Anacocha Adventure

Anacocha Adventure

5....4...3....2...1......BLAST OFF!!!!!!!!!

Before I knew what was happening, the countdown started and ended. The crowded spaceport was rapidly disappearing, and I was strapped in to the spaceship #45.
I am Jaquelynn Adment and I was the first astronaut to be sent to the planet Anacocha, and I was also the youngest. I was only 12 years old and I was going into space. I had wanted to be an astronaut since age 5. When I was 8 I took several courses on being an astronaut. When I was 10 people realized I was serious about space and I was not going to wait until university. I received an opportunity to take a space trip and I took it. My 11th year came and went quickly, planning and raising money for this trip. And the next thing I knew, I was blasting off into Space.
A few days later, I checked my radar screens. Then my heart skipped a beat. Anacocha was only about 50 miles away. I would be there soon.
I checked my screen again and since I would be there in about an hour, I decided to get ready. I unbuckled my seat belt and I floated around my space craft. It is SOOO cool. I loved it. Then I hopped into my space suit and filled it with as much oxygen as it would hold. Then I sat in my seat, daydreaming about Anacocha.

BAM! CRASH! I awoke with a jerk. I looked out. I checked my screens. I was on Anacocha. O my gosh! I WAS ON ANACOCHA!!!!!!!!! Then, I remembered my ship. I hope nothings broken, I thought anxiously. I didn`t look too closely, because I was too exited about my expedition.
I scrambled down the ladder and instead of the rough, rocky, terrain I imagined, it was surprisingly soft, bouncy, turf. I rocketed upwards, hitting my ship. Thank goodness it was there, or I would have flown up to nowhere. But I didn`t see why I had to hit it so hard! I fell back down, only to shoot up again! I crashed into my ship again ( my back was seriously getting sore) but when I came back down, I grabbed hold of the squishy ground. To my relief, I stayed down. So I set out carefully on Anacocha`s terrain, stepping as lightly as I could in my chunky space gear. As I cautiously ambled on, I saw in the distance.........a city?

A city! No life has been reported on any planet besides Earth! So this was what Mom ment when she said," Jacki, you should be prepared for anything." Then in a second all other thoughts about that city evaporated. This is great! I thought. I`ll have the best report on any planet, ever! I`ll be famous! I`ll be on T.V.! I`ll be a celebrity! I`ll........... then I realized I better check it out. I grabbed my bag and made sure everything was in it- notepad, pen, camera, and small plastic jars for samples. Check, check, check, and check. I was ready to go to Anacocha City.
About ten minutes later, the city came in better detail. Actually, it seemed a lot smaller than what I expected. The tallest buildings were only a foot or two taller than me. There was a sharp, wire, fence thing that surrounded the city. I raised my eyebrows. This was their protection? Oh my gosh! Earth people are a higher life form. I rolled my eyes and easily jumped over the fence. But I grabbed hold of the ground when I came down so I wouldn`t start the ping-pong thing I had already experienced earlier. As I approached what looked slightly like main street in alien style, about a zillion brightly colored, round, jelly-like creatures with fur surounded me. Snap, I thought. I`m busted.
“INTRUEDER! INTRUDER!” They yelled.
“ Oh, shut up,” I muttered. An ugly fluorescent orange jelly` s eyes widened.
“ It talks!” He gasped.
“ Of course I talk, you traffic light,” I snarled. Traffic Light made a weird face. “ Its rude,” he said smugly.“Maybe we should take it to the Judge.” A pale pink jell-o said,
“ Now, now, we can` t go running to the judge with it if we don`t even know what it is.” She had a kind, motherly voice. I felt a bit safer.
“Ok, fine,” Traffic Light snapped. “What are you?” He barked at me. I raised my eyebrows.
“ How about, “where did you come from?” I said back. “ And I`m not a thing, I`m a person.” Oops. Wrong words. A navy blue blob stuttered, “ B-but it can` t be a person! H-h-how could it have got here?”
