and took aim at his toy box.
“Another three-pointer for the moon champion!” He shouted, tossing the sock high in the air. This time, when it landed in the box, he could have sworn he saw a sprinkle of moondust on the rim.
