The Tiny Robot

     One day there was a young boy named Daniel who was very smart for his age of ten. He was a child that was interested in science and loved to watch science fiction especially when it came to space movies and alien technology. His parents were very proud of him for obtaining all A's on his school report cards. He excelled in science and was always doing science projects in his spare time.
      It seemed like every week he was handing his parents a shopping list of items and supplies that he needed for his projects and they never let him down by providing whatever he needed to encourage him in his endeavors. He made things from model spaceships to foam aliens to stack around his room.
     Daniel was pretty much a loner and did not make friends easily. He was looked at as a nerd and geek because he was always creating science things. He was lonely but found solace in his experiments and projects. He spent most of his time out in the garage working at a table that his dad built for him.
     One particular day when he was sitting at home working on another project, Daniel had an idea to create a virtual robot. It would be remote controlled and have moving parts. He thought that it would be so cool. He pushed his other project to the side and pulled out some blank paper and began sketching it out.
     After several different drawings, he finally decided to make something that looked friendly. In his drawing, it had a round shaped head with big round eyes that would light up blue. Its body would be cylinder shaped with both arms and legs. It would be made of metal and would have circuitry inside its body that would work with the remote control.
     Daniel made his list from his drawing of items and supplies that he would need and handed it to his parents who would go out the next day to purchase the items. While he waited for his supplies, he sat down and figured out his circuitry that would bring his robot to life and make it move. He configured a diagram showing where all the wires would run and what function they would perform.      Before long his mother was calling him because it was time for his bath and bed. He responded to her with a shout of, "okay mom" and began putting his stuff away neatly until tomorrow. He brushed off his table and headed to the garage door before turning out the lights. He closed the door locking it and then proceeded to walk towards the house.
     He came inside the house where his mother and father were sitting in the living room watching a news report on an upcoming meteor shower that would happen in three days. This excited Daniel very much and quickly asked for his list from his parents. He sat down on his knees at the coffee table in front of his parents and added a telescope to his list so that he could watch the meteor shower.
     Once he wrote it on his list, he handed it back to his parents and then finished watching the news with his parents before running off to the bathroom to get his bath done. Daniel started his bath water and while the tub was filling, he ran into his room to grab his favorite pajamas and underwear. He went back to the bathroom and turned off the water which filled the tub half way. He sat his pajamas and underwear down on the bathroom counter and began taking his clothes off.
     While in the middle of taking his clothes off, his mother opened the bathroom door and saw her naked son who quickly grabbed his towel to cover up his body. Since the age of six, Daniel has become aware of his body and doesn't want anyone to see him naked, even his mom and dad. She asked him if he needed any help and he quickly replied, "no mom", and she turned to leave the bathroom.
     As soon as she closed the door, he removed the towel from his body and quickly got inside the tub. He grabbed his soap and washcloth and lathered it up to begin washing his face. He washed his total body while thinking about his robot. Daniel became consumed with this robot that he began talking out loud about his plans and what it will look like and what it could do.
     Soon, he had his body completely washed and grabbed the shampoo to wash his hair. He put so much shampoo in his hair that it lathered up too much. He had so much lather on his head that he started shaping an alien head on top of his head. His mother soon called him to check on him and he began to quickly rinse the dripping lather from his head.
     Once he was done bathing, he dressed in his pajamas and walked out of the bathroom and went straight to his bedroom. He climbed in bed and both his parents came in to say goodnight and his mother kissed him on the forehead before both of them walked out of his bedroom turning off the light and closing the door leaving in cracked open.
     Daniel lay in his bed thinking about his robot and how much fun it will be to operate it and see what it can do. He saw pictures of it in his mind before falling asleep. Before his parents went to bed they stop to check in on Daniel who was bundled up and sleeping. After checking in on him, both of his parents went to bed knowing their son was safe and sound.
     The next morning when Daniel woke up he was excited about working on his robot but school came first. He ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and hair and then back to the bedroom to put on some clothes. After dressing himself, he left his room heading for the kitchen where both his parents were sitting drinking their coffee. He grabbed a bowl and a box of cereal and some milk and made his way over to the table to eat his breakfast.
     While eating his cereal, he reminded his parents about his supply list and looked forward to building his robot when he got home from school. His parents stated that they hadn't forgotten and his dad pulled it from his back pocket showing him he had it.
     He had just finished his cereal and noticed the time and that the school bus should be arriving soon, so he grabbed his backpack, kissing his mother goodbye and running out the front door. He made it to the bus stop just in time for the school bus to show up. He got on and took a seat in the back of the bus where he could sit alone. They made it to school and he went to his class hoping the day would go quickly because all that was on his mind was building his remote-controlled robot.
     The day seemed like it went on forever and finally came to an end when the final bell rang. Daniel was one of the first students to be packed up and ready to go. He left the classroom and made his way to the school bus to go home. He climbed on board and then the anxiety kicked in about getting home and taking his supplies to the garage and getting to work building.
     It took about thirty minutes to get home and then Daniel ran into the house finding his bag of supplies on the kitchen table. He took his backpack to his room and then ran into the kitchen grabbing the bag off the table. He took it to the garage and dumped everything out on his table and began going through each piece and organizing things.
     He began constructing the body of the tiny robot leaving a hatch in back to fit its circuit board inside. Once the body was made, he began putting its legs, arms, and head on. Daniel took a couple steps back to get a good look at his tiny robot before inserting all the wiring and mechanisms to make it remote-controlled. It took him several hours to complete everything before it got dark and his father called him inside for dinner.
     Daniel covered up his robot and cleaned up his mess before leaving the garage and turning off the light. He went up to the house and washed his hands for dinner. He sat at the table with his parents overlooking a spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and salad which was his favorite dinner. While they were eating, his father asked him how his project was coming and he quickly with a mouth full of food said that it was going great.
     When dinner was over, he helped his mother clear the table and wash dishes before heading to the bathroom to take his nightly bath. He turned on the water and began filling up the tub while he went into his room to get his pajamas. He went back into the bathroom and took his clothes off and hopped into the tub. While he sat in the tub, he talked to himself about what he had to do tomorrow with his robot. It was all about experimenting to see if it will work and that he would have a remote-controlled robot to play with.
     After his bath, he got out, dried himself off, and put his pajamas on. Next, he brushed his teeth and then went into his bedroom climbing into his bed. He laid there with pictures in his mind about what he would have his robot do and what voice he would give it. Then, his parents came into tuck Daniel into bed and gave everyone a hug and kiss before watching his parents walk out the room turning off his light. It wasn't long before he fell fast asleep.
     The next morning when he woke up, he got dressed for school and made his way to the kitchen to have his breakfast. His parents told him good morning as he sat with his bowl and cereal. His father asked him again how his project was going and he told them he would be experimenting with it today to see if it will work. His parents told him how proud they were of him and that they were glad he was interested in something.
     Daniel ate his cereal rather quickly before looking up at the wall clock in the kitchen and noticed he would miss the bus if he did not hurry and get outside. He got up and took his bowl to the sink and then grabbed his backpack kissing his mother and hugging his father before he ran out the door and down to the bus stop. He made it by about three minutes when the bus pulled up.
     He was so excited about his robot but would not share it with anyone until he knew it would work correctly. The bus arrived at school and everyone got off making their way to their classrooms. Daniel being the loner and introvert that he was always sat in the back of the classroom. He was also in good range to keep an eye on the clock and was ready to go right before the bell sounded.
     It was a boring day in class and a long day. Daniel could not keep from watching the clock as it ticked one minute at a time. He was becoming frustrated at the time going by so slowly but it finally came and the last bell sounded. He grabbed his backpack and shoved his homework inside as he made his way to the classroom door. Kids were crowding the door and shoving to get out and when Daniel finally made it out of the room he had to run to catch the bus before he missed it.
     The bus ride home even became a long journey, Daniel wished that every stop would be his so that he could get to his robot. Once he finally got home, he ran into the house dropping his backpack in his room and grabbing a quick snack to take with him to the garage. On his way out, he stopped by his mother who was in the kitchen cooking dinner and gave her a kiss before leaving out the back door and heading for the garage.
     Daniel unlocked the garage door and went inside turning on the light and walking over to his table. He uncovered his robot and stood back admiring it once again and was very proud of himself. He ate a couple of bites from his snack which was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich his mother already had made for him and in the refrigerator. It tasted so good he finished it quickly and then wiped his hands off to not get jelly all over his robot.
     He got to work right away and began connecting wires inside his tiny robot.It was a lot of wiring and they had to be placed just right for it to work. After everything was connected, he grabbed his handmade remote controller and hooked up the wires to it and programmed in the signal he would use to control his robot. It was now time for a trial run and placed the robot on the floor. He placed some batteries inside the controller and turned it on. The eyes of the robot lit up but there was no movement. Daniel fidgeted with the controller and could not get it to work. He tried and tried but no luck. Before he got aggravated, his father came in and told him dinner was ready and for him to wash up.
