Jaden Larson: Finding Answers

Hard Times

It's not everyday you hear that you are not actually the child of the people you live with. On top of that, knowing you are not originally from a planet you considered home is like adding insult to injury. Young Jaden Larson was probably the first person in history to find out this ugly truth. Along with this, seeing the person who raised you as your mother lying in pieces outside a house of unknown horrors, their blood all over the ground, is not a good add-on! For an eleven year kid, this is a lot to handle. "Jaden, mom was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She is not our biggest worry right now" said Lucy, trying to comfort Jaden. "She's your mom. My mom is somewhere on another planet, maybe dead, maybe alive. The woman that died was more than a mother to me. She was  the one who took me in, the one who made the person, well, whatever I am, today. She was the one who used to do everything for me, even though she didn't know where I came from" replied Jaden, firmly, to the shock of Lucy. Then , Lily and James, their close friends, entered the room. "Your dad let us in" said James. "Lucy's dad" corrected Jaden. "Jaden, I still consider you to be my little brother. We have been through too much together" said Lucy, who was desperate to make Jaden feel better. "We have two days, before it comes. Something has to be thought of, for the sake of our planet" said Lily, after a long, strange silence. "You can think of something" said Jaden. "I need to find my real parents". "Are you mad? Tell me, Jaden, are you on Earth's side, or are with the invaders?" asked James. "I need to do this for the Earth. If anyone would be able to help us, it would be them. I am their son, and parents would do anything for the well-being of their children" replied Jaden, who sounded like he had just come out of the largest war in history. "I will come with you" said James, just before Lily could scream "NO". "But-" said James, until he was interrupted by Frederick Larson, Lucy's father. "What's all the screaming about?!" he asked. "Dad, Jaden wants to go to Neptune, to find his real parents" said Lucy, almost in tears. "They would  the only ones willing to give us answers about the weaknesses and such of Neptunians" said Jaden, defending his intentions. After a long and hard think, Frederick spoke out. "If this is the only way, then it must be done. Jaden will also see his real parents". Jaden smiled for the first time in a long time. "On one condition" said Frederick, which changed Jaden's expression completely. "I come with you" said Frederick. "Dad, it's too dangerous!" pleaded Lucy. "We lost mom, now we don't want to lose you too! At least Jaden has a chance of surviving". "Jaden needs someone with him, and I really want to see his parents,and tell them face-to-face that I took Jaden as my own" replied Frederick, with fire in his eyes.   

An Unexpected Encounter

A silent afternoon was what came after that episode, with Lucy still trying to convince her father not to go through with it, using fake tears, which Lucy was really good at. However, although valiant and award worthy, her efforts didn't do her her any good. Frederick Larson was looking forward to going to Neptune so much, he even packed some scientific equipment to collect things and investigate them! "Are those really necessary?" asked Jaden, wondering if there would even be time to sight-see. "We could be the discoverers of something out there, something different, if we investigate it" replied Frederick. "Just don't try to 'investigate' my parents" commanded Jaden, who had a sense of nervousness within him. "Okay, now listen up" said Lily. "When Lucy and I were there, briefly it may be, we saw floating things. Nothing was touching the ground, and I expect you won't either. The people, well, they looked.....indescribable. Some are green, some are blue, some are purple, and some are orange, as I seem to recall". "There was also one red guy" added Lucy. "The automobiles, well, we saw none. I managed to catch one disappear and reappear about sixty meters away". "They can teleport themselves?" asked Jaden. "As some theories may suggest" said Lucy. "What have you packed dad?". "Clothes, food, water and weapons like knives and potatoes, just in case" replied her father. "Only one thing left to do" said Jaden. "Leave". After a short walk, they made it to the house, only to have Jaden hearing strange noises, like banshees screeching inside. "I can sense it" murmured Jaden. "What?" asked Lily, who wasn't confused by all the strange thing happening to Jaden anymore. "Someone is inside, someone of my kind" replied  Jaden. All the 'byes' and 'good lucks' had been passed among them, an it was time to enter the house, the same house that had trapped the gang inside for a short period of time, the same one that had sucked Lily and Lucy into Neptune, the same house where they met Reakton Carstonomin. Mr.Larson approached the door slowly, signalling Jaden to stay back for a moment or two, and the door opened. Out stepped Rick Taylor, at least, that's what he called himself. "Ah, my friends, how are you?" he said in a very friendly tone. "We know who you are" said Jaden. "Oh, I see. Keeping this ridiculous act going was the toughest thing I ever did. I expected you to eventually discover yourself, Dasyertos Ploghenstael" he said, pointing towards Jaden. "I could sense that you learned it from this, weak, unreliable, filthy male-guardian of yours. By the way, I was the one who killed your meager, pathetic female-guardian" said Rick, with delight in his tone. Jaden felt a rush within him, one he never felt before. His first concern was about his real name. Was he really called Dasyertos? He wasn't even sure if it was full of anger, sadness or confusion, or a blender full of all three. "Why, why did you have to do that? Why did you have to hurt so many of us?" pleaded Jaden. Before he even got an answer, Jaden saw something hit Reakton, a book. It was his own diary. He wasn't sure who brought it, but all he heard was Lucy's voice saying "Dad, Jaden, run into the house!". By instinct, Jaden threw his father into the house, and then ran in himself. He looked back and saw the doors closing, and the last thing he saw was Reakton Carstonomin become about six times larger. He ran back towards the doors in an attempt to save his friends, but he realized that Reakton had locked it shut.

