Chapter One: It's all about the cheese, baby!
It was morning for the jolly inventor and his trusty canine companion, Wallace and Gromit, to wake up to the beginning of a brilliant day. Wallace yawned as he stretched his limbs, popping his joints, and then sat up from his bed. He scratched his back and then got up.
He looked towards his best friend and sidekick, Gromit, who was still lying beside Wallace's bed. "Good morning, Gromit, old chum. Are you ready for another day of possibilities and wonder?" Gromit huffed in mild annoyance at being woken up but sighed in defeat as he stretched and stood up. "I don't know about you, buddy, but I'm in the mood for food... and coffee. That's a capital idea, wouldn't you agree?"
Gromit only shrugged and then nodded at the prospect of good coffee. As they both made their way downstairs into the kitchen, Wallace and Gromit grabbed their respective coffee mugs with their names on them. Wallace set up the coffee machine and poured some fresh water into the top funnel to fill up its tank to brew. "Only the best for us, old chap. After breakfast, what would you like to do today?" Gromit shrugged as he sat at the table to wait for his coffee.
"Another grandiose adventure does sound riveting." Wallace then poured the coffee mixture into the filter holder to begin brewing. "A bit of creative ingenuity, some time to admire nature, and of course, the cheese. I have to have that cheese to try for my next greatest meal. Although, I believe I've had them all, Gromit, old chum. There is no suspense, no flair, and nothing new or special. We've got to try something more, Gromit."
Still tired and borderline cranky, Gromit nodded and tapped his mug onto the table, signaling his morning joe. "Patience, Gromit, buddy. And here it is. The coffee's done." Gromit's mood suddenly shifted from zero to one-eighty in half a millisecond. "Just got to get the cream and sugar, then." Wallace reached into the refrigerator to grab some whole milk and opened his kitchen wall cabinet to hold the pure-cane white sugar. "So, Gromit. Do you prefer your cream to be half and half or whole milk?"
Gromit impatiently jostled his mug to tell Wallace he didn't care; he just wanted his coffee. "Right then, whole milk it is." First, Wallace poured the coffee into his own and Gromit's mugs. Then, he grabbed the whole milk and poured it into a smaller cup between both mugs. After that, he put the milk back into the refrigerator. Then, they came over to sit next to Gromit as they treated their cups of otherwise black coffee. "There we go, Gromit. Fresh coffee, cheers, mate."
Clink!
"Now, what sounds good for breakfast? I'm thinking of eggs with some toast and jam. What do you think?" After toasting their mugs and taking one good swig of their hot but delicious coffee, Gromit nodded in agreement, which honestly did sound pretty good to have right about now. "Alright then, Gromit. I'll warm the stove and get the eggs with butter ready." Wallace then opened his refrigerator again to check for eggs and butter. "I'll need to find some cheese for me. I know that's not the best thing to eat as you don't prefer it too much. But I can't imagine life or breakfast without it. Some things are worse than death, Gromit, old chum."
"Now let's see here: milk? I already used that. Olive oil? I better save that for dinner tonight. There's the butter I need, marvelous. And the eggs. And, of course, the strawberry jam, serendipity. But wait a minute... where's the sharp cheddar? That goes great with scrambled eggs." Fear gripped Wallace's nerves like a hungry cheetah who did not want to relinquish its dinner. His palms were sweating, his left eyebrow was twitching, and his breath was shaking, trembling at the thought that he'd run out of cheese. He silently closed the refrigerator door and looked at Gromit with a horrified expression adorning his face- an expression that Gromit knew well enough.
"G-Gromit. We have a code yellow! We have run out of cheese!" Wallace was distressed and panicked, wondering how he would solve this borderline existential crisis. Gromit could honestly care less, but he knew he had to do something since his owner and partner were dismayed. So, after finishing his cup of coffee, he got up, walked over to his laptop, and popped it open to check his email for anything important. "Oh, the inhumanity. Wait? Gromit, old chap, what are you looking at over there?"
Gromit then showed Wallace the upcoming advertisement for a local Astronautical Engineer's Convention or the AEC for short. "By Jove, Gromit. The AEC is here! That's it. We can build a spacecraft, fly it up to the moon, and mine it for moon cheese minerals! You're a genius, Gromit." For short brevity, Gromit reveled in being called a genius. When the moment had passed, they both got ready, grabbed a couple of protein bars instead of their original plan of having some eggs, and then made their way to their car to get in. "Alright then, Gromit, next stop: the AEC Conventional Fair."