“ I already told you, I` m not an IT, I am a PERSON. And, yes, so to speak, I am a person, a human, from Earth, and I have come here as an astronaut to study this planet, Anacocha!” I burst out. The jello crowd was silent for a minute. Then……
“GRAB HER!!!!!!!!” It was a mass of confusion, furry blobs surrounding me, me kicking and writhing my body to get away, but somehow, in the midst of all the excitement, I spotted a hot pink jello with big, thoughtful brown eyes. She wasn` t trying to capture me. She looked up, and our eyes locked. I shot a look of fury, confusion, and panic at her, and she returned it with sympathy.
Finally when they got me, they strapped me to this chair thing with wheels and rolled me to a huge, ugly, black jelly blob with a crown.
His dull, stupid eyes widened as he saw me. “ What is it?” he cried.
“ It’s a…it’s a…….human,” Traffic Light whispered. Blackie`s tiny eyes grew, if possible, even bigger.
“ A HUMAN?” He roared. “ How could a human possibly reach our planet? How did it get here? HEY! Back away, Zlooper!” He snarled as a young pale green blob cautiously picked his way to me. “Zlooper” jumped and backed away, trembling.
“ Excuse me, King……aHEM, but aren` t we to discuss the fate of this despicable human?” Traffic Light said with that ugly, smug little grin of his.
“ Oh, yes…erm…of course…uh….. well, I don` t really care what you do with it…”
“ What you do with me, I`m not an it, you freak!” I interrupted. “Well!” Black King said, looking affronted. “In that case….. THROW HER IN PRISON!!!”
Oh, crap, I thought as a was forced to a teeny tiny jail building.
Could this day possibly get any worse? I was angry at the king. I was angry at the sick little jellies pushing me to jail. I was FURIOUS at Traffic Light. I was mad at my parents for not coming! I was mad at people who let me come! I was mad at myself for being so rude I threw myself in prison! I hated me! I hated Traffic Light! I hated everyone! While the Jellies struggled against me to the building, I caught sight of the hot pink Anacochan. I didn` t hate her. I liked her. She was nice. I could see the jail. I wilted in despair as I saw how tiny it was. A lot.
BAM! I was thrown on the cold floor.
CRASH! Traffic Light slammed the gate.
RATTLE! Went the horrid keys locking me up.
“Have fun, earthee!” Traffic Light mocked me. My reply was the dirtiest look I could muster with a few swears mixed in. Traffic Light only laughed and walked away. I slammed my foot, several sizes larger in my space boots, hard against the floor. A thin cloud of dust rose up. I was so angry! I grabbed small stones and hurled them at the wall. Over and over. After a while, my anger cooled, replaced with worry. What would happen to me? How would I get back to Earth? Even if I did get out, what about my ship? Then I remembered something that choked me and made my blood run cold and my heart stop. What will happen when my oxygen runs out?
Hours later, I huddled in a corner. I had amused myself by scribbling on my notepad for a while, but I soon stopped because it was stupid and I couldn` t draw or write much with my huge gloves anyway. Now I thought. About everything. I thought about my home, earth, my friends, my parents, Traffic Light (I soon stopped thinking about HIM) but most of all, that hot pink fuzzball. I liked her. I wondered what her name was. I kept picturing in my mind, those big, serious brown eyes surrounded by fuzzy pink. I couldn` t shake off the image of that sympathy. She must have really felt sorry for me! Then, I looked up and I saw her! I really did! She stood at the gate, her fingers curled around the bars (she had five, like me) and looking at me. “Hello,” She said in a voice so soft I could barely hear her. I blinked. “Uh, um, err…hi.” I couldn` t hold it back anymore and burst out, “Why are you here? I thought you were against me!” She jumped back, her eyes wide.
“Of-of course not, Miss!” She stuttered. “I-I want to help you!”
