tales of the universe. two short stories by danny barton

29
Tales of the Universe. Two short stories by Danny Barton.

Upload: daniel-barton

Post on 26-Sep-2015

202 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

adventure and mystery is what you will find when you read these two radical stories!!

TRANSCRIPT

  • Tales of the Universe. Two short stories by Danny Barton.

  • How the universe was created.

  • Before the universe was created, there was nothing. No stars, no planets, no mountains, no people, no cats, no dogs, nothing. There were only two things, two Gods. There was the God of creativity, whose name was Splash and there was the God of logic, whose name was Thunk. They lived together in an empty limbo-like space by themselves. They were the first things that ever existed. Splash looked like a giant skeleton covered in thick black sludge wearing a pair of cowboy boots. It is said that this was her true form, but because her soul was made of pure creativity, she was also a shape shifter and could transform into anything she wanted. Thunk looked a bit like a giant octopus, with a large shell on his back in which he carried round his gigantic brain, which was all most as big as he was. Apparently, Thunk was extremely good at solving puzzles and figuring out problems. I should probably mention that Splash and Thunk were actually best friends, and were practically in love with each other. They were the perfect pair really, because they had so much to offer each other. Splash would keep Thunk constantly entertained with her brilliant creativity and amazing shape-shifting ability and Thunk would always be on hand to help with any kind of problem that Splash could not figure out.

  • One day Splash turned to Thunk and said, You know what would be lovely? What would? replied Thunk. If we could somehow combined my soul with your brain and create something else. Something else? said Thunk, looking confused (which was a rare thing for Thunk to do, he was not easily confused). Yes, like something other than us! Another creature made up from a combination of whatever it is that makes me, me, and you. You! Thunks eyes suddenly lit up and his brain started whirring away with a thousand thoughts at once. That would be amazing! he said, with a tone of pure excitement in his voice. The combination of my purely logical brain and your endlessly creative ability would be virtually the perfect mind! he said, the excitement increasing in his voice. Theres just one problem though, said splash how on earth would we go about creating a creature like this? This was indeed a problem, but like I said, there was no problem too complex for Thunk. Thunk sat and thought for a little while. He had his eyes closed and all his tentacles folded into each other. This is what he did when he was thinking really, really hard. Splash was just about to say something when Thunk suddenly opened his eyes. Okay, he said I think Ive got something we can try. With that, he reached behind his head and pulled back the large shell that he had on his back to reveal his giant brain. Thunks brain didnt really look like a normal brain that you might have seen in a biology book or on T.V. It was more like a giant jigsaw puzzle, with about a billion tiny little

  • pieces making it up. All the pieces were slotted into each other perfectly and were labeled with tiny little words, drawings and symbols, most of them completely unidentifiable to anyone but Thunk. Thunk felt around for a few seconds, until he found the piece he was looking for and pulled it off very slowly and carefully. The piece he pulled off was in a sort of rectangular shape, with a couple of notches on either side. Carved onto this piece, was a strange symbol, which looked a bit like a heart shape, but with a long wiggly line on the bottom of it, it looked a bit like a heart shaped balloon.

    I cannot fully explain the entire meaning behind this symbol, I can only assume that the heart shape could be a symbol of Thunks love for splash. But that is only a theory. What happened next is the most amazing part of this story. Thunk simply gave this small section of himself to Splash, he handed it to her as if he was offering her a biscuit out of a biscuit tin and that was it, as soon as Splash took the piece in her hand- KAAAAABOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!! THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION OF ALL TIME THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE. It is said that the explosion came out of Splashs head. Nobody knows weather splash or Thunk survived the explosion, but one thing is for sure, their plan worked

  • perfectly, the explosion out of Splashs head was the creation of the universe. The combination of pure creativity, pure logic and a healthy dose of love, was enough to create a universe. And the universe was beautiful.

  • PENDLETON AND THE SPACE FOXES.

