《George Brown and the Uth Stones by Duane L. Ostler》


 Chapters One & Two

    CHAPTER ONE


    The Falling Star


    George Brown was sitting on the bottom step of the back porch watching the stars while rubbing DoorJam (his sister¡¯s cat) behind the ears.  It was a warm, clear summer night, and the stars looked like shiny pebbles that someone had scattered across a dark blue carpet.  The world was at peace and so were Doorjam and George, who both gazed sleepily up at the night sky, basking in all of its silent glory.


    And then it happened.


    A brilliant star appeared, gliding slowly across the night sky.  Stretched out behind it as it came was an amazing, impossible stream of purple polka dots, etched brightly against the sky.


    George rubbed his eyes.  He thought he must be seeing things.  After all, falling stars might trail a great many things in their wake, but he had never seen one leaving a trail of purple polka dots.


    But they were still there, trailing out behind the glowing star like tire tracks in the snow.  The polka dots seemed to ripple as if they were in a stream of moving water, fading gradually the farther they were from the star until they eventually wavered out of sight.


    The star was coming closer and getting brighter, causing Doorjam to hiss and dart under the porch.  George sat transfixed, staring.  The star was not moving fast like most shooting stars, but seemed to be crawling along.  The purple polka dots stretched out behind it seemed to be getting brighter.


    And then suddenly the star dropped straight down like a bolt of lightning.  It looked almost as if it were going to hit George¡¯s house, but instead disappeared behind a hill on the outskirts of town and was gone.  There was no noise at all when it contacted earth.  The purple polka dots all vanished, and the night was again peaceful and still as if nothing had happened.


    At this point most 12-year-old boys would probably jump up and run into the house to tell everyone what they had just seen.  However, George did not move.  He sat perfectly still, continuing to stare at the black sky.  Strangely, he wasn¡¯t frightened or overly excited at the star or the purple polka dots.  He was used to things like this happening.


    Like the time when a little yellow bird had suddenly started following him around everywhere he went¡ªeven the bathroom.  What was even more bizarre was that it was walking, not flying.  It even came into his classroom at school and sat on the corner of his desk, staring at George until his teacher shooed it out the window.  The bird kept this up for 2 weeks before it suddenly disappeared.


    And last spring, during his science project about rock crystals his fingernails had suddenly broken out in green spots.  The spots had lasted almost a week, changing slowly from emerald green to orange before fading out altogether.  (His teacher had gotten very excited and happy, thinking that George had contracted some deadly disease, and was disappointed that George wouldn¡¯t turn himself in for extensive examination and testing).


    Odd things like this had happened to George ever since that dreaded night, one year ago, that his world had changed¡ªthe night his father disappeared.


    Somehow George knew that no one else had seen the falling star with its trailing stream of purple polka dots.  There would be no bold headline in tomorrow¡¯s paper about it.  Somehow, this was something just for him.


    Finally, after a long time of staring at where the star had been, George slowly stood up to go into the house.  He would tell his mother about the star and the polka dots, even though he knew what her reaction would be.  Like all the other strange things that happened to him, she would just tell him he must have been mistaken and then say that she had to peel some potatoes for a casserole (even though they had just had dinner).  Then she would stand at the kitchen sink staring out the window while whittling away at several unlucky potatoes until they were the size of toothpicks.  Deep down she knew that he was telling the truth, even though she denied it each time.  George¡¯s father used to have strange things happen to him too, which he would tell her about.  Before he disappeared.


    DoorJam came out from under the porch and followed George into the house.  He was a smart enough cat to know that after the potatoes were peeled to nothing, George¡¯s mother would sit in the chair by the fireplace and pet him for hours.  George sighed.  It was times like these that he found himself wishing he were a cat.


    CHAPTER TWO


    What George Found


    The next morning after breakfast George got out his school backpack and filled it with snacks and a canteen of water.  His mother watched for a moment, then said quietly, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just thought I¡¯d ride my bike over to McGee¡¯s orchard and look around. Nothing much else to do.¡±


    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with that star you think you saw last night would it?¡±  George noticed her hand move involuntarily towards the potato peeler on the counter.


    George knew from past experience there was no fooling his mother.  ¡°Well,¡± he said casually, ¡°it did kind of look like it went down over that way.  But I also thought I¡¯d climb a few apple trees and steal a little fruit and get sick because they¡¯re green.  You know, the normal stuff a boy is supposed to do in the summer.¡±


    ¡°George,¡± said his mother, worry clearly in her voice, ¡°why don¡¯t you go over to Jason¡¯s house and play instead.  Or go see Alex and Michael.  I¡¯ll bet they¡¯re dying to see you.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡¯s on vacation the next two weeks,¡± said George simply.  ¡°And Alex and Michael just got a new mini motorcycle.¡±


    George saw his mother cringe.  He knew she hated motorcycles as much as all the strange things that kept happening to him.


    ¡°Well then, maybe Janet can go with you,¡± she said.  There was an immediate, forceful ¡°I WILL NOT!¡± from the next room.  Then Janet, George¡¯s 16-year-old sister appeared in the doorway.  ¡°I planned to go swimming today with Sarah and Jillian.  There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to spend the day in some orchard with the little weirdo!¡±  She shot George a malevolent look.


    George¡¯s mother sighed.  She knew when she was beaten.  ¡°Well, at least take your cell phone with you,¡± she said as Janet left the room.  Then she added firmly, ¡°and make sure you stay in range so you can use it!¡±


    Ever since George¡¯s father had disappeared the year before, his mother had insisted that he and Janet pack a cell phone with them everywhere they went.  She would call them almost every hour¡ªeven if they were in school.  It used to annoy George¡¯s math teacher to no end, especially since his cell phone range to the tune of ¡®You Ain¡¯t Nothin¡¯ But a Hound Dog.¡¯


    ¡°Sure mom,¡± said George, picking up his backpack.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I¡¯ll be fine.  It¡¯s summer.  What could go wrong?¡±


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    Instead of answering, his mother clutched the potato peeler in a death grip.  Seeing his chance for another rubdown, DoorJam jumped onto the counter and tried to paw the peeler out of her hand.


    ¡°Bye mom,¡± called George as he hurriedly went out the door.  ¡°Be back this afternoon.¡±  Flipping his backpack on his shoulder, he scooped up his bike from the front lawn and took off, not daring to look back.


    McGee¡¯s orchard was on the outskirts of the town of Bartletville, California, where George lived.  It only took him 10 minutes to get there, since Bartletville was not a very big place.  The trees in the orchard were full of little green apples just as George had told his mother, but of course George didn¡¯t eat them.  Instead, he circled the orchard, searching for any sign of a fallen star.


    He knew this was crazy.  That star, or whatever it was, probably fell hundreds or even thousands of miles away, even though it had looked close last night.  It was almost guaranteed that he wouldn¡¯t find it.  Still, something inside told George that he needed to look, and if he did, he just might find something.


    George¡¯s mother called on the cell phone when he had only been gone for half an hour.  Fortunately, he was still in range even though the connection was a bit fuzzy.  ¡°George, are you all right?¡± he heard his mother say in a static-ey voice.


    ¡°Sure, mom,¡± replied George.  ¡°I¡¯m just riding around the orchard.  There¡¯s no one around.¡±


    ¡°Well, stay off the state road,¡± said George¡¯s mother.  ¡°You know how fast people drive along there.  And don¡¯t go traipsing off into the woods.  I¡¯m thinking now you should¡¯ve taken DoorJam with you.¡±


    George cringed.  He still had scars from the last time he had taken DoorJam on his bike.  ¡°I¡¯ll be o.k. mom,¡± he said cheerfully.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I¡¯ll be home soon.¡±


    George kept pedaling up and down the country roads near the orchard, between groves of trees and fields of alfalfa and potatoes, looking for any sign of the fallen star.  The sun was warm on his back, and the taste of the fresh, country air made him feel good inside.  Being out this way reminded him of the time he and his dad had come out here to look for crystallized rocks for his science project.  They hadn¡¯t found any, but they had laughed and talked and shared a peanut butter and tomato sandwich (his dad¡¯s favorite) before coming home empty handed.


    Thinking about his dad made George suddenly feel very alone.  Maybe he should go home.


    He was pedaling back toward town when suddenly he stopped.  He couldn¡¯t have told anyone why.  He just knew he had to.  He got off his bike and started walking across an empty field.  About halfway across, he stopped again.


    Nothing moved.  He couldn¡¯t see anything.  He shook his head as if to clear away a fog.  ¡°This is silly,¡± he said out loud.  ¡°I think I¡¯ll go home.¡±


    His legs paid no attention to what his mouth was saying.  Instead of turning and taking him back to his bike, they carried him farther into the field.  Suddenly he came upon a shallow dip in the meadow that was not visible until you were up close.


    And that is where he found what he was looking for.


    Buried halfway in the dirt was a large, ugly, greyish ball of rock, about three feet in diameter.  It was pock-marked and bumpy, as if it had been battered and slammed about by a giant who was playing ping pong.  On one side, a strange, hook-like extension stuck out, about two feet long, pointed curiously toward the north.  Steam was rising from the dirt where the ball had hit and skidded across the ground.  The ball didn¡¯t look bright or impressive now, and there were no purple polka dots in sight.


    As George stared at the ball, he shivered even though it was a hot day.  He couldn¡¯t say why, but there was something strange about the fallen star that made him feel uneasy.  He had thought he would be elated to find it, but now he wished he hadn¡¯t come at all.


    He was turning to go when suddenly he noticed a glimmer in the grass at his feet.  Kneeling down he saw a roundish, clear rock that sparkled in the sunlight.  Fascinated, George saw that he could see right through the rock as if it were clear glass.  The rock was about an inch thick.


    He reached out and touched it.  Instantly, he felt an electric shock run through him from head to toe.  He pulled back in alarm.  The rock lay in the soil, sparkling and winking up at him.  Then he quickly reached down and picked it up.  It caused a strange, tingly feeling in his hand and fingers.  In spite of the warm day, the rock was perfectly cold, like an ice cube.  After staring at it for a moment, George put the rock in his pocket.  It was time to go home.


    While riding his bike home, George could feel the rock pressing coldly against his leg.  He had to reach into his pocket every once in a while and move it from spot to spot to keep his leg from freezing.


    When George got home his mother was overjoyed to see him, but not as pleased when he described the gray ball he had seen half buried in the field.  ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll never go back there alone,¡± she said firmly.


    ¡°Aw, mom,¡± said George.  ¡°It¡¯s just a big, ugly ball in the ground.  It can¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Promise me!¡± she said firmly, through pursed lips.  Ever since his father disappeared, she had distrusted anything strange or unusual that George came across, and made him promise to stay away from it if possible.  He knew there was no way of getting around it.  ¡°Oh, all right,¡± said George with a sigh.


    In a strange way however, he was secretly glad that she had made him promise to stay away from it.  While a strange fascination about the ball seemed to draw him to it, he had to admit that he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to go back there because of the eerie, cold feeling that seemed to cling to it.


    As George went to his room he took the little, clear rock he had found out of his pocket and stared at it once more.  It was still cold as ice, and made his fingers tingle.  At times it almost seemed to glow.


    He was glad he hadn¡¯t told his mom anything about it.  She would probably have insisted that he get rid of it, just like she had forbidden him to go back to the fallen star.  But there was something strange and intriguing about the rock that made George feel like he had to keep it.  He looked carefully at it for a minute.  Even though it was clear as glass, he noticed that shadows seemed to flicker across it at times.  Finally, he put it back into his pocket.


    Anyway, he told himself, it was just a rock.  There was nothing too unusual about a boy finding a rock and bringing it home.


    Little did he know how wrong he was.

 Chapter Three - Mid Summer Exams

    ¡°George.  It¡¯s time to go.  Are you ready?¡±


    George was in his room, working on a model airplane.


    ¡°Sure, mom.  Be there in a minute.¡±  He kept working on the model.  The last thing in the world he wanted to do was go, but he knew he had no choice.


    Midsummer exams.  The most cruel, disgusting thing that anyone could have dreamed up.  Mr. Smith, the school principal at Bartletville Middle School, had come up with the idea a few years back of giving a test to all of his pupils in the second week of July to see if they were retaining what they had learned over the previous school year.  Every parent in town had been excited about the idea, but to the students themselves, test day was like finding a big spot of mold on your sandwich after you had already eaten half of it.


    ¡°George!¡± called his mother again.  ¡°Come on!  You¡¯re going to be late!¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± answered George wearily, putting down the model airplane.  He knew there was no way of avoiding it.  As he passed his dresser on the way out of his room, he noticed the clear rock he had found at the fallen star.  He picked it up.  It felt cold as always, and again caused his fingers to tingle.  He put it in his pocket, then went out to meet his fate.


    The tests were every bit as disgusting as George had expected them to be.  The history portion was full of questions about Lewis and Clark that George struggled with.  He didn¡¯t do much better in the science portion on earthquakes.  But all of that was easy compared to the algebra questions in the math portion of the test.  George just sat in helpless frustration, looking at question after question that he couldn¡¯t answer.  They hadn¡¯t covered any of this last year in school!  How could he be tested on something he had never learned?


    As George sat staring helplessly at the math questions on his desk, he suddenly realized there was something very hot in his pocket.  Reaching inside, he found that it was the clear rock from the fallen star, which had been cold as an ice cube just a short time before.  George took the rock out of his pocket and put it on his desk.  It was almost too hot to touch.  Then he went back to trying to answer¡ªor rather, guess¡ªthe impossible math questions.


    After making a few wild guesses, George moved the rock and turned the page.  The page was crinkly and wouldn¡¯t stay down.  George slid the rock over the page, on top of some of the questions.  It made a good paperweight.


    George was staring absently at the rock, trying to decide what to guess on question 33, when he suddenly noticed that he could see numbers on the page through the rock.  At first he assumed he was just seeing the math questions on his test, but when he looked closer, he realized that there were other numbers as well.  In fascination he moved the rock¡ªwhich was still very hot¡ªacross the page.  Whenever he moved it over a test question, he saw not only the question itself through the rock, but the answer as well!  When he moved the rock away, the answer disappeared.


    This was impossible.  How could a rock answer math questions?  George¡¯s hand was trembling, even though it was not cold.  This was clearly no ordinary rock.  What was it?  Why had he been drawn to it, and felt such a strange fascination every time he gazed through it?  Could it hurt him?  Was it his for a reason?


    George heard a noise from the front of the class.  Mr. Dalton, the teacher giving the test, was staring at him in an unfriendly way.  Quickly George picked up his pencil and went to work on the math questions.  At first he set the rock aside and went back to trying to guess the answers.  But the rock almost seemed to beckon to him to use it, and soon he was sliding it across the paper over the questions he did not know, rapidly writing down the answers he saw through it.


    Then a sudden thought occurred to George.  What if the answers were wrong?  After all, how could a rock do math, or know what the right answers were?  Flipping back the page, George moved the rock over the easiest question, the only one he felt reasonably certain he had gotten right.  He could see the question and his handwritten answer through the rock.  He then moved the rock to the next question, one he had guessed at.  This time he saw not only the question and his handwritten answer through the rock, but a red line through his answer and the correct answer written next to it!


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    George stared at the rock again.  It had corrected his answer.  This was impossible.  Slowly, George wrote down the correct answer, then after correcting a few more of his first guesses, flipped back to the page he had been on.  He continued to work his way through the test, writing down the answers he saw through the rock.


    This was definitely better than guessing.  Suddenly a new thought came into George¡¯s mind.  Was this cheating?  After all, he was being helped to answer questions he otherwise could not have done.  George pondered for a moment, not sure what to think.  Finally, he went back to answering the test questions.  All he knew was that he had never studied any of this in school last year and he didn¡¯t know any of the answers, or even how to do this type of math.  He finished the entire math portion of the test just as it was ending.


    While waiting for the next part of the test to start, he stared at the rock in fascination.  Clearly this was no ordinary rock.  But where had it come from, and why had it come to him?


    The next section of the test was spelling, one of the few subjects George felt confident about.  Once the test began, he immediately moved the rock over the first misspelled word to see what would happen.  All he saw through the rock was the same misspelled word.  He tried the next one, and the next.  The result was the same.  There were no answers.  George also noticed that the rock was cooling down, and was no longer as hot to touch, although it still caused his fingers to tingle.  He wrote down a wrong answer to one question and moved the rock over it.  There was no correction this time.


    What could it all mean?  Could the rock do math, but not spelling?  Or had it just decided to give no more answers for the day¡ªif a rock could decide anything.  With a sigh, George pushed the rock aside and began working on the misspelled words.  He didn¡¯t have time to try to figure out the secrets of the rock now.


    Spelling was the last portion of the test, so George didn¡¯t have a chance to try it out again.  When the test ended, he put it back into his pocket.  The rock was once again as cold as ice.  George didn¡¯t know what it all meant, but knew that he would try out the rock on everything he could think of when he got home.


    Over the next several days, George tried the rock on everything.  He held it over the crossword puzzle in the newspaper, but saw nothing underneath (except the empty crossword puzzle, of course).  He held it up to the TV screen during game show questions, but never saw anything different through it.  He got out one of his dad¡¯s old college algebra books and held it up to the questions, but there were never any answers underneath.  He held it over newspapers and magazines, books and ingredients labels on cans of food.  Nothing.  He even held it up to Door Jam¡¯s eye and to the back of his sister¡¯s head (when she wasn¡¯t looking) to see if he could see any evidence of intelligent life through it.  But other than a twinkle in Door Jam¡¯s eye, he saw nothing out of the ordinary through it either time.


    What could it be, he asked himself again and again.  Why would it show him the answers to his midsummer math exam, but nothing else?  Why was it always cold as ice, but had been hot during the math test when it gave him the answers?  More than ever, George wanted now to go back to the fallen star where he had found the rock, to see if there were any other rocks like it, or any clues about what it was or where it came from.  But his mother had again forbidden him to go there after she read an article in the newspaper that scientists from the university had found it, and were saying that it contained strange trace elements that even they could not identify.

 Chapter Four - The Dream

    The third night after the midsummer exams, George had the dream again. It was always the same, and it always left him feeling confused afterward. It had come to him often over the last year, ever since his father had disappeared.


    In the dream, he saw his father climb through the window of his bedroom, come over next to George and sit down on the edge of his bed. He didn¡¯t say a word, and even though George wanted to cry out, to call his name and jump up and grab him, for some reason he couldn¡¯t speak or move. His father then took George¡¯s right hand into his own hands and silently began writing on George¡¯s palm with his finger. George could never tell what he was writing.


    This went on for some time until George¡¯s father abruptly stopped, then walked over and climbed out the window and disappeared, all still without saying a word. After this, George always woke up. He would always jump out of bed and go quickly over to the window, but his father was never in sight.


    George had mixed feelings about the dream. Part of him enjoyed it, because it allowed him to spend a few minutes with his father again. But there was also something eerie about it that made George feel uncomfortable. Maybe it was because his father always looked so sad. Or maybe it was the strange, tingly feeling he always felt while his father was writing in his hand, a tingling that was uncomfortable and almost painful.


    It was a different kind of tingling than when he held the clear rock he had found by the fallen star. Yet somehow, it was almost the same.


    George lay staring at the ceiling for some time after the dream, unable to go back to sleep.  The dream had seemed so real. It always did.  Had his father really been there? It would be both frightening and comforting if he had.


    Suddenly, George noticed that there seemed to be a glowing light radiating from somewhere near the foot of his bed. Fearful yet curious, he sat up and looked over the edge of his bed to where the light was coming from. It seemed to be glowing in his pants pocket.  Then George remembered that he had left the rock in his pocket when he went to bed.


    Slowly he got out of bed, reached down and pulled the rock from his pocket. It was hot and glowing brightly, but was not too uncomfortable to hold. As soon as he picked it up, George felt strangely drawn to the window of his room. He stood there for several minutes, staring out at the twinkling stars while holding the glowing rock in his palm.


    Suddenly, as he was gazing at a particularly bright star, a very strange thing happened. George¡¯s vision seemed to zoom right out into space, as if he were looking through a high powered telescope that was focusing on a distant object with tremendous speed. The bright star he had been looking at grew rapidly larger until George realized with a shock that it was not a star at all. It seemed to be a spacecraft of some sort that was glowing softly in the blackness of space.


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    It was long and silvery, with numerous protruding arms and devices, like so many tentacles. George¡¯s vision seemed to be zeroing in on a rectangular patch of light that George realized was a window. As his view of the window expanded, the rapid telescoping effect of his vision seemed to slow down, until at last it stopped with the window consuming all of his vision, and blotting out all else.


    Inside the window, he saw a dog. At least it looked somewhat like a dog¡ªand yet, it didn¡¯t.  The thing had a protruding snout and hairy face like that of a dog or wolf, and slobber was dripping from its protruding fangs. Yet there was something very undoglike in its appearance that George could not identify. The creature was looking to the side, as if looking at or listening to someone or something just beyond the frame of the window that George could not see.


    But it was the creature¡¯s eyes that most captivated George as he looked at it. Although they were coal black, they seemed to be lit within by a smoldering fire. There was something frightening and deeply unsettling about those eyes. And as George watched transfixed, the dog creature slowly turned toward him as if it somehow was aware that it was being looked at.


    The instant the eyes of the creature met with those of George, he felt a shock of cold leap out at him like a tongue of living flame. With a cry George stumbled back, raising his hand to shield himself from the cruelty that emanated from the creature¡¯s eyes like a black shadow.  And in that instant, George was horrified to see his father just behind the creature, his deep, soul-less eyes radiating an unspeakable sense of sadness.


    Overwhelmed, George dropped the rock he had been holding. The instant he did so, the vision vanished and he found himself staring out at the starry night once more.


    George was shaking and breathing heavily, the horror of what he had just seen still grappling with his mind. Was his father a prisoner of the strange dog-like creature he had seen? Was he in pain? The memory of the soul-less look in his father¡¯s eyes was fixed in George¡¯s mind, torturing him.


    George looked down at the strange rock that he had dropped. Its glow was growing dim, and George knew that if he picked it up, it would already be cool to the touch, and would soon turn icy. What was it?  Where had it come from?  What power did it hold? He shook his head as if to clear it from a fog. He simply didn¡¯t have the answers.


    After a time, George gingerly picked up the rock and put it on his dresser, then got back into bed. Now at least he could watch it, to see if it started to glow once more.


    It was a long time before George could go to sleep again. When he did, his dreams were troubled with images of slobbering dog-like creatures with eyes of malice, laughing cruelly while controlling his father with puppet strings.

 Chapter Five - Pickled Peaches

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    The next day, with the sun shining through the windows, the vision of the night before seemed absurd and almost comical.  George decided he must have been imagining things.  He had learned that his mind could run away from him sometimes in the middle of the night, when the world was dark.  How could some dog-like creatures on a spaceship of some kind be holding his father captive?  The idea seemed ludicrous, although still somewhat unsettling.


    As the day wore on, George grew fitful and restless.  He needed something to take his mind off the vision of the night before.  Finally, in a fit of extreme boredom, George agreed to go grocery shopping with his mother.  Normally he avoided grocery shopping like the plague, but Jason was still out of town and Alex and Michael had just come down with the measles.


    Once in the store, George¡¯s mother looked at her shopping list and frowned.  ¡°I need a can of pickled peaches for your aunt Agnes,¡± she said to George, as if buying such a bizarre thing was an everyday occurrence.  ¡°She called the other day and asked me to bring her some when we go there this weekend.  It¡¯s for some new diet she¡¯s trying.¡±


    ¡°Pickled peaches?¡± said George in disgust.  ¡°How could anybody eat that?¡±


    His mother looked at him sweetly and smiled.  ¡°You know your Aunt Agnes.  Anyway, could you go and look for it?  I really don¡¯t know where such a thing would be found in this store, and I¡¯ve got other things to get.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± replied George unenthusiastically. There was nothing else to do, other than look at cereal boxes.


    George set off down the aisles to begin his search.  He quickly found the canned fruit section, but there were no pickled peaches.  He tried the diet section, but there was nothing there either.  He was just about to go back and tell his mother pickled peaches didn¡¯t exist when he sensed something hot in his pocket.  It was the rock from the fallen star, which he now always carried with him.


    George pulled it out and looked at it.  He held it up to the light.  Nothing looked different through it.  Why was it hot now?  There were no test questions in a grocery store to solve or spaceships through a dark window to see.  With mounting curiosity, George held it up to a maze on the back of a cereal box.  He saw nothing different through the rock at all.


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    Putting it back in his pocket, George turned to go find his mother.  But, unexpectedly, he found himself heading instead to another section of the store, to an aisle he hadn¡¯t been down yet.  Halfway down this aisle, on the right, he found the pickled food section.  And on the lowest shelf was a can of pickled peaches.


    With mounting excitement, George pulled the rock from his pocket.  He held it up to the can of pickled peaches, but saw nothing different through it.  The rock was not as hot now.  It was cooling down fast.  George put it back in his pocket.


    What did it all mean?  First it answered math questions and now it somehow helped him find a can of pickled peaches.  What would it do next?  Wasn¡¯t there any way to control it?  And why was it helping him, but only at unexpected times?


    Suddenly George heard his mother¡¯s voice behind him.  ¡°I see you found the pickled peaches.  I never would have thought of looking here.¡±


    As George handed her the can, she squinted her eyes at him.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked suddenly.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said George quickly.  He knew she had an uncanny ability to sense when things were not quite normal.  ¡°I was just surprised to actually find a can of pickled peaches.  I thought such a thing couldn¡¯t exist.¡±


    George¡¯s mother gave him a long, hard look.  Then she sighed and looked away.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said softly.  ¡°It¡¯s just that ¡­¡±


    George looked at the floor.  He knew what she was thinking.  She used to sense when strange things happened to his father too.


    ¡°O.k., lets get back to this list,¡± she said abruptly.  ¡°Go and find me a hairnet.¡±


    When George got home, he went to his room and took the rock from his pocket again.  Going over to the window, he held it up to the sunlight.  It seemed to magnify the light shining through it, making everything around it brighter.  He turned it around.  It seemed to glitter inside, as if happy to be in the sunlight.  But it was still cold as ice.  Finally, George put it back on his dresser.


    Where had the rock come from, and what powers did it have?  That it was not an ordinary rock was now obvious.  But why had it come to him?  Was he supposed to use it somehow?  If so, how was he supposed to control it?  And how would he find the answers to these questions?


    Suddenly George heard a voice behind him, deep and raspy.


    ¡°George Brown!¡± it hissed. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡±

 Chapter Six - Searching for the Protector

    Starting tomorrow, I''ll be uploading anywhere from 1-3 chapters daily. Look forward to it!


    <hr />


    George whirled around and found himself looking at one of the strangest creatures he had ever seen.  It was about two feet tall with dark brown, leathery skin.  It had only three toes on each foot, but the feet were very large, while the legs were short, fat and stubby.  It wore a brown robe wrapped around its middle, tied with a curious red belt, studded with shiny jewels.  The creature stared at George with protruding, lamp-like eyes, then raised one of its stubby arms, wagging its two fingers at him.


    Before George could utter a cry or any sound at all, the creature spoke in the same raspy voice as before.


    "The world faces everlasting darkness and fire in just a few days, George Brown.  However, your sacrifice may be able to stop it.  You must seek out the protector to better see what you must do.¡±


    Stillness hung in the air while George stared, speechless at the creature. Then, with an unexpected ¡®pop!¡¯ the creature disappeared, without even leaving a wrinkle on George¡¯s bedspread to show its passing.


    George gaped at where the creature had been sitting only a split second before.  Then he cautiously approached the bed and ran his hand over the bedspread.  It wasn¡¯t even warm. He looked all around the room.  The only thing that looked different was the strange rock he had put on his dresser, which seemed to be glowing.


    George walked over and touched it.  It was hot¡ªyet only a minute ago it had been as cold as ice!  George picked it up.  With amazing speed it seemed to cool to his touch, and was icy again within a few seconds.  Quietly George put it in his pocket then looked around the room once more.  Things were getting weird. George had experienced many strange things, but had never had a visit by a bizarre creature like that before.


    He sat down on the edge of his bed, his mind racing.  What did it all mean? Who was that creature, and who was the protector?  What had it meant about the world facing fire and ice?  What type of sacrifice was it talking about?  Nothing made any sense.


    He shook his head as if to clear it from a fog, then stood up and headed for the door.  With things going the way they were, it was definitely time for a visit to his secret grove.


    A short distance from George¡¯s house was a city park.  It had the usual worn playground with a swing set for little kids at one end, and a scattering of park benches and trees throughout.  Almost in the center of the park was a small patch of tangled shrubs, like a little island.  If a person knew just which bush to duck under, and just which way to wriggle through the undergrowth, he could worm his way into the center of the little bushy grove where there was a tiny clear space, in the middle of which was a large, knotted tree stump.  If a person sat on the stump he could see the whole park and the streets beyond without being seen.  This was George¡¯s secret grove, where he often went to ponder and think while watching what was going on in the park.  And this is where he now went.


    After wriggling through the bushes, George plopped himself down on the tree stump and rested his head in his hands.  It was time to try and figure out what was going on.  Nothing that had been happening made any sense.  What was the strange, clear rock he had found, and why had it seemed to come to him?  It certainly seemed to have some unusual powers.  Was it possible to learn more of what they were and how to control them?


    And who was the strange creature that had appeared in George¡¯s room, with its gloomy warning?  For that matter, who was the protector that it had told him to find, and how was George to find him?  Was there any connection between the stone and the creature¡¯s visit, or this unknown protector?


    George didn¡¯t have any answers. Only questions. Usually he could clear his mind and reach important decisions when he was in his secret grove.  But today he seemed to be up against a brick wall.


    He pulled the little pouch from his pocket and shook the rock out onto his palm.  It was icy cold, and glittered in the sunlight that filtered through the trees. He held it up and looked through it at the surrounding bushes. It was like looking through a piece of glass, without any distortions at all.


    After a moment George put the rock back in the pouch. Absently he twirled the pouch around his finger by its drawstring. Looking through the leafy branches all around him, he could see only two people in the park.  There was an old woman walking her dog on the south side near the picnic tables, and a middle aged man sleeping on a bench near the street. It looked like it was going to be a quiet day.


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    Suddenly there was a flutter of wings and George looked down to see a small yellow bird staring up at him. It reminded him of the strange bird that had followed him for two weeks the previous year.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said George with a smile.  The bird cocked his head to look at him with just one eye.


    ¡°I¡¯m George Brown,¡± said George.  ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The bird shifted its head to the other side and looked at him curiously. ¡°You look like you understand what I¡¯m saying,¡± said George with a smile.


    Suddenly the bird flew up and grabbed the pouch out of George¡¯s hand and flew off with it.


    ¡°Hey!¡± cried George as he lunged after the bird. Tripping over a branch, George lost his balance and crashed through a bush all the way out of his hiding place and onto the park''s lawn.  He looked up to see the bird hopping about with the pouch hanging from its beak, just a few feet in front of him.


    ¡°Give that back!¡± yelled George as he lurched to his feet and charged after the bird.  Quick as a wink it darted out of the way, fluttering just out of his hands.  George chased it across the park, nearly running into the lady walking her dog.  Then he watched in dismay as the bird flew into the open window of an old Volkswagen ¡®Beetle¡¯ parked next to where the man was asleep on the park bench.


    ¡°Blasted bird!¡± muttered George as he cautiously approached the car window.  He looked carefully around for anyone who might be the car¡¯s owner. The man on the park bench was still asleep and no one else was in sight.


    George carefully peered through the window on the passenger side but couldn¡¯t see the bird anywhere. He looked up and down the street again to make sure no one was watching, then poked his head in the window.  The bird was still nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Darn thing must be under the seat,¡± mumbled George, leaning in the open window to see if he could spot the bird anywhere.  The area under the seat was still too far below him for George to see anything. He leaned farther into the window, stretching as far as he could.  But it still wasn¡¯t far enough. He tried to lean in just a bit farther¡ªand suddenly found himself falling.


    What happened next was so strange that George could never really describe it afterward, no matter how hard he tried.  When he had lost his balance and started to fall, his head had only been a short distance from the bottom of the passenger seat.  But to his amazement, as he fell George watched as the floor of the car seemed to shrink away from him and get farther away the longer he fell toward it.  Twisting around, George looked up to see the open window far above him, which seemed as massive and distant as a giant movie screen.


    George landed with a thump, and for a second the wind was knocked out of him. Then he quickly stood up¡ªand was amazed to see the passenger seat of the car towering like a distant cliff, far above his head.


    George stared down at his hands and legs and feet. They looked the same as always. Yet, amazing and impossible as it was, he was now apparently a miniature version of his former self!  In some impossible way he had shrunk while falling through the window and was only about two inches tall.


    George stared dumbfounded at his new surroundings. Straight ahead of him was the area under the passenger seat that he had been straining to see before he fell. He could see scraps of paper bigger than bed sheets and bits of popcorn that looked larger than tree stumps.  The bird was nowhere to be seen, and considering how small he now was, George was kind of glad.


    To George¡¯s right was the gearshift lever, towering taller than a tree. To the left George could see far above him the rotating handle used to roll down the car window. The handle looked as big as a horse.


    Turning around, George saw more popcorn kernels scattered across the car floor, like miniature boulders. And then, to his surprise, as he peered into the semi-darkness towards the front of the car, he saw a door exactly his size!


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George softly. ¡°This is incredible!¡± He knew he should probably feel frightened at suddenly being only 2 inches tall, but he was strangely calm.  He couldn¡¯t explain why.  It was the same relaxed, curious feeling as the night he had seen the falling star, and had known that somehow it was meant just for him.


    He began walking cautiously toward the door. It was so quiet that it seemed as if the world had stopped. He tiptoed forward as carefully as he could; trying to avoid any noise in case someone was on the other side of it.


    But when he was nearly there, the silence was shattered by the ringing of his cell phone.

 Chapter Seven - The Protectors Lair

    George stared stupidly at his phone for a minute, which had shrunk with him and was now no bigger than the tip of a pencil. He was surprised it still worked at that size.  Finally he answered it.


    ¡°George?¡± came his mother''s worried voice over the telephone. ¡°Are you o.k.?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure mom,¡± said George as quietly as he could. He knew that there was probably little reason to be quiet since the phone had made enough noise when it rang to wake the dead. But he hadn¡¯t forgotten he was in someone else¡¯s car and that the bird (who might be hungry) was probably still around.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± his mother asked. ¡°Your voice sounds faint.¡±


    ¡°At the park,¡± replied George. He wasn''t ready just yet to tell her he had shrunk to about 2 inches in height.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s o.k. I guess,¡± said George''s mom. ¡°But I want you back home in one hour, o.k.?¡±


    ¡°O.k.,¡± said George weakly. He knew he probably wouldn¡¯t be back by then (or perhaps for a long time after that) given his current size. So, he could expect another more frantic call from his mom in exactly one hour. But what else could he say?


    ¡°One hour!¡± his mother repeated forcefully. ¡°Bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye, mom,¡± George said weakly. He hooked the phone on his belt and turned back to the door. Somehow he suspected that if he had any hope of getting home at his normal size¡ªin one hour or not¡ªhe had to go through that door.


    It looked like a very ordinary door, with a few scuffs and scrapes at the bottom, and a dull brass handle in the middle. If it wasn¡¯t so small and weren''t located in such an unusual place, George would have paid no attention to it.


    He listened at the door for a moment but could hear no sound from the other side. Slowly he turned the handle and pushed on the door, and as it swung open he was amazed at what he saw.


    It was a large room, with some pieces of furniture and a number of strange looking devices in it. Nearest the door was a good-sized booth, big enough to stand in, with clothing, fur and feathers lying on little shelves inside.  Next to it was a large oval shaped mirror that seemed to be hanging in mid air. Farther into the room was a couch that looked normal except for several rake-like claws sticking out of it at odd angles. Next to it was a lamp table with two big, strong looking arms jutting out of it. Against the far wall was what looked like a refrigerator that seemed to be wearing a bizarre type of purple sweater, and by it was a sink that seemed to be made out of towels.  There were a number of other odd desks, booths, boxes and strange contraptions scattered about the room, and at the far end was what looked like a doorway without a door, the border or outline of which was shimmering and glowing and constantly shifting with different colors.


