“Bye!” said the father. The family lived in a moon shelter on the countryside, where there were many crater holes and not many houses. The father worked as an engineer on the moon while the mother worked as a teacher. The parents were going to the city to buy food and water, leaving two boys back at the shelter. It was already past midnight and the parents had warned the boys not to go out.
“Let’s go out and play!” said Stanley, the older brother. He was strong and filled with daredevil maneuvers. “But dad told us not to,” warned Hector, the younger brother. He was two years younger than Stanley but more sensitive and careful. “I don’t care!” said Stanley. Hector sighed, he had a stubborn brother. The boys got in their spacesuits and went out of the Shelter.
On the moon surface, the boys were jumping over craters. When Stanley was about to jump over an enormous crater, he slipped and hit the side of the crater tumbling down, out of sight. Hector rushed to the edge of the gully and saw Stanley lying on the ground. His right leg was squished under his body. Hector immediately jumped into the crater to help Stanley.
“What happened? Are you OK?” asked Hector.
“I fell down! There’s no electricity in my suit!” cried Stanley, his voice was shaky. “But somehow, the radio isn’t broken.”
“There’s enough oxygen inside the suit for couple hours, I think.” said Hector. “Lean on me. I’ll help you back to the shelter.” Grunting and staggering, the two boys got their way back up to the top of the crater.
Oh my gosh,” said Stanley, “the sun.”
Without electricity, Stanley’s cooling system would not work. Once they were in the sunlight, the temperature would soar up to 250 degrees. “I’m going to boil in my suit!” cried Stanley.
Hector kept on walking. If he stopped for a rest, Stanley might die. Behind them, the blazing sun crept closer and closer to them across the bumpy crater floor. With each every step, Stanley seemed to get heavier. The roasting sun became hotter and hotter. They trudged along for what seemed like hours, the bright sun was burning behind them.
Stanley coughed, “Hard…..to breathe…” he gasped.
“We are almost there! Just a few more minutes!” said Hector. He could see the triangular roof of the shelter in front of them.
“No… air…” Stanley collapsed.
Hector fell down under the full weight of his brother’s unconscious body.
Blinking sweat and tears away from his eyes, Hector stood up again. Grunting, puffing hard, he dragged his brother towards the shelter.
As he pulled his brother into the shelter, he saw their parent’s moon buggy coming towards the shelter slowly.
Stanley woke up. “We made it!” he said. “You saved my life, Hector!”
“Dad’s on his way back.” said Hector. Their parents entered the shelter.
“Did you go outside?” he asked.
Stanley and Hector glanced at each other and smiled. “Nope!”
A few days later, the parents found a broken space suit. Stanley and Hector admitted that they went outside and they got their punishment.