  • 1 MOOK In the universe there are many galaxies, and in some of these galaxies there are planets, and on some of these planets there are people. There is one galaxy in particular which is home to a planet called Mook. Mook is the smallest planet in the universe; about the size of a ping pong ball and the people who live on it are smaller than a pin prick. There is one island on Mook that is called the Isle of Short. The Isle of Short is an extremely desolate place it is very small and there is not another piece of land for miles and miles around and only a handful of people actually live there. The reason why these few people live on the Isle of Short is a very simple one, it is the best place in Mook for fishing. There is something about the light patterns and the saltiness of the water that the fish absolutely love. The water is crystal clear every day in the Isle of Short and you can always see the thousands of fish in the water, no matter which part of the island you are on. Some people simply live to fish. This is certainly the case for a young man whos name is Pendleton (Pen for short). Pen is 20 years old and has been a fisherman his whole life, and he lives on the highest cliff top in The Isle of Short. His house is on the edge of a platform coming off the side of the cliff and over looks the best fishing spot on the island. Its the best spot on the island because its the only place where you can fish for Blue Spotted Snappers. Blue Spotted Snappers are super tasty fish and they were Pens absolute favorite. Quite often you see blue spotted snappers jump tremendous heights into the air and snap birds who nest on the cliff clean out of the air with their gigantic powerful jaws! This is probably where they get the snapper part of their name from, and the blue spotted part because of the brilliant blue spots they have down their back.

  • One morning, Pen woke up feeling slightly groggy. He had not slept well the night before. For some reason he kept having these strange dreams all through the night that kept waking him up, but once he had woken up, he couldnt remember what had happened in his dream! It was very peculiar, but Pen wasnt the kind of person who let things bother him too much, groggy or not, there was fishing to be done! He jumped out of bed, put on his robe and walked over to the stove to make himself a cup of tea. He opened the drawer beneath the hob where the fire was and blew on the embers gently until there was a small flame, he then grabbed the one remaining log that was on the floor by the fire. I really must make myself a basket to put logs in, he muttered to himself. He took a cup from his bedside and popped a couple of tealeaves in it. The tealeaves were from the tree that grew off the side of the cliff and also supported the bottom of his house. He had no idea what type of tea it was but he rather liked the taste of it, and he was sure it possessed healing qualities. It always seemed to cure any kind of sickness Pen had, whether he was feeling slightly groggy in the morning or had an aggressive flu virus it always made him feel better.And it made his farts smell like peppermint. The kettle on top of the hob started steaming so he lifted it off and poured some of the hot water into the cup. While blowing across the top of his cup, Pen gazed out of the window opposite the stove.

  • It was a gloomy grey winters day and winter was the most silent time of year on the Isle of Short because most of the little animals that liked to squawk and squeak where hibernating in their nests and burrows. Pen was just about to gulp down his tea, grab his fishing rod and start a day of fishing, when he realized he had just used the last of his wood. He would have to take a trip to the forest on the other side of the island to gather some twigs and chop up some logs. Catching fish was important, but keeping warm was important too, especially in the middle of the winter. So Pen swigged the remainder of his tea, put on his boots and grabbed an axe and a sack to put his wood in, he also picked up his fishing rod. This might seem a bit odd, taking a fishing rod with you to the forest but Pen never left his house without it. It was his prized possession and always seemed to come in handy at the strangest times. Pen opened the door, stepped out and closed it behind him, walked along the platform to the cliff edge and was on his way to the forest.

  • 2. STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN THE FOREST Pen only really went to the forest when he ran out of wood, which was about once a week. The trees where Pen got his wood were called Bryn trees. They were ancient magic trees, the oldest ones that grew in the forest and they were full of deep powerful magic. When you lit them they would burn extremely slowly and each piece would keep you warm for up to 12 hours. Pen had had just got to the edge on the forest when he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. It was an extremely bright green glow coming from deep in the centre of the forest. The glow was too far away for Pen to figure out what it was so his curiosity was sparked. I had better go check this out he thought. Pen was no wuss, he had seen some of the most deadly fish in the whole of Mook, so not much was going to scare this guy, no sir! But nothing could prepare Pen for what he was about to see, it was something no one in the in Mook had ever seen before. He ventured on, clambering over shrubs and bushes, and delicately stepping over wild flowers as he went. He was getting closer and closer to the glow. The deeper he went into the forest, the darker it got and he noticed that the leaves on the trees all around him were individually lit up by the mysterious green glow. After about ten minutes of walking towards the light, Pen realized that it was coming from a person, a glowing green figure! The figure appeared to be floating in the air about three feet off the ground and had his or her back turned to Pen. Suddenly Pen started to feel nervous, it had just dawned on him that he had walked really quite far into the forest all by himself and he had no idea how this person was going to react if it saw him! He gripped the axe he had under

  • his robe tightly in his fist, just in case things started to turn nasty.