    In the middle of the room, seated in front of a desk on a little stool, was a bizarre looking creature.  It had what seemed to be fuzzy, grayish skin, and a long, scrawny neck with a bald, head at the top.  When George came through the door the creature smiled at him, showing a mouthful of green, triangle-shaped teeth.  It had big, bulbous eyes and a crooked nose, and the skin on its face hung in loose grey folds and flabs.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± the creature said in a voice that sounded like water going over pebbles.  It made a half-hearted effort to smooth out the wrinkled, red smock it was wearing, then said, ¡°You are George Brown, and I am known as the protector.¡±  Then it scratched its bald head with two long fingers, making a sound like a mouse running through weeds.  ¡°Or, at least, I was known as the protector a century ago. Or rather, two centuries ago.  Or it could have been only yesterday.  The time on this planet always gets me so confused. So does this funny language of yours that took me so long to learn.¡±


    George opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.  He was still so shocked at having been shrunk, and the strangeness of the room and the bizarre looking creature that he couldn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Oh, my!¡± said the protector, smacking his head with a hollow sound.  "Where are my manners?¡±  He rushed over to the refrigerator wearing the sweater, opened it up (causing the sweater to stretch so much it looked like it would rip), and rummaged around inside with a lot of banging and mumbling. Finally he emerged holding two glasses with some type of red liquid in them.  Waddling over to George, he handed one up to him (even though George was now only 2 inches tall, the protector was even shorter and wobbled around the room on stubby legs that had six-toed feet).


    ¡°Drink up,¡± commanded the protector. ¡°It¡¯s called Vleck.  It helps you get used to being shrunk when you''ve never been shrunk before.¡±  The protector rubbed his chin.  ¡°Although sometimes it can make you shrink more if you drink too much. But I wouldn¡¯t worry about that, since I think I gave you the right amount. I guess. Drink up! It tastes great!¡±


    George took the glass but didn''t drink any. He was small enough already. The Protector however downed his Vleck in three gulps.


    ¡°Delicious!¡± he said as he licked his purple lips.  ¡°Even if you''re used to being shrunk.¡±


    He waved his three-fingered hand toward the couch while going over to put his glass in the towel sink.  ¡°Have a seat.  Or I guess I should say, feel free to sit down.  You can¡¯t actually have the seat because if you took it out that door it would unshrink and break my whole car to pieces because it''s too big to fit in the passenger seat of a Volkswagen.¡±


    ¡°Unshrink?¡± said George, finding his voice at last.  ¡°You mean if something goes through that door, it will go back to normal size?  Even me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, absolutely, if you walk far enough out toward the seat to get away from the shrink zone,¡± said the Protector. Then he paused. ¡°Although sometimes things only seem to go back to about 70% of their original size, if I remember right. But you have nothing to worry about since you¡¯re a growing boy, and you¡¯d soon grow back the other 30%.¡±


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    Before George could say that he didn¡¯t think he could grow 30% of his normal size very quickly, he suddenly felt something furry rubbing his foot. Looking down he saw a pink fluff ball rolling back and forth across his shoe.  With a yell he jumped back, spilling his Vleck and nearly knocking over the mirror hanging in mid-air (but of course it didn''t fall since there was nothing supporting it to start with).


    ¡°No need to get excited,¡± said the Protector as he picked up the whimpering fluff ball. ¡°It¡¯s just Emberly.  She''s a Praetorian.¡±  He patted her gently. Then he added sadly, ¡°She''s the last of her race.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Praetorian?¡± asked George, forgetting for the moment the strangeness of his surroundings. He reached out a tentative hand to touch Emberly.  Her fur felt soft as silk.  ¡°And why is she the last of her race?¡±


    ¡°A Praetorian is someone from the planet Preatoria of course,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°It¡¯s in the Gularia sector.¡±  Then he scratched his carrot shaped ear.  ¡°Or is it the Soolmar sector?  I always get those two mixed up.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he continued, shoving Emberly unceremoniously into George¡¯s hands, ¡°she¡¯s the last of her race because the others were all petrified. Turned to stone. A Nulami trade ship stopped on Preatoria one day and found nothing but a bunch of Preatorian sized rocks all over the place.¡±


    George held Emberly awkwardly in his hands.  She kept bouncing from hand to hand and humming happily.


    ¡°She likes you,¡± said the Protector approvingly.  ¡°Maybe you could marry her someday.  I''m going to turn her into a human, you know.¡±


    George nearly dropped Emberly in shock.  ¡°Marry her?!!¡± he cried.


    The Protector laughed. ¡°Oh, I forgot. Boys your age on this planet don¡¯t like girls yet. Perfectly natural.  It¡¯s like that on my planet too for the first 45 stars of a person¡¯s life. But of course, on Kena, people can¡¯t actually get married anyway until the passing of 60 stars. A very long time.¡±


    ¡°60 stars?¡± said George blankly. So much had happened in the last half hour that his mind couldn¡¯t keep up with it all.


    ¡°That¡¯s 5,000 years in your time,¡± the Protector said casually. He flopped down on the couch and immediately two of the claws that were poking out of it at odd angles started scratching his back. ¡°Ooooh!  That feels good!¡± said the Protector, shifting around so the claws could reach him more easily.  He rolled his eyes happily.


    George¡¯s mind was still reeling. There was silence for a moment (except for the scritch-scratching of the claws on the Protector''s back) while George tried to figure out which of his 1000¡¯s of questions he should ask first.  Finally he said, ¡°You¡¯re from another world? A place called Kona?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®Kena,¡¯, not Kona,¡± the Protector replied.  ¡°It¡¯s about 50 billion light years from here, out in the Lipet sector. Just past Nagow, the amusement park planet.¡±  The Protector smiled and his eyes glowed. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop there on my way home when I finish my assignment here in another three years.¡±


    ¡°Your assignment?¡± George repeated without thinking.


    ¡°Yep,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°It¡¯s part of our education to go out into the universe for five stars, pick a planet, and take an assignment as its protector.  I¡¯ve been here for almost five stars now, so my time as protector on this planet is almost up. Then I''ll go back to Kena and go to high school.¡±


    ¡°High school?!¡± exclaimed George in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said the protector sheepishly. ¡°By comparison with the age of people on my planet, I¡¯m just a teenager. Even though I came here in the year 1500 and something or other, and I¡¯ve been here for almost 500 years of your time.  Do you want to see my contract?¡±


    George stared at him uncomprehendingly.


    ¡°I had it signed right after I got here. We¡¯re supposed to make sure the natives want us to protect their planet before we get started, you know.¡± He jumped up and went over to a tall structure that looked something like a bookshelf. It had a number of oddly shaped volumes and wrappings along its shelves. Carefully the protector pulled out a faded parchment that looked like it might crumble into dust any second. Carrying it back to George, he pointed proudly to a large ¡®X¡¯ at the bottom.


    ¡°That¡¯s the signature of Chief Palomuk of the Paiute tribe.  He was the Indian chief in charge of this area when I arrived in about the year 1500 or so as measured in your time, and he agreed to let me be the protector of this planet for 500 years.¡±  The protector looked at the parchment wistfully.  ¡°Chief Palomuk was quite a guy.  He couldn¡¯t read or write, but not only did he stop his braves from killing me when I arrived, he offered for me to marry one of his daughters after he signed this. Of course I declined since she¡¯s an alien to me, and I¡¯m too young to marry anyway.¡±


    The protector then looked across the room as if seeing people and events from long ago written on the walls. ¡°It¡¯s been quite an exciting time since then until now. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get much activity protecting this little out of the way planet, but boy was I wrong!  Someday, I¡¯ll have to tell you some of the times I¡¯ve had protecting your planet. Or maybe I¡¯ll just write a book about it.¡±


    ¡°However!¡± said the protector loudly before George could say anything, ¡°I believe you came here because a certain little yellow bird stole that.¡± He pointed to George¡¯s leather pouch, which was lying on a purple table that was wearing rubber boots on its legs.

 Chapter Eight - The Uth Stone

    ¡°My pouch!¡± cried George, rushing to the table. He quickly looked inside and was glad to see that the clear rock was still there.


    ¡°I figured it must be something valuable,¡± said the Protector casually. ¡°That¡¯s why I used the transformer to turn me into a bird, so I could steal it from you and lead you here.¡±


    ¡°You were the yellow bird?¡± asked George in wonder.


    ¡°Yep,¡± said the protector. ¡°Actually I¡¯m not normally a bird. I only became one with the help of the transformer.¡± He waived casually toward a little booth with orange curtains sitting next to the door. ¡°It can transform anyone into anything. Very handy when you¡¯re hungry and don¡¯t have much cash. You can change yourself into a fly and get full in no time in someone¡¯s kitchen ¨C as long as you don¡¯t get swatted!¡±


    The protector waddled over and put the parchment back into the bookshelf. ¡°I had a visit a few months ago from a Ziphon. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve ever heard of a Ziphon before?¡± Seeing the befuddled look on George¡¯s face, he continued. ¡°Ziphons never say much, you know. Probably because they live sideways through time, so they never quite know when they¡¯re going to be whisked off to yesterday or next week or last year or next Tuesday.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, this Ziphon appeared right here on my couch and said in his gravelly voice, ¡®you need to help George Brown. He will soon be called upon to help save his people from fire and ice.¡¯ Then¡ªpop!¡ªhe was gone.¡±


    ¡°I had a visit from a Ziphon too!¡± exclaimed George. ¡°Just a little while ago!  He told me to find you¡ªthe protector. Only I didn¡¯t know who the protector was.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± said the protector, puffing out his flabby chest in pride. ¡°Looks like we found each other just like the Ziphon wanted us to. Of course, I found you quite awhile ago, although I had to follow you around for awhile to make sure you were the George Brown I was looking for.¡±


    ¡°Then you were the bird that was following me around a few months ago!¡± exclaimed George. ¡°Did you get hurt when the teacher shooed you out the window?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± the protector replied.  ¡°Oh, by the way, sorry about those spots on your fingernails.  I was trying to help you out with your rock crystals, you know, so you could find some really impressive ones, and I guess I got carried away.  You got a temporary case of crystal-itis ¨C nothing serious, mind you, but very common where I come from.¡±


    ¡°So you did that too!¡± cried George, looking quickly at his fingernails.  ¡°Is the crystal-itis gone?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the protector, a little sheepishly. ¡°Like I said, it was nothing serious. I thought the rock crystals might be important to whatever you need to do to save your people, so that¡¯s why I tried to help. The Ziphon never told me what you¡¯re going to do for your people.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± asked George.


    ¡°Ziphons are mysterious,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°They never tell you why. In fact, they tell you hardly anything.  But it¡¯s always best to heed their warnings since they usually know the future¡ªthey¡¯ve been there, you know.¡±


    George thought for a moment. ¡°So, the Ziphon told you I would be called on to help save my people,¡± he said slowly. ¡°I wonder if this rock I found is related somehow to all of this.¡± He pulled the clear rock from the pouch and held it up to the light.


    ¡°Gorzubee!¡± cried the protector, jumping back.  Then, looking embarrassed, he said, ¡°excuse my language, but that looks like an Uth stone! Where in the galaxy did you get it?¡±


    ¡°I found it a few days ago next to a fallen star near here,¡± said George. ¡°It¡¯s helped me solve math problems and find a jar of pickled peaches at the store, and seems to have some mysterious power, but I don¡¯t know how to control it.  You say it¡¯s an ¡®Uth stone?¡¯¡±


    ¡°It looks like it,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Uth stones are very powerful and very deadly.  Little is known about them, and they¡¯re very rare.  I¡¯ve never seen one before ¨C most people never do in their whole lives!¡±


    The protector turned and headed for the mirror hanging in mid air by the entrance door. ¡°Come over here and we¡¯ll look it up on the View All,¡± he said. ¡°Only keep it away from me! I don¡¯t want to touch it. If I had known what was in that pouch I wouldn¡¯t have picked it up when I was a bird.¡±


    George carefully put the rock back into the pouch, trying as he did so to touch it as little as possible. He had never thought of the rock as being dangerous before.


    Standing before the mirror hanging in mid air, the protector commanded, ¡°Show me what you know about the Uth stone.¡± Immediately the mirror clouded over, and then some pictures and text appeared, looking very much like an encyclopedia entry. One picture showed a rock similar to George¡¯s, while another showed ¨C from a great distance ¨C a very bright planet that seemed to be almost transparent.  The text read as follows:


    Uth Stone: An extremely rare and dangerous transparent gem which appears to have unique powers.  Only three such stones have been observed in modern recorded history, and the possessor of each met an untimely and tragic end under mysterious circumstances.  The Uth Stone can only be obtained from the planet Uth (see picture).  The planet appears to be solid, but radiates such an unusual protective shield that no explorer has been able to make a landing.  According to ancient legends on nearby planets, only the pure in heart can reach the surface of Uth, and only they can take stones from it.  However, this has never been substantiated.  The nature and extent of the powers of the Uth stone are unknown, since all three of the previously mentioned stones perished with their possessor.  See also, Uth, planet of.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the protector after they had finished reading the entry, ¡°that doesn¡¯t sound very good for people like you who have the misfortune of possessing an Uth stone.¡±


    George found that he was gripping the bag holding the stone so tightly that he could feel the icy coldness of the rock even through the thick folds of leather.


    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t pay any attention to it if I were you,¡± the protector said with a casual waive of his hand.  ¡°The View All has been giving me a lot of doom and gloom entries like this lately.¡±  He leaned over to George and whispered confidentially, ¡°it recently wanted me to string a bunch of Hollywood style bright lights around it to show off its so called ¡®beauty.¡¯ Ever since I refused, it¡¯s been mad at me.¡±


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    To George¡¯s amazement, the Uth entry in the mirror disappeared and in bold, bright letters, the words appeared, ¡°THE PROTECTOR IS A STICK-IN-THE-MUD!¡±


    The protector gave the mirror a smack and said, ¡°come on now, that¡¯s no way to behave in front of our guest.  And that entry you gave us is too negative ¨C give us a better one, please!¡±


    The mirror clouded over for a second, and then the words appeared, ¡°WHY SHOULD I?¡±


    ¡°Because if you don¡¯t,¡± said the protector angrily, ¡°I¡¯ll put you in the darkest corner I¡¯ve got and only ask you for an entry once or twice a year!¡±


    A billow of angry black fog filled the mirror, but then came the words, ¡°OH, ALL RIGHT!¡±  Then slowly a new entry appeared, with the same picture as before.  It read as follows:


    Uth Stone: One of the most marvelous finds of the modern era, the Uth Stone appears to have unique powers which enable its possessor to accomplish amazing things.  The stone originates from the planet Uth (see picture) which so far has defied exploration due to an unusual protective shield surrounding it.  However, according to ancient legend, individuals who are pure in heart are able to reach the surface and remove one of the powerful Uth rocks.  There have been only three known instances in modern recorded history where such rocks have been observed, but unfortunately in each case the rock was lost before the nature of its powers could be fully ascertained.  The three cases are: on the platen Mulara, an individual by the name of Amar Mul used the mysterious powers of the Uth stone to conquer the invading Methes and free his planet from slavery; on the planet Zo, a tribe of Nrefs used the stone to overcome the deadly flying Nubats who could kill with a single touch; and on the planet Garon, a young Lemian used the stone to heal his race from a plague of Triots that had been brought to the planet by trade ships.  See also Uth, planet of.


    ¡°That¡¯s much better, thank you,¡± said the protector, giving the View-All a gentle pat. ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± A cloud of pink, embarrassed smoke appeared on the View-All.


    To George, the protector said, ¡°Well, that entry sounded a bit more positive, didn¡¯t it? In every one of those cases the Uth stone was used to help someone, rather than to hurt or destroy. We can look at the details later, if you want to know more about the Methes and Nubats and Triots. But I guess what we need to figure out now is what is going to cause fire and ice around here, and then figure out how your Uth rock can help.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± said George quietly, who was still feeling a bit unnerved by what he had read on the View All.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any idea who or what is threatening your planet?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said George slowly, ¡°something happened the other night that might help.¡± He then described the night the rock had helped him see out into space and the evil dog-like creature he had seen, with his father standing in the background.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± mumbled the Protector while rubbing his flabby chin. ¡°That gives me a strong suspicion of who might be behind the threat to earth. Come over here to the Snorkfinder and we¡¯ll see if you can show me the creature you saw.¡±


    ¡°The snorkfinder?¡± asked George as he followed the protector across the room to what looked like an empty glass box.


    The protector laughed with a sound like sandpaper on ice. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse the slang.  A ¡®snork¡¯ is just a common term for any unknown creature or being that exists in the galaxy. This little box is officially known as the ¡®Intergalactic Index to Creatures Who Breath, Photosynthesize, Absorb, Leach, Parasite, or otherwise show evidence of Being Alive¡¯¡ªbut it¡¯s a lot easier to just call it the ¡®snorkfinder.¡¯¡±


    The protector sat down on a little mushroom shaped stool in front of the snorkfinder.  He touched the center of the glass front and immediately it started to glow, first pink, then blue, then white.


    ¡°We could do this on the View All too, but as you¡¯ve seen it¡¯s been a little temperamental lately.¡±


    In the center of the snorkfinder the words appeared ¡°Description of Creature Please?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said the Protector to George.  ¡°Describe it the best you can remember.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± started George, a bit self conscious at talking to a machine, ¡°it was very evil looking¡ª¡°


    Instantly across the screen came the words, ¡°there are 23,467,952,152 evil looking species.  Please be more specific.¡±


    ¡°¡ªand,¡± continued George, ¡°it had a hairy, dog-like face¡ª¡°


    The words now appeared, ¡°There are only 1,197 evil looking species with hairy, dog-like faces, so you¡¯re getting closer.¡±


    ¡°And its eyes were strange, so it was hard to look away once you looked at them,¡± said George.


    The message on the screen changed to read, ¡°There are only 15 evil looking dog-like species with hypnotic eyes¡ªplease choose from the following.¡± Then a series of pictures appeared on the screen, each one lasting about 1 or 2 seconds before it would change to a new one.  George looked intently at each one.  They all looked hairy and dog-like, and had a very unkind look in their eyes.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure,¡± he said to the protector as the fifth one flashed onto the screen. ¡°They all look so similar.  It could have been any of them.¡±


    ¡°Well, there are little differences,¡± said the protector. ¡°I¡¯ll bet you recognize it when you see it.¡±


    By now more than 10 had flashed on and off the screen.  But when the 12th one appeared, the hair on the back of George¡¯s neck stood on end.  It looked exactly like the one he had seen that night.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± he said intently. ¡°That¡¯s what I saw.¡±  He shuddered, then looked away.  He could feel evil from it even though it was just a picture.

 Chapter Nine - The Grak

    Last chapter of the day. Hope you few who are reading this story are enjoying it!


    <hr />


    ¡°I thought so,¡± said the protector with a grim smile. ¡°That is the Grak, one of the most feared and most powerful race of creatures in this galaxy. I¡¯m not surprised you saw one of them nearby. They¡¯ve been causing some trouble lately.¡±


    ¡°Trouble?¡± asked George curiously.


    ¡°They¡¯re always causing trouble,¡± said the Protector. ¡°I see it all the time on the 6:00 o¡¯clock news.  Come here and I¡¯ll show you.¡± With that he walked over and flopped onto the couch (the claws immediately started scratching him again) and said to the empty air in front of him, ¡°last night¡¯s six o¡¯clock news, please¡ªthe segment on the Grak.¡±


    Instantly an image appeared in the air in front of the protector. It was a three dimensional view of a three-headed newscaster, giving all of the current events across the galaxy. It looked so real that George had a hard time believing it was a broadcast of a creature millions of light years away.  He couldn¡¯t see where the image was coming from.


    ¡°¡­Boof Spinet, the intergalactic singing star,¡±one of the three heads stated in a surprisingly high pitched voice, ¡°was found last night on the garbage planet of Moogbruth, nearly suffocated under a pile of manuremog.  Authorities are still questioning Spinet as to how he came to be on the planet, although some observers speculate he went there to get some inspiration for a new song.


    ¡°¡ªand in other news,¡± said one of the other three heads of the newscaster, ¡°the Grak envoy to the supreme parliament got into a brawl on the floor of the parliament chamber with the representative of the Noovian system.  The argument was apparently over trade issues, and allegations by the Noovians that the Grak have seized control of three of their trade planets. This is the third fight by a Grak on the floor of parliament this year¡­¡±


    During this report the three dimensional picture in the air had changed to show a Grak fighting a pencil thin purple creature with 4 noses (all of which were bloody).


    ¡°Disgusting,¡± said the protector with a snort.  ¡°That¡¯s enough news, thank you.¡± The image in the air faded and disappeared.


    ¡°Graks are always fighting and causing trouble,¡± said the protector. ¡°They really shouldn¡¯t even let them into parliament, but I guess they figured that was better than going to war with them. They¡¯re quite a powerful race, you know.¡±


    Before George could reply, his cell phone rang. The protector jumped off the couch as if he¡¯d been shot by a rocket. ¡°Gorzubee!¡± he cried, looking around wildly. ¡°I know the sound of every gadget in here, and that¡¯s not one of them! What was that?¡±


    George laughed as the phone rang again. ¡°It¡¯s just my cell phone. My mom is calling. She calls all the time since my Dad disappeared.¡±


    The protector grinned sheepishly. ¡°I knew that,¡± he said flimsily.  ¡°It sounded like a cell phone.¡±


    George punched the button on the phone to talk to his mother.


    ¡°George?¡± she sounded worried. ¡°You said you¡¯d be back in an hour, and you¡¯re not here! Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Mom,¡± George replied. ¡°I¡¯m still at the park.  I met this, uh, bird, and I lost track of time.¡±


    ¡°A bird?¡± she cried. ¡°Well look, young man, you¡¯d better be here in 15 minutes or you¡¯ll be grounded for a week! O.k?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°O.k.¡± said George weakly. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    Clicking off the phone, George turned to the protector. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now or I¡¯ll be in big trouble. But there¡¯s still so much I wanted to ask and so much we need to do!¡±


    ¡°Can you meet tomorrow morning?¡± asked the protector.


    ¡°Probably,¡± replied George, ¡°if I get home real fast right now.¡± He turned to go. ¡°Will I really get bigger when I go through the door?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± replied the protector. ¡°I set it to downsize when you come through the passenger car window, and upsize as soon as you take a few steps past the door.  So watch your head or you¡¯ll end up jammed under the seat of the car.¡±


    George opened the door and looked out at the mountainous kernels of popcorn strewn across the floor of the car beneath the passenger seat.


    ¡°Sorry about the popcorn mess,¡± said the protector in embarrassment. ¡°Martin really likes popcorn, but he¡¯s not too careful when he eats it.¡±


    ¡°Martin?¡± asked George.


    ¡°He¡¯s my driver,¡± replied the protector. ¡°I don¡¯t like driving in this new, modern traffic, so I got Martin to do it for me. He¡¯s outside on the park bench. You probably saw him.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡± said George blankly. The events before coming into the protector¡¯s car now seemed so long ago.  Then he remembered the man he had seen sleeping on the park bench opposite the car. ¡°Oh, yeah, I remember now,¡± he said.  ¡°Does he live in here too? He seemed awful big.¡± George felt comfortable with the protector, but wasn¡¯t sure he liked the thought of a strange man hanging around next time he came to visit.


    ¡°He does,¡± replied the protector, ¡°and he takes up hardly any space at all.  But I¡¯ll explain tomorrow ¨C you¡¯ve got to get going or your mother won¡¯t let you meet tomorrow!¡± Then the protector gave George a little push through the door.


    As George stumbled forward he watched in amazement as a popcorn kernel the size of a boulder seemed to shrink and fade away from him. His head smacked against the bottom of the seat. Twisting around George found himself as his regular size, sitting halfway between the seat and the floor. Hearing a muffled sound, he looked down at his foot.  He could barely hear the protector¡¯s tiny voice yelling, ¡°GET YOUR FOOT OFF THE DOOR!¡±


    George quickly moved his foot, and saw the protector, the size of a tiny toy soldier, standing just inside the door. He yelled up at George, ¡°You nearly broke the door with your foot when you expanded.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said George. The protector covered his ears. ¡°Not so loud,¡± he yelled up at George. ¡°You have to whisper when you talk to someone my size, or you¡¯ll deafen them.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± whispered George again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning in front of your house,¡± the protector yelled. ¡°You¡¯d better go home fast, or you won¡¯t make it!¡±


    George stared stupidly at him for a moment, still fascinated at how tiny he looked, and how the little door looked like it belonged on a doll house.


    ¡°Get going!¡± yelled the protector up at him again.  Suddenly remembering his mother¡¯s threats, George twisted around, hopped out the window and ran for home as fast as he could go.

 Chapter Ten - A Little Grey Dog

    George¡¯s mother got after him three times that evening for not paying attention to what he was doing.  The last of these was when she asked him to feed the cat and help with dinner, and he put a bowl of cat food on the table and filled Door Jam¡¯s bowl with string beans.


    ¡°George,¡± said his mother in exasperation after pouring the string beans into the disposal, ¡°just what were you doing at the park today that¡¯s made you so preoccupied?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said George quickly, trying to sound as innocent as possible.  ¡°There was just this yellow bird hopping around, and I was following him.¡±


    George¡¯s mother looked at him shrewdly.  ¡°You mean like the yellow bird that was following you a few months ago?¡±


    George squirmed.  ¡°I guess so,¡± he said quietly.  His mother continued to stare at him.  Sometimes it seemed that she could look right into his head and read his mind.  Finally she said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t trust little yellow birds.  Your father was also seeing strange things before he disappeared.  So from now on if you see a yellow bird, stay away from it.¡±


    ¡°O.k., Mom,¡± said George meekly.  He could tell she was suspicious.  She could smell something unusual 100 yards off.  Through the rest of the evening he tried to pay attention to what he was doing, since he didn¡¯t want to risk her not letting him go out to meet the protector tomorrow.


    He slept fitfully that night, drifting in and out of dreams about shrinking Volkswagens, grumpy mirrors hanging in mid air, and pink fuzz balls rolling across his foot and across his face.


    Finally morning came.  George was so anxious to meet the protector that he brushed his teeth with a tube of hand lotion and poured milk on his toast at breakfast.  (Fortunately his mother was out of the room at the time, and he cleaned up the mess before she came back).  Finally, after he had gulped down his breakfast, he headed for the front door.


    ¡°And just where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± his mother asked, appearing out of nowhere.


    ¡°Just out front,¡± replied George, trying to sound as casual as possible.  ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just climb the tree or poke around in the bushes for awhile.¡±


    George¡¯s mother gave him a hard look.  ¡°Well, make sure you don¡¯t leave the front yard.  And take your cell phone with you.¡±


    ¡°But Mom,¡± cried George, ¡°I¡¯m just going to the front yard.  Why do I need my cell phone?¡±


    ¡°Suppose someone kidnaps you?¡± his mother responded.  ¡°If your father would have had a cell phone with him, we might know where he is right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, all right,¡± said George grumpily, hooking his cell phone onto his belt.  Then he went out into the front yard.  The protector¡¯s Volkswagen was nowhere to be seen.  In fact, the street was deserted except for a fluffy, grey dog coming down the sidewalk, sniffing at everything it came across.


    Disappointed, George scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk and settled down to wait.  He looked up and down the street again.  He still saw nothing, other than the dog, who was getting closer.  George looked at the sky.  It promised to be a clear, cloudless day.


    Then a horrible thought struck George.  He hadn¡¯t told the protector where he lived!  No wonder the Volkswagen was nowhere in sight!


    In frustration, George sat down hard on the sidewalk step.  He could have kicked himself for being so stupid.  What was he going to do now?  The protector apparently lived in his car, and that car could be anywhere.  How were they going to find each other?


    George drummed his fingers grumpily on his knee, thinking hard.  But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn¡¯t think of anything to do except to try and talk his Mom into letting him go back to the park, to see if the protector¡¯s car was there.


    Stolen story; please report.


    George stood up and turned to go back into the house.  As he did so, he nearly tripped over the little grey dog that he had seen earlier.  It wagged its tail and looked up at him happily.


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t play now,¡± said George to the dog.  ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry.¡±  George hopped over the dog and started for his house.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± said a voice behind him.


    In shock, George tripped over his own feet and sprawled on the lawn.  He looked back but there was no one there, other than the little dog.


    He stared at the dog for a moment.  It stared back, wagging its tail eagerly.  Finally, George said, ¡°are you the protector?¡±


    ¡°In the fur,¡± replied the dog.  ¡°It¡¯s ¡®dog Tuesday.¡¯  Every Tuesday I like to go out as a dog.  There¡¯s always so many interesting things to smell and cats to chase.¡±


    ¡°How do you do that?¡± asked George, coming over to the dog.  ¡°Talk, I mean.  I can hardly see your lips move!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too hard,¡± replied the dog simply.  ¡°The transformer may change my shape, but I can still talk like normal.  I didn¡¯t talk to you yesterday when I was a bird because I didn¡¯t want to scare you.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George.  ¡°You look so real!¡±  He reached his hand out to pet the dog¡¯s head¡ªthen quickly pulled it back.  ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, embarrassed.  ¡°I was thinking you were a real dog, rather than the protector.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s o.k.¡± replied the protector.  ¡°I feel like a dog.  The transformer does a very complete job of things.  When I¡¯m like this I even enjoy dog food, which I normally would never eat.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± said George again, reaching out to pet the protector and scratch under his chin.


    ¡°Oooh, that feels good!¡± said the protector as George scritch-scratched his neck.  ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡±  The protector¡¯s hind leg started to thump up and down, as dogs often do when being scratched.


    There was suddenly a bang from the front door behind them.  ¡°George!¡± came his mother¡¯s voice.  ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    George turned to face her.  ¡°It¡¯s just a dog, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Tell her I¡¯m lost,¡± whispered the protector.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s lost,¡± said George.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if you should be petting him,¡± George¡¯s mother said doubtfully.  ¡°He looks kind of scroungy and dirty to me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± said the protector grumpily.  ¡°I took a shower this morning!¡±  Then he added, ¡°ask if you can take me down the street to see who I belong to ¨C that will give us a chance to go to the fallen star.¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± whispered George back to the protector.


    ¡°Are you talking to the dog?¡± George¡¯s mom asked curiously.


    George coughed in embarrassment.  ¡°Uh, yeah, I am.  I was just telling it I could take it down the street and ask who it belonged to.¡±


    George¡¯s mother scowled, pursing her lips.  But George and the dog were looking at her so eagerly that she finally threw up her hands and said, ¡°O.k!  All right, go ahead!  But be back in an hour!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mom,¡± George said happily as he and the protector bolted off down the street.


    ¡°That was a great idea,¡± said George to the protector as they ran.


    ¡°Well, we needed to get away from her so we could go out to the fallen star where you found the Uth stone,¡± said the protector, panting.  ¡°Martin has the car parked just around the corner, so we can drive right out there fast.¡±


    The protector suddenly put on a burst of speed and George had to stretch just to keep up with him.

 Chapter Eleven - The Ant

    As George rounded the corner, he saw the protector¡¯s Volkswagen parked a short distance up the street.  The big man George had seen on the park bench the day before was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, staring straight ahead.  George slowed down and approached the car cautiously.  The protector leaped through the passenger window and stood on the passenger seat with his paws on the dashboard.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, seeing George¡¯s hesitation as he came slowly up to the car.


    ¡°Martin,¡± said George quietly.  ¡°I don¡¯t think my mom would want me to go with him.¡±


    The protector laughed.  ¡°That¡¯s very logical and you¡¯re right, you should never go in a car with strangers.  But you have nothing to worry about.  Martin is an ant.¡±


    George stared blankly at the protector.  ¡°An ant?¡± he said dumbly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Ant #4, to be exact.  Have you ever noticed how ants always seem to know where they¡¯re going, and can always find any little speck of food or crumb on the ground?  And how they can work their way through hordes of other ants without getting confused?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said George slowly, wondering what the protector was talking about.


    ¡°Well,¡± continued the protector, ¡°I figured if ants have that good of a sense of direction and that much ability to handle traffic jams, they should be pretty good as drivers!  So I used the transformer to change an ant into a human to become my driver.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George, looking at Martin in amazement.  ¡°So, he¡¯s an ant!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Actually, he¡¯s ant number four.  Ants don¡¯t live very long, you know, so I¡¯ve had to replace my driver four times.¡±


    ¡°Replace him?¡± said George uncomfortably.


    ¡°Yep,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Each ant¡¯s human form aged very quickly so I could tell when he was getting close to the end.  Then I would just change him back into an ant and get a new driver.  It was hard saying good-bye to my old drivers, of course, since I got rather attached to them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± said George without thinking.


    ¡°I agree,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It¡¯s a shame ants have such short lives, and that no one seems to care when they die.  Where I come from, every form of life is greatly respected.  But I¡¯ve found that most people on this planet don¡¯t feel that way.  Whoever cares if an ant lives or dies?  Whoever cares if they step on an ant?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true,¡± said George, feeling confused.  He found himself wondering how many times he had stepped on ants without paying any attention.  ¡°But people would care if the ant looked like a human.¡±


    ¡°Probably so,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°But it would still be an ant.¡±


    Still confused, George slowly got into the Volkswagen, and sat down on the back seat.


    ¡°So, where are we going?¡± asked the protector.  ¡°Where is the fallen star?¡±


    ¡°Just outside town, right past the orchard,¡± said George slowly.


    Immediately Martin started the car and began driving towards the outskirts of town.


    ¡°He understood me?¡± asked George in surprise.


    ¡°Yep,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but the ants I¡¯ve transformed understand everything I say.  Maybe when they go through the transformer they take on some human attributes.  But they never talk.  Martin has never said a single word to me.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t?¡± asked George, turning to stare at Martin again.


    ¡°Have you ever heard an ant talk?¡± replied the protector.


    ¡°No,¡± said George.  There was silence for a moment while Martin drove silently on.


    ¡°What I¡¯m going to be looking for at the fallen star is just any clue we can find,¡± said the protector, changing the subject.  ¡°I don¡¯t actually know what it might be ¨C it could be anything.  Hopefully we¡¯ll find something that helps.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°We¡¯re getting close,¡± said George, looking out the window.  ¡°It¡¯s right over there, past the end of the orchard.¡±


    Martin brought the car to a stop at the specified place and George and the protector got out.  ¡°It¡¯s just over that rise, out of sight.¡±  The protector trotted ahead with George following close behind.


    The site was the same as when George had been there last.  The circular fallen star lay half submerged in the earth where it had landed, with the hook-like appendage pointing up to the north.  There was nothing else around or any sign that anyone had been there.  George felt a twinge of guilt at being here again.  His mother had not wanted him to come back here.  But he had only promised to not come here alone, and since the protector was with him, it was easy to rationalize that he had not broken his promise.


    The protector looked closely at the fallen star and tapped it with his paw.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a meteor or an asteroid.  It looks like it was made by somebody, and I would guess it¡¯s not here by accident.  I would think that hook-like part pointing up has a definite purpose, although I can¡¯t imagine what it would be.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± said George.  ¡°I thought it was just something that fell randomly from space.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It looks almost like it¡¯s positioned for something.¡±  He paused.  ¡°Where did you find the Uth rock?¡±


    George pointed out the spot in the grass near the fallen star, and the protector went over to it.  ¡°This is another reason why I decided to be a dog today.  Their sniffers are much better than those of a human.¡±  He then sniffed all around the grassy area George had pointed out, and looked carefully for a time, but found nothing.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence that the Uth stone was right here with the fallen star,¡± muttered the protector.  ¡°The two must have come together.  But why?¡±  After looking around for another minute, the protector said to George, ¡°there¡¯s a camera on the front seat of the car.  Can you get it?  I need to take some pictures so we can analyze them.¡±


    George quickly went back to the car and retrieved the camera.  Unlike the protector¡¯s other gadgets it looked perfectly normal.


    ¡°I bought it at Wal-Mart,¡± said the protector sheepishly when George brought it back, and he noticed George looking at it curiously.  ¡°Your earth cameras work pretty well.¡±


    The protector then had George take several pictures of the fallen star from different angles.  When they were finished, the two walked slowly back to the car.  Ant number 4 was still sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, staring straight ahead with a vacant expression on his face.


    ¡°Take us back to the street we started from,¡± instructed the protector after he and George had got into the car.  As the car began to move forward, the protector said to George, ¡°as you recall, yesterday I had my settings arranged so that you would shrink when you came in the window¡ª¡°


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± said George, remembering.


    ¡°Today, I¡¯ve got it set to shrink only when you actually touch the little door into my home,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Watch.¡±  He reached out a paw and bumped it against the tiny door.  Instantly he shrank to about an inch in height.  It was as if George were watching him through a zoom lens working in reverse.  The protector was still a dog though, who now looked like a toy.


    ¡°Wow!¡± he said in amazement.


    The protector¡¯s tiny voice reached up to him.  ¡°Remember to whisper so you don¡¯t deafen me.  Now it¡¯s your turn.  Come here and touch the door, but be careful you don¡¯t crush me in the process.  Then we¡¯ll go inside and look at the pictures.¡±


    George moved to the front seat and cautiously stretched out his finger toward the door.

 Chapter Twelve - Another Fallen Star

    George felt tense and nervous, since he knew what was about to happen.  The instant he touched the door he felt like his tongue was being sucked right down into his stomach.  Everything around him seemed to be growing at fantastic speed.  Then he found himself on his hands and knees looking up at the door which had been so tiny only a second ago.