     Daniel put his tools and robot back on the table and headed for the door. He reached up turning off the light and locking the door back before heading for the house. Once inside the house, he ran into the bathroom to wash up for dinner. It was meatloaf night and that was one of his favorite dinners. When he finished in the bathroom, he headed into the kitchen where he met his parents already sitting at the dinner table. He sat down and took a good whiff of the large meatloaf sitting in front of him.
     Daniel's mother cut him a piece and placed it on his plate while he was scooping some creamy mashed potatoes and putting it on his plate. Everyone was enjoying their dinner and Daniel always looked forward to the next few days after meatloaf night because his mother would make him a meatloaf sandwich for his school lunch. While sitting there eating, his father reminded them that the meteor shower was to happen tonight and that's when Daniel got excited.
     Before he could say anything, his father informed him that his new telescope was sitting in his room on his bed. Daniel could never have been happier. Het sat with his parents filling up on the tasty meatloaf and mashed potatoes and thinking of all the things he will see with his new telescope. He anticipated seeing the meteor shower for days now and it was finally here. It would happen past his bedtime but his parents agreed to let him stay up to watch some of it.
     After dinner, they all went into the living room to sit and watch the news on television until it was dark enough to see the meteor shower. Daniel wasn't that interested in the news so he went into his room to check out his new telescope. He took it out of the package and started putting the loose pieces together and getting it ready. His father came into the room and asked if he needed some help putting it together and went and sat on the bed next to him. Daniel and his father got it put together and took it outside to set up for the meteor shower.
     It was finally getting dark enough to see the meteors, so his father went inside to get Daniel's mother to come outside. They all stood there watching as meteors streaked through the sky and every now and then Daniel would look at them through his telescope. One particular meteor caught his attention because it didn't look like the rest of them. It was brighter and seemed to be headed for earth. He kept watching it until it broke the atmosphere and struck the earth about a few miles away.
     Everyone noticed it and Daniel was quick to ask his father if they could go see it? His father answered him by telling him it was past his bedtime and that he should just watch the rest of the shower before going to bed. Daniel was not happy but did as his father told him and watched the rest of the shower before going in to get ready for bed.
     Daniel was still excited about the meteor shower and thought about what he saw while climbing into the tub to wash up. He took his bath, got toweled off, put on his pajamas, and walked into his bedroom. He climbed into bed before his parents came in to tuck him in. His father brought his telescope in and placed it over by his window before going over to the bed and kissing his son goodnight. His mother kissed his forehead and told him good night and sweet dreams before getting up to leave his bedroom.
     After they left his room, Daniel laid there and thought about the meteor he saw hit the ground and then his imagination went crazy about aliens and green ooze seeping from the meteor like in a science fiction movie. Once his mind calmed down and he was now ready to sleep, he cozied up under his blankets and settled into sleep. It didn't take long before he was deep into sleep.
     Several hours into sleep, Daniel was awakened by strange noises coming from outside. He laid in his bed listening and it sounded like it was coming from the garage. He sat up in his bed and looked out his window towards the garage. He noticed the garage door which he knew he locked was wide open and there were funny lights coming from inside. He then got up and put on his robe heading for his bedroom door. He opened up his door and peeked out into the hall to see if his parents were up before leaving his room and walking towards the kitchen.
     He walked into the kitchen and over to the back door peeking through the blinds at the garage. He still saw the funny lights going on inside the garage and knew he had to investigate. He opened the door very quietly and began walking outside. As he made his way across the yard, he stumbled over one of his toys which made a loud noise. He quickly looked up and noticed the funny lights were not going off in the garage anymore.
     He slowly made his way over to the garage door that was opened and peeked inside. He looked around while hiding behind the door and saw nothing. He quietly made his way inside being very cautious and walked over to his table where he left his tiny robot. It was still standing right where he left it and then turned to look around the garage for where those funny lights could have come from.
     He searched around and around with no luck, but then heard a strange noise coming from behind him. When he turned around, he noticed that his tiny robot's eyes were lit up. He walked over towards his robot and it stepped back away from Daniel. This made him stop in his tracks that his robot moved on its own. He finally walked up to it and began talking to it. He watched as it stepped towards him with its little eyes blinking.
     Daniel reached for the remote- control and saw that it wasn't turned on, but thought to himself how could his robot be alive? He sat in a chair next to his table and the tiny robot walked over to him with its tiny hand out. Daniel reached out and shook his little hand and started to have a conversation with his new friend. The robot did not talk but made whistles and other noises as its way of communicating.
     Since the tiny robot was alive, Daniel saw no need for the remote control so he chucked it in a nearby box of gadgets. Then, he sat with his tiny robot and began asking questions like where he came from and how did he get here? He spent a good part of the night sitting with his new friend but soon had to go to back to bed before his parents got up.
     He explained to his tiny friend that he had to stay in the garage hidden from everyone. The tiny robot shook his head up and down to let Daniel know he understood. He then put some stuff away and turned to walk out of the garage. He looked back at his tiny friend and said he would see him in the morning. He reached up turning off the light and closed the garage door back locking it so no one could get in and find his friend. Daniel went back to bed feeling happy because he now has a friend who he could hang out with.
     The next morning, he woke up and got dressed quickly grabbing his backpack and running out into the kitchen. His parents were sitting at the kitchen table having coffee when he stated he had to run out to the garage for something real fast. He left his backpack on the table and made his way to the back door. He walked out and headed for the garage. When he unlocked the garage door and went inside, his tiny friend was glad to see him.
     He walked up to him and told the tiny robot how he had to go to school but would come visit him when he got back home. The tiny robot shook his head making whistles and that made Daniel smile. He turned to walk out of the garage to go to school and turned off the light and locked the door behind him. He stopped for a minute thinking about his new friend and it brought a smile to his face.
     When he left for school, it was another long day but it was also Friday so it was the weekend and that gave him two whole days to spend with the tiny robot. He reached school and headed for his classroom. He whizzed through his work and even got his homework done during class. He was feeling anxious about spending the weekend with his new friend and wanted the day at school to end.
     Finally, the bell rang and everyone shuffled out of the classroom to make their way to their buses. As Daniel got on the bus, One of the older children began making fun of him because he was such a geek but it didn't bother Daniel because he knew he had a friend waiting for him at home.
     Daniel finally reached home and got off the bus happily and headed straight for the garage. When he unlocked the door and went inside, he noticed that the tiny robot had cleaned the entire garage and organized everything. He told the tiny friend thank you and put him in his backpack telling him to be still and quiet.
     Daniel then turned to the garage door and began walking to it. He opened the door and turned off the light closing the door behind him. He walked up into the house and said hello to his parents before walking quickly to his room shutting the door behind him. He opened his backpack allowing the tiny robot to come out. His plan was to keep his new friend in the house with him where he would be safe.
     Now that Daniel had a new friend he spent most of his days playing and getting to learn from him. They became the best of friends and the tiny robot remained with Daniel up until he was off to college and that's when they parted ways and the tiny robot began exploring his new world and looking for his next new friend.

Star Jumper

     Two galaxies away is a tiny star with one single inhabitant known as the star jumper. He is a somewhat gentle creature that has a skin that adapts to the chemistry of the star which makes him able to live on stars and not planets. He goes by the name of Alamir and is a lonely creature. He has no knowledge of where he came from or who his parents were. He found himself one day waking up on this tiny star. Alamir doesn't even know how old he is.
     His food consists of the energy he draws from the star which is enough to sustain him without draining the star of its brilliance. He lives day by day roaming around this star and is also a very curious creature. When he finds something new he is almost as a young toddler and will not leave it alone until he finds out everything about it.
     Alamir's appearance is very unique to this species in a way that it has never been seen before by a human. He has very large eyes that are close together, skin that is tough as leather and purplish in color, and a pair of extremely large feet for his body size. I guess that is what makes it easy to travel around the star.
      As he roamed around the star, he caught something out of the corner of his eye in the distance. When he turned to look in its direction, it was gone but Alamir's curiosity took hold and he roamed in the direction of the object. As he got closer to the location of where it should have been, he could not find anything. This was very disappointing to him but it would not stop him from looking for it.
     Alamir searched and searched until he came across another creature half of his size but resembled him very much. The same big eyes and big feet. When they met each other it was shocking at first until they began investigating each other as dogs would. They took a whiff of each others body smell which was very different from one another.
     The little creature was hyper as a child and just as curious as Alamir. He introduced himself as Zoltar and then Alamir informed him of his name and they became a little more acquainted with each other. One could say they became friends instantly and that's when Alamir had questions. He began asking Zoltar if he knew where he came from and how old he was?