    Though he was scared, Pen still wanted to get a closer look, so he laid his fishing rod and sack behind a tree and hid behind a large rock that was about ten feet away from the glowing figure. His palms started to get clammy around the handle of the axe. He thought about turning around and just walking away but he was far too curious to find out what

  • this thing was! He took a deep breath, and gingerly stepped out from behind the rock. Hello there. Pen attempted to say these words in a loud and confident voice, but they came out of his mouth all croaky and slightly high pitched. His throat had gone all dry- this often happened when he was nervous. The figure didnt turn around. Pen cleared his throat and tried again. Hello! he said again much louder this time. The figure turned around, and for a split second Pen saw what it actually was. It was what can only be described as a fox! Pen couldnt believe he hadnt noticed its long bushy tail and pointy ears! But just as he tried to inspect the creature further, it bolted away deeper into the forest faster than anything pen had ever seen, its green glow leaving a thin trail of light behind it. He watched as the trail slowly disappeared into the forest until it had completely gone. Pen walked home feeling stunned, unable to fully comprehend what he had just seen. Every so often he stopped to pick up a log off the floor, chop it up and put the bits in his sack. Am I dreaming right now, or did that really happen?! He said to himself out loud. He quickly pinched himself on the hand and waited to see if he woke up in his bed but he didnt. He thought this might have been a possibility because of the strange dreams he had been having the night before. Pen had lived on the island his pretty much his entire life, and knew there was some very odd creatures living in that forest, but never before had he seen or heard of a floating, glowing green fox! He wondered whether it was a ghost that he had seen. He had heard people talking about ghosts in the forest and tree spirits too! But had never seen any proof of them existing before and didnt have a clue what they might look like. Whatever it was it had sent Pens mind into overload, he didnt stop thinking about it until he got back to his house.

  • His brain hurt from thinking too much and he decided to sit on the edge of the platform his house was on and do a spot of fishing. If there was anything that could clear Pens mind, it was fishing. Unfortunately though, it didnt work and Pens train of thought just kept drifting back to the creature in the woods! Pen felt a tug at his fishing rod and noticed had caught something. He reeled up the line revealing a medium sized plumb trout. Thatll do he thought to himself. He was going to sit out side for a bit longer, but the grey clouds in the sky were most definitely promising some rain, so he picked up his rod and his fish and went inside to start a fire and have some supper, the whole time thinking about his experience in the woods.

  • 3. THE SPACE FOX That night, Pen was lying in his bed, his belly full of fish and feeling like he was just about to nod off when he felt a strange presence in his house. He couldnt quite put his finger on what he was feeling, but he could sense a change in the atmosphere like he was being watched. It was like when someone is staring at you from the other side of a room, and you can feel them looking at you even though you cant see them. Pen sat up in his bed and scanned the room. The room was definitely empty, but Pen could swear he was being watched by something. Pen got out of bed and stood up, looked around the room once more and then he froze. He had seen something coming from the window and it made his legs turn to jelly. It was the brightgreen-GLOW! Pen could not yet see the creature itself, only the distinct green glow he had seen just a few hours ago in the woods. Pen suddenly got the urge to pick up the axe he kept on the other side of the room, but before he got the chance to walk over to it, a small pair of pointy ears appeared from the bottom of the window, followed by the creatures little fox - like face. It was staring right at him with one, two, three bright green eyes! Two eyes where they were supposed to be, and the third on its forehead. Pen had not noticed these features before as he had only seen the creature for a split second when he encountered it in the woods earlier. He also noticed that the green glow was not coming from its body, but from a sort of halo that was floating above its head!

  • This staring competition went on for a little while longer, until Pen could no longer bear the silence. Very slowly, Pen walked along the floor towards the window, his arm stretched out towards the latch that kept it closed. He undid the latch as slowly as he could and pushed open the window.

  • Pen was about to open his mouth to say something, when the creature spoke for the first time. Im sorry for being so rude earlier and running off when you spoke to me, you caught me off guard you see! Pen remained silent for a bit, then opened his mouth and was about to respond, when the creature interrupted him once more. My name is Ciaran. Im a space fox. Pen considered pinching himself again to see if he was dreaming. Judging by the look on your face you have never seen a space fox before. Pen must have looked as confused as he felt. Well I.. no, I dont think I have! said Pen, stuttering slightly. Do not not be alarmed good sir, I come in peace, said Ciaran the space fox. Space Foxs are the least violent creatures in the universe, as far as I know, I wish you no harm. However he went on to say, I do wish you would let me in to your lovely home, its ruddy cold out here! Pen didnt get many visitors and sometimes went weeks on end without talking to any of the other people on the island and there was something about this Ciaran character that intrigued him. He was curious to find out more about him and where he had come from. Yes of course, let me open the door for you. Pen pulled the window closed and unlocked the door on the other side of the room. He opened the door and poked his head out from inside. Ciaran appeared from behind the corner of the house and floated over to the doorway. Pen was about the step aside so that Ciaran could come in, but there was no need as Ciaran simply floated straight over his head and landed gracefully in the centre of the room lighting the whole space with the bright green light from his halo. Pen turned to face Ciaran so he could introduce himself properly. My name is Pendleton by the way, you can call me Pen if you prefer.

