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Spacing Out by Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. They are original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect is given to their owners. Any similarity to real persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental. This work contains underaged content. You have been warned.

Childhood dreams are something to behold and revere. Often parents are fulling willing to support their kid's ideas, other times the premonition isn't realistic enough to even entertain. No matter the circumstance, these goals must be treated with care. Walking the fine line of telling a youngster the truth often involves the risk of certain failure or the realization of reality. No matter the circumstance, parents often have to make the difficult decision of supporting or refuting childhood aspirations.

Ryan was a 12-year-old coyote puppy who lived in the suburbs of Atlanta. Being so close to such a metropolitan area had its ups and downs. It meant that he and his family had easy access to all the best shopping areas in the state. But it also came with the often soul-crushing experience that came along with both the beginning and end of the workday. The traffic was nothing short of insane and the commute time too and from work often meant the boy's parents had to spend hours in their car.

Spring break was right around the corner though and this meant that the crush of the car population on the roads would be decreased significantly. School buses duties would be relieved for a good two weeks. Of course, Ryan and his friends were looking for to having less work at school. But the Coyote cub was especially thrilled because he would finally live a long lasting dream of his. The boy's parents had finally signed him up for space camp. He knew it was an expensive endeavor and had opted to use both his Christmas and Birthday presents.

Ryan didn't mind at all, he was very much your typical space nut. Inside the cubs, room was a variety of decorations spanning both the Star Wars and Star Trek series. But the boy's prizes possessions weren't his sci-fi collections, but rather what he had gotten that represented real NASA equipment. He even had a model which he built himself to resemble the Apollo mission shuttle. His parents had even got him a faux helmet which he often wore to pretend he was going into space. The coyote had quite the imagination.

But this was different. Ryan's parents had signed him up for a camp that would last for the better part of a week and a half. 10 days in Cape Canaveral, Florida which was home to Kennedy Space Center. It was now mere days away and the boy was becoming quite excited about finally getting to see the place in person. He had watched dozens of launches both historical, modern, and staged but getting to see the real thing was beyond anything in his wildest dream. Recently too he had found out a friend of his had similar aspirations.

Sky who was a husky of the same age as Ryan went to the same school as he did. The two had been friends since late elementary school. Though the husky wasn't as keen on space as the coyote was, Ryan had talked it up so much that Sky convinced his parents that he had to go as well. In fact, both boys parents had gotten a package deal for the friends who would spend the entire 10-day ordeal together. This meant they would travel together, instead of going alone, as well as share lodging together.

It seemed like a great opportunity for the boys, even despite the investment involved. Though they assumed they got a deal when they booked the pair of them instead of either one of them individually. The event was now a day away, both families busied themselves in readying their boys for the ordeal. Making sure that they had enough clothing, toiletries, and other sundries to get them through the occasion with very little grief.

Once Ryan's family had finished packing their son the Coyote's parents stood around him and hugged him. He was an only child and both of his parents loved him very much. All that was left was picking a wardrobe for his flight tomorrow. The cub stood in front on the mirror, admiring his recently brushed sand-brown furred body and tan-furred belly. Even his auburn hair was freshly combed, an anomaly he didn't normally partake in since he preferred a more unkempt look. The boy decided on a NASA t-shirt and some jean shorts.

His parents chuckled at him as he showed off his look to them. The boy seemed rather giddy and the parents were satisfied at their choice to send him away. All that was left now was to wait, something the Coyote wasn't particularly good at. Once sleep time rolled around he found it rather hard to let fatigue overcome him. His body was restless and anxious. He was finding it difficult to get to sleep. Instead, he continued to toss and turn throughout the night, allowing his mind to wonder and consider what it might be like.

Luckily for him, one night without sleep wasn't hard to bare. There were some nights where the cub had willingly chosen to stay up and play Kerbal Space Program which was one of his favorite games. When 7 o'clock rolled around, Ryan's mother popped into his room to wake him up. Seeing the boy was already up, she exited and went about to make breakfast. The cub grabbed his duffel bag and made his way to the living room. After setting it down he went into the kitchen where both of his parents were waiting for him.

Both of which were already sitting down at the table waiting for him to join them. The father had told his work he wouldn't be in until later and the mother didn't work until later in the afternoon. The plan was simple enough, they wanted to see their little boy off. The family spent some time eating a rather scrumptious breakfast. It included some eggs, sausage, juice, and fresh fruit. The mother had spent a good deal of time preparing the meal.

