Anthony had only half-listened to the tour. Food was important, and so was sleep (eventually), but he'd come to camp in hopes of hearing the music of the spheres. Telescopes would let you see--and oh, there was plenty to see!--but where was the observatory where they monitored audio? 

Hoisting his violin case onto his shoulder, Anthony wandered away from the group that had come in on the truck, poking his nose into this building and that building and so on into the next building. He'd claim a bunk after supper. Or maybe after a visit to the observatory. 

Finding the constellation guide, Anthony spent some time wandering up and down and pushing buttons to light up the different shapes between the stars and hear a soothing voice recounting stories behind the constellations. It was interesting how some stars were grouped together, even under different names. Some folks saw a bear, while others saw a cup with a handle!

Coming out into daylight again, humming a few bars by Holst, Anthony saw he wasn't the only person in this part of camp. 

Posted by: @arin

"Are you sure it's this way, Uncle Ian?"

"Evening," said Anthony. "Are you folks looking for the solar radio?"

They were definitely lost, but Audrey didn't mind. If they had found the food right away, they would have just gotten something to eat and then probably helped back to help Amy and Aunt Lauren unpack the car. This way, she got to see the whole camp, and it was so cool. That fall, Audrey was totally going to have the best "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay in class, maybe in the whole school. Was Haley Cressler's trip to the Charon ice caves in Plutonia going to involve an actual trip into outer space?? Heck no!

If that wasn't enough, there seemed to be tons of stuff to do here just in the camp. Audrey wasn't sure she was going to have enough time to do it all -- unless she stayed up all night, which there was no way Aunt Lauren would let her do. Uncle Ian might, he was pretty cool for a grown-up, but if it had just been Uncle Ian her parents never would have let her come. He was just an honorary uncle, after all.

She almost didn't notice the tall red-haired man in the red jacket walking up until she nearly bumped into him. Audrey wasn't shy of strangers, exactly, but he was just so tall -- taller than Daddy, even -- that she took a step closer to Uncle Ian.

Posted by: @mel

"Evening," said Anthony. "Are you folks looking for the solar radio?"

"Food, actually," Uncle Ian said. "Help us, please, lest my honorary niece and I are forced to forage for roots and berries." He winked at Audrey, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, hang on, is that a violin case? Are you by chance a fellow practitioner of the musical arts?"

Kaelin made her way through the compound in as short an order as possible, trying to figure out what she wanted to do, on which days, and how much time she should set aside for each activity. 

Maeve, on the other hand, moved slower. Perhaps it was because she was a little stiff, or perhaps it was because her heart wasn't in it. Either way, she kept an eagle eye on Kaelin, just incase something shook loose.

"You know, I know this is supposed to be good fun and the like, but space camp is giving me the premonitory heebie-jeebies."

Space Camp: Near the Constellation Map/walking to the Dining Hall

"The dining hall is a few turns down, and a couple buildings over," said Anthony. "Near the movie theatre. I should head that way myself, so you're welcome to walk with me. I'm Anthony--Anthony Lively, and I have been known to fiddle a tune or two on occasion." He grinned at Ian and Ian's honorary niece. "Are you both musicians? What do you say we find a campfire later tonight and sing some space shanties?"

Moira climbed out of the beast on unsteady legs, grateful beyond stating that their journey was at an end and that she had survived. As her feet touched the ground, she wondered if this was how sailors felt when landing after a tempestuous voyage. True to form, the bull had shot off almost as soon as they had stopped and was probably currently racing all over the camp. Still, there was a small part of her that was thankful that he - but more so the rest of the group - had already dispersed and wasn't there to witness her wavering steps as she followed the path to the right. Maybe she'd feel better after she had laid down for a while.

Posted by: @mel

Space Camp: Near the Constellation Map/walking to the Dining Hall

"The dining hall is a few turns down, and a couple buildings over," said Anthony. "Near the movie theatre. I should head that way myself, so you're welcome to walk with me. I'm Anthony--Anthony Lively, and I have been known to fiddle a tune or two on occasion." He grinned at Ian and Ian's honorary niece. "Are you both musicians? What do you say we find a campfire later tonight and sing some space shanties?"

"Uncle Ian gets lost easily," Audrey informed him. She didn't try to soften it, or even lower her voice. Ian thought that was a bit unfair. "If my sister hadn't been giving him directions while driving, we wouldn't have gotten here until after the camp closed." Now that was definitely unfair -- and at least slightly exaggerated.

Still, the mention of music inevitably brightened him up. "Not to brag, but Audrey here is a killer on the recorder," Ian said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "and her aunt Lauren and I brought our guitars. The Temsee musical culture doesn't run high to space shanties, but I'm always eager to learn."