Entering the Portal

Being in the house again made Jaden feel anxious. It brought back some memories; being sucked in because only he heard an anonymous voice telling him to; fighting off ghosts that came from Neptune; and meeting Reakton Carstonomin. With these things stuck in his head, and the fact that his friends were in danger, it was tough for Jaden Larson, as he was called on Earth, to concentrate on the issues ahead of him. He had to find the room where the portal was located, and then he had to guide his so-called father into it. He recalled being pulled into a room after Lucy and Lily, so he had to go into the room before his. That he did, with Frederick Larson following him. But, he didn't go into a portal. He searched everywhere around the room, but the portal was missing. "Why are we searching through the room?" asked Frederick, who was extremely puzzled. "The portal was in this room a few days ago" replied Jaden. "Jaden, you are a Neptunian. You should be able to sense where the portal is" said Frederick. Jaden knew his Earth-dad was right. He forgot everything everything around him, and began to see things. He saw the room he was in, and the portal to Neptune being inside it. "It's next door" said Jaden, who moving towards the portal like a magnet. When they entered the room, Jaden fell out of the trance. "Are you ready, son?" asked Frederick. "Dad, we will make it through this, trust me". And so, they went through.....

A Lucky Break

When they reached Neptune, which felt like only a second, they hit the floor hard. Jaden landed on his left arm, which was with a much greater force than on Earth, because the gravitational force is greater than that of Earth. Trying as much as he could to forget the pain, he then remembered what he had learnt in school: 'Neptune is a gas planet. If you attempted to go into it, you would float right through it.' "Dad, how are we on land?" he asked, confused and in intense pain. No answer. "Dad?". No answer. Jaden turned around only to see nothing but turf. He was now alone in a planet he only read about as a massive blue ball with no solid surface and loads of storms. Jaden decided to find some locals. 

