• Around the world before the Lunar Eclipse

    There I was, in the house, when I heard on TV, “Oh I just got a report that the president of the united wants to see…..um……Sally Snoy.” I went back to the dishes. I then heard the reporter say, “Oh sorry. I didn’t have my glasses on. Let me get them….oh! The president of the U.S wants to see Shelby Snow, from Philadelphia! Now in other news, bunnies have taken over the world…….” I was stunned. It took me a few minutes for it to register in my brain. Me, Shelby Snow, just a normal astronomer from Philly? Why would the president want to see me? I called the TV station and asked if the president really wanted to see me. They said yes and gave me his phone number. I called the number hesitantly, wondering if this was a dream, and an important sounding person answered. I said, “Um, I am Shelby Sn-Snow. The president wanted to see…” “Yes come here right away. 155 White House road.”
    Click.
    “Ok, that was weird,” I said. I checked my calendar and saw that it was December 15th, 2008. I will remember this day, I thought.

    I drove all the way to Washington D.C. Then I drove up the gate, where a man with sunglasses and a suit was standing there, as if waiting. I drove up closer to him and he said, “Welcome. Are you Shelby Snow?”
    “Yes I am.”
    “Drive through”
    So I drove through after he raised the gate. I parked my car and got out. Another man in a suit came up and said, “Shelby Snow, you have been selected to aid the president in his journey around the earth. Do you accept this challenge?”
    “Um yes? I said, confused and uncertain.
    “Ok you will be paid $100,000 for going with the president.”
    “A-a-a hun-hundred, thousand dollars?”
    “Yes. Is that enough?”
    “Um, yah!”
    “Ok then I will bring you to see the president.”
    “Um, ok. Why did I get picked again?” I asked as we walked to the White House.
    “The president picked your name out of a hat. We wanted someone from Philadelphia.”
    “Ok I’m not even going to ask why.”
    "Here we are. This is the president’s office."
    I saw a man sitting in a chair. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground.

    I woke up later. I was on a soft bed, the softest bed I had ever been on. I was sinking into it. I sat up and saw a movement in the corner of my eye. I said, “Is anyone there?”
    “Thank you for coming to my office, Ms. Snow. I need your help greatly.”
    “Who said that?” I said, looking around.
    “I did.” A man stepped out of the shadow. I automatically knew that he was the President, Charlie Floor.
    “Oh wow. President Floor, its great meeting you!”
    “Touché, Ms. Snow.”
    “Um President Floor….”
    “Please. Call me Charlie.” The president said.
    “Ok. Charlie? Why am I lying in this bed?
    “Oh you passed out after you saw me.”
    “Wow. And why am I here, at the White House?” I asked.
    “I need your help with my journey around the world. Please step into my office.”
    I got up and almost fell over again, my legs were so wobbly.
    “Are you ok?” the president asked.
    Yah I’m good.”
    We walked into the president’s office and I was amazed by what I saw. There was his chair and his desk! And on the carpet was the Presidential seal I had heard about.
    “Ok, Ms. Snow…Can I call you Shelby?”
    “Sure!”
    “Shelby, I am going to take a journey around the world and I would like a partner to come with me. I have decided on you. As my Secret Service men have told you, you will get paid $100,000. So let me give you the details.

    “Shelby, people in the world have traveled around the earth. None of those people have traveled around the world before the Lunar eclipse, the time when the full moon is partially or fully in front of the earth. That is what I plan to do. I am going to start tomorrow and I have heard that tomorrow will be a new moon. That got me thinking about the stars and then I thought of who I was going to have as a partner. I picked a state and it was Pennsylvania and I picked Philadelphia. Then I put all of the possible candidates into a hat and I picked out your name. I saw that you were into astronomy and then I was certain that you would be my partner.