     Zoltar had answers which were surprising to Alamir because he had no memory of his own past or beginning. Zoltar told him of a very large star that was several galaxies away and had many of their kind living there. This gave hope to Alamir that he might be able to find out more about himself. He asked Zoltar if he could take him there so that he could see it for himself? He agreed to take him but it would be a long journey and they would need to stop at a star along the way to feed themselves.
     They both agreed and began their journey. They fed themselves to fill up and then made their way to the edge of the star. Alamir was afraid because he wasn't sure of his abilities and then began questioning Zoltar on how to jump from star to star. Zoltar started giving him instructions on how to jump which sounded easy but getting the courage to jump was more of an issue.
     Zoltar told him to get a running start and when he reached the edge of the star to jump with all of his might and concentrate on the star he wants to jump to and his ability will kick in. This was assuring to Alamir but there was still some apprehension in his star jumping but he listened to what Zoltar told him and then he watched as Zoltar backed up to get a running start.
     Before Zoltar went to jump, he informed and pointed out which star to jump to so that Alamir would know which one to concentrate on. Then, Zoltar took off running and when he reached the edge he made a giant leap and Alamir watched as he left the star and what seemed like a bolt of light zooming through space. To the human eye, star jumpers would look like shooting stars through the sky.
     Alamir watched as Zoltar zoomed through space until he disappeared and then suddenly saw a burst of light from the very same star that Zoltar told him to concentrate on. Alamir gathered his courage and backed up several feet to get a nice running start for the edge of the star. He counted to himself before taking off running with his big feet and then jumping from the edge and kept his eyes on the star Zoltar jumped to.
     As Alamir jumped he felt this tingling throughout his body as his abilities kicked in and instead of falling his body took off towards the star where Zoltar would be waiting. It only took a few minutes before reaching the other star and as Alamir tried to land he found himself rolling and tumbling on the surface of the star. He finally stopped about two feet in front of Zoltar who applauded his efforts in star jumping but apologized for not giving him instructions on landing.
     He assisted Alamir in getting up and asked if he was okay? Alamir felt drained from his journey like something has just zapped him of all his energy. Zoltar informed him of it being the reason the need to feed on each star they jump to. Alamir was excited to learn about this new star he landed on but Zoltar kept him focused on his goal of seeing their home star where their kind lived.
     Alamir was like a child in a sense of pouting because he wanted to explore this new star but understood that they didn't have time for that right now. He kept his attention on seeing more of his species and meeting everyone. Were they all like him?
     They both began feeding on the star and regaining their energy for the next jump. Once they were full, they traveled to the star's edge again and found the next star to jump to. This time it looked a little further away than the last. Alamir watched as Zoltar jumped and then he made himself ready for his jump. He backed up and sucked in some air before running to the edge and jumping for his life.
     Again his body flew through space and he was amazed at all the sights while traveling. He noticed all the different planets with their pretty colors and then began to wonder if they could jump to the planets? Once they reached the next star, Alamir began questioning Zoltar about the planets that surround them. He asked if it were possible to be able to jump to them and that's when Zoltar quickly cut off his question and just gave him a polite "no".
     Zoltar told him that if he ever jumped to a planet he would be stuck there forever because there would be no way to feed himself for another jump. He also stated about other species that inhabited the planets and that some were not so nice. Alamir again became very disappointed by Zoltar's answer but took his word for it as they fed and then made their way to their next jump.
     They jumped to many stars and Alamir was just so excited to see all that was around him as he jumped from star to star. He took mental notes of the location of a beautiful planet that was mostly covered in blue and green. It really peaked his curiosity and he wanted to learn more about planets. That one planet, in particular, made him curious to know what inhabitants it held and was always enthusiastic to meet new creatures but instead he just kept jumping in hopes to see his home star where there were creatures just like him.
     They finally reached their galaxy where the home star of his species was. They fed on each star as they jumped to another and finally one more jump would put them on the home star. Alamir remained very excited to meet others of his kind but was hesitant because he was afraid they would not accept him.
     Zoltar reassured him that everything would be fine and they made their last jump to the very large star and upon arriving, they were happily greeted by the inhabitants. Alamir could not believe there were others like him. There were some that were large and old and some that were very small and as infants. Alamir walked around getting acquainted with his species and became happy.
     As he stayed on his home star and felt like family, he still remembered that little planet of green and blue. He began dreaming and envisioning himself on this beautiful planet and meeting the species that inhabited it. He did not know what species it was but being such a beautiful planet it had to have a friendly species.
     Alamir lived on his home star for many months in earth time and as he lived every day and enjoyed being with his kind, he was plotting and planning how he can visit this blue and green planet and be able to jump from it. He did come up with an idea like overfeeding himself and keeping some as a reserve for jumping. He was not sure if it would work but he wanted to try.
     So Alamir filled up on food and energy and said goodbye to some of his new friends that he made and told them he would return. He went to the edge of the home star and began his jump to the nearest star in the direction of the blue and green planet. It took many jumps from star to star but he finally reached the nearest star to the blue and green planet. He fed on the star until he was so full that he began to feel speedy and made his jump to the planet and from earth, he looked like a falling star.
     Alamir landed on the planet out in the desert where he could be cautious until he found out what species inhabit this planet. He did not want to find an unfriendly species and started his journey towards what looked like structures in the distance. As he got closer, he began hearing strange noises from a distance. It was almost frightening but he remained positive and continued walking towards these structures.
     Once he arrived on the outskirts of these structures, he cautiously made his way in and not able to be seen as of yet. He wanted to investigate this species before just barging in and saying hello. He made it to a container that was green and fairly large where he hid and watched the species from a distance.
     What he found were a species of creatures that walked on two legs and different sizes like his own. He watched as he saw male and female and how they were busybodies constantly moving. As he watched from a hidden place, he wasn't aware that one of the creatures were walking up behind him. He turned around once hearing a noise and saw one of the creatures who appeared to be a young creature.
     It startled him at first, but as the creature got closer, he found it to be friendly as he saw that the creature was approaching slowly. Alamir smiled at the creature who returned the smile back. Then, the creature began to speak and it seemed comical because Alamir spoke a language similar to these creatures. So, a conversation began.
     The two of them sat behind the big green container and talked introducing themselves to one another. Before long, other young creatures appeared and sat with them. Alamir was relaxing a little more because he was making new friends on this strange planet. After a few hours of hanging out with the creatures, he noticed that it was becoming a little darker.
     One of the creatures stood up and offered out his hand as to help Alamir up from the ground and led him down the alley towards other structures away from the busybodies. The creature brought Alamir to a structure that looked friendly and took him inside one where he could be safe from harm and attention.
     They sat and talked for a bit longer until Alamir heard another creature who sounded older calling for the creature he was sitting with. The young creature got up and went to leave the structure but turned and told Alamir to stay there until he comes back to get him, which Alamir did. He found a comfortable place to lay down and rest until the young creature came back for him. He began noticing his surroundings and found items to be quite interesting but soon fell asleep because of his energy depleting.
     The next morning he noticed it was becoming light outside the structure and was anxious for the young creature to come back and get him. It wasn't long before the young creature showed back up and began telling Alamir of this planet. With Alamir's energy depleting, he knew he had to leave the planet to feed.
     He explained this to the young creature and then he took him back out to the desert where Alamir first landed hoping there would some energy left there that he could use to jump back out to the stars. When they got to the location, Alamir felt nothing left behind but attempted to jump anyway. The only problem he foreseen was that there was no edge of the planet to jump from.
     He knew he needed a running start so as the young creature watched, Alamir backed up, spotted the closest star, and made a running start. He tried to jump, but there was no use. He could not even get two feet off the ground. The young creature saw how disappointed Alamir was and offered to help by asking Alamir what he needed to jump?
     Alamir explained how his species feed on the energy of stars. The young creature asked what type of energy did the stars have and Alamir replied back with solar power. The young creature thought for a minute and then remembered that many of the structures close to his used solar power for electricity. When he told Alamir this information, he was pleased and anxious at the same time.
     The young creature took him to a nearby structure to his own and showed Alamir the panels on top of it. Alamir tried climbing to the top of the structure to feed off the energy. There was no way for Alamir to absorb the energy and this posed a problem. The young creature took Alamir around to the back of the structure where the panels plugged into the structure.
     Alamir removed the plug from the structure and stuck it against his body. Within a few minutes, Alamir felt the energy being absorbed into his body. He was feeling stronger and more energized until he was full. Once he was fully charged, he plugged the wires back into the structure where he saw the lights in the house come on.
     Alamir told the young creature that he felt better and should be able to jump off the planet. The young creature smiled and was enthusiastic about the situation. They began the journey back out to the desert for one more try to jump. The young creature became sad that Alamir was leaving and expressed his feelings to him.
     Alamir was saddened but explained to the young creature that he had to leave because he could not survive on the planet. So they continued walking until they reached their destination. The young creature stood by as Alamir backed up and then began running with all his might. He made it to where the young creature was standing and leaped up in the air making a jump which looked like a lightning strike to the young creature.
