Mommy tells her Daddy never really believed in "all this stuff."
Morgan speaks to him anyway.
After bedtimes, when she's brushed her teeth with the nice toothpaste which tastes like strawberry. When Mommy's tucked her inside fluffy red blankets, and placed Dummy the plushie on her pillow. After the bedtime story, with a sad smile on her face and eyes that shine in the light of the nightlamp. When the door clicks shut, and she can hear the crickets flirting outside.
She stands up and walks on her tippy toes, glancing at the door to make sure Mommy isn't listening. Her feet don't make any noise on the carpeted floor, but when she opens the window, it lets out a squeak.
"Shh," she tells the window. It listens and shuts up.
The night wind tickles her nose, and loose strands of hair shift around her ears. The trees wave at her, and she smiles back. Looking up, she waves at the moon.
...
"Daddy?"
He looks up from his tablet, his chestnut eyes settling on her with the glow that's only there when she's around. Her head is propped up on her elbows as she gazes through the window. Her glass of milk stands discarded on the coffee table.
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"How come the moon can fly?"
He stands up and walks to her, crouching down and following her gaze. His lip twitches up (but just a tiny bit, so she knows he isn't laughing at her). He places a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Well." She tilts her head towards him.
"You know the Earth is a big round rock, right?" She nods. Of course she knows that.
"Well, it's so big that it creates a special force that attracts other rocks. Kind of like a magnet."
She furrows her eyebrows. "Then how come the moon doesn't crash?"
"D'you remember when Mommy took you to the park?" She nods again. "And you rode the red carousel?"
"Yeah." It had been real fast, and real fun. She remembered yelling at Mommy to go faster, faster, and she'd stuck out her head and seen the world spinning upside-down.
"Remember how you felt like you would fall off the edge if it stopped?"
"I had to hold on really hard." Daddy smiles. His cheeks crease around his lips when he smiles.
"That's what the moon feels like. It spins around the Earth so it doesn't crash."
Her lips make an O of understanding. She looks back up towards the moon.
"She must be having loads of fun."
Daddy holds her close, and she hears the steady thumps of his heart under her ear. He brushes a hand through her hair.
"Yeah, I guess she does."
...
She stays there for a while, breathing in the cool summer air. Daddy likes summer, she thinks. He likes sitting on the porch drinking lemonade, listening to the birds singing.
"Hi, Daddy," she murmurs. She doesn't know whether to look up or down, so she settles for straight ahead.
"Hope you're okay. I'm okay." She crosses her arm and lays her head in the space between them. Goosebumps travel on her skin.
"Mommy says she's okay. But I know she's sad. I know she wants you to come home."
She pauses. A nocturnal bird shrieks.
"I kind of want you to come home. Mommy's pasta is nice, but I miss your hamburgers."
Her head drifts up towards the star-spangled sky, where a tiny cloud is playing tag with the moon. She imagines Daddy joining in, whizzing and swooping between the shining lights and shooting smoke out of his hands. She pictures him waving at her through the clouds, smiling that soft, subdued grin he only has when she's around. She pictures him laughing with the moon as they spin, spin, spin watching the world upside-down.
Morgan closes the window and climbs back into bed, letting the crickets lull her to a dreamless sleep.
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