It was July 16, 1969, the day of the moon landing. One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

Jeannie, like many people around the world, was watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin taking the first steps on the moon. She was, unfortunately, watching the footage alone. Major Nelson was at the NASA control centre seeing history in the making.

"My master worries too much" Jeannie sighed, as she sat on the sofa watching history in the making.

Jeannie thought back to the argument the two had; Jeannie had wanted to watch the moon landing at NASA.

"I've been to NASA many times!" Jeannie had protested. "You know that!"

"Do I know it!" Major Nelson retorted.

"I can disguise myself. Make myself teeny-tiny. Blink out if anybody can see me!"

"It's too dangerous" Major Tony Nelson had said. "There'll be a million people in the area seeing the rocket off. Everyone is going to be there. Even former President Johnson, Vice President Agnew, and General Westmoreland will all be there."

"I helped you prepare dinner for President Johnson, Master" Jeannie reminded him. "Along with Harold."

Major Nelson didn't need any reminder of Jeannie's one-day tutorship of Hadji's inept son.

"No one will know I'm a genie" added Jeannie. "In a crowd of a million people."

"Most of those people will be outside the base" Tony Nelson pointed out. "Security on the base will be extra-tight. I'll be in the control room."

"I will make myself teeny-tiny!" repeated Jeannie, holding her thumb and index finger together. "I could fit inside your pocket."

"That's just great" Tony Nelson had complained. "I'll be talking to my jacket pocket in front of Dr. Bellows, while everyone else is watching the rocket go up.

Tony Nelson noticed Jeannie's pettish expression, and softened his tone.

"Even the astronaut's wive's don't get to watch from NASA" Tony Nelson added, knowing the reference to "wives" would appeal to Jeannie (although it made him nervous). "They'll be watching from home, like most Americans. You have a front-row seat right here in front of the television."

But that was now a week or two in the past. Jeannie was squinting at the television set.

"It is impressive for a mortal man or woman to get so far up in space. Well, I've never even known anyone to fly a carpet so high" said Jeannie, as she continued at the grainy black-and-white picture. "It is mpressive to build a flying machine that can get there." Jeannie giggled. "Though of course I might go there to in just one blink, even though it is a great distance to aim."

Jeannie remembered the time, soon after Tony Nelson had rescued her from her bottle, that she joined him on a "space walk" and kissed the clear helmet of his spacesuit. And left a lipstick mark that was rather hard for him to explain.

Jeannie laughed a little at the pleasant memory of her own trip to Outer Space.

But the moon . . . it was a little disappointing!

Jeannie was saddened by what she saw of the moon in general or the Sea of Tranquility in particular. At least what she saw of it in grainy black-and-white.

Jeannie folded her arms and blinked. The television set now showed the scene in brilliant colour.

Jeannie shook her head.

"It is much less romantic so close up!" Jeannie said. "It is more barren than the driest part of the Arabian desert. To go so far for that? I don't understand why my Master is so excited? I wonder if I could blink an oasis up there? A small but beautiful lake, flamingoes, peacocks and lots of lots of goats for which you can make cheese. I have always heard many say the moon is made of green cheese. But all I see is sand and dust!"

"But my master wouldn't like that, especially in front of the other astronauts." said Jeannie with a sigh. "And it would be hard to blink it . . . so far away."

Jeannie looked at the American flag one of the astronauts had planted on the lunar surface. It was hanging limp above the airless landscape.

"That will never do" said Jeannie, now exasperated.

Jeannie focused her mind, the moon was 250,000 miles away. It was truly difficult!

Again she folded her arms and blinked.

The stars and stripes fluttered proudly above the grey of the Sea of Tranquility!

At NASA headquarters, General Peterson, Dr. Bellows, Major Healey and Major Nelson were looking straight at the picture of the flying American flag.

"Amazing" Dr. Bellows exclaimed. "How can the flag fly like that on the moon? There isn't any air!"

"Who was in charge of the flag?" asked General Peterson.

"Jeannie" muttered Major Nelson irritably. "Sir . . . I can explain. Major Healey and me, we put in a telescoping arm to make sure the flag was spread out to properly honour the American people who made this moment possible."

"We did?" asked Healey. "Oomph"

Major Nelson shoved Healey in the stomach with his elbow.

"Yeah, we did!"

Major Nelson, who was looking at the feed said to himself, "JEANNIE!"

"Did you say Jeannie?" asked Major Healey.

"Jeannie?" picked up General Peterson.

"Oh no sir!" said Major Nelson rapidly. "I said GEE . . . Isn't this amazing."

"It truly is" said General Peterson.

"To think, only 68 years ago the Wright Brothers built their first airplane!" added Dr. Bellows.

"It's lucky" muttered Major Nelson, who took a few steps away and stood at a desk in a quiet corner, "it's lucky Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone!"

"Oh yes, the moon landing was amazing!" said Jeannie that evening, in spite of her misgivings.

"You did blink up that telescoping rod. Did you?" asked Major Nelson.

"Yes, I did" said Jeannie. "No one will know I made the flag on the moon. At least for those first few minutes."

"Well, it didn't really affect a really amazing day" said Nelson. "I hope I can make the trip someday . . . soon."

"I'm sure you will Master" said Jeannie confidently.

And, in fact, Major Nelson would make the trip a year later. But Jeannie, quite by accident, would make sure Nelson's trip to the moon was anything but routine.

Author's Notes

A telescoping rod was, in real life, how the American flag appeared to fly on the moon.

The episodes "Around the World in Eighty Blinks" and "Blackmail Order Bride" refer to Major Nelson and Major Healey's mission to the moon.