The blue sky. That's what she remembered the most. It stretched from horizon to horizon, a deep ocean just waiting for someone to dive in. It looked tangible: if only you could just reach far enough, you'd be able to hold a thick glob of blue sky in your hand. She imagined it had the likeness of a thick cream, easy to mold and shape and stick back together. As a child, she would exclaim that the sky was simply "ginormous", and even in adulthood, she still could not find another word that fit so well.

Sometimes, clouds dotted the sky, much as cows dotted the pastures below. The sweet yellow wheat fields would dance and wave at the sky with her as she ran free. The horses would whinny in surprise as she climbed the barn, hoping to get just a little closer to that beautiful pool of blue, the comfortable soft grasses becoming smaller beneath her. Papa would come home from the fields to find her stuck in some crazy position atop the house, unable to come down for dinner. Of course, once he did get her down, she'd have the paddling of her life, but it never quite seemed to have the effect he wanted. Mama would just sigh and go back to stirring her homemade chili, muttering something about "girls these days."

Slowly, the memory slipped from her grasp. She stared up out of the window in front of her, examining the same liquid sky that flowed above her as a girl. She turned and flashed a quick thumbs up to her companion, giving the sky one last loving glance.

"Houston. We are go for launch."