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George, shaking a little as he dizzily stood up.  ¡°That is so weird.¡±


    ¡°Kind of fun, isn¡¯t it?¡± replied the protector.  ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±  Then he trotted through the door.  George followed and watched in amazement as the protector instantly changed from a dog back to his former flabby-skinned self the instant he went through the door.


    ¡°Come on in and let¡¯s do a search on these pictures,¡± said the protector, taking the camera from George.  They went over to what looked like a simple printer, such as the one his mother had for her camera at home.


    ¡°I got this printer at Wal-Mart too,¡± said the protector with an embarrassed smile at George.  ¡°Not all of my gadgets are fancy, high tech things from outer space.¡±


    The protector connected a cord to the camera and quickly printed off the pictures they had taken at the fallen star.  Then he led George over to a plain glass screen with a slot below it, right next to the snorkfinder they had used the day before.


    ¡°This is the news finder,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It¡¯s kind of old fashioned, but it still works quite well.  All you do is put a picture or a request into the slot and it will search all of the newspapers on every planet in the known universe and show whatever it matches.¡±


    ¡°You mean other planets have newspapers?¡± asked George in surprise.


    ¡°You bet,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Although most of them are never actually printed on paper.  They usually come over the viewscreen.  Anyway, let¡¯s put in a picture of the fallen star and see what we get.¡±


    The protector popped a picture into the slot.  A humming noise immediately started from the news finder.  The protector turned to George and said in embarrassment, ¡°like I said, it¡¯s a bit old fashioned.  I really should replace it.  Sometimes it takes a whole 15 seconds to do a universe search of billions of newspapers, and give a result.  Terribly slow, you know.¡±


    A voice suddenly came out of the machine, startling George.  Mechanically it said, ¡°there is only one matching result out of 10,487,501,908,432 news sources.  There are 90,586,273 similar objects that are not quite a perfect match.  Would you like to see all of them?¡±  The voice sounded anxious, as if begging to show them all of its matches.


    ¡°No thanks,¡± said the protector.  There was a sigh of disappointment from the news finder.  ¡°That¡¯s pretty incredible, though,¡± the protector said to George.  ¡°Only one exactly matching result in the entire universe!  Usually there¡¯s at least 20 exact matches for about everything I ever search for.  I even searched for an Australian platypus once just for fun, and found 34 exact matches across the universe!¡±


    The protector touched the upper right hand corner of the screen.  ¡°The upper right hand corner is exact matches, and the upper left is similar objects,¡± he explained.


    A picture and text appeared on the screen.  The picture showed an object that looked so much like his fallen star that George had a hard time believing it was not the same one.  The text was unreadable, but looked familiar somehow.


    ¡°Gorzubee!¡± cried the protector.  ¡°This newspaper picture is from right here on earth!  It¡¯s from a newspaper in China!  Out of millions of worlds across the galaxy, that was the only match!¡±


    ¡°China?¡± said George in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Here, let¡¯s get a translation so we can read what it says.¡±  He touched the lower right corner of the screen.  Instantly the text changed to English, and George read the following:


    ¡°In the early morning of July 7, residents of Xhengxou were startled out of their sleep by a falling star which crashed into the ground on the outskirts of the city.  Authorities have closely examined the meteorite and determined that it is not radioactive or dangerous.  It consists of a metallic-like substance with an extension pointing in a northward direction.  Authorities estimate that the meteorite was several times larger than it now is before it tumbled to earth, but most of its mass burned off due to the intense heat of entering the earth¡¯s atmosphere.  Officials from the army are guarding the meteorite until it can be safely transported to the National Museum.  Meanwhile, many residents near where the meteorite landed have relocated out of an unfounded fear that others may fall nearby.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that interesting?¡± said the protector, rubbing his flabby chin.  ¡°They¡¯re both right and wrong about it burning off a lot of its mass upon entering the earth¡¯s atmosphere.  Normally that is the case, but my examination of your fallen star led me to believe that very little if any of its surface burned off during entry.  It seems to be made of an extremely high grade metal, similar to NASA spacecraft, that doesn¡¯t melt off with heat.  I¡¯d bet the Chinese authorities know that, but didn¡¯t want it repeated in the newspaper, since that would arouse greater suspicion.  That¡¯s why they¡¯re calling it a meteorite, when it¡¯s really not.¡±


    ¡°Why would they be worried about that?¡± asked George curiously.


    ¡°They probably don¡¯t want to admit that it appears to be made by someone or something, which would indicate life outside your planet,¡± the protector replied.  ¡°That could create widespread anxiety and draw more attention to it than they want, at least until they know more about what the thing is and how to protect their people from whoever is out there.  The Chinese government is far more secretive than your own.  It¡¯s surprising they revealed even this much information about the fallen star.¡±


    ¡°But why would the exact same fallen star come down in China?¡± asked George.  ¡°And almost at the same time, too.  The one fell here on July 6th.¡±


    ¡°Which was the 7th in China,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It appears they fell at the same time.  But why they did, and what they are doing here, is a great mystery.¡±  The protector squinted his eyes in concentration.  ¡°Two things are certain,¡± he said after a moment.  ¡°First, it isn¡¯t a mere coincidence that these two identical objects landed on earth at the same time.  Second, given what you saw the other night and what I know about the Grak, I would say the Grak are the ones who sent them down here for some devious purpose of their own.¡±


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    Suddenly George felt something prickly on the back of his neck.  He jumped and turned around, but it was only Emberly who had rolled over from the couch, then bounced up to his neck.


    ¡°Hi, there,¡± he said, picking her up.  ¡°How are you doing today?¡±


    Emberly got so excited that she bounced from one of George¡¯s hands to the other, and then up on his head.  George laughed and reached up to pull her off, but she bounced away and then up to the top of the fridge.


    ¡°I told you she liked you,¡± said the protector.  ¡°I just wish she could get along as well when she¡¯s a girl,¡± he said with a sigh.


    ¡°What?¡± said George uncomprehendingly.


    ¡°Like I said before, she was sent to me so I could find her a new home here on earth, since there are no more of her kind,¡± said the protector.  ¡°She¡¯s highly intelligent so I hesitate to turn her into an animal and let her lose.  So I tried the other day to turn her into a human girl.  I guess she didn¡¯t like it though.  She just about turned that supermarket upside down!¡±


    ¡°You took her into a supermarket?¡± George asked in amazement.  He stared at the pink fuzz ball for a minute, trying in vain to imagine it as a girl going crazy in the aisles of food.


    Suddenly George¡¯s cell phone rang, causing the protector to jump and look around wildly.  Then he grinned sheepishly.  ¡°Your cell phone,¡± he mumbled in embarrassment.  ¡°I knew that.¡±


    George clicked the button on the phone.


    ¡°George, where are you?¡± came his mother¡¯s worried voice.


    The protector hurriedly whispered to George, ¡°Ant number 4 brought us back to where we started, just around the corner from your street.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just up the street,¡± said George.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s past time you were back,¡± said his mother.  Then she added as an afterthought, ¡°did you find the little dog¡¯s home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said George with a grin.  ¡°He¡¯s home now.¡±  The protector grinned too.  ¡°I¡¯ll be right home, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Well, you better be,¡± she answered.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to get ready for our trip, you know.¡±


    ¡°Our trip?¡± George repeated blankly.


    ¡°Yes, you remember, don¡¯t you?¡± said his mother.  ¡°We¡¯re going to Sacramento tomorrow to take the pickled peaches to your Aunt Agnes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, darn!¡± said George.  ¡°I forgot.  Do I have to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said his mother firmly.  ¡°We¡¯ve been planning this trip for 3 weeks and she¡¯s expecting all of us.  Janet tried to get out of going too, and I wouldn¡¯t let her.¡±


    ¡°Darn,¡± said George again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± said his mother.  ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re going.  And I expect you back home in 5 minutes!¡±


    ¡°O.k. Mom,¡± said George unhappily.  He clicked off the cell phone.  ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll be gone all day tomorrow,¡± he said grumpily.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± said the protector.  ¡°I was thinking we need to go to China tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Go to China!¡± exclaimed George.


    ¡°Yep,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°We need to take a look at their fallen star.  And most importantly, we need to see if anyone there found an Uth stone like yours.  The newspaper didn¡¯t mention anything about one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± cried George.  ¡°If everything else about it is the same, there should have been an Uth stone there too.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said the protector, ¡°I just hope if there was one it¡¯s not in the wrong hands.  Anyway, you¡¯d better get going.  Just meet me in front of your house in the morning the day after tomorrow and we¡¯ll go to China then.¡±


    ¡°Gosh, I sure wish I didn¡¯t have to go to Aunt Agnes¡¯ place tomorrow,¡± said George.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right,¡± said the protector with a smile.  ¡°It¡¯s only one day.  And it will give me some time to do some testing on your fallen star to try to find a clue about what it¡¯s made of.¡±


    George gave Emberly a final pat, then went to the door.  He paused for a second, then turned and asked, ¡°how are we going to talk to people or understand them in China?  And how are we going to even get there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°But I¡¯ll describe it all the day after tomorrow.  Now go, before your Mom gets upset.¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± said George reluctantly.  There were still so many things he wanted to ask that he hated to leave.  But he knew his mother well enough to know he had to get home fast.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you the day after tomorrow then,¡± he called as he ducked through the door.


    ¡°O.k.¡± came the protector¡¯s reply.  Then in a voice that seemed to fade into the distance like a rock being dropped into a well, George heard the protector say, ¡°Watch your head!¡±


    The instruction came too late.  George¡¯s head banged into something hard and he suddenly found himself sitting sideways, back to his full size, with his head stuck under the passenger seat of the Volkswagen.


    George heard the protector¡¯s tiny voice yelling, ¡°don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get better at it.  Now you¡¯d better get going.  I¡¯ll see you in two days.¡±


    George struggled out from under the seat, righted himself, and waved to the miniature protector standing in the door far below.  Then he hopped out of the car and raced for home.

 Chapter Thirteen - A Poke in the Ear

    The next day all George could think about was fallen stars, the protector, China and Uth rocks.  He was so preoccupied at breakfast his mother had to tell him three times to stop holding his dripping cereal spoon over his pants.  She got after him again when he came out to the car to go to Aunt Agnes¡¯ house with a cowboy boot on one foot and a tennis shoe on the other.  George stared blankly out the window for the whole two hour drive to Aunt Agnes¡¯ house, totally oblivious to the passing trees and countryside.  Instead, he was seeing images of evil, slobbering Grak, refrigerator¡¯s wearing sweaters and ants driving Volkswagens.


    After they arrived at Aunt Agnes¡¯ house, George was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he actually ate a mouthful of pickled peaches his Aunt offered him before he realized what he was doing (naturally, he spit it out immediately).


    All in all, the day seemed to creep by like a cat being dragged by his claws across the carpet.  After they drove home and George finally went to bed that night, he was exhausted from having tried hard all day to force time to go faster.  But at the same time, he was full of excitement to meet the protector and go to China in the morning.


    The next morning George was out front as early as his mother would let him.  She was actually glad this time to see him go, since he had been such a nuisance the day before at Aunt Agnes¡¯ house, and he had kept making new messes for her to clean up all morning.


    George looked up and down the street but didn¡¯t see anyone, or any sign of the protector¡¯s car.  He smiled.  Just because there was no person in sight didn¡¯t mean the protector wasn¡¯t there.  The last time he had surprised George as a dog, and in the park he had been a bird.  George looked in all directions for any type of small animal.  He didn¡¯t intend to be caught off guard this time.


    The sun was shining and it promised to be a warm, beautiful day.   There was a gentle breeze and several butterflies were fluttering in the air.  George couldn¡¯t see any dogs along the street, or any cats either (other than DoorJam, who was snoozing on the front porch).  Although he could hear some birds singing nearby, George couldn¡¯t actually see any birds either.


    George settled himself down to wait.  He had just plopped down cross-legged on the grass when he heard a voice in his ear.


    ¡°So, are you ready to go to China?¡± it asked.


    George stumbled to his feet and turned swiftly around, but there was no one there.


    ¡°Whoa, there!¡± said the voice again.  ¡°Settle down!  You nearly crushed me!¡±


    George looked around wildly.  There was still nothing in sight other than a butterfly fluttering gently through the air near his head.


    George did a double take.  The butterfly!  Of course!  George looked at it intently.  It didn¡¯t look anything like the protector.  George couldn¡¯t tell if it even had a mouth to talk with.


    ¡°Yep,¡± came the voice again.  ¡°Today I¡¯m a butterfly.  It¡¯s actually kind of pleasant for those days you just want to float around on the breeze, light as a feather.  But it can be dangerous if a strong wind comes along ¨C or if you get too close to a human who jumps around and flails his arms like you just did!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± said George.  ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be a butterfly.  I¡¯ll try to be more careful.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± said the protector again, ¡°are you ready to go to China?¡±


    ¡°You bet!¡± exclaimed George.


    ¡°Well, ant number 4 has the car parked right around the corner,¡± said the protector, ¡°so let¡¯s get going.¡±  The butterfly headed off for the corner at a surprisingly fast pace, with George trotting along to keep up with it.


    When they reached the car, Ant number 4 was seated in the driver¡¯s seat staring straight ahead as usual.  The butterfly flew through the open passenger seat window and down to the little door.  As George opened the car door to get in, he heard a tiny voice floating up to him.  ¡°No need to come down here and shrink.  Just take a seat in the back.  Ant number 4 knows where to go.  I¡¯m just going to make a quick change and will be right out.¡±  George then saw the butterfly flutter through the tiny door.


    George sat down in the back seat, and ant number 4 started the car and began driving.  George still couldn¡¯t imagine how they could travel halfway around the world to China in this little car, but he had already seen the protector do so many amazing things that he no longer doubted they would do it somehow.


    Ant number 4 took the car into the country, past the orchard and then to the field where the fallen star was located.  The car came to a stop.  George heard the protector¡¯s tiny voice say, ¡°We need to start from a secluded spot, and this place is as good as any.  I¡¯ll be right up and set up the portable transporter.¡±


    George remained in the back seat, waiting.  Ant number 4 stayed exactly where he was, staring blankly ahead into space.  Suddenly there appeared on the passenger seat a stubby little man with his shirt tail hanging out and an unshaven growth of stubble on his face.  As the man opened the door and got out of the car, George was surprised to see that he was even shorter than George himself.


    ¡°I assumed the shape of a man just in case anyone happens to come by,¡± said the protector.  He then reached back into the car and pulled out some thin poles and some flouncy, gauzy material that seemed to shimmer and shift colors in the protector¡¯s hands.  He carried these a short distance from the car, set most of them down on the grass, and began working on the poles.  George left the car and came up to watch.


    ¡°This is the portable transporter,¡± said the protector, grunting as he jabbed one of the poles into the ground.  ¡°It takes about 10 minutes to set it up.  It¡¯s kind of like putting up a tent.¡±


    The protector worked swiftly with deft movements, and George watched in fascination as the outlines of what looked like a door appeared before his eyes.  It was about 6 feet high and was in the shape of an arch, with enough room underneath for the protector¡¯s car to pass through.  Stretched across the poles that formed the frame of the door were the gauzy strands of some strange material that seemed to be constantly changing color.  George remembered seeing a smaller version of this type of door in the Protector¡¯s home inside the Volkswagen.


    In a few minutes the door was completed.  The protector then attached a small black box at the bottom of one side of the door.  It had buttons on it similar to a keypad, or the face of a cell phone.


    ¡°Now, I just need to make a few settings on the controller here, and then we¡¯ll be ready to go.¡±  He started pushing some of the buttons.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re going to drive through that door and it will take us to China?¡± asked George.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Only we¡¯d look pretty conspicuous in China the way we are right now.  So I¡¯m setting the gauge here to not only transport us, but transform us as well¡ªeven Emberly.  She needs to get out in the world of humans more often, so I thought she¡¯d come with us today.¡±


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    ¡°We¡¯re going to be transformed?¡± George asked uneasily.  He wasn¡¯t sure he was ready to be a butterfly.  ¡°How?  I mean, what¡¯s wrong with the way we are right now?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± the protector responded slowly, ¡°in China you¡¯ll be about 6 inches taller than most boys your age, and you look very American.  You¡¯ll stick out like a sore thumb.  We want to be inconspicuous and not draw attention to ourselves so we can move about freely.¡±


    George was about to respond when he was suddenly hit from behind between the shoulder blades so hard that he went flying.  He looked up dizzily to see a blond haired girl with freckles looking down at him, a big, gawky smile on her face.  With alarm, George saw that she looked like she was about to jump on top of him.


    ¡°Emberly!¡± said the protector reprovingly.  ¡°It¡¯s not polite to pounce on people when you¡¯re in human shape.  You¡¯re a girl now, not a furball.¡±  Emberly turned away with a sulky look on her face.


    The protector helped George to his feet.  ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive Emberly,¡± he said quietly so she wouldn¡¯t overhear.  ¡°Although she¡¯s 130 Praetorian years old, she¡¯s still just a child, and it¡¯s not easy for her to adjust to being a member of a different race.¡±


    George turned to see Emberly staring at him, a frown on her face.  Suddenly she smiled, walked up to him, and jabbed a finger in his ear.


    ¡°Hey!¡± yelled George, jumping back.  ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got big ears,¡± Emberly giggled.


    ¡°Emberly, that¡¯s not polite,¡± said the protector with a frown.  Then he turned curiously to George.  ¡°Or is it o.k. on your planet to poke people in the ear?  I¡¯ve never quite been able to learn all of the strange customs you have here.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not normal at all,¡± replied George.


    ¡°Why not?¡± she asked innocently.  ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?  You told me yesterday humans try to be honest, and he does have big ears.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should always try to be honest,¡± said the protector patiently, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean you go around poking people in the ear and telling them things that are rude or upsetting.  If you can¡¯t say something positive, don¡¯t say anything at all.¡±


    Emberly scowled, deep in thought.  Then suddenly she smiled again and looking up at George said, ¡°I¡¯ll bet you can hear really good with those big ears of yours!  That¡¯s positive isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The protector threw up his hands in exasperation, but George just laughed.  ¡°I can hear just fine,¡± he said to Emberly.  ¡°But my ears are about the same size as yours.¡±


    A look of horror spread over Emberly¡¯s face and she clapped her hands over her ears.  ¡°I¡¯ve got big ears too!¡± she screamed, then ran over and tried to hide behind the Volkswagen.


    The protector looked at George and shrugged.  ¡°Praetorians don¡¯t have ears,¡± he said simply.  Then he turned back to the control box on the transporter and made a few more adjustments.


    ¡°All right!¡± he cried out.  ¡°We¡¯re ready to go to Xhenxou, China!¡±  He rubbed his chin.  ¡°Or at least, that¡¯s where I hope we end up, if I set it right.  But no matter.  Hop in, and let¡¯s get going.¡±


    With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, George climbed into the back seat of the Volkswagen.  Emberly crawled in next to him, still holding her hands over her ears, and avoiding his eyes.  The protector sat in the passenger seat.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot,¡± he said, turning to face George and Emberly.  ¡°Have one of these.¡±  He handed each of them a stick of chewing gum in a red wrapper.  ¡°It¡¯s mandarin Chinese flavored chewing gum ¨C good for 24 hours of fluent language as long as you keep chewing on it.  Try it.  It tastes like fried rice.¡±


    George took the stick of red gum, and stared at it in fascination.


    ¡°What do I do with this one?¡± asked Emberly, forgetting her ears for the moment and pulling a wad of bluish gum out of her mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s English gum,¡± said the protector to George.  ¡°Emberly is still learning your language, so I thought I¡¯d make it easy for her today.  But we¡¯ll all be chewing Chinese now, so it won¡¯t be needed.  Put it in here,¡± he said to Emberly, producing a small plastic garbage sack from somewhere.


    ¡°You mean, if I chew this, I¡¯ll be able to speak Chinese?¡± George said in amazement.


    ¡°Yep,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°And understand it too, as long as the gum is in your mouth.  But of course, you won¡¯t notice anything different.  It will seem to you as if you¡¯re still hearing and talking English.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said George.


    ¡°Agubordif?¡± said Emberly.


    ¡°There, you see?¡± said the protector.  ¡°Emberly took her English gum out of her mouth and is now speaking Praetorian ¨C at least until she starts chewing some of this¡ª¡°and he handed her a stick of the red Chinese chewing gum.


    Emberly ripped it open and jammed it into her mouth.  She made several loud smacking noises as she started chewing.  Then she rolled her eyes happily.


    ¡°She likes gum,¡± the protector said confidentially.  Then he opened a stick of gum for himself and put it in his mouth, pointing for George to do the same.  As George started chewing, he was amazed that it really did taste exactly like fried rice.


    ¡°Now,¡± said the protector, ¡°it probably doesn¡¯t sound like I¡¯m talking to you in Chinese, does it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied George in disappointment.


    ¡°But I am,¡± said the protector with a smile.  ¡°Take the gum out for a second and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    George took the gum out of his mouth and heard the protector say something unintelligible that sounded like it was Chinese.


    ¡°Wow!¡± he said, putting the gum back in.


    ¡°Pretty handy, eh?¡± said the protector.  ¡°I¡¯ve got gum for most languages.¡±  Then he added confidentially, ¡°You should try Italian.  It tastes just like pizza.¡±


    ¡°And now, on to China!¡± cried the protector.  Ant number 4 started the car, and started to inch forward toward the transporter door.


    ¡°Will it hurt to go through the transporter?¡± George with mounting apprehension as he watched the door draw nearer.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± replied the protector with a laugh.  ¡°It¡¯s just like driving through a tunnel.  You won¡¯t feel a thing.¡±


    ¡°Where will we end up?¡± asked George curiously.  ¡°Is there a transporter in China too?¡±


    ¡°I entered the coordinates into the controller ¨C it will find a secluded spot where no one will see and will automatically create a transporter opening for us to come in at.  Both the opening there and the door here will be cloaked and made invisible as soon as we go through so no one will see them if they happen to chance by.  They¡¯ll stay that way until we¡¯re ready to come back.¡±


    Before George could say anything else they were going through the transporter.  Rainbows of color danced in patches before his eyes, and washed across the faces of the protector, Ant number 4 and Emberly.  George¡¯s skin tingled as if thousands of ants were crawling over him.  And then everything went completely dark.

 Chapter Fourteen - China

    They were through the transporter door, and to George¡¯s surprise, it was nighttime and very dark.  There were only a few stars visible.  George saw that they were in a small gully with bushes on either side, and not much else to be seen.  However, the air was noisy with many car horns blowing nearby, so he knew they must be near a road.


    "Everybody here honks their horn all the time, even when they don¡¯t need to,¡± said the protector in a raised voice so he could be heard over the blaring horns.  ¡°There¡¯s so many people and bikes all over that cars and buses have to honk to let people know they¡¯re there, so no one gets run over.¡±


    Slowly, Ant Number 4 pulled the car forward over the rise of the gully.  George saw a large number of lights in the distance and some low buildings.  There was a road nearby and George could see that there were indeed a large number of people on bikes, even in the dark, heading in both directions along the road, with a few honking cars and buses weaving slowly between them.


    "Gosh,¡± said George, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it would be dark here.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± the protector replied.  ¡°It¡¯s late at night here¡ªaround midnight.  China is nine hours behind California at this time of year, but they¡¯re a day ahead since you have to cross the international dateline to get here.  So I guess you could say that California is behind China in time, not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s so late, how come there are so many people out?¡± asked George.


    ¡°The Chinese generally take a little nap after lunch, which refreshes them to stay up late into the night,¡± said the protector.  ¡°You¡¯ll find the whole city is far busier than an American city at this hour.¡±


    Suddenly, Emberly pointed at George.  ¡°Your hair changed color and your eyes have changed.  But you¡¯ve still got big ears!¡±


    George stared at Emberly in shock.  While the dim light from the nearby buildings didn¡¯t allow him to see much, he could tell that her blond curly hair was now black and straight, her freckles were gone and in every other way she looked like a Chinese girl.


    ¡°We are now Chinese,¡± said the protector calmly.  ¡°Even Ant Number 4.¡±


    George saw that it was true.  Both Ant Number 4 and the protector looked like Chinese men.  Looking in the rear view mirror, George saw that his own appearance had changed dramatically.  He also had black hair and looked very Chinese.


    ¡°Our car has changed too,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Volkswagen Bugs aren¡¯t as common here as they used to be, so we are now riding in a more typical vehicle for China.¡±


    Looking around at the interior of the car, George saw that the Volkswagen Bug had apparently been transformed into some type of yellow mini car or van with bench seats.


    The protector smiled at George from the front seat.  ¡°I¡¯ll bet even your own mother probably wouldn¡¯t recognize you now,¡± he said calmly.


    At the thought of his mother, George looked impulsively at his cell phone.  It was still on, but George doubted it would work if she tried to call from half way around the world.  It was fascinating to think that he had come so far from home in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Will we be here long?¡± asked George.  ¡°Not that I want to leave,¡± he added hastily.  ¡°I¡¯m just afraid my Mom might try to call, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to reach me.¡±


    ¡°That is a problem,¡± agreed the protector.  ¡°But we shouldn¡¯t be here long.  I¡¯m just going to take a few pictures and do a few quick tests on the fallen star, and then we¡¯ll need to ask around a little to see if anyone found an Uth rock like yours.¡±


    Turning to Ant Number 4, the protector said, ¡°Head for those lights over there.¡±  He pointed to what looked like several spotlights in a nearby field.  ¡°I¡¯ll bet that¡¯s where the fallen star is.¡±


    As they approached the field with spotlights, George could see street vendors pulling carts of food or clothing, and a large number of people on foot or riding bicycles.  All of them had black hair and dark eyes, and George could see why the protector had set the gauge to transform them all so they wouldn¡¯t stand out.


    At the brightly lit field, they saw a large number of men in army uniforms carrying rifles.  They were patrolling along a rope fence that had been set up along the edge of the field.  A few curious spectators stood outside the rope, staring at the fallen star in the center of the field.  It looked exactly like the one George had found.  Two officials were examining it, with several armed guards standing behind them.


    ¡°Drat,¡± murmured the protector.  ¡°I should have known it would be heavily guarded here.  I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to get very close to it.  A few pictures from the outside of the rope fence will have to be good enough.  But it looks just like yours, which I¡¯ve been able to test and examine.¡±


    ¡°But what about the Uth rock?¡± asked George.  ¡°Does the army have it?¡±


    "I don¡¯t know,¡± said the protector.  ¡°If they do, they wouldn¡¯t tell us.  Let¡¯s just hope if they do have it, they don¡¯t find out how powerful it is.¡±


    Ant Number 4 parked the car a short distance from the roped field.  As they got out, the protector said, ¡°Stay on this side of the rope fence, and don¡¯t do anything to make the guards suspicious.  If there¡¯s any trouble, let me do the talking.¡±


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    George saw that the protector had put on a pair of glasses, but hadn¡¯t taken anything else with him out of the car.


    ¡°What about the camera?¡± asked George.  ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to take some pictures?¡±


    The protector smiled.  Raising his hand, he tapped his glasses.  ¡°This is my camera,¡± he said quietly.  ¡°I have a feeling they wouldn¡¯t approve of my trying to take pictures of it with a regular camera.  The army here is very protective and suspicious.¡±


    Ant Number 4 stayed in the car while George, Emberly and the protector walked over to the roped field.


    George could feel the eyes of several guards on him as he approached, and tried to act as normal as possible.  This was hard to do with his heart thumping so loudly in his chest.  Emberly on the other hand skipped along as if going to a picnic, stopping to look at the cart of each street vendor that was going by, and staring at each bike rider that passed.


    George noticed that the protector seemed to spend a lot of time adjusting his glasses.  The protector walked along the rope fence for a ways, getting a look at the fallen star from several different angles.


    Looking back toward the car, George noticed a glow on the horizon that must be coming from the center of the city.  The bikes and honking cars continued winding along the nearby road in a steady stream in spite of the lateness of the hour.  Did people here ever go to bed?


    Turning back to the field, George saw that the protector had gone all the way to the far corner where he continued to stare at the fallen star.  Emberly was nearby, closely examining the contents of a street vendor¡¯s cart, which appeared to be full of eggplants.  She picked one up, turning it over in her hands.  The street vendor looked at her expectantly, probably thinking that she intended to buy it.  With sudden apprehension over what Emberly might do, George hurried forward.


    He was too late.  Without warning, Emberly took a huge bite of the eggplant.  Almost immediately she screwed up her face in disgust and spit it out on the shirt of the shocked street vendor.


    ¡°Your purple rock tastes terrible!¡± she cried.  Before any of the startled onlookers could do anything, she pushed the cart over and egg plants scattered in all directions.  George stumbled on one and nearly fell as he rushed forward.


    ¡°Thief!  Troublemaker!  Brat!¡± cried the street vendor as he danced angrily around Emberly.  ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this!  You¡¯ll pay for all of my egg plants!¡±


    ¡°Here, what¡¯s the trouble?¡± said a guard, pushing his way forward.


    ¡°This child pushed over my cart of egg plants!¡± cried the street vendor.


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t eggs!¡± screamed Emberly.  ¡°Eggs are white and taste good, but those purple rocks are awful!¡±


    The guard took a menacing step toward Emberly, a dark look on his face.  A sizable crowd seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, surrounding Emberly, the street vendor and the guard.  George stood paralyzed at the edge of the crowd, not knowing what to do.


    Suddenly the protector appeared, shoving his way in front of Emberly to face the guard.


    ¡°I apologize for the rude actions of my niece,¡± he said hastily.  ¡°I will pay for any damaged egg plants, I assure you.¡±


    Emberly stood fuming behind the protector, but didn¡¯t say anything.  The guard hesitated.  The street vendor had quieted down for the moment, on hearing that he would be paid for his produce.  In fact, he had broken into a big grin at the prospect of selling more egg plants at once than he probably ever had.


    ¡°Emberly,¡± said the protector over his shoulder, while not taking his eyes off the guard, ¡°please tell the nice gentleman you¡¯re sorry, then go over to the car with George.¡±


    Emberly looked sullenly down at her feet for a moment.  She scuffed her toe at a nearby egg plant, cracking it open.  Finally she said in a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Then she flashed everyone an unexpected smile and ran over next to George.


    By this time several more guards had joined the first one.  The protector quickly produced a wallet from an inner pocket and started pulling out colored bills of Yuen, Chinese currency.  George wondered how the protector had known to bring any.


    The street vendor smiled happily and held out his hands.  He was about to make more money off the protector than he would have earned in a day on the streets with his cart.


    After passing out enough bills to make the street vendor smile in glee, the protector slipped a bill to each of the guards.  Then he signaled George and Emberly to follow him and headed quickly for the car.


    When they got there, the protector wiped his brow and gave a sigh of relief.  ¡°That was a close one,¡± he said quietly.  ¡°Those guards can sometimes be a little bit difficult.  It¡¯s a good thing I transformed some money.¡±  He opened the door of the car.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± said a voice behind them.  ¡°Could you come with me please?¡±

 Chapter Fifteen - Jiu Na

    The three jumped and turned quickly around.  To their surprise they saw a Chinese girl standing before them, who was close to the same age as George and Emberly.  She was wearing a well worn sweater, and shoes that looked about as old as she was.  She smiled shyly, and said, ¡°I¡¯m Jiu Na.  I wondered if you could come with me to my house.  It¡¯s not far away ¨C right over there.¡±  She pointed to a small shack nearby that looked like the roof was about to fall in.  Other little, run-down shacks like it stretched off into the distance by the side of a trickle of water running down an open ditch.


    The protector looked at George and Emberly for a moment.  Then he said, ¡°We¡¯re kind of in a hurry and probably won¡¯t have time to go to your house.  What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I have something to show you,¡± she said pleadingly.  ¡°Won¡¯t you please come?  It¡¯s very important.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said the protector, ¡°I don¡¯t know.  Maybe we¡¯ll come back some other time.¡±  He started to get into the car, signaling for George and Emberly to get in as well.


    Jiu Na looked like she was on the verge of tears.  ¡°But you¡¯ve got to come!¡± she cried.  ¡°I have to show it to you!  He said I had to!¡±


    The protector stopped, and looked sharply up at Jiu Na.  ¡°Who told you that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The funny little brown man,¡± Jiu Na said miserably.  ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you about him because I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d believe me.  He was so strange.¡±


    The protector quickly closed the car door and turned to face Jiu Na.  ¡°Did he have leathery skin and a gravely voice?¡± he asked with rising excitement.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Jiu Na in surprise.  ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Ziphon,¡± said the protector, turning to George.  ¡°We¡¯d better go.¡±  Turning back to Jiu Na he said, ¡°Lead on.¡±


    She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I should have realized you¡¯d know who he was.  Come with me.¡±  She then led them across a small field to the shack.  They stumbled occasionally over the ruts running across the dark field, since it was too dark to see clearly.  The spotlights on the field behind them did little more than cast difficult shadows across the uneven ground.


    The door of the shack was scratched and scarred and creaked heavily as Jiu Na pushed it open.  Inside by the dim light of a single bulb hanging from the ceiling they could see that the shack had only a dirt floor and a few sparse furnishings.  An older woman was standing by a makeshift sink.  She turned and smiled at them as they entered.


    ¡°This is my mother,¡± said Jiu Na.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said the older woman.  ¡°Would you like some rice?¡±  She was already reaching for some plates on a rickety shelf.


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± said the protector quickly.  ¡°But we do appreciate your kindness in letting us come into your home.¡±


    ¡°My daughter said you would be coming,¡± said Mrs. Na.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry that my home is so simple.  We had to move here a year ago when my husband disappeared.¡±


    George looked up sharply.  ¡°Disappeared?¡± he asked curiously.  ¡°One year ago?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°One day he was just gone, without any warning.  He went to work and didn¡¯t come back.  He had a good job too, and we lived in a nice house.  But after he disappeared, we couldn¡¯t stay there anymore.  Nobody has heard from him or has any idea where he went, although sometimes I dream that he comes to me in my sleep and writes in my hand.¡±


    George¡¯s mouth was dry, and he could suddenly feel the pounding of his heart in his ears.  He stared in shock at Jiu Na, hardly believing what she had just said.


    She looked curiously back at George.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked quietly.


    With an effort, he said slowly, ¡°My father disappeared too.  One year ago.  And no one knows where he went.  And sometimes I dream that he comes and writes on my hand.¡±


    Jiu Na and her mother stared at George, their eyes wide.  ¡°You poor boy,¡± Mrs. Na said after a moment.  ¡°It must be very hard for you.¡±


    George gave a half hearted smile, but didn¡¯t know what to say.  He shifted from one foot to the other.


    ¡°If that¡¯s so, then you must have talked to the leathery brown man too,¡± said Jiu Na softly.  ¡°And you probably have one of these.¡±  And with this, she pulled a small, clear rock from behind a pot on a scratched shelf and held it up.


    George gasped.  The rock reflected the dim light in the shack and seemed to magnify it as if it were much brighter than it really was.  Although it was several feet away in Jiu Na¡¯s hand, George could almost feel it throbbing.  Slowly he pulled the pouch containing his own rock from his pocket.  When he reached inside it felt icy cold, but by the time he pulled it out it had become almost too hot to touch.


    The instant George¡¯s rock came out of the pouch a shaft of brilliant light shot between the two stones.  The tiny shack was bathed in light so bright that everyone was temporarily blinded.


    And then the light was gone.


    The rock in George¡¯s hand suddenly felt neither hot nor cold and was perfectly clear.  It seemed so ordinary that if George hadn¡¯t felt and seen what had just happened, he would never have believed it.


    ¡°Wow!¡± said Emberly in amazement.  ¡°That was cool.  Do it again!¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± mumbled George.  ¡°I don¡¯t even know what just happened.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you don¡¯t know how to control it?¡± said Jiu Na in disappointment.  ¡°When the leathery brown man told me you three would be coming, I was hoping one of you would have a rock like this and would know what to do with it and how to use it.¡±


    ¡°When did this little brown man come?¡± asked the protector.


    ¡°One week ago, right after the fallen star came down in that field over there and I found the rock.  He didn¡¯t say much ¨C just something about a sacrifice I could make, and that a man and a boy and girl would be coming, and they might help me know what to do to protect the earth from fire and ice, and to save my father.¡±


    "Save your father!¡± exclaimed George.  ¡°He never mentioned anything like that when he came to me.  He just told me to find the protector and that the earth was in danger from fire and ice.¡±


    ¡°Who is the protector?¡± asked Jiu Na.


    ¡°That would be me,¡± said the protector with a bow.  ¡°I hope I won¡¯t startle you and your mother too much if I say that I am from another planet and am here on assignment to protect the earth.¡±


    Mrs. Na stepped back in alarm, but Jiu Na didn¡¯t seem surprised at all.  ¡°Is the leathery little man from your world too?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°That was a ¡®Ziphon,¡¯ a being that lives sideways through time and knows much of the future.  He recently came to me and to George here, to give us a warning that the earth is in danger, and we are now trying to figure out what that danger is.  So we came here to your country¡ª¡°


    ¡°You mean, you¡¯re not from China?¡± exclaimed Jiu Na.


