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.

The Island Part 1

     It was a glorious sunny day and a light breeze blowing as we packed up the boat for a day trip on the mighty blue ocean. It was Helen, Peter, Dr. Wesley, and myself who were going for a trip out to a designated location by the doctor to do some research. Once we were all packed up and set to go, we untied the ropes and were off on our adventure. No one knew where we were going except the good doctor. We sailed out of the harbor and onto the deep blue ocean. Helen sat by the boat side watching the dolphins trail along the side of us and I watched as land disappeared from sight. Peter was navigating the boat and following the directions of the doctor.
     It was so nice out on the water and the color of the ocean such a magnificent deep blue. Once we were past the white crests of the breaking water, the ocean became so serene and quiet. It was as if we traveled into another realm with all of its mysteries to be discovered. By Peters recollection, we were about eight miles off of the coast and still heading Southeast. When I asked Doctor Wesley how much further, he said about another two hours to go before we reach our point. With that in mind, I sat with Helen watching over the water and admiring the beautiful day at sea.
     Doctor Wesley was a well known Marine Biologist who discovered new species and labeled them for taxonomy purposes. I was a student of his all throughout my college years and learned quite a bit from him. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist on my own as well and just needed to finish my dissertation to get my Masters Degree and this trip would assist me with that. I wanted to be a part of this expedition with the chance of learning the doctor's techniques and more. It would be a good learning experience for everyone here. Helen is a Biology major working on her Bachelor's degree and Peter is Doctor Wesley's assistant. This trip is expected to be a day trip as long as we stay on schedule with nothing hindering us.
     We finally stopped out in the middle of nowhere on the deep blue ocean and all the doctor did was look around and then keep glancing down at his compass. When I asked if there was a problem, he ignored me the first time, but then finally responded to my question with "no problem at all". We sat there quietly while listening to the mumblings of the doctor while he kept frantically looking around. We had no idea what he was doing nor did we know why he was doing it.
     Then out of nowhere, the doctor loudly whispered out "there it is" and pointed his finger straight out over the bow of the boat. When we looked, there appeared to be a small island sitting in the distance that wasn't there a few minutes ago. Doctor Wesley was so excited to see this little island that he almost fell out of the boat with his jumping up and down. Helen and I looked at each other in confusion as to where this island came from. Peter looked the map over and couldn't find this little island anywhere on it. We were all baffled by this discovery, but the doctor was hiding something that we were not aware of.
     Doctor Wesley called out to Peter to sail towards the island for a closer look. Peter started the boat up and gently propelled it forward towards the island. As we got closer, you could see the island's detail clearer. You could see the lush green landscape of trees and bushes falling over rich brown cliffs. You could see the few tropical blue waterfalls that are in the distance. This place was a beautiful paradise. The closer we got to it we could hear the waves breaking on the light brown sugar colored sandy beach. This place looked amazing.
     We asked the doctor, "what is this place?", and his response was that is was a discovery he made several years ago. He was out on a charter boat doing some research when he happened across this mysterious unchartered island. He described it exactly the way it looks right now, it hasn't changed since he saw it last. Doctor Wesley said that the island would only be there for a short period of time and then it would disappear again. We were all in awe of this discovery but a little excited on the inside too. We were fascinated by it and very much wanted to go ashore, but the doctor advised us that it would not be safe to do so. When we asked him "why?", he informed us of its disappearance and that it was not known as to where it disappeared to or for how long it would be gone.
     I turned to Doctor Wesley and stated that this would be a unique discovery and that it wouldn't hurt to go ashore just for a few hours and then return to the boat before the island disappears. The doctor thought it over for a moment, and then decided it would be alright to go ashore just for a couple of hours to take specimens and samples. So, we pulled the boat ashore and grabbed our gear and stepped out of the boat onto the gritty yet smooth silica sand. We paused for a minute to listen to the calls and noises of several different birds and creatures of this unknown island. It did indeed seem like a natural paradise. I took in the aroma of the salt air and flowers that were found right off the beach which acted as a barrier to the lush, full, green jungle that was behind it.
