CRASH! The rocket fell through Mar’s heavy atmosphere and onto the Martian surface. Red sand filled the capsule and six kids, including me, stumbled out. I waited for the haze to clear, but when I opened my eyes again, everyone else was gone.
“Hazel? Sam?” I called out to my friends “Lily? José? Yasmin?”
I silently yelled at myself. It was so obvious that the rocket was going to crash. The red lights, the command center screaming into the intercom, the smoke coming from the engine - they were all signs. Anyway, it was too late now. I turned around and screamed. There were two weird creatures staring at me. They both had three eyes, two hands, two legs, and antennas sticking out of their oval heads. They looked identical, but one was orange with light red stripes and the other was glittery, like stardust. They both had a worried look on their faces.
“Um…hi?” I reluctantly said.
“Hi! I’m Ziggy and this is Stardust.” The striped one replied.
“I’m Bowie.” I responded.
They asked me where I came from. I said Earth. They also asked me why I was here. I didn’t know how to explain, so I just told my story from the beginning.
I had just finished my homework when Mom yelled for me to come to her office. I sprinted up the stairs and found her staring at her computer.
“Bowie, what is this?” She demanded. I glanced at the screen and whooped for joy. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it was going to explode.
“Well?” Mom pestered. I quickly told her how I had applied for a Mars mission. Six kids were chosen to go to the red planet every year, but this was the first time they were actually going to try to go to space. When I finished, Mom’s brown eyes were filled with concern.
“Without telling me? What if something goes wrong?” Her eyes widened. “What if you get hurt? I mean, yeah there are other kids, but I can’t lose you…”
“Shelia, he’ll be fine. Let him have some fun. You’re too overprotective.” Dad walked into the room and smiled at me. “Bowie, don’t you agree?”
We all laughed.
“So, then what happened?” Stardust asked, bringing me back into the present.
“Well, I think it’s kind of obvious.” I replied. “The five other kids were chosen; we all went on a spaceship; it crashed upon landing; everyone else disappeared; and now, I’m telling a story to two aliens that I just met. The end.”
To my surprise, Ziggy and Stardust clapped. I smiled and rolled my eyes. Then, I stood up and told them that I needed to find my friends. They shared a look and stood up along with me.
“We’re coming too.” They announced. I started to protest, but they cut in. “We know Mars like the back of our hand. You’re more likely to get trapped in a dust storm than to successfully find the others.”
The thought of dust storms caught my attention. I weighed my options: death by a dust storm or following two Martians and hopefully making it off this planet alive. I knew this wasn’t what Mom and Dad expected, but what can I say? Mom didn’t want to lose me and Dad wanted me to have fun, so I guess it was a little bit of both.
“Ok. You two can come with me, but if we don’t find my friends after five hours, I’m going on my own.” Ziggy and Stardust bobbled their heads, their antennas swaying. I started to walk ahead.
“One quick question.” Ziggy asked. I turned to look at him. “What’s an hour?”
We headed off in search of others. It turns out that Mars is as dreary and boring as textbooks are. All you can see are red rocks and craters for miles. Occasionally some grass, but mainly rocks. I may not die of a dust storm, but of boredom.
“Or so you think.” Stardust randomly said.
“Huh?”
“Oh! We forgot to tell you. We can read minds!”
“WHAT?!?” I screamed, my voice echoing throughout the dusty planet. Suddenly, a breeze whispered in my ear. Literally.
“You are sleepy. Very, very sleepy…” It said as I frantically tried to swat it away, but of course, it’s wind. Just then, a loud buzzing noise filled the air and the wind disappeared. I turned to look at Ziggy and Stardust, but they were nowhere in sight.
“We’re behind you.” I turned around to find the duo floating in the air, partially visible. “We were seeing if you could withstand the powers of Mars. Only thoughtful people would not fall under the planet’s spell. You, Bowie, are one of them.”
“…Thanks?” I questioned. “Wait, so what would happen if I wasn’t, um, thoughtful?”
They demonstrated by falling to the ground, fast asleep. I thought that’s all that would happen, but Ziggy started to glow and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. I gasped and stepped back. I looked around to see if he would come back.
“I’m over here!” I heard him exclaim. I whipped around to see him some three feet away. Stardust and I hurried over to him and the two of them burst into laughter. “That’s just an old Martian trick we used to play on each other.” He assured me. “There’s no spell. We just wanted to see what you would do.” I glared at them.
“Wait.” A thought struck me. “Is there any magic on Mars? What if my friends were, I don’t know, taken by a spell?” As soon as I said that, I realized how ridiculous it sounded. I was 13. How could I still believe in magic?
“You thought aliens didn’t exist. And yet, here we are!” Stardust happily responded.
“True.” I said thoughtfully. “Wait, how did you know…?”
Stardust tapped the side of her head, indicating that they could know everything I was thinking. Oh, right. But Ziggy said that thoughtful people didn’t fall under the spell, if there was one. All my friends were thoughtful, except maybe Sam, but…? BAM! My thoughts were interrupted when a loud boom echoed over the grassy hills. The alien’s antennas shot up.
“That doesn’t sound like a traditional Trial By Fire.” Ziggy stated.
“The WHAT-NOW?” I yelled.
“Help!” I heard someone cry out. That voice sounded familiar, but where have I heard it?
“THE ALIENS ARE TAKING OVER!!” A different voice screamed. This time, I knew exactly who that was.
“Be quiet! The Martians might hear us.” Hazel hissed.
“Don’t we want that?” Yasmin replied. “We’re in need of medical attention.”
“Wait, what? Who needs medical attention?” Sam asked.
“Me! Who do you think? Bowie?” José growled.
