Starcraft Ejection

A young boy is visited by an out-of-this world being

            It was a cool night and Danny was walking home from his friend’s house. It was getting late and he knew his mother would be worried and most likely reprimand him.

            “Mom’s going to kill me,” he thought. Danny, a young boy of eleven years, was to be home by eight o’clock; that is what he had promised. He also promised to do his homework at his friend’s house, but he and Patrick, his friend, spent the evening playing video games instead.

            Patrick’s parents were a little more easy-going. Danny’s mom, however, was strict and a very nasty lady when she wanted to be. He knew he would get no dinner, no weekend fun, and certainly no chocolate pudding placed in his lunchbox for the next day.

            He cut across the park, which was a shortcut through the block. No one was there. No joggers, no one swinging on the swings, no other kids, and no adults that he could see.

            As he walked, the arms of his coat rubbed against his torso and made a swishing noise; he was comforted by it. He remembered what his mother said about strangers. “Never talk to a stranger or ever get into a strange car,” she told him. Danny knew all this from school when a police officer came one day and talked to the class.

            Before he made it through the short-cut, he heard a buzzing noise coming from high above his head. He looked up and saw a bright light. Its’ incandescence shined like a star in the night sky. Danny felt if he reached up, he could pick it out of the sky and hold it.

            It was getting closer.

            Danny started to run as the buzzing became louder and almost seemed to follow him. He could see his small breaths in the evening’s chill air. Panting, he sprinted as fast as he could while his book bag flopped on his back, up and down.

            Then, he stopped and all he could hear was his heavy breathing. All was quiet, but he was too afraid to look behind.

            Before he could continue on his way, a loud chirping rang out followed by an alarm that sounded like a car when bumped into accidentally.

            Danny stood frozen.

            “God, I swear,” he started praying, “If you let me live I will never stay out again, I will eat all my vegetables, I …”

            Thrown forward by a crash behind him, he fell and lay on his stomach. Dust flew all over and stung his eyes. He tried to look around but without success. His hands burned after catching himself on the cement sidewalk that had laid feet away before he had been catapulted.

            “What on God’s green Earth?” he said aloud sounding like his grandfather.

            A whirring sounded behind him and then a click-click-clack.

            He then heard footsteps. They sounded like they were walking down a piece of metal. Danny looked behind and saw a spaceship with the front open and a long walk-way extending from it.

            There stood a figure that appeared lizard-like, reptilian. It wore a jumpsuit with badges all over the chest.

            Danny noticed he wasn’t wearing a helmet.

            The lizard-man brought up his hand to his forehead and saluted the young boy who still lay on the ground. He could only manage to raise his hand to his brow and salute back. The creature from space walked back into the ship then another figure walked out. Only this one had the body of a man but the head of a wolf.

            “You okay, kid?” the wolf-man asked.

            “Yeah,” Danny replied. “My mom said not to talk to you. I don’t know you.”

            “She’s right. We were just stopping by to see how you guys were doing.” The wolf-creature looked around and nodded. “Looks pretty good.”

            “Where are you from?”

            “I’m from a planet far away from yours.”

            “Who are you?”

            The wolf searched for the words trying to find an analogy for the boy. “I’m like a cop, but a space-cop.”

            “Oh …”

            “It’s a job,” he said then shrugged. “Well, I guess we’ll be going now.” The wolf-headed creature-man started to walk back into the spacecraft.

            “Wait!” Danny yelled.

            The wolf-man stopped walking up the metal plank and turned back around.

            “Take me with you?”

            “I can’t, kid. I’m sure your mother would really miss you,” he said then winked.

            Danny lay there and watched as the ship’s mouth drew in the metal walk-way then shut. It’s thrusters fired and propelled it into the air. After a moment, it was just another star like before. He got up, dusted his knees off, and wiped his face.

            “Mom’s never going to believe me,” he said looking into the dark sky. He waved at the stars then continued on his way home.

Author's Note

Written in the fall of 2016