Bedelia's Memories

The spotless door opens with a pressurized hiss and falls away. With wide, unblinking eyes, Bedelia quite literally finds herself in another world. The gravity holding her down after what feels like years, she carefully dismounts the metal steps upon shaky legs. All she sees is a planet of scarlet and maroon, an unexplored realm teeming with wonders and secrets. Mars.

Unable to contain herself, she takes off, galloping across the barren flat. Previously undisturbed copper-red dust flies up in a cloud behind her, seemingly surprised to have a visitor. With the energy of a child she soars, taking in every moment. Soon, foreign landforms spring up on both sides of her, and she skids to a stop atop a hill. As if by habit, she searches the sky for the familiar light red dot. When she sees it though, she's confused. Wait, she's on Mars... she can't be seeing Mars, too...

This revelation jolts Bedelia's eyes open. She is on top of a hill, but instead of one made of red, it's the lush green grass and rich soil of the meadow. Remembering why she was here, she searches the navy sky again for the planet. Much to her disappointment, though, she only finds a cover of dark clouds. Reluctantly turning, she trots back down the hill to her herd and is met by her angry Ma.

"Where in the world were you!?" she hollers, steam practically rolling out of her flared nostrils. Bedelia doesn't find it a good time to mention that her mind wasn't in this world, so her dam continues. "I have told you and told you, you cannot be gone past dark! You know the hungry beasts that come out at night! I have to many little'ns to watch, I shouldn't have to worry about where my of-age daughter is! How dare you worry me like that! You could be dead somewhere and I wouldn't be able to know until morning! Now, speak up! Care to explain yourself? No, you don't have to! You were on that hill, watching the stars, weren't you? And you fell asleep, didn't you? If you had an stone of sense, you would come home once you got tired! But I guess I shouldn't expect that!"

Ashamed, Bedelia's head drooped and she didn't meet her mother's eyes. Breaking the silence, she whispered, "It's not a star."

"What? What's not a star?"

"Mars. Mars isn't a star. And as I always tell you without you ever listening, Mars is what I always look for. I can only see it after dark, and yes, sometimes I fall asleep waiting."

Clearly not the response she was looking for, her dam shook her head and replied, "A simple sorry would suffice. Now, go to sleep. I'll wake you up early tomorrow for some extra chores." Then, with a softer tone, she added, "And darling, I know what Mars is. Goodnight." With that, she walked awake, presumably to put some other calf in order.

Feeling fully energized from her brief rest, Bedelia lied down and watched the sky. Every once in a while she caught a glimpse of the red planet between the clouds. As she waited, she thought about her dream. It was so life-like, and she couldn't help but know that someday that would be real-life, and oh, what an adventure that would be. One day her mother would understand that all the hours spent imagining had paid off, because her daughter would be known by all as Bedelia the Astronaut, Space Explorer.