“What do you need that for, girlie?” Melanie’s da asked her as she squeezed past him in the passageway of their old stone home.
The little girl was struggling with the cardboard box that the new fridge had come in. It was at least twice as tall as she was and possibly twice her width, and yet with pure determination alone, the little girl was managing to stretch her arms so wide that she had a tiny hand on either side of the gigantic rectangle, wiggling it ever so slowly through the house.
“I’m building a rocket ship,” suggested Melanie, giving her da a look of pity.
Having known her da for all of her six years of life, poor Melanie could not understand how he was still unable to read her mind. It seemed especially strange when she seemed to have no trouble reading him. It was something that seemed somewhat unfair to the both of them.
“Carry on then, darlin’,” Melanie’s da sighed before he turned away and went back to the kitchen where he was doing the washing up.
“Oh I’ll show you carry on then,” Melanie mumbled as she shuffled onward.
Coming to the backdoor of the old house was tricky, especially with a gigantic box in front and a wee little girl behind. Melanie lifted with all her six-year-old strength and managed to just create a gap under the box where she could crawl if she made herself extra small. With the gap there begging for use Melanie discovered it did not last long when she let the box go.
“Tiny!” she called. “Tiny, come!”
The wolfish beast that Melanie’s da used to help herd the sheep made his way at breakneck speed away from the fireplace in the cozy warm front room where the television sat broken and the radio played in its stead. The beast as a streak of grey tore along the passageway and stopped just short of plowing straight through the cardboard box.
“Lay still, Tiny!” ordered Melanie, and immediately the wolf did drop to the threadbare carpet of swirling aqua and ochre that often reminded the little girl of her sole visit to the beach. “Now roll over!”
As if like magic the dog rolled towards the straining girl and wedged under the box, increasing the angle.
“Good boy, Tiny,” cooed Melanie as she gave Tiny’s tummy a quick rub.
With another tremendous effort, Melanie crawled into the gap and then lifted the box over the top of herself. It came crashing down behind her and the dog. With her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth, Melanie then kicked with her heel the exact spot on the back door that caused the creak that told her she could turn the key, expecting the door to open for her. It did. But that only caused another dilemma in which the little girl with the creative mind found herself stuck between a half-open door, a box, and a great wolf that was keen to go out.
“Move, please, thank you kindly,” begged Melanie of the box and dog both as she pushed and shoved and tugged and kicked.
Eventually, there was formed a door size gap, enabling Melanie to open the house to the big wide world. Tiny leaped by her like a crazed deer and with a single yelp bounded away to do whatever it was that shaggy mutts do. Melanie ignored the mutt, she was far more focused on getting the great cardboard box onto her wagon so she could cart it up to the empty shearing shed. That was where she had gathered the four trash can lids, the fish bowl, a rusty funnel, and a few old tractor parts. Everything a young lady needed to build her very own rocket.
It took Melanie what remained of the afternoon to get that box all the way uphill from the back door, along the porch, and then up the dusty track to that abandoned shed. After huffing and puffing and pushing and pulling for an hour herself she came up with the brainy idea of hitching Tiny to the front of the wagon and guiding him along with a little piece of raw chicken.
“You’ll not be eatin’ dis yerself, now don’t ya girlie,” so said Melanie’s da as he caught her back in the kitchen stifling that morsel of poultry.
“No, da,” said Melanie. “It be a special treat for Tiny.”
“But why, darlin’?” asked the man.
“He’s been helping me with a job or two,” admitted the little girl.
“Well alright then,” said da, matter-of-factly. “Glad am I to be discoverin’ if that dog be useless wi’ der sheep he be good fer somethin’ at least.”
Melanie nodded and headed back out to the big wide world again. She had lots to do and not much time to do it.
With Tiny watching on, keen-eyed and thumping tail, Melanie’s rocket slowly came together. The trash can lids were a good grounding platform after Melanie managed to hammer out the kinks. Next came the funnel and a few old jerry cans for balance, the shape not quite like a true rocket ship but good enough for what the young girl needed. On top of all of the rusty bits and pieces went the big cardboard box which Melanie had cut holes in, and a door to enable her to get in and out. Inside the box, she’d placed the hoses and nozzles, random tractor leftovers, and a few old car springs. Finally, at the topmost top, Melanie had precariously placed a triangular part from her da’s harvester. She knew he’d be needing it back soon enough but Melanie felt her need was greater. Her da would understand.