After a few minutes of walking, Jaden wandered into what he thought was a city. The buildings were floating, but they were much higher than the buildings on Earth. In fact, they made the Empire State look like a person, in terms of size. "Hang on" Jaden thought. "I'm the only thing on the ground. People are floating above me". Without thinking for a moment, Jaden saw an orange, six-eyed, two-mouthed, ten-nosed, five-armed and three-legged person and screamed "Hello? Can you help me?" The creature approached as if Jaden was a Neptunian. Then Jaden remembered that he is one. "Yes dear?" said a female's voice, as she handed him a pair of shoes. "Put them on, they would help you float like us" she said. Jaden put it on and instantly got the fright of his life. "Don't worry. They are just adjusting to your mass and structure". After seventeen seconds, they did. "They recognise you. You are from here" she said. "Thank you" Jaden said, as he was gliding through the air, whatever Neptunian air was made of. "Do you know anyone named Ploghenstael?". The woman, as Jaden thought she was, said in a surprised tone "that is my last name". Jaden realised now that he was standing opposite his own mother, his birth mother, the one that had brought him into this universe. "Err... miss, my name is Dasyertos, I think I am your son". The woman collapsed. She was now lying down, floating in mid-air. She had fainted, and it was only now that Jaden remembered his Earth father. He turned around, only to find nothing. His father, the one who took him in for eleven years, was missing on a planet that was hundreds of times larger than Earth and is known to humans for having only gas, no life and loads of storms. 

  The Story of Neptune

Jaden Larson, or as he was originally called, Dasyertos Ploghenstael, had been having the worst of weeks. His mother died, his friends and sister were in trouble, he lost his father on Neptune and he found out that he was not from Earth. He desperately needed answers, but more than answers, he needed food. His appetite and hunger seemed to shoot skywards after he landed on Neptune. But he wasn't sure how. He was from this planet, but he was brought up on Earth. He didn't know why. His Earth mother just died in seconds in front of the portal house. He had no clue how. His Earth father vanished in seconds without him realising it. He didn't know why and how. Neptune wanted to invade Earth and his real mother fainted at the sight of him, for reasons unknown.

Jaden Larson needed answers, and he approached his unconscious mother for some. She woke up after a few minutes, and she almost fainted again. "I thought....I thought you would be dead in that horrible planet". Jaden was astonished at the attitude of the woman. "Earth is a magnificent planet, why would you think of it as horrible?" asked Jaden. "Come into my house, I will tell you everything". Jaden agreed. Before he knew it he was on a pod travelling around the planet, at speeds unimaginable, but strangely, he couldn't feel it. He got to observe the structure of the planet, and wondered how astrologists couldn't see what he was seeing now. The entire blue ball had only solid land the size of Earth, and the rest was just gas. This was completely made of buildings and monuments, but no roads, which then Jaden understood was because the pods was the mode of transport for everyone. Then, Jaden noticed the house-like structures which formed another layer on the other side of the pods, and it was obvious where the Neptunians lived. It struck Jaden that the entire planet resembled an atom, one with three shells and many, many electrons, thousands of them. After a long, quiet while, Mrs.Ploghenstael opened the door to her floating home and welcomed Jaden in. Jaden couldn't stop thinking about his father, who was out there somewhere, confused, stranded or even dead. "Twelve years ago, Dasyertos, twelve Earth years-" "I would prefer it if you called me Jaden" interrupted Jaden. "Jaden....a strange name. Alright, moving on, twelve Earth years ago, there rose a man by the name Reakton Carstonomin" continued Mrs. Ploghenstael. "I've met him" said Jaden. "He killed my Earth mother and is probably torturing my allies as I speak". "I expected you to come across him some time if you survived there. He emerged with a slogan: 'The people of this planet, every planet, are useless. They must be ordered by the higher authority, people like me. They must be thrown around like rags and be demanded to work for their superior forces.' This man ruled this planet for four years before he attempted to rule others. His first mission was to send a young one to mars, where he would send back information about the people and place". "There is a Neptunian on Mars?!" asked Jaden, as though demanding for an answer, but then softened his voice, realising he was screaming at his own mother. "Yes, however, this mission was a failure entirely because he lost signal and no contact could be made with him. His name is, or was, Polystone Expertiona. But Reakton did not stop there. His second project was Earth, and he wanted you. Your father fought like a saviour , Dasyertos-" 
"Jaden!"
"Alright, Jaden. He fought like a saviour but he couldn't protect you, and was killed right before my eyes and you were taken away from me, Jaden. You, Jaden were Reakton Carstonomin's second project. It was testing for me, but I got over it, however, every now and then I used to think you were no more, especially since your Earth guardians ripped the camera and mic off you. I thought they were torturing you. But now I'm glad to see you back and in safe hands."
"Hang on" said Jaden. "Why do I not look like a Neptunian?".
"You see, my son, the creatures of Neptune have a magnificent ability to change their form and look like the natives of any place they inhabit" replied Mrs.Ploghenstael. "Why, look at you now, your beginning to look like a Neptunian. Jaden immediately looked down and indeed, he was turning a sky blue and he was growing two more eyes!
"And ever since he left, followed you so that he could take Earth as his own, Neptune has become a beautiful planet and everything seems better. My name is Lexily by the way. Are you going to be staying her-"
BOOM!!!
Lexily was interrupted by a huge explosion outside, and as Jaden saw through the window, a house next to theirs had blown up, to ashes, and there was no sign of anything or anybody around. Jaden ran outside, hoping for any sign of anything. He looked around, not seeing anything. When he looked back at his mother, he noticed the terrified look on her face. Before he could ask her why, WHAM!!!
Someone or something hit Jaden hard with a stick on the back of head, knocking him out cold...

