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US, TOO

As soon as Misha and I found out that two of our cosmonauts called each other Falcon and Eagle we decided that I'd be Eagle and he'd be Falcon, because we were going to be cosmonauts anyway, and Falcon and Eagle were such fine names. We also decided that while we were waiting to get older and enroll in the school for cosmonauts we'd start training. As soon as we decided this I went straight home and started training.

I got into the shower and turned on the water, first warm and then cold. I could stand it pretty good so I decided I might as well get toughened some more and turned off the hot water altogether, leaving an icy stream. Boy oh boy! I was covered with goose pimples in a second.

I stood there in the icy shower for about half an hour or five minutes and really got toughened. While I was getting dressed I remembered the poem Gran once read me about a boy who was shivering and blue from the cold.

After lunch my nose began to run and I sneezed a couple of times.

"I'll give you an aspirin. You'll be all right by tomorrow. Get into bed," Mommy said.

That made me feel awful. I nearly began to bawl, but just then Misha shouted from downstairs,

"Eagle! Hey, Eagle! Can you hear me, Eagle?"

I ran to the window and looked out. "What d'you want, Falcon?"

"Come on out into orbit!" He meant out into the yard.

"My mother won't let me. I've got a cold."

Mommy was pulling at my legs, saying, "Don't lean over the windowsill like that! You'll fall out. Who're you talking to?"

"My friend. My space brother. You're bothering me!"

"Don't lean out like that!" she shouted.

"My mother won't let me lean out."

Misha thought this over and then smiled and said, "She's right. It'll be a test of don't-lean-i-ty!"

But I leaned out anyway and sort of whispered, "Gee, Falcon, I may have to stay in till tomorrow. No chance of escaping!"

"So what? You can be in training. Shut your eyes and lie still as if you're in an isolation chamber."

"I'll establish contact by phone this evening," I said.

"All right. You establish contact with me and I'll establish contact with you." And he left.

I lay down on the couch, closed my eyes and started practicing not talking. Then I got up and did some calisthenics. Then I observed the Unknown through the porthole, and then Daddy came home and I had a meal of natural products. I was feeling fine. Then I began undressing for bed.

"How come you're going to bed so early?" Daddy wondered.

"You can stay up as late as you want to. I'm going to sleep."

Mommy felt my forehead and said, "The child is ill."

I didn't say anything. If they couldn't see I was in training to be a cosmonaut, what was the use explaining? They'd read it all in the papers later when the country thanked them for having brought up such a fine son.

Quite a lot of time had gone by while I'd been thinking all this and I decided it was time to establish contact by phone with Misha. I went out to the hall and dialed. Misha picked up the receiver right away. His voice sounded sort of fuzzy.

"Hello," he said.

"Is that you, Falcon?"

"What'd you say?"

"Is that you, Falcon? This is Eagle. How're things?"

He laughed, breathed into the phone and said, "That's very funny. Quit kidding. Is that you, Sonya?"

"Sonya? This is Eagle! What's the matter with you?"

"Who? What d'you mean? Who's speaking?"

"Nobody's speaking!" I said and hung up. It must have been a wrong number.

Daddy called me and I went back to my room, got undressed and into bed. Just as I was drifting off I heard a ringing. It was the telephone. Daddy went to get it. While I was looking for my slippers I could hear him saying,

"Eagle? Which Eagle? There's nobody here by that name. You have the wrong number."

It was Misha! He'd established contact! I ran out to the hall. "It's for me! I'm Eagle!"

"Falcon? This is Eagle! Roger and over!"

"What're you doing?"

"Sleeping!"

"Me, too! I nearly fell asleep and then remembered something very important. Listen, Eagle! We've got to sing something before we go to sleep. Together. So it'll be a space duet."

What an idea!

"Good for you, Falcon, Let's sing the cosmonauts' song." I began to sing. I sing very well, because I sing louder than any other kid at school. As soon as I started to sing, Mommy came running, but Daddy said,

"It's the two cosmonauts, Falcon and Eagle, singing before they go to sleep."

Meanwhile, Misha and I were singing:

On the dusty paths of the distant stars
Our footprints will remain...

 
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