“What’s that supposed to be?” asked Nick, a boy from the farm next door.
“It’s a nun-ya,” said Melanie as she gave her finished rocket a kick.
It swayed a bit but stayed whole. Melanie was satisfied that it was ready for its maiden voyage.
“A nun-ya?” asked Nick. “As in nun-ya business?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” replied the little girl. “Now clear off, I’m busy.”
“Got nowhere to go that’s more interesting than here,” said Nick. “Think I’ll settle in and watch.”
“Suit yerself,” said Melaine, obviously annoyed. “Just stay out a my way.”
Nick nodded and then with monkey-like dexterity he climbed up into the rafters of the old shed. There were a few spots where a boy Nick’s size could wedge himself so he could shirk any work and grab a nap. At that moment though Nick just wanted to watch whatever it was that little Melanie Matthews was planning in her head. Nick had never had an original thought ever in his life so that was why he loved visiting the Matthews farm where original thoughts seemed to occur each and every day. With just as much keenness as Tiny, Nick stared at Melanie as she popped her da’s snorkel in her mouth and then placed the goldfish bowl over her head. It fit snugly and the breathing tube worked well.
“So long,” said Melanie, giving the dog and the boy a wave. “I’m going where no living person has ever gone before.”
“People have been to outer space before,” laughed Nick. “We heard about them at school.”
“I ain’t going to outer space,” said Melanie. “I’m going another way past them clouds.”
“There’s another way?” asked Nick in disbelief.
“I’m going to be the first one to find it,” vowed Melanie. “Call Tiny and make sure that you both keep back, I’m about to lift off.”
As Melanie jumped inside the fridge box she felt the rocket settle. The rusty parts moaned and groaned but thankfully it all held together. Nick jumped down from his perch and grabbed Tiny around the neck.
“Come on, boy,” he coaxed as he gently dragged the dog closer to the shed.
Tiny whined but otherwise didn’t protest. The tail continued to wag. As Melanie closed the cardboard door behind her the dog and the boy could only just make out her muffled voice.
“Give me a countdown,” the little girl demanded. “From ten if you can.”
“I ain’t that good at backward counting,” Nick admitted. “Will three do?”
“I guess it’ll have too,” grumbled Melanie. “I’m ready when you are.”
Nick started the count down with Tiny giving a booming bark.
“Three…” said Nick.
“Woof!” boomed Tiny.
“Two…” added Nick, after a moment or two of thinking time.
“Woof!” boomed Tiny again.
“One?” asked Nick. “Is that it?”
Tiny barked again and the pair watched with expectation.
“You forgot the zero, and the blast-off,” said Melanie, disappointed. “I’ll just have to do it myself.”
Nick and Tiny listened in as the littlest member of the Matthews family easily navigated her way from ten down to none.
“Blast-off!” cried Melanie, dramatically, and the rocket leaped from the ground.
The little girl knew she would need to get to eleven kilometers per second to make it past the atmosphere. She’d estimated that she needed to go at least double that to get past outer space. Her da had recently bought the top-of-the-line stuff for all the machinery the last visit he took a trip into the Big City, Melanie had carefully taken a bit from each barrel, hoping that the same stuff that was good for tractors would be aces for a homemade rocket. Luckily it was.
Nick and Tiny both watched in awe as the little cardboard rocket with its sole passenger went up and up, high into the sky before disappearing from sight.
Melanie hung on for dear life as she quickly cleared the atmosphere, da’s flame retardant paint coming in handy. The silence of space was ruined by the constant roar that emanated from the trashcan lids. The rocket continued to fly far and fast, straight and true. Within an hour the actual destination that Melanie was hoping for came into view.
Melanie stepped out of the cardboard box after she landed and took off the fishbowl. The air was cool and sweet, just as she’d expected. The gates were open for her so she walked right in.
“Melanie Matthews, you are not expected here yet,” said a kindly gentleman with a long grey beard.
“I know,” said Melanie, giving the gentleman a smile. “I flew here in my rocket, this is just a quick visit.”
“Well, make sure it is but a quick one,” the gentleman said as he waved Melanie along.
