[ WP ] You were born on a colonizing spacecraft on your way to a distant star . You are the middle generation of history ; born to late to have seen Earth , and to early to live to see your destination .

`` Tell me again about where we are going, grandpa.'' 
 
 The little girl sitting on the grass beside him had put down her game system and was staring past the gargantuan indoor courtyard, beyond the enormous glass window and at the stars lazily drifting years away from the starship. The man places one hand on her shoulder and rubbed it. 
 
 `` It is beautiful.'' He said. `` It is very big. Very, very, very big.'' 
 
 `` Bigger than this ship?'' 
 
 `` Bigger than this ship.'' He agreed, one finger playing with the curly hair just above her ear. She giggled and shrugged him off. `` You can land there and walk your entire life and you would not see everything there is to see there.'' 
 
 `` And what would you see?'' 
 
 `` Trees. Lots and lots of trees and grass and dirt, just like this courtyard right here. Only...'' he scratched her cheek with one finger. `` Everything is open. There are no steel walls or lamps above our head that turn themselves off when it is time to sleep.'' 
 
 `` Then how do we know we have to go to sleep?'' 
 
 `` There is a star, like one of those many stars beyond the glass, see?'' She stifled a yawn as the old man pointed. `` Imagine we are closer to that star. So close that it is n't just a little spark of light, and instead it was brighter than anything else on this ship. The star is going to give us light when it is time to stay awake, and it is going to hide when it is time to go to sleep.'' 
 
 The girl hummed and sighed as she rested her head on her grandfather's lap. `` Why is it going to take so long for us to get there?'' 
 
 `` Because that is just the way it is. We tried to go faster but we could n't, so we have to take it slow and steady instead.'' 
 
 A few moments later the old man heard the soft, rythmic breathing of his granddaughter falling asleep. He picked up her game system - the same model that was given to him when he was born - and put it inside his pocket. He grunted as he got up and picked up the sleeping girl in his arms, kissing her in the forehead. `` I hope you love it when you reach it.'' He whispered quietly to himself.
