That night the three of them had chicken and pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkin seeds for dessert. True to his word, his grandpa had packed up the remaining pumpkin as well as a container of soup for them to take back. Ferb had had a peanut butter sandwich as a late lunch and hadn't been very hungry, but what he did eat had been very tasty. Both of the grownups had praised his skills in picking out the perfect pumpkin.
After dinner they'd watched the news for a little while, Grandpa Reg challenging him to a chess game before sending him off to get ready for bed. His dad called just as he was getting to the room his grandparents kept up for him, asking if they'd keep Ferb for the night and take him to school the next morning. The meeting with Sarah had run much later than intended and he still had to be in court tomorrow morning at 8. His grandma had assured him that it was no issue, just make sure he got some sleep himself so he'd make a good impression for the judge.
Sometimes Ferb felt like the luckiest kid in the world because he had three of everything. He had his room in the flat he shared with his dad, the walls white but covered with pictures of robots and spaceships with its yellow truck night light and wood frame bed. Then he had the room at his mom's house, with his purple racecar bed and solar system hanging from the ceiling and walls that were painted to look like a jurassic forest. The nightlight projected planets up onto the ceiling when the lights were turned off, and the rest of that space was covered in glowing stars. Everything about the room screamed little boy.
His room at his grandparents had once been his dad's old room. The bed was bigger than the ones at his other houses, but it had soft dark blue sheets and a comforter covered in cartoonish robots. He had a little white dresser with some extra pairs of clothes for school, play, and sleeping, and a nightlight that looked like an aquarium. He'd left his bunny at home, but his grandma had dug out an old, well loved teddy bear with long legs from a trunk in the attic. He was waiting leaned against Ferb's pillow when he went in to change.
That night his grandparents tucked him in. They kissed him goodnight, telling him to have sweet dreams and that they'd wake him when it was time to get ready for school in the morning before retiring to their own room, closing the door behind them. Clutching the hand-me-down bear to his chest, Ferb let himself drift off, wondering what plans the vivacious redhead had in store for them this time. When he opened his eyes again, Phineas was there waiting for him.
"Hey Ferb! How would you feel about making a quick trip to the Dead Sea before starting on our invention? I've been looking online, and evidently there's a line missing from that old 'Hey diddle diddle' nursery rhyme about the ice cream made from the cow that jumped over the moon. I thought we could try it!" Grinning widely, Ferb nodded. Moon cow ice cream? How cool was that! Phineas hopped to his feet, pulling Ferb up with him. "First, we're gonna need swimsuits."
Some time later found Ferb dripping wet as they studied the soggy manuscript of the original poem in front of their rocket. Their friends filed in one after the other as Phineas told them of the plan. They were going to take a herd of cattle up to the moon so they could make the best ice cream in the world! Everyone went along with the idea willingly, the only skeptical one being a large, rather intimidating boy of Dutch descent named Buford. Buford was much taller than the rest of them with no neck, a severe underbite, and an angry expression.
The first time Ferb had met him he'd felt a wave of terror. The boy had found them at the mall, sat on a small school obsessed boy named Baljeet, and threatened to pummel Phineas into the ground when the ice cream they'd been timing to see how long it took to melt landed on his cargos. How could his mind have conjured something like him? He wanted to run away, to hide behind something and not come out until the self-proclaimed neighborhood bully was gone, but Phineas didn't seem afraid. And for some reason, he trusted Phineas.
Then he'd seen Buford break down because he'd lost his goldfish. After that the bully hadn't frightened him anymore.
The cows had done surprisingly well on the moon. The lessened gravity hadn't seemed to affect them physically and they just rolled with the feeding and milking mechanisms and before they knew it they were trying the very first ice cream from the moon. It really was probably the best ice cream he'd ever had. Better than store bought, better than that little ice cream shop in Wembley they went to for special occasions, even better than the summer all the Fletchers had gotten together for a family camping trip and they'd made homemade ice cream. The only thing that beat the sweet, creamy flavor was the view.
The view he was only ever privy to at night spread out in front of him in reverse. Instead of seeing the moon framed by countless stars, he saw the Earth; a swirling globe of whites and greens and browns and so, so much blue. NASA's satellite photos had nothing on seeing it for yourself. He could have stayed there forever, taking in the ever changing view before him, the life sustaining planet backlit by the sun and surrounded by twinkling stars. It was mesmerising. "Hey Ferb, you okay?" he was brought back to reality by a soft voice at his side. He turned to see Phineas standing next to him, a chocolate ice cream mustache gracing his upper lip. Ferb smiled and nodded, turning back to the view.
"It's amazing, isn't it? To think that for all science knows right now, that's the only life in the universe? Imagine it, Ferb. The only life in the universe…" Ferb looked at him out the corner of his eye. "You don't believe that. I know you don't." Phineas met his stare head on, serious expression starting to wobble around the edges. With a snort that cracked the facade, the redhead's face broke out in a wide grin. "Yeah, you're right. Just because science hasn't discovered it yet doesn't mean it's not out there somewhere!"
