Now we jump way ahead toward the end of Part One in “Bessie Howard’s Amazing Adventures”. At this point Bessie has taken quite a few trips through time and space. So many, in fact, that she’s gotten a bit cocky. Well, our girl is about to be handed a huge lesson about that. (Explanation; parts of this chapter have either been left out or changed to fit into the blog-spot).

Part One – Last Chapter

            Impatiently bouncing a knee while standing in the driveway, Bessie saw Connie beckon her from the SUV’s passenger side. She groaned under her breath…”Nuts! Now what!?”

             “Honey, the replacement mat is still in the box, so put it down before you go online! I don’t want the chair leaving holes in my new carpet!” She wagged a finger- “We won’t be back ‘til tomorrow night, so cell phone on and no boys allowed over, okay? Love you! Bye-bye!”

            Bessie forced a smile. “Love you too, but you guys better go! There’ll be tons of traffic in Green Bay!”

            About to get in behind the wheel, Rob called out, “Last chance Bess! With the Pack playing the Bears tomorrow it’ll be a smasher of a game!”’  

             “Love to, Dad, but this astronomy project…” She paused - True enough -  “…is my biggest yet!” She blew a kiss. “Have fun! Go Pack!”

Soon as they pulled out she whirled an about-face and dashed inside. Entering her room and kicking off sneakers and shorts, she accomplished in minutes a complete makeover from her summer look during this hottest October on record. Her ski jacket hung open over a heavy sweater, Spandex pants reached to her hiking boots, and insulated gloves were stuffed in the jacket’s pockets. Looking ready to hit the slopes, the tall redhead in her dresser mirror fed back a wry smile-I’d probably be just as safe in a string bikini-if I had one!

  The smile faded, her real destination having nagged at her since jumping out of bed this morning. Among the many stats garnered about Pluto, her most worrisome one was its average surface temperature, a horrendous minus-375 degrees Fahrenheit. Her protective quantum bubble had held up perfectly during all her other virtual reality trips. But if it somehow failed on this one? She’d be a flash frozen Popsicle no matter what she wore.

A small part of her cautioned-Forget it? The more adventurous one barked-Stop talking yourself out of it! Move!

Snatching up a box of items hidden under the bed, she hustled to the computer room. When seated before the monitor she spread the items within easy reach on the console; Dad’s high-powered flashlight and claw hammer, Mom’s metal container with snap-down lid, and the thermometer she’d swiped from the patio.

Pulling back her long red hair, she slipped on the virtual-reality headband. Leaving the visor up, she inserted into the player NASA’s DVD of their New Horizons 2015 fly-by of Pluto.

            Scooting the chair closer to the keyboard-just in case-she remembered the mat still its box. And sure enough, just behind the castor wheels of her chair she saw a perfect square of prints in the new carpet. Oops, sorry mom, my bad! Her next thought –I’ll brush them out later.

Restlessly drumming her fingers on the console while waiting for the Dwarf Planet to appear, she wondered – How old was I back then? Five? With mom’s help on the telescope, that was Bessie’s first good look at the planets and stars. Since then her desire to visit them had only grown until these days even her closest friends were tired of hearing about it.

Speaking of whom, neither Nina nor Alex had entirely bought what had happened to her two weeks ago with that Gettysburg game. Determined to prove otherwise, she swallowed her fears and went off on more VR trips. Skipping time travel after her Gettysburg disaster, she transported her-self to other places she’d never been to. Hovering above the snow-capped peak of the Grand Teton was a wonderful thrill. Doing the same over a pod of humpback whales off the California coast was even more so. And yes, after working up the nerve she finally went…to Mars! Trouble was, materializing amidst one of the Red Planet’s tremendous dust storms made viewing it impossible.

Getting better and better at it, she told both Nina and Alex about her VR trips afterward. But most incredibly, neither was still entirely buying that she was actually going to these places,   talk about frustrating! Except, if she was reading him right, had Alex seemed a little less skeptical lately? So she’d thought…until last night when telling him where she was headed next.

                                                            *

            Alex stared, “Bean, are you nuts!? Pluto’s way, way too far!”        

Anymore, this “Bean” bit was really getting on her nerves. Letting it slide again and eyes nearly level with his, she smirked, “Aha! You’re worried I’ll get hurt? So, you do believe me!”

            He groused, “Yeah, that you are nuts. It’s too far-just saying.”      

            Smile tightening, she wagged a finger. “I’ve put up with you humoring me for two whole weeks! And now all of a sudden I’m crazy?”

            Turning away, he muttered, “You wag that finger just like your mom.”    

            The hurtful mocking from the others was bad enough. But being compared to her mom (whom she dearly loved) by her very best boy-pal? Scrambling her hair, she screeched and grabbed his arm. “Alex Ricci, you look at me!!”

            Facing her, he gulped, “Whoa!”

            Red hair in wild disarray and blue eyes flashing, she looked like Sheena; Warrior Queen of the Death Star in his favorite video game. She snarled, “I’m nothing like her!” Catching her-self wagging the finger, she quick made a fist.

            He answered lamely, “Sorry I said it.”

            “And stop calling me crazy! That really does…!” It almost came out – …make me nuts! “…make me want to shoot you! Just stop it!”

            “Jeez, I never meant it.”

            “You thought it, which is worse!” He looked so woebegone and sheepish, she relented with a long sigh. “You’re forgiven. But Alex, you’re all I’ve got with this stuff. Plus, I’ve told you a thousand times, that…I…am… going…to…the…stars! And trust me, the distance to Pluto is nothing compared to how far those are. But it’s a good start and next I’ll …”

            Though beyond him with astronomy, Alex had her on points with Physics. Apology forgotten he imperiously cut her off. “Not! Without traveling faster than light you’ll never…”

            Hands on hips she interrupted right back, “I have! By my watch it took only seconds to reach Mars so your pain in the butt speed limit with light is…Poof! Gone! And after they leave tomorrow I will too—for Pluto!”

            Both of them honor students in the sciences, Alex knew the battle was lost. Reverting to his wise-acre self while turning toward home, he laughed over his shoulder, “You do that, Bean old girl! When back in town give this Earthling a call, hey?”     TO BE CONTINUED