Late that night, Jasper Dash, Lily Gefelty, and Katie Mulligan left the planet Earth.
They took supplies in three picnic baskets. Jasper opened one of his underground bunkers and raised up a slim silver rocket that would take them to the stars.
The forest was dark and cold, but the rocket was lit up like sleek Christmas. The bare branches of the trees were rackety in the wind.
As they lugged their space suits and picnic baskets up the ramp, Katie said, “Jas, I think your mom has the hots for Mr. Krome.”
Jasper stopped in his tracks, astonished. “Well,” he said, a little uneasily, “that’s good, I guess. Mr. Krome is a fine, upstanding figure in the community.”