  • Well, Id prefer to call you what you prefer to be called my good man! said Ciaran, smiling in a cheeky, but friendly sort of way. Pen will do I suppose, thats what most people know me as. Very nice to meet you Mr Pen! Said Ciaran, warming his paws by the fire as he spoke. Now, you may be wondering what a space fox is doing floating outside your window in the middle of the night. Said Ciaran. To be honest with you, I was wondering where space foxes come from! Replied pen, laughing slightly as he spoke. Of course you are! My apologies, sir, let me shed some light on the situation. Ciaran turned around so he could warm his tail. Why dont you put that kettle of yours on and Ill tell you my story and what Im doing here.

  • 4. CIARANS QUEST I come from a planet called Spine. It is where all the space foxes live. Ciaran said, while pen listened and boiled water to make some tea. Its within this galaxy, but is about three million miles away. Id say its roughly the same size as your planet, maybe a bit bigger Mook said Pen. Beg your pardon? said Ciaran. This planet, its called Mook. Oh I see! said Ciaran. Mook eh, funny name for a planet dont you think? Well I didnt choose it said Pen, as he poured hot water over a cup of tealeaves and handed the cup over to Ciaran. No, I suppose not. Anyway Pen Im Getting off topic, said Ciaran, reaching out to receive the cup of tea. Since the beginning of time, when Splash and Thunk first gave birth to the universe, my planet has been a happy, healthy and peaceful place. Pen felt like asking who Splash and Thunk were, but felt a bit rude interrupting for a second time. All across Spine, space foxes lived in happy harmony together, living and learning off each other and all together having a wonderful existence, until the plague came along. Pen sat down on his bed, not taking his eyes off Ciaran for a second, listening very intently indeed. Ciaran floated over to a chair on the other side of the room May I sit on this? Yes, please make yourself comfortable! said Pen, feeling a bit bad for not offering him the chair earlier.

  • Thank you very much said Ciaran, and he sat down, resting his cup of tea on the floor. Notice the third eye I have on my forehead? This eye enables us space foxes to share each others thoughts and communicate on a higher frequency. Basically, it means we can read each others minds. So far, Pen could just about follow what Ciaran was saying. But a few months ago, our planet was consumed by a thick green mist, which infected us all, and we have no idea where it came from! said Ciaran, his voice changing to a slightly more serious tone. At first it was just our halos that were affected, they used to just shine with a white light, rather like the light that comes from the sun, but now they have been poisoned with this sickly green colour. Ciaran looked up at his own halo and frowned. This was not the worst thing that has happened though sighed Ciaran. After our halos turned green, we started to loose sight in our third eyes! And without our third eyes, we lost all communication with each other. Ciarans head drooped and he stared at the floor for a moment, not saying a word. He looked as if he had just remembered something very sad. Without our third eyes, we are unable to love each other. For the first time ever, there was hatred on Spine, and it has caused my people to distance themselves from each other. Pen felt like he should try and say something to make Ciaran feel better, but he really couldnt think of anything to say. Many of my people, including me, have just up and left Spine in the hope that distancing themselves from the mist would make their third eyes come back. But as far as Im aware, this hasnt worked. As you can see my halo is still green. How awful said pen, feeling truly sympathetic towards Ciaran.

  • Thats why Im here you see, Im trying to find a antidote for the effect this green mist is having on my people. Ive been flying all over the galaxy for weeks looking on any planet, moon or asteroid I can find in the hope that I will find someone who knows what this green mist is and whether there is a cure for it. He frowned again. And so far, nothing. Well Im truly sorry I cannot offer any help. Said Pen The only knowledge I have of the world is on the subject of fishing, and as far as Im aware, there is no fish that could cure what youre describing. Thats all right Pen said Ciaran you have done enough for me by letting me into your home and providing me with this cup of tea, which I have yet to try! What type of tea is it anyway? And he picked up the cup off the floor to take a sip of it. I have no idea, it just grows from the trees that hold up my house said Pen. Its not too bad actually! said Ciaran, taking a larger sip. Suddenly, the lighting in the room changed slightly. The green light from Ciarans halo had gone from a deep grassy green to a slightly lighter shade! Your halo! Its getting less green! Pen shouted. Ciaran looked up at it. Youre right! How in the world did I do that? It was when you took a sip of tea! Keep drinking it! Pen was totally freaking out with excitement! Ciaran downed the rest of his tea as quick as he could. And as quickly as he drank it, his halo changed colour , from green, to a lovely sunshine yellow! Its a miracle! I dont believe it! The tea must be super magic! Ciaran shot out of his seat, flew into the air and hit his head on the ceiling. But this didnt bother him one bit. He continued to zoom around the room screaming WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