Stay Tuned for Part 4 of the Jaden Larson Series. What mysteries and unexpected twists lie ahead?

Jaden Larson: Origins of the Portal

What's this?

It was a pleasant afternoon, the birds flying around were chirping, in a melodious, yet somewhat warning way. There did seem to be something fishy in the midst, something very large. At least, Jaden Larson felt it. He felt that what had happened only a few a days ago was not the end of a mysterious saga, something literally out of this world. It was only a few days ago, six days to be exact, that Jaden's sister Lucy and his friend Lily had claimed to close an inter-planet portal between the Earth and Neptune. How the portal had been opened and how it is even possible for it to exist was unknown. What made Jaden feel suspicious was a blue gas being emitted by the house in which the portal was. What bewildered him was the fact that only he could see it. His sister couldn't see it, Lily couldn't see it, and his friend James couldn't see it. "Maybe you're different. Maybe this is a sign of something. Last week, you heard a voice that led you into the house, house number ninety-three, as I recall" said James, when Jaden asked if he could see it. "Only you could hear it Jaden, none of us could. Honestly, I thought I had lost my little bother when you fell into that pit" said Lucy, in a voice which showed her fear. All those remarks didn't help Jaden feel better, not one bit. The fact that he was the youngest out of all four of them made him feel even more anxious. " Well, I'll be back. I'm going to see if anything is happening over there" said Jaden, still trying to figure out why only he could see the gas. "I'm coming with you, it's too dangerous to go alone, and with you, it's even more dangerous" said James, and they both left the Larson's home. When they got there, they both saw completely different things. Jaden saw rubble, furniture from inside the house lying in the front porch, the skeleton structures which used to frighten him and he saw that the house was slowly decomposing itself. James, on the other hand saw rubble, and nothing else. "The house is destroying itself. This thing is alive, and something is going to happen sooner or later" mumbled Jaden, quivering. "I see dust. The house is in good condition. I can only see Rick's computer" replied James, with a puzzled look on his face. Rick Taylor was a man who was inside the house, who posted information about it on the internet. He lived next to Lily and James Thompson's house. "Have you heard from Rick lately? I mean, you are neighbors" asked Jaden. "Now that you mention it, I haven't" replied James, quite confused. "What's this?" said Jaden, looking down at his feet. He thought he was seeing things, but a book just appeared out of nowhere. He picked it up. "Look, James". "What?" said James, staring at Jaden. "Oh, come on! You can't see this too?" replied Jaden, fuming. "Let's go back, I want to examine this".

