Jack K

The thanksgiving turkey was ready. Rick’s family gathered around the dinner table, his father, mother, brother, sister, his uncle and auntie, his cousins and his four 70 year old grandparents. The turkeys smell loafted to 12 year old Rick’s room, Rick was staring up at the stars through his window. Rick sat mesmerised by the milky white moon, Rick looked at his posters on his wall of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Sally Ride. Rick looked back at the stars and whispered to himself, “one day I’m gonna go to space.”

5 years later...

Rick went to NASA training center. To be in the simulator of a NASA spaceship, his mentors and helpers taught him the controls and buttons to lift off and important space tips.

Four years after the first day of training...

It was the day Rick had been dreaming about for 10 years. Rick was going to space. Rick was gonna be the youngest man or woman in space at 22. Rick got into the rocket, it was about to lift off the the announcement had started, “10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... blast-off” the loud speaker shouted. Rick felt extremely powerful vibration and very violent vibration, Boom! The people on the ground looked up horrified. Every life was lost.

Rick woke up. He was sweating. It was a dream but it was 3:30am and he still needed to go to space. Rick arrived at the space center. The giant banner above the space center read 2031 NASA - making space dreams come true. Rick got in the rocket the real announcement had started, “10… 9… 8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 and blast-off.” Rick had done it. His dream had come true. Now he just needed to make it to Neptune.

Later that week, they had passed the moon. Rick’s rations consisted of crackers, cheese, bread, pasta meals, sandwiches, lettuce, tomatoes, and fruit. After 1 month in the rocket, they had passed a planet none of the crew knew of. Blue lights were flashing from the planet. The captain transmitted to Earth. “Houston, passing unknown planet with flashing lights. Should we approach? I repeat, passing unknown planet with flashing lights. Should we approach?”

“All right approach,” said the transmitter.

“Okay let’s go down,” said Hagolf. The rocket entered the new atmosphere and slowed to a halt.

The crew walked out of the rocket and a desolate wasteland met their eyes. There were three burning red suns gleaming down on hundreds and hundreds of rocks and craters. The member of the crew at the front looked behind the crew and slowly raised her finger. The crew looked where the finger was pointing. A giant monster with 4 legs crawled around, eating an animal that looked like a ladybug. The monster looked up and stared up at the crew. It started to angrily click it’s pincers together. Then it made some sort of high pitch shriek, to the other 5 monsters, as if calling to each other. All six of the monsters started creeping towards the crew.

“Use every weapon you have,” shouted out Hagolf. Even though it was the crew with the numbers, the monsters had the size and power. A slimy, yellow monster came towards Rick. It was two times his size and had giant tentacles. Rick pulled out his saw from a compartment in the arm of his suit. He aimed for the tentacles and slashed one off. Although it didn’t seem to hurt the monster, it just seemed to anger it. The monster crept up to Rick in a blink of an eye and smashed Rick into the sky with his powerful tentacle. Rick landed with a big thud. The power of the thud propelled him back into the air. The monster was waiting already. The monster hit Rick again, but this time it was on the helmet Rick couldn’t see anything. The tentacles’ green goo was all over the screen. The monster was playing basketball with Rick hitting him up and down. Dirt and goo blocked a chance of Rick seeing anything. Rick’s head was hitting the helmet hard whenever he got hit down by the monster. His head was hurting and his vision was going blurry.

Rick thudded down to ground again but the monster didn’t follow up. Through a small bit on the glass with no goo or dirt, he saw the monster backing away. Someone was attacking the monster. But he couldn’t make out the figure. It pulled out the spear from it’s back. The main weapon that Rick had forgotten about! The figure poked the spear into the middle of the monster. The monster fell back to the ground and didn’t move.

The figure came over and wiped the goo and dirt off Rick’s helmet - it was the captain Hagolf. He was helped him up. But, Rick had no time to rest his sore head before yet another monster had come to attack them. But because of Hagolf’s kill, the crew had the numbers - three people had already jumped on the monster. One of them was about to kill the monster with a spear but the monster was too fast. The monster snatched the spear out of the crew members hand, and spiked the astronaut with no spear in the stomach. The monster did the same to the other member. The third member sprayed the water in the monsters one giant eye.

The monster didn’t like this. He picked up the member and put her in his mouth. The monster swallowed. Meanwhile the other monsters killed the two other crew members. Rick and Hagolf were the last humans left. It was 2 vs. 5, monsters way. “Run down the left. I’ll get the one’s on the left,” shouted Hagolf over the shrieking of the monsters. Rick ran to the left. He sprayed water in the monster’s eye to distract it. Then, he cut the monster with the saw, straight down the middle. One down 4 to go, he thought.

Meanwhile, on the other side Hagolf had killed another monster. Now it was 2 vs. 3. Rick ran for another monster; he was becoming more and more confident. But this monster was too quick this time. It grabbed Rick by the hand without the saw and ripped his hand off. Only thermals and gloves gave Rick’s hand any warmth. Rick got rid of his saw and grabbed his spear and spiked the monster in the heart. Hagolf ran to a monster and speared it in the heart. 2 vs 1 - humans way.

Suddenly, Rick spotted Hagolf running towards the last monster. It picked him up and ate him. “Nooooooo!” Rick cried in shock. Salty tears ran down Rick’s face. He started running up a giant crater. The monster looked at Rick. He threw his spear right at the monster's eye in anger. A hole formed in the monster’s eye. It fell back to the ground with a loud thud.

Rick had won. Bruised and injured he got in the spaceship and powered up the engine. He was ready to go home. Rick ate everybody else’s rations in silence. He was going to be alone for one month until he was back to Earth.

Later that year...

“Congrats Rick, great achievement,” said Rick’s mother. But Rick felt empty inside. He had lost his mentor and friend. Now he had to celebrate it with his family because he made it. A man in a black tuxedo walked into the room. Rick’s family all stopped to look at the stranger. He had a NASA symbol stitched onto his chest. He walked up to Rick and whispered, “do you want to go on another space journey?”