The First Lettuce on the Moon

Rosa worked in the garden at the moon base. The garden was a big glass room. It was warm and bright inside. Outside, the ground was gray and empty.

Every day Rosa checked her plants. She had tomatoes, beans, and one small row of lettuce. The lettuce was new. It was the first lettuce on the moon.

A boy named Pavel came every morning. He was nine years old. His father worked at the base. So Pavel lived there too. He missed green things from Earth. The base had only gray walls and white lights.

"Is it ready?" he asked each day.

"Not yet," Rosa said. "Plants are slow."

Pavel looked at the lettuce. It was only the size of his thumb.

One morning, he came very early. He had a small cup of water in his hand. "The lettuce is thirsty," he said.

"No, it is not," said Rosa. "The machine gives water at six o'clock. Too much water is bad."

Pavel put the cup on the floor. His face was sad. Rosa sat down next to him.

"A plant needs three things," she said. "Light, water, and time. We have the first two. Now we wait for the third."

"How long?" he asked.

"Twelve days, maybe."

Pavel took a pen from his pocket. He drew a calendar on his hand. He made twelve small boxes. Each morning he put a cross in one box.

On day four, he read a book to the lettuce. Rosa listened from the other side of the room. She did not say anything. She only smiled.

On day seven, the leaves were green and wide. A plant from the next row touched them. Pavel took a photo. He sent it to his grandmother on Earth. She wrote back, "Beautiful! Is it real?"

"It is real," Pavel said to the screen.

On day ten, the lettuce was big. It was as big as his hand. Pavel stood and looked at it for a long time. He did not talk. He only counted the leaves. There were nine.

On day twelve, Rosa came with a knife. She had a white plate. Pavel was already there. He had a clean shirt on.

"Today is the day," Rosa said.

She cut one leaf, and then a second. She washed them in a bowl of water. She put one leaf on the plate. She gave the plate to Pavel.

"You first," she said.

Pavel held the leaf up to the light. It was soft and bright green. Then he took a small bite. It made a little sound.

"It tastes like rain," he said.

"Rain?" said Rosa. "You never see rain here."

"I remember rain," Pavel said. "From Earth. This is the same."

Rosa laughed. She took the second leaf and tried it too. It was cold and sweet. It was the best leaf of her life.

Pavel looked at the empty soil in the next box.

"Can we plant more?" he asked.

"Yes," said Rosa. She gave him a small bag of seeds. "You can hold these."