“Help me?” I echoed. “How?” It didn` t seem possible.
“I don` t know,” she said seriously, “But I will.” Then she smiled. “My name is Sierra.”
We smiled at each other. “I` m Jaquelynn,” I introduced myself. She nodded, and made herself comfortable at the bars, sitting down. I walked over and sat next to her. For a few minutes, neither of us said anything. Finally, I broke the silence.
“Sierra, how exactly do you plan to get me out? Your security system sucks, so it can` t be too hard.” She looked at me curiously.
“Security? Whats that?!? How can it suck? Does it have a mouth?” I couldn` t help laughing at that one. She looked offended.
“Sorry,” I giggled. “On Earth, “security” means like, guards and stuff, things to prevent you from getting out.” She still looked hurt. “But how can it “suck”? It dosn` t have a mouth!” I took a breath to hold the giggles in. “On earth, “suck” is a slang word for like, its bad.”
“Oh,” She said, looking confused. “You earthees are weird.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, thinking of home. Suddenly I remembered my oxygen. With fleeting panic, I checked the guage. Low. Like, really low. Too low. So low, I had twenty minutes for a fresh supply!
I was terrified. I burst into tears. I sobbed and sobbed. I noticed a reassuring pat on my arm and saw Sierra. I calmed myself down, knowing I couldn` t suck in extra air. Sierra looked frightened. “What` s wrong, Jackie?” She asked tenderly. I shook my head. More tears spilled out. I took a shuddering gasp of air and cried, “Sierra, I need oxygen! NOW!”
Sierra looked puzzled. “Oxy-jin?” She asked incredously. “What`s oxy-jin?” I bit my lip. “Oxygen,” I said. “O-X-Y-G-E-N. It’s a gas humans breathe. We-we need it to live!”
Sierra mulled over it minute. “Oxygen…” she muttered. Then she brightened. “Hey, that’s what WE breathe!”
I looked at her slowly. “Really?” I asked carefully. She held her head high. “Really,” she said confidently. “I remember this guy talking about Earth and Anacocha comparisons, and he mentioned we BOTH breathe oxygen.” She looked sideways at me. “Problem solved?” I didn` t speak for a minute. Then….
“OH GOD!” I yelled. “SIERRA, YOU’RE A MIRACLE!” I couldn` t believe it! Then, I realized what I had said. Sorry, God,
I added in my head. Then I grinned at Sierra. “Sierra, now we have lots of time!”
One hour later, Sierra and I were stumped. I had removed my helmet and, as Sierra said, it was oxygen. Suddenly I remembered my pack. “Sierra!” I gasped. “I have a backpack with me! There might be something in it to help us!” I had tossed it out of anger into a corner earlier. I retrieved it and eagerly dug into it. Sierra, who had never seen stuff like that, watched interestingly. I rummaged through, then, disappointed, I passed to Sierra. Her big brown eyes widened as she searched. She took out the notepad. She examined the clumsy scribbles I had made with my space gloves. She pointed to a jelly with a big X through it.
“Is that me?” She asked. I shook my head.
“That’s Traffic Light,” I explained. Sierra` s eyebrows drew together. “Who` s he?” She asked, confused. I laughed to myself, and told her. “He` s the big, ugly, fluorescent orange guy who shot off his mouth about me,” I said. Sierra set the pad down.
“Oh,” She said softly. She seemed hurt. I reached over and pointed to a jelly I` d try to make as pretty as I could. I circled her with stars.
“That pretty one is you,” I told her. Sierra looked and blushed. Then she put the notepad down. She picked up the pen.
“What is this thing?” She asked. I grinned. I reached through the bars of the jail and clicked the top so the pen popped out.
“You write with it,” I explained. “Or draw,” I added, pointing to the pad. Sierra clicked it in and out a couple more times. Then she pulled out the camera. She didn`t ask anything, just looked at me and held it up.