Lily shocks everyone

As Jaden and James walked home, Jaden felt a sudden stretch in his arm muscle, the arm in which he was holding the book. He felt a burning sensation, one which was so great, Jaden felt the muscles and bones inside him melt and reform again. James couldn't quite figure out what was happening, and neither could Jaden. Jaden instantly felt okay, but his urge for the book increased dramatically. If it was not for Jaden's home, they would probably be in terrible danger. As expected by Jaden, Lucy couldn't see the book. However, Lily, who wore glasses, could. "What is that book doing in your hands? It looks beat-up and worn down" asked Lily, while everyone stared at her in disbelief. "You can see it too?!" asked Jaden, looking more excited than ever, at least, for the past couple of hours. Lily took her glasses off to confirm it. "Now I can't" she said. "Wait, give me that" demanded Lucy, as she put on the glasses. "I can see it too!" said Lucy, quite amazed. She instantly went down and asked her mother for her glasses, and she put them on. "Open it up" she told Jaden, who was still stuck on trying to solve the mystery of the glasses. He opened it, only to cough up dust, loads and loads of dust. "WOW" said everyone in harmony, except James, who looked more puzzled than a mouse using the internet. "What is it?" he asked. Jaden could see, in faint, dampened letters, 'Diary of Reakton Carstonomin'. "It's a diary. A diary written by Reakton Carstonomin" said Jaden. "Who?"

Who is Reakton Carstonomin?  

"Wait, Jaden, before you open the book, are you sure you will be fine after reading it?" asked James, although he was unaware of what was even happening. "Whatever happens, well, it happens" replied Jaden, confident, yet, nervous in different ways. He turned the page. 96th Glachsteam, 7813 read the date. "Wherever this came from, the dates and years are very different" said Jaden. "Even with the glasses, we can't see it. Read on" said Lily. "Today is the last day of the first out of two months. Today, I begin to write this diary based upon our homeland Neptune's invasion of that small, meaningless planet, Earth" read Jaden, slowly because his reading skills were not great. "Am I the only one who thinks it's weird that Neptunians speak English?" asked Lucy. "Neptunians?" asked Jaden, without even bothering about the question asked by his sister. "Well, they need to have  a name" replied Lucy. "Keep reading" ordered Lily, who seemed more interested than everyone else. "Our ship is almost finished today. It's like a portal, which will open inside a big house. This will send a message to the inhabitants of that wasteland that we are coming with a brute force. According to the schedule, I will leave our great planet, along with one of our young ones tomorrow. In the calender of Earth, it will be on the 13th of August, 2002. They have a strange calender, which has 12 whole months! Crazy people, those Earthlings" continued Jaden. "Wait, Jaden, isn't that the exact same day as you were born?" asked James, still quite confused. "Well, what a coincidence!" said Jaden. "Moving on, I'll read the next entry. 1st Closdonian, 7813: today is the second and final month of the year, having ninety-seven days. After this month, another 193 day year ends. Today was the scheduled launch of the inter-planet portal between here and Earth. It was a disaster! Before I got on, the baby which I was supposed to take with me did. The mission control thought I was on the ship, and they launched it. This would not have proven to be such a problem, until the child inside pressed the 'extreme speed' button by accident. There was no way of getting him or the ship back. We must hope that the creatures of Earth do not torture the poor thing. Another spaceship will be ready in about a decade, in Earth years. Today, I stop writing in this diary, only to resume after the new ship is built". There was a moment of silence. "There is a Neptunian on our planet right now?" said Lily, quite in shock. 

11 Years later

"Jaden, continue reading. We need to know what happens next" said Lucy. Jaden continued. "34th Glachsteam, 8001: Today, I departed Neptune, I alone. We decided not to take a risk this time. Today, 30th March, 2013, in Earth years, I opened the portal at house number 93, on a place called 'Park's Avenue'. The naming system here is bizarre. More people from Neptune will be here in twelve days. My job is to scout and send information back". "Twelve days from the 30th of March means on Friday, 3 days from now. We may be in serious trouble" said James. "There's one more line" said Jaden. "My name on Earth, in case anyone asks will be Rick Taylor". "Rick?" said Lucy. "The same Rick Taylor who helped us out of that house, who posted the information online". "We have only three days" said Lily. Surprisingly, nobody noticed that Jaden and Lucy's father, Frederick Larson, was reading along with them. "Jaden" he said, startling everyone. "It's about time I told you something: your mother and I aren't your real parents. We found you outside house number ninety-three and took you in. You are the child from Neptune". Nobody even had time to think about it. There was a very loud sound from outside. BOOM!!!! Everyone rushed outside, only to see fire around house number ninety-three. There was a fallen bag of groceries, and lying beside it, was Jaden and Lucy's dead mother.