     We walked a short way down the beach until we came across a dirt path leading into the jungle. We were hesitant to follow it but it seemed to be a guide for us to get back to the beach. Doctor Wesley led the way as we followed him down the dirt path. Helen was busy taking pictures, as I was grabbing soil samples and other biologic items to study back in the lab. We walked for what seemed like an hour before coming to a clearing in the jungle. Once reaching the clearing we noticed large stones circling the edge of the clearing. We split up and began taking samples and making notes. Peter came across a creature that resembled a hairy centipede. It looked like a centipede, but also a cross of a caterpillar. One would say that it is a one-hundred legged caterpillar also. Peter grabbed the creature and put it inside a specimen container and then into his bag. We all walked around the great clearing and noticed in the distance a loud rumbling. We looked at the direction of the rumbling and saw that of a great volcano spewing smoke into the bright blue sky.
     As we wondered about the jungle we lost track of time. There were so many amazing things to see that when we finally did notice the time, it had been several hours since coming ashore. Doctor Wesley nervously called to us to head back to the beach. It was hard to pull away from such beauty and awesomeness.  We so desired to explore more but the doctor hurried us along. As we walked back on the dirt path which brought us from the beach we felt the ground rumbling beneath our feet. We were in fear that the mighty volcano would be erupting at any time which made our feet walk faster. All the rumbling was causing branches to fall that we were dodging onto the dirt path. Helen was tripped up by one of the branches, falling and twisting her ankle. I went back for her while the others kept going.
     I got to Helen and leaned down wrapping her arm around my neck and lifting her up becoming her crutch. We walked with her limping to try and catch up with the others but they were nowhere in sight. Once we had gotten to the beach, we looked over the sandy shore and couldn't locate our boat. I saw the others in the distance down the beach and headed their way. Once we arrived at their location, Doctor Wesley was distraught and mumbling incoherent words. I assisted Helen in sitting down on a nearby stone before heading over to the doctor.
     I walked up and put my hand on the doctor's shoulder and asked him what was wrong, and if he knew what happened to the boat? He kept mumbling for a minute before answering me. He stated, "we were too late". His response puzzled me and again I asked him what he meant by that. Doctor Wesley turned to me and with a distraught look on his face, he stated again "that we were too late getting back to the boat". I looked around and asked where the boat was and the doctor said it was gone. I asked him "gone, gone where"?
The only answer I could get from him was that we were stuck on this island and that it had disappeared from what we knew as home. He said the boat is exactly where we left it but we have disappeared along with the island. Helen overheard the conversation and became very hysterical about our situation. Peter just stood there looking around scratching his head and began mumbling to himself.
     I looked back at the doctor and asked him how long before we reappear and can go home? The doctor scratched his head and did some calculations in his mind before telling me it could be about eight months by his calculations. I stepped back and put my hand on my head repeating what the doctor just said to me. "It couldn't be possible." "We can't survive here for eight months, this is ridiculous." Everyone sat for a moment trying to gather their thoughts and comprising an action plan of how to survive until the next reappearance of the island.
     The only thing we could possibly do is set up camp and make shelter against the weather. We need to make weapons and items to use for hunting and a nice fire for warmth and cooking. We split up into teams, one team scrounged up wood and branches to make a fire and shelter, while the other team started looking for items to make weapons and gathering any berries and fruits to eat. We were here and we were going to have to make the best of it. We were unsure of any animals that might be on this island so we had to prepare.
     Once we gathered all the items, we quickly started making camp and lighting a fire. Most of our supplies were still on our boat but we did manage to bring a few things to eat with us. We settled down for the evening listening to all the strange noises before going to sleep and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

A Parent So Far Away

     It's the year twenty fifty-five when the space transport Eros was making it's routine trip to a nearby planet Cliffordius deep within the Siberian Galaxy. It is approximately forty-seven billion light years from what was known as Earth. Eros was carrying a cargo of needed supplies to the planet Cliffordius where humans have set up a base camp with a diplomatic agreement with the Cliffordians. They are a native species with no knowledge of basic survival from a human's perspective. We have been sharing our knowledge with them in exchange for being able to erect a space dock for travelers.We have agreed on specific rules of diplomacy and basically what each species can and cannot do. One of the major rules were no interplanetary relationships between species. It has been enforced since our agreement back in twenty forty-seven and the penalty for breaking this rule was exiled to an isolated planet two galaxies away from each other, and that any offspring would be destroyed at the moment of birth.
     Let me back up some and catch you up to speed. Earth was going downhill fast with humans depleting its natural resources daily. No one could come up with a plan to sustain the Earth or its natural resources, so a plan was to find another planet that would sustain human life where we could begin over again with the knowledge of how not to deplete its resources and new ways of using solar power. The Siberian Galaxy has one of the hottest suns, even incinerates hotter than that of Earth's sun. Humans have traveled around galaxies looking for new places to colonize before the demise of Earth. We have been able to establish colonies on Mars, Jupiter, Ceres, and a few planets in nearby galaxies to Earth.
