12/18/09
12/4/09
Chapter 1: The Time Machine
In the lab of Dr. George Hoovey, a big discovery was made: how to travel through time.
It was not in the usual methods of time travel, e.g., speed-of-light travel, a big car/machine, etc. This time, it was the type of movement someone would make that would send him or her into the future.
To be able to achieve this ability, first Dr. Hoovey created what looked like a gigantic magnet. Then he put in a microchip, as well as the ability to become invisible. Next, he created a big machine to put inside it. It took him six years to finish the invention.
When he completed his invention, he called in his assistant, Reelly Short, to send him a pointless object to test the machine. Because it had to be able to move, Reelly sent him a remote controlled car. He then put it ten feet away from the magnet, which now had the ability to float. He then turned on the magnet. It floated, and then became invisible. Reelly then turned on the remote control car and drove it directly under the magnet.
The magnet picked up the motion of the remote controlled car. The magnet then put a force field around the car, so the latter could not get out of the magnet’s grasp. Its sensors then sent a message to its microchip, which made the gears inside it turn quickly. The gears powered a laser, which fired all around the force field. When the laser touched the car, the car started to crumble. It imploded, and then started to become very blob-like. You could say it almost melted. The magnet’s tiny camera was creating a video, meanwhile, of the car imploding. When it started to “melt,” then the magnet’s laser got stronger. It zapped the halfway-melted car, and then the car disappeared. It had gone into the future. It had all happened within a fraction of a second.
Dr. Hoovey knew his invention was a success. But he had forgotten to turn of the magnet after it zapped the car! Consequently, the magnet floated out of the room and started searching for another place to zap into the future. It searched all over, and then a week later, it finally chose a house.
It was Junior’s house.
It was not in the usual methods of time travel, e.g., speed-of-light travel, a big car/machine, etc. This time, it was the type of movement someone would make that would send him or her into the future.
To be able to achieve this ability, first Dr. Hoovey created what looked like a gigantic magnet. Then he put in a microchip, as well as the ability to become invisible. Next, he created a big machine to put inside it. It took him six years to finish the invention.
When he completed his invention, he called in his assistant, Reelly Short, to send him a pointless object to test the machine. Because it had to be able to move, Reelly sent him a remote controlled car. He then put it ten feet away from the magnet, which now had the ability to float. He then turned on the magnet. It floated, and then became invisible. Reelly then turned on the remote control car and drove it directly under the magnet.
The magnet picked up the motion of the remote controlled car. The magnet then put a force field around the car, so the latter could not get out of the magnet’s grasp. Its sensors then sent a message to its microchip, which made the gears inside it turn quickly. The gears powered a laser, which fired all around the force field. When the laser touched the car, the car started to crumble. It imploded, and then started to become very blob-like. You could say it almost melted. The magnet’s tiny camera was creating a video, meanwhile, of the car imploding. When it started to “melt,” then the magnet’s laser got stronger. It zapped the halfway-melted car, and then the car disappeared. It had gone into the future. It had all happened within a fraction of a second.
Dr. Hoovey knew his invention was a success. But he had forgotten to turn of the magnet after it zapped the car! Consequently, the magnet floated out of the room and started searching for another place to zap into the future. It searched all over, and then a week later, it finally chose a house.
It was Junior’s house.
11/27/09
11/10/09
Coming Soon!
I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I was still looking for someone to do the picture for Lost in Time. Well, I've finally found one, so be expecting it this Friday!
Update, November 21:
We're having a slight problem with the artist's picture--it has not gotten back to us yet. Be patient! We'll post it as soon as we get it. We promise.
Update, November 21:
We're having a slight problem with the artist's picture--it has not gotten back to us yet. Be patient! We'll post it as soon as we get it. We promise.
7/24/09
What story should we release next?
So be on the lookout for, in order:
Lost in Time
Dr. Evil Bad Hat
The Kids' Playhouse Meets the Fourth Dimension
Lost in Time
Dr. Evil Bad Hat
The Kids' Playhouse Meets the Fourth Dimension
7/3/09
Chapter 9: Problem Solved
Senior and Junior ran into the Viewer Lab. Earth was still displaying static, but one could make out a faint background now.
“I remembered we had upgraded our antennae yesterday,” started Mr. DaLoiff. “Before we went to bed, Mrs. Hyken had adjusted most of the antennae to make sure that the signal was good.”
“But you called me and said it was time to close the building before I had a chance to get to Earth!” exclaimed Mrs. Hyken.
“So, I adjusted the antenna for Earth a little bit just now. As you can see, the screen is still ‘staticky,’ if that’s a word, but if you look closely you can see three kids on a couch! All I have to do is adjust it more, and voilá!”
So Mr. DaLoiff moved the antenna. The background immediately disappeared and the static seemed to get worse. He was moving it the wrong direction. He turned a little knob, moved the antenna the other direction, and eventually the static disappeared!
“Yes!!!! Now we can go home!” shouted Junior.
Mr. DaLoiff stepped on the cylinders. They spun clockwise again, and then they were the same height. “Come back any time,” said Mrs. Hyken.
“Well, that depends on if we can find the camera again,” said Senior. Everybody laughed. Senior and Junior then walked behind the cylinders. They prepared to jump.
“WAIT!!” shouted Mr. DaLoiff.
“What?” asked Junior.
“Would you like some kind of souvenir?” asked Mr. DaLoiff.
“Sure, as long as it’s not too big,” said Junior, and chuckled.
Glynnis Johnny then stepped into the room and gave each of them a business card. It said, “SPRIGG - The Most Advanced Civilization in the Milky Way.”
Senior and Junior thanked Ms. Johnny, and jumped into the screen. This time they went through! Mr. DaLoiff sighed and said that his feet were getting tired holding down the cylinders.
Back on Earth, Junior’s younger siblings (Brother, Sister, and Sam) were watching the DVD release of “The Tiger, the Tooth Fairy, and the Closet.” Senior and Junior popped out of nowhere, right in front of the TV screen. Sam, being the youngest, was amazed.
“Whoa! You’ve gotta show me how you do that!” he said to Junior.
Senior turned to the TV screen. “Move the screen so they don’t get stuck,” he said. Back on Sprigg, Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken heard and moved it. Now it was on the ceiling.
“Yeah, and I’m sure Nerm is going to listen to you,” sarcastically remarked Sister.
“Brothers,” muttered Brother under his breath. “They trick you into believing whatever they want you to believe, and just when they have you fully convinced, they reveal the secret. I HATE it when they do that!”
“I’m going to remember that the next time YOU do that,” said Junior.
“Okay, guys, cut it out!!” said Senior. At that moment, Senior’s wife, Misses, walked into the room.
“Well! Where on earth have you guys been? You guys missed lunch! And now you’re late for work, Senior! What is the explanation for all this?!” she scolded.
“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” said Junior.
“You better tell me, young man, or you’re in big trouble!”
“Again,” said Sister, and snickered.
“What Junior said,” said Senior.
“Well, we’ll just see about that!” said Misses. “We’ll have each of you tell me what you were doing, and if your stories are the same, or similar enough to be the same, you’re both off the hook.”
“Can I have that in writing?” asked Junior. “I know her,” he said to himself. “She’s all set to ground me if our stories aren’t the same. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she lets us off the hook!”
