This story was inspired by NASA’s mission on Mars and remote learning using Google Docs
My Alien Pen Pal
Chapter 1
The sun crept into the kitchen and warmed the surface where Rebecca was sat with her Mum. Rebecca was eating one half of the chocolate bar and her Mum was eating the other half. It was just another ordinary day in lockdown. They had been in lockdown for three months and Rebecca was feeling bored and lonely. Rebecca loved to learn all about space, nothing could replace her knowledge about space.
“Mum, don’t you understand aliens are real and one day I will get PROOF, and nothing is going to stop me - is that CLEAR?” shouted Rebecca, in between mouthfuls of chocolate.
“Oh honey, there is no such thing as aliens; it is just your imagination,” said her Mum, laughing her head off.
“Is not,” whispered Rebecca, frustrated.
Chapter 2
It was a particularly cold day on Mars; the temperature was -400C and Zak felt like he was living in a freezer. Mars was much further from the sun than the planet Earth, which meant that the Marshmallows had evolved to have skin that kept their body temperature warm enough to survive. Their skin was as green as an avocado. They began life on Mars with six eyes, and when they become a teenager, they have fourteen eyes, and if the girls become mothers, they change and get thirty six eyes in order to keep their eye out for the Marsbears, who like to eat the baby Marshmallows for their special saliva juice. Marshmallow fathers also get forty seven eyes. Their eyes appear like little purple freckles on their face.
“Zak what are you doing?” asked Zinky, Zak’s older brother, nosily.
“Oh yeh Zinky, I am building a teleporter to go to earth, ” said Zak.
“But why?” asked Zinky, lifting his ten green arms to the sky.
“I am going to because in my book about humans, it said every human that exists is very nice and cheerful,” replied Zak, a broad smile spreading across his face like a shooting star.
“Ok, have fun going to earth,” replied Zinky. “I will just stay here with Mum and Dad. Make sure you let us know you’ve arrived there safely through the iPhone!”
“I will Zinky,” replied Zak, cheerfully in excitement.
His teleporter was shaped like a weirdly shaped huge gold crystal. When he stepped inside, he immediately was hoovered up into a rainbow land, and began flying like a sonic flash through time. Within seconds, he was teleported to Earth.
The first thing he noticed was how clean the air was and how warm it was. The hot air washed over his face and body making him feel weird and strange. Immediately in front of his six eyes, he saw a rectangular building with a strange figure walking inside. He walked closer to get a better look at the large figure and decided to go inside the house through the open patio doors. When he came into the house, he saw many grand magnificent drawings and paintings. They were very odd and strange. These things don’t exist, he thought. He saw a dog, a cat and an elephant, but he’d never seen these creatures before. Do they make these things up, he thought. Whoever drew these paintings are awesome, he thought, using all of his eyes to take it all in.
Zak walked a little further into the house. As Zak was walking, he saw a little bit of brown stuff on the floor. He put it in his mouth and was surprised at how delicious it tasted. He had never tasted anything like it on Mars. Marshmallows ate forty times a day; they ate larva monitors and larva bonanza - two types of plant.
Rebecca suddenly stomped into the kitchen where Zak was.
“Why can’t my mum just believe me that aliens are real but where can I get proof?” said Rebecca loudly.
Zak instantly popped onto her hand. Rebecca looked down, then she gasped in disbelief.
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, I knew aliens existed! Well, you are an alien aren’t you? Well, you are green and I think you are nice and you have six eyes, so you have to be an alien,” said Rebecca, looking down at little Zak.
“Yes, I am an alien!” said Zak, looking into her two brown eyes, that twinkled in the light like the shooting stars that Zak could see at night. “I have always wanted to meet a human like you.”
“Thank you alien, that is so sweet of you,” said Rebecca, kindly.
“My name is Zak,” said Zak, proudly, wiggling his eyes from side to side.
“That is so cool, I’m called Rebecca” said Rebecca, impressed. “Hey Zak, is it OK that I show you to my mum because she says that aliens don’t exist but they do?”
“If your mum says that aliens don’t exist, I will let you show her,” said Zak, kindly.
“Thank you so much Zak,” said Rebecca, excitedly.
Rebecca rushed out of the kitchen and went into the living room, where her mum was watching Casualty on the television.
“Mum, Mum!” shouted Rebecca. “See I told you that aliens are real see,” said Rebecca. Zak jumped onto her Mum's lap and instantly she flopped like a banana skin onto the sofa and lost consciousness.
Chapter 3
Rebecca started to shake her mum fast and a tiny bit hard as if she was a doll. Rebecca’s mum woke up and said, “How is there an alien on your hand like we are in a dream.”
“We are not in a dream, this is a real alien and now I am going to my room to play with this cute little alien. Is that ok mum?” asked Rebecca, kindly as her eyes widened like an owl’s.
“Yes, that is ok as long as you don’t make too much noise, Ok?” said her Mum, tilting her head curiously to look at the little alien.
“Ok mum, I won’t make too much noise,” said Rebecca. “Hey Zak, how about we jump out of the window and go on an adventure,” cried Rebecca, excitedly.
“Come on what are we waiting for? Let's just go,” said Zak.
They both jumped out of the window not with one scratch on them. It was still a bright sunny day, and still Zak couldn’t believe how warm it was. His skin felt like melted ice cream. The trees seemed to wave at them as they walked down her road to the main highway, as they danced in the warm breeze. Suddenly, a beautiful creature flapped its wings in front of Zak’s face.