     When we discovered Cliffordius, it had an atmosphere quite like that of the Earth but was much richer in Nitrogen than Oxygen. We landed our shuttle and began exploring while wearing suits to make up the difference in Nitrogen-Oxygen ratio. The planet was in no way barren, on the contrary, it was lush with green scenery, mountainous areas, and very exotic plants and flowers we had never seen before. We don't know what it was, but maybe these trees and foliage flourished more off of Nitrogen and less on Oxygen. We continued our exploration of the planet until we came upon its inhabitants which were very welcoming to strangers.
     They were humanoid in shape but had no body hair and were very easy to the eyes. Instead of having natural skin tones like humans, their skin tone stayed in the ranges of lavenders and bubblegum colors of pink. Their eyes were a bit larger and more apart than our own. They did not have a nose but instead it was two nostril holes planted in the middle of their faces. They had no lips but had a mouth. We have four fingers and a thumb, whereas they have only three fingers and what seems to be a thumb. We were not aware of any genitalia and found it to be difficult to determine which was female from male. It did take some time to remember how to tell them apart, but eventually, we did.
     They showed us around and took us back to where they lived. Communication was difficult at first, but our scientists invented a language translator just like we use on other planets. The Cliffordians were a gracious host and we traveled back and forth discovering more area and resources that this new planet had developed. Everywhere we explored and ran tests, the soil was rich with nitrogen and we found alien creatures which would be added to our collection of bugs. As far as I was concerned this planet flourished with life. Granted it didn't have the same animals you would find on earth but these creatures were similar to our own.
     Our department heads met with the ruler of Cliffordius and everyone came to an agreement which was put in place. Being that their natural resources were rich, we showed them how to plow the ground and plant seeds that would harvest their own type of food to sustain life. We built condensers to create water and moisture from their own atmosphere to also assist with their gardening. We weren't sure if they bathed or what their grooming habits were, so we didn't touch that subject. In exchange for helping them, they gave us free access to their planet and some of its resources.
     We found these inhabitants to be very kind and forth giving in nature and saw no threat of confrontation or brutality. We seemed to coexist well together and humans also became their defenders against other harmful alien species. We learned their language and they learned to speak ours so communication was becoming very profitable for both of us. We set up base camps and colonies that were supplied with oxygen regenerators so that we could move about without suits. All of our housing or pods were interconnected so we could freely move around.
     The Eros was bringing more supplies and parts that were needed to expand our colony so that more research could be done. We were learning much from these inhabitants and it was an honor to provide them with new skills. A few of their so-called science people followed our guys around and stood over them while they worked. It was more of being curious as they watched for long hours as our scientists ran test after test. They showed so much enthusiasm when projects blew up or didn't react the was they should have.
     We have transported approximately four hundred and twenty-three people to Cliffordius to colonize the planet. The Cliffordians were great in number and were perceived to not be a threat in any manner. We have lived amongst each other for approximately eight Earth years and seemed to be doing well. Everyone has been obeying the few rules that were set in place until one of our female scientists, Rebecca, had grown fond of one Cliffordian inhabitant. They were being noticed around each other quite a bit and acted a bit strange when approached by another scientist. It was common to see both of our species intermingling with each other, but these two were acting like they were doing more than mingling. When you saw one there was the other and vice versa. As long as there were no complaints or anyone speaking of their actions being more intimate, I say leave them alone. We were learning from each other and promoting a good coexisting life with one another.
     One day, as a group of us were heading to one of the science labs, we noticed these two being a little more comfortable with each other. As we walked into the room, the Cliffordian was rubbing Rebecca's shoulders and she was grinning from ear to ear until she noticed us there and sort of sprinted away from him as if they weren't doing anything wrong. I had my concerns but kept them to myself for now. A little shoulder rubbing wasn't anything to run to command about. I let it go, until one day Rebecca came running to me and wanting to speak to me privately. I was the one everyone trusted with confidentiality and their dirty little secrets.
     We headed for my quarters where we could speak informally with each other. When I asked her what the problem was, all Rebecca said was that she needed to be transferred off of this planet to somewhere else. It took a bit of prying for her to tell me what was going on and of course she was my friend. Rebecca finally broke down and told me she had broken one of the major rules and when I asked which one, the look on her face was enough to tell me which of the rules she had broken.