     He watched as Alamir jumped high in the sky and finally disappeared into space. As he stood there he watched as Alamir jumped from one star to the next as a shooting star and then began waving as Alamir disappeared into the distance where he could not be seen again.
     Once Alamir reached his home star, he spoke of the creatures from the blue and green planet to his friends who were amazed that he actually was able to jump from the planet. Alamir joined his species and became a citizen of the big star, but never forgot the young creature he met and helped him. This was a lesson learned for Alamir and that was that he would always be a star jumper.

The Genetic Mixture

 While sitting at home one morning drinking his coffee and skimming through his morning newspaper, Dr. Kimble had an idea hit him. He was a brilliant scientist who had been working in genetics and experimenting with ways to cure most earthly diseases. He has not had much success lately but keeps trying harder each time after a failure.
     If you can imagine this five-foot-ten, thin man with curly dark brown hair who wore eyeglasses that were virtually invisible on his face, that would be Dr. Kimble. He graduated from MIT with honors in the field of genetics and has been a respected scientist among his peers.
     This one particular morning when an idea hit him, he sat really seeing it in his mind. He had been trying to find a cure through genetics for most common diseases, but what if the cure wasn't going to be in the genes one one animal itself? What if the cure would be found by incorporating the components from two different genes together to make a cure?
     This pondered in his mind all morning until he got to his laboratory. After situating himself and getting into his lab gear which consisted of his lab coat, safety goggles, and rubber gloves, he did a walk through of his lab investigating all of his experimental subjects. He had little white mice, black and gray rats, a few gray pigeons, and two chimpanzees named Tiberius and Sally. They were a cute couple who were mostly for companionship to the Dr. He also had a few rather large lizards, a couple of bullfrogs, and a cat named Genesis.
     Most of the Dr.'s experiments were on his mice, rats, and lizards. They seemed to be easier to experiment with although the pigeons and bullfrogs held their own with the serums given to them. Each trial to find a cure almost always failed or showed a little response in his specimens. It was rather disappointing time after time, but the good Dr. would not give up. With every failure, he would try harder on the next one.
     Sitting in his laboratory, he began drawing out diagrams of how he would go about splicing genes from two different specimens. At first, he tried drawing out the incorporation of mice and rats but soon figured that they were too close to a family to make a difference. Then, he began looking at his favorite bullfrog, Oliver and drew out the incorporation of his genetic material with one of his mice and it looked to be interesting.
     So, the doctor began his genetic manipulating and once he figured out exactly how to splice the two genes together he proceeded with his testing. Of course, this did not happen over night but he spent every waking moment studying the components of each specimen to the point of taking his work home with him to continue working on until he went to bed.
     He did this almost every night until he figured out how to put the components from each gene into each other combining it into one gene. It sounds confusing but he was able to splice them together and the only thing left was to run testing on different disease specimens. He started with the most common diseases which were cancers and began those trials.
     He tried a few test samples and nothing worked. He ran the tests several times and came up with the same results, nothing. He tried rearranging the gene material to see if it would work and still no change. As many times as he tried testing, he changed the sequences as well that many times. Fifty trials and still no or little change so it was back to the drawing board.
     He figured it was time to try another species of animal and with a process of elimination he kept the mice and mixed them with pigeon genes. Hours beyond hours the Dr. kept his hopes alive that he would soon find a cure for at least one disease. Specimen after specimen, still nothing, but his gut was telling him that he was close.
     One night, the good Dr. took ill and found that his breathing was becoming irregular so he called for his friend to take him to the hospital. After a thorough examination and many tests and labs, the doctors at the hospital came to the conclusion that Dr. Kimble, himself, had small cell lung cancer. The news was detrimental to the Dr. and it gave him a sense of urgency in completing his trials and obtaining a cure.
     Once he was released from the hospital, the Dr. found himself back in front of his drawing board. He stood there looking at all his calculations for many hours. Something struck him awkwardly as he stood as still as possible mesmerized by the numbers on the board. Then, it stuck its face out of the board and stared directly back at him.
     There was a calculation in front of him that he had not tried nor considered. It was the mixing of the chimpanzee and the lizard gene that shined upon him. With that, he turned and looked at Tiberius who reluctantly stared back at him as if he knew.
     He went to his board and began compiling all his data and redoing calculations before coming up with an experiment. He thought it strange at first to combine a chimpanzee with a lizard gene but it was worth a shot. When he finished with his calculations, he went ahead and drew his samples from his specimens and put them under the microscope to examine the architecture of both.
     They seemed to be almost close in structure but he took and broke down the compounds to get the gene from each. Once he had the gene from each sample, he then proceeded to break the genetic material down into components. He stood there when he finished and was amazed by what he was looking at. This could be his cure for cancer.
     Before he began rearranging things, he took a small break for something to eat and drink. His favorite lunch was a peanut butter sandwich and a mellow yellow. He thoroughly enjoyed them and it was always satisfying. He would sit and eat in his rose colored armchair staring at his black chalkboard where he wrote all of his calculations as if it were a lunch and a movie. His obsession was his search for a cure and he felt that he was not good enough of a scientist if he could not find it.
     After eating his lunch, back to his experiments he went. He began switching genetic material between the genes of these two particular specimens. Once he was satisfied with his mixture, he started experimenting with his samples by injecting it into Petrie dishes that contained a few minute cancer cells. He gave it some time to work before looking at them through his microscope.
     It had been about two hours when the Dr. decided to look at his samples to check their status. When he focused his eyes on looking through his microscope he noticed that his concoction was, in fact, attacking and killing the cancer cells. Feeling overjoyed, the Dr. added some of his creation to a few dishes with live human cells to be sure that the mixture would not kill human cells as well.
     A few hours later, he looked through the microscope again to see that none of the live cells were killed. He had accomplished the first stage in his experiments and was very pleased. He then started testing his concoction with other cancer and disease cells. He was finding that his concoction was actually killing most of his disease samples. Could he have found the cure he had been searching for all these years?
     It was several hours of looking and noting his results before he decided to go to bed for the night. He was happy about his findings and felt that he deserved a good night's rest. He put everything away and took great care in putting away his test samples. Then he said his goodnights to all of his animal friends and companions before turning off the lights to his lab.
     The next morning, the doctor got up and headed for his kitchen where he made himself a quick cup of instant coffee while the real coffee was brewing. He took his coffee to the kitchen table where he placed it before heading to his front door to grab his morning paper. He had such a pep in his step as he has never slept better. He accomplished greatness the night before and was excited to get back to work, but not before he had his morning coffee and newspaper.
     He took his paper back into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table where his coffee was waiting and began skimming through pages of the paper while he sipped his coffee. There was such a huge smile on his face this morning. It seems as if nothing could get him down today. He very much looked forward to getting back to work on his experiments, so he drank his first cup of coffee while reading his paper before grabbing a second cup for the ride to the laboratory.
     Dr. Kimble grabbed hs keys and headed out the door to his car. He unlocked the door and got inside setting his cup of coffee in the cup holder. He reached back and grabbed the seatbelt pulling it across him and buckling it in. Then, he put his keys into the ignition to start the car. When he was ready and situated to go, he backed up out of his driveway and drove down the street still smiling.
     All the way to the laboratory he hummed, smiled at other drivers and even sang a few tunes while driving. Once he got to the laboratory, he went inside and said good morning to all of his animals and companions. He put his research files on his desk and made his way to the closet to pull out food for his friends.
     All of his animals got very excited to see him go to the closet because they knew he was getting their food. As he dug around in the closet, you could hear the chimpanzees yelling at him to hurry. The doctor came out from the closet with handfuls of food for his animals. He went around placing a food dish in each cage smiling as he watched his friends eat their food.
     Once everyone was fed, the doctor made his way back to his desk where his research files lay. He took off his jacket and exchanged it for his laboratory gear before sitting down. He opened his files and began going over his notes taking notice to his experiments from the day before. He was so proud of his accomplishment yesterday that he was ready to return to his experiments today.
     He went over to his small refrigerator to pull his samples from the day before. He took them over to the lab table and began rechecking everything to confirm his findings from yesterday. He viewed under the microscope of the genes attacking the disease cells and everything was looking pretty good. The genetic mixture had eradicated all of the diseased cells on one dish, and when he looked at the live human cells, they were untouched by the genes.
     He now knew that he was on to something big. He pulled out more dishes and began checking all of them before he went into an asthmatic spell because of cancer in his lungs. It took him a minute to gain his composure and after the attack, he felt like he had been beaten up. Then, the idea hit him. Instead of injecting his genes into his animals, he would use himself as a test subject.
     He took a syringe full of his genetic mixture and went over to his table where he sat down. He laid the syringe on the table and reached for a tourniquet. He took off his lab coat and began rolling up the sleeve on his left arm. He took the tourniquet and wrapped it tightly around his upper arm and then started thumping on the veins in his arm.