Stay tuned for the next part.    

 

   

Jaden Larson: The House of Mystery

 

 

The Research

“No, Jaden, don’t go in there!”. “AHHHHH!!!”......

Wait, wait a second, this is not where our story

begins. Let’s go back about three hours.

Sheesh, you just can’t find a good storyteller

these days!

THREE HOURS EARLIER

“ Lucy, are you done with your ‘project’ yet, I want

to go outside” moaned Jaden. “ Can’t you just

wait, I only started ten minutes ago. And you

said you’d help” said Lucy, too focused on her

computer to even look at Jaden.“I know I did, but it seems so boring. And you

don’t have to be mean!” replied Jaden. “Sorry,

but you know the abandoned house down the

street?” asked Lucy. “Yeah, if you mean the tall,

dark and scary looking one”. “Of course I mean

that. Anyway, I heard noises from inside it the

other night and wanted to do some research.

Now are you interested?” said Lucy. Jaden’s

face said it all. “How much have you got so far?”

he asked curiously. “ Well, not that far at all,

actually. But I’m sure we can do it as a team!”.

Secrets Unveiled

‘DING DONG’

“I’ll get it” yelled Lucy as she ran

“ Who is it?” screamed Jaden.

“It’s just Lily and James”

Lucy screamed back.

“Could

you guys keep it down

please?!” yelled Lucy’s

mother.

Lily and James were their

friends and they were also

siblings, just like Lucy and

Jaden. And James was elder

to Lily just like Lucy was

elder to Jaden. The four

of them were the best of

friends and you just couldn’t

separate them. Lucy and Jaden gave a quick

recap and they were back

to the research again. They

found a link that gave it all

away. 'Dark corridors, small

candles for light, skeletons at

every corner and much more.

Nobody that has entered has

ever come out alive. Every

skeleton died in that house

and their ghosts now roam it at night’.

said Lily.

“This was written by Rick Taylor”

“But how would he know this? In

his own words ‘nobody that

has entered has ever come

out alive’ “ said Jaden.

Come in, little boy.....

Two And A Half Hours Later...

“I’m glad that’s over” said Lily. They had been

researching for two hours straight. “I think I

would’ve gone mad if we were doing that any

longer. It was so scary!” said Lucy. They were

all outside now, going the opposite direction

of the house. But then Jaden heard a woman

speaking to him. “Come in my dear boy, come in.

It'll be fun” the voice said. Jaden turned back

and walked towards the house. He didn’t hear

anything until he just got to the door; “don’t go

in there!!” screamed Lucy. But it was too late.

The House

Jaden fell with a thud. “Are you okay?” screamed Lucy

to her younger brother. “I’m just fine. There is a

mattress down here” he yelled back. “You stay here,

we’ll go look for a rod to pull you up” said James.

But as they were about to leave, a very strong

wind pulled them in too! “Is everyone okay?” asked

Jaden, more quietly now.

“Wait, before we start roaming around, Jaden, why

did you come in here?!” asked Lily, rather angrily. “I

just heard a voice, asking me to come in and then I

didn’t know what I was doing until I got to the door.

But it was too late then. I have no explanation for what sucked you into this, well, I don't know what to call it". Both Lily and James were

wearing glow-in-the-dark

t-shirts, so they could

see quite easily, if they

stuck together.

The house was just as Taylor

said it was. You could

actually see skeletons
over ten feet. It smelt

like someone was farting

It was a horrific sight! As they

started moving slowly,

James up front, followed

by Lucy, Jaden and then

Lily, Lily felt something

cover her mouth and grab

her. The same happened

to Lucy and Jaden.