     She broke down crying collapsing in my arms as she started blubbering about her relationship with her Cliffordian counterpart. I knew something was up between them but they never let on it was this serious. Rebecca told me in confidence that she had been in relations with the Cliffordian for about seven months and now she is trapped because she ran a test on herself and she is now pregnant with a Cliffordian child. My jaw dropped to the floor as she told me how it happened and I even panicked a bit at first before getting grips on things and informing her not to worry I would handle things.
     I left Rebecca in the hallway after telling her to go back to work and let me see what I could do. I began looking at all the travel vouchers and logs seeing where I could possibly send her where there would be no repercussion of her actions. Rebecca was carrying a new life inside her and who knows what will be birthed from her womb. I finally found a transport that was heading back to what used to be Earth which is now just a lifeless planet with a few basic essentials for survival. Most of the Earth's inhabitants have already been transported to other planets for colonization and only a small number refused to leave their home. I got Rebecca a seat on the transport and thought everyone would be okay until the commanding officer asked me why she was heading back to Earth without his approval? I tried to come up with a good excuse which didn't go over so well and the commander took her name off of the list and sent me back to my duties.
     I was at a loss of ideas and quickly reported back to Rebecca with what news I had of an Earth transport leaving in the morning. I informed her that I had put her name on the list but the commander had taken it off due to non-approval. She decided to break down again crying and becoming hysterical because she was in fear of her child being destroyed. She also didn't want to be sent into exile for her rule-breaking, so I told her the only thing she could and that was to sneak onto the transport right after they do cargo check. Rebecca stopped and looked at me with some hope in her eyes and agreed that would be best for both of them.
     The next morning, in Earth time, Rebecca was nonchalantly walking around the transport dock acting like she was checking things and when she saw it clear to sneak aboard the Earth transport, she did. Rebecca hid behind a couple of large cargo crates and remained there until the transport made a safe landing on Earth. During the trip, she noticed her belly was getting a little bigger and sat there talking to her unborn child while rubbing her belly bump. It was a long trip so her unborn child kept her company.
     Once Rebecca felt the transport landing at the space dock on Earth she was very careful as to not be seen while exiting the cargo area. She grabbed her things and headed out of the space dock area and wandered around while feeling her child kicking and moving about inside her. She needed to find somewhere to settle until her child's birth which wasn't too far off. Every day her belly seemed to get bigger so labor was eminent. She found an abandoned house on the outskirts of town that looked promising and secluded.
     Rebecca went inside and found the place to be kept well cleaned and there were still pieces of furniture and household items left in good condition. This was a good place to have her child so she made it a home for her and this alien child she was carrying. Later, after setting things up she needed to go out and find food and water to sustain the two of them. She wandered about and ventured into a couple different stores finding and gathering food and bottles of water. She used an old shopping cart to push everything back to the house she made her home. She stocked the cabinets with dry goods and placed the water inside the refrigerator, which at this point there was no power but keeping it safe inside and out of view.
     Tired from her shopping, Rebecca went over to the old sofa and laid back to relax when out of nowhere she had this very sharp pain in her stomach. The longer she sat there the more intense they became until she knew for a fact she was in labor. She managed to get up off the sofa and headed for the bedroom where she had prepared everything for the delivery of her child. She had scissors, water, towels, and everything she needed to make the delivery as easy as possible.
     Once she laid back on the bed and got comfortable the pains grew until Rebecca had the notion to push. She pushed what seemed to be several times until she heard the strong cry of her child resting on the bed below her. She sat up, reached for her child, and nestled it close to her chest wrapped in a towel. Rebecca held it for a few minutes while she rested before laying the child back on the bed and cutting the umbilical cord. She took the water and cleaned her newborn child and then began looking the child over for any deformities.
    Rebecca noticed her child's skin color was a little on the pink side and that she had no hair. When checking her hands she noticed that the child had three fingers and a thumb. Her feet and toes were that of a human and that her eyes were like her fathers. The child took most of her characteristics from her father and Rebecca named her Siberia for the galaxy her father lives in and where they fell in love.
     She would not forget her lost love and had dreams of him almost every night since she left Cliffordius. Looking into her child's face Rebecca could see her long lost love. She still felt his closeness even though they were billions of light years away from each other. She only wished that he could see his child and hold her in his arms. How was she supposed to tell her child who her father was and that she would never see him? It was just Rebecca and her child alone in the world.