     Dr. Kimble then took the syringe and stuck it inside his arm releasing the genetic mixture inside his vein. He pulled out the syringe just in time before his arm clenched up from pain and the mixture making its way through his bloodstream. He quickly grabbed his arm waiting for the effects to subside. After a few minutes, the pain went away but he began feeling nausea.
     He sat there in that chair for quite a few minutes to wait for the results to kick in. Before he knew it, the doctor woke up and raised his head off of the table. He had no knowledge of what happened but soon he was able to move around and then reached for another syringe to draw a blood sample with. He stuck the syringe into his vein and pulled the stopper drawing some blood from his arm.
     He quickly took the syringe and placed a sample of his blood onto a microscope slide and placed it under the microscope. When he focused his eyes on looking through the microscope he noticed that the genetic material was replicating at a faster than normal speed and it was attacking the cancer cells in his blood and leaving his healthy cells alone. He watched in amazement as every cancer cell in his blood was being destroyed.
     He made notes on the progress but soon felt the effects of a nonhuman gene in his body. He began feeling weird and having unusual and strange thoughts. At that point, he didn't care about the effects he was feeling because he now had a cure for cancer and if everything went well he could not wait to share it with the world.
     He dabbled a few for a few hours while checking his blood samples every couple of hours. Everything still progressed nicely and he was pleased with his results. Eventually, he made it to the point where he began feeling not like himself. He began picking at his skin and head like he had bugs on him and the occasional craving for flies.
     After the twenty-four-hour mark came and he checked to see the results, the cancer cells were gone from his blood. There were only healthy living cells inside him. With this information, he made an appointment with his doctor to get a second opinion. His only fear was hiding his bug cravings from his doctor or they would lock him away in a mental asylum.
     The next day he went to see his doctor for that second opinion, and after waiting a few hours for the results of his lab work, the doctor informed him that miraculously his body was rid of cancer. He jumped for joy and began thinking about who he could take his cure to.
     He went home to rest and found himself under the weather. He could not figure out why he felt so ill. He took a shower, put on his pajamas and climbed into bed for a healthy night's sleep. Little did he know that his body was changing and that was the reason for his feeling ill.
     Dr. Kimble slept through the night and when he woke up he found it difficult to focus his eyes. The sunlight beaming in through his bedroom window made it hard to open his eyes fully. When he got up from the bed and made it to the bathroom, he looked into the mirror and what he saw staring back at him was frightening.
     Standing there staring into the mirror he saw what look to be lizard eyes. The genetic material he injected himself with was changing the structure of his physical body. He also noticed that he was growing more hair all over his body. He was growing hair in places he never had hair before. He was now at his wits end as to what was happening to him but he knew that he could not allow the public to see him this way.
     Dr. Kimble was now having to isolate himself from the world because of his obsession with finding a cure for terminal diseases. He soon invented a pair of glasses that would cover and shield his eyes from the public and sunlight. He ordered razors through the mail which came on a regular basis as he had to shave his hair almost on an every other day schedule.
     After a few weeks of his transformation, his skin became reptilian with hair. His whole body was changing on a daily basis. He still found time for his work which was moved to his home in a spare bedroom. He continued his work for many years after that trying to correct the abnormal effects of the genetic mixture and eventually corrected it and had a solid cure with minor side effects which was secretly mailed to certain large pharmaceutical companies.
     Dr. Kimble knew it was too late for him but he could still finish his work and save many lives. His cure was successful all across the world and it was about four years after it's mailing that Dr. Kimble died from severe side effects of his mixture. No one will ever know where the cure came from or who found it, but he went to his grave with the satisfaction of his accomplishments.
        

Keepers of the Great Forest

     There in the distance stood the great forest of Irwin. This forest looked like any other forest with its tall thick trees, its ground blooming with Spring flowers and the many forest creatures that live and thrive inside of it. A man has never been inside this great forest due to myths and tales of the mysterious creatures that protect it. Some say it is giant owls or hawks that will peck out your eyes for entering, while others say there are mystical creatures that are the keepers of the great forest. These tales are what keep men from exploring within its realm.
     There have been sightings of strange things and creatures from men who stand at its edge. The forest is so dense with tree life that every now and then you might spot a forest animal romping through it. No man dares to enter for fear of being hexed by unknown creatures. Who can blame them? A forest is a scary place at night when one can hear all of the creepy noises that creatures make. It is enough to frighten most away. Some have seen evil sets of eyes staring from within the great forest. Watchers who protect all that live within.
     One day a man named Thrombus made his way into the nearby village for food and drink. He was a husky built man with a long brownish beard that was braided and hung down to his chest. He was a brute of a man, a hunter if you will in search of mythical creatures to obtain. He was dressed in burlap clothing with a belly that hung over his animal hide belt. Thrombus made his way to the village tavern to satisfy his hunger craving. He ordered food which consisted of a large quantity of meat and bread, and a tall stein of ale.
     While feasting on his meal he overheard locals whispering and talking of the great forest and how men have been devoured by mystical creatures. It peaked his curiosity for the hunt and turned to make his way over to their table. Thrombus sat down with his plate of food and ale and began questioning these men of the great forest. They were hesitant at first to speak of its tales but began telling him the stories that have circulated for centuries and of the last man who entered the forest that never returned.
     Thrombus sat stuffing food into his mouth as he looked on with interest. His only thought at that moment was the hunt for these creatures. He replied with his stories of his great battles with creatures taller than huts and homes they lived in. His stories made him look to be a great warrior but the locals thought he was no match for what lies in the forest. They watched as he devoured carelessly the food from his plate. His demeanor becoming intoxicated as he put away stein after stein of ale until drunk.
     Once drunk, his stories became unheard of and intolerant as his ego became bigger. The locals started to disbelieve what fell from his lips as his words became slurred. It was time for him to sleep now that his belly was engorged with food. He asked the barmaid if there was an inn or place of rest within the village. She sold him a room for the night for him to rest. He made his way to this old uninhabited room where there wasn't much inside but a cot and a wash basin. Thrombus fell onto the cot as it creaked from the brute weight of his body where he fell into a drunken sleep.
     The night seemed to linger as he tossed and turned with visions of mythical battles and the creatures he defeated. His mind was full of thoughts of what lies inside this great forest the locals speak of. He finally fell into a deep sleep and arose the next morning feeling fresh and ready for his next battle. He stumbled over to the wash basin and flooding his face with water before searching answers to his questions. He wanted to search out this great forest everyone spoke of the previous night so that he might find a good hunt for sport.
     The locals were a bit confused as to why he would go somewhere that everyone was in fear of. but his questions were answered and he stocked up on food and had one more stein of ale before leaving their presence for the hunt. After gulping down his ale, Thrombus grabbed his gear and began the journey to the great forest.
     He followed their directions along the path that would lead him to this forbidden forest. His journey led him along a dirt path until he could see the great trees in the skyline. He saw the tall green thick trees while walking towards them. He could see the dense forest on his approach. Everything looked clear of any mythical beasts the closer his walk had gotten nearer to the forest. Once he arrives at its outer edge, Thrombus looked around and down the edge of the forest hoping to find some creature to battle. None was found to exist.
     He entered the forest by way of a dirt path that led into its dark brush. He began walking along the path with his ax in hand ready to be pounced on by a fearless beast. He so longed for a good hunt and to win a battle against any beast. He walked deeper in and the light of day seemed to grow dimmer. The height of the trees hid the light of the sun as he searched out beasts for sport.
    Along the path, he would catch glimpses of butterflies, squirrels, and the occasional frog. He had not seen any creatures that would be good for the hunt while he walked, but he continues until it was almost impossible to see anything before he started hearing strange noises in the distance. Once he stopped to listen, they were noises he had never heard before. His hands gripped the ax handle more tightly as he continued to walk slowly. The noises were getting louder as if he was walking up on some huge beast.
     Up ahead, he could barely see through the trees that there was a clearing in front of him. He approached it slowly ready for the attack. Once he pushed past some large dark green leafed shrubs he found himself in the clearing. To him it was beautiful. It was as if he stepped into another world. There was a beautiful pond with brightly colored flowers surrounding it and he could see a few birds in flight and also some perched on nearby branches.
     Thrombus rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he saw standing right in front of him drinking from the pond a huge but glorious looking creature that stood as high as a house with claws that could rip a man's throat out with one swipe. He was careful to not spook the animal as he approached closer. It was covered in fur like a bear with stripes like that of a tiger, and a tail of a scorpion. It was a magnificent looking creature and it brought excitement to Thrombus' mind of a very good battle.
     Before he could take a step closer, out of the corner of his eye he saw something fly by him. Once he got a good view of what flew by, he again rubbed his eyes in disbelief. What he thought to be a flying bug was actually that of a tiny person. It looked like a human, was about three inches tall, and had wings like a butterfly. He could not believe what he was seeing. Before he realized it, there were many of them flying around and some even sitting on tree limbs. It was like a magical realm he stepped into.
