The night before Dad had to leave for Tucson, Arizona, Tommy and Evie were getting ready for bed.
Tommy had one very important question.
“Dad, how far away is Arizona?”
“Pretty far,” Dad said.
Evie looked concerned. “Farther than Grandma’s house?”
“Yep.”
“Farther than the zoo?”
“Way farther.”
Tommy thought about this.
“Farther than the MOON?”
Dad laughed. “Not quite that far.”
That seemed acceptable.
Dad tucked Tommy into bed, tucked Evie into bed, and gave them both a kiss.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
But after Dad left the room, Tommy whispered, “Evie?”
“Yeah?”
“We should probably make sure Dad gets to Arizona safely.”
Evie sat straight up.
“YES.”
This was how most trouble started.
They climbed out of bed and found Tucker sleeping in the hallway.
“Tucker,” Tommy whispered. “Emergency mission.”
Tucker opened one eye.
Then closed it.
“Dad went to Arizona.”
Both eyes opened.
Apparently, this was serious.
The three hurried downstairs, where Tommy found a cardboard box.
“This will be our airplane.”
Evie climbed inside.
Tucker climbed inside.
The box immediately collapsed.
“Too many passengers,” Tommy said.
So they tried something else.
They built a rocket.
It had two couch cushions, three blankets, a laundry basket, one flashlight, and a control panel made from Dad’s TV remote.
Tommy sat in front.
Evie sat behind him.
Tucker was appointed Chief Space Dog.
“Destination?” Tommy asked.
“TUCSON!” shouted Evie.
Tommy pushed the biggest button on the remote.
“THREE!”
“TWO!”
“ONE!”
“BLAST OFF!”
WHOOSH!
And suddenly…
the living room disappeared.
Their little rocket shot through the roof, over the trees, and high into the night sky.
Ohio became smaller and smaller beneath them.
They flew over farms.
They flew over cities.
They flew over enormous rivers.
Then Evie pointed out the window.
“LOOK!”
Far below them was a huge dark desert covered with giant cactus plants.
They had reached Arizona.
The rocket landed with a soft—
PFFFFFT.
Tommy stepped outside.
“Whoa.”
The desert was beautiful.
The sky was filled with more stars than either of them had ever seen.
Tall saguaro cactuses stood everywhere, holding their arms toward the sky.
Then one of the cactuses moved.
Tommy froze.
Evie froze.
Tucker growled.
The cactus leaned down.
“Excuse me,” it said. “Are you Tommy and Evie?”
Tommy stared at it.
“You can TALK?”
“Of course I can talk,” said the cactus. “I’m Carl.”
“Cactus Carl?” asked Evie.
Carl sighed.
“Yes. My parents weren’t very creative.”
Tommy stepped forward. “We’re looking for our dad.”
“Ohhhhhh,” said Carl. “The Dad from Ohio.”
“You know him?”
“Everybody knows him.”
Tommy and Evie looked at each other.
“Why?”
Carl pointed toward Tucson.
“He’s been here five minutes and he’s already trying to fix something.”
“That’s him,” Tommy said.
They followed Carl through the desert until they reached a hill overlooking the lights of Tucson.
And there, sitting on a rock, was Dad.
“DAD!”
Dad turned around.
“TOMMY?! EVIE?! TUCKER?!”
They crashed into him with a giant hug.
“What are you guys doing in Arizona?”
“We came to make sure you were okay,” Tommy said.
“And we flew a ROCKET,” Evie added.
Dad looked at the laundry-basket rocket.
“Of course you did.”
Then Tommy noticed something glowing in Dad’s hand.
“What’s that?”
Dad opened his palm.
Inside was a tiny silver star.
“The Tucson Moon gave it to me,” Dad explained. “It’s for you two.”
“The MOON gives presents?” Evie asked.
“Only when somebody has to be away from the people they love.”
Dad held the little star up.
It split into two tiny lights.
One floated toward Tommy.
The other floated toward Evie.
Dad said, “Whenever you miss me, look up at the moon. Even when I’m far away, we can all see the same moon.”
Tommy smiled.
Evie hugged Dad tighter.
Then Tucker licked Dad directly across the face.
“Thanks, Tucker.”
Tucker looked extremely pleased with himself.
Dad helped everyone back into the rocket.
“You guys better get home. Mom is going to have some questions.”
Tommy grabbed the controls.
Evie waved.
“Bye, Dad!”
“I love you guys.”
“LOVE YOU TOO!”
The rocket blasted into the sky.
They flew across Arizona…
over the mountains…
across the country…
all the way back to Ohio.
PFFFFFT.
They landed safely in the living room.
Tommy and Evie climbed back into their beds.
Tucker curled up nearby.
And just before Tommy fell asleep, he looked out his window.
The moon was shining brightly.
“Evie?”
“Yeah?”
“Dad can see that moon too.”
“I know.”
A few seconds passed.
Then Evie whispered:
“Tommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think Cactus Carl has a mom?”
Tommy thought about it.
“Probably.”
“Is she a cactus?”
“Go to sleep, Evie.”
And thousands of miles away in Tucson, Dad looked up at that very same moon.
And smiled.
The End.