    ¡°Actually,¡± said George, ¡°I¡¯m from California, in the USA.¡±


    "You mean America?!¡± Jiu Na cried, staring at George in total amazement.  ¡°You speak Chinese very well,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually speak Chinese at all,¡± said George with an embarrassed laugh.  Jiu Na and her mother stared at him in confusion.


    ¡°This is probably a lot to be telling you all at once,¡± interjected the protector, ¡°but I have a few tools that I use in my ¡­ uhm ¡­ profession, and I transformed George, Emberly and I from our normal appearance, so that we would look like Chinese people.  We are also chewing some translator gum that I had, so we speak Chinese.  I know this all probably sounds a little crazy to you¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oh, not at all!¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°Ever since my father disappeared strange things have been happening.  But strangest of all was when that big star fell the other night with such a huge crash!  I was the first to get over to where it fell.  People were running up from everywhere.  It was hot and steamy and scary, and some people thought a war had started or the end of the world had come.  And then I found this rock.  I was drawn to it somehow.  I haven¡¯t told anyone I have it.  But I know it must have come with the fallen star.  Somehow, it seemed like it was meant just for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief, that you haven¡¯t told anyone,¡± said the protector.  ¡°When George first came to me we did a little research on his rock.¡±  Briefly he told Jiu Na of what they had learned about rocks from the planet Uth, and the strange powers they had.


    ¡°That explains a lot,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°Right before the star fell, my school said I needed a new uniform or I couldn¡¯t attend in the fall when school starts up again.  I knew we didn¡¯t have the money to buy one, so it looked like I wouldn¡¯t be able to go to school anymore.  If you don¡¯t go to school here in China, you¡¯re trapped in a life of poverty forever.¡±


    ¡°Then two days after I found this rock, it suddenly got very hot while I was walking to the market.  Then it slipped out of my hand into a ditch and when I dug through the weeds to find it, I found the money I needed for my uniform¡ªthe exact amount!¡±


    ¡°That sounds like what happened to me at the store!¡± said George.  ¡°The rock helped me find a can of pickled peaches.¡±


    ¡°A can of WHAT?¡± exclaimed both Jiu Na and her mother.


    The protector laughed.  ¡°It¡¯s an American thing, so don¡¯t worry about it.  Has the rock done anything else strange?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was one other time it did,¡± said Jiu Na reluctantly.  ¡°It was kind of scary, so I don¡¯t like to talk about it.¡±


    A prickly feeling went up the back of George¡¯s neck.  He had a feeling he knew what she was about to say.


    ¡°A few nights ago,¡± continued Jiu Na slowly, ¡°I woke up to see the rock glowing.  When I picked it up I felt like I needed to go outside.  I went out and looked up at the stars.  They seemed closer than normal that night.¡±  Jiu Na shivered.  There was silence for a moment in the shack.  ¡°Suddenly something very strange happened.  It was like I could suddenly see way out in space.  I saw a ship with a window, and at the window I saw a creature.¡±  Jiu Na shuffled her feet uncomfortably.  ¡°He had a dog-like face, and it seemed like I could feel evil coming from him.  And behind him I saw my father.¡±  Jiu Na¡¯s voice broke, and she stared at the floor.


    Slowly George said, ¡°I saw the same thing one night.  Only behind the creature was my father!¡±

 Chapter Sixteen - The Ring

    Jiu Na looked up sharply.  ¡°What does it all mean?¡± she exclaimed.  ¡°Why are you and I seeing the same things half way around the world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to find out,¡± said the protector.  ¡°The dog-like creature you saw is from a cruel race of creatures known as the ¡®Grak.¡¯  While I know they are up to some type of mischief with these fallen stars, so far I haven¡¯t been able to find out what it is.¡±


    Suddenly they heard a screech from the corner of the little shack.  Turning, they saw Emberly looking with disgust at an egg plant sitting on the top of a little basket on the floor.


    ¡°You have one of those awful egg rocks!  You should throw it away!¡±  She picked up the egg plant and aimed it at the shack¡¯s single, tiny window.


    ¡°Emberly, stop!¡± commanded the protector.  ¡°That¡¯s food for Jiu Na and her mother.  It just needs to be cooked and it will taste good.¡±


    "Really?¡± said Emberly, looking at the egg plant in wonder.  Suddenly she thrust the egg plant at Jiu Na¡¯s mother.  ¡°Cook it,¡± she commanded.  ¡°I want to try some.¡±


    ¡°Now, Emberly,¡± said the protector gently, taking the egg plant, ¡°It would take too long to cook, and besides we have plenty of food at home.¡±


    ¡°I want to try some!¡± yelled Emberly.


    ¡°I can cook some if she likes,¡± said Mrs. Na gently.  ¡°We also have fried rice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± apologized the protector.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid I failed to introduce us properly.  This is Emberly, an orphan in my care.  She is also from another world.  I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t yet know very much about earth manners.¡±


    ¡°What don¡¯t I know?¡± demanded Emberly in surprise.  ¡°I thought you taught me to be honest and open with people about what I thought?¡±


    The protector sighed.  ¡°True,¡± he said patiently.  ¡°But not all the time.  There are times you need to not say anything in order to be polite.¡±


    Emberly shook her head.  ¡°Earth is a very confusing place.  First you¡¯re supposed to do things, then you¡¯re not.  Then you¡¯re supposed to say things, then you¡¯re not.  How are you supposed to know the difference?¡±


    Mrs. Na took Emberly¡¯s hand and patted it.  ¡°There, there, it¡¯s not that bad,¡± she said.  ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn what you need to know soon enough.¡±


    Emberly pulled her hand away from Mrs. Na and looked at it.  Then she looked up at Mrs. Na.  ¡°That felt nice,¡± she said in a trembling voice.  ¡°Why did you do it?¡±


    ¡°To comfort you,¡± said Mrs. Na simply.


    Emberly looked confused for a moment.  Then she took Mrs. Na¡¯s hand and patted it.  A tear was in her eye.  ¡°You¡¯re a mother, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said softly.  ¡°I had a mother once.¡±


    Mrs. Na took Emberly in her arms and gave her a hug.  Emberly was crying softly.  The protector coughed uncomfortably and George shifted from one foot to the other again.  Jiu Na stood to the side, not knowing what to say.


    At last the protector said softly to Mrs. Na, ¡°there are some things I have not been able to provide for Emberly.  Thank you.¡±


    Suddenly Jiu Na said to George, ¡°What¡¯s that blinking light in your pocket?¡±


    George looked down to see his cell phone blinking.  ¡°Gosh,¡± he said.  ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t work here.¡±  He pushed the answer button and said ¡°hello?¡±


    There was no response.


    "It¡¯s probably not working normally,¡± said the protector.  ¡°In fact, I¡¯m surprised it showed in incoming call.  The signal probably linked through my car and the transporter somehow.


    ¡°Is that a cell phone?¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°My father used to have one.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said George simply.  Turning to the protector he said worriedly, ¡°Looks like I might be in trouble with my Mom.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯d best be going,¡± said the protector.  ¡°I think we found what we needed here.  And I¡¯m especially grateful that you have the Uth rock, Jiu Na, rather than someone else.  I think it¡¯s safer in your hands.  Be careful with it, and don¡¯t tell another soul you have it.¡±


    "Before we leave,¡± he continued, ¡°let me give you something.¡±  He pulled two small, silver rings from his pocket.  He handed one to Jiu Na.  ¡°It looks like an ordinary ring for your finger, but it¡¯s much more.  It¡¯s actually a communicator.¡±


    ¡°Here, George,¡± said the protector, handing the other ring to George.  ¡°You need one too.  The way it works is pretty simple, really,¡± said the protector.  ¡°If you want to call someone, just slip it off your finger and put it in your ear¡ª¡°


    ¡°Your ear!¡± exclaimed Jiu Na.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Just the outer part of your ear, like this.¡±  The protector slipped a third ring into his ear.  ¡°Try it¡ªit fits quite well.¡±


    Jiu Na and George each put the ring in the outer part of their ear and were surprised that the protector was right¡ªit did fit quite comfortably.


    ¡°So,¡± continued the protector, ¡°just put it in the outer part of your ear then say the name of the person you are wanting to call.  Of course it has to be someone else who has a similar ring.  No matter where they are in the world, their ring will tighten three times, to let the person know someone is trying to call them.  When that person puts their ring in their ear, the two can talk to each other.¡±


    ¡°How can they understand when you talk?¡± asked George.  ¡°Don¡¯t you have to take it out and put it up to your mouth?¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°No,¡± the protector said.  ¡°I know it sounds crazy, but when you talk, the sound echoes through your head.  We¡¯re all a bit hollow headed, you know.  The transmitter in your ear picks up these vibrations and is able to interpret them.¡±


    ¡°What about the language difference?¡± asked Jiu Na.  ¡°If I call George in America, will he understand me?  Or do I need some of your special gum?¡±


    ¡°No gum is needed when you use these,¡± said the protector.  ¡°I¡¯ve given you each a ring that translates all incoming calls into your own language.  I¡¯ll be wearing a ring too, so you can call me anytime you need to.  Just don¡¯t call me during the 6:00 o¡¯clock news.  That¡¯s my sacred time, you know.¡±


    George looked at the ring curiously.  It was a tremendous relief to have it, since he had often wondered what to do if he needed the protector¡¯s help when he wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°What about me?¡± demanded Emberly.  ¡°Don¡¯t I get a ring?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± said the protector, handing one to Emberly.  ¡°Although you¡¯ll usually be with me, wherever I am.¡±


    A big smile spread across Emberly¡¯s face.  She put the ring in her ear and said ¡°George Brown!¡±  George immediately felt his ring tighten on his finger three times.  Emberly then started repeating ¡°George Brown!¡± over and over.  George¡¯s ring kept tightening so many times that it felt like his finger was being mangled.


    Turning to Mrs. Na, the protector said, ¡°Thank you again for accepting us into your home.  We¡¯ll be off now, but will be in touch with Jiu Na.¡±


    The protector, George and Emberly left the shack, followed by Jiu Na.  It was very late, and fewer bicycles, people and cars were around than before.


    ¡°Now, Jiu Na,¡± said the protector, as they walked toward the car.  ¡°If anything unusual happens to you or the fallen star, call us immediately.  The Grak are up to something, and it¡¯s only a matter of time before something happens.  We¡¯ll be counting on you to let us know what goes on here, and we¡¯ll let you know what¡¯s happening at George¡¯s home.  Also, make sure to let us know if you have any more strange experiences with your Uth stone.¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± said Jiu Na with a worried look on her face.  ¡°Will you find out how the Uth stone works, and how to help my father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do all I can,¡± the protector replied.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how your fathers are involved in this whole thing, but I intend to find out.¡±


    After a hurried good-bye, the three left Jiu Na and went quickly back to the car and Ant Number 4.  As they got in, they could see Jiu Na and her mother standing in the doorway of their shack waving at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great relief that Jiu Na has the rock, rather than someone else,¡± said the protector.  ¡°She seems like a sensible girl.  I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll keep it safe.¡±


    Ant Number 4 put the car in gear and they started moving along the road.  Soon Jiu Na and the field with the fallen star were out of sight.


    George¡¯s mind was so caught up in what had happened at Jiu Na¡¯s house that he hardly noticed the scenes of China passing along the side of the road.  There were still quite a few bikes everywhere, as well as taxis, buses, street carts and people.  Many of the streets were of cobblestone.  In the window of many shops were pictures of products for sale, everything from ice cream to stylish clothes, with a mass of Chinese characters below or to the side of each picture describing the product.


    However, George saw very little of any of this.  Instead he was wondering how Jiu Na¡¯s father and his father fit into everything that was happening.  Why had he and Jiu Na seen them on the Grak ship when the Uth stone had tunneled their vision out into space?  Why had they been captured by the Grak a year ago?  And what was their connection with the fallen star and the Uth rock?  None of it made any sense.


    The car dipped down an incline and George saw that they had returned to the hidden gully where the transporter had brought them.  However, the transporter door was nowhere in sight!


    "Not to worry,¡± said the protector, noticing the concerned look on George¡¯s face.  ¡°The transporter door is still there¡ªit¡¯s just cloaked.¡±  He pulled what looked like a small remote control from the glove box of the car.  When he clicked one of the buttons, the transporter door instantly appeared in front of them.


    ¡°It will disappear and no longer be here as soon as we¡¯re through,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Now let me check one little thing¡­¡±  He clicked a few more buttons on the remote control, then studied a tiny viewscreen at the top of the remote.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s all clear on the other side,¡± he said.  ¡°There are no human life forms within 1,000 feet of the transporter door in California, so we¡¯re o.k. to go through.¡±


    Ant Number 4 moved the car forward.  Once again as they moved through the door George felt his skin tingle and saw the rainbows of color bubbling through the car.  It felt almost as if they were floating through a stained glass window that was constantly shifting color.


    Suddenly George heard a scraping, scratching sound and felt the car jerk wildly.  Muffled California sunlight came back in a rush, but there were tall bushes and brambly branches screeching along the windows and exterior of the car as it came through the other side of the transporter.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡± the protector yelled over the scraping noise.  ¡°There were no bushes here when we went to China!  The transporter door must have shifted somehow!¡±

 Chapter Seventeen - Captured!

    The scratching, wrenching noises came to an abrupt halt.  Everything was still.  The afternoon California sunshine played through the branches and bushes surrounding the car.


    ¡°This is very strange,¡± said the protector.  ¡°These bushes shouldn¡¯t be here.¡±  He pushed several buttons on the little remote control in his hand, then shook his head.  ¡°The readings I¡¯m getting make no sense.  They say the door didn¡¯t move at all.  But where did all these bushes come from?¡±


    Setting the remote aside, the protector tried to open his door.  It was jammed shut by a huge bush.  The protector heaved and shoved on the door, but it hardly moved.  Finally, the protector rolled down the window, letting a shower of leaves and small branches into the car.  With a good deal of grunting, he climbed out of the window and wriggled through the branches outside.


    George suddenly realized that the protector looked like an American again.  He looked down at his hands, then at his face in the rear view mirror.  He was back to normal.  They must have been transformed back to themselves when they came through the transporter.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come on out the window like I did,¡± called the protector¡¯s voice from outside.  ¡°It¡¯ll probably be awhile before we can go¡ªI¡¯ve got to clear away the bushes and fix the transformer screen.  It¡¯s all ripped up by the bushes.¡±


    George and Emberly scrambled out of the passenger seat window and through the surrounding branches, trying not to be scratched too badly in the process.  There were branches and brambles everywhere.  They found the protector looking sadly at the tattered gauzy material that circled the transporter doorway.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how this could have happened,¡± he said.  ¡°It¡¯s like these bushes sprung up out of nowhere while we were in China.  The transporter door was cloaked and invisible then.  Look at how badly its ripped up!¡±  The protector shook his head glumly.


    George looked around at the surrounding bushes.  ¡°This whole place looks different.  There¡¯s bushes everywhere.  The fallen star should be right over there in the open, but I can¡¯t see it.  Are you sure we came back to the right place?¡±


    ¡°We must have,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°The coordinates on the controller are exactly the same.  But I suppose it could have malfunctioned.  Why don¡¯t you go over to the fallen star and see if it¡¯s still there.  Meanwhile, I¡¯ll try and get this mess sorted out.¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± said George.  He and Emberly set off in the direction of the fallen star, or at least where he thought it used to be.  Emberly started playing with her new ring again, saying ¡°George Brown!¡± over and over, until George finally took off his ring and put it in his pocket.


    Bushes were everywhere.  While the ground seemed somehow familiar, George marveled at how different everything looked.  Before they went to China an hour or so before, this had been an open, empty field.  Now it was overgrown with bushes and weeds.


    George and Emberly struggled through the thick undergrowth, clearing a path through the branches.


    A sudden shadow seemed to come across the sun.  In the same instant George and Emberly emerged from the tangle of bushes into what seemed to be a small clearing.  In the middle of the clearing was the fallen star with its hook-like arm pointing towards the north.  Surrounding it were several of the most hideous creatures George had ever seen.


    Each had a dog-like face and was covered with a rank, thick coat of fur.  Their eyes blazed red with malevolence.  Each crouched on its grotesque haunches with its dank tail dragging behind it.


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    George and Emberly stood transfixed at the edge of the clearing, their mouths open in shock.  One of the creatures rose up and started to approach them.


    ¡°Welcome,¡± it said in a slithering, harsh voice.  It¡¯s face twisted into a sickening smile.  ¡°How nice of you to come visit us.¡±


    As if out of nowhere, a huge whip appeared in the creature¡¯s mangled paw.  Quick as lightning it lashed out at George and Emberly.  With a scream trapped in his throat, George turned to run.  He was too late.  The whip twisted around his arms and legs as if it were a snake.  Everywhere it touched him, it felt icy cold.  It wrapped around him and bound him so tightly that he couldn¡¯t move.


    George struggled and kicked but couldn¡¯t work his way free of the whip.  He tried to cry out, but nothing came out of his parched throat.  He felt a sudden sting on his back and a line of icy coldness twisting around him, and realized that another of the creatures had imprisoned him with its whip as well.  George staggered, trying to run, but couldn¡¯t seem to move.  The creatures yanked on their whips, pulling George closer.  He stumbled and fell.  Hearing a thud next to him he turned to see Emberly struggling to free herself from the whips of two of the other creatures.


    George felt hot breath on his neck.  Looking up he was horrified to see the hideous face of one of the creatures a foot in front of him.  The stench of its putrid breath nearly made him faint.  A dribble of slobber dropped from the creature¡¯s mouth onto George¡¯s shirt.


    George felt icy cold.  He couldn¡¯t move and blackness seemed to be gathering around him.  Everything started to turn grey.


    And then, like a tiny shaft of light piercing through an empty darkness, George heard a faint thread of simple music.  It seemed to come from far away, like an almost forgotten dream coming back to memory.  The creature towering over him seemed to hesitate, not certain what to do.


    The music grew louder.  It was a simple melody, beautifully sung.  George could not understand the words, but sensed that they spoke of purity and goodness.  Struggling, he managed to turn around enough to see where the sound was coming from¡ªand was amazed to see that it was from Emberly!  She was singing softly, her eyes closed, still imprisoned by the whips.  A creature hovering over her had a look on its face of pain.


    The singing stopped for an instant, and the spell seemed broken.  Emberly cried, ¡°Sing, George!¡±  Then she was singing again and the magic returned.  She was louder this time, and as she sang her strength seemed to grow.


    ¡®Sing?¡¯ thought George. That made no sense.  How could a simple song overcome these powerful creatures?


    But then again, a lot of things lately didn¡¯t make sense.  Like how a little, clear rock could answer math questions, or help find things.  Or how a funny little creature from another world could live sideways through time and foretell the future.


    Remembering his Uth rock, George struggled, groping with his hands, trying to reach the rock in its pouch in his pocket.  He couldn¡¯t do it.  His hands were bound too tightly.


    Emberly was looking intently at George, as if willing him to join her in singing.  George opened his mouth to sing, but no sound came out.  The whip was tightening around George so he could hardly breathe.  The creature leaning over him was bending closer, and George knew he had to act fast.

 Chapter Eighteen - Escape

    In a croaked whisper that he could hardly hear himself, George sang, ¡°Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why he had chosen that song.  It was just the first one that came into his head.  However, the effect was immediate.  The creature hovering over George jerked back in distaste as if stung, and the whips binding George seemed to loosen a bit.


    With renewed strength, George kept singing.  ¡°Let every heart prepare him room, and saints and angels sing, and saints and angels sing, and saints, and saints and angels sing.¡±


    George could hear Emberly singing next to him, and could tell her voice was getting stronger as well.  Although their songs were very different, they seemed to intertwine in the air like twisting vines climbing up a wall.  The Grak stepped back, uncomfortably.  Several were holding their hands over their ears.  The whips were loose enough now that George could wriggle free of their grasp.


    Without stopping his song, George struggled free of the whips and stood up.  Emberly was standing also, still singing her haunting, peaceful melody.  Several of the Grak took a menacing step forward, waving their paws in the air as if to fight off the songs that filled the clearing.


    Suddenly there was a loud crack and a brilliant flash of light seared the air from George¡¯s left.  The Grak all jumped and turned, and found themselves facing the protector who stood at the edge of the clearing.  Although still short and bald, he had a terrible look on his face of determination and strength that George had never seen before.  He held a small, round object in his hand that seemed to pulse and glow.


    The protector held up the round object and commanded, ¡°Leave this place!  Now!¡±


    The Grak didn¡¯t respond or move.  In the instant of their hesitation, there was another ear splitting crack from the device in the protector¡¯s hand, and the clearing was again filled with a brilliant, overpowering light.


    The Grak scattered.  In seconds there were none to be seen.  George heard a humming noise from the nearby bushes where they had disappeared.  Then he saw what looked like a small spacecraft shoot into the sky and disappear.


    Quickly the protector strode over to George and Emberly.  ¡°Are you all right?¡± he asked urgently.  ¡°Did they hurt you in any way?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± George said in a shaky voice.  Emberly said nothing, but stood shivering in the warm sunshine.  It looked like there were tears in her eyes.  Suddenly she collapsed.


    ¡°Quick!¡± said the protector to George, ¡°help me carry her back to the car!¡±


    The protector lifted her up and George grabbed her legs.  Together, they struggled toward the car, fighting their way through the thick bushes.  When they reached the car, George saw that the protector had packed away the gauzy transporter and its frame, and had cleared away most of the bushes that had surrounded the Volkswagen, although it was still scratched and scarred.


    The protector opened the door and pulled Emberly onto the passenger seat and then gently pushed her forward toward the tiny door.  Instantly she seemed to disappear, and then George could see her lying on the floor beneath the seat.  The protector quickly followed.  As he gently dragged her toward the door of his home, he yelled up at George, ¡°come down and help me get her in.¡±


    Without hesitation, George dove onto the passenger seat of the car, then leaned forward.  He again felt himself falling while everything around him seemed to expand instantly in size.  Then he was running toward the protector who nearly had Emberly to the door.


    Together they pulled her into the protector¡¯s lair.  The instant they did so, the legs that George had been carrying disappeared and he found himself holding nothing but empty air.  The protector was holding the pink furball that was Emberly, and had himself changed back to the flabby, small gray creature that was his true form.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some ¡®heal all¡¯ spray over in the cupboard,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Here, you hold her for a minute.¡±  He shoved Emberly into George¡¯s hands, then sprinted over to the cupboard.


    George looked down at the furball in his hands.  It was silent and didn¡¯t move, in stark contrast to the bouncing, constantly moving shape he was used to seeing.  ¡°She saved us,¡± he said in a thick voice.  ¡°She started to sing right when it looked like they had us, and her singing changed everything.¡±  He turned shakily to the protector.  ¡°Will she be all right?¡±


    "I hope so,¡± said the protector, returning with a small spray bottle.  ¡°The effort and the strain of meeting the Grak again was probably too much for her.  There¡¯s nothing physically wrong with her.  She¡¯s just in shock.¡±  The protector took Emberly over to the table where he started to carefully spray the ¡®heal all¡¯ spray onto the pink furball.


    ¡°What did you mean when you said she met the Grak again?¡± asked George, perplexed.  ¡°When did she meet the Grak the first time?  Over the last few days?¡±


    The protector looked gravely at George for a moment.  Then he said quietly, ¡°It was the Grak that destroyed her world, and everyone in it.  Even all her family.  Somehow they turned all the Praetorians into stone.  She alone survived.¡±


    The protector turned back to Emberly and sprayed some more of the ¡®heal all¡¯ spray.  Then silently the two watched the furball for a moment.


    Suddenly it shuddered, then started to roll slowly in a circle around the table top.


    The protector smiled.  ¡°She¡¯s all right,¡± he said happily.  ¡°She¡¯s still in shock I¡¯m sure, but appears to be o.k.¡±  He walked over and flopped on the couch with a sigh of relief.  ¡°Come here and tell me what happened.¡±


    George took a seat on the fuzzy chair opposite the couch.  The arms sticking out of it started to gently scratch his back.  He had to admit the scratching felt pretty good.


    Quickly George told what had happened while the protector looked at him gravely.  When George had finished the protector said, ¡°I don¡¯t think they were expecting us.  But their being there explains the thick bushes that came out of nowhere.  They usually bring ¡®insta-grow¡¯ bushes or buildings or walls to hide their actions wherever they go.  I don¡¯t think they even realized the transporter was there when they placed the bushes, since of course it was invisible at the time.


    ¡°But what were they doing there?¡± asked George.


    ¡°Obviously, checking on the fallen star, and making sure it will do whatever they plan for it to do.¡±


    ¡°What about the singing?¡± asked George.  ¡°Why did that drive them away?¡±


    ¡°As you know,¡± replied the protector, ¡°the Grak are evil and cruel.  The songs you and Emberly sang were pure and simple and good.  Emberly knew instinctively that is what she needed to do to survive, because of what had happened on her planet.  I know it sounds strange, but they can¡¯t stand that kind of purity.  It weakens their power.¡±


    ¡°But Emberly¡¯s people on her world were still destroyed,¡± said George.  ¡°Why didn¡¯t they just sing to save themselves?¡±


    ¡°Well, the songs didn¡¯t really scare them away today,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t think they were expecting us, or they would have been ready.  Because this weakness of the Grak is known, they usually wear very thick ear muffs if they know they will encounter someone who might use purity against them.  Really, all your songs did was put them off until I arrived and could drive them away with the light bomb.¡±


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    ¡°The light bomb?¡± repeated George, dumbly.  ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The protector pulled out of his pocket the strange round object that he had used against the Grak.  It looked similar to a golf ball.


    ¡°This is the light bomb,¡± said the protector, ¡°and it is exactly what its name implies.  It contains pure light, which the Grak cannot stand.  A few flashes of this and they will usually leave.¡±


    George shook his head.  ¡°This is all so weird,¡± he said.  ¡°So, you can fight the Grak with songs and light.  Why not just use guns or other weapons.¡±


    "Purity is more effective against the Grak,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°I know it sounds very odd.  But you should see some of the wars the Grak have had with other creatures.  Maybe if you come over some night I can find and show you one on the intergalactic late, late movie.¡±


    ¡°The chief weapons of the Grak are depression and despair,¡± said the protector.  ¡°I¡¯d bet that¡¯s what stands out in your mind when you think of what happened today.¡±


    George nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°The Grak have been in many wars with creatures who cannot be killed,¡± continued the protector.  ¡°Amazing as it may seem to you, there are many races and creatures in the universe that cannot die in the regular way that you think of.  But they can be captured.  That is the greatest threat of the Grak, and their greatest art.  They prefer to capture and imprison their enemies and make them slaves, even those that can be killed.¡±


    ¡°Battles with the Grak are bizarre, strange affairs.  They¡¯re usually full of light and music instead of explosions and shooting.  The Grak literally throw balls of despair at their enemies, which they are very good at creating.  When the despair hits, their enemies usually drop their weapons, fall on their knees and weep, wishing they were dead.  Those who fight the Grak use light and pure music and similar weapons.  The battlefield is a constantly shifting scene of light and dark, for the Grak also have the ability to actually throw darkness and shadows to surround their enemies.  These wars are nothing like the battles you people have on this planet.  In a way, they are far more sinister and frightening, since if the Grak win, they take the very souls of their enemies.  There are some things worse than death, you know.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± said George slowly, struggling to force himself to say what he knew he must, ¡°since they¡¯ve apparently captured my dad like I saw that night, they must have subjected him to despair and other terrible things.  How could he survive?¡±


    "The Grak suppress their worst weapons when they want to,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°If they want to preserve someone to do something for them, they won¡¯t torture them too badly.  In your dad¡¯s case, since they¡¯ve had him for a year, there is probably something they want him to do.  They¡¯ve probably used just enough of their weapons of despair to intimidate and frighten him, and keep him under their control.  They¡¯re masters at enslaving people and getting them to do what they want.¡±


    There was silence in the room for a moment.  George felt a gnawing discomfort at what the protector had just said.  He could hardly stand the thought that his father could be under the control of such terrible creatures, and subject to their torture.


    Suddenly a pink furball rolled onto the protector¡¯s lap, and started to hum.  The protector smiled and petted the ball, which rolled around his lap happily.  ¡°Emberly appears to be feeling better already!¡± he said happily.  ¡°She may not yet have learned earth manners, but she has a pure heart.¡±


    Suddenly George stood up.  ¡°My cell phone!¡± he exclaimed.  He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it as if seeing it for the first time.


    ¡°What about it?¡± asked the protector.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t rung!¡± said George.  ¡°It¡¯s not like my mom to not call every hour.¡±  He looked closer at the phone, then turned to the protector in dismay.  ¡°And I know why.  It¡¯s been turned off!  After I saw it blinking in China, it was shut off somehow.  Maybe it happened during our fight with the Grak.¡±  Quickly he pushed some buttons on the phone.  ¡°Oh, no!¡± he exclaimed.  ¡°She left fifteen urgent messages on here!  When I get home I¡¯m dead!¡±


    The protector laughed.  ¡°She may be overprotective, but it¡¯s nice to have someone that cares that much about you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± he continued, ¡°we can¡¯t have her grounding you for weeks right now either.  We still haven¡¯t got this thing figured out, and there may be other places we need to go, and other things we need to do.¡±  He went over to a cabinet, rummaged around, and came back with a small, yellow pill.


    ¡°Give her one of these as soon as you have a chance,¡± said the protector, handing the pill to George.  ¡°Offer to get her a drink of juice, or something, and drop it in when she¡¯s not looking.  It dissolves almost instantly in liquid.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked George curiously as he took the pill.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®happy memory¡¯ pill.  It erases all unpleasant memories for the previous 6 to 8 hours, while leaving all other memories intact.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George looking at the pill in wonder.


    The protector laughed.  ¡°I know what you¡¯re probably thinking.  You wish you had a whole box full, to save yourself from trouble all the time.  Believe me, there¡¯s a black market for these pills across the galaxy, and they¡¯re in high demand everywhere.  They¡¯re quite hard to get.  You have to have a prescription, and they¡¯re very expensive.¡±  Then the protector added in a lower tone, ¡°I used them on my parents a few times before I came here.  I can promise they work pretty well.¡±


    Gratefully, George put the pill in his pocket.  ¡°So she¡¯ll really forget all about not being able to reach me?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± nodded the protector.  ¡°Like I said, try to use it as quick as you can.  Until you use the pill, things might be a little unpleasant, so don¡¯t delay.  We¡¯ll meet tomorrow at the same time and place.  Now, you¡¯d best be going.¡±


    George went quickly to the door.  However, before he reached it, Emberly hopped up onto his shoulder, then bounced away again across the room.  The protector smiled.  ¡°She¡¯s definitely feeling better.  I think I¡¯ll give her a bite to eat, maybe some Vlob.¡±


    Seeing the question in George¡¯s eyes, the protector said, ¡°It¡¯s a green, moldy fungus that tastes great¡ªa rare delicacy across the galaxy.  Do you want to take some with you?¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± said George quickly, before the protector could retrieve any from the refrigerator wearing a sweater.  ¡°I¡¯d better be going.¡±


    The protector pulled a jar full of a green substance from the fridge.  ¡°Well,¡± he said while prying to get the lid off, ¡°by tomorrow I¡¯ll develop my pictures of China¡¯s fallen star, and analyze them.  Then we can plan what to do next.¡±


    ¡°I hope there is a tomorrow,¡± said George slowly.  The thought of what he was about to face at home made him wince.  Gratefully he patted the pill in his pocket, then darted through the door and was gone.

 Chapter Nineteen - Happy Memories

    Janet was waiting by the front door when George came home.  She had the biggest smile on her face that George had seen in a long time.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna get it!¡± she said with glee as he came up the steps.  ¡°Mom¡¯s just about freaked out trying to reach you for the last 3 hours!¡±  She happily followed George through the door and into the front hall, licking her lips in anticipation.


    ¡°GEORGE FIDELIUS BROWN!!¡± boomed his mother¡¯s voice as George came into the living room.  She looked all purple in the face.  ¡°Where have you been?!  I¡¯ve been trying to reach you for hours!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± began George, ¡°I, uh¡ª¡°


    "How could you ignore my repeated phone calls?!¡± his mother roared again.  ¡°What possible excuse can you give for being gone for so many hours without a single word?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, actually,¡± began George again, ¡°it happened that¡ª¡°


    ¡°There is simply no excuse for your behavior!¡± interrupted his mother again.  ¡°How could there be?  Nothing you can say will help.  No possible excuse will work.  So where were you?¡±


    Her eyes flashed fire while waiting for George to answer her impossible questions.  Janet was smiling broadly.  DoorJam jumped onto the arm of the couch and rubbed against George¡¯s hand, the only one who had no interest in seeing George suffer at the moment.


    George mouthed a few words, then said weakly, ¡°can I get you a drink?¡±


    ¡°A DRINK?!¡± his mother cried.  ¡°What would I want with a drink at a time like this?  I want you to tell me exactly where you have been and what you have been doing for the last three hours.  And this better be good!¡±


    ¡°Well, uh,¡± began George, ¡°I was out at the orchard¡ª¡°


    "The orchard?¡± screamed his mother.  ¡°Without my permission?  How could you?¡±  She threw up her hands in exasperation.  ¡°Let me tell you, young man¡ª¡°


    She then proceeded to verbally rip George apart, word by word, while Janet watched in glee.  George stood there helplessly, feeling lower and lower by the minute.  DoorJam, seeing an opportunity for a good, long rub, continued to press himself up against George¡¯s hand.  This was the type of opportunity he liked best.


    After five full, nonstop minutes, George¡¯s mother stopped to catch her breath.  Janet, sensing that the best was over, gave George one last smile and left the room.  DoorJam kept rubbing for attention.


    To George¡¯s surprise his mother suddenly sat down in a chair and looked like she was about to cry.  ¡°When I think of your poor father, disappeared without a trace, and you and Janet all that¡¯s left in the world.  And now you go and do this!¡±


    George¡¯s stomach felt like it had dropped all the way to the floor.  Her anger was bad enough, but he wasn¡¯t sure he could stand tears.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mom¡ª¡°


    ¡°Ill take that drink now,¡± she said abruptly looking up, her eyes shiny as if they were about to gush a heavy flow of water.


    Gratefully, George darted from the room, tossing an ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡± over his shoulder.  With shaky hands he poured a drink of orange juice into a cup, then dropped the yellow pill into it.  There was a good deal of popping and fizzing while it quickly dissolved.  Carrying it back into the room, he gave it to his mother, whose teary eyes had unexpectedly hardened again.  It looked like she was about ready to launch into another attack.


    She took a sip.  Silently, she looked down into the cup for a minute.  ¡°Strange,¡± she murmured.  ¡°I had something terribly important to say, but now its slipped my mind.¡±  She took another gulp.  Looking at the glass appreciatively, she said, ¡°this is sure good orange juice.  I¡¯ll have to buy this brand more often.¡±


    A smile of relief broadened on George¡¯s face as his mother drained the whole cup.  Setting it aside on the lamp table, she turned to George and said, ¡°now, what were we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Uhm,¡± said George, thinking fast.  A sudden inspiration came into his mind.  ¡°About how Janet¡¯s been going to the mall too often.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± mumbled his mother.  She waved her hand in the air as if trying to ward off an invisible fly.  ¡°No, I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t it.  I¡¯d be upset if that¡¯s what it was.  We were talking about something much more pleasant.  What was it?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said George, thinking again.  DoorJam rubbed up against his hand again.  ¡°About DoorJam,¡± he said abruptly.  ¡°And how long we¡¯ve had him, and how much you like him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was it,¡± said his mother immediately.  She came over and picked up DoorJam, who purred happily at the unexpected attention he was getting.  ¡°Such a good cat.  Maybe I should buy a special type of food for him.¡±


    She sat down again, petting DoorJam and smiling.  Suddenly Janet popped her head in the room again.  ¡°So,¡± she said with relish, ¡°how long is George grounded for, Mom?¡±


    ¡°Grounded?¡± said George¡¯s mother.  ¡°Why should he be grounded?¡±


    Janet¡¯s mouth dropped open in shock.  It was now George¡¯s turn to smile happily at his sister.


    ¡°For, like, being gone for three hours without a word and driving you out of your mind,¡± said Janet sharply.  ¡°The little twerp nearly made you call the police!¡±


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    George¡¯s mother frowned.  ¡°Don¡¯t call your brother a twerp,¡± she said automatically.  Then she smiled again.  ¡°Gone for three hours?  Nonsense.  I don¡¯t remember any such thing.  George and I were just sitting here talking about DoorJam, and what a nice cat he is.¡±


    Janet gaped at her mother in amazement, while George¡¯s smile grew broader.


    ¡°How can you not remember?¡± Janet cried.  ¡°You were pacing the floor for hours, trying to call him on the phone every five minutes!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± said George¡¯s mother dismissively, with a waive of her hand.  ¡°If that had happened, I¡¯d remember it.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re not going to punish him?¡± Janet said in wonder.