     When he looked towards the beast, it had looked up and in his direction. He began to worry that the beast was going to charge him and his hand nervously gripped harder on the ax handle. One of the wee little flying people came close to him and looked on as if in amazement of how big Thrombus was. Thrombus could see its tiny little face as it smiled back at him. It almost warmed his heart to see such a tiny creature other than the pesky mosquitos and flies he is used to. Before he knew it there were many of these tiny creatures coming close to him and they spanned the whole clearing where the beast was.
     Thrombus was starting to see things with different eyes. Where did all of these tiny creatures come from? Then, he saw that they wanted him to follow them. He walked behind them through the clearing coming closer to the beast he was about to battle. It didn't even seem to pay him any mind. He walked closer to it as it made strange noises as it was content being in that clearing. He watched with amazement as it drank from the pond. The tiny creatures took him right up to the creature and he was able to look directly into its eyes. He saw that it was a gentle giant. One of the tiny creatures took his hand and placed it on the head of the humongous creature and began petting it like it was a family pet.
     Thrombus saw how the giant creature enjoyed his touch and acknowledged him. This was something new to him and that beasts like this could be so gentle. He rather enjoyed feeling its soft fur and the way it nudged him wanting more attention. Once he spent a few minutes with the beast it was time to follow the tiny creatures somewhere else. They made their way through the thick brush and he could hear the tiny voices speaking to him. They took him to where the forest was very thick and hidden from the world.
     It was there that he saw the tiny little community these little people lived in. Their leader came forward and begin speaking to Thrombus. It was hard to hear this tiny creature so he had the leader perch on his shoulder and speak directly into his ear. He told Thrombus of their community and how they came to be. They were the keepers of the great forest. They did not want mankind to come in and destroy something so beautiful and wonderful. They frighten those who enter the forest just so humans would stay out. The leader also stated how Thrombus was not supposed to get in as far as he did and those who slipped up will be reprimanded accordingly.
     Thrombus was told that he must not tell anyone of what he has seen in this forest to which Thrombus agreed. He was told that there are many creatures here that man has never laid eyes on and that is what makes this forest so special. If man were to find out, they would come in and destroy all that is within the forest starting with cutting down the trees which have been here for centuries. Thrombus was intrigued so much that he dropped his ax and offered his services of protecting the great forest. This made the tiny leader so pleased that he announced to his people that Thrombus would be another protector of the great forest. Everyone shouted good tidings and jumped for joy. After speaking with the leader, Thrombus was shown around the forest and wondered at the sights of the new beasts he saw. There were many and it seemed as if the forest went on forever.
     When it was time for him to rest, the tiny people helped him make a tree hut for him to sleep and be sheltered from the rain. He was pleased with his new friends and vowed to protect this forest with his life. Every morning the tiny humans would wake him with nuts and fruits for him to eat. After having his fill of food, he would walk around the forest looking for intruders to which he would scare off with his ax. Thrombus now found a place for him to live and be happy and now he too was a keeper of the great forest.
 














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Half Human

     It was a hot and humid summer night out in the desert of New Mexico for a young woman named Jesse. She lived in a run down trailer on about two acres of desert. There was nothing but miles and miles of desolation in each direction. Her nearest neighbors were six miles down the road. The only plant life around were cacti and tumbleweeds. She had a sheepdog named Lucky for a companion but did enjoy some of the wildlife around such as the snakes, lizards, spiders, and scorpions. July and August were some of the hottest months out where she lived and the air got to be too humid to go outdoors during the day. Thank God for air conditioners.
     The nights were freezing cold even during the summer, but it didn't matter for the coyotes who were still out prowling. Life in the desert was okay. Jesse worked from home being a dispatcher for a roadside service which paid pretty good especially when she put in long hours. She was a young woman with no children and no significant other. Lucky was all the company she needed. When she wasn't working, her and Lucky were cuddled up on the couch watching television together or laying in the bed taking a nap.
     Jesse stood about five foot eight with an athletic build. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. There were a few freckles on her face and she had sun tanned skin. She was raised on her father's cattle ranch so she grew up working fields and rounding up cattle. The outdoors was no stranger to Jesse. She was an independent woman who loved her life and everything about it. She had an old nineteen eighty-seven GMC truck for transportation which was used to pick up supplies in town about fifteen miles away.
     On her trips to town, she wouls take Lucky with her. They would stop at the corner store to pick up food, the hardware store for any household or repair supplies, and the local meat locker for meat. Jesse loved to cook out in the evenings when the temperature was in between humid and freezing which was about seven o'clock. Whenever she was working the grill, Lucky was right there to catch any scraps that might have fallen off. She also picked up large meat bones for Lucky to chew on so he would stop chewing on her furniture.
     The night sky was so beautiful that you could see several layers of stars and on good clear nights, you could even see certain galaxies. Jesse was a star gazer and also had a telescope which she looked through most nights when she wondered what was out there. Living in the desert at night you can get good views of galaxies, comets, and the occasional meteor shower. Jesse and Lucky would sit out at night while drinking a cold soda and watch the night sky light up with its brilliance. Sometimes she could see a glowing in the distance which was the lights of the nearest town or city depending on which way you were looking.
     It was a solitary life that she was happy to have and every now and then her father would stop by to check on her and see if she needed anything knowing that she could handle herself and any repairs. Jesse's trailer was an older model which she kept up pretty good and only called her father when there was a major issue she couldn't handle. Other than that life was good for Jesse. She had a deep freezer full of meat, her cupboards were stocked full, she has a full tank of gas in her truck, and an air conditioner that blew out ice cold air during the day.
     This one particular night, Jesse was inside cuddled up with Lucky on the couch watching television, when she noticed a very bright light that flashed only for a few minutes before going dark outside again. She had gotten up off the couch and looked out the window to see if someone was there. When she opened up the trailer door and looked outside she didn't see anything strange at all. So she closed the door back and headed into the kitchen for a snack. Ruffling around some plastic packaging, Jesse looked down and there was Lucky waiting for his snack. She grabbed him a couple of dog treats and some popcorn for herself and went back to the couch.
     After a few hours of snacks and television, Jesse and Lucky headed for bed. She went through the trailer and made sure everything was locked up and secured before heading to bed. While laying in bed staring at the ceiling, Jesse kept hearing strange noises. It kept her up for a couple of hours before she was able to fall asleep.
     Early the next morning, Jesse had gotten out of bed to make coffee when there was a knock at the door. She wasn't ready for any company seeing that she had just gotten up. Then she wondered who could be at her door so early in the morning. When she walked over to her door and looked out the window, she saw what appeared to be a man who in her mind was very good looking to be out in the desert.
     Jesse asked him through the window what he needed and he just looked at her smiling. She hesitated a minute before opening her door slightly to see what the gentleman wanted. Once her door was opened, the man began speaking to her. Jesse was taken by how well the man spoke. His English was almost perfect and Jesse wondered if he was lost and from the city the way he spoke.
     The man before her was tall, almost six feet,  well built, and had the most amazing sky blue eyes. His smile was perfect and he was clean shaven. Jesse couldn't help but look him up and down and even sideways. She was taken by his whole appearance and his mannerism. She stepped outside her door to speak with him. The gentleman introduced himself as Torren and stuck out his hand as a gesture to shake hands. Jesse looked down at his hands and noticed how soft they looked and well groomed.
     Jesse reached out and shook his hand telling him her name. They both exchanged smiles before walking over to her brown wooden patio chairs. That sat for a spell and exchanged conversation before Torren began asking personal questions about Jesse. She thought it was strange that a man she just met would be asking her very personal questions like, was there another in her life, or did she have any young ones? Jesse just looked at him being enthralled by his looks almost to the point of being in a trance. She kept staring at his eyes while unknowingly answering his questions.
     Once Torren had his answers, Jesse snapped out of her trance as he was standing up to leave. He again stretched out hs hand to shake hers and informed her he had to leave. Jesse had no memory or knowledge as to their conversation but shook his hand before he walked away out into the desert. At that point, she noticed he had no vehicle and that he was just walking on into the abyss of sand and cacti. She noticed that the temperature was getting warmer so she headed back into the trailer. Lucky was inside the door waiting for her and was trying to look past her at the stranger. He began acting strangely and all Jesse could do was to shoosh him and make him go lay down.
     The rest of her day went pretty well. She got the trailer cleaned and did some laundry before going out to her greenhouse to check on some of her vegetables. Jesse had a large greenhouse that was about as long as her trailer that she grew vegetables and some fruits in. Being out in the desert made for good growing since it was so hot and humid her plants thrived with heat and moisture. Her strawberries were so red and the lettuce was a gorgeous green and very leafy. One could say that Jesse had a large green thumb when it came to growing things.