     As the years went by and Siberia grew in age she still asked her mother about her father and it tore Rebecca apart having to hide him from her. One day Rebecca finally broke down and told her daughter about her father and where he lived and explained why Siberia would never see him. It broke both of their hearts and every night since then Siberia would go outside to a starlit sky looking upwards and speaking to her father as if he could hear her. Siberia hoped her voice would reach her father light years away.


 

Alien Invasion on Mars

     "Have you ever wondered why a visitor to our planet scares the hell out of us and the first thing we want to do is butcher them up?" My name is Bryan Stratton, Dr. Bryan Stratton senior biologist for the One World Space Frontier Program. It is a program designated to assist our planet in studying other worlds. It consists of organizations from all over the world united to collaborate and seek out evidence of other existing worlds or colonies. We have had evidence of other species visiting planet Earth before but at that time our government was so infatuated with studying them that they became the world's biggest biology dissection. We still don't know any more than we do now. That is where I come in. I am a world renown biologist who leads a team of others to explore new worlds. We have scientists from all other departments like genetics, geology, marine biology, and scientists who work with relativity and nuclear fission. I stand by my team and feel we are the best.
     We have been working on a plan to travel to other worlds in search of inhabitants to study and build relationships with. Our main goal is to have a planetary alliance to defeat our enemies whoever they may be. We are set to leave planet Earth and our first stop is to the neighboring red planet of Mars. We have equipped our ship with everything we could possibly need for our month long trip there and back. Yes, we have come far in our research to be able to build a ship that travels in less time than our predecessors. Well, everything is ready and we are suited up for our mission so let's take your seat's people. We get buckled in as the countdown begins and do all of our take off checks before lifting off. Everything seems to be checking out with the ship and we are ready for lift off.
     We sit back as the engines fire up shaking the whole ship until we can actually feel it lifting from the platform. It slowly moves into the air and we can literally feel the G-force picking up. It feels almost like your skin is going to be ripped from your body, but it will ease up once we get out of Earth's atmosphere. My teammates admire out their windows as the sky goes from blue to a dark gray and then to black. It is always such a sight to see outer space surrounding you and encompassing you in almost total blackness except for the shimmering of nearby stars. We are situated now and on autopilot where we can unbuckle and move about the ship. We do not use thrusters anymore to push us into outer space like times of old. Our new technology has really advanced to make it possible to leave Earth with engines that remain intact instead of being discarded once we reach the outer atmosphere. We have access to engines the whole trip if need be.
     Our ship consists of an engine room, control room, sleeping quarters, a small kitchenette, and a restroom to relieve ourselves with its own gravity to make it easier to go. We do not use diapers like the older astronauts used and have entirely more advancements than that era. It only takes one person to operate the ship at a time while the other passengers can use the facilities, eat, or just catch a nap. Our ship is powered by lithium which is the new power of our time. It has been mutated to become more like nuclear power which propels us through space at faster speeds to meet our destination in a shorter time. We also have an observatory where one can go sit and study the stars or gaze at nearby comets. It is very nice up here with plenty of quiet places to relax or study.
     With all of our technology it now only takes two weeks to reach our neighboring planets and then two weeks back to planet Earth. I am so anxious to visit Mars and take plenty of samples. Look it is there in the distance out of the front window. It looks so tiny from here but as we get closer it will get bigger. After thorough study, I believe that it's inhabitants dwell under the surface to hide from the gasses that their planet omits. It has a harsh environment but with technology being created every day we will soon be able to change that. My team and I are looking forward to this expedition and finding what so many humans have tried in the past and that is to learn about the inhabitants of Mars. My colleagues and I have come to believe that we can make peace with other worlds and continue to make progress building alliances.
     It has now been two weeks and we see the red planet of Mars in front of us. Some of us have slept most of the ride to be fresh for exploration. I have been sleeping here and there but making sure to journal the events of every day in space. I can feel my heart beating with anxiety to land upon this unexplored planet. Earth has never set foot on Mars but we will be the first. Everyone has come to the control room to make preparations for landing. All eyes are on us from Earth by way of remote satellites. We have been waiting a long time for this moment and it is here at last. We are taking the ship off of autopilot and resuming with landing coordinates. We want a safe touchdown people. You can feel the shutter of the ship as we land down upon the red sand and finally shutting the engines down.