As they arrived at the fair, they were amazed by the incredible technological wonders on display. The rows of stands featured various projects by enthusiastic engineers and developers. "Look at this, Gromit. It's wonderful." Both Wallace and Gromit were enjoying the sights when the fair's site manager approached them.
"Hello there, gentlemen. Your dog appears to be unique, sir," the manager said as he saw Gromit going through the scrap containers, inspecting each piece of unused material that could be helpful.
"Oh, he's much more than that, my friend. Gromit is my best friend and my most trusted partner. We've done everything together. We're an inseparable duo." Wallace expressed his pride as he watched his partner sort out the most effective material and discard the least effective back into the bin from which he got it.
"He also seems to be quite organized. It's rare to find that sort of thing in smarter animals." Concluded the manager to Wallace.
"But of course, old chap. So, we were wondering if it would be possible to enter this convention to build a spacecraft."
"You two are ambitious, aren't you?" The manager asks Wallace as the jolly inventor nods.
"Why yes, sir. We pride ourselves on innovation and creativity," Wallace said, modestly adjusting his tie.
"Admirable. Very well then, I believe we might be able to arrange it. Please provide a stable blueprint of your design, its functions, and even the most meticulous details."
"Sir, you won't regret this," Wallace said as he saluted. He immediately started scoping out every variable of his schematics: everything needed for safe exploration: provisions, stability, oxygen intake and preservation, and seating for two, as this spacecraft was designed for only two pilots: Gromit and himself. He rolled out an empty blue parchment and grabbed some white chalk to draw the plans.
Roughly an hour later, Wallace had completed his blueprints and was ready to present them to the site manager for review. "Alrighty then, Gromit, old chum. We're about to make history here." Wallace cleared his throat to get the site manager's attention. "Yes, we're ready for our presentation, sir."
"Wow, that was quick," said the manager with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I can see that you two don't waste any time."
"No, sir. Wasting time would mean less time to be creative, which is not the Wallace way."
"Great. We'll be ready for your presentation in five minutes, Mr. Wallace. And I'll assume that Gromit will be accompanying you?"
"Sir, I couldn't do this without him."
"Wonderful. Be ready to present your work, then. I have high hopes for you, Mr. Wallace." Wallace then shook the manager's hand and went to the backstage room to wait to be called for his presentation.
"I-I'm a bit nervous, Gromit. What if our presentation isn't satisfactory? We might have to say goodbye to our dreams." Gromit slapped Wallace to snap him out of it and pointed to the curtain leading to the stage with a stoic look. "Thank you, Gromit. You're right. As they say, in for a penny, in for a pound." Wallace saw their names on the backboard in the backstage waiting room. "Well, let's get this done then, Gromit."
"It brings me great pleasure to introduce our newest addition to our AEC community. Please welcome Wallace and Gromit!" Wallace and Gromit took the stage. Gromit tapped Wallace's side to urge him to focus.
Wallace and his partner Gromit stood before a crowd of surveyors, eager to share the details of their ambitious dream. "Hello there, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Wallace, and I have a dream. I want to build a spacecraft and travel to the moon and back again," Wallace announced. The crowd was curious and whispered among themselves, some with positive remarks, some with sarcasm, and some unsure.
Wallace proceeded to explain the intricacies of his plans. He booted up the projector and displayed his well-organized and thoroughly studied blueprints on the big screen. "I have checked everything thrice before coming up on stage," he said. It was clear that he knew what he was doing, and some onlookers became more impressed.
"To ensure safe travel to and from the moon," Wallace continued, "I have meticulously accounted for every detail. For oxygen, we will rent a few canisters attached to the ship. Four oxygen tanks will be secured with welded, reinforced steel casing to withstand the travel velocity and the trip back down to earth. This will be enough for the duration of the trip."
Wallace explained that food, beverages, and temperature would not be an issue. The ship was designed with two seats for both pilots and suits that fit them perfectly. "All that's left is to assemble the ship and prepare for launch," he concluded.
Gromit and Wallace promised to bring back a fraction of the research and resources to share with the community as a show of gratitude for their help in making their dream come true. "We will ensure that the community benefits from our mission," Wallace said. "We are excited to embark on this journey and share our findings with you all."
The crowd was impressed with Wallace and Gromit's detailed plan, and some raised their hands with questions. Wallace and Gromit were happy to answer them. Afterward, he finished his presentation by saying, "So then, what do you think?"