     After harvesting some of her plants, Jesse went back inside to clean them in the air conditioning. She washed up her vegetables and fruits and then placed them in the refrigerator. Then she went to get cleaned up because she had gotten a little dirty harvesting. Once she was cleaned up she laid on the couch for a bit with Lucky and watched some television.
     As the sun started to set and the temperature continued to drop, Jesse and Lucky went outside to admire the evening sky. It was a magnificent night for star gazing, so she pulled out her telescope and began looking to the night sky. It was amazing to see the brilliance in the stars and the arrangement was spectacular. Then she noticed something strange about one section of the night sky. She noticed a patch of sky that had no stars. It was as if something was blocking them but she could not see anything there. It was so black and lifeless. Jesse began looking at the constellations and noticed a few meteors fall from the sky, or at least she thought they were meteors.
     Once she was done with her telescope she put it away and called Lucky into the house. She was ready to retire for the evening and went into her bedroom to change into her nightgown for bed. Lucky followed her into the bedroom and climbed up onto the bed waiting for her to join him. Once she climbed into bed, she and Lucky got nice and comfortable before falling off into a deep sleep.
     During the night while they both slept, they received a visitor into her bedroom. Lucky woke up and started to growl at the dark figure standing in the doorway. Torren walked from out of the shadows and somehow managed to quiet Lucky down without waking up Jesse. Lucky jumped down off of the bed and ran into the living room. Torren stood there staring down upon Jesse who seemed to be sleeping so calmly and peacefully. Torren was stricken with Jesse and found her to be very intriguing.
     He reached down and caressed the side of her face until she started to move a little in which he stopped. Torren then disrobed himself and climbed into the bed with Jesse. He began caressing her body and kissing her lips. She started to wake and noticed she wasn't alone in her bed. Jesse looked into Torren's eyes and again became entranced with his gaze. He then began making love to her and inserting his appendage inside her. She was so engaged by Torren that she in no way tried to stop him. They became engrossed into each other for most of the night. Jesse had not been with any man in years, so it was a night she would never forget.
     Upon waking up the next morning, Jesse had been consumed with the feeling of euphoria. She really had no recollection of the night. She was unaware of Torren's visit. So after laying in bed for what seemed like forever, Jesse finally got up and got dressed. She had to go into town for some supplies and then to visit with her father. Lucky made his way into the room and met her with enthusiasm.
     She headed for the kitchen to get coffee and noticed that she had a strange feeling inside her stomach. She just thought it might be upset or that she had a sour stomach, but she could not let it affect her day. Jesse sat at the kitchen table drinking her coffee while talking to Lucky. He was very excited this morning and Jesse could not figure out why but she loved his affection that he was showing her.
     Once she was finished with her coffee, she got up and headed back to the bedroom to change clothes before heading out to town. Lucky met her at the front door and was looking forward to the trip to town. They went outside and both of them climbed into the truck. Jesse still had this crazy feeling in her gut that she couldn't shake, but she left anyway headed south into town.
     She made it to the town store and gathered supplies before running into Torren just outside. He startled her at first until she recognized who it was. She quickly smiled at him and asked him how he was doing? He replied that he was doing fine and asked her how she felt this morning? She quickly stated that she was feeling pretty good except for the sour feeling in her stomach. Torren then walked closer to her and placed his hand over her stomach. Jesse was a little confused as to why he would be doing that but he finally took his hand away and made the comment that everything was as it should be.
     Jesse had no idea what he was talking about but excused herself to finish her errands before going to her father's ranch. Torren wished her well as he watched her walk off with Lucky in tow. She had finished her errands and climbed back into her truck and drove out to her father's place. While driving she had to deal with the sour stomach feeling which didn't seem to be getting any better. She was just looking forward to visiting with her father and mother and that made her feel more comfortable.
     Upon arriving at the ranch, her father met her in the driveway. Lucky jumped out of the truck and went straight to her father for attention. He opened the door for Jesse and then escorted her inside. Her mother was inside making lunch and asked Jesse if she was hungry, which she replied "no". She could not shake the funny feeling inside her stomach and tried to make the best of her visit. She spent quite a few hours with her parents chatting and gossiping with her mother about her mother's friends and their life situations. It was a happy and enjoyable visit for Jesse but it was getting late and she needed to head home. Her parents escorted her outside and into her truck. She found it hard to leave but she knew she had too. Once she was inside the truck, Lucky jumped inside as well. She bid farewell to her parents and began her journey home.
     Over the course of a few weeks, Jesse noticed her stomach was a little bigger and that her appetite had increased. She thought maybe she had some kind of stomach virus and began taking medicine to treat her cold. She realized every time she took medicine, it made her stomach feel worse and more upset. It seemed like every day her stomach was getting a little more bigger and she thought she was just gaining weight. Jesse changed her lifestyle by dieting to lose the weight but it seemed like it wasn't helping. Her stomach remained getting larger and then nausea kicked in.
     She and Lucky would sit on the couch together and Lucky would rest his head against her stomach until he would start growling and barking at it. Jesse thought that Lucky was going crazy or something the way he reacted to her stomach and its largeness. As her stomach grew she found herself mostly in the bathroom hugging the toilet throwing up everything she ate. She did this each and every day until she finally said "no more" and went to see the town doctor.
     Upon her examination, the doctor had some news for her as to why she was gaining weight and having nausea. When he entered the exam room where Jesse was waiting for news, he began to tell her that she was, in fact, pregnant. Jesse could not accept this diagnosis as she tried to explain to the doctor that she has had no relations with a man in years. After debating it with the doctor, she no reason to argue it anymore and got her things before leaving the doctor's office.
     Once she was standing beside the truck, she looked down at her swollen stomach giving it a few rubs and then talking to it like it would answer her back. She had to accept that this tiny baby was growing inside her and it stumped her more as to who the father could be. She reluctantly got into the truck and headed back home with Lucky by her side.
     When she arrived home, she felt nausea again and ran for the bathroom leaving Lucky to find his way from the truck to the house. When he was standing at the front door, he turned his head to see Torren walking towards him. Lucky was not at all offended by Torren and made no aggressive gesture towards him. Torren had reached out and petted his head before opening the door for him to go inside. Torren followed behind him and sat on the couch in the living room until Jesse came out fo the bathroom.
     When she came out of the bathroom seeing Torren inside her house startled her and she asked why he was inside her house. Torren just looked at her and she could see how he was admiring her large stomach. Jesse asked him politely to stop staring at her stomach for which he could not. He looked up at her and said she looked beautiful. Jesse couldn't do anything but smile. That was the first real compliment she has had in years.
     She grabbed a glass of water before walking into the living room to sit with Torren. As they sat there, Torren politely asked if he could feel her stomach which she agreed to let him as she rambled on about how she could be pregnant but haven't been with any men. That's when Torren looked up at her and told her that it was his child. Jesse quickly took his hand from her stomach and told him that he should not lie like that, it was bad manners.
     Torren had explained how he could not have a child with anyone back home where he was from. He explained how he wanted a child so much that he had been searching for so long for a companion to have his child. At this point Jesse was confused and even asked Torren when had they conceived a child. He explained to her about that night he had paid her a visit while she slept. Jesse started to get very emotional and didn't know if she was angry, sad, or even a bit happy.
     Torren reached over and held her for a minute while she came to terms with what was happening. She tried to assume he raped her but Torren had no knowledge of what that term meant. He did, in fact, apologize for his intrusion into her life. She began sobbing and trying to not too but the water works just flowed down her cheeks.
     Jesse began asking him about where he lived or what his hometown was like. Torren could not answer those questions because he knew not what they meant. He began telling her of a beautiful planet that was many light years away from Earth. At that point, Jesse glanced up at him quickly wiping the tears from her eyes and stating, "planet? What do you mean planet?" She began asking him other questions about the offspring she was carrying.
     Now Jesse not only knows she is pregnant but now she knows that she is carrying an alien child. This drove her into more of a tizzy not knowing what this child will look like being that it is only half human. Torren tried to give her more explanations but it took a while for Jesse to come to terms with this new information. Torren had explained to her about the night they first met and upon their conversation, Torren knew she would make a good mother for his offspring. Jesse had reservations about that but finally started to calm down due to her condition.
     Jesse felt that her being upset was making the child move about inside her like it was getting upset too until Torren placed his hand upon her stomach and it seemed like the child knew who he was and began to calm down. Jesse found it calming to know that the child she was carrying could sense its father's presence. Unfortunately, Torren had to explain that he must go back to his planet and that he would stay just until she gave birth so that he may see his offspring. This began to upset Jesse more knowing that he was just like any other man who knocks up a woman. Torren explained that he would always be a part of her life in one form or another which caused Jesse to calm down and regroup herself.