"So you ready, kiddo?" The father asked his son, despite already knowing the answer.

The cub simply nodded his head and continued stuffing his face. His father smiled back at him warmly.

"Did you make sure you packed everything?" The mother listed a long string of items verbally to her child.

Again the boy simply nodded, not wanting to disrupt his feverish eating routine. His mother simply rolled her eyes and decided to go check herself.

Of course, his bag was mostly prepared. She stuffed it with some last minute items including tissues and sanitizer. The last thing she added was an identification tag in case the bag got lost in transit. The mother figured he was ready now and made her way back to the kitchen. By the time she had returned, the boy and his father had finished their meal. The father had made sure the cub had gotten his backpack together while the mother checked his larger bag.

"Alright, well Sky's family is going to meet us at the airport so let's head out." The father suggested as the family headed out towards the vehicle.

At the vehicle, Ryan's mother kissed him first on the head and then on the lips before seeing him off in the car. The transport wasn't large enough for all three of them. So this would be the last time he would see her until he got back from his trip.

"Now you be safe and have fun on your trip alright, Ryan?" The mother wished him well on his trip.

"Alright mom, I love you." The cub waved to his mother as she shut the door and waited patiently until they departed.

Ryan's father started the vehicle. The larger coyote waved to his wife and headed off into the distance. Meanwhile, the mother retired to her home. The cub was admittedly anxious and gritting his paws together in a show of nervousness. This was the first time he was going on a trip without his parents. The older male sensed his son's discomfort.

"It'll be alright don't worry. You got Sky coming with you." The father tried to reassure the cub.

"Yeah, I guess your right. I'm just a bit nervous is all." The boy came clean clearly feeling a bit certain about the whole thing.

"You'll feel better once you're with your friend, I promise." The father suggested hoping that would subside some of his son's anxiety.

The airport was but a 20-minute drive from the Coyote families house. The rest of the ride went mostly silent. Ryan was very much enveloped by his own thoughts and his father was focused on the drive since the traffic was somewhat dense despite after being after rush hour. It took a little longer than normal but by the time they arrived, Ryan and his father were greeted by Sky and his mother. The husky family had stopped in between the second and first terminal since they didn't want to hold up traffic.

Of course, the place was busy, it was spring vacation after all. The crush of both humans and furs was to be expected. The blue and white furred husky boy stood next to his mother, clasping onto her leg. It seemed he was just as nervous as his friend was. Once Ryan's father parked, he and his son gathered the boy's things and made their way towards the Huskies. The two adults waved to each other and shared in a friendly hug once they were in distance of each other.

Meanwhile, the two cubs greeted each other. Instead of sharing a high four between each other before paw bumping each other in a playful show of comradery. It didn't take long before their anxiety gave way to playfulness and friendship. Both parents were glad to see their respective son overcome their initial fear.

"Alright, you two...We will show you to check-in. Then you need to listen to the nice airline employee and follow their directions alright?" The husky's mother spoke in a calm and collected voice.

The two boys gathered their backpacks while their parents maintained their heavier items and led them inside the terminal. Inside there was a small line waiting to get to the ticket counter. After waiting in it, the two groups of families made their way to the metal pedestal. Behind it was a behemoth of a woman who didn't seem to fit in with her co-workers. The tag on her breast showed her name, Gretta. She spoke in a strong southern accent.

"How do ya do? How can I help ya?" The human woman spoke first.

"We're checking in our boys." Both of the cub's parents handed in their sons tickets and their own identification.

"Ay, guess yall be needin' assistance, Am I right'?" Some of the large woman's words were difficult to make out.

"Of course, they are only 12." Sky's mother seems surprised this was even asked.

"Alright, gimme a sec." The human disappeared for a moment before returning with a much more feeble man by her side.

"This here be, Gus. He be helpin' the children." Gretta moved out of the way as the much smaller man exited from behind the counter.

The parents finished checking in the boys and did the same with the baggage so that each of them only needed to carry on their backpacks. After that they signed the Unaccompanied minor waiver, they were on their way to the security checkpoint.

"My name is, Harold. You may call me Harry if you wish." The human man introduced himself to the group.

Unlike the behemoth of a woman, he was much more well-spoken and eloquent. At the checkpoint, it was finally time for the parents to depart.

"Alright, boys...have fun and keep in touch alright?" Sky's mother said hugging her son.