“What on earth is that?” shouted Zak, looking bemused. “We don’t have creatures like that on Mars!”
“It’s called a butterfly. They only live for one day!” Rebecca replied. “Isn’t that sad?”
“Aw, that is sad. But at least they get to fly around!” he said, sadly.
At the bottom of the main highway was a huge McDonalds. Its massive yellow and red sign immediately caught Zak’s eye.
“Hey Zak, let’s go,” said Rebecca. “You’re gonna love the food! I bet you don’t have French Fries on Mars!”
“OK,” replied Zak, wondering what on earth French Fries were.
They both went into the McDonalds restaurant. Zak smelt the air in the place. It smelt like summer air just like outside mixed with other smells he didn’t recognise. Rebecca ordered a double burger with ketchup and French Fries. For Zak, Rebecca ordered French Fries and some green slob. Rebecca took Zak to table four.
“Hey Zak, I got a Happy meal so I will give the toy to you,” said Rebecca, politely.
“Thank you Rebecca,” said Zak. They got their Happy meal. Rebecca opened the toy and it was an alien. Zak was just laughing at the toy for so long until Rebecca gave Zak his green slob and french fries. He had a taste of the slob then the french fries. Zak loved them. Then Zak said, “Rebecca that green slob and french fries are so good.”
“I told you so,” said Rebecca. They kept on eating until they finished. Rebecca decided that they should get the chocolate ice cream. When they got the ice cream it was DELICIOUS!
“Zak it is time to go home,” said Rebecca.
They both walked out of McDonalds and into the warm air. Zak loved watching the beautiful yellow daffodils and the pretty little robins, which hopped happily in the calm wind. On Mars, there were no animals or plants.
“It is never this hot on Mars it is so cold, that is why we have this kind of fur on us,” said Zak, in amazement. “I wish we had creatures flying around back home!”
“How about I give you one of our puppies because we have five?” asked Rebecca, smiling happily.
“Thank you Rebecca,” cried Zak, with tears of joy filling his six eyes.
“We’re home now!” said Rebecca, turning to walk into her driveway and towards the back of her house.
They climbed up the lamp post like monkeys, and leapt into Rebecca’s open bedroom window.
“Phew, we made it without Mum realising!” Rebecca exclaimed, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. Zak had perched himself on her window sill, but had a sad look on his face, as if a dark cloud had descended on him.
“I can only stay for one day,” said Zak, crying.
“But why?” said Rebecca, confused. “Why can’t you stay?”
Chapter 4
“Zak, this may be a weird question but can we be friends?” asked Rebecca, politely.
“OF COURSE WE CAN!!!!! shouted Zak. As more of the excitement came up Zak said sadly, “I have to move back to Mars because my parents will be worried. But don’t worry, I might just have a way to talk to each other. We could use GOOGLE DOCS!”
“Well I guess we could use……” said Rebecca.
“Yes, we can use Google docs,” interrupted Zak. They went back downstairs and went into the garden.
“Zak before you leave,here are some bulbs for you to plant and here's my dog. His name is Danny,” said Rebecca, sadly. “My dog had five puppies and I would love you to have one on Mars!”
As Zak went into the teleporter, holding the little puppy, Danny and the bulbs, he said to Rebecca,
“Goodbye Rebecca.”
“Goodbye Zak,” said Rebecca. When Zak left, Rebecca walked back into the house with a grumpy face on. Her heart felt like a rock in her chest. Her tears formed into an army to start a fight between her cheeks. While Zak was in his teleporter, he also had a grumpy face on. It was if a huge dark cloud had suddenly formed above his head; rain started to fall heavily from his eyes.
After pressing the correct buttons, Zak landed on Mars; he had almost forgotten what his home looked like!
Compared to Earth, Mars made Zak feel like a fish finger in a freezer. All around him, all he could see was a canvas of red, purple, pink and blue. There were no green plants, no animals, only red and brown dust covering the bright red planet. He looked at the bulbs in his hands and he was determined to plant them. He wanted a garden just like Rebecca’s. Suddenly, Danny wriggled free of his arms and leapt onto the ground. In ten seconds, Danny was a long distance from Zak, so he had to run after him. Luckily, he managed to catch up with him and grabbed him with his arms. I’ll have to make a lead and a fence to make sure you don’t escape, thought Zak, as he walked back to his house.
Chapter 5
The minute Zak got back in his room, he started writing his letter. He started with,
Dear Rebecca,
How is it back on Earth? I have been missing you the minute I got into my teleporter. Thank you for teaching me all of the earth stuff. It is really hard seeing a friend then you have to leave them right? Just what I’m trying to say is you will always be my friend, even though I can’t see you.
Love from your pen pal Zak.
Zak sent the letter to Rebecca in a Google Doc. When Rebecca got the message, she started to read it. It was amazing and so sweet, so Rebecca wrote back to him.
She started with,
Dear Zak,
It is perfect back on Earth. I have also been missing you too, every second of the day. It was my pleasure to teach you all of the earth stuff. Also, you are right it is very, very hard to see a friend that is so close to you and then they have to leave. Just like us. But nothing can stop our friendship.
Love from your pen pal Rebecca.
By Rebecca Brown, aged 8
2021