Friends, today is the last day of August, and the last chance to enter in the August description contest, for a chance to win a signed drawing of this popular character! At midnight CST the contest ends, and my fellow judges and I will choose the winner. Who are these judges? My sister Hope, the creator of the prize, and my friend Jonathan Garner, who came up with the idea for this contest. Enter before midnight!

To close the Month of August, I’m going to share an August moment from the second Firmament novel, In His Image. Crash sortof took over it (he often does) but it’s still a fun scene, and I hope you all enjoy it! I hope you all had a lot of fun getting to know August a bit better this month.

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“August?” I said, by way of greeting. I set my tray down opposite him.

His head flew up, and a glad light showed behind his eyes. “Andi!” He stood up and leaned over to squeeze my hand welcomingly. “So good to have you back.”

“How have things been here?” I sat down, all traces of trepidation quickly melting away.

Sitting back in his chair, he quickly flipped off the book, which I saw with joy to be a Bible. “Fine. Pretty slow, actually. We’ve been moving gradually towards Alpha fifty-four-thirty-three, waiting for you all to get back. Where were you this morning?”

“Asleep!” I laughed. “Dad gave me a tranquilizer last night, and then I guess he or Crash carried me on whenever we arrived… when did we arrive?”

“Early this morning, I think around three or four. I was asleep too.”

“Good habit to sleep at three or four in the morning.”

“I think so.”

While he seemed mildly subdued, he was certainly not overly quiet or downcast. I was feeling my spirits begin to rise again.

“The Doctor was worried that you weren’t feeling well,” I ventured. “He said you were quiet when he saw you earlier.”

“That was just a quiet moment, I guess. I have them sometimes. Besides, I –” he lowered his voice. “I don’t know your dad — Doctor Lloyd — very well. I know he means a lot to you, I just — I just haven’t gotten to know him very well yet.”

Rather than being offended by this — as his stammering indicated he feared — I was amused. I understood what he didn’t want to say. The Doctor was so opinionated, and at times gruff and somewhat brusque, that he often made strangers a bit unsure of themselves. It didn’t bother those who knew and loved him, but I wasn’t surprised that August felt a bit shy around him.

“It’s okay, I know what you mean. You’ll get used to his manner soon enough.”

He looked relieved. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to seem rude…”

“Good, because you don’t.”

This made him laugh. “You’re so funny, Andi. Where did you get your sense of humor?”

“Hanging around the Doctor and Crash all these years, I guess. Speak of the devil,” I observed, as the aforementioned men approached carrying their own lunch trays.

“Not very complimentary, And,” grinned Crash, sitting beside me.

“True, nonetheless,” said the Doctor with a nod at his nephew.

“Hey, you know she was talking about you too, Uncle.”

“I was not!” I cried indignantly. “I would never say such a thing about the Doctor, Eagle Crash, and you know it!”

“Eagle?” said August inquiringly.

“Yes, what is it?” piped Crash merrily.

“Crash, you’re dreadfully hyper today,” I observed.

A careless shrug was his only answer.

Somewhat timidly, August asked another question. “If you don’t mind my asking… how did you get a name like Eagle?”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get a name like August?”

“Crash, stop,” I begged. “You’re intimidating him. Besides, August is a real name.”

“Do you mean to imply that Eagle isn’t?”

“Yes I do.”

“You two stop your bickering,” ordered the Doctor, spooning the last dregs of soup into his mouth hurriedly.

“We’re not bickering,” Crash insisted.

“Then stop whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Having fun?”

“Yes.”

I giggled at August’s face, which showed great surprise.

“Go away,” said the Doctor, pretending to be angry at his nephew. “You should have been up on the bridge an hour ago.”

“Okay, Uncle,” was his good-humored reply. Then, to my satisfaction, he turned to August. “Guess we’d better be getting along.”

It was a little thing, but just the fact that he was including August in a group with himself was a leap for him. I knew he didn’t personally have much in common with August — polite, unconfident, quiet August. But he was trying to fulfill his promise to me. To be kind to the younger man.

August, however, made little response to this other than to get up obediently and say, “See you later, Andi,” before heading up to the bridge with Crash.