"It'll be fine, champ. Don't worry, we're just a call away." Ryan's father did the same thing.

With that, the two parents made their exit and left their kids with Harold. Harold continued by leading the two cubs through security. Since they were minor's their was no identification to check and they went through a rather expedited process in comparison to families and other individuals. After they went through the x-ray and their bags were checked, they picked up their things and made their way to the gate. Gate C-7 was a short walk through the corridor.

It was a rather busy travel day and both humans and furs alike littered the hallways as they headed towards their destinations. Many people were clinging to walls, desperate for a power source to maintain their fix on their electronics. It was a rather odd sight that neither boy had seen before. Both friends decided to ignore it. It wasn't long before they arrived at the gate. At the front desk were one feathered man and a human woman. Harold showed them to the furry check-in and provided the burly looking falcon with their boarding pass.

"These two boys are unaccompanied, Harold?" The black and brown feathered bird spoke in a deep tenor.

"Yes, sir." Harold bowed deeply as if the man at the counter was his superior.

"Very well, Harold. You are dismissed." The peregrine gestured his co-worker away.

With that, the feeble looking human disappeared off into the distance. The feathered man finished checking them in before stepping out from behind the counter and showing the two cubs to a row of chairs just by the window. Outside planes could be seen both departing as well as landing.

"You two will wait here. Once zone 1 is called, you will be shown to your seats. Once at Orlando, you will wait until everyone disembarks. Then you will be shown off the plane. Is that clear, boys?' The falcon crossed his arms explaining as simply as he could.

The two canine puppies simply nodded in understanding and the bird returned to his work. While they were waiting for the two friends sat idle for a bit before Sky decided to take out his 3DS and begin toying around on his portable gaming system. Of course, Ryan couldn't contain himself and soon joined in after. The two participated in a few battles in Smash Brothers, splitting the battles between them. Eventually, they grew tired or versing each other and eventually went against some AI controlled characters.

Before long calls were heard over the intercoms. The human woman who was next to the falcon began making announcements over the loudspeaker. Boarding began right after she was finished and of course Zone 1 was called. But neither boy was prepared for it and quickly they began rushing to stash their things in the bag. By the time they had gathered themselves, half of the line for zone one had already gone down the runway towards the plane.

After waiting in line, the two cubs handed over their tickets and headed down the breezeway towards the plane. Of course, there was another line ahead of them so there was no rush. Eventually, they made their ways to their seats. It took another good 25 minutes before the rest of the passengers were able to board the jet. Once boarding was complete, a member of the plane staff came by to check on the boys who had already fastened into their seat for departure. The stalky egret of a woman was working a cleanly kept uniform and simply nodded to her charges.

Ryan and Sky entertained themselves by sticking their faces in a number of different games during the travel, not able to maintain focus on any particular one for more than a half hour. The flight was around 5 hours in total with a refreshment service being given to the passengers about half-way through the trip. Overall it was a fairly normal trip with very little turbulence to speak of. There was a minor rain shower in Orlando once the plane arrived but it was nothing heavy enough to delay the plane.

Once they touched down, the cubs remembered that they were to wait until everyone else got off the plane before they got off. It was rather unfortunate too because they were getting rather restless from having sat for such a long period of time. It took another good 15 minutes or so before the jet was emptied. The same lanky egret woman proceeded back to where the two cubs were sitting and guided them outside the jet. It was the end of her day, so she decided that she would take it upon herself to take the both of them baggage claim and their shuttle.

It was rather convenient since most of the people in the airport steered well clear of the tall woman. Her long strides put her taller than most of the people around her and although she wasn't intimidating, her size alone caught many people off guard. The terminal was rather large but the moving walkways from the gate to where baggage claim was made the travel faster than it seemed. By the time they arrived at the claim office, most of the other people were already there.

"Go ahead and find your bags, boys. I will wait here." The egret spoke in a very soft but commanding tone.

Sky and Ryan made their way to the moving belt that had baggage on it. It had already been moving and bags were making their rounds circling around a ramp that dispensed the luggage onto the circulating rubbery platform. The Huskies bag came first and it was rather easy to find since it matched his fur colors. The coyote seemed a bit disgrunted but before long his bag too found it's way to the spot where they were waiting.

"Ready boys?" The egret beckoned them to join her again so they could be on their way.