     Torren then sat with her for the better part of the rest of the day comforting her and just talking with her. It seemed to keep Jesse calm knowing that he was spending some time with her and his child. She did question what the child would look like and Torren assured her upon touching her stomach that the child would, in fact, look human. He explained all the special things that the child would have or know and that it would be okay for Jesse to love it unconditionally.
     Jesse allowed Torren to stay in her home until the birth of their child. Torren kept her and the child calm and looked after until about four days later when Jesse started having sharp pains. He knew it was time and helped Jesse to the bed where she could be comfortable until the child was born. He kept her calm and nourished and even made a special tea to help with the pain. He then sat beside her rubbing and caressing her stomach while talking to his child. He assured the child that it would be okay for it to meet his mother and began coaching the whole birthing process. Jesse took note that the child seemed to be doing exactly what Torren was telling it.
     Jesse began spreading her legs open as if it would be coming out any time. Torren caressed her thighs to relax her legs before moving down below her to catch their child. Once Torren saw the head he smiled and told Jesse about the whole head of hair it had just like a human. Jesse smiled and tried looking down but could not see anything. All she knew at that moment was that she wanted to push their child out into the world. It only took a few pushes before the child slipped right outside of her womb. Torren had cleaned it up and wrapped it in a clean towel before handing it to its mother.
     Once Jesse was holding her child, she noticed that it had special eyes just like its father. They were sky blue with diamond shaped pupils and her skin was soft and human colored. Jesse began crying while holding her child because she was so happy to have it. She had always wanted a child just never found anyone worth becoming a father. She handed the child back to Torren who gazed upon its beauty and human characteristics. He commented how human it looked but could feel the special senses that it obtained from him. Jesse thought that Torren would begin crying but he showed his emotions in a different way. He kissed the child's forehead and looked up to Jesse for a name for her daughter.
     It wasn't difficult for Jesse to name her. She quickly called her "Celestial". After calling out the child's name, Torren looked up at her and smiled and said that her name would be perfect for the situation. He carefully sat there holding their child and softly speaking to her of his home world. He told her of the stars and galaxies that he had to come through to find her mother and that she would be special to this planet. The child just gazed upon her father with those sky blue eyes and smiled.
     Torren spent a couple of weeks with Jesse and their child until Jesse was healed enough to care for her alone. It was about two and a half weeks before Jesse could get around better, but Torren and Lucky were there to help out. Lucky would sit and watch the child as if he were guarding her. Torren knew his time was coming to an end and Jesse knew this as well. He spent his last day holding his child and loving her until he finally had to go.
     Jesse hated to see him have to go but knew he had too. She watched as he kissed Celestial's forehead before handing her over to her mother who he passionately kissed goodbye. A tear had rolled down her cheek as she walked him outside. He turned to her and said that he will always be with her and Celestial before turning back around and walking off into the desert. Jesse stood there watching as he disappeared into the desert and then seeing a glimmer of light shoot up from the sand into the sky.
     Jesse now had a child to take care of and she knew that when Celestial was old enough, she would tell her of her father and how she is half human. Gazing into the night sky now had more meaning that just looking at stars but Jesse knew that things were going to be okay. The only issue that she could foresee was that of telling her parents about their granddaughter. They wouldn't understand about Celestial being only half human.

The Island Part 2

     Well, we lasted the night with no issues and it is such a pretty morning. I stepped out of our shelter and looked at the beautiful blue ocean with white caps. There were a few black and white seagulls flying overhead and the sandy beach felt so good to my feet. I was the first one up and about and thought it would be nice to take a morning swim. I took off my shirt and headed for the water. I noticed how warm the water was for being so early in the morning when it should have been a little colder. Anyway, I walked out so far and dove into an oncoming wave and swam a little ways out. The water felt so good and refreshing. I looked back at the shore and saw that everyone else was getting up and called out to them. I told them the water was great and for them to come on out. Helen stripped down to her bra and panties and came into the water, Peter was taking his time getting his shirt off before running into the water and making a big splash as he dove into the water.
     The professor wasn't budging. He wanted nothing to do with the water at that moment, so he just sat and watched us frolick in the water like children. We were splashing around and dunking each other and having so much fun despite our situation. However, it was difficult to not notice the dolphins swimming nearby. I had never seen a dolphin up close and they seem to not be bothered by us either because they were coming closer. One swam right up to Helen as she reached her hand out and slid it along its side. She said it felt so smooth and before we knew it we were surrounded by playful gray dolphins. We watched as they jumped out of the water and back in again. It was fun to hear their clicks and whistles as if children playing and talking to one another. We managed to swim around in the warm blue water for a little while before heading back to shore where Doctor Wesley was sitting there running calculations through his head.
     He was so upset about us being stranded on this island until it reappears back to where we started. I fell down on the sand next to him and listened to his ramblings before asking if there was anything I could do. He just rambled some more and was drawing things in the sand. I couldn't make heads or tales of any of it, so I got up and checked our supplies. We definitely needed some food and more firewood. I got together with Peter and Helen and we devised a game plan to hunt for food while collecting firewood. I did not know how much Helen was frightened of hunting, so we sent her on firewood patrol while Peter and I looked for food. We got some stones together and sharpened them on some stones in the water and tore strips from my shirt to tie the sharpened stones to long branches we found. "These would make good spears," I told Peter who was struggling with his.      Once we were ready, Peter and I headed out down the dirt path deep into the jungle to hunt. We weren't sure what animals we would come across so we were very cautious. As we got deeper into the jungle we noticed a spotted rabbit sitting on a dark brown log eating some nuts. Peter and I split up and came at it from two different angles as to not spook it. Once we were in place and close enough, I threw my spear stabbing the rabbit in its side and killing it. Peter walked up to it, removed my spear from its side and grabbed it by its long ears. He picked it up showing it to me and said, "well, we have dinner". But we knew that one rabbit was not going to feed us for a few days so we continued to hunt for more food picking berries and nuts as we went along.
     Once we made it back to the camp, we had three rabbits, two squirrels, and a very large snake. We placed everything down by the fire and as Peter began cleaning the animals for their meat, I went with my spear into a nearby tidepool and speared a few fish as well. I couldn't believe how plentiful the animals were here, but I knew we should have enough to sustain us for awhile. Helen made it back from a third trip gathering firewood and had a nice stack of it that should last a couple days and so we were setting up to brave the long months ahead. The doctor sat writing in his journal and taking notes before coming near the fire with us. We used our spears to hold the meat over the fire to cook while we chatted about our adventure.
     After eating and getting full bellies, Helen and Peter decided to go for a walk down the beach to get some exercise and to look around the island. I, myself, was headed to our shelter for a nap. After swimming, hunting, and then eating, I was quite tired. I removed one of the side panels of our shelter to feel the breeze blowing while I slept. Doctor Wesley was still journaling before coming over to the shelter to chat with me. He informed me of his calculations of being stuck here for months and that we needed to make sure we are prepared for anything, the weather, animal attacks, whatever. I told him I would get right on it after taking my nap. The doctor then got up and went and sat under a shade tree and relaxed watching the waves roll in and break on the beach.
     Helen and Peter continued to walk around and noticed a swimming hole off of the beach and decided to investigate. As they got closer, they noticed the huge fish swimming around it. They had beautiful colors and all of them were over a foot long and fat. They would make a perfect meal with just two of them. They continued to walk and as they did, Helen was noticing the beautiful flowers they walked by. Some of them actually looked like they could take a bite out of someone. Peter stated that he had never seen any flowers like this in any books or pictures. Helen felt drawn to some of them and picked a few to take back to camp.
     As they got deeper into the jungle on the dirt path they could hear the sounds of a waterfall and headed that direction. They walked through shrubs and hanging branches, Helen slapping the bugs that were landing on her before they came to an opening in the jungle where there was a gorgeous crystal clear waterfall. It had to be about thirty feet high but the sound it made hitting the water below made a soothing sound. Helen and Peter sat on some nearby rocks overlooking the pool beneath the waterfall and sat gazing at it. They noticed quite a few different species of birds hanging around in the trees and Helen just happened to bring her camera and got some great photos.
     After spending a couple of hours there, they decided to head back for camp. They found their way back to the path and followed it towards the beach. When they returned to camp, the doctor was snoozing under his shade tree and I was napping in our shelter. I could hear Helen and Peter walk up and sit by the fire watching the waves. They must have sat there for hours talking because when I got up they were still sitting where they were when they returned from their walk. I walked out and headed for a seat next to Helen and they told me of their excursion and all the sights they encountered. She showed me some of the flowers she picked which she was making a wreath out of. She already had one on her head and was making one for Peter. I couldn't believe that we were stuck on this amazing island with no hopes of seeing home for several months. The things were are going to miss at home, but look at what we have discovered here. I think this place outweighs home for now.
     Day after day, we will survive on this exotic island. We keep track of the days and months before we would see home again. This was to be our home for the next eight months and will definitely be worth writing about based on everything this tiny island has to offer. All we can do is wait for the next reappearance of this island and our home.