Lucas Stanford 52:

“I was sick with cancer. It was advanced and I wasn’t expected to survive. I was still a young man, not yet in my 30’s, my entire life still in front of me. I felt I had wasted all I had been given, that I had lived too critically, enumerating dislikes and never living a joyous, unguarded life. If I were to survive I would say yes to the world, to all the people in it, to myself. And whenever my parents drove me to the hospital for treatments, I would listen to this song, and as I did so we would pass green fields where high school students played sports and fell in love. And I saw in them something holy. Their breath on chill mornings a visible sign of optimism and momentum.

And Van Morrison’s voice so confident and vital– a primal, beautiful and ancient thing. He embodied that deep in the gut wont to fall in love, to survive for somebody:

“And I will not remember
That I even felt the pain.
We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again.”

The song is alive. Listening to it is like watching a shoot growing. It offered me life and I took it. I survived for somebody. It changed everything.”

Although I should’ve gone to bed this morning, my masters discovered something abnormal with my mechanical control system and are staying up all night working for a solution. I heard their eyes are looking more like my red rabbit eyes. It is at times like this that I miss hearing them telling me how disappointed in me they were and how I needed to work harder to make China proud. Ha, even the smell of the alcohol on my father’s breath I now miss! Nevertheless, I’m aware that I might not survive this lunar night.

Chang’e (the lander that deposited Yutu on the Moon — so named after the Chinese goddess of the same name who lived on the Moon and had a pet rabbit called Yutu) doesn’t know about my problems yet. If I can’t be fixed, everyone please comfort her with gifts of fine liqueur, solar calculators or buns made in the shape of a peach, for those are her favourites.

Before departure, I studied the history of mankind’s lunar probes. About half of the past 130 explorations ended in success; the rest in failure. This is space exploration; the danger comes with its beauty. I am but a tiny dot in the vast picture of mankind’s adventure in space, but China is great with the best, fastest-growing economy in the galaxy and titanic athletes who will always bring glory home! Chinese Women’s Volleyball is the best! China will never be defeated!!

The sun has fallen, and the temperature is dropping so quickly. I am very cold, but to tell you all a secret, I don’t feel that sad. I was just in my own adventure story – and like every hero, I encountered a small problem. I just want you all to remember, “Do a good job in family planning to promote economic development, for one child is enough!”

Goodnight, Earth, goodnight, humanity.

Jade Rabbit