Space Camp: walking to the dining hall

"I'm new to the space shanty tradition myself," said Anthony. "By which I mean to say, I've read a book or two on the subject*. But I'm pretty sure there's a spot for a recorder solo in 'Cape Canaveral Boys'**--if you're interested, Miss Audrey."

*Anthony was being modest; he'd read an entire pile of scholarly works. However, his brain acted like old flypaper--not everything he threw at it stuck--so he often felt like there were considerable gaps in what he knew

**readers may be more familiar with our song 'Cape Cod Boys'

the path Ian was sure led to the arcade but apparently is to the dining hall

"I think I'll just listen tonight," Audrey said, leaning into Ian as they fell into step behind Anthony. "We were in the car for a long time, and I don't know where my recorder ended up."

"I'm sure Lauren will have found it by now, but of course you don't have to play if you don't want to," Ian said, sliding his arm across Audrey's shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze. "So, where do you hail from, Mr. Lively? Have you ever been to Musicfest in Memphis, Temsee?"

Space Camp: cutting between two buildings to come out next to the dining hall

"My branch of the family hails from the Gateway City," Anthony explained. "When I was about Miss Audrey's age, my grandparents packed us all into the car and took us to the Temsee Musicfest. You wouldn't think just sitting would be tiring, but it is, isn't it? It felt like we were in the car for days. We had a grand ol' time. I still remember that outdoor auditorium, sitting on a blanket under the stars, listening to the best of the best... munching on fried chicken and mini-donuts. And speaking of food--"

Anthony extended a hand, as if to take credit for the structure he'd guided them toward. It was an older brick building, with long, narrow windows at irregular intervals and a large glass entry through which other campers could be seen. A metal logo took up most of one wall. A hint of enticing smells lingered in the air.

"--Shall we go inside and discover what they're going to feed us?"

“Final boarding call for all passengers! Doors will be secured in three minutes. All aboard!”

Delia leaned back in her swivel chair to look up at the loudspeaker.

“Shouldn’t that play outside the ship, not inside it?” She mused, shoving her chopsticks back inside her bag of Takis.

Delia was sitting on one of the many levels of the replica of the Sojourner, the first known ship to land on Dittotopia, awaiting the promised three hour historical tour. After what seemed like forever (but was really only half a bag of Takis) she felt the ship shudder and lift off.

A cheery safety announcement began playing.

Greetings, fair travelers!

If you are wondering what the Sojourner looks like, you can see the exterior here, as portrayed by our very own Meltintalle. The interior is left to your imagination. Have fun!!

Poisoned kisses,

D. Death

After that first dinner, there had indeed been a campfire. Also, s'mores, which was Anthony's favorite thing about campfires, at least until the instruments came out. The counselors came provided with song sheets and Anthony's repertoire of space shanties expanded, as did his knowledge of general camp songs. 'Alice the Camel' had proven unexpectedly catchy. 

When things were quiet, eyes turned toward the sky, and above the slowly drifting embers was a field of stars. Anthony held his breath, hoping to hear... something. Crickets chirped regularly in the distance, and folks drifted away toward their cabins, leaving Anthony sitting alone, musing over the day.

The time that followed was, of course, jam-packed with activities and fun. There were informative videos about the space program and its history, there were scrambles through an obstacle course (Anthony couldn't believe the bull made it through faster than he did! How?! He had four legs to get tangled in the netting instead of Anthony's two!) and of course there were crafts. Anthony had a very sparkly constellation artwork tucked safely into the pocket of his violin case.

Now he was part of a group of campers standing in the lower hold of the Sojourner, listening to the announcement on the loudspeaker, just... feeling the moment. There was excitement, and also a bit of awe as he contemplated the fact that the first folks who climbed aboard a ship just like this--this very ship?--had no idea how their journey would end. It had been an act of faith and hope, with them reaching out to create something new. And now? He, Anthony Lively, was going to taste just a tiny bit of space travel.

He couldn't wait. It was going to be great!

Jeff and Ainsley made their way into a secluded observation deck on the third level of the Sojourner. From their seats they had a beautiful view of the surrounding environment as the ship lurched into the sky. Ainsley was only half paying attention, Jeff had a death grip on her left hand, but her right was free to play games on her communicator. Jeffery on the other hand was nearly vibrating out of his seat in excitement. 

"Here we go!" He exclaimed as the trees began to give way to sky.

Kaelin fastidiously fastened her seatbelt and listened to the safety briefing. The ship was not to enter orbit, or even get much higher than a plane, but still--it was a historic adventure!

"Isn't this awesome??" Kaelin asked.

"Absolutely," Maeve replied through gritted teeth. 