     My team and I are preparing to step out on the red planet and its barrenness. It almost looks like a wasteland from back home on Earth. Nuclear wars have devastated the Earth for a long time and made many places barren and dead. Our first goal is to explore regions where there can be caves or entrances that lead down into the planet under its surface. We broke up into teams of four so that we may be able to explore a broader range of surface. We will have radio communication with each other and hope to make the best of it.
     Our teams have separated and have gone into two different directions while maintaining radio contact while some of our scientists stop to take samples to bring home to Earth for analysis. It seems to be humid on the surface as we walk for what seems to be miles until we came upon what seemed to be a tunnel that led down into the ground. We switched our head lights on and contacted the other team to let them know where we are and what we found. We proceeded to walk down this unknown tunnel and not sure what we'll find but the excitement is mounting.
     Deeper and deeper it seemed to descend until we can tell we were in utter darkness. You can almost sense a change in temperature the further down we went. Then, there were some strange lights ahead of us. We couldn't make them out yet but were sort of a greenish color and very fluorescent. We have probably traveled about a mile down and found it to be strange to see these lights from an unknown source. The closer we got, the more fluorescent the color became. We knew that we would probably come across a new civilization of beings and were not prepared so much as to what we would say or what our reactions would be, we only hoped for the best outcome.
     As we came down a shaft, we encountered a large chamber with the fluorescent green lighting. It almost looked like a wall of rooms similar to how the Mayans or Incas lived in walls of clay. It was astonishing to see something so magnificent but where were the inhabitants? We carefully walked around in the chamber looking for signs of life when we stumbled up a room full of its inhabitants which were small in stature and were not green as Earth portrayed them to be. They were more of our skin tone with tiny little hairlike strands protruding through their skin. Their eyes were like that of drawings from children, big and round, and full of life. They were everything we thought they were and more. Although communication was in its primal stage but they seemed to be friendly.
     We introduced ourselves to them and reassured them we meant no harm but came in peace. One who seemed to be one of the leaders walked up and grabbed my hand and studied it for a minute. They were more like us than we imagined except they only had four appendages that we call fingers and thin short little legs with the first appendage being the biggest one. I think they were more frightened of us than we were of them. This was such a delightful discovery that I had to note it in my journal. All of this encounter was being recorded and sent back to Earth by remote satellites so they can see our mission progress. The longer we were there the more of them decided to come out and investigate. We were among several hundred inhabitants of Mars and not once did we feel threatened in any way.
     We spent what seemed to be hours with these strange little creatures and took plenty of pictures. They were allowing us to explore their chamber and see how they lived. They were not much different than us and it came to be quite astonishing to me. I sat writing in my journal while two of them came over to me and fumbled around with my pen and journal. They were very curious little buggers but with pleasant demeanors. We were enjoying our time with our new friends and looked forward to spending more time studying them. It was getting late and we needed to head back to our ship for the night because our analysis of the planet was that it dropped below freezing overnight. We said our goodbyes and that we would return in the morning. A few of the small creatures escorted us back up to the surface and we headed back for the ship.
     Once arriving back at the ship, the other team was waiting for us and we sat and told them of our discovery. We even showed them pictures of these strange little creatures that seemed to be harmless. While we sat and chatted and made notes we received a warning signal that another ship was coming into the atmosphere. We all gathered to our posts to see what our new visitor was going to be. Once we found it on the radar, it was one of our own but slightly larger than this ship. We tried to contact Earth to see what was going on but no one would respond. We weren't sure what was going on and had no idea how to find out either.
     We watched as this new ship landed not far from us and then it came. We were contacted by the ship to stand down and that it was in their hands now. We tried to question what was going on but did not receive an answer. We then suited back up and went to pay the new ship a visit. By the time we reached their ship they were deploying troops with guns.They used us to find life so that they could annihilate them and take the planet as our own. We could not let them do this. The inhabitants were no threat to us but they were going to be slaughtered by humans. We were the aliens that were going to invade their planet. We sat by and watched as our troops entered the tunnel and killed each and every one of its inhabitants that they came across. We watched as they were being burned alive and their children slaughtered. I had no faith in our race anymore. We were space butchers and the bad thing is we knew it. We were locked inside a cell as they terrorized this planet and killed every living thing. There was nothing we could do to stop them. We were at the mercy of our own cruel humanity. It is no wonder that our planet's defenses are being watched so closely waiting for the right time to seek revenge.