    ¡°Whatever for?¡± replied his mother, scratching DoorJam under the chin.


    Janet threw up her arms in amazement.  As she left the room she grumbled, ¡°Sometimes I think everyone in this family¡¯s gone mad!¡±


    ¡°So,¡± said George after she was gone.  ¡°What¡¯s for dinner?¡±


    His mother looked up.  ¡°I think I¡¯ll make your favorite¡ªa pepperoni casserole,¡± she said with a smile.  Then she got up and headed for the kitchen.


    George grinned.  Now he understood why the ¡®happy memory¡¯ pills were in such demand across the galaxy.  After a quick pat of DoorJam¡¯s head, he strode from the room.


    George had the dream again that night.  It was the same as always.  His father climbed through the window of his bedroom, came over next to George and sat down on the edge of his bed.  He looked very sad and didn¡¯t say a word, while George lay there watching him, unable to move or speak.  George¡¯s father then took his right hand and silently began writing on his palm, causing that same tingly, uncomfortable feeling.  George still could not tell what he was writing.  This went on for some time until he abruptly stopped, walked over and climbed out the window and disappeared without saying a word.


    George slept fitfully after that.  After tossing and turning and dropping in and out of sleep, George finally got out of bed and went over to look out the window at the empty street below.  It was still dark.  He began to wonder and worry about what was happening.  Why had the clear rock come to him?  What strange powers did it have, and how could it help him?  Why had a fallen star come down near his home, and the same thing had come down in China?  What were the Grak planning to do?  How could he do anything to stop them?


    With a sigh, George went back to his bed and flopped down.  There were no answers, only questions.  The protector had helped, but even he couldn¡¯t figure out what the Grak were planning.  For the millionth time, George wished his father were there, that he really had come through that window.  He knew he could talk to him about the problem, and he would understand and know what to do.


    There was a sudden loud ¡®pop!¡¯ at the foot of George¡¯s bed.  To his amazement, he saw the same leathery brown Ziphon as before, sitting on the bedspread.  Before George could cry out, the creature said in its gravely, dry voice, ¡°George Brown, the time is almost at hand for your decision, and your sacrifice.  Beware, George Brown.  The person you least suspect may betray you!¡±


    Then with another loud ¡®pop!¡¯ the creature was gone.


    George didn¡¯t move, unsure whether to leap out of bed, cry out in alarm, or do nothing at all.  The Ziphon¡¯s words echoed through his mind.  His time of decision was almost at hand, and so was his time of sacrifice.  What did that mean?  And someone he least suspected may betray him.  What was that all about?  The protector had said that Ziphons always gave true messages.  But who did he least suspect, and why would that person betray him?


    George continued to sit silently, pondering the Ziphon¡¯s message.  Someone he least suspected might betray him.  George didn¡¯t suspect anyone, so who could it be?  Why would someone need or want to betray him?  Who on earth had the Ziphon been talking about?


    Slowly, George got out of bed and began to pace his room.  A person who he least suspected would betray him.  The person he least suspected.  His mother?  Of course not.  She had nearly scalped him yesterday for betraying her.  His sister Janet?  No.  She knew nothing of any of this, although he didn¡¯t doubt she would take glee in betraying him if she had a chance.  At any rate, he wouldn¡¯t ¡®least suspect¡¯ her.


    His father?  George sat down with the enormity of the idea.  Could his father be the one he least suspected who would betray him?  But why, and how?  He hadn¡¯t even seen his father in a year, other than in his dream, or that night when he thought he saw him standing behind the Grak.  His father would never betray him.  George was sure of it.


    Who else was left?  Any why would they betray him?  George got up and began to pace again.  An uncomfortable thought had been bubbling up inside him, and now was screaming to be released and recognized.  Who was the person who seemed to know everything about the Grak?  Who else knew about the rock he had found, the fallen star, and the Ziphon¡¯s warnings?  Who was he trusting most these days, and spending most of his time with?  Indeed, who else could the person he least suspected be, other than¡ª


    ¡ªthe protector himself!

 Chapter Twenty - Suspicion

    The enormity of the realization made George sit down hard on his bed, as if thrown there by an invisible hand.  The protector?!  It was the protector who would betray him?  How could that be?  And why?


    George had come to rely on the protector more than he had realized until that moment.  He felt as if the floor he had been standing on, sure that it would never move, had suddenly been ripped from under his feet.  How could the protector betray him?  How?  The Ziphon had told him to seek out the protector in the first place.  Why would he now tell him that this person he had sought out was not to be trusted after all?


    Unless, of course, there was another reason for him to seek out and come to know the protector.  The Ziphon had never said the protector was going to help him¡ªhe had only told George to seek him out ¡®to better see what you must do.¡¯  Perhaps he needed to come to know the protector in order to learn about the Grak.  Perhaps the protector was in league with the Grak and had been sent to lure George into a false sense of security, saying that he was an enemy of the Grak, only to betray him to them in the end.  George trusted the protector so much that when it came to the Grak, he would do anything the protector said to do.  Who could make sure their plan worked better than him?


    But what if he were wrong?  What if the Ziphon had meant someone else?  How could he afford to mistrust the protector if he were really a friend?  How on earth was he to know for sure?


    He needed to talk with someone.  He needed it desperately.  But there was no one.  He didn¡¯t dare tell his mother since she would confine him to his room for the rest of his life.  Telling his sister Janet would do no good since she would just go and gleefully spill the beans to his mother.  And he obviously couldn¡¯t tell the protector.  Who else was there?


    George felt a sudden pain in his finger.  In alarm he stared stupidly at the ring he had received from the protector.  It tightened painfully on his finger three times!  Someone was calling him!  Was it the protector?  Or Jiu Na?


    George quickly removed the ring and slipped it in his ear.  He felt a bit silly having a ring in his ear and talking into thin air.  Tentatively he said in a half whisper, ¡°hello?¡±


    ¡°George?¡± came a girl¡¯s voice into his ear.  ¡°Is that you?  This is Jiu Na.  I need to talk to you!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George quietly, so his sister wouldn¡¯t hear him from her room next door.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    "I just had a visit from one of those strange creatures the protector told us about,¡± came Jiu Na¡¯s voice.  ¡°I don¡¯t remember now what it¡¯s called.¡±


    ¡°A Ziphon,¡± said George automatically.  ¡°And I just had a visit from one too.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± cried Jiu Na excitedly.  ¡°What did he say to you?¡±


    George hesitated, unsure what to say.  Could Jiu Na be the person the Ziphon had warned him about?  But he hardly knew her.  And how could she betray him from China?


    ¡°He told me something scary,¡± said Jiu Na, not waiting for his answer.  ¡°He said the time was short for me to decide, and to beware the person I least suspected, that they may betray me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he told me!¡± cried George.  Now he knew Jiu Na could not be the person the Ziphon had warned him about, or she would not have received the same message¡ªor told him about it.


    "It¡¯s awful, isn¡¯t it?¡± came Jiu Na¡¯s voice.  ¡°Because I¡¯ve thought and thought, and the only person I least suspect is the protector!  I don¡¯t want it to be him, but who else could it be?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I decided, too,¡± replied George slowly.


    ¡°What are we to do?¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°We need help.  I thought the protector was helping us, but it looks like he¡¯s not.  He must be in league with the Grak, and fooling us.  We¡¯re just two kids half a world apart.  What can we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said George, his head starting to ache.  ¡°It was hard enough to figure out before.  I could never understand how I was supposed to prevent the Grak from doing whatever they¡¯ve got cooked up.  Now it seems impossible.¡±


    There was silence for a moment, as both were lost in their own thoughts.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re wrong,¡± said Jiu Na at last.  ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not the protector.  Could it be Emberly instead?¡±


    Emberly?  In league with the Grak?  The thought was impossible.  ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said George.  ¡°She saved me from the Grak when we got back from China.  They attacked us.¡±  Quickly George told of the Grak that had attacked he and Emberly, and how her song had saved them.


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± said Jiu Na when he had finished.  ¡°I agree it couldn¡¯t be Emberly.  But how about the protector?  He saved you too, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t there until the Grak were already pulling back,¡± said George.  ¡°He told me later that our singing would not have stopped the Grak, that they were only temporarily pushed back.  But maybe he was trying to hide the fact that the songs are the way to overcome them.  If he¡¯s in league with the Grak, he wouldn¡¯t want us to know of a weapon that will truly stop them.¡±


    ¡°What are we to do, George?¡± asked Jiu Na plaintively.  ¡°We need help.  We can¡¯t do this alone.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way,¡± said George helplessly.  ¡°But the Ziphon¡¯s message must have been given to us for a reason.  Hasn¡¯t he told us that we can somehow make a difference?  We just have to keep trying, and maybe something will open up for us.  Maybe we can do more than we realize.¡±


    ¡°But what about the protector?¡± asked Jiu Na.  ¡°What do we do about him now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to keep our eye on him,¡± said George with sudden resolution.  ¡°There¡¯s no better way to prepare for whatever is coming than to keep playing along with him, make him think we don¡¯t know about him, but watch him close at the same time.¡±


    "That sounds dangerous,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°If he¡¯s in league with the Grak, he could betray you anytime.  Isn¡¯t it safer just to stop having anything to do with him?¡±


    ¡°That will make him too suspicious,¡± replied George.  ¡°No, we¡¯ve got to keep going along with him, for now at least.  He wanted me to meet him this morning, so I will.  I¡¯ll play along and act like everything is normal.¡±  George could see through his window a faint light beginning to spread across the eastern horizon.  It would soon be morning.


    ¡°Well, be careful,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°And call me as soon as you¡¯ve met with him, and let me know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± said George.  After that, there wasn¡¯t much to say.  They finally said their good-byes and George put the ring back on his finger.


    He sat on the edge of his bed for a long time, going over every word of what the Ziphon had said, and trying to remember everything the protector had done and said.  It still seemed impossible that the protector could be their enemy, but the Ziphon¡¯s warning was clear.  The person he least suspected may betray him, and there was no one he had suspected less than the protector.  Why hadn¡¯t the protector given him one of the light bombs if they were supposedly so effective against the Grak?  Why hadn¡¯t the protector told him before that singing would drive the Grak away?  Surely he must have realized the Grak could attack George at any time, especially since they had already captured his father.


    George sat motionless for over an hour, going over everything the protector had said and done in his mind, and looking at it all in a new light.  It wasn¡¯t pleasant, but he knew it had to be done.  The Ziphon wouldn¡¯t have given his warning for no reason.  It was up to him to make use of it.


    George finally dropped into a fitful, uneasy sleep just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.


    A few hours later George was sitting on the curb in front of his house, waiting for the protector.  The Ziphon¡¯s visit and the call from Jiu Na now all seemed like a bad dream.  With the sun shining so brightly and the day so beautiful, it was hard to think that he was facing great danger, and that the protector was not to be trusted.  He had come to look at the protector in almost the same way as own father.  His heart ached to trust him again, and yearned for the simple, innocent acceptance of the protector that he had felt only yesterday.  But he could not ignore the Ziphon¡¯s warning.


    Time passed.  There was no one in sight except Mr. Macalister down the street mowing his lawn.  A flower sticking out of the grass nearby waved in the breeze.  There was no dog or bird or butterfly in sight.  What would the protector be today?


    Until now, George had enjoyed trying to figure out what different shapes the protector could take.  Now his ability to appear as something else seemed sinister and frightening.  He could just as easily turn himself into a Grak, as anything else.


    ¡°You look glum today,¡± said a voice out of nowhere.  George jumped, looking around wildly.  The protector had done it again.  There was nothing and nobody in sight, yet he knew the protector was there.


    ¡°I¡¯m over here,¡± came the voice again.  It seemed to be coming from the edge of the lawn, somewhere around the flower waving in the breeze.  George took a step forward, his senses alert.  Suddenly he realized there was no breeze, yet the flower kept waving.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± laughed the flower.  ¡°It¡¯s me.  Today I¡¯m a Turubian walking flower.  They look very much like your earth flowers, only of course their roots are more like feet and they can move around.¡±


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    George stooped down to examine the flower, and was amazed to see that it indeed had little legs and feet at its base, mostly hidden in the grass.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± said George without thinking.  Then he stood up abruptly.  He had to keep on his guard and not be taken in by the protector again.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± came the voice from the flower.  ¡°You seem tense.  Did anything happen?¡±


    George realized he was acting too worried, letting his suspicions show.  Even if he didn¡¯t feel like it, he had to try to act normal, to laugh and be himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± George said with a half hearted laugh.  ¡°I, uh ¡­ I just don¡¯t feel too well today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad,¡± said the flower.  Then with more excitement, the voice said, ¡°but I¡¯ve got important news!  I¡¯ve figured out part of the Grak¡¯s plan!  I¡¯m still not sure how you and Jiu Na and the third person are going to stop them, but now I at least have an idea what they are up to.¡±


    ¡°The third person?¡± asked George curiously.  ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to my car and I¡¯ll show you,¡± said the voice as the flower abruptly stood up and started to walk on its short, grey legs.  ¡°It¡¯s too hard to explain without the proper tools.¡±


    George followed along behind the flower.  It was one of the most amazing and bizarre things he had ever seen, walking along as if it were a person, with its petals and leafs rising and falling at each step.  George looked quickly all around.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried someone will see you?¡± he asked.


    The voice laughed.  ¡°I¡¯m too low to the ground for anyone to notice,¡± said the protector.  ¡°And if they do see me, you can just tell them I¡¯m your pet walking flower.  That should satisfy them.¡±


    ¡°But there are no walking flowers on earth!¡± said George.  ¡°No one would believe me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know,¡± said the protector noncommittally.  ¡°There¡¯s lots of strange creatures in this world, like the praying mantis, or flying fish.  Just tell anyone who asks that I¡¯m from Africa or Australia, or somewhere else with exotic, strange creatures.¡±


    George just shook his head not knowing what to say.


    They were nearing the corner, and George could see the car a short distance down the street, with Ant Number 4 sitting silently in the driver¡¯s seat.  Once again his heart ached to innocently accept and believe the protector as he had done only yesterday.  He felt as if a cloud had settled over his mind, taking away all the fun and enjoyment he had experienced since he had come to know the protector.


    ¡°You must be sick,¡± said the flower.  ¡°You don¡¯t seem your normal self.  I hope it¡¯s nothing catching.  I haven¡¯t had my flu shot this year.¡±


    George tried to laugh.  ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing serious,¡± he said quickly.  ¡°Just a little scratchy throat, but I¡¯ll be fine.  How¡¯s Emberly today?¡± he asked, trying to change the subject.


    ¡°Good,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°She¡¯s back to her old self, and is very excited about our trip to Portugal.¡±


    ¡°Portugal?¡± exclaimed George, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to stare at the walking flower.  ¡°We¡¯re going to Portugal?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Not today of course, because of the time difference.  We¡¯ll have to meet earlier tomorrow, so we can go as early as possible.  We want it to still be light there, even though it will be evening.  But we need to go in order to confirm my theory about what the Grak are up to.  If what I discovered is correct, we¡¯ll find another fallen star there, and hopefully find someone else who found an Uth rock next to it, just like you and Jiu Na did.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George, not knowing what else to say.  ¡°How did you find that out?¡±


    ¡°Come into the car, and I¡¯ll show you,¡± said the flower, starting to walk again. George followed behind, his mind racing with this news.  Then he chided himself silently for getting excited about the protector¡¯s new ¡®discovery.¡¯  Of course the protector knew what the Grak were up to, since he was in league with them!  He knew their whole plan all along.  He was just pretending to have made a new discovery, to make George think he was on his side.


    When they reached the car, George held back in apprehension.  Why did the protector want so bad for him to come into the car?  Was it a trap?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said the protector again, who had already hopped into the car on the passenger seat.  There was concern in his voice.  ¡°You don¡¯t seem your normal self today.¡±


    George shook his head as if to clear it from a fog.  He couldn¡¯t let the protector know he suspected him, even if that meant walking into danger.  The Ziphon had said he could still do something to help, and the Ziphon had seen the future.  He simply had to trust that everything would be all right, and act more carefree and interested, like he had yesterday.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± said George, opening the car door.  ¡°Just my throat.  I¡¯ll be all right.¡±


    George could feel the protector looking at him curiously.  Suddenly he realized that the flower must have eyes somewhere, although he couldn¡¯t see them.  It was so bizarre to be stared at by a flower that he laughed in spite of himself.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± asked the protector.


    ¡°Just that you were looking at me, and I can¡¯t tell where your eyes are,¡± said George.


    The protector laughed too.  ¡°They¡¯re well hidden in Turubian flowers.  Can you imagine if they weren¡¯t?  What a sight that would be¡ªa flower with big, staring eyes.¡±  With another laugh, the protector jumped off the edge of the passenger seat and instantly changed in size, so that he now looked like a small weed on the floor of the car.  ¡°Come on,¡± came a faint voice as the flower walked toward the tiny door.  ¡°But don¡¯t say anything until you shrink, or you¡¯ll split my eardrums.¡±


    George followed silently, leaning forward over the edge of the seat.  Once again his stomach turned upside down as he felt himself suddenly shrinking.  Then he was on the floor of the car, with Ant Number 4 towering to his left.  The protector had already disappeared through the door.


    George ran to the door and peered inside.  He saw the protector, now returned to his normal, flabby self, taking the cover off a globe of the earth.


    ¡°Let me show you what I found,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It¡¯s pretty amazing.  Only the Grak would have come up with a plan so bold.¡±


    George came over and looked at the globe.  It looked quite ordinary, and seemed out of place surrounded by the protector¡¯s other specialized equipment.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing too exciting about this globe,¡± said the protector with a sheepish grin.  ¡°I bought it at Wal-Mart.  But come over here and let me show you what gave me my first clue about what the Grak are up to.¡±


    George followed the protector over to the View All.  Emberly bounced up against his leg, and he smiled and patted her.  It seemed odd to think that yesterday she had been a human girl, yet now she was a furry little fuzzball, acting similar to a cat.


    ¡°Here it is,¡± said the protector, clicking several buttons on what looked like a remote control.  ¡°It¡¯s a commercial I saw while watching the 6:00 o¡¯clock news.  Watch.¡±


    Suddenly a view of space appeared on the screen, and an announcer¡¯s voice said, ¡°Are you tired of having to send your interplanetary frozen or heated goods through Fozulia?  Would you like a more direct shipping route through sector 9?  Well, your lucky day has arrived!  Momp Enterprises is proud to announce the opening of a new frozen and heated transfer planet in sector 9!  It¡¯s perfect for all your shipment needs!¡±


    The space scene zoomed in on a planetary system with nine planets, and highlighted the third planet with flashing orange arrows.


    ¡°This new non-rotating planet in sector 9 is almost exactly half way between Ningassa and Blutoric, and is a perfect stopping point for shipment of your goods!  Leave them there for a day or half a century with no worries!  They¡¯ll be perfectly chilled or heated according to your needs.  Just think¡ªno more 30 billion light year trip out of the way to Fuzolia!  No more loss of goods for lack of proper chilling or heating by careless space freighters!  Call Momp Enterprises and reserve your spot today!¡±


    The screen went dead.  The protector looked triumphantly at George, who stared back with a blank look in his eyes.


    ¡°Fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡± said the protector knowingly.  ¡°Incredibly brazen to show as a commercial on the 6:00 o¡¯clock news.  But the Grak are always doing rash things like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said George slowly.  ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    ¡°Here, let me show you,¡± said the protector, as he pushed more buttons on the remote.  The zoomed image of the third planet reappeared on the screen.


    ¡°Do you see that solar system and the highlighted planet?¡± said the protector.


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George.


    ¡°That¡¯s earth!  The Grak are advertising your earth as an interplanetary storage planes, for frozen or heated goods!¡±

 Chapter Twenty One - Cold Storage

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    George looked at the protector uncomprehendingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see?¡± said the protector excitedly.  ¡°The commercial said that this new storage planet is ¡®non-rotating!¡¯  But your earth is still rotating like crazy.  You go through one complete rotation every 24 hours.  As long as earth is rotating it¡¯s no good to store frozen goods except for at the north and south poles.  But that¡¯s too small of an area for large storage.  There¡¯s nowhere on earth in its present condition to store a large amount of heated goods.  But if you stop the rotation, the side of the earth and mars exposed to the sun will quickly rise in temperature to well over 400o, while temperatures on the other side¡ªa side that will no longer see the sun¡ªwill plummet so far below freezing that it would be perfect for frozen storage!¡±


    ¡°You mean,¡± said George incredulously, ¡°the Grak are planning to stop earth¡¯s rotation?  In order to turn it into a big hot and cold storage place?¡±


    ¡°Exactly like a warehouse,¡± replied the protector affirmatively.  ¡°Of course, they won¡¯t completely stop the rotation, since the earth still circles the sun once a year, and they have to keep it in the same position relative to the sun at all times.  In other words, the part of earth facing the sun must continue to face the sun all year long.  So earth¡¯s rotation will be slowed so that it rotates only once on its axis every year, instead of once a day like it does now.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why the Ziphon said the earth would turn to fire and ice unless the Grak were stopped!¡± said George excitedly.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± said the protector.


    ¡°But how could the Grak stop the earth¡¯s rotation?¡± asked George.  ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that take a tremendous amount of energy?¡±


    ¡°It would,¡± replied the protector, leading George over to the Wal-Mart globe again.  ¡°But energy in such large amounts is not unheard of in other parts of the galaxy, although so much power probably seems impossible to you earthlings.  Of course, having the energy is not enough.  As an initial matter, before you use the energy to stop the rotation, you have to have a way to harness and control the energy, and grab onto the earth with it.  That¡¯s where the fallen stars come in.¡±


    ¡°See here?¡± said the protector, pointing to the part of California on the globe where George lived.  ¡°This is where we are now, and this is where your fallen star is.  Almost exactly 1/3 of the way around the globe to the west is Xhenxou, China, where Jiu Na lives and where another fallen star is located.¡±


    George saw that it was true.  The distance from his home to Xhenxhou, China did look to be about 1/3 of the way around the earth.


    ¡°Now, if we keep going from there another 1/3 of the way around the earth, or if we go 1/3 of the way around the earth to the east from your home in California, we come to Portugal, where I think a third fallen star must have landed.  That would make three grabbing or hooking points to latch onto the earth, each of which is about the same distance from each other.  That¡¯s why we have to go to Portugal, to confirm that my suspicions are correct.¡±


    George looked at the globe for a minute.  Portugal was indeed another 1/3 of the way around the globe.  ¡°But how do the fallen stars grab onto the earth?¡± he asked.  ¡°Aren¡¯t they just like rocks, sitting on its surface?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the protector, beaming proudly.  ¡°After I saw the news report last night and then discovered this on the globe, I went out again to the fallen star, even though it was dark.  I did some underground measurements and found to my amazement that a root has grown out of the fallen star and already has penetrated hundreds of miles straight into the earth!  Actually there are multiple roots that have split in all directions, thousands of them, and they continue to grow at an incredible rate.  I don¡¯t know how in the world they are growing, but they are.  I suspect the same type of root system is growing beneath the fallen stars in China and Portugal.  Once the root growth is complete, the fallen stars will form a perfect anchor.  A beam of energy from the Grak¡¯s spaceship directly north of the earth will grab the hooks on all three fallen stars and hold the earth in place.  This will apparently stop the earth¡¯s rotation.¡±


    George stared at the globe, not knowing what to say.  The plan seemed too far fetched and incredible to believe.  Could the protector be telling the truth?  Finally, he said slowly, ¡°So the earth will be too hot or cold for people to live on, depending on which side they¡¯re on.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± responded the protector, ¡°nothing will survive long enough to be destroyed by the heat or cold.  When the beam of energy grabs onto the fallen stars and the rotation is stopped, the force of arrested movement will be so powerful that everything on the surface of the earth will be destroyed within hours.  There will be terrible earthquakes and land slides, such as this earth has never seen.  Nothing will be able to withstand the sudden stop in rotation.  I know it sounds odd, but everything on your planet is accustomed to the earth¡¯s constant movement of rotation.  Everything will be thrown into total chaos when it stops.¡±


    The horror of the plan made George¡¯s skin crawl.  Could this be true?  Was the protector revealing the actual plan of the Grak?  It did seem to fit with what the Ziphon had said about the earth being in danger of fire and ice.  But why had the protector told all this to George, since he was apparently in league with the Grak?  Was this the whole truth, or only part of the story?  And even if it were all true, what could he and Jiu Na and some unknown person in Portugal do to stop it?  Indeed, what could anyone do?


    As if reading his thoughts, the protector said, ¡°I¡¯ve already notified the intergalactic police of what I suspect the Grak are up to.  They¡¯re on there way here now with a search warrant to go through the Grak ship.¡±


    ¡°The intergalactic police?¡± said George in surprise.  ¡°You mean there¡¯s a police force out there in space?¡±


    The protector laughed.  ¡°There sure is, and they¡¯re very effective.  But like your police, they can¡¯t do anything until they have all their proof and evidence gathered, and finding such evidence is uncertain since the Grak are good at hiding things.  The main evidence they will be looking for are energy turbines strong enough to grab onto the earth, since the power and energy the Grak need to carry out their plain will require a huge power source that can¡¯t easily be hidden.  It probably wouldn¡¯t be too hard for them to hide your father and Jiu Na¡¯s father somewhere, but hiding those turbines will be quite a task.¡±


    ¡°Then they should be discovered!¡± said George.  ¡°The police will stop them!¡±


    ¡°Maybe, and maybe not,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Like I said, finding the evidence is only the first step.  Then they have to present the evidence through the court system.  It will probably take weeks or months for this to happen, even with good evidence of wrongdoing.  If the Grak succeed at dragging out this process until this planet is destroyed, then of course the evidence will be meaningless since the destruction of earth will be all the proof that anybody needs¡ªbut that will be too late to save your people.  And even then, with unbeatable proof of wrongdoing, the whole issue will move into political debates in the senate, which could last years until it is resolved.  That¡¯s exactly what has happened with Emberly¡¯s planet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡± exclaimed George in amazement.  ¡°How could anyone let this happen without doing something about it?¡±


    ¡°Because of fear of the Grak,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°The Grak wanted Emberly¡¯s planet as a spaceport¡ªa glorified space vehicle parking lot, if you will.  Before anyone knew what they were up to they had turned every inhabitant on the planet to stone, except Emberly.  The planet is still untouched while debates and investigations go on and on in the senate.  But everyone suspects that in the end, the government will cave in and let the Grak have the planet, in spite of the horror of what they did to get it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the real goal of the Grak is not just to build a spaceport on Emberly¡¯s planet, or to turn earth into a storage planet,¡± continued the protector.  By themselves, these are minor trade issues.  But they know that if they come to control enough of the important economic planets in the universe, they will become unbeatable, and can take over political control and domination as well.  That¡¯s their real, long range plan.¡±


    ¡°But since everyone knows it, why don¡¯t they do something?¡± asked George.  ¡°How could they let it happen when the Grak are so obviously in the wrong?¡±


    ¡°Because no one wants to go to war against the Grak,¡± answered the protector.  ¡°And that¡¯s what they have to do to really stop them.  It¡¯s easier to appease them and give in to them where small worlds like yours and Emberlys are lost, rather than fight them.  Its easier to pretend they have no long range plan of domination.  No one will take responsibility to bring the Grak in line.  The same thing has happened on your planet.  When Japan invaded China in the 1930s, no other government tried to stop them.  A lot of other governments complained, but no one stopped them¡ªbecause they knew they¡¯d have to go to war to do it.¡±


    George was silent for a moment, pondering on what the protector had just said.  How could any civilized society allow such things to happen?  Did no one care for their fellow creatures?  But was the protector even telling him the truth?  Could he be trusted?  Or were he and Jiu Na wrong in suspecting him?  What he has just explained sounded true enough.  Indeed, a part of George yearned and ached to believe it and to trust the protector again.  But the Ziphon had given him a warning.  Who else would they least suspect, other than the protector?  George¡¯s head was beginning to ache with all the unanswered questions.


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    George suddenly felt something vibrate in his pocket.  He was about to cry out when he remembered he had changed his cell phone to vibrate rather than ring.


    He pulled it out of his pocket, and could see by the number displayed that his mother was calling.


    ¡°George?¡± came her voice over the phone.  ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right down the street,¡± said George.  ¡°Not far from home.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe you¡¯d better come home,¡± said his mother.  ¡°Janet keeps insisting that you were gone for hours yesterday without permission, although I don¡¯t remember any such thing.  Do you?¡±


    In spite of the stress he was feeling from the Grak, the protector, and everything else going on, George nearly laughed out loud.  ¡°How could I have been gone for so long and you not remember it?¡± he asked in reply.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I keep telling Janet,¡± said his mother with a sigh.  ¡°Well, come home soon, please.  Maybe you can talk some sense into her.¡±


    ¡®Not likely,¡¯ thought George to himself.  To his mother he said, ¡°O.k., I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±  He put the phone back in his pocket.


    ¡°Those happy memory pills work pretty well, don¡¯t they?¡± said the protector with a sly grin.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said George with a smile.


    ¡°I gave one to Emberly this morning,¡± said the protector.  ¡°She was starting to fret about meeting the Grak again.  Now she¡¯s happy as a lark.¡±


    Emberly was rolling and bouncing happily about the room, seemingly without a care in the world.  George gave the protector a sharp look.  If he had slipped Emberly a pill unaware, could he have given one to George?  Or maybe given him a different kind of pill that altered his thinking, or made it so he couldn¡¯t remember something the protector didn¡¯t want him to remember.  George shivered.  He had to make sure he didn¡¯t eat or drink anything the protector offered him.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡± asked the protector again.  ¡°You seem tense today.  You¡¯re not your old self.¡±


    George pretended to laugh it off.  ¡°It¡¯s just my throat,¡± he said.  Then, trying to change the subject, he asked, ¡°what about the Uth stone?  How does it fit into this whole plan of the Grak?¡±


    The protector frowned.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± he said slowly.  ¡°That¡¯s the one thing I haven¡¯t figured out yet.  My suspicion is that the fallen stars had to be positioned just right in order to work properly, so the planet would not break completely apart when it stops rotation.  So I would guess that the Uth stones were used somehow to guide the fallen stars to the proper landing spot.  After that, they were probably of no further use.¡±


    George scratched his head, wondering.  Was there something about the Uth stones the protector was not telling him?  Were they really only to guide the fallen stars to a safe landing, or did they have some other purpose?  George could hardly stand the suspicion anymore.  He needed some air.


    ¡°I¡¯d better go,¡± he said, turning toward the door.  He needed to call Jiu Na, to let her know what was happening.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then.  First thing in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said the protector, looking after him in concern.  ¡°Be as early as you can.  I don¡¯t want to get to Portugal after nightfall, since it will be too hard to search for the fallen star in the dark.¡±


    George pushed open the door, turned to wave to the protector, then stepped through and was gone.  The protector stared after him with a worried look on his face.


    An hour later, George was in his room.  Janet had nearly attacked him when he got home, wildly repeating her story that he had been gone for hours yesterday.  George¡¯s mother just stood in the background shaking her head, saying she didn¡¯t remember any of it.  George, remained silent, only saying that he couldn¡¯t see how he could have stayed out half the day and their mother not remember it.  Finally, Janet had thrown up her hands and left the room in disgust.


    Now, George was pacing back and forth in his room, trying to remember everything the protector had told him.  He didn¡¯t want to leave anything out when he called Jiu Na.


    Finally, he put the ring in his ear and, feeling rather silly, said, ¡°I want to talk to Jiu Na.¡±


    He waited in silence for a moment.  Suddenly Jiu Na¡¯s voice sounded in his ear.


    ¡°George?!  Is that you?¡±  He could sense the worry in her voice.  He realized she must have been afraid the protector was calling her instead of George, and didn¡¯t know what to say to him.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me,¡± said George.  ¡°I just left the protector a little while ago.  He wants me to go with him to Portugal tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Portugal!¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°Why does he want you to go?  Do you think it¡¯s a trap?¡±


    As briefly as possible, George explained what the protector had told him about the Grak and their scheme to stop the earth¡¯s rotation, and how they needed to go to Portugal to verify that there was another fallen star there.


    ¡°But do you think he¡¯s telling the truth?¡± asked Jiu Na when George had finished.  ¡°What about what the Ziphon warned us?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied George glumly.  ¡°I was suspicious of him all day today.  I was so jumpy he kept asking me what was wrong.  I think he must suspect something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bad,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go with him tomorrow.  You¡¯ll be half a world away from anyone you know.  He could be taking you right to the Grak.¡±


    ¡°But I ran into the Grak right here the other day.  I don¡¯t need to go half way around the world to find them,¡± said George.  ¡°And if I don¡¯t go, how will we find out what he and the Grak are really up to?  And how will we find out how we can help?  The Ziphon did say we could help, although I don¡¯t know how.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t either,¡± said Jiu Na in a worried voice.  ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it all day, and I just don¡¯t see how two kids half a world apart could make any difference.  We need help from someone.  But now we can¡¯t trust the protector and I don¡¯t know where else to turn.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I,¡± replied George.  He paused.  ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking.  Maybe we were wrong about the protector being in league with the Grak.  After all, we don¡¯t know that for sure.  We¡¯re just guessing, based on what the Ziphon said.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what I¡¯ve been afraid of,¡± replied Jiu Na.  ¡°I thought you might start to think the protector is on our side if you kept meeting him and going along with him.  If you spend time with him, he won¡¯t seem like an enemy.  He¡¯ll convert you to his side.  I¡¯m not around him, so that won¡¯t happen to me.¡±


    ¡°But we could be wrong,¡± objected George again.


    ¡°I suppose, but then how do you explain what the Ziphon said?¡± asked Jiu Na pointedly.  ¡°Who else do both of us know?  The Ziphon gave you and I the same message, so it has to be someone we both know.  And there¡¯s only the protector and Emberly, and she¡¯s already shown that she¡¯s not in league with the Grak.  So it has to be him!¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± said George sadly.  ¡°I guess I just wish it wasn¡¯t so.  He¡¯s so nice ¨C not like the Grak at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes him all the more dangerous,¡± replied Jiu Na.  ¡°That¡¯s probably why they¡¯re using him.  I don¡¯t think you should go to Portugal, George.  Make up some excuse.  Let him go alone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± replied George slowly, thinking hard.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to find out more than we know now.¡±


    There was silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.  Finally, George said, ¡°I think I¡¯d better go with him tomorrow.  I¡¯ll stay close to Emberly, since she seems to know how to protect herself against the Grak.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d decide to go,¡± said Jiu Na sadly.  ¡°I¡¯m half way around the world, so there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop you.  But be careful!  And call me if there¡¯s any trouble.  I don¡¯t know what I could do, but maybe I could help somehow.¡±


    After they had said good-bye, George stood for a long time in his room, looking out the window at the street.  It was a sunny day, and the world looked peaceful.  It seemed impossible that something so sinister as the Grak and their plan¡ªwhatever it was¡ªcould be on the verge of destroying it all.


    DoorJam came into the room and jumped up on George¡¯s bed.  George sat down next to him and started scratching under his chin.  DoorJam purred appreciatively, twisting around into a better position to be scratched.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± said George to the cat, continuing to scratch him softly.  ¡°I¡¯m supposed to do something, and I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    George took out the pouch containing the Uth stone.  Pulling it out, he held it up to the light.  Everything looked normal through it.  While it was still cold and caused his hand to tingle, it did nothing else.  George concentrated his mind, willing it to show him whether the protector was in league with the Grak.  Nothing happened.  For several days now, the stone had done nothing at all.


    George put it back into the pouch, and dropped it in his pocket again.  ¡°What am I to do?¡± he asked DoorJam again.  ¡°How can a kid like me make a difference, or stop anyone as powerful as the Grak?¡±


    The cat looked up at him with its large green eyes.  George smiled sadly.  He could imagine what Door Jam would tell him if he could talk.  He would just say, ¡®You humans worry too much.  A good scratch under the chin and a little food is all that you need.  If you were a cat like me, you¡¯d have no problems at all.¡¯

 Chapter Twenty Two - Portugal

    The next morning George was out in front of his house early, waiting for the protector.  It had been a hard night.  He had spent hours tossing and turning fitfully in his bed before finally dropping off into an uneasy sleep, filled with dreams of roots growing through the earth, and of the protector turning into a dog-like creature like the Grak.


    That morning he had hardly eaten any breakfast, and his mother had threatened to take him to the doctor.  When Janet had suggested the doctor check him for signs of brain waves, they had gotten into an argument.  For once his mother had been glad to get him out of the house, and had told him to go out and find something to do until lunchtime.  Ever since taking her happy memory pill, she had been less protective and less inclined to call and check up on him all the time.  Strangely enough, George found himself almost missing her extreme over-protectiveness, especially now that he could no longer trust the protector.