What happened next was predictable.
“I remembered we had upgraded our antennae yesterday,” started Mr. DaLoiff. “Before we went to bed, Mrs. Hyken had adjusted most of the antennae to make sure that the signal was good.”
“But you called me and said it was time to close the building before I had a chance to get to Earth!” exclaimed Mrs. Hyken.
“So, I adjusted the antenna for Earth a little bit just now. As you can see, the screen is still ‘staticky,’ if that’s a word, but if you look closely you can see three kids on a couch! All I have to do is adjust it more, and voilá!”
So Mr. DaLoiff moved the antenna. The background immediately disappeared and the static seemed to get worse. He was moving it the wrong direction. He turned a little knob, moved the antenna the other direction, and eventually the static disappeared!
“Yes!!!! Now we can go home!” shouted Junior.
Mr. DaLoiff stepped on the cylinders. They spun clockwise again, and then they were the same height. “Come back any time,” said Mrs. Hyken.
“Well, that depends on if we can find the camera again,” said Senior. Everybody laughed. Senior and Junior then walked behind the cylinders. They prepared to jump.
“WAIT!!” shouted Mr. DaLoiff.
“What?” asked Junior.
“Would you like some kind of souvenir?” asked Mr. DaLoiff.
“Sure, as long as it’s not too big,” said Junior, and chuckled.
Glynnis Johnny then stepped into the room and gave each of them a business card. It said, “SPRIGG - The Most Advanced Civilization in the Milky Way.”
Senior and Junior thanked Ms. Johnny, and jumped into the screen. This time they went through! Mr. DaLoiff sighed and said that his feet were getting tired holding down the cylinders.
Back on Earth, Junior’s younger siblings (Brother, Sister, and Sam) were watching the DVD release of “The Tiger, the Tooth Fairy, and the Closet.” Senior and Junior popped out of nowhere, right in front of the TV screen. Sam, being the youngest, was amazed.
“Whoa! You’ve gotta show me how you do that!” he said to Junior.
Senior turned to the TV screen. “Move the screen so they don’t get stuck,” he said. Back on Sprigg, Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken heard and moved it. Now it was on the ceiling.
“Yeah, and I’m sure Nerm is going to listen to you,” sarcastically remarked Sister.
“Brothers,” muttered Brother under his breath. “They trick you into believing whatever they want you to believe, and just when they have you fully convinced, they reveal the secret. I HATE it when they do that!”
“I’m going to remember that the next time YOU do that,” said Junior.
“Okay, guys, cut it out!!” said Senior. At that moment, Senior’s wife, Misses, walked into the room.
“Well! Where on earth have you guys been? You guys missed lunch! And now you’re late for work, Senior! What is the explanation for all this?!” she scolded.
“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” said Junior.
“You better tell me, young man, or you’re in big trouble!”
“Again,” said Sister, and snickered.
“What Junior said,” said Senior.
“Well, we’ll just see about that!” said Misses. “We’ll have each of you tell me what you were doing, and if your stories are the same, or similar enough to be the same, you’re both off the hook.”
“Can I have that in writing?” asked Junior. “I know her,” he said to himself. “She’s all set to ground me if our stories aren’t the same. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she lets us off the hook!”
What happened next was predictable.
THE END
6/26/09
Chapter 8: Free Tour
Junior did not want to go to any other strange worlds. The only other world he wanted to go to was Earth.
Then another person came by. Her name was Glynnis Johnny. She wore glasses and was holding a clipboard. She was the tour guide. When she saw Senior and Junior, she immediately asked them if they wanted a tour of the building. Junior reluctantly agreed. Senior did not want Junior to go with a stranger alone. He knew his son pretty well, and he may either get lost or wander around, so he went on the tour, too.
The first place they went to was the front desk. “These seats are for guests. On normal days there are only six seats, because there are never more than six visitors. By the time a seventh visitor comes, the first visitor is already on tour, hopefully.” Senior could tell Ms. Johnny enjoyed her job. Then they went to the Viewer Lab. Before she could explain anything, Junior pointed out that they’ve already been here. He said the same with the Postball field.
Then they went to the second floor by elevator. When they got to the top, they saw a kitchen.
“We know, we know, this is a kitchen,” remarked Junior. “Is there any room that shows us status on the Viewer Lab? Besides the Viewer Lab itself?”
“Well, there’s the Status Room,” said Glynnis. They went down a long hall of doors. Inside the last door on their left, there were several other doors. They went through the one closest to the window. There was a single computer in this room. It had a blue screen. “We still use the old models,” explained Ms. Johnny. “We haven’t upgraded to iMacs or anything yet.”
“But I noticed you do use laptops,” said Senior.
“Yeah. That’s the latest type of computer we have.”
“How does it work?” asked Junior.
Ms. Johnny typed: RUN “STATUS” Then a program popped up. There was a list of several planets, including Earth. The name of each planet had a different highlighter, depending on its signal. Earth was red. She typed EARTH_STATS, and the screen turned red. This is what was displayed:
EARTH
PROBLEM CAUSE: EARTH’S SIGNAL WAS FINE AT THE LAST CHECK. THE NEXT DAY, SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT DISTORTED THE CONTROLS AND DISTORTED THE SIGNAL AS WELL. THE EVENT THAT CAUSED THIS IS UNKNOWN.
“Well, that sort of helps. All we need to do is fix the controls and...oh, wait, the controls are on the camera, and the camera is on Earth. Never mind,” said Senior. “Unless, of course, there was some sort of...”
Then Mr. DaLoiff came running into the room. He looked ecstatic.
“I think we may have solved the problem!”
Then another person came by. Her name was Glynnis Johnny. She wore glasses and was holding a clipboard. She was the tour guide. When she saw Senior and Junior, she immediately asked them if they wanted a tour of the building. Junior reluctantly agreed. Senior did not want Junior to go with a stranger alone. He knew his son pretty well, and he may either get lost or wander around, so he went on the tour, too.
The first place they went to was the front desk. “These seats are for guests. On normal days there are only six seats, because there are never more than six visitors. By the time a seventh visitor comes, the first visitor is already on tour, hopefully.” Senior could tell Ms. Johnny enjoyed her job. Then they went to the Viewer Lab. Before she could explain anything, Junior pointed out that they’ve already been here. He said the same with the Postball field.
Then they went to the second floor by elevator. When they got to the top, they saw a kitchen.
“We know, we know, this is a kitchen,” remarked Junior. “Is there any room that shows us status on the Viewer Lab? Besides the Viewer Lab itself?”
“Well, there’s the Status Room,” said Glynnis. They went down a long hall of doors. Inside the last door on their left, there were several other doors. They went through the one closest to the window. There was a single computer in this room. It had a blue screen. “We still use the old models,” explained Ms. Johnny. “We haven’t upgraded to iMacs or anything yet.”
“But I noticed you do use laptops,” said Senior.
“Yeah. That’s the latest type of computer we have.”
“How does it work?” asked Junior.