James didn’t notice

anything. It was only

when he turned around

that he noticed, they were nowhere to be seen.

Where are they?

James did not panic. He just thought they had

wandered off into another room. But they

weren't in any of the rooms they had passed.

Now James panicked. Little did he know that

the ghosts had taken them into the closets of

the rooms. But Jaden managed to free himself

from the ghost and he ran, straight into James.

He thought the ghost was following him, but

when he turned back, it was empty. He turned

around, only to see James hanging in mid-air.

“Help!” he screamed. He was indeed being held

up by the ghost. And then the same happened

to Jaden......

A whole new world

The boys thought the girls would come to their

rescue. But Lily’s and Lucy’s closet led straight

into another planet, Neptune. Here, all the

ghosts of the people that died that night

roamed free on this massive blue ball.

But the climate here seemed to be the same as

Earth’s. All they knew was that they had to get

back. They turned back and the portal was still

open. But wait, it was closing. They made a run

for it and got through just before it closed.

“That was close” said Lucy. But then they heard screams coming from outside the room......

An epic encounter

Lily and Lucy ran outside the room. As soon as the

ghosts saw them, they put Jaden and James

down. The four of them gathered all their

bravery, and decided the only way they were going

to get out of there was by fighting. And if

they didn’t fight, they'd be ghost prisoners on

Neptune. The situation was very simple; life, or, well, some would say, death. There was a silent stare down for a

while but then one of the ghosts pulled his head

off and gave the others the fright of their

lives! But they weren’t going to back down. They

weren’t going to quit. But three seconds later, they realized the ghosts had disappeared. The girls told Jaden and James

where they were. Just as

they thought the ghosts had

disappeared back to Neptune,

they came up behind them and

nearly made them faint! But they

all turned around and kicked the

ghosts, which for some reason

actually hit them and made

run away, crying. “Wimps” said

Jaden as he watched them go

back to Neptune. The kids kept

walking. There were scary-looking

skeletons, frightening pictures

in frames, and weird noises

everywhere, but none of these

came as a shock to the children

now. In fact, It seemed like

nothing would come as a shock

to them. But something did. It

wasn't a vampire or Frankenstein. It

was in fact a human being! He was

staring out of his window. “Are

you by any chance, Rick Taylor?”

said James. He got a fright, but

he turned around and said very

weakly, “Yes I am”.

All the pieces fall into place.....

There was a lot of blood in the

room. And there was nothing

but a table, a bed, a chair

and a computer inside. “You

must’ve read me article

on thes house tha’ I pu’

online two days ago”. It

was quite obvious Rick was

Scottish, you could tell

from his accent. “Ye’ see”

he continued. “Neptune

and Earth ‘ave a special

connection, which aliens

created farty’ million years

ago. Three days ago, tha’

portal was supposed to open.

There was a party goin’ on

in this house, and of all the

places it hadda’ pick to open,

the portal opened here.

“This opening, wasn’t just any opening. It exploded, creating

a hole in the wall. It also killed every living theng in

this house. All their spirits wenta’ Neptune, where they

started a new life. An’ they could cum’ in and go out of

this house whenever they wanted”. “Wait, how are you

still alive?” asked Lily. “I was outside when it happened.

There was a flash a’ blue light and a loud sound that came

from inside. I came in to check it out. But the house ate

me and now I’m, I mean we’re trapped in ‘ere. The only way

to close the portal and free us is by a live human being

goin’ through it. Tha’ way, only spirits could go to Neptune,

but never come back”. “We closed the portal!” said Lucy

and Lily excitedly. “Wha’?” said Rick. “We went through

it and got back just before the portal closed!”. “We’re

free!” everyone shouted as they ran out of the house.

    

 

And so, their lives continued as it did, or did they? 

The sequel will be out soon. 

      

   

An unusual friendship

A Stranger’s Story

By Mihir Chakrapani

It was the third of May, a day in which I made a huge mistake, or at

least, I thought I did. I befriended a boy named Bruno.

