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The Rocket

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Aura presents her handmade cardboard rocket in the backyard on a sunny Saturday. She names it Aura-One, throws it up for launch, and it goes about three feet before tipping sideways and losing a wing. Aura stands quietly disappointed for a moment. Then she walks over, kneels in the grass, picks up the broken wing, and tells Daddy the rocket needs more tape. Daddy asks if she wants to try again. She says yeah. Baby Hamzu claps.

Aura built a rocket. Aura-One. It went three feet. She has notes.

Aura spent the whole Saturday morning building a rocket.
She used cardboard tubes and silver paint and triangle wings made of cardboard. She wrote "Aura-One" on the side in marker. She stuck stickers all over it. By lunchtime, it was magnificent.
She brought it out to the backyard. She held it up to Daddy. She counted down.
"Three, two, one... blastoff!"
Aura-One went three feet.
One of the wings popped off.
Aura stood there, looking at her rocket on the grass.
For a moment, she felt like crying. But she didn't.
She walked over. She knelt down. She picked up the wing and turned it over in her hands. She looked at where it had come loose.
"I think this one needs more tape," she said.
Daddy knelt down next to her. "Want to try again?"
"Yeah."
Hamzu clapped.
That is how all rockets are built. Even the real ones. Even the ones that go to the moon.

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