Ms. Johnny typed: RUN “STATUS” Then a program popped up. There was a list of several planets, including Earth. The name of each planet had a different highlighter, depending on its signal. Earth was red. She typed EARTH_STATS, and the screen turned red. This is what was displayed:
EARTH
- SIGNAL STATUSES: GREAT (BLUE)
- GOOD (GREEN)
- EH / SO-SO (YELLOW)
- MINOR PROBLEM (ORANGE)
- MAJOR PROBLEM (RED)
- IRREPLACEABLE (FLASHING RED)
PROBLEM CAUSE: EARTH’S SIGNAL WAS FINE AT THE LAST CHECK. THE NEXT DAY, SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT DISTORTED THE CONTROLS AND DISTORTED THE SIGNAL AS WELL. THE EVENT THAT CAUSED THIS IS UNKNOWN.
“Well, that sort of helps. All we need to do is fix the controls and...oh, wait, the controls are on the camera, and the camera is on Earth. Never mind,” said Senior. “Unless, of course, there was some sort of...”
Then Mr. DaLoiff came running into the room. He looked ecstatic.
“I think we may have solved the problem!”
TO BE CONTINUED
6/19/09
Chapter 7: The Inverse World
“How dare you call a man ‘nuts.’” whispered the man. But Senior figured that since everyone’s brain was inverse from theirs, to everyone else his voice was loud.
“Well, I meant it in the best possible way,” said Junior, trying to sound innocent.
“He’s just kind of young, okay?” explained Senior, ignoring Junior.
“You don’t need to shout!” shouted the man.
“Boy, are you a hypocrite!” said Junior, and because of the looks on everyone else’s faces, he took it back. According to him, everyone was crazy.
“Where are you from? Why are your thoughts the exact opposite of the truth?”
“Um, Earth. W-why?” cowered Junior.
“So, you’re visitors from another planet, eh?” whispered the man. Everyone gasped.
“And why do you say our thoughts are the opposite of the truth?” asked Senior.
“Because they are!! Look, you say your shirts are several colors, but everyone sees one. You claim our world is dingy brown, when everybody knows it’s very colorful. You try to tell us that we’re whispering, but it’s as plain as day that we’re screaming our heads off. You make it clear that you’re shouting. But you know very well that you...”
“Okay, okay, I get the point!” interrupted Senior. “Our senses are probably just inverse from each other, that’s all.”
“So, if I hold up this green bottle, you can only see...”
“Plain brown,” finished Senior and Junior.
“Okay, and we say this bird on the boy’s shirt is brown. But what color is it really?”
“Gray,” said Junior.
“We’ve always heard myths about people from different planets, but it seems they weren’t myths at all. You prove that myth correct. And apparently, the senses of the people living on your planet are opposite from the senses of the people living on our planet.”
“Really? I was just about to say the exact same thing!”
“But words have the same meaning, don’t they?”
“I think so.”
Junior tugged at his dad’s shirt.
“Excuse us, we have to go now,” Senior told the man.
“Bye, uh, come back soon?” whispered the man.
Senior and Junior turned around and jumped. The man could not see them anymore. They had decided to go back to Sprigg. It took a little while before they finally got there, but not as long. In a few seconds, they could see Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken controlling the camera. Junior tried to wave to them, but they still did not move. Besides the fact that there was no static, and this did not take a while, this was exactly like traveling from Earth to Sprigg. Then they felt the familiar sensation of non-cut-into-your-skin glass, and they fell out of the screen.
“I guess I should have told you that people on that world think the exact opposite of yours,” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“Well, we kind of figured that out ourselves,” said Senior.
“Maybe we should’ve told you ahead of time,” said Mrs. Hyken.
“Well, I meant it in the best possible way,” said Junior, trying to sound innocent.
“He’s just kind of young, okay?” explained Senior, ignoring Junior.
“You don’t need to shout!” shouted the man.
“Boy, are you a hypocrite!” said Junior, and because of the looks on everyone else’s faces, he took it back. According to him, everyone was crazy.
“Where are you from? Why are your thoughts the exact opposite of the truth?”
“Um, Earth. W-why?” cowered Junior.
“So, you’re visitors from another planet, eh?” whispered the man. Everyone gasped.
“And why do you say our thoughts are the opposite of the truth?” asked Senior.
“Because they are!! Look, you say your shirts are several colors, but everyone sees one. You claim our world is dingy brown, when everybody knows it’s very colorful. You try to tell us that we’re whispering, but it’s as plain as day that we’re screaming our heads off. You make it clear that you’re shouting. But you know very well that you...”
“Okay, okay, I get the point!” interrupted Senior. “Our senses are probably just inverse from each other, that’s all.”
“So, if I hold up this green bottle, you can only see...”
“Plain brown,” finished Senior and Junior.
“Okay, and we say this bird on the boy’s shirt is brown. But what color is it really?”
“Gray,” said Junior.
“We’ve always heard myths about people from different planets, but it seems they weren’t myths at all. You prove that myth correct. And apparently, the senses of the people living on your planet are opposite from the senses of the people living on our planet.”
“Really? I was just about to say the exact same thing!”
“But words have the same meaning, don’t they?”
“I think so.”
Junior tugged at his dad’s shirt.
“Excuse us, we have to go now,” Senior told the man.
“Bye, uh, come back soon?” whispered the man.
Senior and Junior turned around and jumped. The man could not see them anymore. They had decided to go back to Sprigg. It took a little while before they finally got there, but not as long. In a few seconds, they could see Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken controlling the camera. Junior tried to wave to them, but they still did not move. Besides the fact that there was no static, and this did not take a while, this was exactly like traveling from Earth to Sprigg. Then they felt the familiar sensation of non-cut-into-your-skin glass, and they fell out of the screen.
“I guess I should have told you that people on that world think the exact opposite of yours,” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“Well, we kind of figured that out ourselves,” said Senior.
“Maybe we should’ve told you ahead of time,” said Mrs. Hyken.
TO BE CONTINUED
6/12/09
Chapter 6: Exploration
“No, not yet,” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“But you said we solved the problem!” cried Junior.
“He meant we figured out how it happened,” explained Mrs. Hyken. “We haven’t fixed the signal yet. We still need to figure out how.”
“Oh,” sadly moaned Junior.
“Do you want to take a look at some other worlds while they fix the problem?” asked Senior. Junior jumped up and down smiling. Senior took that as a yes. “But we’ll need one of you to move the camera around so we’ll be there if we decide to go home.”
“How about you do rock, paper, scissors?” said Junior.
“What’s rock, paper, scissors?” asked Mr. DaLoiff.
“It’s a game. All you need is your hand. A fist means rock, a flat hand palm down means paper, and two fingers mean scissors. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock.”
“Got it,” said Mrs. Hyken.
Mr. DaLoiff stuck out a fist, and then Mrs. Hyken stuck out two fingers. She waited because she didn’t want to have to do it, so she made him lose on purpose. Mr. DaLoiff groaned.
“No, no, no, you have to do it together,” corrected Junior. He demonstrated with Senior. After he showed them, they did it right. Mr. DaLoiff won, so Mrs. Hyken had to control the camera.
Junior’s first exploration choice was a dingy brown planet called Lingslie.
“Promise you’ll follow us around with the camera?” asked Senior.
“Promise,” said Mrs. Hyken flatly.