After a solid night's rest, Moira was capable of handling a solid breakfast and exploring the camp. After wandering around the camp for a while, she ran across her companion and agreed to go visit The Sojourner with him.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she asked when they had found the entrance, contemplating the massive metal structure.

"Of course it is!" The Bull said indignantly.

"It's not going to...come to life or anything?" she asked, the previous day's journey too recent to be discounted.

"HA!" The Bull laughed - a little too loudly, she thought. "Does this think look like it could move? Now, come on, or we'll miss the, ehhh, tour."

The pair wandered into the structure and wandered through the various exhibits for a half-hour or so. Curiously enough, the Bull seemed a bit bored, but Moira was in a state of wonder, reading each and every label and plaque.

"Final boarding call for all passengers! Doors will be secured in three minutes. All aboard!"

"What's that?" Moira asked, looking for the source of the disembodied voice.

"Oh, it's probably another part of the exhibit. You know, replaying sights and sounds from the distant past and such," her companion replied, wandering out of the room they were currently investigating. "Ooh, you should see this - it says "First Officer's Quarters" and looks saf- I mean, satisfactory."

Moira followed obligingly and was investigating the first officer's desk when the floor began to shudder and the disembodied voice began again.

"We have lifted off. Please take your seats and fasten your harnesses. Every seat in the Sojourner is equipped with a harness. To fasten the waist belt, lift up on the metal tab and insert the buckle; pull tight across your lap. To fasten the chest straps..."

"Did you know this would happen? You did, didn't you?!" Moira hissed, collapsing into the desk chair and grappling with the straps frantically.

"Errrrm." The Bull swayed in place but didn't look at her.

"If we survive, I'm going to...to...make life very unpleasant for you."

"Now, don't be hasty. You were enjoying yourself up until now! And I think you'll appreciate the experience later. However," he added, dodging an object that had - until a moment ago - been sitting safely on the desk next to a label proclaiming 'Statuette of unidentified Anatidea. Rubber. Replica.' "I should probably find a safe place to stand. Maybe in the hallway."

Lauren and Ian's relationship was a delicate balance of matching and opposed traits. They shared a passion for music, a love of Southern food, and a terrible sense of direction -- though that last one almost brought an end to their friendship more than once. His exuberance and her pessimism evened each other out, and she tempered his irreverence while he loosened her uptightness. 

One crucial difference Lauren had not given enough consideration when agreeing to this outing was that there was a very big disparity between their relative tolerance of things that left the ground beneath them. 

Ian was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Audrey was almost as enthusiastic. She had been a little disappointed to learn she would not actually be going to outer space, but a few trips to the anti-gravity chamber and some quality time with a telescope had soothed enough wounded feelings to leave her excited about what would effectively be her first plane flight. Even Amy, who had at first been reluctant to leave her books behind for a "historical experience", but then she took one look at the Sojourner and she was in awe, running ahead of even Ian to experience every bit of history she could.

Lauren ignored them, and took the first seat she could find. Maybe if she strapped herself in tightly enough, and got her music going, she could forget that she was about to be several thousand feet in the air. In a metal tube with walls thinner than those of her apartment. That was heaven only knew how old. 

This was going to be awful.

------------

This was going to be incredible.

When Aunt Lauren and Uncle Ian first brought up Astro Camp, Amy thought it sounded an awful lot like school disguised as a summer vacation; obviously, her mom thought so too, or she never would have let them go. Mom didn't get along with Aunt Lauren very well, and she didn't like Uncle Ian, but she thought school was the most important thing in the whole entire world. If Amy hadn't gone to the camp, Mom probably would have had her stay inside, reading boring history books and practicing the autoharp and writing book reports -- bleck!

The camp had turned out to be pretty fun, actually, though Amy wished her friends could have been there. She had spent most of her time on the beach, reading in the shade except when Audrey came and begged her to join her in the water. Then she had spent nearly four hours total in the arcade, actually getting a high score on the color matching game. She'd even let Uncle Ian talk her into playing her autoharp a little at the campfire -- she'd refused to play more than one song, while Audrey let herself get talked into three. Amy had completely avoided the historical exhibits, though she'd have to visit them eventually, after promising her parents she'd be ready to write a report on them when she got home.

Never in her life had anything with the words "space" or "history" excited Amy, but from her first glimpse of the Sojourner, she hadn't been able to look away. It was just so big! How big were the machines they'd built it with? And how had they built those? Amy couldn't imagine how they ever could have done it. It took Dad four more hours than the instructions said it would to build that treehouse for Nicky, and you could fit a million treehouses into the Sojourner.

She was so busy looking at everything she almost missed the security briefing. Amy grabbed an empty seat, next to a girl who seemed about as excited as she was, and began strapping in. "Have you ever flown before?" she ventured to ask.