Lewis Brown was born on the 15th of July, 1960. The Cold War at the time was at an all-time high. Many an invisible war occurred, both in America and England.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
But none of this mattered to Lewis. All he knew was that there were lots of cool things being made, new explorations carried out, and crazy food being researched.
This came to head when he was 9:
The Apollo mission had succeeded where none had done so before. They had landed on the Moon.
Watching the grainy screen, Lewis sat, captivated by Neil Armstrong's speech. He felt himself being transported there, Walking alongside him, step by step, on the Moon.
He now had his dream: to walk the Moon himself.
Fueled by his sheer willpower, he determined that he would go, go to the Moon himself. Growing up, he fantasised every single day, to the point where he lost all his friends.
Yet this was not to be.
During his last year in high school, he tore many of his ligaments in a freaking baked bean accident. This caused his dreams as an astronaut to end faster than a rocket.
But this did not deter him. He decided that of he could not go himself, he would aid others.
And aid he did.
He became the Head of the Engineers at the ESA in the age of forty against all odds. Despite loosing his home in a gas explosion (though there were no gas pipe lines present there), his wife cheating on him with a professor, and losing his leg in a freak accident, he still marched on.
Yet he had lost his initial passion.
Gone was the urge to explore for the sake of exploring, all that was left was a burning urge to make money. At the end, when visiting Japan, his passion ignited itself, for a brief moment, when he gleaned into the various 'manga's'. Depsite their various difficulties, the protagonists still chose to forge on, to achieve their dreams despite what everyone else thought of them.
Now, this choice was lightning front of him. A young dwarf, despite the various prejudices that haunt him, despite the multitude of people who mock him, despite all the various challenges that hamper him, still walked on his dreams.
Despite all his failures, he still had hope.
Hope that he would succeed. Hope that he'll find his answer one day. Hope that he'll reach the Moon.
Unable to hold himself back, Lewis asked the burning question:
"Why do you wanna go to the Moon?"
Simon, who was busy observing signs of life in Lewis, jumped back. Seeing that he didn't notice what he was doin, he sighed in relief. Then he realised what he was asking.
Scratching his head, he contemplated for a few minutes. Clenching his fists, he looked straight at Lewis. "Please don't laugh. I want to go to the Moon because...because of my mom. Before she died, she told me that she would be in the skies, waiting for me. And I thought that of I go to the Moon, I...I might be able to see her for one more time..."
Closing his eyes, he waited for the inevitable. He waited for him to be mocked, to be laughed at, to he peered at, only to be met with silence.
Confused, he turned his head. There he saw Lewis, staring at him, with tears in his eyes. "Umm, are you OK? If you aren-"
"No, no, I'm alright. You know, I've also had a dream once. A dream as big as yours. But I gave up a long time ago, thinking that it was very childish. Oh I wish I didn't, I wish that I had the resolve you showed me. Thank you, I've made up my mind." Wiping off the tears off his face, he stood tall, and in Simon's utter astonishment, he spoke words that wee never heard before.
"Can I join you in this mighty endeavour, Sir Simon of Steelrun?"