BEEP BEEP BEEP! "Whazza?" Miko said grogglily, falling out of bed.
He yawned, and then scrambled to his feet and shut his alarm clock off. Today was a special moment for him- his 13th birthday. Miko smiled as he remembered something else. Today also happened to be the day of a full solar eclipse- something he'd always wanted to see. He also was allowed to go out on his own and start his journey now that his parents thought he was old enough.
Miko quickly got dressed, grabbed his pack, and was just about out the door when his parents stopped him.
"Slow down there, sport- you didn't even say good bye to old folks!" His dad said, with a smile. This reminded him of when he was young, always rushing to get somewhere.
"Hi Dad- Mom," He said, turning back to them.
His mom smiled, her face red, which meant she'd been crying again.
"I'm going to miss you, sweetie," She said, tearfully.
"Me too, both of you- well, I got to go, of else I'm gonna miss the eclipse!" He said, a little impatient, because he'd been waiting a long time for it.
Giving them a quick hug good-bye, he raced out the door. His mom called after him.
"Did you remember to pack extra underwear?"
He groaned, and not looking back, replied, "Ya, sure, whatever,"
"Don't you use that tone with me, young man," She said, her arms crossed.
"Sorry, love you, bye!" He said, a little worried she might come after him. She wasn't very good with good-byes, as he noticed when his sister had left a year before.
"Okay, love you too- come and visit often!" She said, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
"Sure," Miko said, not really listening as he rushed to a nearby hill, and sat down. After a while, the sky started to darken, and Miko grinned. The eclipse was starting.