The Planet Transporter

     Doctor Hershey is a very successful scientist who is renown throughout the planet Earth. Oh, I am Trevor Hollingsworth his most faithful assistant. I have studied at the most prestigious colleges and Doctor Hershey took me under his wing about four years ago. I have learned a lot from the doctor and have been very impressed with his recent work. After the economy failed and the whole planet went to turmoil, the good doctor has since made some very impressive inventions. With me his faithful assistant running around gathering whatever is needed, I sit back and watch for hours as Doctor Hershey constructs and then demolishes everything he invents several times before getting it to perfection.
     Now I will briefly describe Doctor Hershey but never judge a doctor by his looks. Most of the inventors were also not much to look at either but who cares what they look like, it's their mind that we should admire. Now Doctor Hershey is somewhat of a short dumpy looking man with salt and pepper hair which is very receded, green eyes with black framed glasses, and always wearing a white lab coat. His shoes are always polished and his hands are riddled with arthritis and wrinkles. He has this mad scientist like laugh which I have to snicker every time I hear him. His wife died many years ago and since then he has been hiding in his work to cope with the pain.
     To give you a brief description of myself, I am a lot taller than Doctor Hershey by about a foot. I always wear khaki's with my rainbow suspenders, black dress shoes, and my white lab coat is entirely too small for me. I have short, clean cut but well parted brown hair, my eyes are brown, I am thin like a twig, and I have freckles on my face and other certain parts of my body I will not name. An assistant has to have some dignity about himself. Anyway, back to the story.
     Doctor Hershey has a brilliant mind with an ego to go along with it. I have seen him go days and even weeks without food or sleep depending on the invention he is working on. There is this one invention he is almost finished with and looks to be promising but hasn't been tested yet. There are two oval shaped discs that light up when turned on. I'm not quite sure what they do as of yet but I know the doctor has been working on this project for months now. He has separated the two disc shaped objects and I hear him mumbling while he works on them. His chalk board is full of formula's and he is constantly checking the board for any mistakes or recalculating. I am very interested to know what he is working on and can hardly wait to see the rials go forward.
     Well, I came in this morning to work and Doctor Hershey met me at the door grabbing me with a huge bear hug swinging me around and laughing like the mad scientist. When I asked him what was going on, he said that he has perfected it and his invention is ready for it's first trial run. I immediately became very happy for him and went to put my non fitting lad coat on. Once I walked into his lab there were the disc shaped objects across the room from each other. I was ready to see what exactly they did being that it took him months to get it to trials.
     The doctor handed me a pair of black goggles that he said would shield my eyes from the lights that were going to flash. I hurriedly put them on and sat in a nearby chair with anticipation. Doctor Hershey put on his goggles and proceeded to get a white rat from it's cage. I watched as he injected a tranquilizer into the rat so it would remain still and calm during the experiment. Once the rat was asleep, the doctor carefully picked it up and carried it over to one of the disc shaped objects. He placed it gently down on it and moved away. The rat just laid there sleeping while the doctor went over to his computer and punched in some codes.
     Once the codes were in the disc shaped object began lighting up and making this whirling noise. It seemed to be picking up speed as the whirling noise began changing tones. That's when it happened. The rat seemed to lift off of the object and started spinning around before disappearing into thin air. I sat with amazement wondering what happened to the rat. About fifteen minutes later, that little white rat showed back up on the other disc shaped object at the other end of the room still fast asleep. I didn't know what to think about a disappearing rat and once I took off the goggles, I looked at Doctor Hershey a little dumbfounded.
     He walked over to the rat and gently picked it up and placing it back into its cage before coming over to me and shaking my hand. I could tell how happy and accomplished he was and then he began telling me of his invention. I was astounded by his invention of teleportation, but that has already been invented I told him. He shook his head and laughed like that mad scientist before explaining to me that yes teleportation has been invented but not on a scale that he has taken it too. I was then again dumbfounded by his explanation. He informed me that he would need to do a few more trials before using human trials.
     I had just about fallen out of my chair when he noted that he will be doing human trials soon. When I asked him what the invention was called, he just said that if everything goes right he will inform me of its name. Okay I was now more interested in what this invention was to do or how it would be great among a world that has fallen to turmoil. I sat there quietly while the doctor went back to his board and looked at some more formula's making some corrections and doing some recalculating. He hollered over to me to take some notes for him where I reached into my lab coat and brought out my pen and pad. I let him know I was ready and then he began calling off items that he wanted me to acquire. It looked like a grocery list but were usable items and not food.