    George looked up and down the street.  No one was in sight.  In spite of his suspicions and worries about the protector, George was curious about what he would appear as today.  He was determined not to be fooled like he had been for the last several days.


    George paced back and forth on the sidewalk in front of his house.  There was no sign of anything unusual, and no flowers waving in the breeze today.  Absently, George kicked a rock that was lying on the sidewalk, sending it skittering off into the grass.


    ¡°Hey!¡± a voice suddenly yelled, making George jump.  ¡°What did you do that for?  Would you like me to kick you?¡±


    George looked wildly all around.  There was no one in sight.


    ¡°Try kicking someone your own size, next time,¡± came the voice again.  It seemed to be coming from the rock he had kicked onto the grass.


    George bent down to look at the rock.  Surely the voice couldn¡¯t have come from it.  It looked so ordinary.  ¡°Good morning, George,¡± the rock suddenly said in a clear voice.


    George jumped back in alarm.  ¡°You¡¯re a rock!¡± he said without thinking.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± said the rock.  ¡°Today, I am a Correlian rock creature.  They look just like earth rocks and are very tough, so your little kick didn¡¯t actually hurt me at all.  Whenever I feel liking getting down to earth, I turn myself into a Correlian rock creature.  It¡¯s the only time dirt tastes good, you know.¡±


    "You eat dirt?¡± asked George in amazement.


    ¡°Correlian rock creatures do,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°It tastes great, especially this rich, black dirt you have on earth.  It¡¯s just like chocolate.  You should try it sometime.¡±


    George frowned in distaste.  Eating dirt didn¡¯t sound very appealing.


    Then to George¡¯s complete amazement, the rock suddenly stood up and started to move.  He could see that it had two stubby little legs on which it could waddle along at a surprisingly fast pace.


    ¡°So,¡± said the rock with an air of determination.  ¡°Today, we¡¯re off to Portugal.  Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± said George, walking alongside the rock while looking furtively in all directions to make sure no one was watching them.  He felt a bit embarrassed at walking down the sidewalk with a waddling rock.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit worried about being seen?¡± he asked the protector, just as he had done the day before when the protector was a flower.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Anyone who saw us would just think I¡¯m yours.  Haven¡¯t you ever heard of a pet rock before?¡±


    ¡°But rocks don¡¯t walk around on this planet,¡± said George.


    ¡°True enough,¡± laughed the protector.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though.  I¡¯m too low to the ground for anyone to notice me.  I once attended one of your football games in a 30,000 seat stadium this way and no one noticed me at all.  People don¡¯t look down expecting to see rocks walking around, you know.¡±


    They had rounded the corner and George could see the protector¡¯s car with Ant Number 4 seated silently in the driver¡¯s seat.  Suddenly the protector said, ¡°I got a disappointing report from the intergalactic police.  They searched the Grak ship and found no sign of a power source that could possibly stop the earth¡¯s rotation.  In fact, they searched through your entire solar system and found no such energy source hidden anywhere.  It¡¯s a complete mystery how the Grak could hide something that big and powerful, but somehow they have.¡±


    ¡°Did they find my father?¡± asked George hopefully, although he already knew what the answer would be.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± said the protector.  ¡°There was no sign of him or Jiu Na¡¯s father.  In fact, since they found no evidence and their search warrant has expired, they had to pull off and leave the Grak alone for now, since there¡¯s nothing to show they¡¯re doing anything wrong.¡±


    George wondered if this was true.  Had the intergalactic police really been notified and searched the Grak ship?  If so, had they really failed to find his father?  How could they search and find no evidence?


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the same spot as last time and set up the transporter,¡± said the protector as they approached the car.


    "Are you sure it¡¯s safe to go back there and set it up?¡± asked George, relieved to change the subject.  ¡°What about the Grak?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll bother us again,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Like I said before, I don¡¯t think they expected us that day.  We caught them by surprise.¡±


    George scratched his head, wondering again if that were really so, and if there was some hidden reason the protector wanted to set up the transporter at the same spot again.  Then he frowned and wiped his hand across his brow.  He had to watch himself today.  He couldn¡¯t let the protector think he was suspicious of him.  He tried to force a smile, even though he didn¡¯t feel like smiling.  Suspicion was certainly a heavy burden.  Suspecting the protector was wearing him out.


    They had reached the car, and to George¡¯s surprise, the protector leaped off the ground and through the open window onto the passenger¡¯s seat.  ¡°Corelian rock creatures have very impressive jumping abilities,¡± the protector said shyly.  Then the protector hopped toward the floor and instantly changed into a tiny pebble.


    ¡°Hop into the back seat,¡± came the barely audible voice from the pebble.  ¡°I¡¯ve already told Ant Number 4 where to go, so we¡¯ll start right away.  I¡¯m just going to go in and transform and I¡¯ll be right back out.¡±  Then the pebble disappeared through the tiny door.


    George got in the back seat, swinging the car door shut behind him.  Ant Number 4 immediately put the car in gear and started moving forward.  In no time they were on the outskirts of town, approaching the field where the fallen star was located.  The thick bushes that the Grak had brought with them were still all over the place, greatly changing the appearance of the open field that had existed before.


    George was so busy looking out the window that he didn¡¯t notice when the protector came back out and appeared on the front seat.  ¡°Looks like we¡¯re almost there,¡± said the protector.  When George glanced at him, his eyes opened wide in surprise.  A swarthy man sat in the front seat of the car.  He sported a black mustache and had olive colored skin.  ¡°Today, I am a Portuguese gentleman,¡± said the man.  ¡°I¡¯ll rig the transporter to not only take us to Portugal but also to transform you and Ant Number 4 and Emberly into a Portuguese appearance as well, when we go through.  It¡¯s still best to not arouse any suspicion.¡±


    The protector pulled something from his pocket.  ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing a stick of gum to George.  ¡°It¡¯s Portuguese.  Tastes just like rice and beans.¡±


    George took the gum silently.  What was he to do with it?  He didn¡¯t dare chew it, for fear it might be something like a happy memory pill, and make him forget things, or alter his mind in some way.  But if he didn¡¯t chew it, he wouldn¡¯t understand what the people in Portugal were saying.


    The car pulled to a stop.  Still worrying about what to do about the gum, George followed the protector out of the car.  He stood silently watching while the protector set up the transporter door with its surrounding cloud of gauze-like substance.  George could see small areas where the gauze looked like it had been patched, apparently to fix the rips caused by the bramble bushes they had run into after their trip to China.


    Suddenly, George was hit hard in the back of his legs, so that his knees buckled.  ¡°Got you by surprise, didn¡¯t I?¡± came a girl¡¯s voice behind him.


    Looking around, George saw Emberly standing there, a mischievous look on her face.  She pointed at his knees.  ¡°Your legs bend in a funny way.¡±  She laughed.  ¡°They only bend backwards.¡±


    ¡°Now, Emberly, don¡¯t be rude,¡± said the protector.  ¡°That¡¯s the way all human legs bend.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.¡°Not mine,¡± said Emberly happily.  ¡°I would never let my legs bend backwards.  I think its better if they bend in all directions!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± replied the protector, with a wink at George.  ¡°Let¡¯s see you bend your leg forward then.¡±


    With a smile on her face, Emberly held out her leg, with her foot pointed up to the sky.  She swiveled it around in the air for a minute.  The smile slowly disappeared from her face while she stared at her leg.  Straining, she tried to bend it forward, then sideways, then forward again.  Finally, she bent it backwards.  As she did so, she screamed.


    ¡°It only bends backward!¡±  She cried.  ¡°It¡¯s just like his!  I¡¯m deformed!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be worried about,¡± said the protector calmly.  ¡°Human legs work just fine by only bending backwards.¡±


    A look of horror covered Emberly¡¯s face.  ¡°I¡¯m deformed!¡± she cried again.  Then she quickly hopped in the car and covered her face with her hands.


    In a low voice, the protector said, ¡°Praetorians don¡¯t have legs, you know, since they just roll everywhere like a ball.  It¡¯s taking her awhile to get used to human appearances.  Next time she¡¯ll be making fun of your arms or your feet or your head.¡±


    Before George had a chance to say anything in reply, the protector announced, ¡°we¡¯re all set.  Hop in, and we¡¯re off to Portugal!¡±


    As the protector and George got into the car, he noticed that Emberly pulled as far away from him as she could, her face still covered by her hands.  She didn¡¯t move as Ant Number 4 began to drive forward toward the transporter door.


    As they went through the transporter door, George again had the strange sensation of flashing color and visible sound.  And then they were on the other side.


    The sun was still shining, although it had shifted position so that it was on the western horizon, and looked like it would soon set for the night.  They were on a dirt lane in the countryside, among gently rolling hills dotted with small cottages and occasional trees.  No one was in sight.  Emberly was sitting up straight, looking curiously around at the countryside, having apparently forgotten about the way human legs bend.


    ¡°Here we are!¡± announced the protector.  ¡°I don¡¯t see a fallen star anywhere, but I didn¡¯t expect we would.  I set the coordinates so that we would come through within a mile of where it should have landed.  We¡¯ll just have a look around, and I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll run into it.  It¡¯s got to be here someplace.¡±


    Ant Number 4 pulled the car slowly forward along the lane.  They were approaching the crest of a small hill when the protector told him to stop.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to draw too much attention to ourselves,¡± he said.  ¡°In the country like this there are few travelers, so the people will notice us.  It¡¯s not like China, where the crowds shielded us.¡±


    ¡°Wait here,¡± he commanded, as he got out of the car.  ¡°I¡¯ll walk to the crest of the hill and see what I can see.¡±  George noticed that he was carrying a pair of binoculars.


    They watched as the protector walked up the hill ahead of them.  Suddenly Emberly pulled on George¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Your fur doesn¡¯t feel very soft,¡± she said in a loud voice.  ¡°And it¡¯s hard to pull out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fur, its hair,¡± said George grumpily.  ¡°And you¡¯re not supposed to pull it out.  It hurts when you pull it.¡±


    Emberly paid no attention.  She suddenly got out of the car.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored,¡± she announced to no one in particular.  ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look around.¡±  She suddenly started to walk across the field next to the road.


    George hopped out.  ¡°Wait!¡± he cried.  ¡°The protector said to wait here.  You might get lost.¡±


    Emberly paid no attention, and kept walking.  George looked furtively at Ant Number 4, but he just sat silently, staring straight ahead as always.  The protector had disappeared over the crest of the hill.


    George wasn¡¯t sure what to do.  He knew it was probably safest to stay at the car, but he couldn¡¯t just let Emberly wander off.  And he hadn¡¯t forgotten his resolve to stay close by her, for protection from the Grak.  ¡°Come back!¡± he yelled after her.


    She paid no attention.  She had crossed over the crest of the hill on their left, and was walking down the other side.  She would soon be out of sight.  Suddenly George cried ¡°Hold on!¡± and started to run after her.  ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    Emberly turned.  Seeing him coming, she started to run.  She had a mischievous smile on her face, and quickly disappeared over the hill.


    George followed as rapidly as he could, still trying to look inconspicuous and keep his eyes open for anything unusual.  Since the last encounter he and Emberly had had with the Grak he felt a bit uneasy, wondering if they might run into trouble again.


    Crossing over the crest of the hill, George saw a small cottage in a clearing below.  Emberly was standing in front of it, talking to an old lady.  George hesitated, not sure whether to go down to them or not.  After a moment, the lady took Emberly¡¯s hand and took her in the cottage door.


    ¡°Wait!¡± cried George, running down the hill as fast as he could.  When he reached the cottage door he knocked rapidly, then stood panting on the doorstep.  It was an old cottage, with a dirty stucco surface, and what looked like hand carved wooden window borders and a tile roof.  There were chickens pecking their way across the yard nearby.


    The door opened.  The old lady¡¯s wrinkled eyes seemed to smile down at George.  ¡°Gostaria de entrar e ter uns biscoitos com sua amiga?¡± she asked.


    In panic, George remembered that he hadn¡¯t used the protector¡¯s Portuguese chewing gum.  He pulled it out rapidly, then stopped.  What if it were drugged?  If the protector was not on their side, there was no telling what he might do.  George looked back at the lady, not knowing quite what to do.


    ¡°Tenha uma problema?¡± she said with a worried look in her eye.  George could only nod.


    Suddenly Emberly appeared in the doorway and held out half a stick of gum to him.  She had apparently ripped her Portuguese gum in half.  In relief, George took it and popped it into his mouth, knowing that the protector would not give Emberly drugged gum.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± the lady repeated.


    ¡°No,¡± George replied quickly, knowing that what sounded to him like English was in fact now Portuguese.  ¡°I just came to see where my friend was.¡±


    The lady broke into a broad smile.  ¡°Come in, come in,¡± she gestured.  ¡°Have some cookies with your friend.¡±


    George entered a small room that doubled as a living room and kitchen.  It had an old television on a shelf opposite a lumpy old couch.  A worn kitchen table stood in the middle of the room.  On the opposite wall was a small sink and range for cooking.  The room was very small, and the crowded furniture made it seem even smaller.


    ¡°Sit down, sit down,¡± said the woman.  ¡°Would you like some goat¡¯s milk?¡± she asked.


    George stared at her blankly.  Suddenly Emberly laughed.  ¡°I tried some and it tastes terrible,¡± she said smiling brightly.  ¡°Go ahead and try it.¡±


    The old lady didn¡¯t seem troubled at all by Emberly¡¯s rudeness, but still stood smiling at George.  ¡°No thank you,¡± he said.  He picked up a cookie and bit into it while holding his gum in his cheek.  The cookie dissolved in his mouth with a delicious flavor.  ¡°Wow,¡± he said without thinking.  ¡°These are good.¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± said Emberly gulping a cookie whole.  ¡°Donna Tereza made them herself.¡±


    ¡°They are my mother¡¯s recipe,¡± said the old lady.  ¡°And my grandmother¡¯s before that.  Have more.¡±  She pushed the plate full of cookies under George¡¯s nose.


    He didn¡¯t need much encouragement and picked up another.  Emberly wasn¡¯t as polite, and grabbed several at once.  After gulping down another one, she suddenly said, ¡°Donna Tereza has a fallen star in her back yard just like the one by your house.¡±


    George froze in mid chew.  ¡°You told her about the fallen star?¡± he asked Emberly.


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Emberly casually.  ¡°Why not?  That¡¯s why we¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it?  So we can find it?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡± said George hesitating.  ¡°But I don¡¯t know if we should tell everyone about it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± asked Emberly curiously.


    ¡°It is not a secret,¡± said Donna Tereza suddenly.  ¡°When it fell a week ago I called the police, and they came to look at it.  But they were not impressed, and they never came again.  No one has shown any interest in it, except for you and the terrible dog-like creatures that came the other night.¡±


    George nearly gagged on his cookie.  In a rough voice he said, ¡°dog-like creatures?  You say they came here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Donna Tereza.  ¡°And my lost husband too, who has been gone for a year.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Three - The Attack

    George stared at her in shock.  The Grak had come here!  And they had apparently brought her husband, who must have disappeared about the same time as George¡¯s father and Jiu Na¡¯s father!  Before George could ask any of the hundreds of questions that were flooding through his mind, there was a knock at the door.


    ¡°My goodness!¡± said Donna Tereza, bustling over to open it.  ¡°I¡¯m certainly having a lot of visitors today.¡±  As she swung the door open, George could see the protector standing on the threshold.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± he said politely, removing his hat.  Seeing George and Emberly inside he added, ¡°I see I¡¯ve come to the right place.¡±


    ¡°Are these your children?¡± asked Donna Tereza.  Without waiting for an answer, she stepped aside and said, ¡°Please come in and have a cookie.¡±


    ¡°These are not actually my children, but we are traveling together,¡± the protector replied, as he entered the room and took a seat at the small table.  ¡°Well,¡± he said with a smile to George and Emberly, ¡°it looks like you two wandered off to the right place.  I suppose you know already the third fallen star is in the back yard.  I saw it from the hilltop, and have already taken my pictures and measurements of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Emberly, her mouth full of cookie.  ¡°This is Donna Tereza.¡±  She pointed rudely at the old lady.  ¡°She makes the best cookies in the world.  But don¡¯t try the goat¡¯s milk.¡±


    The protector laughed.  Donna Tereza filled another plate with cookies and pushed it under the protector¡¯s nose.  ¡°Now you are complete,¡± she said.  ¡°He told me three would come, although I didn¡¯t expect you so soon.¡±


    ¡°Someone told you we were coming?¡± blurted George.


    ¡°The same Ziphon that has visited you and Jiu Na, no doubt,¡± said the protector.  ¡°I presume he came last night?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Donna Tereza.  ¡°He was a funny little thing, with a rough voice.¡±  Her face clouded.  ¡°He came the first time right after I found the clear rock by the fallen star, and said something about fire and ice, and about my helping protect the earth, of all things.  When he came last night, he just said you would come, and that you would have important things to tell me, especially about the dog-like creatures that came here two nights ago and nearly killed me!¡±


    Only Emberly seemed unmoved by this sudden statement by Donna Tereza.  She continued to munch on cookies as if there were no cares in the world.


    ¡°Could you show us the clear rock you found?¡± asked the protector.  Donna Tereza reached to a small shelf over the sink and took down a tiny box.  Inside they could all see another Uth stone, exactly like that of George and Jiu Na¡¯s, sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight which was flowing through the window.  ¡°I put it in this box and have left it above my sink since I found it.  It is a very strange rock, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said George.  His voice sounded distant, as if it were coming from someone else.  ¡°Has it done anything strange, or helped you in some way?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Donna Tereza, with a curious look at George.  ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t taken it out of the box since I found it.  Was it supposed to do something?¡±


    George shrugged, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Please, tell us what happened when the Grak came the other night,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Then we will explain why we are here, and what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Donna Tereza uncomfortably, ¡°it isn¡¯t very pleasant.  They came just as it was getting dark.  There were five of them.  I saw them through my window and was frightened, but knew I couldn¡¯t try to escape or they would capture me.  I¡¯m not very fast on my feet anymore, you know.¡±


    ¡°So I stayed by the window, watching them.¡±  She shuddered.  ¡°They were horrible creatures.  For a time they stayed out by the star.  They seemed to be taking measurements of it.  Then they came to the back door by the window.  I had locked it, but they pushed it open anyway.  When I tried to run they bound me with whips.  I can¡¯t describe why, but when they came in the house, darkness and cold came in with them, and despair too.  I thought I was lost.¡±


    Donna Tereza shuddered, and pulled her shawl tighter across her shoulders.  George could understand just how she felt, and could almost feel the terror that she must have experienced here all alone.


    ¡°Then all of a sudden Jose was here,¡± she said.  ¡°Jose is my husband.  He disappeared one year ago.¡±


    George and the protector exchanged meaningful looks.  First George¡¯s father, then Jiu Na¡¯s father, and now Jose.  Each disappeared one year ago.


    ¡°He looked so sad,¡± continued Donna Tereza.  ¡°He didn¡¯t say a word, even when I begged him to talk to me.  At first I was overjoyed to see him in spite of the terrible creatures.  Then it became clear that he was their prisoner.¡±


    ¡°So, he never said anything to you at all?¡± asked George intently, staring at Donna Tereza.


    ¡°Not a word,¡± she replied.  ¡°I think he wanted to, but couldn¡¯t.  The horrible creatures didn¡¯t say much either, except threats of how they would hurt me if I tried to escape.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your husband communicate with you in any way?¡± asked the protector urgently.  ¡°Since you were married to him so many years before he disappeared, you must have been able to pick up some type of message from him.¡±


    ¡°Only that he was very sad, and was their prisoner,¡± replied Donna Tereza.  ¡°He did nothing at all, except take my hand and draw pictures on it.  The same as I have dreamed him do over the past year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had dreams like that too!¡± exclaimed George.  ¡°My father will come in my window during the night and draw or write on my hand.  He never says a word.¡±


    ¡°Your father?¡± asked Donna Tereza, puzzled.


    ¡°He disappeared one year ago, just like Jose,¡± said George.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.¡°Was there nothing else?¡± interrupted the protector.  ¡°Didn¡¯t Jose communicate at all?  Was there no sign to you, or anything?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied Donna Tereza.  ¡°After a time they all left.  I begged my husband to stay but the awful creatures pulled him away from me.  They went over the hill too fast for me to follow.  When I reached the top they were gone.¡±


    ¡°Donna Tereza, why don¡¯t you sit down,¡± said the protector slowly.  ¡°We have quite a story to tell you.¡±


    For the next few minutes the protector told the story of George¡¯s fallen star and the Uth stone he had found, of their trip to China and meeting Jiu Na, and of discovering the Grak¡¯s scheme to stop the earth¡¯s rotation.  While listening, Donna Tereza raised her eyebrows and rocked gently back and forth in her chair, but said nothing.


    When the protector had finished she rubbed her hands together in worry and frowned.  ¡°What are we to do?¡± she asked sadly.  ¡°I am an old woman, and George and this Chinese girl are children.  What can we possibly do to stop such powerful creatures?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still trying to figure that out,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°The Ziphon you met told George and Jiu Na that there was something they could do, to stop the world from turning to fire and ice.¡±


    Donna Tereza nodded.  ¡°He said the same to me, on his first visit.¡±


    ¡°Then there is hope!¡± said the protector firmly.


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± said Donna Tereza, ¡°although like I said, I don¡¯t know what we can do.  Shouldn¡¯t we tell the authorities?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there is little they could do,¡± said the protector.  ¡°When your police came to look at your fallen star, they thought little of it.  They would probably just take the Uth stones for examination and force you to move away so they could dig down under the fallen star to see why it is growing a root.  That would probably destroy your home.¡±


    ¡°And what of these ¡®Uth¡¯ stones?¡± asked Donna Theresa.  ¡°You say that they seem to have strange powers, and have done wonderful things for George and the Chinese girl.  Is that what we must use to stop the Grak somehow?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± replied the protector meaningfully.  ¡°They do indeed appear to have unusual powers, but there seems to be no way to control them.  I suspect they were simply used by the Grak to transport the fallen stars to the correct location, and nothing more.¡±


    The four were silent for a time, each lost in his own thoughts.  Even Emberly had stopped munching on cookies at last, having reached her fill at last.


    Finally, the protector took a small ring from his pocket and held it out to Donna Tereza.  ¡°Take this,¡± he said.  ¡°It¡¯s a communicator ring.  If anything happens, you can put it in your ear like so¡ª¡° the protector demonstrated how to slide it into the ear¡ª¡°then you can call me or George or Jiu Na at any time.  The ring they have will tighten on their finger and they can then put it in their own ear and talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± said Donna Tereza, looking at the ring in wonder.  The protector stood up.  ¡°We must go now, since it¡¯s getting dark.¡±


    In surprise, George looked out the window and saw that indeed it was twilight.


    Moving toward the door, the protector said to Donna Tereza, ¡°let us know if anything happens, and we¡¯ll do the same.  Don¡¯t be afraid to call often.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied softly.


    ¡°Thank you for the cookies, Donna Tereza,¡± said Emberly.  The protector looked at her in surprise and smiled.  ¡°That¡¯s very good, Emberly.  I¡¯m glad to see you remember your manners.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about manners, but I know good cookies when I eat them, and I know enough to say thank you,¡± replied Emberly.


    ¡°You are very welcome,¡± said Donna Tereza with a broad smile.  ¡°You are welcome to come any time and have more.¡±


    After saying their good-byes, the three ascended the hill toward the car in silence.  George was deep in thought about what Donna Tereza had told them.  Finally he said to the protector, ¡°the Uth stone did nothing for her like it did for me and Jiu Na.  And she never had the vision of the spaceship like Jiu Na and I had.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably only because she left it on a shelf,¡± replied the protector.


    ¡°And the Grak when they came to her, didn¡¯t hurt her,¡± continued George.  ¡°But they brought her husband with them.¡±


    ¡°Her story is a bit different than yours and that of Jiu Na,¡± said the protector.  ¡°But not too different.  The Grak must indeed be holding the three men prisoner for some reason, although it¡¯s hard to imagine why the men would be important to their plan.¡±


    They had reached the car.  Quickly they got inside and Ant Number 4 began to move forward toward the transporter door.  George was silent.  He felt a significant amount of confusion and worry.  He wanted so badly to ask the protector more questions, to try to probe and figure out what the Grak were up to.  Indeed, he yearned to trust the protector again, to be able to believe him, and for him to be on their side.


    But he could not ignore the Ziphon¡¯s warning, a warning that apparently had come only to him and Jiu Na, and not to Donna Tereza for some reason.  He had thought coming along with the protector might give him a clue as to how the protector was working for the Grak, and what he and Jiu Na could do to stop them, but there had been nothing.  It still was all a mass of confusion in his mind, and made little sense.


    There was a flash of color, a brief vision of music and sound, and then they were through the transporter and back in the rich, California sunshine near the fallen star.  This time, thankfully, there were no bushes or Grak waiting for them.

 Chapter Twenty Four - Ice Cream

    ¡°You seem worried,¡± said the protector as they drove toward town.  George looked up to see the protector staring at him in the rear view mirror.


    He cleared his throat, trying to force himself to act casual.  ¡°I guess I am a bit,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, I guess I can¡¯t blame you,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°It all seems strange and confusing.  The Ziphon said there was something you and the others could do to help, but we have no clue what it is.  Meanwhile your father is still a prisoner of the Grak, and you¡¯re powerless to help him.  I¡¯d be worried too if I were you.¡±


    George didn¡¯t respond.  He wished that was all he had to worry about.  Naturally, he couldn¡¯t tell the protector that he was also worried about his own suspicions of him.


    Rounding a corner, Emberly suddenly pointed and said, ¡°what¡¯s that?¡±  They saw an ice cream truck parked up the street, and a group of children gathered around it.


    ¡°That¡¯s an ice cream truck,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    ¡°Why would I want a truck?¡± answered Emberly.  ¡°I can¡¯t drive.¡±


    The protector laughed.  ¡°Not the truck.  The ice cream.  It¡¯s a food that tastes good.  Here, we¡¯ll stop and try some.¡±


    The protector instructed Ant Number 4 to pull over.  As they got out, the protector asked George, ¡°do you think you have time?  Has your mother tried to call?¡±


    George quickly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.  ¡°No,¡± he said in surprise.  ¡°There are no messages.  Ever since she had the happy memory pill she hasn¡¯t been as protective.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the after affect of the pill,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It leaves a happy residue for awhile that makes the person more friendly toward you.¡±


    They had arrived at the truck.  Emberly was looking with fascination at the various ice creams the driver sold.


    ¡°They sell bombs!¡± she exclaimed in wonder.  ¡°Won¡¯t they explode?¡±


    George laughed.  ¡°Those are bomb pops,¡± he said.  ¡°They¡¯re popsicles, not real bombs.¡±


    ¡°And look at the funny people,¡± said Emberly, pointing at the cartoon character ice creams.  ¡°Is it o.k. to eat people?  I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s polite.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just ice cream shaped like people,¡± the protector said with a smile.  ¡°Here, I¡¯ll get us all some bomb pops.¡±


    The protector paid the money and gave them their bomb pops.  Emberly stared at hers for a moment, as if she expected it to blow up in her face.


    George unwrapped his popsicle, and stuck the end in his mouth.  ¡°Try it,¡± he said to Emberly.  ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    Emberly unwrapped her bomb pop and took a bite.  Her face suddenly screwed up in horror and she threw it on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold!¡± she cried.  ¡°It¡¯s freezing my mouth.¡±


    George wasn¡¯t sure whether to laugh, or look the other way.  The ice cream vender was staring at them curiously.


    Gently the protector picked up the bomb pop.  ¡°It¡¯s just a frozen food,¡± he said.  ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be cold.  But it¡¯s still good to eat.¡±


    ¡°But the Grak are cold,¡± Emberly said simply.  After a moment a smile came across her face.  ¡°Here,¡± she demanded, taking her bomb pop from the protector.


    ¡°That one fell on the ground, and isn¡¯t clean,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Let me buy you another one.¡±  However, before he could do anything, Emberly took the bomb pop over to a tree and smashed it into the tree trunk.


    ¡°There!¡± she said in triumph.  ¡°Now the tree had some cold food, and can make cold shade with its leafs.¡±


    The ice cream vender was staring at them as if they had gone mad.


    ¡°Perhaps we¡¯d better go,¡± the protector said as discretely as he could.  Silently the three headed back to the Volkswagen.  Emberly kept looking back over her shoulder with a big smile on her face.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°That was polite, wasn¡¯t it?¡± she said.  ¡°Giving food to others is polite, just like Donna Tereza gave us cookies.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± replied the protector.


    Emberly stopped, looking puzzled.  ¡°Then why didn¡¯t the tree say ¡®thank you?¡¯¡±


    The protector smiled.  ¡°Hop into the car,¡± he said simply, opening the car door.  ¡°We¡¯d better take George home.¡±


    The protector had been right about the after affects of the happy memory pills.  George¡¯s mother didn¡¯t seem troubled at all that he hadn¡¯t returned until early afternoon, even though he hadn¡¯t called to say he would be late.  Janet was once again beside herself, and tried to talk their mother into punishing him.  But their mother just smiled sweetly, and said she didn¡¯t think there was any need for that.  Finally, Janet threw her hands up in the air and went to her room to sulk.


    After lunch, George called Jiu Na and told her what had happened in Portugal.  She greeted the news somberly, especially when she heard of the attack by the Grak on Donna Tereza.  ¡°You could be next,¡± she said in an ominous tone.  ¡°It could happen anytime, and anywhere.¡±


    ¡°But it could happen to you too,¡± replied George simply.  ¡°We don¡¯t know what the Grak are up to, but it seems to involve us and our fathers.  Anything could happen at any time!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Jiu Na, her voice sick with worry.  ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else, and I¡¯m so jumpy I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    Once again she warned him repeatedly to be wary of the protector.  She was especially troubled that he had agreed to meet the protector again the next morning so they could plan what to do next.  George felt uncomfortable at her warnings, but said little.  He knew if he voiced his confusion about whether the protector was for them or against them, Jiu Na would just become more concerned and warn him even more strongly.  Finally, having little else to say, they ended the call¡ªafter Jiu Na made him promise to call again the next morning, before he met the protector.  George knew the reason.  She was going to try to talk him out of going with the protector again.


    The afternoon passed slowly.  A brownish haze seemed to settle in the air, which matched George¡¯s mood.  He was restless and uneasy.  He fretted in his room for awhile, went outside and fretted some more, then came back to his room.  Always in his mind were worries and thoughts of the Grak and what they were up to, of his father and how he was held prisoner, and of the protector and whether he was friend or foe.  The Uth stone in his pocket felt so cold it seemed to pierce into George¡¯s leg.  He finally left the pouch containing the stone on his dresser.


    The evening was no better.  Watching TV seemed meaningless, and there was nothing else to do.  George¡¯s mother, sensing something wrong, threatened again to take him to the doctor.  It was the first time George had seen Janet smile in days.


    Finally it was time for bed.  After slowly changing into his pajamas and turning out the light, George lay staring at his ceiling for a long time.  What did it all mean?  What was he to do?  Who was he to trust?  Why were his father and the other two men being held prisoner by the Grak?  What was the protector¡¯s role in all this?  With heavy questions such as these preying on his mind, George finally dropped off into a fitful sleep.  As he closed his eyes, he failed to notice that the pouch containing the Uth stone on his dresser had started to glow.


    There was a sudden loud ¡®pop!¡¯ that woke George with a start.  Looking wildly all around, he was alarmed to see the same Ziphon sitting on the edge of his bed.


    ¡°George Brown,¡± it said in its voice like gravel, ¡°the time has come.  You must decide quickly, or all will be lost!¡±  Turning its head slowly toward the dresser, it said, ¡°and you must decide too.¡±


    With another ¡®pop!¡¯ the Ziphon was gone.

 Chapter Twenty Five - A Prisoner

    George rubbed his eyes, then got out of bed, continuing to stare at the spot where the Ziphon had been a moment before.


    Should he call Jiu Na, or Donna Tereza?  Had they had a visit from the Ziphon too?


    Looking over at his dresser, George was alarmed to see the pouch with the Uth stone glowing brightly.  He went over and picked it up.  Staring inside, he saw the stone glowing more brilliantly than he had ever seen it.  He touched it, and the heat nearly burned his finger.


    George suddenly sensed something at his window.  Turning, he could see a glowing object on the grass a few feet from his house.  Going over to the window, he saw in amazement that it appeared to be another Uth stone, exactly like the one he was holding!


    George flung open the window, and leaned out to look at it more closely.  Incredibly, it was indeed another stone, glowing with a pulsing light that George could sense was matched by his own, which still lay in its pouch in his hand.


    George was about to go through the window to the new Uth stone, but suddenly hesitated.  Was it a trap?  How had the Uth stone got there?  Had it come with another fallen star?  But there was no star in sight.


    Had the stone been brought by someone?  Yet the protector had said the Grak couldn¡¯t touch the Uth stone.  Surely they couldn¡¯t have brought it.  George¡¯s heart was pounding in his throat.


    Still unsure what to do, he slipped the ring from his finger and put it in his ear.  ¡°Calling Jiu Na,¡± he said firmly.  There was no answer.  ¡°Calling Jiu Na!¡± he said again with greater urgency.  Why didn¡¯t she answer?  She had always responded quickly before.


    George¡¯s mind was racing.  The Ziphon had said the time was now.  Another Uth stone was outside, and his own Uth stone was glowing.  Something was clearly happening.  Yet, George still had no clue what he was supposed to do, and no idea of what he could do to stop the Grak.


    ¡°Calling Jiu Na,¡± George repeated again, firmly.  Why didn¡¯t she answer?  With sudden inspiration, George said, ¡°Calling Donna Tereza.¡±  Maybe at least she would respond.  But there was still no answer at all.


    Should he try to call the protector?  But if he did, wouldn¡¯t that play into the hands of the Grak?  Indeed, George realized with sudden horror, wasn¡¯t that why Jiu Na and Donna Tereza were not answering?  They had all received their rings from the protector, and if he was on the Grak¡¯s side, then he probably was controlling their communications.  In fact, he had probably listened in on each of the conversations Jiu Na and he had had in which they had talked about their suspicions of him!


    A sudden shadow appeared to the left of the window.  Before George could pull back or do anything there was a loud crack, and a whip darted inside the open window and curled tightly around him, binding him fast.


    ¡°NO!¡± George cried in desperation.  Before he could do or say anything else, the whip was pulled tight and he was jerked through the window, falling with a thud to the ground.  Rough hands grabbed him from behind and stuffed a gag in his mouth, and tied his hands and feet.  He felt a wave of cold and despair wash across him.  He was turned roughly around and found himself staring into the face of another Grak, smiling at him cruelly, its foul breath nearly overpowering him.


    Turning, George saw in shock that his father was standing a short distance away, his head bowed in sadness.  Slowly his father walked over to the Uth stone, picked it up, and put it in a small envelope he pulled from his pocket.


    George¡¯s eyes opened wide in wonder.  His father had brought an Uth stone!   How did he get it, and why did he have it?  His father looked up at him with glazed, sad eyes.  His mouth moved, but no sound came out.


    The Grak roughly picked George up and flung him over its shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  He saw another Grak grab his father.  Then they started to move with amazing speed, racing down the streets that led out of town and toward the fallen star.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.George tried to pound the Grak with his fists and kick with his legs, but was bound so tightly that he could hardly move.  He tried to sing ¡®Joy to the World,¡¯ but with the gag in his mouth he could do nothing more than choke.


    A waive of despair flooded over him.  This was crazy.  The whole thing was crazy.  He was just a kid in California.  He couldn¡¯t stop a race of intergalactic monsters.  He should have told the police or his mother or even Janet about what was going on.  And now, tonight, he had let himself be distracted when he saw the other Uth stone, and had been easily captured.  It had been no trouble at all for the Grak to get him.


    In panic, George saw that they had reached the outskirts of town and were moving rapidly toward the field with the fallen star.  He struggled again, trying to work his way free, but it was no use.  He tried to cry out, but merely gagged on the cloth that had been rammed in his mouth by the Grak.


    Suddenly, George heard a voice in his ear.


    ¡°George!¡± it said in a worried tone.  ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    George¡¯s mind reeled.  Where was the voice coming from, and whose¡¯ voice was it?


    ¡°George!¡± the voice repeated.  ¡°Answer me.  Are you all right?¡±


    In shock George realized it was the voice of the protector.  The communication ring was still in his ear, unnoticed by the Grak.


    George tried to answer, but of course could only gag and grunt.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± said the voice.  ¡°Did you say something?  Is anything happening?¡±


    George grunted and coughed again.


    ¡°I can hear something,¡± said the protector.  ¡°Can¡¯t you answer?  If something is preventing you from answering, try to make three quick noises in a row.¡±


    George did his best, although with the Grak carrying him so roughly he nearly had the wind knocked out of him with every step.