The trio made their exit from the airport, without the need of being checked by security since the cubs were being watched by an employee. Outside they made their way across the crosswalk towards the shuttles. The egret stopped by a sign that read Cape Canaveral shuttle.

"Alright, boys. I hope you have a good time." The tall woman waved before leaving them be.

The cubs weren't alone, as there was a range of other children also waiting for the same shuttle. Like the airport itself, the group was rather diverse in population.

The shuttle arrived on the hour which was about 12-minute wait for the group. It was a pitch white coach shuttle, the was quite large compared to the other airport buses. Since Sky and Ryan were some of the last to arrive, they were also the last to get on the shuttle itself. It didn't matter though since there were plenty of seats, even after all the kids got on board. The friends decided on a row of seats in the middle of the bus. After setting their bags under the seat, Ryan and Sky settled in to pull out their 3ds to keep themselves busy for yet another trip.

It wasn't nearly as long as the flight itself and even with the traffic leaving the city of Orlando, the shuttle was able to make it to Cape Canaveral after about an hour. Once they were within distance, the driver spoke over the PA system.

"We are now within 10 minutes of our arrival. Please get ready to leave the bus in an orderly fashion." The scratchy speakers bellowed over the loudspeakers.

Hearing that, Ryan cut his gaming session short and quickly stored his device back in his backpack. Outside the window, Kennedy Space Center could be seen.

"Wow...." Ryan was astounded as he looked outside.

There was quite a few tall buildings. The NASA logo could be seen on the one near the center of the complex. There were no real rockets waiting to be launched but there was still plenty around to make the place visibly recognizable even to those who didn't know where they were. The bus made a stop in front of the space tour center. In front of the U-shaped building stood a bulky large looking bear and his smaller primate assistant.

Once the bus came to a full stop, the kids began to file out onto the risen pavement which served as a gathering area for tour groups.

"Good evening, Comrades. My name is Sergei." The burly black spoke in a slight Russian accent.

"Welcome, Cadets. My name is Monica." The smaller primate spoke fixing her glasses.

The bear seemed to be of the military ilk, opting to wear a uniform. Meanwhile, the small chimpanzee wore a labcoat and khakis.

"You will be spending your spring break with us here. We will train you as if you were cosmonaughts." The bear opted to use the Russian version of the verbiage.

Ryan was already wagging his tail in excitement. Sky, on the other hand, was a little bit anxious, instead of hanging his tail between his legs. His friend sensed his nervousness, and Ryan placed his paw over the smaller boys shoulder.

This served to put the husky at ease at least a little bit.

"Those of you interested in touring the facility will come with me. Those of you interested in doing a little training experience, you will go with Sergei." The chimp chirped off a few inaudible sounds.

"But first, we're going to the mess hall in order to eat." The bear took the lead heading towards the building that housed the Rocket Cafe Garden.

It was but a short walk across to the Nature and Technology Center. Outside was the play dome where the kids would later go for rock climbing and space simulation modules. More interesting was the collection of full-size immigration rockets outside. Ryan couldn't help but stare, seemingly stopping in his track. Luckily, Sky was there to snap him out of it. Inside they had fixed the place to be a makeshift cafeteria that the kids could serve themselves as they saw fit.

Inside murals decorated the walls, everything was space oriented. Even the ceiling was littered with dark skies and stars. The two friends made their way to the line that was forming in order to wait for lunch. It didn't take long to get through the ordeal. Once they did, they had a choice of chicken tenders, a hamburger, or a hotdog. Both cubs decided on chicken tends, which were already prepared. The sides were delivered onto a cardboard tray and they made their way to an empty table.

The two adults watched over them but didn't eat. Sky and Ryan were quite famished as neither had taken the snack on the airplane. They even went up for seconds and were instead given a cookie since the kitchen had already run out of food. It seemed they stocked just enough for one serving per kid. But it was enough at least to curb their hunger for the time being. The coyote was much more interested in beginning the real deal.

"Let's go to the experience, alright?" The taller cub suggested excitedly.

The husky simply nodded and gave in as it seemed like a fine idea. The group broke into two with the majority of kids following the bear. Once inside the experience center, there was a large selection of options.

"Listen up, and Listen well. Each station will have a minder that will provide you with instructions as to it's purpose. Make sure you follow directions. You will pair up and work in groups of two. Each station will award you with a point if completed properly. The team at the end of both the 5 and 10 day period will be awarded with a 0 gravity simulation." The bear folded his arms and explained the procedures for the complex.