     I noticed one of the items on the list was a space suit and began scratching my head as I pondered about it. After the doctor gave me his list I proceeded to walk out the door in hopes to find everything he needed. I was gone for about three hours before arriving back at the doctors lab with his items in tow. He was again performing another trial run but this time with a cat. I watched as it went from one disc to the other unharmed. I was still pretty much in awe at this invention and knew the doctor was up to something so amazing. After giving him his list items I informed him of an appointment I had to get too so he released me for the day and told me to be back first thing in the morning sharp. I bid him a farewell and left to get to my appointment.
     The very next morning, I arrived at the lab with the anticipation of another trial run. When I walked into the room the doctor was no where to be found. I looked around the room and noticed that one of the disc shaped objects were gone as well. I started to worry that someone or something has taken the doctor. I hastened around the lab looking for any signs of a struggle when I heard this whirling noise coming from the only disc shaped object left. As I turned around something was happening above the object. I felt my inside start to shake thinking something went terribly wrong with the doctor.
     All of a sudden, there he was standing on the disc shaped object wearing the space outfit I gathered for him yesterday. He reappeared and stepped off of it like some moon man before taking his head gear off. I was so pleased to see him and he met me with excitement. I asked him what happened and he told me that he had been performing trials all night and that he was ready for human trials. I hesitated before asking him why did he become the human trial. He informed me he had been planning to be the first human trial in his experiment. I did look at him with skepticism when he answered.
     Then Doctor Hershey began telling me of the results of his human trial. He was so exited to tell me the name of his invention which was "the planet transporter".  I hesitated to ask but did so anyway, questioning him of why such a name. He responded with the events that took place during his human trial. This whole time he was constructing an invention that would allow people to teleport to another planet. Yes, with the world being in shambles we did in fact have space ships that took people to other planets which were very expensive as well as time consuming. The doctor wanted to make it much more realistic to travel with it being more cost efficient and with less travel time.
     When I asked him where he went or visited, he replied with to Mars since it was the closest planet for a trial run in the event something should have gone wrong. He noted that he encoded the specs for the location and took the other disc shaped object with him to leave as a doorway for space travel. Now that he proved it to be a success he wanted me to step onto the object with the space suit and go visit the colonized planet of Mars. I really hesitated at the thought of disappearing and reappearing on another planet. Doctor Hershey started putting the suit on me while I kept stating why I shouldn't go, but that made no difference to him.
     Once suited up, he assisted me with stepping onto the transporter. Before he went over to the computer to engage the machine he gave me the instructions on how to get back. Worried that something might go wrong I grasped a hold of reality while Doctor Hershey got the transporter initiated. Before I could get a word out of my mouth he hit the transport button to which I started feeling dizzy but was still standing still, so I thought. I felt like air floating around and I knew I wasn't on Earth anymore by the wonderful sights of stars and satellites that lined the Earth. I saw myself being shot through space as if from a slingshot. Things moved very quickly and the urge to throw up was gone. I saw the red planet as I drew closer to it. The only thought in my mind was how was I going to land when flying so fast. I began to feel nervous and scared that I wouldn't make it. All of a sudden I was on the planet and standing on the disc shaped transporter. I was amazed that Doctor Hershey's invention worked. There I was standing on this transporter and overlooking the colonies of the inhabitants of Mars. It was a thrilling moment and I felt like I wanted to jump out of that suit and my skin too.
     I stepped off of the transporter and viewed with wonder the desolate red sanded planet. I marveled at the colonies who were producing food and tapping into the planets natural resources as a way to survive. It was such a spectacular scene almost unreal. I remembered the instructions from the doctor on how to get back, so I got back onto the transporter and headed for home. On the way back shooting through space I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face and I even became a spectator of a nearby comet shooting by before seeing the colorful planet of Earth. She looked so amazing from the view I had and before I knew it, I was standing there in front of Doctor Hershey.
     I removed the head gear to listen to the mad scientist laugh before asking me of what I saw or felt. I explained to him the effects of traveling and what I saw on Mars, and even of the shooting comet. He ran over to his lab table and started making notes. I listened to the rumblings of a scientist who soon went back over to his chalk board and started making plans to create more planet transporters. He looked over at me and told me how he plans to have a transporter on every single planet to use for his experimenting of other worlds. I acknowledged how enthralled I was by his invention and that he was a success. I look forward to exploring these other worlds with him and hopeful that through his experimenting we will be able to colonize other worlds.

The End