“Yes!” Sam exclaimed. “For all that we know, he could be abducted by the aliens. Or he could be the appetizer and we could be the main course. Or…”
“STOP!” Everyone yelled.
“Ok, ok. Sheesh.” Sam grumbled.
Next to me, Stardust giggled and she started to step towards my friends, but I grabbed her and pulled her back.
“What?” She asked.
“We don’t want them to see us!” I whispered.
“Don’t you want to save them?” Ziggy asked.
“Yes, but José is hurt, Sam thinks I’ve been abducted, and the rest of them are looking ready to attack anyone who comes their way.” I replied.
“So, then what do you want to do?” They looked at me with wide eyes. I smiled, huddled them together, and told them my plan.
“It’s been hours and no one is coming.” Sam whined. “You guys should have just let me yell for the Martians.”
“Yeah, and become a main course, like you said. Great idea, Sam.” José glared at him. “Hey, I wonder what would be for dessert. Oh wait, THAT COULD BE US.”
“Just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean I’ll feel sorry for you.” He replied. “And also, you just said that we’ll become the main course, and then you said we would be dessert. So what are we? Make up your mind.”
“Both of you, stop fighting. I don’t want the last thing I hear to be Sam wondering if pizza will be a thing in 100 years.” Lily complained.
“I didn’t say that.” Sam chimed in.
“You did on Earth.” Hazel argued.
“Well, we’re on Mars.” Sam shot back.
“EVERYONE, BE QUIET!” Yasmin shouted. “I think I hear something.”
They all listened as a faint rustling coming from the swaying grasses grew louder and louder. There was nothing they could do but listen and hope that nothing happened to them. They couldn’t leave without José, whose leg was hurt. And even if they did manage to escape, where would they go? They also needed to find Bowie, who they haven’t seen since they crash-landed on this dusty planet. They watched as two aliens emerged from the grass. The aliens both had three eyes, two hands, two legs, and antennas sticking out of their oval heads. They looked identical, but one was orange with light red stripes and the other was glittery, like stardust. The kids screamed.
“Don’t worry! We’re here to help you. I’m Ziggy and this is Stardust.” The striped one confirmed. Still, the children were reluctant to trust the strange creatures. To everyone’s surprise, Yasmin was the first to speak up.
“Can you help my brother?” Her voice quivered. “He broke his leg when we crashed.” The one named Stardust walked over to José, but stopped when Hazel spoke up.
“How did you know he was the one who broke his leg?” Hazel demanded, pointing towards José.
“We can read minds!” Ziggy replied happily. The kids just stared at him. Stardust continued towards José and bent over his leg. She placed her hands on it and lightly tugged as José winced in pain.
“What are you doing?” Sam asked. “Cutting off his leg so that you can add it to the Bowie appetizer? Or using it to make a José eclair?” Everyone looked at him in disbelief. Lily sighed and shook her head. José muttered something under his breath. Ziggy’s mouth fell open and Stardust turned around at Sam’s words.
“Wow.” Stardust spoke to Ziggy. “I can’t believe he knew that already. I just started the process.”
“¿Que?” José yelled in Spanish. It was his first language, after all. He crab-walked backwards as fast as he could.
“I KNEW IT!” Sam bragged.
“Not the time, Sam!” Lily yelped as Stardust lunged towards her. Hazel and Yasmin tried to help José stand up, but they broke apart when Ziggy ran straight for them. José limped towards the others, but he fell down as the two aliens pushed him. He turned over so that he was facing the pinkish sky, but that was blocked out when Ziggy and Stardust towered over him.
“How do you think he tastes?” Ziggy faced Stardust.
“I don’t care, as long as I’m not hungry anymore.” The alien replied.
“¡Por favor, no!” José cried.
“Sorry, kid. We don’t speak your weird human language.” Ziggy laughed. And yet you speak English, José was about to say when the aliens leaned towards him and he covered his face with his right arm.
This is the end of my life, José thought. I’ll never see my parents again. I’ll never see my sister again, even though she’s right next to me. I’ll die on a strange, red, dusty planet by a couple aliens who I actually trusted. Adiós, world!
As the Martians leaned closer, ready to eat him whole, something burst out of the tall grasses and pushed Ziggy and Stardust apart. José uncovered his face and his jaw dropped in disbelief as the figure became clear. It was Bowie!
“THAT WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN!” I yelled at the two cowering aliens. “ALL YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO WAS HELP JOSÉ. INSTEAD, YOU TRY TO EAT HIM!”
“We were hungry.” Stardust said in a small voice.
“Still. He was my friend.” I growled. “I can’t believe I trusted you two.”
“We weren’t going to do anything to him. We just wanted to scare him.” Ziggy spoke softly.
“Well, at least you accomplished something.” José stated, brushing the red soil off his clothes.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I held out my hand to him and he grasped it as he tried to get up. He leaned on my shoulder for support.
“As for you two,” I looked at the aliens. “I’m willing to give you a second chance if you don’t eat anyone.” They nodded. “Good. Now, do you by any chance remember where the rocket was?”
Stardust nodded again. “We do know where it was, but that won’t help you get back to Earth. It’s broken.”
“Then how do we get back home?” Sam asked, voicing everyone’s thoughts.
“Well, we could fix it for you, under one condition.” Ziggy replied shyly.
“What’s that?” Lily asked.
“Like we said before, we are hungry. You give us food and we will repair your spaceship. But we need the food first. You know, for energy.” Ziggy announced. He turned toward José.
“Woah, woah, woah. Let me tell you this: NO ONE IS EATING ME.” José declared.
“No one wants to.” Sam shot back.
“Hey, Ziggy and Stardust, can you both eat Sam?” Hazel asked. “No one wants him anyways.”
Everyone laughed.
end