That blue dot in the sky is called Earth. Our people used to live there, but we must never go back. [WP]

Jak awoke, breathing in the air and reveling in the prospect of another day in paradise. He hit his alarm the moment it started to ring, pleased with himself for another day of getting up a few minutes early.

As he got dressed, Jak thought of all he had to do today. The solar panels would need cleaned, the satellite dish needed to be repositioned, and trash needed to go out to the curb. He still found himself delighted by the fact that he no longer needed to do any yard work, a direct result of a condition that came about when he turned twenty-four.

That condition? Living on Mars.

Jak’s morning routine was short and sweet. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, snagged a piece of toast and sat down in his lazy chair to read. Before he could get past the first page however, a small round face peeked over the arm of his chair.

Jak feigned disappointment at the distraction as he tousled his daughter’s hair. No matter the problem, and there weren’t many anymore, she could always cheer him up. He sometimes wished she had been born on Earth, to cheer him up through the strife that had characterized his relatively short time on that planet. In any case, she was here now and would be a pain in his side for years to come.

Today, though, she looked puzzled. It was like she was mulling over a problem, and Jak found it adorable.

“What’s up, sweetie?”

She still had that look of confusion on her face, and Jak almost thought it was nothing until she finally found the words.

“Daddy, what’s that blue dot in the sky?”

Jak sighed. Sometimes it was still hard to let the memories of Earth go.

“That blue dot in the sky is called, ‘Earth’. We used to live there, but we must never go back.”

“Why?”

Jak smiled, pulling his daughter up into his lap.

“Because sometimes, you need to leave things behind. The Earth was broken, sweetie, and some very brave people brought me and your mother here. And we are very thankful, because it’s thanks to those people that we could have everything we ever wanted.”

“Like what daddy?”

Jak found his eyes welling with tears as he held his daughter close.

“Like you, Mal.”