Bruno was no ordinary boy. I mean, you can tell by the way he looked:

He had a military cut with sideburns which bulged out because all his

other hair was so short. The next thing you can’t help but notice is that

his hands are four times the size of ordinary hands. To help you notice

this even more, his arms are literally the size of sticks. Down below

the waist, his legs are one of the fattest pair you would ever find on

a person and his feet, if you could actually notice them, are the size

of erasers. And on top of all this, his clothes look like goblin mucus.

Bruno looked like weirdness at its greatest height. To be honest, Bruno

looked like a prototype robot which didn’t come out well because an

ugly spider was jammed in the machine. But, if you go to his house, his

parents are as sophisticated as Buckingham Palace guards! It’s all a big

question mark in your head. And strangely, I never noticed this the

first time I met him.




The Day I Met Bruno

I got an F in a maths test because I didn’t answer any of the questions.

Don’t blame me, it was on powers and roots, which the class did the

day I was absent. It was the first time I got a grade below B+, and I

only got B+ once, and that was in physics, my weakest subject. On the

same day, I got my first detention for accidentally dropping chocolate

pudding on Emilia Robinson, a tenth grade girl with a serious temper. As

you can guess, I was not in a good mood on my way home from school.

While I was walking, a strange looking boy jumped out of a bush and

scared the living daylight out of me! “You must be Clark Clearwater”

he said. “I’ve seen you around school”. How do you know who I am?” I

said, surprised. “I hide in the trash cans because everyone hates me.

Maybe it’s because of my looks. I’m Bruno by the way” he answered. At

that moment, I felt sympathy for Bruno and asked him to come over to

my place. Little did I know that I really shouldn’t have asked him that

question.


I opened the door and he ran right into the living room. He ran so fast,

he didn’t have time to stop before he knocked over our 60” 3D T.V

which cost us $750 right on to mom, knocking her out cold. I stood in

shock for about fifteen seconds and then decided to take him up to my

room before he destroys dad’s birthday gift, a Lenovo laptop.

Up in my room, I set down my bag and then heard a loud noise. I turned

only to find my X-Box on the floor, shattered, my World Globe rolling

out the window and a huge crack in the ceiling!

“I just threw your hockey ball” he explained, after I yelled my voice

out at him. “I’ll just be back, I need to use the toilet” he said, and ran

into it. After forty-five minutes, he finally came out. But I wish he

hadn’t; the sink was in two pieces, the toilet seat was upside down, the

bathtub had turned from white to black, the light bulb had disappeared

and the bathroom stunk as if a skunk had been let loose in there! “GET

OUT!!!!!!” I screamed, and Bruno ran home, crying. When dad got home,

I told him the whole story and he sued Bruno’s parents $100,000. Now

I know not to feel sympathetic for anyone who jumps out of a bush,

scares you to death and looks like a pigsty. However, I didn’t know the

truth…



Bruno’s Story

The amount was due to be paid on the third of July. In the middle of

June, I was taking a stroll in the park and I came across two familiar

faces; Bruno’s parents. “We wanted to talk to you about Bruno” they

said, in a friendly voice, which freaked me out. We sat down on a

nearby bench. “You see, Bruno is no normal child. He was born five

months before he was actually due. Due to this, his brain was not

fully developed and doctors said that he would have the urge to break

objects until he was fourteen. That is only one year away but until now,

he has destroyed at least two objects in every house he has been in”

explained Bruno’s mother. “Where is he now?” I asked her. “He goes

to classes which are supposed to help him with his problem, down in

Avenue Lane” replied his father. “Nobody understands his issues, they

just want money. The doctors say he is stressed too, since no one cares

about him. We hope you understand”. I almost had tears in my eyes. I

was speechless. I just got up and walked away.



After I got home, I told dad everything. He thought long and hard,

and finally decided to call off the fine. He was so sure of it, he did on

that very day, and from then on, the Smiths, which we later found out

was their family name, were our family friends, and the godparents of

my later born sister. Bruno was now a normal boy, and my best friend.

Everything turned out fine for everyone.