    ¡°You¡¯re in trouble!¡± yelled the voice.  ¡°I¡¯ll be right there!¡±


    George¡¯s mind was reeling.  Wasn¡¯t the protector in league with the Grak?  But if so, why had he sounded so desperate and worried, and said he would come right away to help?  Had George been wrong about the Ziphon¡¯s warning regarding betrayal by the person he least suspected?


    The Grak carrying George abruptly stopped.  Twisting around, George could see that they were at the clearing with the fallen star.  At least a dozen Grak were there, smiling cruelly.  The creature who had carried him dumped him unceremoniously on the ground.  George tried to stand, but his bindings held him fast.  He could only struggle and grunt.  The Grak laughed, with a sound like ripping metal.


    George spotted his father at the edge of the crowd, being shoved and kicked by the Grak.  He tried in vain to call out to him.  Then George¡¯s eyes widened.  There was a small spaceship there, hardly noticeable in the dark because of its black paint.  The Grak were pushing his father inside it.


    His father turned and looked at George.  There was a piercing sadness and a yearning, pleading look in his eyes.  In the split second their eyes met George recognized the Dad he had known, who used to laugh and joke and make their home so pleasant.  It was as if his father were reaching out to him with his eyes, pleading for understanding, for forgiveness, for hope.  George knew in that instant that his father would never betray him, but had been used and controlled by the Grak.


    And then the connection was broken as the Grak shoved his father through the doorway and slammed the hatch.  In a matter of seconds the spaceship hummed, then roared into the sky and out of sight.


    The Grak in the clearing were running back and forth, grunting to each other urgently, preparing for some unknown event that was about to happen.  Suddenly George was picked up and tossed toward the fallen star.  He landed next to it with a crunch, his legs buckling beneath him in pain.  He felt the communicator ring fall from his ear.


    A Grak standing next to the fallen star laughed, then roughly lifted him up and without warning, swung a large, curved knife straight toward his heart.

 Chapter Twenty Six - Despair

    It seemed as if time stood still as the knife blade came slowly toward George.  The Grak¡¯s eyes gleamed red and cruel.  Then the blade struck home¡ªnot into George, but across the bindings on his hands and feet, which fell loose on the ground.  The Grak grabbed George and forced his hands apart, then pointed at his right hand.  Looking down, George saw in alarm that he was still carrying the bag which contained the glowing Uth stone.


    George quickly closed his hand over the bag, but the Grak pried it open again, and held it open.  Then another  Grak gingerly lifted the bag, wincing in pain as he did so, and turned it over so that the Uth stone fell into George¡¯s palm.  The stone was hot, and seemed to be throbbing.  When George closed his hand over the stone the Grak grunted in relief.


    George was twisted around again, and his other hand was forced up, onto the hook of the fallen star, where the Grak deftly tied it in place with a stout rope.  Then it looped a scabby, brittle belt tightly across George¡¯s hand that held the Uth stone, so that he couldn¡¯t open it or drop the stone.  The binding was so tight and the stone so hot that George winced in pain.  The Grak laughed in his face, its putrid breath nearly overpowering him.


    A Grak at the side of the clearing suddenly barked an order.  The creature who had tied George turned and ran toward him, along with others from around the clearing.  In that instant George realized that there was another black spaceship behind them.  All but two of the Grak boarded the ship, which quickly roared to life and lifted into the sky.


    One of the remaining Grak ambled over to George, and smiled cruelly down upon him.  Spittle dripped from its open mouth onto George¡¯s leg, stinging him like a wasp where it landed.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the Grak said unexpectedly with a mock bow.  ¡°Thank you for helping us destroy you.¡±  Then it laughed a course laugh that sounded like breaking glass, and walked to the other side of the clearing.


    There was sudden, unexpected silence.  The two remaining Grak stood quietly at the side of the clearing, watching, doing nothing.  No one else was in sight, and nothing moved.  George struggled vainly against the bindings that held him to the hook of the star and that held his folded hand carrying the Uth stone.  He tried to bite off the bindings, and to twist his feet up and push against them to pry them lose, but it was all in vain.  The bindings were simply too tight.  The Grak at the side of the clearing laughed with evil pleasure.


    And then, a brilliant shaft of light split the air as if the sun itself had come down to the clearing.  In shock and amazement, George saw that the shaft of light extended from somewhere north of him in space, and came down to his hand holding the Uth Stone.  It enveloped the hand with a brilliance that made George shut his eyes, temporarily blinded.  Yet, amazingly, there was no burning or heat.  The stone in his hand now felt cold, like a small lump of ice.


    The earth suddenly shook and reeled, knocking George off his feet.  Staggering, he tried to stand up.  The beam of light did not change, but continued constant and steady.  The Uth stone in his hand was growing warmer.  Looking around, George saw that the Grak had taken shelter behind a large rock at the side of the clearing.  They seemed afraid of the light, yet remained there, watching George.  The earth rocked again.


    And then, in horror, George understood.


    He was the link.  He and his father, and their two stones.  The powerful beam of energy needed to grasp the hooks and stop the earth¡¯s rotation was not from a power source on the Grak¡¯s ship.  It was a link between the stone his father held in his hand on the Grak ship far above him in space, and the stone he was holding himself in the clearing.  That was why the intergalactic police had found nothing on the Grak ship.  The energy was from the Uth stones themselves.  And George had no doubt that the same link had been made between Jiu Na in China and her father on the Grak ship, and between Donna Tereza in Portugal and her husband Jose.  The protector had said only the pure in heart could touch or use the Uth stones.  Therefore, the Grak couldn¡¯t use them, although they had somehow discovered their secret.  The purity of he and his father and the others was being used by the Grak to destroy them all.


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    George tried to call out, but gagged again on the cloth in his mouth.  He choked in despair, his eyes filling with tears.  He fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably in horror and hopelessness.


    The shaft of light continued, uninterrupted.  The earth swayed again, stronger this time, twisting George around to hit the fallen star.  His eyes glazed at the impact, and for a second things went black.  The Uth stone in his hand was growing slowly warmer.  George felt dizzy, and sensed that consciousness was fast leaving him.


    In a last desperate surge of despair he cried out with all his might for relief and for help.  Once again his cry caught in his throat because of the gag.  But then three things happened in rapid succession.


    First, George heard a cry of pain nearby, as if from a creature under attack.  He heard angry shouts and the sound of fighting.


    Then he noticed the beam of light waver and twist as if it were a snake.


    And then he heard a clear voice in his mind, speaking directly to his soul, a voice so soft and gentle it seemed completely foreign to what was happening around him.  It was a voice he had never heard before.


    ¡°What is it you want?¡± the voice asked simply.


    ¡°I need help!¡± George answered in his own mind.  ¡°The Grak are using me to destroy the earth.  I need a way to stop them!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± came the voice again.


    ¡°Because if I don¡¯t act, everyone will die!¡± George answered in frustration.


    ¡°And what price are you willing to pay for help?¡± came the voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give anything!¡± cried George again in his mind.  ¡°Anything!¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡± asked the voice again, gently.  ¡°Even your life?¡±


    George hesitated.  He thought of his mother, no doubt awakened by the shaking of the earth.  She was probably beside herself at not finding George in his room.  He thought of Janet and the fun times they had had together in earlier years, in spite of how obnoxious she sometimes was now.  He thought of his father, so kind and gentle, who seemed to always know just what to do.  He thought of his friends, Alex and Michael, and other people he knew in Bartletville.  Was he willing to give them up?  Yet, if he didn¡¯t what would happen to them?


    ¡°There is hope, if you decide quickly,¡± came the voice again, in a peaceful whisper, almost like laughter.  ¡°I, too, am being used to destroy.  I am the stone in your hand.  Together we can act, but only if we both are united in our sacrifice and act quickly.  Neither of us can hold back.  We must both be willing to sacrifice everything.  Are you willing?¡±


    And then George understood completely.  The person he least suspected who might betray him had not been the protector or his father or anyone else.  It was he, himself.  His own hesitation and unwillingness to act would betray not only him, but all those he held dear.  This was why the Ziphon had kept saying he had to act quickly.  If he stopped to think, if he hesitated, the opportunity to stop the Grak would pass.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± the voice asked again, simply.


    George closed his eyes tightly.  He could feel tears stinging his eyelids.  ¡°Yes!¡± he cried in sudden anguish.  ¡°Of course I will.  Yes!  I will!¡±


    A gentle ripple of laughter echoed through his mind.  ¡°Well done,¡± said the soft voice.  George could feel the earth reeling again beneath his feet, and knew even though his eyes were closed that the beam of light and the energy connection between the Grak spaceship and the fallen star was still there.  He could still hear sounds of distant fighting, and was aware that the earthquakes were growing more frequent and more violent.  Yet he strangely now felt no fear.  He had descended below fear.


    ¡°Come,¡± said the voice, softly.  ¡°Let us journey together.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Seven - The Journey

    Second to last chapter of book one. Whew. Hope you''ve enjoyed the story and will put up the final chapter either later today or tomorrow. Enjoy!


    <hr />


    And then George was flying.  As if pillowed on a cushion of velvet, he found himself rising gently into the sky, away from the clearing, away from his city and from California.  His eyes were still tightly closed, yet he could see with a greater sharpness and clarity than he had ever seen before.  Colors were before him, colors with a texture and beauty that he had never seen.  They tickled him with a radiance of light as he lifted gently through them, making him laugh in spite of himself.


    And then he was soaring into space.  Stars littered his vision in all directions, so many that he could not number them.  They seemed to be endless, growing in number and brightness the farther he went.  And in the quiet of his inward vision he realized with a start that the stars were singing.  The melody was beautiful and lifting, a tune so sacred and simple that George knew he would forget it the instant it stopped, yet it would haunt his memory forever.


    He was picking up speed.  Instead of the slow movement past clusters of stars he had experienced at the beginning of his journey, the stars now seemed to race alongside him for an instant then disappear, leaving a faint trail at their passing.  The kaleidoscope of stars shifted around him, as if each one reached out with invisible hands and rocked him gently onward through their midst.


    And then he suddenly saw something black and cold.  It seemed to arise from nowhere, then loomed larger and larger with alarming speed.  While the heavens around George were so full of stars that he felt like he was in the middle of a black ball full of bright holes, this dark mass blocked out all signs of light in the path it occupied.  Yet, while it loomed ever larger and colder before him, George still felt no fear.  The humming melody of the stars whispered comfort to him, and bore him onward.


    ¡°This is what those on your world call a black hole,¡± came the gentle voice again in his mind.  ¡°Our only choice now is to throw ourselves into it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked George in a detached voice.  He strangely felt no alarm at this unexpected announcement.  He felt only peace.  His fear had been left behind.  He regarded the black hole as a bird would look at a rock; passive, disinterested.


    ¡°Because the journey we have taken is of our minds only,¡± came the reply.  ¡°Our bodies are back at the clearing, attached to the fallen star.  By throwing ourselves inside, our minds will be consumed, and the energy link destroying your world will be broken, for it cannot exist without our minds to sustain it.  Then the Grak will be stopped, and all will end.¡±


    George looked calmly at the black hole, pondering what the voice had just said.  Finally, he asked, ¡°can¡¯t you just use your power against the Grak?  Why was it necessary to journey here?¡±


    ¡°Because you are holding me,¡± came the simple reply.  ¡°You are between me and them, so I could not act against the Grak unless I destroyed you first.  And that is something I could never do, since you are pure in heart.¡±


    ¡°Our only alternative was this journey, and this sacrifice.  But it must be a joint sacrifice to be effective.  I must also sacrifice myself to stop the energy link on earth.  Your sacrifice or my sacrifice alone will not work.


    ¡°It is still not too late to change your mind.  Even now, your sacrifice must be voluntary, not forced by me.¡±


    George looked disinterestedly at the black hole looming before him, hovering like an evil mouth of cold, ready to swallow them.  Then he asked, ¡°and what is inside the black hole?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± came the voice again.  ¡°I only know it is black.  If we go in, I do not believe we will ever come out.¡±


    They stood on the edge of the hole for only an instant.  Then in complete calm, the voice again said, ¡°are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± responded George without any hesitation.


    With a rush they dove into the black hole as if into a pond of black water.  As they did so, all the stars and their gentle singing instantly disappeared.  Everything was now black and cold, with an iciness more frozen and penetrating than anything George had ever felt.  Consciousness was fading.  The end was here ¡­


    ¡­ and then there was light again.  And singing.  And unspeakable joy.  For the first time on his journey George opened his eyes.  The black hole still stretched in front of him, filling a vast expanse of space.  Yet it was rapidly growing smaller, as if it were shrinking.  Stars still spun around him as if on a whirling, black carousel, singing their song of hope and joy.  He looked at his hand.  It was open and the Uth stone was glowing.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I do not know what is happening,¡± the voice said in his mind again.  ¡°Our bodies have somehow joined us here, and the energy link on earth with the Grak ship has been broken.  Some other power is pulling us.  It pulled us out of the black hole, and is taking us somewhere.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± replied George happily.  ¡°All that matters is that the link is broken.  We did what we had to do.  We made our decision, and made it in time.  The earth is safe.¡±


    The music and the light of the stars flowed over and through George as if he were a fish swimming in a clear, bright stream.  The peace and joy he felt was indescribable.  It washed over and through George in wave after wave.  ¡°I never knew space was like this,¡± he said.  ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± agreed the stone.  Then it suddenly seemed to glow, as if expanding in light.  With a burst of sudden joy, its voice broke into George¡¯s mind.  ¡°I know who is pulling us!  I know where we are going!  We are going home!¡±


    ¡°Home?¡± asked George curiously.  ¡°But we just left there.¡±


    ¡°Not your home,¡± came the voice again, brimming with happiness.  ¡°We are going to mine!  Turn and look.¡±


    With a little effort, George turned and saw to his surprise what looked like a glowing, large star seeming to zoom toward them, brighter and more clear than all the others around it.  Although its brilliance was dazzling, it did not hurt his eyes.  He continued to stare at it in wonder, as if hungrily eating the pure light that was radiating from it.


    The star loomed rapidly larger.  As it did, George was startled to see that it was not burning like the other stars.  Rather, it was clear and glowing.


    ¡°This is my home,¡± said the voice again, happily.  ¡°A home I left millions of your earth years ago, when I was in my infancy.  It is drawing us to it.  It is taking me back.  It has forgiven me for leaving.¡±


    As they drew closer, George could see that what he was approaching was a round ball of glass, billions of times larger than the earth.  With wonder he saw that he could look right through it, through billions and billions of miles of its clear interior, and see stars glowing on the other side without the slightest distortion.


    The glowing planet loomed larger and larger.  It filled George¡¯s whole vision.  And as they rapidly approached its surface, George could hear the singing of countless voices, united in a song of joy and gladness that far exceeded any music George had ever heard, even the song of the stars.  The singing surrounded him, generated by the voices of untold numbers of stones like the one he was holding, who collectively made up this wondrous world.


    Gently, they touched down on the planet¡¯s surface.  To George¡¯s surprise, it felt soft like a pillow, even though it looked like solid, hard glass.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said the voice in George¡¯s mind again.  ¡°Thank you for joining my sacrifice.  By giving up life, it was given back to us again.  And it made it possible for me to come home at last.¡±


    George looked at the glowing Uth stone in his hand.  He smiled.  ¡°Thank you, for answering my cry for help, and for saving me and my world.¡±  Slowly he lowered his hand and let the stone fall from his fingers, toward the ones it loved.  With startling clarity, George understood now that his stone and every bit of the planet where he now stood was alive and vibrant, singing and joyous.


    The stone fell gently from George¡¯s hand, as if in slow motion.  He heard a distant fading echo in his mind.  ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±  It said simply.  ¡°Home at last.¡±


    Looking up, George saw to his surprise that Jiu Na and Donna Tereza were standing across from him.  Each of them held in their hands their stone like his.  They were both smiling.  He did not need to ask what had happened.  He knew that they had shared an experience like his.


    Slowly they too dropped their stones, which floated like feathers toward the surface.  George grinned at Jiu Na and Donna Tereza.  Joy and happiness seemed to leap between them like a living creature.


    And then, without knowing why, George slowly closed his eyes.  He felt himself gently falling ¡­ falling ¡­ like a feather on a pillow.


    And then he remembered no more.

 Chapter Twenty Eight - California Sunshine

    Final chapter of book one! Enjoy!


    <hr />


    George woke up suddenly.  Sunlight was streaming in his window.  He was lying at home in bed.  It felt soft and light and wonderfully warm and cozy.  He yawned and stretched.  He felt light and happy.  He must have had a wonderful dream.


    His door opened suddenly.  ¡°George?¡± said his mother in a whisper, poking her head in his room.  ¡°Oh, good, you¡¯re awake!¡± she said with a smile, pushing the door open wide.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how you could have slept through an earthquake like we had last night, but somehow you did.  You are one sound sleeper.¡±


    ¡°Earthquake?¡± asked George stupidly.


    His mother laughed.  ¡°It was a doozy.  There were shocks that kept getting stronger and stronger.  The last one got up to 5.5 on the Richter scale.  Then they suddenly stopped.  It¡¯s all over the news.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± said George getting out of bed, and rubbing his head.  A dim memory was stirring in his mind, as if he should know what she was talking about.  ¡°That¡¯s weird.  That was last night, huh?  Why didn¡¯t you¡ª¡°


    He stopped in mid sentence.  There were two people standing quietly behind his mother.  They looked like kids his age.  Seeing his look, his mother smiled.  ¡°Proteus is here to see you,¡± she said warmly.  ¡°And his sister Emberly.  He says you two just met and have been playing together.  Why didn¡¯t you tell me about them?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± said George slowly, his mind trying to grasp what was going on.  He didn¡¯t know either of those kids.  Yet the same nagging feeling was flopping around in his mind, as if he should know them, or know something about them.  But for some reason, he couldn¡¯t seem to remember.  ¡°I forgot, I guess,¡± he said at last.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, turning to go, ¡°come on out for breakfast in a minute.  Then you can go out and play.¡±  She disappeared down the hall.


    The boy and girl stepped into George¡¯s room.  ¡°Hello,¡± the boy said pleasantly.  ¡°It¡¯s good to see you looking so well.  Especially after what happened last night.¡±


    George stared at them blankly.  ¡°It¡¯s not polite to stare, you know,¡± said the girl after a moment.


    ¡°Do I know you?¡± asked George curiously.  The nagging feeling of familiarity in his mind was growing stronger.  But, like a shadow, it still eluded him.


    The boy laughed.  ¡°Of course you know me,¡± he said.  ¡°I¡¯m the protector.¡±


    ¡°The protector?¡± repeated George slowly.  The name sounded vaguely familiar, yet George couldn¡¯t quite place it for some reason.


    The boy pulled a pen from his pocket and stepped over to George.  He held the pen up to George¡¯s eye and looked through it.  George pulled back in alarm, but could see that it was not really a pen at all, but some type of hollow tube.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± said the boy.  ¡°I think I understand.¡±  He put the pen back in his pocket, then pulled out three pieces of candy.


    ¡°Oh, good!¡± exclaimed the girl, reaching out for one.  ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you came prepared.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± said the boy, holding out the candy to George.  He took it slowly, still looking curiously at the boy.  Slowly he put it in his mouth.  It tasted like butterscotch and fresh rainwater, mixed with chocolate.  ¡°Hey,¡± said George.  ¡°This is pretty good!¡±


    And then he remembered everything in a rush.


    ¡°The fallen star!¡± he yelled.  ¡°And the Uth stone!  My father had one too!  The Grak tricked us, and nearly won!  And then the Uth stone took me away!¡±


    The protector laughed, holding up his hand.  ¡°Take it easy.  One thing at a time.  Whatever you went through last night made you experience temporary memory loss.  The ¡®remember all¡¯ candy I just gave you restored your memory.  I must say, I was hesitant to give it to you.  You seemed so happy without it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you did!¡± said George without hesitation.  ¡°I would never want to forget where I went, or what I felt.  It was so beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Beautiful?¡± said the protector curiously.  ¡°When I started fighting the Grak last night and saw you tied to the fallen star, it sure didn¡¯t look beautiful.  And then suddenly you disappeared.  Where did you go?  And how did you escape?¡±


    George opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again.  How could he possibly describe what he had experienced?  It was so overpowering, so fantastic and wonderful, that it seemed more like a dream than something that had really happened.


    Emberly was still happily smacking on her candy.  The protector sat down on the edge of the bed, not waiting for George to answer.  ¡°After I called you on the communicator ring and you couldn¡¯t talk, I knew you were in trouble,¡± he said.  ¡°So I came rushing here and found you gone and the window open.  I quickly transformed a cricket into a temporary likeness of you that would last a few hours so your mother wouldn¡¯t panic when she found you gone.  Then I headed straight for the fallen star.  I found two Grak there, and could see you tied to the fallen star in the background.  I was fighting the Grak when you suddenly disappeared.  Then the Grak I was fighting ran to a nearby spaceship and rushed off as well.¡±  He looked up at George expectantly, obviously wanting him to fill in what had happened next.


    ¡°Well,¡± said George slowly, ¡°I guess it¡¯s sort of hard to explain.  The Uth stone took me away.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said the protector, fascinated.  ¡°I always thought it had strange powers, but I never thought it would be the key to your escape.  I assumed it was just used to transport the fallen stars to earth.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the Uth stone was the key to everything,¡± said George.  ¡°It was the energy source used by the Grak to stop the earth¡¯s rotation.  They did it by some type of connection between the Uth stone I held in my hand on earth, and one my father had on the Grak ship in space.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic!¡± exclaimed the protector, standing up in excitement.  ¡°So, that¡¯s why the intergalactic police never found any large energy turbines, or any other power source on the Grak¡¯s ship!  You were carrying it around in your pocket the whole time!¡±


    The protector began to pace the room rapidly, smacking his right hand into the palm of his left.  ¡°How silly of me not to see it!¡± he exclaimed.  ¡°It all makes sense now.  That¡¯s why they kidnapped your father and Jiu Na¡¯s father and Donna Tereza¡¯s husband, and why all three of you found Uth stones.  The Grak probably threatened your father and the other men, saying they would hurt you if they didn¡¯t cooperate.  Those stones were the key to it all!  I should have realized!¡±


    ¡°And I guess that¡¯s why I had all those dreams where my father came and wrote in my hand,¡± said George.  ¡°Only, I guess they weren¡¯t really dreams.  He really did come.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It must have been all part of how to make the Uth stones work, how to make the energy connection between the Grak ship and the fallen stars.  I guess they had to do that for about a year before the connection between the Uth stones could be made.¡±  The protector turned to stare intensely at George.  ¡°But you still haven¡¯t told me how you escaped, and where the Uth stone took you.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said George slowly, sitting up in bed and looking out the window at the bright California sunshine.  ¡°It just kind of ¡­ did.¡±  George felt a medley of confused emotions coursing through his mind.  Part of him wanted to tell the protector everything, but another part held the experience he had had with the Uth stone as being so sacred, that it almost seemed like it would be cheapened by being put it into words.


    And then there was the whole issue of the sacrifice he and the Uth stone had been willing to make.  How could he ever talk about that?  Pulling the bed sheet up to his neck, George suddenly felt very self conscious.


    ¡°It must have been quite something, for it to be so hard to tell¡± said the protector quietly.  ¡°Just fill me in on the general details.  There¡¯s no need to tell me all the specifics.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George simply.  Although he felt a bit uncomfortable talking about what had happened, he was still greatly relieved to be able to trust the protector again, to know that he was not in league with the Grak as George had suspected.  Silently, George vowed to never tell the protector of his suspicions.


    And so, George slowly told his story, starting with the Ziphon¡¯s warning, the glowing Uth stone he had seen through the window, his capture, being carried to the fallen star and then being tied to it, and finally the gentle voice that came into his mind.


    When he came to this part he proceeded slowly, pausing often, reliving the amazement, the trust and peace, and the joy that he had felt while his mind traveled through space with the mind of the Uth stone.  He told quickly of their going into the black hole, and then of the wonder of being pulled out of it, and from there all the way to the planet Uth.  By the time he finished, George found he was speaking in a reverent whisper so that the protector and Emberly had to strain to hear him.


    ¡°Wow!¡± said the protector quietly after George had finished.  ¡°That is absolutely amazing!  Incredible!¡±  He began to pace the room again, shaking his head in wonder.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know the stars can sing?¡± asked Emberly unexpectedly.  ¡°We hear them all the time on my planet.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said George, looking at Emberly in surprise.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Nor did I,¡± said the protector, looking at Emberly with a suppressed smile.  ¡°Probably there are only a few creatures in the universe who can hear them.  Being linked through the Uth stone while traveling through space, George had that pleasure, at least temporarily.¡±


    Turning to George, the protector said, ¡°Did I hear you right in saying that the entire Uth planet is alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said George simply.  ¡°And it wasn¡¯t just a single life form, but billions and billions of them, all in one place.  And they all seemed to be singing ¡­¡± Remembering the brightness and beauty of the Uth planet, he could feel again the incredible sense of joy and peace he had experienced there.  It was truly indescribable.


    ¡°They are tremendously powerful,¡± said the protector quietly.  ¡°To generate enough energy to grab the fallen stars and stop the earth¡¯s rotation¡ªthat is an immense amount of power!  And then to pull you out of a black hole, and instantly bring your body there from earth, and to preserve your life¡ªsince there is no air to breath in space¡ªand  then to pull you all the way to their planet!  And finally to send you back home to your own bed unharmed ¡­¡± His voice trailed off, while he shook his head in wonder.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t figure out,¡± said George after a minute.  ¡°How did the Grak get the Uth stones in the first place?  The Grak aren¡¯t pure in heart.  I can¡¯t imagine any of them going to the planet Uth to get them, although my Uth stone told me he had left his planet a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°That is a good question,¡± replied the protector.  ¡°Who knows how the Grak somehow stumbled onto your stone and five others like it, and knew enough about their powers to try to use them in their plan.  The Grak are cunning, and are always searching for new weapons they can use to accomplish their goals.  They naturally wouldn¡¯t pass up a chance to seize something as powerful as the Uth stones.  But how on earth they found them is a complete mystery.¡±


    George looked thoughtfully at the protector for a minute.  A single question had been stirring in the back of his mind ever since his memory of the events of last night had returned.  Although the joy he had recently experienced had masked it for a time, it could do so no longer.  It was not a pleasant question, and George had been avoiding asking it, as if the failure to put it into words would somehow make it go away.  Now however, he knew he could delay no longer.


    ¡°What about my father?¡± he asked quietly.  ¡°Where is he now?  What will the Grak do to him?¡±


    The protector looked somberly at George.  ¡°I only wish I had an answer to give you,¡± he said in a whisper.  ¡°I checked this morning with the intergalactic police, and they said that all the Grak ships have left the area.  All I know is that the Grak almost never kill or physically harm their captives, although they can abuse them mentally.  While you say your father looked very sad when you saw him, he must be very strong to have survived this long.¡±


    George was silent, not knowing what to say.  The thought of his father still in the hands of the Grak was almost more than he could bear¡ªespecially when he considered how angry they must be at the failure of their plan.  What would they do to him now?


    ¡°I suppose a bigger question,¡± said the protector slowly as he began to pace the room again, ¡°is why your father and Jiu Na¡¯s father and Tereza¡¯s husband did not appear on the planet Uth as you and the others did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± exclaimed George in sudden realization.  ¡°They had Uth stones too!  Why didn¡¯t they and their Uth stones come as well?¡±


    The protector shook his head.  ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure.  I would guess, however, that its probably because they didn¡¯t have the knowledge that you and Jiu Na and Donna Tereza had of what was going on.  The Grak probably just told them they were doing some little experiment here, and if they didn¡¯t cooperate you would be hurt.  So, they didn¡¯t know what the Grak were up to, or that their plan was to destroy the earth, and therefore they didn¡¯t know how vital it was to stop them.¡±


    The protector hesitated.  Then he added softly, ¡°The only other explanation I can think of is that perhaps the Grak have found a way to control their minds¡ªalthough if that¡¯s true, I can¡¯t figure why they wouldn¡¯t have used the same mind control methods on you and the others.¡±


    George felt cold and uncomfortable, in spite of the warm sunshine streaming through the window.  The idea that his father¡¯s mind might be controlled by those horrible creatures was more than he could stand.  The beauty and joy of his recent visit to the Uth planet seemed suddenly distant and far away, clouded by worry for this father and fear of what he might be going through.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing you need to consider,¡± said the protector softly.  ¡°The Grak don¡¯t give up easily.  When one of their plans fail, they usually try another.  Although I hate to say this, perhaps it will give you some hope for your father at the same time that it frightens you.  I think the Grak may try again at their scheme to stop the earth¡¯s rotation.  It may not be through you and Jiu Na and Tereza this time, but perhaps through others.  Since the three men know about earth and its customs, they will probably be preserved and used by the Grak for that purpose.  Hence, your father could still be a key part of their plan, and they will probably not hurt him physically.¡±


    George said nothing, but looked quietly out the window.  A part of his mind was fighting what the protector had just said, not willing to accept it, while another part was leaping in hope.  Perhaps the Grak would indeed preserve his father for that reason.  But that would also mean that the earth was still in danger, and that the Grak could strike again.  And this time, George would not have an Uth stone to help him.


    Emberly was standing by the window.  Suddenly she pointed to something they could not see.


    ¡°The ice cream store!¡± she yelled.  ¡°The one on wheels that we went to yesterday!  He¡¯s right over there!¡±


    The protector strode to the window.  ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said with a smile.  ¡°He must have turned his music off, or we would have heard him.  Do you want to try another bomb pop today?¡±


    Emberly screwed up her face in distaste.  ¡°It might explode in my mouth,¡± she said loudly.


    ¡°But remember, we told you, it¡¯s not really a bomb,¡± said the protector.  ¡°It¡¯s just food.¡±


    "Well,¡± said Emberly, looking back out the window at the ice cream truck.  ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try one of the funny faces.  Maybe they¡¯ll talk to me before I eat them!¡±


    The protector laughed, and even George¡¯s lips curved up in a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Emberly excitedly, racing to the door.


    ¡°Hold on, now,¡± said the protector.  ¡°George isn¡¯t up and dressed yet.¡±


    Emberly grabbed George¡¯s shirt and pants and threw them on his head.  ¡°He can get dressed on the way,¡± she said simply.  Then she opened the door and was gone.


    The protector went to the door.  ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯d better follow her.  There¡¯s no telling what she might do or say.  Why don¡¯t you get dressed and come along?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George getting slowly out of bed.


    ¡°Remember,¡± said the protector, reaching out and putting his hand on George¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°Emberly¡¯s world was also attacked by the Grak.  Her parents and all she knew and loved were turned to stone.  Yet she can still laugh and find joy in life, somehow.¡±


    George smiled at the protector weakly.  ¡°I¡¯ll try not to worry too much about my father,¡± he said slowly.  ¡°Hopefully, he and the others will find a way to escape.  They must each still have an Uth stone, which should eventually help them find a way out, as mine helped me.


    ¡°There¡¯s a very good chance of that,¡± said the protector with a smile.  ¡°When the time is right.¡±


    ¡°Come on out as soon as you¡¯re dressed,¡± he said, turning to the door.  ¡°After the ice cream, we¡¯ll call on Jiu Na and Donna Tereza and get their stories.  Then we¡¯ll dial up the intergalactic police to tell them your story, and get an update from them.  Who knows?  There still may be something we can do.¡±


    The protector smiled back over his shoulder, then disappeared through the door.  George slowly started getting dressed.  The protector was right.  The story wasn¡¯t over yet.  His father could still return.  His father still had an Uth stone, and it was inconceivable that its world would leave one of their own kind in the hands of the Grak forever.  When the time was right, perhaps when it seemed there was no hope left, they would rescue it¡ªand his father.


    Tossing his pajamas on the bed, George quickly went through the door to join his friends.

 Book 1 Complete!

Hello all! Wanted to let you all know I''ll be updating with the first few chapters of book two next Monday. Get excited as it only gets better from here on out! See you next week!

 Book 2 Chapter One - A Game of Kick the Can

    There was a rustle in the grass.  Something small and unseen was moving slowly forward, trying to keep out of sight.  A tiny patch of grey fur appeared briefly between the stalks of dry weeds, then disappeared again.  Obviously, the thing was trying to be stealthy and quiet, even though it was not entirely succeeding.


    George smiled.  He had one of them now.  There was no way they could reach the golden goblet behind him.  He crouched down, waiting to spring.  Any second now, they would make a dash for the goblet.  Then he would make his move.  All he had to do was reach out and touch them as they tried to dart past him.  Then it would all be over.


    Just as he had suspected, a blur of grey suddenly darted out of the grass, heading straight for the goblet.  But even as George reached out to touch it, he heard another sound behind him.  He had been tricked!


    Ignoring the furry creature he had been watching¡ªwhich had already covered an amazing amount of ground toward the goblet¡ªGeorge leaped backwards.  But he was too late.  A grey blotch of fur stood triumphantly inside the goblet, sneering up at him.


    ¡°Gotcha again!¡± came Emberly¡¯s voice from the grey furball in the goblet.  The hairy little creature was a mouse-like thing with three short whiskers on each cheek.  ¡°You¡¯re slower than a turtle!¡±


    George frowned grumpily.  ¡°You just got lucky!¡± he exclaimed.


    "Luck had nothing to do with it,¡± laughed the other mouse-like creature, coming up to him.  ¡°Emberly and I had a plan.  I would draw your attention away from the goblet, while she made a dash for it.  That way, at least one of us would reach it, if not both.¡±


    Calmly, the mouse-like creature¡ªwho was actually the Protector¡ªwalked over to the goblet and thumped it with his paw.  It made a hollow ringing sound.  ¡°Looks like we both made it without being tagged¡ªsince you were too busy feeling sorry for yourself just now to tag me!¡±


    George frowned while Emberly laughed with glee.  ¡°You¡¯re not very good at Kick the Kook are you?¡± she said with obvious pleasure.


    ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Kick the Can,¡¯¡± replied George hotly.  ¡°Only we¡¯re using a plastic, gold-colored goblet instead of a can.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said the Protector, ¡°whatever it¡¯s called, I have to admit it¡¯s a pretty good game, as earth games go.  I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a hit when I introduce it back on my home planet, once my time here is up.¡±


    George didn¡¯t reply.  Although he was mildly miffed at losing the game, he was more deeply troubled whenever the Protector mentioned going back to his home planet.  George had come to rely on him more than he cared to admit, and didn¡¯t want to think that he might leave.


    George had met the Protector just a few weeks before, after being warned by a strange, leathery creature from another world (a "Ziphon," as he later discovered) that the earth was in danger.  The Protector was also from an alien world, and had been assigned to protect the earth for 500 years¡ªand his time of service was nearly up.


    George and the Protector had learned that the danger to earth was from an evil, dog-like race known as the ¡®Grak,¡¯ who audaciously planned to stop the earth¡¯s rotation so they could convert the planet into a hot and cold storage world.  They attempted to use the power of a strange, luminescent stone George had found¡ªan ¡®Uth¡¯ stone¡ªto create an energy link between George on earth and a similar stone held by George¡¯s father on the Grak ship in space.  George''s father had been kidnapped by the Grak a year before for this very purpose.  However, thanks to powers of the Uth stone that the Grak didn¡¯t know existed, their plan was thwarted.  But the Grak had escaped into deep space, taking George¡¯s father with them.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t one of you be ¡®it¡¯ for awhile?¡± said George, in an effort to both change the subject and shake thoughts of his kidnapped father from his mind.


    ¡°Not me!¡± cried Emberly firmly.  She was a fickle creature, who was also from another world.  She was being cared for by the Protector until a home could be found for her, since everyone on her home planet had been destroyed by the Grak.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be ¡®it¡¯ after one more game,¡± said the Protector with a smile.  ¡°Watch the goblet rather than the grass this time, and you¡¯ll probably tag both of us.¡±


    The Protector looked around at the tall grass and weeds surrounding them.  ¡°You¡¯ll have to watch close, though.  The grass here is so long, it provides perfect cover for us.  I know this place may not hold pleasant memories for you, since the fallen star the Grak used for their energy link is right over there, but it really is a great place to play Kick the Can.¡±


    Then the Protector gave George a sharp look.  ¡°In addition, the game itself is helpful to you, since it sharpens your wits and powers of observation.¡±


    George knew what the Protector was getting at.  It was almost certain that the Grak would soon come to earth and strike again, and the Protector was trying to prepare George for their next encounter.  They weren¡¯t just playing ¡®Kick the Can¡¯ for fun.  It was a sort of training in watchfulness.  Indeed, if he had been a bit more observant the first time the Grak came, things may have gone better.