Junior and Senior stood on the cylinders, and jumped into the screen. The sensation going to another world was not very pleasant. Not only did their senses stop working again, but they narrowly avoided colliding with several random objects. This took a lot less time than it did for them to travel between Earth and Sprigg. In about a minute, they were standing on a very rickety board. The board appeared to be on an ocean. Everything was brown. It felt very depressing, and Junior’s eyes even started watering.
“C’mon, let’s go,” said Senior, and he dragged Junior off the board. The sky was dark brown, the grass seemed to be dead, and there was not even a glance of a non-brown color (besides their clothes). The first place they went to was a two-story building. There were a lot of people chatting everywhere. Despite the overwhelming and depressing brown, no one seemed depressed. One person eventually saw Junior and Senior, walked over to them, inspected their clothes, and eventually spoke. His voice was not like a normal person’s voice, but it was more creaky and rusty. Junior later described his voice as “creepy.”
“What’s with your mono-colored clothes?” was the first thing he said.
“What do you mean, mono-colored?”
“They’re all brown!”
Junior and Senior looked at their clothes. They were not brown. They were black, white, orange, blue, yellow, and all sorts of colors.
“No, they’re not. Your world is all brown, unlike our clothes!”
“Oh, this exciting place?”
Junior and Senior were baffled.
“That’s not brown. That’s blue and pink and yellow and white and green and orange and red and even gray, but almost no brown.”
“Uh, you have it backwards. OUR SHIRTS are NOT BROWN, but YOUR WORLD is BROWN!” shouted Junior, as if the man could not tell the difference.
“Junior!” scolded Senior.
“What did he do?” asked the man.
“He screamed at you,” Senior answered.
“No, he did not. In fact, he whispered! You’re the one who’s being loud. In fact, if your voice were any higher, I bet you’d break one of the glasses in here!”
“YOU’VE GOT EVERYTHING BACKWARDS!!!!!!” screamed Junior, as loud as his voice could go. But no one seemed to hear him.
“What?” said the man. He brought his ear closer to Junior’s mouth. “Stop mouthing words. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
“This guy is nuts,” Junior whispered in his dad’s ear. Suddenly the chatter stopped. Everybody turned to Junior. It was so quiet, you could have heard a fly walking on carpet. Senior looked at his son in disbelief. He could not believe his son would be this rude!
Junior looked around the room. He slipped back a little bit.
“Was it something I said?”
“But you said we solved the problem!” cried Junior.
“He meant we figured out how it happened,” explained Mrs. Hyken. “We haven’t fixed the signal yet. We still need to figure out how.”
“Oh,” sadly moaned Junior.
“Do you want to take a look at some other worlds while they fix the problem?” asked Senior. Junior jumped up and down smiling. Senior took that as a yes. “But we’ll need one of you to move the camera around so we’ll be there if we decide to go home.”
“How about you do rock, paper, scissors?” said Junior.
“What’s rock, paper, scissors?” asked Mr. DaLoiff.
“It’s a game. All you need is your hand. A fist means rock, a flat hand palm down means paper, and two fingers mean scissors. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock.”
“Got it,” said Mrs. Hyken.
Mr. DaLoiff stuck out a fist, and then Mrs. Hyken stuck out two fingers. She waited because she didn’t want to have to do it, so she made him lose on purpose. Mr. DaLoiff groaned.
“No, no, no, you have to do it together,” corrected Junior. He demonstrated with Senior. After he showed them, they did it right. Mr. DaLoiff won, so Mrs. Hyken had to control the camera.
Junior’s first exploration choice was a dingy brown planet called Lingslie.
“Promise you’ll follow us around with the camera?” asked Senior.
“Promise,” said Mrs. Hyken flatly.
Junior and Senior stood on the cylinders, and jumped into the screen. The sensation going to another world was not very pleasant. Not only did their senses stop working again, but they narrowly avoided colliding with several random objects. This took a lot less time than it did for them to travel between Earth and Sprigg. In about a minute, they were standing on a very rickety board. The board appeared to be on an ocean. Everything was brown. It felt very depressing, and Junior’s eyes even started watering.
“C’mon, let’s go,” said Senior, and he dragged Junior off the board. The sky was dark brown, the grass seemed to be dead, and there was not even a glance of a non-brown color (besides their clothes). The first place they went to was a two-story building. There were a lot of people chatting everywhere. Despite the overwhelming and depressing brown, no one seemed depressed. One person eventually saw Junior and Senior, walked over to them, inspected their clothes, and eventually spoke. His voice was not like a normal person’s voice, but it was more creaky and rusty. Junior later described his voice as “creepy.”
“What’s with your mono-colored clothes?” was the first thing he said.
“What do you mean, mono-colored?”
“They’re all brown!”
Junior and Senior looked at their clothes. They were not brown. They were black, white, orange, blue, yellow, and all sorts of colors.
“No, they’re not. Your world is all brown, unlike our clothes!”
“Oh, this exciting place?”
Junior and Senior were baffled.
“That’s not brown. That’s blue and pink and yellow and white and green and orange and red and even gray, but almost no brown.”
“Uh, you have it backwards. OUR SHIRTS are NOT BROWN, but YOUR WORLD is BROWN!” shouted Junior, as if the man could not tell the difference.
“Junior!” scolded Senior.
“What did he do?” asked the man.
“He screamed at you,” Senior answered.
“No, he did not. In fact, he whispered! You’re the one who’s being loud. In fact, if your voice were any higher, I bet you’d break one of the glasses in here!”
“YOU’VE GOT EVERYTHING BACKWARDS!!!!!!” screamed Junior, as loud as his voice could go. But no one seemed to hear him.
“What?” said the man. He brought his ear closer to Junior’s mouth. “Stop mouthing words. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
“This guy is nuts,” Junior whispered in his dad’s ear. Suddenly the chatter stopped. Everybody turned to Junior. It was so quiet, you could have heard a fly walking on carpet. Senior looked at his son in disbelief. He could not believe his son would be this rude!
Junior looked around the room. He slipped back a little bit.
“Was it something I said?”
TO BE CONTINUED
6/6/09
Chapter 5: The Meeting
After the game was over, Senior, Junior, Mr. DaLoiff, and Mrs. Hyken went back inside the office. Earth was still malfunctioning. Mr. DaLoiff tried banging his hand against the screen, but nothing happened.
“Well, I guess it’s time for our meeting.” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“Meeting? What meeting?” asked Senior, Junior, and Mrs. Hyken.
“The meeting,” said Mr. DaLoiff, “that we’re about to have. To decide what we’re going to do about your broken signal. I mean, our broken signal for your planet. I mean, the planet you used to live on.”
“He always stutters when he gives a spontaneous speech,” muttered Mrs. Hyken. Senior rolled his eyes; Junior didn’t know what “stutter” or “spontaneous” meant.
Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken sat down at two laptop computers. Senior and Junior sat down next to them. “How are we going to get home?” was the first thing Junior said. Mr. DaLoiff explained that someone else on Earth had to fix the signal to get back, but the chances would be astronomical that someone would know to fix the signal and do it right! Senior sighed.
“What does that mean?” asked Junior.
