Daniel Roy Greenfeld

Daniel Roy Greenfeld

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Daniel Roy Greenfeld

Daniel Roy Greenfeld

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Sun Mallows

Audrey Roy Greenfeld

"The sun? Really? You agreed that we'd go to the sun?" Daniel said.

"The director said if we didn't agree to go, she'd put another couple in our place," Audrey said. "I couldn't let that happen. But why does it matter? You always dreamed of going to space. Now's your chance."

"Maybe going to the sun isn't such a big deal for you. But I get sunburnt after just fifteen minutes of sun exposure! And that's on Earth! I'm going to crisp up like a burnt tomato."

"You won't get burnt. Not with all the NASA-grade sun shields on our ship. Not to mention the made-for-space sunscreen."

"Alright. When do we leave?" Daniel asked.

"Um...I kind of agreed that we'd be ready tonight," Audrey said. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I was under a lot of pressure to give a quick answer."

Daniel sighed. "That's okay," he said. "Let's hurry back, pack up, and try to be at the launch site before rush hour starts."


The spaceship was bright white, with large windows providing a 360-degree view out into space. The windows were covered so thickly with layers of sun film that you had to wear special glasses to see through them.

"Are we there yet? I can't tell if that's the sun or Mercury," Daniel said.

"According to the display, we'll arrive in 6 minutes and 18 seconds," Audrey said.

"Arriving at a big ball of fire doesn't sound like a good thing."

"Don't worry, our ship is completely sunproof and we're prepared. I even brought marshmallows." Audrey opened her suitcase to reveal two giant marshmallows, each the size of half of the suitcase.

"You really do think of everything," Daniel said as he grabbed a marshmallow. He tried to grab the second one too, but with the first giant marshmallow in his arms already, he couldn't manage another. "You carry yours," he said. "My arms can only fit one."

Audrey grabbed the second marshmallow. It puffed in her arms like an oversized pillow. It was fluffy and soft.

"Let's go down to the missile launching area," Daniel said. "We'll use our smallest missile to skewer these marshmallows. Then we'll launch the missile, steer it around until the marshmallows are perfectly toasted, and have it return them return to our spaceship."

"How long do you think they'll take to toast?" Audrey said.

"I would say they'd be done immediately, but you never know with the air pressure conditions out here. We'll use trial and error to figure it out," Daniel said.

Daniel and Audrey floated down to the bottom of the spaceship. It was tricky to navigate inside the ship with fluffy armfuls of confection, but they made it by using their feet to push off every surface.

On the missile launch dock was a missile perfectly sized to skewer two marshmallows. "It's perfect," Audrey said.

Daniel loaded the marshmallows onto the missile, which took all his strength because they were so thick and puffy.

Meanwhile, Audrey checked the controls. "One minute until we arrive," she said. "Come over here quickly so we can launch the missile right away."

Daniel floated over to Audrey. He opened the door to the protected control pod, got in, and then sealed the pod behind him. "Kiss me for good luck," he said, kissing her. Then he took her hand and they pressed the big red button together.

The missile launch door swung open. A flame emerged from behind the missile, propelling it right out the door. Then the door slammed shut.

"The marshmallows are browning!" Audrey shouted.

"They are! They look delicious," Daniel said with joy.

"But where's the missile?" Audrey said. "I just see the marshmallows."

"It appears the marshmallows have puffed up. They're so big you can't even see the missile," Daniel said.

Sure enough the marshmallows had puffed. They were now the size of the spaceship. There was no way they would fit back through the door they exited through.

"They're still growing," Audrey said. "I'm getting worried. Something's strange about the air pressure."

In a flash the marshmallows had expanded to the size of a planet. Yet they were still growing. At this rate, in an hour they would eclipse the sun.

"At least they're not burning," Daniel said. "I was so sure they'd burn."

An hour passed and the marshmallows were the size of the sun. The spaceship was now stuck to the side of a marshmallow and was getting pushed away from the sun.

"We're stuck. How will we get back?" Audrey said.

"I don't know," Daniel said.

A few hours later, the marshmallows had expanded past the orbits of Mercury and Venus, putting them in range of Earth. "That's how we get back," Audrey said.

"But the marshmallows are disrupting the whole solar system," Daniel said.

"Not to worry," Audrey said. "Once we're in range of the Earth, everyone will bring graham crackers and chocolate bars. It will be the biggest s'mores dessert in history!"

"You think that will work?" Daniel asked.

"Don't you remember as a kid it was impossible for you to fill up on s'mores?" Audrey asked. "With just the children of earth, we're saved!"

"Hooray!" Daniel chimed in. Then his face dropped. "But we have just one remaining problem."

"What's that?" Audrey asked.

"We didn't bring our own graham crackers and chocolate bars," he answered in a sad, little voice. "The biggest s'more dessert in history and we're going to miss out."

"Don't worry about it," Audrey said, a mischevious grin on her face. "You know me, I always like to be prepared. So in case of emergencies, in addition to a first aid kit I always pack graham crackers and chocolate bars. You never know when you're going to need them!"

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