Shoot For The Moon

The cursor flashed on and off, reminding her of all the years she'd sat at a computer and watched flashing bars, chevrons, boxes, pipes and other symbols of waiting.

She filled her lungs with air and felt nothing.

The boy beside her looked up at the ceiling and watched a spider crawl out of an air duct register and walk upside-down above his head.

"Mommy."

"Yes, dear?"

"Why can't I walk upside-down?"

"Why would you want to walk upside-down, honey?"

"I dunno. Just 'cause."

"Well, let's think about it for a minute. What's the largest animal you've ever seen walk upside-down?"

"A monkey."

"A monkey?"

"Yeah. He was climbing up his momma's belly."

"Oh, I see. Well, I guess you could say he was walking upside-down. Sort of."

"Uh-huh."

"Any other creature you've seen walk upside-down?"

"Uh-huh."

"What?"

The boy pointed at the ceiling.

The woman looked up and saw the archnid making its way across the top of the room. She thought to herself for a moment. 'Why can't we use the ceiling like that? I mean, after all, we waste four walls and the ceiling with decorations when we could be living on them.'

"Well, dear, we don't have feet or bodies designed to walk on ceilings. We'd be too heavy for the type of hooks or suction cups that it takes to walk on the ceiling."

"Suction cups?"

"Yes."

"You mean like on an octopus?"

"That's right."

"Does that mean an octopus can climb on our ceiling?"

"Darling, that's a wonderful question but I don't know the answer. Why don't you google it and find out?"

"Mommy."

"Yes, dear."

"Why do you sit at home all day and play on the computer instead of having tea parties and regular card games like all my friends' mommies?"

"Because I work, dear."

"But all my friends' daddies go to an office and work. They don't sit at home."

"Well, my office is right here. I telecommute."

"Is that why you have a card game and those words on your computer screen?"

"No, dear. I'm taking a break. I'm playing Rook with your aunts and talking with them via chat."

"Rook? What's that?"

"Honey, that's a card game that your grandfolks used to play all the time, when we'd get together at their house every Sunday after church."

"Do they play Rook at the nursing home?"

"No, dear, they don't. Your grandfolks have Alzheimer's."

"Oldtimers?"

"Yes, dear, something like that."

The woman looked at the screen. "Play!" one of her sisters had posted on the IM window. The woman sighed and typed a message to her sisters.

"Do you reckon Momma has any memories of Rook...or square dancing...or churning butter?"