“It means,” explained Mrs. Hyken, “that you won’t be able to go home, because someone on your planet has to fix our camera. But no one on that planet knows about us! And even if they did know about us, they don’t know that we can view their planet! And even if they did know, they probably wouldn’t know where the camera is! And even if they did, how would they know that something is wrong? And if they did, how would they know how to fix it? And even if they did know, they probably wouldn’t know how to do it right!! And the worst part is, we can’t even tell them how, because we can’t put anything from this world into that world!”
A long period of silence followed, and then a monotone “uh...” from Junior. Apparently, he had a hard time following the definition. He thought it was even more confusing than the original explanation!
Senior didn’t want to have to explain it too, so he just muttered, “Never mind. Move on.”
“This is weird. Earth’s signal has never been this malfunctioning! Do you think you could have done something?”
Senior remembered the game he and Junior were playing before they got sucked into Sprigg, and recalled, “Well, early on, Junior and I were playing a game. We were kicking a ball all over the place. It bounced everywhere.”
“That may be the problem. The ball may have hit the invisible controls of the camera, moved them, and distorted the signal. When were you doing this?”
“I think it was between 9 or 10:00.”
“Okay, that is probably not the problem...the signal was broken when we checked at 7:00.”
“Well, what else could be the problem?”
Senior’s eyes grew bigger, and shouted, “You know, earlier on, before 7:00, I opened the front door really quickly. I noticed that we fell right next to the door.”
“So...?” asked Mrs. Hyken.
“So maybe the door whacked the controls of the camera!”
“Yeah, I could have sworn I heard something just before I woke up!” exclaimed Junior.
“That’s weird. I heard something too! It sounded like a thump, a couple bleeps, some typing, and then some more beeping.”
Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken stood up. “That settles it, we’ve solved the problem!”
“You mean we can go home now?!” cried Junior.
“Well, I guess it’s time for our meeting.” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“Meeting? What meeting?” asked Senior, Junior, and Mrs. Hyken.
“The meeting,” said Mr. DaLoiff, “that we’re about to have. To decide what we’re going to do about your broken signal. I mean, our broken signal for your planet. I mean, the planet you used to live on.”
“He always stutters when he gives a spontaneous speech,” muttered Mrs. Hyken. Senior rolled his eyes; Junior didn’t know what “stutter” or “spontaneous” meant.
Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken sat down at two laptop computers. Senior and Junior sat down next to them. “How are we going to get home?” was the first thing Junior said. Mr. DaLoiff explained that someone else on Earth had to fix the signal to get back, but the chances would be astronomical that someone would know to fix the signal and do it right! Senior sighed.
“What does that mean?” asked Junior.
“It means,” explained Mrs. Hyken, “that you won’t be able to go home, because someone on your planet has to fix our camera. But no one on that planet knows about us! And even if they did know about us, they don’t know that we can view their planet! And even if they did know, they probably wouldn’t know where the camera is! And even if they did, how would they know that something is wrong? And if they did, how would they know how to fix it? And even if they did know, they probably wouldn’t know how to do it right!! And the worst part is, we can’t even tell them how, because we can’t put anything from this world into that world!”
A long period of silence followed, and then a monotone “uh...” from Junior. Apparently, he had a hard time following the definition. He thought it was even more confusing than the original explanation!
Senior didn’t want to have to explain it too, so he just muttered, “Never mind. Move on.”
“This is weird. Earth’s signal has never been this malfunctioning! Do you think you could have done something?”
Senior remembered the game he and Junior were playing before they got sucked into Sprigg, and recalled, “Well, early on, Junior and I were playing a game. We were kicking a ball all over the place. It bounced everywhere.”
“That may be the problem. The ball may have hit the invisible controls of the camera, moved them, and distorted the signal. When were you doing this?”
“I think it was between 9 or 10:00.”
“Okay, that is probably not the problem...the signal was broken when we checked at 7:00.”
“Well, what else could be the problem?”
Senior’s eyes grew bigger, and shouted, “You know, earlier on, before 7:00, I opened the front door really quickly. I noticed that we fell right next to the door.”
“So...?” asked Mrs. Hyken.
“So maybe the door whacked the controls of the camera!”
“Yeah, I could have sworn I heard something just before I woke up!” exclaimed Junior.
“That’s weird. I heard something too! It sounded like a thump, a couple bleeps, some typing, and then some more beeping.”
Mr. DaLoiff and Mrs. Hyken stood up. “That settles it, we’ve solved the problem!”
“You mean we can go home now?!” cried Junior.
TO BE CONTINUED
5/29/09
Chapter 4: The Game
When Senior finally found Junior, he was resting on a big couch and looking bored. Mrs. Hyken was not working on the house.
“We’ll find a way back home if it’s the last thing we do!” he had said.
“I’ve found a way!” Junior jumped up. Senior had startled him. “Come here!” Junior followed him back into the building. Mr. DaLoiff was fuming in a corner. When he saw Senior back inside, he jumped up.
“Can I tell you...?” he began. Senior didn’t listen. Junior stopped running and looked back at him. Senior was so anxious to get home that he didn’t let Junior listen either. He grabbed him by the arm and ran to the Earth section, still malfunctioning and just static was displayed. Senior instructed Junior on what to do.
“When I say ‘go,’ you jump at the screen, and I’ll be right behind you.” Senior stood on the cylinders. It took a couple of seconds, then they spun clockwise and simultaneously moved downward until they were the same height. “GO!” screamed Senior, and Junior jumped. But instead of going through the screen, he bounced off of it and landed in front of Senior’s feet. Senior was confused. “What happened, sir? How come he didn’t go through?”
“Well, it only works if you jump through a working screen. Since this one has static, it’s not working. I’m afraid you’re stuck here.”
“NOW you tell me!” shouted Senior.
“I’m bored,” said Junior. “What can I do?”
“Do you want to play Postball?”
“What-ball?” said Senior.
“Postball!” said Mr. DaLoiff. He led them to a grassy field outside. There was a large triangular section marked off by a fence. Next to it was a floppy swing attached to the tallest branch on a high tree. The swing had a headrest, like a chair. On the swing was a bright yellow volleyball.
“How do you play?” asked Junior.
“Well, it’s very simple. You take the ball and sit on the swing. Then you kick the ball into the field. If it touches the fence, you get a point. Then you keep playing until one person gets 20 points. If you don’t kick the ball into the field, or if it doesn’t touch the fence, you don’t get a point, but you don’t lose any points, either,” explained Mr. DaLoiff.
“So, who goes first?” asked Junior.
“I think you should go first,” said Senior. Junior ran over to the swing. He grabbed the ball, and then he saw just how floppy the swing was. He hesitated a moment, and then sat down. A seat belt appeared and strapped him in, making Junior gasp in surprise. Then the swing started to swing itself. Junior felt like he was about to fall off, but the seat belt held him in. It went very high. Junior looked down at Mr. DaLoiff and Senior. They looked like ants!
“Just kick the ball,” Junior thought. He decided the easiest way to do it was to drop-kick it, so he did that. Because of the extra speed of the swing, the ball went really fast. Pretty soon it was so far away, Junior could barely see it! When it stopped, a green check mark appeared where the ball had stopped rolling. The swing started to slow down, and it stopped. Mr. DaLoiff was clapping.
“Way to go! On the very first try, too! Did you know that is one of the hardest things for us to do?”
