Shiny silver dust puffed up around Jackson’s shoes. “It tickles!” he giggled, looking down at his feet.
“That’s moon dust, Jackson,” Dad said, smiling. He pointed up at the Earth, hanging like a giant blue and green ball in the sky. “We’re really on the Moon!”
Jackson knew moving to a new house in San Jose was going to be a big adventure, but he never expected to move to a whole new planet! Dad was a scientist and his newest job was building a house… on the Moon!
Everything on the Moon was different. Jackson could jump super high, almost like he was flying! He held onto Dad’s hand as they walked, making sure he didn’t float away. The ground was bumpy with craters and in the distance, Jackson saw tall, pointy mountains.
“Look, Dad, shooting stars!” Jackson pointed. Streaks of light zipped across the black sky. He wished he could catch one!
Their new Moon house looked like a giant bubble, made of a bouncy, see-through material. Inside, everything was shiny and new. Jackson loved that his bed floated a little bit off the ground.
“This is amazing, Dad!” Jackson said, bouncing on his toes. “But do you think we’ll see any Moon creatures?”
Dad chuckled. “Who knows what we might find out here!”
Later that day, as Dad was unpacking boxes, Jackson decided to explore. He put on his space helmet and stepped outside. The Moon felt quiet and still. As Jackson bounced along, he noticed something move in the distance. It was small and furry, with a long tail.
A Moon monkey! Jackson thought excitedly.
The monkey scampered towards Jackson, then did a flip in the air. Jackson giggled. This little creature was definitely brave and elegant, just like him!
Carefully, Jackson held out his hand, hoping the monkey would come closer. He wished he could tell it all about his robot arm, back in his secret hideout on the Robot Planet.
The monkey jumped closer and sniffed Jackson’s hand. It chittered and made little squeaking noises. Then, it did something amazing! The monkey reached out and gently touched Jackson’s cheek with its paw.
For a moment, Jackson felt like the monkey understood. It knew what it was like to be in a new place, to feel a little bit scared, but also excited about all the adventures to come.
Jackson spent the rest of the day playing with his new friend. They chased each other around craters, pretended to catch shooting stars, and Jackson even shared some of his space snacks.
As the Earth began to rise in the sky, painting the Moon in shades of orange and pink, Dad came outside.
“There you are, Jackson,” he said. “Who’s your friend?”
Jackson smiled. “This is my Moon monkey! He’s going to help us love our new home!”
Even though moving to the Moon was a big change, Jackson knew everything was going to be alright. He had his Dad, a bouncy house, a sky full of stars, and now, a Moon monkey as a friend. What more could an adventurer ask for?
