The Man in the Moon

Duncan Bell was a curious boy who liked to read books in his room much more than he liked to play outside in his yard. In books, Duncan could go anywhere and explore many more fantastic places. He had books on geography and archeology. He had books about faraway places and amazing animals. He had books on history and science and just about any subject you could imagine.

Because he was not an avid partaker in sports or rough play, Duncan Bell grew rather chubby which led his schoolmates to nickname him “Dinner Bell”. This teasing only drove Duncan deeper into his books and soon, books were all he cared for.

Until Duncan reached his twelfth birthday, that is. That was the day that his parents bestowed upon him a gift like no other - a telescope. From that day, or rather, from that night forward, Duncan spent his time staring up into space, looking for the things he’d read about in his astronomy books.

He soon found that the strength of this “junior” telescope was not very impressive and the celestial body he had the best view of was the Moon. Undeterred, Duncan set about identifying craters and other such features. Much to his disappointment, it seemed that the Moon was a cold, lonely and boring place.

That is, it seemed lifeless and boring until one night, when Duncan noticed an object on the surface and a flashing of light coming from the northern tip of the Sea of Tranquility. It flickered on and off quickly and after a few minutes, it was gone completely.

Duncan thought that it must be some earthly light source somehow being reflected onto his telescope’s lens, but it persisted night after night. And as he focused his telescope to its ultimate clarity, the object on the surface appeared more and more like some kind of vehicle. Eventually, Duncan noticed the light’s flashing had a rhythmic quality. A sudden brainstorm led him to the library, where he checked out a book on code-breaking. Studying was Duncan’s great vocation, and he was able to master the signalling language over the course of several days.

Finally the night of revelation arrived. As Duncan peered through his telescope, notebook and pencil in hand, he felt a shiver of excitement run down his spine. He was about to make history! Eagerly, Duncan jotted down the first words from aliens on the Moon to someone on Earth.

“Don’t bother coming here”, it read. “There’s no cheese.”



Word Count: 416