Running down a path paved with gold Melanie did not for a moment question the fact that she knew exactly where she was going. She’d been dreaming of this moment and never once did she consider her dream would not come true. She found her ma waiting for her in the front yard of a cream-colored house. Her ma had with her a bag packed with cold drinks, good things to eat, and the biggest picnic blanket that she had ever seen. There was a little yappy dog in the front yard of the house and Melanie’s ma handed her a red lead that she attached to the dog’s collar which was exactly the same shade.
“Do you like it here, ma?” Melanie asked as she picked up the dog and gave it a scratch under the chin.
“I do,” said Melanie’s ma. “It is nice, but nicer still now I know that you can visit me.”
Melanie nodded, she liked that answer.
“Are you taking me to the beach?” asked Melanie. “I’ve forgotten my bathers.”
“No, I thought that I would take you to a park where there is a field of such beautiful wildflowers,” said her ma.
Melanie played with the dog, running with it everywhere while her ma looked on. Mother and daughter smiled identically all the while they were together. Eventually though, it was time for Melanie to return home.
“Here, take these,” said Melanie’s ma, handing her little girl a great big bunch of flowers. “They are for your da, tell him I’m thinking of him.”
“I will, ma, don’t you worry,” said Melanie as she grabbed the great bunch like she would hug a giant teddy bear.
The two kissed goodbye and then Melanie looked longingly at the little dog.
“I’m so sorry,” said Melanie’s ma. “Sparky can’t go back with you, she needs to keep me company.”
Melanie nodded before she bent down and gave the dog a squeeze.
“We’ll play again another time,” the little girl promised.
The kindly gentleman with the long grey beard waved Melanie back through the open gates and gave her a wink as she passed by him.
“I made sure to refuel your rocket,” he said. “You don’t want to run out halfway home.”
“Many thanks, mister,” said Melanie gratefully. “I must admit I was so focused on getting up here that I didn’t even worry about the getting home part.”
“Too many people would miss someone like you,” the gentleman suggested. “I bet Tiny would miss you too.”
“I’d say you’d be right about that, mister,” said Melanie after not much thought. “I’d miss them all something fierce too.”
“You’d best get going then,” suggested the bearded gent.
As Melanie climbed back into her rocket she looked over her shoulder and saw him closing the gate.
Without Nick or Tiny there, Melanie had to do the countdown herself. It was easy for someone with her smarts. So easy in fact, Melanie decided to count from twenty. Once she got to zero she gave the gates one final glance.
“Blastoff!” she cried.
In her mind she didn’t say goodbye to her ma, instead, she whispered a see you later. Melanie was determined to come again for another visit on another day. As space flew by and home came within view the littlest Matthews was already planning just how big a box she’d need to take Tiny, her da, and anyone else who might want to come along.
When the rocket landed safely right where it had started from the roar of its arrival woke up Nick and Tiny.
“You didn’t need to wait for me,” laughed Melanie.
“Where did you go?” asked Nick. “Never seen flowers like those before.”
“Plant one,” suggested Melanie giving Nick a pretty blue blossom, she knew that this was the boy’s favorite color.
“Gee, thanks,” Nick said, grabbing the flower and running off home.
“Come, Tiny,” then said Melanie with a smile that almost split her face in two. “Let’s get the rest of this bunch up to the house.”
When she arrived, Melanie found her da was waiting for her.
“Where you bin?” he asked her, eyebrows raised in surprise as he noticed the huge bunch of color. “You stealin’ from the neighbors again?”
“No, da,” laughed Melanie. “I went to visit ma, these are from her.”
“Flowers from yer ma, you say,” said Melanie’s da. He took the bunch like it was the most precious of gifts.
“Oh, and ma asked me to give you this too,” Melanie added.
She stood on her tiptoes and beckoned for her da to bring his face closer. As he did, the littlest Matthews planted a sloppy kiss right on his lips.
“Oh that be from yer ma alright,” agreed Melanie’s da. “Next time ya go can ya please take me with ya?”
“I surely will, da,” said Melanie, her little hands over her heart. “That I solemnly promise.”
And true to her word, the following week, Melanie reunited her ma and pa. Tiny came too, though it was quite the squeeze. The big dog and little Sparky played for hours amongst the heavenly blooms. Melanie just sat back and watched, a beaming smile splitting her little face in two.
Previously published in Journeys II.