It was simple enough to understand. Sky looked around and was quickly tugged a different way by Ryan. Ryan saw what looked like the make-shift international space-station.

A large crane of a fixture extended out from a central podium labeled Engineering. Underneath it was a small chair that was only slightly elevated from the floor. The posture of the chair itself rather flat compared to normal furniture. On the side of it a small grey horse looked over it with a clipboard.

"Group name...?" The woman spoke in a rather soft-spoken and tired tone.

"Uh...."Sky thought about it for a moment, though was drawing a blank.

"Team Enterprise!" Ryan decided on a Star Trek-themed name.

The woman rolled her eyes as she wrote down the frequently used moniker.

"What?" Ryan caught her look of disgust, not simply letting it go.

"Nothing...You get under chair A and he will go to chair B. Your goal is to get the light in the center of the podium to illuminate. You will have to connect faux wires using limited traction and basically troubleshoot the problem through trial and error." The sullen women went over the same details she'd gone over countless times before.

Ryan and his friend did what they were told. The coyote was much keener on the task. The chair was a moving one and was supposed to simulate weightlessness. The chair didn't always operate the way the cub wanted either, often seemingly floating one way or the other. The faux wires didn't present any real danger as they didn't actually have electricity flowing through them. One by one the boy plugged through them. It took some time but eventually, the pair found a matching set of cables; one red and one blue.

The horse watched as they finished and flipped the switch that set off the light. The short experience was over and the two cubs were triumphant. The woman checked off her little clipboard and moved each of the cranes so they could get up. The friends high-foured and made their way to the center of the complex. Most of the other stations were occupied so they thought about what they could do next. Just then Sky spotted a small swimming pool.

Some floaties were strewn about its perimeters along with some life jackets. A small space-pod sat in the center of the pool. Like the other stations, a minder was standing nearby. This time it was a large beaver, who was wearing garb similar to that of a lifeguard.

"Come on, let's go try that." Sky suggested, seeming keen on the idea.

"The pool? But we don't have our swim trunks with us." Ryan responded after considering their bags had been taken to their bunks straight from the bus.

"So? We'll go naked." The husky seemed to suggest this rather non-nonchalantly.

"Uh...alright." The coyote shrugged, deciding he would play along since his friend seemed interested in the activity.

The pair arrived at the pool-side and like the minder before him, the beaver was enveloped in his clipboard. He was much leaner than the older horse from before, perhaps even a bit taller.

"Team Name...?" The man didn't take his eyes off the clipboard, paying the boys no mind.

Ryan and Sky gave him the answer he required, wasting no time in stripping themselves. Luckily for them, the other kids, as well as their minder were too occupied to notice. Once they were naked, they dipped into the pool and both swam towards the floating space module.

"Alright...the goal is to first swim the module to either side of the pool. Then exit the pool and attach the cords to the hooks on the outside of the module. Finally, proceed to lift the module with the crane to dry land." The beaver read off the instructions, only a little more enthusiastic than the horse was.

The cubs began paddling without delay. Between the two of them, the module was easy enough to move to the side of the pool. The pool was only a medium sized one so kicking from the center to one of the ends was simple enough. Once they were out of the pool, both boys took two cords and attached them to the four hooks on the tip of the modules opening. Seeing that they were making progress, Sky couldn't help but wag his tail in excitement.

Taking initiative the boy then went about in operating the crane. Ryan served as a guide and within no time the module was out of the water. The faux plastic plopped against the floor as the Beaver checked off his little list and looked up for the first time.

"Good job...what the?..." The beaver now just realized the two cubs were naked.

"Oh...oops...sorry." Sky and Ryan both knew perhaps they had gone too far.

"Please go to your bunks...and take a shower. I think you two have had enough mischief today." The man seemed a little annoyed covering his eyes from the boy's nudity.

"Erm...alright." Ryan was a bit disappointed it had to end so soon.

It made sense though, they had probably broken some unwritten rule. The two friends gathered back their clothing before the beaver threw them a towel to cover themselves.

"Where are the bunks exactly?" Sky asked since they had not been told where the lodgings were.

The beaver stepped over as the two cubs covered there lower halves and provided them a map and showed them where it was. After gathering their things, they retired to their quarters. It had been a long day but it had also been fun. They had so much to look forward to and such little time to do it in. Surely it would be the best 10 days ever.