“Uhhh, yeah?” said Junior. “Y-your turn, Dad.” Senior sat down and the seat belt strapped him in. When the swing was at its highest point, Junior could not see his father. Suddenly he saw a yellow dot emerge from the swing. It landed in the field, and a big red X appeared where the ball stopped rolling. Senior stopped swinging, and he looked disappointed.
“I’ll keep track,” said Mrs. Hyken. She wrote the score on the sidewalk using tally marks: # of rounds: 1; Junior, 1; Senior, 0.
Then it was Junior’s turn again. He sat down in the swing and drop-kicked the ball. A green check appeared. Then Senior kicked it and a red X appeared. Then Junior kicked it and another red X appeared.
By the end of the game the score was # of rounds: 26; Junior, 20; Senior, 19. Junior had beaten his own father by one point!
“We’ll find a way back home if it’s the last thing we do!” he had said.
“I’ve found a way!” Junior jumped up. Senior had startled him. “Come here!” Junior followed him back into the building. Mr. DaLoiff was fuming in a corner. When he saw Senior back inside, he jumped up.
“Can I tell you...?” he began. Senior didn’t listen. Junior stopped running and looked back at him. Senior was so anxious to get home that he didn’t let Junior listen either. He grabbed him by the arm and ran to the Earth section, still malfunctioning and just static was displayed. Senior instructed Junior on what to do.
“When I say ‘go,’ you jump at the screen, and I’ll be right behind you.” Senior stood on the cylinders. It took a couple of seconds, then they spun clockwise and simultaneously moved downward until they were the same height. “GO!” screamed Senior, and Junior jumped. But instead of going through the screen, he bounced off of it and landed in front of Senior’s feet. Senior was confused. “What happened, sir? How come he didn’t go through?”
“Well, it only works if you jump through a working screen. Since this one has static, it’s not working. I’m afraid you’re stuck here.”
“NOW you tell me!” shouted Senior.
“I’m bored,” said Junior. “What can I do?”
“Do you want to play Postball?”
“What-ball?” said Senior.
“Postball!” said Mr. DaLoiff. He led them to a grassy field outside. There was a large triangular section marked off by a fence. Next to it was a floppy swing attached to the tallest branch on a high tree. The swing had a headrest, like a chair. On the swing was a bright yellow volleyball.
“How do you play?” asked Junior.
“Well, it’s very simple. You take the ball and sit on the swing. Then you kick the ball into the field. If it touches the fence, you get a point. Then you keep playing until one person gets 20 points. If you don’t kick the ball into the field, or if it doesn’t touch the fence, you don’t get a point, but you don’t lose any points, either,” explained Mr. DaLoiff.
“So, who goes first?” asked Junior.
“I think you should go first,” said Senior. Junior ran over to the swing. He grabbed the ball, and then he saw just how floppy the swing was. He hesitated a moment, and then sat down. A seat belt appeared and strapped him in, making Junior gasp in surprise. Then the swing started to swing itself. Junior felt like he was about to fall off, but the seat belt held him in. It went very high. Junior looked down at Mr. DaLoiff and Senior. They looked like ants!
“Just kick the ball,” Junior thought. He decided the easiest way to do it was to drop-kick it, so he did that. Because of the extra speed of the swing, the ball went really fast. Pretty soon it was so far away, Junior could barely see it! When it stopped, a green check mark appeared where the ball had stopped rolling. The swing started to slow down, and it stopped. Mr. DaLoiff was clapping.
“Way to go! On the very first try, too! Did you know that is one of the hardest things for us to do?”
“Uhhh, yeah?” said Junior. “Y-your turn, Dad.” Senior sat down and the seat belt strapped him in. When the swing was at its highest point, Junior could not see his father. Suddenly he saw a yellow dot emerge from the swing. It landed in the field, and a big red X appeared where the ball stopped rolling. Senior stopped swinging, and he looked disappointed.
“I’ll keep track,” said Mrs. Hyken. She wrote the score on the sidewalk using tally marks: # of rounds: 1; Junior, 1; Senior, 0.
Then it was Junior’s turn again. He sat down in the swing and drop-kicked the ball. A green check appeared. Then Senior kicked it and a red X appeared. Then Junior kicked it and another red X appeared.
By the end of the game the score was # of rounds: 26; Junior, 20; Senior, 19. Junior had beaten his own father by one point!
TO BE CONTINUED
3/24/09
Chapter 3: Stuck
Mr. DaLoiff was frightened by the fact that Senior and Junior would never be able to return home. “Well, we might as well make them feel at home now, because they won’t be able to go back to their old home,” he said.
Mrs. Hyken sighed, but nodded. Then she went out the door. She was going to prepare a new house for them to live in.
When Senior and Junior recovered, the first thing they said was, “Where am I?”
“You’re on the planet Sprigg,” said Mr. DaLoiff. “The most advanced civilization in the Milky Way.”
Senior looked around himself.
“It looks just like Earth. What’s so advanced about it?”
“We can view life on other planets.”
“There is life on more than just one planet??” Junior asked, bewildered.
“Yes, and we can view all of them from this building.”
Senior was confused about something else. “How did we get from Earth to...uh...what did you say this planet’s name was?”
“Sprigg. Let me show you what happened.” Mr. DaLoiff guided them to another TV set. The signal for this one was good. Mr. DaLoiff moved the camera around. “So, this is what’s happening this very moment on the planet Tweeká. That little boy is asleep. But watch what happens when the camera hits his teddy bear.” Mr. DaLoiff jammed the camera into the toy bear. Immediately that same toy bear disappeared from the screen and threw itself at the people. It had come out of the screen.
“So, that’s what we did, huh? Weird. It took us longer than that to travel between two worlds.”
“Well, time runs slower in the ‘transition tunnel,’ as we call it. But it runs a lot slower when the screen is malfunctioning,” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“How do we put the bear back in his world?” interrupted Senior, not hearing the last sentence.
“Well, do you see these white things? You have to stand on them until they’re the same height.” Mr. DaLoiff demonstrated. Then he threw the bear at the screen. It went through the screen, appeared on the screen, and landed in the exact same spot.
“Does it work for all the worlds?”
“Yes, it does, in fact!”
“Well! There we go, Junior. The way back ho...Junior?”
Junior was nowhere to be seen.
“Uh, there actually is a problem, sir...” started Mr. DaLoiff.
But Senior was more worried about his son now. “Junior!! Get back here!” he shouted.
Junior had followed Mrs. Hyken out the door. She was now typing something on a computer.
Then Junior noticed a bunch of wooden boards.
“What are those for?” he asked.
“Oh, we’re making a new home for you.”
“What, you mean we can’t go back to our home on Earth?”
“Nope, unless we find some way to fix your signal. Otherwise, you’re stuck here.”
“Great,” remarked Junior.
Mrs. Hyken sighed, but nodded. Then she went out the door. She was going to prepare a new house for them to live in.
When Senior and Junior recovered, the first thing they said was, “Where am I?”
“You’re on the planet Sprigg,” said Mr. DaLoiff. “The most advanced civilization in the Milky Way.”
Senior looked around himself.
“It looks just like Earth. What’s so advanced about it?”
“We can view life on other planets.”
“There is life on more than just one planet??” Junior asked, bewildered.
“Yes, and we can view all of them from this building.”