Packing up the rest of the ice cream, they loaded the cows and their friends back into the shuttle and started for home. As they piloted them back to town safely, Ferb wondered how Candace's lamb cobbler had come. Irving had said the transmission was a little garbled but understandable, and he could only hope nothing had gotten lost in translation. As the ship came to park in the backyard, Candace and a lanky Japanese girl named Stacy came running out with a ceramic cooking pot. "Phineas! Ferb! What's going on out here?" the four of them had been pulling off their spacesuits when the teens had run out. "Oh hi Candace!" Phineas greeted his sister. "We brought you some moon cow ice cream!"
Candace squacked, going off about how she didn't care if it was ice cream from the moon, Jeremy was going to be there soon and she didn't want them to ruin her surprise. While she talked, they heard a rumble behind them and the rocket took off. Everyone froze, watching as it disappeared into the sky. "Huh," Phineas huffed, turning to Ferb. "How do you think the cows will do on the moon?" Ferb thought about it for a moment. "I think they'll be fine. The grass will start producing oxygen, and that will eventually form an atmosphere." Phineas nodded along in understanding, studying the spot they'd last seen the ship. "Well, we know where to go for ice cream!"
? ? ? ?
Ferb was gently shaken awake by his grandma before being left to get himself ready for school. He made his bed, pulled out his dark blue dress pants, white button up, and light blue knit vest with the school logo on the breast. He also grabbed a pair of black socks and his polished dress shoes before making a trip to the loo to brush his teeth and hair, and wash his face. Closing the door to his room he quickly dressed before walking into the kitchen where his grandma was fixing him a pack lunch. A bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice sat at an empty spot for him and his grandpa Reg was reading the paper over a plate of scones and some tea.
"Morning, dear," his grandma said with a smile, zipping up the blue and green striped lunchbox and setting it by Ferb's school bag. "Your father dropped off your school bag on his way to court. He said to tell you he loved you and that he hopes he'll be done in time to pick you up from school." Ferb nodded, taking a bite of the warm honeyed oats. He never liked going to school, but the idea that his dad would pick him up after made it a more tolerable task.
As he finished his breakfast, the used dishware was whisked away to be washed by his grandma. "Reginald," she called over her shoulder. "Reginald! It's about time to be getting Ferb to school!" Grandpa Reg sat up startled. He'd been completely focused on the paper in his hands that he'd almost missed what his wife was telling him. Ferb smirked into his almost empty glass. "What? Oh, yes. Of course dear. Ready, Ferb my boy?" Ferb nodded, setting the glass in the sink and grabbing his school bag and lunchbox before following his grandpa out to the car.
The ride was quiet, silence only broken by the sound of the engine until they pulled up in front of the old two story brick primary school. "Have a good day, my boy! Someone will be here to pick you up this afternoon. You got all your books? Lunch?" Ferb nodded, climbing out of the car and closing the door behind him. "Bye, Grandpa Reg," he said softly, waving to the old man before turning and following the flow of similarly dressed children inside.
School was horrible. Each of his teachers insisted on repeatedly calling on him to answer their questions even though they knew he didn't talk, they had a surprise maths test which didn't throw him too much because he was good at that subject, but when he was the first to turn it in he walked back to his desk to the angry whispers of "cheat" and "nerd" and "snotty know-it-all". He knew they were just jealous, but it didn't stop it from hurting, and when he got back to his desk be buried his face in the book he'd gotten from his mother at the start of the month. It was about a boy just a little older than him, his parents had died when he was a baby and he was being raised by his abusive aunt and uncle. It was a bit nonsense to him, but he was enjoying it just the same.
When the bell rang for lunch he was the first out of the classroom. He sat at a table in the back of the cafeteria and no one tried to sit with him. His grandma had fixed him a turkey and cheese sandwich, a bag of crisps, a juice box, and a thermos of leftover soup from last night. The sandwich still had the crusts. He picked at his food, only eating about half of each before packing it all back up and staring at the table.
He could still taste the creamy ice cream of his dream on his tongue, and he wondered what the redhead would be up to now if he were real. He was American, and they were five hours behind London. He was probably still sleeping, not having to wake up for school for another few hours. Ferb wondered what he dreamed about at night. Did he dream of inventions? Of traveling the world? Did he dream about Ferb? Or did he have someone else he dreamed about? Ferb wasn't sure why, but the idea that a figment of his imagination might dream of someone besides him sent a spike of jealousy coursing through him. He quickly shook it off as the bell rang for next lesson, packing back up his lunch and following the crowd into the hallway.
The second half of his day was gym, English, and History. As he got changed, he wondered if the redhead in his dreams had people to talk to in classes, if anyone made fun of him for the color of his hair or his small build. That day they played dodgeball. Ferb was picked last. He bet Phineas was never picked last when they were told to create groups. He was out within the first two minutes, taking a rubber ball straight to the face and having to be escorted to the nurse by a tall blonde haired girl. She was nice enough, sending Ferb sympathetic glances and asking every so often if he was okay, but she didn't touch him. No one at school ever touched him unless it was to shove him.
The nurse gave him some ice and told him he'd have a nice shiner to take up half his face, but he'd be fine. The nice blonde girl had left him at the office in order to go back in time for the next round. By the time the nurse was done with him, gym was nearly over. He walked the empty hallway alone, trying to drag his feet as much as he could. He was almost done with the day, and his dad was coming to get him after. He could do this.