“You take pictures with it.” I pointed to the button and showed her. She took a picture too, and laughed. She didn`t seem to care about the jars. Then she rummaged around the bottom. Her face lit up as she pulled a tiny case out a rip in the lining. I looked to.
“What` s THIS?” She asked excitedly. I rolled my eyes.
“Nothing to get excited about,” I groaned. “Its just dental floss.” I demonstrated on my teeth. Then I pulled a thread out laughed.
“One time I was watching this movie, and the guy like, sawed through the bars of his cage with dental floss!” I giggle and tried. Suddenly I stopped laughing. I tried again. The bar bent. I looked at Sierra. She just watched open mouthed. I bent it again and again until there was a space big enough for me to slip through. I gathered up the stuff I `d spread around and squeezed through. Sierra picked up my bag and smiled. We headed out.
“Okay, so we have to be sneaky,” I whispered. “Black Butt` s mad at me already.” Sierra wrinkled her nose and looked at me.
“Who` s he?”
“Oh,” I giggled softly. “That freaky king dude who thinks he` s so awesome.” Sierra nodded knowingly.
“Good name,” She advised. I raised my eyebrows at her. We crept slowly till we got to the gates. I jumped. Sierra just stood there. I threw my pack on the ground. It bounced. I caught it just in time.
“Sierra,” I pleaded. “Hurry!” She looked around to see if anyone was watching, and turned to me with a sober face.
“ I can` t,” She said. I stared at her. She blinked, and her eyes filled with tears. “I` m sorry,” She wailed. “I` ve never been outside the city…a-and I-I want to h-help you….but…” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I can` t make it over the fence, either,” She added, hiccupping. I crossed my arms and thought it over. I opened my mouth to console her, when….
“HALT, EARTHLING!” Traffic Light bellowed. “YOU THOUGHT YOU` D MAKE IT OUT! BUT YOU DID`NT, DID YOU? DID YOU??!!?” I stepped back, a little freaked out by his behavior. “Whoa, take a chill-pill, freak,” I said, disgusted. “If you would like, calm down I` d explain it.” I didn` t seem to make any difference to Traffic Light, though.
“AND YOU`RE TAKING MY SISTER? NOOO WAY!”
I was shocked. I looked at Sierra, but she didn` t look up. Suddenly, I had a whole new respect for Traffic Light. He was just protective.
“Please,” I pleaded. “There is an explanation for everything! Its just…” I looked sideways at the crowd of rainbow jellies.
“Can I take your picture?”
About an hour later, I finished my story. The jellies looked at each other in awe. I gave my hair a little flip. Finally, Traffic Light spoke.
“Jaquelynn…” he said hesitantly. “I- I am sorry.” I grinned.
“No prob, Traffic Light!” He looked at me, his thick brows knotted in confusion. “Traffic Light?” He asked. “My name is Mason!”
EPOLIGUE
So I became friends with Traffic Light (er, Mason) and got along with the jellies. I also became friends with this professor jelly. I gave him a map and he promised to find some way to transfer mail back and forth, so we could keep in touch. The jellies also helped me repair my ship, so I could get home. As I was going home, I stooped down and hugged Sierra. “Can` t wait till Professor J. rigs up the mail system,” I told her. “Keep in touch!”
“and… and Jaquelynn?” Sierra whispered. I stopped.
“What, Sierra?” I asked tenderly.
“Um…” She bit her lip. She seemed close to tears. “P-p-please- are you going to tell the earth people about us?” Her lip wobbled and tears spilled over. “Please don` t make this a place for tourists!”
I looked at her. “No,” I assured her. “I` ll only tell trusted people about your city. Your lifestyle will not change!”
“So you` ll never forget me?” Sierra asked in a tiny voice.
“NEVER,” I assured her. I took one last picture of her. Then one of me and gave it to her. Then we stood together, lifted the camera up and aimed it, and cried, “CHEESE!” And so that`s all that happened on Anacocha. Just between you and me