Senior was confused about something else. “How did we get from Earth to...uh...what did you say this planet’s name was?”
“Sprigg. Let me show you what happened.” Mr. DaLoiff guided them to another TV set. The signal for this one was good. Mr. DaLoiff moved the camera around. “So, this is what’s happening this very moment on the planet Tweeká. That little boy is asleep. But watch what happens when the camera hits his teddy bear.” Mr. DaLoiff jammed the camera into the toy bear. Immediately that same toy bear disappeared from the screen and threw itself at the people. It had come out of the screen.
“So, that’s what we did, huh? Weird. It took us longer than that to travel between two worlds.”
“Well, time runs slower in the ‘transition tunnel,’ as we call it. But it runs a lot slower when the screen is malfunctioning,” said Mr. DaLoiff.
“How do we put the bear back in his world?” interrupted Senior, not hearing the last sentence.
“Well, do you see these white things? You have to stand on them until they’re the same height.” Mr. DaLoiff demonstrated. Then he threw the bear at the screen. It went through the screen, appeared on the screen, and landed in the exact same spot.
“Does it work for all the worlds?”
“Yes, it does, in fact!”
“Well! There we go, Junior. The way back ho...Junior?”
Junior was nowhere to be seen.
“Uh, there actually is a problem, sir...” started Mr. DaLoiff.
But Senior was more worried about his son now. “Junior!! Get back here!” he shouted.
Junior had followed Mrs. Hyken out the door. She was now typing something on a computer.
Then Junior noticed a bunch of wooden boards.
“What are those for?” he asked.
“Oh, we’re making a new home for you.”
“What, you mean we can’t go back to our home on Earth?”
“Nope, unless we find some way to fix your signal. Otherwise, you’re stuck here.”
“Great,” remarked Junior.
TO BE CONTINUED
2/28/09
Chapter 2: Sucked In
Meanwhile, back on Earth, a father, Senior, and his eight-year-old son, Junior, were playing a game. They were pretending to be chased by evil people, but then they pretended they were on the edge of a very high cliff. The pretend bad guys were getting closer...and closer...and closer! The only thing they were able to do was pretend to jump off the cliff. So they jumped, but instead of hitting the ground as they suspected, they felt as if they were really falling down a big cliff! Junior looked behind him, but he could see no cliff. Senior was confused too.
“Did someone dig a hole right in front of our door? Did we fall down a trap door to a secret basement filled with gold, jewels, diamonds, and other precious stuff? Am I asleep? Did we fall down the stairs?” were some of the things running through Junior’s mind.
Then both Senior and Junior noticed as if they didn’t feel like they were outside. But on the other hand, they didn’t feel like they were inside, either. They didn’t feel like they were in outer space. They didn’t really feel like they were anywhere! Ahead of them, nothing could be seen except pitch black. Junior couldn’t see his father, so he felt as if he was alone! But Senior felt safer. He trusted that his son wouldn’t leave him anywhere.
Junior tried to call out for his dad, but no sound came out. He figured it was because he was trying to whisper. So he tried shouting, but still no sound came out.
Senior was trying to make sure that he could feel Junior next to him, so he waved his hand around, but he could feel nothing. He then began to think that Junior had left him and was exploring wherever they were, because Junior always explored unfamiliar places. To make sure that Junior wasn’t too far away, he tried calling for him, but he could not speak.
Junior then realized that he couldn’t feel his own clothes! He tried to touch his stomach. Because he could feel no clothes, he thought he would feel bare skin. But no matter how far back he reached his arm, he could not feel anything. He could not even feel his own skin! He reached his arm so far back he started turning somersaults. Eventually he figured that he was simply gone, but then he realized that if he did not exist, he could not move anything that wasn’t there!
This seemed to be some sort of neutral passageway--neither Senior nor Junior could see, smell, feel, hear, or say anything. Neither of them felt safe at all anymore. However, they also thought that they were not very far from home. They felt as if that any minute this strange feeling would go away and they would be right back in their own house, right where they left off on their game. But this lasted for what seemed to be a very long time. If Junior was existing at that moment, he would have fallen asleep.
It seemed as if Junior did fall asleep, because when he appeared to wake up, his senses were starting to work again. He could feel his clothes again. He could see his father, and his father could see him. They hugged each other, finally knowing that they would never leave each other. Junior asked his dad, “What on earth is going on?! Where are we? What on wherever-we-are is going on?!” But he immediately noticed that he was the only one who could hear his own voice, because his father had turned away after they had hugged. He waved his hand in front of Senior, and Senior looked at him angrily. Senior tried to say, “What do you want?!” Junior then motioned for Senior to read his lips. He then said, “Do you know where we are?” slowly and carefully so that his father could read his lips without thinking, “Huh?” Senior then mouthed, “I don’t know.” But Junior did not see him, because he noticed something in front of him. Senior looked in the direction Junior was looking. They saw a giant square of what looked like static. In the distance, someone could hear a “bzsxzxzxzsxsxxssszxxsxszxzxz,” which was really coming from the static.
Senior and Junior then felt something that is kind of hard to describe. They felt as if they were being pushed forward, but they could feel no hand supporting them. They felt as if the static was sucking them in like a tornado, but they felt no wind. The static was getting bigger and bigger and bigger. When they collided with it, they felt as if they were passing through a layer of sand. Then they saw a piece of glass in front of them. Beyond the glass they could see a man and a woman inside what looked like an office building. The man and the woman looked perplexed, but they did not appear to see Junior or Senior. They were not moving. Senior and Junior could not control where they were going, but neither of them wanted to break the glass, because if they did it may cut into their skin. So they tried to go the other direction, but the glass was pulling them in too! Strangely, when they hit the glass, they could feel it, but it did not cut into their skin. Then they found themselves falling toward the man and the woman, and they landed on an unusual type of carpet. They were inside the office building.
Senior and Junior were stuck on Sprigg.
“Did someone dig a hole right in front of our door? Did we fall down a trap door to a secret basement filled with gold, jewels, diamonds, and other precious stuff? Am I asleep? Did we fall down the stairs?” were some of the things running through Junior’s mind.
Then both Senior and Junior noticed as if they didn’t feel like they were outside. But on the other hand, they didn’t feel like they were inside, either. They didn’t feel like they were in outer space. They didn’t really feel like they were anywhere! Ahead of them, nothing could be seen except pitch black. Junior couldn’t see his father, so he felt as if he was alone! But Senior felt safer. He trusted that his son wouldn’t leave him anywhere.
Junior tried to call out for his dad, but no sound came out. He figured it was because he was trying to whisper. So he tried shouting, but still no sound came out.
Senior was trying to make sure that he could feel Junior next to him, so he waved his hand around, but he could feel nothing. He then began to think that Junior had left him and was exploring wherever they were, because Junior always explored unfamiliar places. To make sure that Junior wasn’t too far away, he tried calling for him, but he could not speak.
Junior then realized that he couldn’t feel his own clothes! He tried to touch his stomach. Because he could feel no clothes, he thought he would feel bare skin. But no matter how far back he reached his arm, he could not feel anything. He could not even feel his own skin! He reached his arm so far back he started turning somersaults. Eventually he figured that he was simply gone, but then he realized that if he did not exist, he could not move anything that wasn’t there!