  • Pen was astounded! He knew that the tea was good for getting rid of colds and coughs, but he had no idea it was full of magic! Pen! Thank you so much! I need to take some of this stuff back to Spine right away! My planet will be saved and its all thanks to you! Youre a genius!!! Ciaran shouted at the top of his voice, still flying around the room at top speed. Well all I did was make you a cup of tea, I hardly think that qualifies me as a genius, but you are welcome all the same said Pen, with a smile on his face, he couldnt help feeling a little smug. Hang on on a minute said Ciaran. How am I going to carry enough of it back? It would take years to carry enough for the whole planet. Dont you have a space ship or something? How did you get here in the first place? said Pen. I flew here, thats why they call us space foxes, we can travel intergalactic-ally. Hence the name. That makes sense I suppose. Replied Pen. Then he had an idea. Why dont you fly there, tell everyone about it and then bring everyone back and they can take as much as they need! Are you sure you are okay with this Pen? There are quite a lot of us, what if we end up needing to take all your tealeaves? said Ciaran. Well, you seem like a lovely creature, and if the rest of the space foxes are as nice as you, Im happy to help! said Pen. Ciaran smiled from ear to ear and hugged Pen as tight as he could. I will be back by tomorrow night! said Ciaran and with that he opened the door, stepped outside and blasted into the sky like a shooting star. Pen stepped outside and watched as Ciaran disappeared into the cosmos.

  • 5. SKY-FULL OF SPACE FOXES The next night at about 8 oclock, Pen sat at his doorstep, waiting eagerly for the return of Ciaran and the rest of the space foxes. Pen wondered how many space foxes there would be. Fifty? One hundred? A thousand? However many there were, he was sure there wouldnt be enough cups for everyone! Maybe they will bring their own cups he said to himself Or maybe they wont even make tea, and they will just eat the leaves straight off the tree. Whatever the case, Pen was definitely excited to see what was going to happen when they got here. It was dark now and Pen was staring into the night sky, looking for a sign that the space foxes were arriving. A few times he thought he could see some moving lights, but they just turned out to be shooting stars. He sat for another hour, still looking for up into the sky, and was starting to question whether they werent coming, and whether he had dreamed the whole thing when he noticed out of the corner of his eye, a twinkling green glow coming from waaaaay up in the sky. He watched it for a second longer just to make sure it was actually green, but it definitely was. That has to be them! He said, extremely glad that he hadnt dreamt the whole thing, and that he was about to see his new friend again.

  • The glow got bigger and brighter by the second, until Pen could make out individual space foxes flying towards him at a tremendous speed, all being led by Ciaran, who was glowing white gold, like a shooting star. It was the most beautiful thing Pen had ever seen. The entire night sky was lit up as if it was the middle of the day, at first a deep green colour, but as the space foxes started eating the leaves off the trees that grew along the cliff tops underneath Pens house the glow slowly transformed into the sunshine yellow gold colour that Pen had seen Ciarans halo turn into the night before.

  • As the space foxes changed, and their third eyes started to work again, they all cheered and flew around tumbling over each other, hugging and play fighting, happy as pigs in mud that they had been cured! This whole thing went on for about half an hour, until they had all changed colour and not one space fox was left green and then that was that, happiness was restored to the space foxes. They all lined up one by one to thank pen personally, giving him hugs and handshakes. Some of the younger space foxes gave Pen a lick on the side of the face, which Pen found rather gross, but he let them do it any way. Once they had all thanked him, they shot into the sky like the biggest meteor shower ever, and then were gone. Pen went to bed that night feeling very pleased with himself. He wondered where the space foxes would go now that their planet was all messed up from the green mist. Well wherever they go, life will be a lot better for them now they got their third eyes back. Then pen laughed, those guys are going to have peppermint farts for weeks! he said. Then he fell asleep.