This seemed to be some sort of neutral passageway--neither Senior nor Junior could see, smell, feel, hear, or say anything. Neither of them felt safe at all anymore. However, they also thought that they were not very far from home. They felt as if that any minute this strange feeling would go away and they would be right back in their own house, right where they left off on their game. But this lasted for what seemed to be a very long time. If Junior was existing at that moment, he would have fallen asleep.
It seemed as if Junior did fall asleep, because when he appeared to wake up, his senses were starting to work again. He could feel his clothes again. He could see his father, and his father could see him. They hugged each other, finally knowing that they would never leave each other. Junior asked his dad, “What on earth is going on?! Where are we? What on wherever-we-are is going on?!” But he immediately noticed that he was the only one who could hear his own voice, because his father had turned away after they had hugged. He waved his hand in front of Senior, and Senior looked at him angrily. Senior tried to say, “What do you want?!” Junior then motioned for Senior to read his lips. He then said, “Do you know where we are?” slowly and carefully so that his father could read his lips without thinking, “Huh?” Senior then mouthed, “I don’t know.” But Junior did not see him, because he noticed something in front of him. Senior looked in the direction Junior was looking. They saw a giant square of what looked like static. In the distance, someone could hear a “bzsxzxzxzsxsxxssszxxsxszxzxz,” which was really coming from the static.
Senior and Junior then felt something that is kind of hard to describe. They felt as if they were being pushed forward, but they could feel no hand supporting them. They felt as if the static was sucking them in like a tornado, but they felt no wind. The static was getting bigger and bigger and bigger. When they collided with it, they felt as if they were passing through a layer of sand. Then they saw a piece of glass in front of them. Beyond the glass they could see a man and a woman inside what looked like an office building. The man and the woman looked perplexed, but they did not appear to see Junior or Senior. They were not moving. Senior and Junior could not control where they were going, but neither of them wanted to break the glass, because if they did it may cut into their skin. So they tried to go the other direction, but the glass was pulling them in too! Strangely, when they hit the glass, they could feel it, but it did not cut into their skin. Then they found themselves falling toward the man and the woman, and they landed on an unusual type of carpet. They were inside the office building.
Senior and Junior were stuck on Sprigg.
TO BE CONTINUED
1/31/09
Chapter 1: The Signal
In a solar system about 10 light years away from Earth, there was a planet bursting with life. Its name was Sprigg. In many ways, it was very similar to Earth: people that looked like us, English, breathable oxygen, etc. It can be very easy to confuse Earth with Sprigg. However, there was one difference.
Sprigg had unlimited access to view life on other worlds.
If you wanted to view another world without leaving Sprigg, first you would have to go into a big building. Then you would have to get permission from the manager, Mr. DaLoiff. He would then guide you to one of many large TV screens hanging on the wall. In front of each TV screen there were two white cylinders, each a different height. The shorter one would have a blue design on it, and the other would have a red swirl. Mr. DaLoiff would then turn on the TV screen, check the signal, and you could move the invisible camera around. However, you would have to make sure the camera did not touch anything, because if it did, whatever it touched would be brought into Sprigg! The only way to bring it back was to push down on each of the white cylinders until they were equal height (some people find it easier to stand on them, putting one foot on each cylinder). You would then throw the object at the screen, and it will pass through the screen and go back into its own world. If you wanted to go into the screen yourself, you would have to jump.
Around the middle of each year, Mr. DaLoiff would open the building to the public and check the signal for each world. On that day, and that day only, you can view any of the TV screens without permission.
In the middle of one year, Mr. DaLoiff was checking the signal for each of the TV screens. He discovered something was wrong, and he announced it to the entire building over the sound system:
“Something is wrong with the signal for planet Earth.”
Several people came to the building to see what was wrong. Eventually Mr. DaLoiff figured out the people just wanted to see the static, but one person, his assistant, Mrs. Hyken, was more interested on the actual problem.
“Could you be more specific?” she asked Mr. DaLoiff. “What do you mean by ‘something is wrong?’”
“Well,” Mr. DaLoiff answered, “we cannot see anything happening on Earth. If the malfunctioning camera collides with anything, they will still be brought to this building, but they will not be able to go back.”
“How dreadful!” Mrs. Hyken cried.
“Don’t worry, I’ll see what I can do.”
“How can you do that?” Mrs. Hyken asked. “I thought you had to be on that world to fix the signal.”
“Oh, yeah. Drat! The only chance we have of fixing the signal is if someone on that world would fix the signal. But what on Sprigg are the chances of that?!” he shouted.
“About 6,602,224,175 to one.”
“Uh, it was a rhetorical question, Mrs. Hyken.”
“Oh, okay. But we can’t communicate between this world and another when the signal is broken. What are we going to do?!”
Sprigg had unlimited access to view life on other worlds.
If you wanted to view another world without leaving Sprigg, first you would have to go into a big building. Then you would have to get permission from the manager, Mr. DaLoiff. He would then guide you to one of many large TV screens hanging on the wall. In front of each TV screen there were two white cylinders, each a different height. The shorter one would have a blue design on it, and the other would have a red swirl. Mr. DaLoiff would then turn on the TV screen, check the signal, and you could move the invisible camera around. However, you would have to make sure the camera did not touch anything, because if it did, whatever it touched would be brought into Sprigg! The only way to bring it back was to push down on each of the white cylinders until they were equal height (some people find it easier to stand on them, putting one foot on each cylinder). You would then throw the object at the screen, and it will pass through the screen and go back into its own world. If you wanted to go into the screen yourself, you would have to jump.
Around the middle of each year, Mr. DaLoiff would open the building to the public and check the signal for each world. On that day, and that day only, you can view any of the TV screens without permission.
In the middle of one year, Mr. DaLoiff was checking the signal for each of the TV screens. He discovered something was wrong, and he announced it to the entire building over the sound system:
“Something is wrong with the signal for planet Earth.”
Several people came to the building to see what was wrong. Eventually Mr. DaLoiff figured out the people just wanted to see the static, but one person, his assistant, Mrs. Hyken, was more interested on the actual problem.
“Could you be more specific?” she asked Mr. DaLoiff. “What do you mean by ‘something is wrong?’”
“Well,” Mr. DaLoiff answered, “we cannot see anything happening on Earth. If the malfunctioning camera collides with anything, they will still be brought to this building, but they will not be able to go back.”
“How dreadful!” Mrs. Hyken cried.
“Don’t worry, I’ll see what I can do.”
“How can you do that?” Mrs. Hyken asked. “I thought you had to be on that world to fix the signal.”
“Oh, yeah. Drat! The only chance we have of fixing the signal is if someone on that world would fix the signal. But what on Sprigg are the chances of that?!” he shouted.
“About 6,602,224,175 to one.”
“Uh, it was a rhetorical question, Mrs. Hyken.”
“Oh, okay. But we can’t communicate between this world and another when the signal is broken. What are we going to do?!”
TO BE CONTINUED
1/20/09
1/9/09
Welcome to Us!
Welcome to Moe's Stories! This blog contains stories written by the author of I Want Moe Attention. We hope you will enjoy them.
Check back later for our first story, The Escape From Sprigg!
Check back later for our first story, The Escape From Sprigg!
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