    ¡°Well, if I¡¯m going to be ¡®it¡¯ again, I think you should transform yourselves into something bigger, like maybe a dog or cat,¡± said George.  ¡°It¡¯s too hard to spot the mouse-like creatures you are now.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    George was referring to the transformer, a special machine that allowed the Protector to change his appearance into any creature he wanted.  ¡°The ¡®mouse-like creature,¡¯ as you call it,¡± responded the Protector, ¡°is actually a Flibbet from the planet Aecon.¡±  He paused for a minute, scratching his chin.  ¡°Or is it an Aecon from the planet Flibbet?¡±  The Protector shook his head as if clearing it of a fog.  ¡°No matter.  I¡¯ll admit it does bear a strong resemblance to an earth mouse.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Emberly, with an indignant quiver of her whiskers, ¡°I like being a Flibbet, and I don¡¯t want to change!  Besides, the transformer is all the way back at the car.¡±


    ¡°She has a point,¡± said the Protector to George.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you try just one more game with us as Flibbets.  Then I¡¯ll take over being ¡®it.¡¯¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± said George reluctantly.  ¡°Go out and hide then, while I count to ten.¡±


    Emberly and the Protector immediately darted off into the grass and disappeared.  After he had counted, George looked around at the weeds surrounding him, which were swaying gently in the summer breeze.  He wasn¡¯t going to venture far from the goblet this time.  He¡¯d let them come to him.


    The sun caressed George¡¯s back warmly as he scanned the grassy field where they were.  Not far away was the fallen star the Grak had used as part of their effort to stop the earth¡¯s rotation.  They had tied him to it, so that when the energy link between he and his father was formed, it latched onto the fallen star through George.  The fallen star now sat unnoticed, half buried in the earth, it¡¯s hook-like appendage still pointing to the north.


    Suddenly there was a blaring noise from George¡¯s pocket.  It was the tune of ¡®You Ain¡¯t Nothin¡¯ But a Hound Dog¡¯ on his cell phone.  His mother was calling!


    George rolled his eyes in dismay.  Ever since his father had mysteriously disappeared a year ago (kidnapped by the Grak, as George now knew), she had armed him and his sister Janet with cell phones, and never failed to call them every hour, on the hour.  It was sometimes very annoying¡ªlike when he was in a crowded theater watching a movie which had just reached the exciting part.


    ¡°Hello?¡± said George into the phone.


    ¡°George, is that you?¡± came his mother¡¯s voice, even though she knew perfectly well that it was.


    ¡°Sure, Mom,¡± he replied.  ¡°I¡¯m still playing over at McGee¡®s orchard.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been there for over an hour!¡± said his mother, as if that were some kind of crime.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you come home now?  There¡¯s not much to do over there by yourself, is there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s lots to do,¡± said George, trying to sound as convincing as possible.  His mother had no idea he was with the Protector and Emberly.  Indeed, if she knew that he was spending time with two aliens, she would never let him out of his bedroom again.  So he had told her nothing about them, or about what had happened with the Uth stone and the Grak, or his father.  The truth would send her into hysterics.  Better that she remain in the dark, and still think that her husband had mysteriously disappeared, but would hopefully return some day.


    ¡°There¡¯s lots to do there?!¡± his mother repeated in a tone of voice that showed she obviously didn¡¯t believe him.  ¡°Like what?¡±


    George looked around hurriedly, trying to figure out what there was for a boy to do alone.  ¡°There¡¯s trees to climb, and bugs to watch, and mice to find,¡± he finally answered.


    ¡°Mice!¡± said his mother, with new concern in her voice.  ¡°What if they had rabies and bit you?  I think you should come home right now!¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t seen any mice!¡± said George in exasperation.  That was true¡ªhe had seen only Flibbets.  ¡°I only said there were mice to find, not that I found any!¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t!¡± cried his mother.  ¡°Insects are o.k., but I draw the line at mice with rabies.¡±  George rolled his eyes again.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m o.k.,¡± said George as patiently as he could.  ¡°I¡¯m just playing around.  I¡¯ll be home in about an hour.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯d better be!¡± his mother said firmly.  ¡°And don¡¯t go near any mice!  You should have taken DoorJam with you.¡±


    George grimaced.  DoorJam was his sister¡¯s cat.  It was so well fed at home that it had little interest in catching mice--about as much interest, in fact, as a cockroach has in being stepped on.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be home in an hour,¡± George repeated.  Then before she could say anything else, he said, ¡°Bye,¡± and hung up.  ¡°Sometimes I wish this silly thing would break!¡± he said, while unhappily shaking the cell phone.


    ¡°Yoo hoo!¡± said a voice at his feet.  Looking down, George saw Emberly and the protector sitting in the golden goblet.  Emberly had a gloating look on her face.


    ¡°You let your guard down when your mother called,¡± said the Protector reproachfully.  ¡°That¡¯s something you can never do when dealing with a real enemy, no matter how important the distraction may seem at the time.¡±


    George was about to reply when a sudden voice behind him said in a soft voice, ¡°It looks to me like all of you let your guard down!¡±

 Chapter Two - Prisoners!

    George turned quickly around and found himself facing the last thing in the world he would have expected.  It looked like a teddy bear, with fluffy arms and legs, a fuzzy face, and a whimsical smile on its face.  It stood only a foot tall.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± George blurted out in surprise.  Before the creature could answer, George felt something scampering up his leg.  Looking down he saw the Protector and Emberly scurrying up his shirt and into his pocket.


    "Quick!¡± called the Protector.  ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± said George in surprise.


    ¡°When was the last time you saw a teddy bear talk?¡± said the Protector in exasperation.  ¡°It¡¯s obviously from an alien world, and we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    George almost laughed.  ¡°But it looks like a harmless teddy bear!  How could it be dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Looks can be very deceiving,¡± replied the Protector


    ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about,¡± said the teddy bear in its soft, child-like voice.  ¡°My name is Theodore, and I come from the planet Rosvelt.  I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Run!¡± cried the Protector from George¡¯s pocket.  ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here fast!¡±


    This time George did laugh.  ¡°What for?¡± he answered.  ¡°I don¡¯t think Theodore could hurt us if he tried!¡±


    "He¡¯s right,¡± said Theodore pleasantly.  ¡°I would never hurt you.  I just want to take you.¡±


    With amazing speed, and before George or the others could even move, a strange round object appeared in the fuzzy creature¡¯s hand.  There was a click from the object, and a purple gas shot in a cloud over George and the others.


    George now needed no urging from the Protector.  This teddy bear had just shot something at them!  George turned to run.  He had taken only two steps when the fuzzy creature called out ¡°Stop!¡±


    George stopped.  He didn¡¯t know why.  He only knew he had to.  He just couldn¡¯t help himself.


    ¡°Come back here,¡± said the teddy bear creature in its soft, pleasant voice.  In spite of his best efforts to run or to stand still, or do anything but go back to the creature, George found himself turning and walking back over to the fuzzy little thing.


    The teddy bear smiled up at George and the others happily.  ¡°Time for us to go,¡± it said simply.  ¡°Follow me, and stay close.¡±


    ¡°George, don¡¯t!¡± cried the Protector from his pocket.  But George couldn¡¯t help himself.  He found himself trotting along after the furball almost like he was its pet dog.


    ¡°Quick, Emberly!¡± cried the Protector.  ¡°Let¡¯s jump out of the pocket, and go back to my car and get a weapon.¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± said Emberly eagerly.  But neither one of them could move.


    ¡°We¡¯re stuck!¡± cried the Protector, with fear in his voice.  ¡°The gas it shot at us somehow forces us to obey its every command--including the command to stay close to it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± said George miserably.  ¡°I should have listened to you and ran when we first saw it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad,¡± said the Protector consolingly.  ¡°I don¡¯t think it would have let us escape even if you had run as fast as you could go.¡±


    ¡°Where do you suppose it¡¯s taking us?¡± asked George worriedly.


    Before the Protector could answer, the teddy bear creature called back softly, ¡°Be quiet, please.  Too much chatter makes a bad specimen.¡±


    George¡¯s mouth suddenly felt as if it had been sealed shut with cement.  Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t force himself to utter a word.  Since the Protector and Emberly were silent as well, it was clear that they were powerless to speak too¡ªa great tragedy for Emberly, who liked to chatter all the time.


    They suddenly broke through a particularly thick patch of tall weeds and into a clearing.  In the middle was what could only be described as a spaceship.  It was silver in color and circular in design.  Standing near it were several more of the fluffy little teddy bear creatures like the one that had captured them.


    The teddy bear they had been following said ¡°stop!¡±  Instantly, George felt as if he had become rooted to the spot.  The other teddy bears came rushing up and started to jabber excitedly, obviously asking Theodore a multitude of questions.  They all talked in a curious, sing-song language that George could not understand.


    After a moment, one of the bears broke away from the group and came up to George.  He was much taller than Theodore, and was almost the same height as George.  His face looked so fuzzy and babyish that George didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or be frightened at him.


    ¡°You may talk again," he said simply.  "You certainly look like a very good specimen,¡± he added, with a satisfied smack of his lips.  He started to poke at George with a long stick.


    ¡°Hey!¡± cried George.  ¡°Cut that out!¡±


    The teddy bear paid no attention to him, but suddenly reached up and started to tickle George under his arms.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.¡°Stop that!¡± cried George again, in between fits of laughter.


    ¡°Good reflexes,¡± said the teddy bear happily.  ¡°Let¡¯s try one more thing.¡±  Without warning, he stomped his furry foot down as hard as he could on George¡¯s foot.  George was surprised that it actually hurt, even though the teddy bear looked so light and fluffy.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± cried George.  ¡°What did you do that for?¡±


    ¡°Good!  Very good!¡± said the teddy bear, rubbing its furry paws together in glee.  ¡°Pain reflexes are strong, and linked to anger!¡±  Then he turned and went back to the others, jabbering excitedly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± said George.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the Protector worriedly.  ¡°They keep calling us ¡®specimens.¡¯  That doesn¡¯t sound too good.¡±


    ¡°Since the command for us to stop talking is over, maybe the other commands were released too, "said George.  "Do you think we could escape now?  Maybe I could run out of here!¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡± said the Protector.  But before George could move, the teddy bear that had captured them turned and came over to them.  ¡°Enter the ship,¡± he said, pointing to a little door that had appeared in the side of the silver spaceship.


    Much as he didn¡¯t want to, George had to obey.  He fought the command with everything in him, but it was no use.  He found himself walking briskly up the ramp into the ship, while twitching and jerking and grimacing with the effort to stop himself from walking forward.


    ¡°Can you please stop jerking around so much?¡± said the Protector in a shaken voice.   ¡°Emberly and I are getting thrown around like crazy in your pocket!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said George.  ¡°I was trying to resist his command.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably no use trying,¡± said the Protector sadly.  ¡°Whatever was in that purple gas is very powerful.¡±


    By now, George was entering the ship.  He had to stoop down so low to get through the tiny door that the Protector and Emberly nearly fell out of his pocket.  Inside, he stopped and gasped.  He had seen the inside of spaceships on TV shows many times, but that hadn¡¯t prepared him for what he saw now.


    The place looked like a large play pen.  There were fuzzy, soft beds, and what looked like toys or playthings all over.  Along one whole wall was a large variety of what looked like snacks or food, and drinks of some kind.  There were many of the furry teddy bears inside, some playing, others eating.  There was no sign of any type of control panel at all, or of any way to control the spaceship.


    The furry teddy bears in the ship had all turned to stare at him.  Several of them rubbed their paws together in glee.  ¡°Specimens!¡± several of them cried excitedly.


    Instantly, George found himself surrounded.  He was poked, prodded and tickled by dozens of the furry little things.  If their situation wasn¡¯t so desperate, he would have fallen over laughing at how ridiculous everything was.


    ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡± George demanded.  ¡°And why do you keep calling me a ¡®specimen?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Fiesty, isn¡¯t he?¡± said one of the furry creatures.


    ¡°That will make him seem more real and believable,¡± said another.


    ¡°But it could mean he¡¯s more dangerous,¡± said a third.  ¡°We¡¯ll have to keep a close eye on him.¡±


    "Look what he¡¯s got in his pocket!¡± said one of the furballs, pointing at Emberly and the Protector.


    There was a collective gasp of excitement and awe as all of the teddy bears stared at the Flibbets.  ¡°They¡¯re specimens too!¡± said the teddy bear that had captured them proudly.  ¡°I found them all together.  But of course, they¡¯re not as impressive as the big ugly one.¡±  He jerked his paw at George.


    ¡°I am not ugly!¡± George blurted out.


    ¡°Told you he was feisty,¡± said one of the bears.


    ¡°He¡¯s not very smart, though,¡± said another.  ¡°He¡¯s too dumb to realize how ugly he is.¡±


    George¡¯s face was starting to turn purple with restrained rage.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯ve done it!¡± said one of the teddy bears reproachfully.  ¡°A purple-faced specimen is no good to us.  You know how sensitive ugly creatures are about their appearance!  Why did you have to say anything?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯d better calm him down, before the purple color spreads all over his ugly body,¡± said the original teddy bear that had captured them.  Without warning it produced another curious round object in its paw, and sprayed George and the others with a greenish gas.


    Suddenly, everything looked very blurry to George.  His eyes were drooping, and he could feel himself losing consciousness.  With a last desperate effort, he swung his fist at the teddy bear that had caught them.  But he missed by a mile.  The last thing he remembered was the smiling face of the fluffy creature leering down at him as he fell and sprawled out on the padded, furry floor.

 Chapter Three - A New Home

    George was dreaming.  He knew it was a dream because he could hear himself snoring, and his eyes were closed.  Yet somehow he was still able to see through his eyelids.


    He was walking in a fluffy, pink valley.  In the distance he could see Flibbets kicking a golden goblet back and forth to each other, while at the same time singing ¡®You Ain¡¯t Nothin¡¯ But a Hound Dog!¡¯  (Their singing was off key).


    Suddenly several Grak jumped out of the ground.  They came slowly toward George, snarling and baring their teeth, and he could feel his heart pounding.  Behind them, in the distance, George could see his father, who had a sad look on his face.


    Then all of a sudden, the Grak peeled off their skin, and became fluffy teddy bears.  They rushed up to George and started to tickle him like crazy.


    He woke up laughing, and saw the Protector looking at him worriedly.  The light where he was lying was so dim he couldn¡¯t see much.  The Protector seemed to be on a little table next to where George lay.


    ¡°How can you laugh at a time like this?¡±  Asked the Protector.  ¡°Are you feeling o.k.?¡±


    ¡°It was just a dream I was having,¡± said George.  He looked curiously all around him.  The light was so dim that he couldn¡¯t see much.  But from what little he could see, it didn¡¯t look like they were in the teddy bear¡¯s spaceship anymore.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± asked George.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± answered the Protector.  ¡°I only just woke up myself, before you did.  Emberly is still asleep.¡±  He pointed at Emberly lying nearby on the little table, her eyes closed.


    George tried to sit up, and found that he was covered with a blanket of some kind.  It felt just as if he was lying in his own bed at home!


    ¡°This is weird!¡± said George.  ¡°We need some light.¡±  He fumbled around in the dark, trying to find a light switch.  To his surprise, he felt what seemed to be a lamp on a lamp table.  He pulled the string, and the dim area was suddenly flooded with light.


    Once again, George was completely unprepared for what he saw.  The teddy bears¡¯ spaceship was gone, and there were none of the furry little creatures in sight.  He was in bed in what looked like an ordinary bedroom, although it was not his own room in his own house.


    But most peculiar of all, one of the walls of the room was missing!  Instead, the entire wall was made of transparent glass.  On the other side was a walkway and several signs, written in a language George could not read. It was still dark out, but a dim glow in sky suggested the coming of dawn.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± said George in wonder.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± said the Protector, also looking around curiously.  ¡°There¡¯s a door over there.  Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s on the other side.¡±


    The Protector jumped from the little table to the bed, then ran over and hopped into George¡¯s pocket.  It was only then they noticed that George was wearing pajamas¡ªa pair he had never seen before!  How had he been changed into them?


    ¡°None of this makes any sense!¡± said George unhappily, as he went over to the door of the room.  The Protector did not reply.


    The next room was completely dark, but there was a light switch by the door.  When George flipped the switch on, they saw that the room looked like an ordinary living room, even though George had never seen it before.  It had a couch and a TV set and a chair and lamp.  But once again, one of the walls was clear glass.  The glass wall was on the same side of the house as the one in George¡¯s bedroom.  He could see more of the ridiculous signs posted outside on a walkway. He could also see that it was starting to grow lighter and lighter outside, with the coming of morning.


    ¡°That door must lead to the outside,¡± said the Protector, pointing to another door at the other end of the room.  But when they went through it, they were disappointed to find themselves in an ordinary looking kitchen.  Once again it had one entire glass wall on the same side as the other rooms.  It had one other door in the far wall, but this door was locked.  No matter how hard they pushed against it and shook the doorknob, they couldn¡¯t get it open.


    There were no more doors, except one back in the bedroom, which led into a tiny bathroom.  Fortunately, this little bathroom had no glass wall and was private.


    ¡°This is bizarre!¡± said George through clenched teeth, as he sat down on the bed in the bedroom again.  ¡°Where are we, and how did we get here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the Protector.  He shook his head sadly.  ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± he said.  ¡°I should have been more watchful, instead of lecturing you about not keeping an eye out for trouble.  And I should have at least brought a weapon with me from the car when we went to the field to play ¡®Kick the Can.¡¯¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°But how could you have known we¡¯d be attacked by teddy bears?¡± asked George.  ¡°They¡¯re such laughable creatures, too.  How were we to know they were dangerous?¡±


    The Protector just shook his head.  He was pacing back and forth on George¡¯s pillow.


    ¡°Do you know anything about these creatures?¡± asked George.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°I need my View All, back in my house in the Volkswagen.  If I had it, I could do a search and look them up in a second.  It¡¯s awful being trapped like this.  And in a transformed condition, too!  It looks like Emberly and I will continue to be Flibbets until we can escape!¡±


    George got up and walked over to the window.  He hit his fist against it, but it didn¡¯t even shudder.  It was as solid as rock.  ¡°How long have we been gone?¡± he asked worriedly.   ¡°Mom¡¯s probably called the police and the national guard by now!  Maybe even the Marines.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is the least of our worries,¡± said the Protector from the pillow.   ¡°The main concern is what they intend to do with us.  We could be in serious danger!¡±


    Once more, George didn¡¯t know what to say.  It felt like there was a knot in the pit of his stomach that even a magician couldn¡¯t untie.


    Thinking of his stomach made George suddenly realize he hadn¡¯t eaten in¡ªhow long?  It felt like it could have been days.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see what food there is in the kitchen,¡± he said suddenly.


    ¡°Good idea,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°And while we¡¯re there, I¡¯ll have another try at that locked door.  Maybe there¡¯s a way I could jimmy the lock, and get it open.¡±


    The refrigerator was the obvious first place to look for food.  George was glad to see that it was quite full, with plenty of milk and juice, yogurt cups, sliced meat, a loaf of bread, butter and salad, and several pizzas and frozen dinners in the freezer, as well as a big bucket of ice cream.  He was in food heaven!


    ¡°There¡¯s lots of great stuff in here!¡± called out George excitedly.  He pulled out the gallon of ice cream, and rummaged around the drawers for a spoon and bowl.


    ¡°Darn lock,¡± said the Protector, who was perched on the top of the doorknob.  He leaned precariously over it, peering into the keyhole.  ¡°I can reach inside with my tiny Flibbet hand, but the tumblers are very complex and solid.  It won¡¯t be easy to pick this lock¡ªif it¡¯s even possible at all.¡±


    George was too busy scooping ice cream to reply.  Although worried about the fix they were in and what would happen next, he was ravenously hungry.  The ice cream was caramel swirl, and looked delicious.


    ¡°Want some?¡± asked George, turning to the Protector.  ¡°I could scoop you out a bowl.¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°I¡¯m too small to eat a bowl anyway¡ªI might drown in it!  All I could have would be a spoonful.  Maybe I¡¯ll try some later.¡±


    George put a big spoonful of the ice cream in his mouth¡ªand grimaced.  It didn¡¯t taste like caramel swirl at all!  In fact, it tasted more like glue than anything else.


    ¡°This is awful!¡± he cried, going over to the sink to spit out the ice cream.  ¡°I¡¯ve never tasted ice cream that bad!¡± He poured the contents of his bowl into the sink to melt, then turned back to the refrigerator.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to have something else to wash that horrible taste out of my mouth.¡±  He rummaged around for a moment, then pulled out a carrot.  He loved carrots.  When his sister Janet was younger, she used to tease that he was actually a rabbit who had somehow changed into a boy.  Of course, that was in the days when she could stand the sight of him.  These days, she would just say that he had the brain of a road kill rabbit--if she said anything to him at all.


    George bit off the tip of the carrot¡ªand nearly choked.  It tasted exactly the same as the ice cream!  Quickly, George went over to the sink and spit out the carrot, then washed it down the sink disposal.


    ¡°That was disgusting!¡± he cried.  ¡°All the food here tastes like glue!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said the Protector curiously.  He had his little Flibbet hand halfway down the doorknob keyhole.


    George was about to reply when he glanced up at the window wall and saw something that made him stop in his tracks.


    There were teddy bear creatures out there.  Hundreds of them.  And they were all staring and pointing and laughing at George and the Protector!

 Chapter Four - On Display

    ¡°Look!¡± cried George, pointing at the wall of glass.  The Protector jerked his head around, and nearly fell off the doorknob when he saw the huge throng of teddy bears that were staring at them.  ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be ¡­¡± he mumbled.


    Slowly, George went over to the window wall, and put his hand up to the glass.  The teddy bear creatures nearly went wild at this.  They were smiling and hopping around like crazy, and a huge number of them fought each other just to put their paws on the other side of the glass from George¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± said George in wonder.  A thought was tugging at the back of his mind, as if he should know what it was¡ªthat he had seen someplace like it before.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± said the Protector, trotting up to the glass next to George.  ¡°But I can¡¯t very well pick the lock in private with an audience like that cheering me on!¡±


    Once more, the furry creatures went wild as the Protector approached the glass.  They knocked each other down, pushed, shoved and hit, just to get at the glass on the other side of him.  George was startled to see that fluffy white stuff came out of some of them when they were hit very hard.  It floated gently in the air.


    ¡°They¡¯re stuffed!¡± cried George in amazement.  ¡°They really are like teddy bears!  But how can they be alive?¡±


    ¡°Incredible!¡± agreed the Protector from where he stood at George¡¯s feet.


    ¡°What¡¯s for breakfast?¡± said a sudden voice behind them.  George jumped, then turned quickly around.  But it was only Emberly who had come in and was standing in the middle of the kitchen.  She seemed completely unconcerned that they were prisoners of strange teddy bear creatures, in an unknown place.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°George was just sampling the food to find out what¡¯s good.¡±  Emberly looked at him expectantly.


    George didn¡¯t say anything.  The mention of food brought back the terrible taste in his mouth.  Quickly he turned away from the window and went over to rummage through some of the cupboards, to see what else he could find.


    ¡°That ice cream and carrot were disgusting!¡± said George.


    ¡°Then why did you eat them?¡± asked Emberly.  ¡°Do you like eating disgusting things?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he responded.  He pulled out a box of granola bars from the cupboard.  ¡°Maybe this will be better.¡±  He ripped one open.  But this time, he took only a small nibble rather than a big bite.  And instantly, he was glad he did.  It had the same, awful, pasty taste of the ice cream and carrot!


    George threw the granola bar away in a waste basket next to the sink.  ¡°Everything here is sick and disgusting!¡± he said dismally.  ¡°It all tastes like glue!¡±


    Emberly was starting to nibble on another one of the granola bars that George had found.  ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said cheerfully.  ¡°It tastes just fine to me.  Kind of like Quiffles on my home planet.¡±


    ¡°Here, let me try,¡± said the protector, ripping open one of the granola bars.  He took a small nibble, then screwed up his face in disgust.  ¡°It¡¯s awful!¡±  he said unhappily.  ¡°You¡¯re right, George¡ªit tastes just like glue!¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with you two,¡± said Emberly, taking a big bite out of her granola bar.  ¡°I think it tastes pretty good!¡±


    The Protector and George gave each other meaningful looks.  Emberly¡¯s taste in food had always been a bit strange.  Like her bizarre craving for pickles mixed with chocolate ice cream.


    George suddenly headed into the living room.  When he got there he saw another huge throng of teddy bears on the other side of the glass, staring at him eagerly.  Some who had been watching him through the kitchen window were pushing and shoving their way over to the living room wall-window, to see what he was going to do now.  They seemed to hang on his every move.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to see what¡¯s on TV,¡± he called over his shoulder.  ¡°Maybe that will give us a clue about where we are, and what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Excellent idea!¡± said the Protector, trotting into the living room after him.


    George flipped the switch, and the TV sprang to life.  There was a breakfast cereal commercial on.  It was one that he had seen dozens of times in his own living room at home.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re still on earth!¡± he said excitedly.  ¡°How else would I be getting one of our channels?¡±


    ¡°Fascinating!¡± said the Protector, staring with wide eyes at the screen.  ¡°Although I never liked that brand of cereal.  Try another channel.¡±


    George quickly flipped through the channels, and was pleased to see that there were over a dozen.  They were mostly the same channels he got at home¡ªDisney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, TBS.  The shows were familiar, and almost felt like comforting old friends in his strange, new surroundings.


    ¡°This is weird,¡± said George, looking up at the Protector.  ¡°Are we on earth still?  And if we are, what part of earth?  And why are there so many teddy bear creatures outside the glass wall?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the Protector, turning to stare at the mass of teeming teddy bears still staring and pointing and laughing on the other side of the glass.


    As George flipped through the channels, he suddenly came to one about animals.  There were lions and tigers and bears, all of whom lived at the San Diego Zoo.  They were pacing back and forth in their cages, while streams of curious people walked by to look and stare and point and laugh.


    And then suddenly George knew.  He knew why the teddy bears had taken them, and why one of his walls in each room was see-through glass.  And looking over at the Protector, he could tell that he knew and understood as well.


    ¡°Zoo specimens,¡± said the Protector softly.  ¡°That¡¯s what we are.  And by the look of things, that¡¯s what they intend us to be for a very long time!¡±

 Chapter Five - Desperation

    A week had passed since George had discovered that his new home was nothing more than a zoo cage.  It was a week of ever increasing despair, hopelessness, horrible food¡ªand a constant stream of gawking teddy bear creatures pointing and peering at them through the window walls of their new home.


    That first day, after he found out they were zoo specimens, George had nearly gone crazy.  Although he was usually quiet and well behaved, he couldn¡¯t stand the thought of being trapped in some alien zoo.


    And so he started to destroy things.  First, he bashed a kitchen chair against the locked kitchen door they couldn¡¯t get open.  It didn¡¯t open the door, but the chair broke in pieces¡ªto the great satisfaction of the watching crowd, who cheered and shouted in glee.


    Then George started bashing more chairs, or toasters or dishes, or anything else he could find, against the window wall of the kitchen.  This nearly drove the watching teddy bears wild with excitement.  Each time he hurled an object at them, they would shout and clap their hands, and many of them would point little silver boxes at him that flashed¡ªwhich were obviously cameras!  The zoo¡¯s new prize catch was putting on quite a show!


    And George didn¡¯t stop.  After cautiously tasting a dozen different foods in the refrigerator and cupboards¡ªall of which had the same unbearable, bland, gluey taste¡ªhe started throwing them at the window as well.  The teddy bears loved it.  Even after the window became all smeared with ice cream, George could still see their little eyes peering at him from the pockets of window that were still clean.


    After that he had gone into the living room and started destroying the furniture.  His audience was ecstatic.  What a show!  After he finished off the living room furniture, he went into the bedroom.  By the time he had finished up there, his audience were clapping their hands and cheering him on.  There was no doubt in their minds that their zoo had acquired its best specimen yet!


    That evening, after the crowds of gawking watchers had finally disappeared (apparently, the zoo had closed for the day), George sat panting tiredly in what was left of a living room lounge chair.  The protector, who had said little during his tirade, sat on the floor next to the TV remote control, flipping through the channels.  The TV was one of the few things George did not destroy, since it seemed to be their only link to the outside world.


    Suddenly they heard the door in the kitchen open.  George leaped up and raced into the kitchen, ready to do battle with any number of teddy bears, just to get out of this prison!  Nothing was going to stop him.


    But the purple gas did.  The air was filled with it as soon as George, the Protector and Emberly came racing into the room.  After that, they were like obedient servants¡ªlike puppets on a string¡ªfulfilling every command of their smiling, fuzzy captors.


    George found out very quickly that the purple gas didn¡¯t work on the bears themselves, even when they breathed it in like he did.   He tried commanding the teddy bears to stand aside and let him go, but to no avail.  They just laughed and went about restocking the refrigerator and cupboards with more bland food, cleaning the window/wall, and replacing the broken furniture.  Like any good zoo keepers, they clearly intended to make their prize exhibit ready for another big day tomorrow.  By the time they left, the entire apartment had been restored to perfection, with no sign of George¡¯s destruction in sight.


    The days that followed were a letdown for the watching teddy bears, and a time of increasing despair for George.  He didn¡¯t destroy things again, since he knew that wouldn¡¯t do any good.  It was obvious they had him completely trapped, and there was no way out of his prison.  He had to face the reality of living the rest of his life forcing down glue food and being gawked at by teddy bears.


    The TV didn¡¯t help.  By the second day they had discovered that all of the channels merely played the same shows over and over again.  Apparently, the teddy bears had recorded what they thought would be a sufficient number of shows to keep George and the others entertained for life, and simply played them repeatedly.


    George hated the kitchen most of all.  The food always looked so good, yet invariably tasted terrible.  He hardly ate anything for the first two days¡ªhis stomach just couldn¡¯t take it.  But the Protector kept pushing him to eat, telling him he needed his strength so he would be ready when they had an opportunity to escape.  And he kept promising George that an opportunity to escape would come, even though everything looked bleak now.


    In spite of the Protector¡¯s optimism however, George could see no way for them to get out of their prison.  But the combination of the Protector¡¯s urging and his own starvation finally drove him to eat a bit of broccoli from the refrigerator.  Although he normally hated broccoli like everybody else, for some reason the glue taste of the broccoli didn¡¯t seem quite as strong as the other food in the kitchen.  George ate the whole broccoli stalk¡ªsomething that would have astounded his mother, back home.


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    The only thing that kept George going during these dark days were the books in the living room.  There weren¡¯t many of these¡ªjust a few hardback volumes on a single bookshelf.  It looked like the teddy bears had raided the book section of a thrift store on earth, since the books were old and battered, and consisted of a hodgepodge of odd titles.  There was one on auto mechanics, another on the best ways to cook artichokes, and another on the preferred method to grow petunias.  But mixed in with the bizarre were a few good titles that George devoured.  He especially loved ¡®The Hobbit¡¯ by J.R.R. Tolkien.  He also liked ¡®Journey to the Center of the Earth¡¯ by Jules Verne, and ¡®A Christmas Carol¡¯ by Charles Dickens.


    He would read all day, to the obvious disappointment of his many teddy bear fans outside the window.  News of his furniture bashing on the first day must have spread far and wide in the teddy bear world, since the crowds more than doubled every day thereafter for a long time.  Many of the impatiently watching teddy bears kept play acting as if they were picking up a chair or object, and throwing it at the window.  But George ignored their pleadings, and paid no attention when they pounded incessantly on the glass for him to do something¡ªanything¡ªto keep them entertained.  He just kept reading.


    The Protector said little during this time as well.  If asked, he would break his silence only to say that he was studying out their problem, trying to find a way to escape.  He would sit for hours, gazing with glazed, unseeing eyes at the crowd of anxious teddy bears pounding on the glass, or looking at the stars barely visible out the top part of their window at night.  At other times during the day, he would flip aimlessly through the TV channels, over and over and over until it nearly drove George crazy.  He couldn¡¯t stand to hear the same shows again and again, since they just reminded him of a home he couldn¡¯t get back to.  So now when the TV was on, he would usually go into the bedroom, shut the door and read some more.


    The only one of the group who seemed to actually enjoy their experience was Emberly.  She was just as smiling and cheerful as usual, and couldn¡¯t understand why George and the Protector were so upset.  ¡°After all, isn¡¯t one planet as good as another?¡± she would say to them over and over.  George would never reply, and both admired and resented her incredible adaptability to change.  Of course, this experience wasn¡¯t completely new to her, since her own world had been destroyed by the Grak, and she had had to adjust to a new life on earth.  Perhaps her time on earth had been similar to a prison term in a way, from which she too could never escape to go back to her home world.  For her, life on the teddy bear planet was little different.


    Emberly spent most of her time in the kitchen, devouring everything in sight.  She would eat pickles mixed in a bowl of ice cream, followed by peanut butter spread on the top of mashed potatoes or corn beef.  It didn¡¯t matter how the foods were mixed together since they all (except for the broccoli) tasted just the same.  She loved the food so well that she started to gain weight.  Not pounds, of course, since she was still a Flibbet.  But she put on several more ounces than she''d had just the week before, which for a Flibbet is quite a gain.


    On the eighth night of their captivity, George couldn¡¯t sleep.  He kept tossing and turning in bed, mumbling incoherently.  The Protector got up in disgust from the bath towel he had been sleeping on, which was on the nightstand next to the bed.  Grumbling under his breath at the noise George was making, he went into the living room to sleep on the couch, where it was quieter.  (However, Emberly snoozed on peacefully, on an adjacent bath towel.  Nothing ever woke her up.)


    After almost the entire night had passed with tossing and turning, George sat up in bed and stared around the darkened room with bleary eyes.  Depression covered him like a blanket.  Why were they trapped like this, and what were they to do?  How could they ever escape this horror?


    And what was that creature sitting on the edge of his bed?


    ¡°George Brown,¡± said the creature in a familiar raspy voice, ¡°a new sacrifice will soon need to be made.  But until then, remember, things are not always what they seem.  You must learn to feel!¡±


    And then with a loud pop, the creature was gone.

 Chapter Six - A Plan to Escape

    George raced into the living room where he found the Protector sitting on top of the TV remote control.  ¡°A Ziphon was here!¡± he cried excitedly.


    ¡°What?¡± asked the Protector in surprise.


    ¡°A Ziphon just came and spoke to me!¡± said George.  ¡°He gave me a warning!  Or at least, I guess it was a warning.  I didn¡¯t really understand it.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± asked the Protector eagerly.


    George screwed up his face in deep thought, trying to remember the Ziphon¡¯s exact words.  ¡°He said, ¡®things are not always what they seem¡ªyou must learn to feel.¡¯  And there was something else about a new sacrifice that will soon have to be made.¡±


    ¡°Strange,¡± said the Protector thoughtfully, stroking his hairy, flibbet chin.  ¡°What a curious message.  Of course, Ziphons always were hard to understand.¡±  He put his hand over his mouth, and said in a low, confidential tone.  ¡°I think they like to show off and over dramatize a bit, so they always make their messages difficult to comprehend.  But what they say always comes true¡ªalthough you usually don¡¯t understand it until after its happened.¡±


    George nodded in agreement. In the adventure he had shared with the Protector before, a Ziphon had warned him that he might be betrayed by the person he least expected. George had wasted precious energy in suspecting that the Protector himself would betray him--only to learn in the end that the person he least suspected, and who he should have been worried about, was himself!


    George shook his head as if to clear it from a fog. Now he had to figure out another bizarre message from a Ziphon that seemed to make little sense. The part of the message about learning to feel didn¡¯t seem to have any point.  What could it mean?  As for the part about a new sacrifice, George felt only foreboding.  The complete sacrifice of self that he and the Uth stone had been forced to make the last time was still clearly etched in his mind.  George had been convinced then that he would not survive!  Would this new sacrifice be as total as that?


    ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll have the Ziphon''s message all figured out by the time I come back for you,¡± said the Protector, to George''s surprise.  ¡°For now, I need your help to get ready for my escape tonight.¡±


    "Escape!" cried George, his eyes growing wide.  "Tonight?!"


    ¡°That''s right,¡± the Protector replied triumphantly.  ¡°I¡¯ve come up with a plan that is sure to work!¡±


    ¡°How are we going to get away from here?¡± George asked excitedly.


    ¡°Not we,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Just me.  For now, anyway.  I¡¯m small and can get away with it, I think.  Once I¡¯m out, I can steal a spaceship and get back to earth¡ªwhere I¡¯ll use the transporter to come here and rescue you and Emberly!¡±


    ¡°The transporter!¡± said George, grinning happily.  What a brilliant idea!  The Protector¡¯s transporter allowed a person to step through it from one place directly into another.  It could cover tremendous distances in a matter of seconds.  When the Protector came back for them through the transporter, they would be able to leave this horrible place in a matter of seconds.  "That''s fantastic!" cried George.  "But how are you going to get away tonight?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± answered the Protector slowly, ¡°you know how the teddy bears are careful to count us all and make sure we¡¯re all still here each night, before they leave after delivering new food?  To get around that, we¡¯ve got to create an alternate ¡®me¡¯ for them to count, so they won¡¯t realize that the real me is going out with them.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡± said George.  ¡°Won¡¯t they see right through any fake Flibbet we tried to make?¡±


    ¡°They will if we don¡¯t do it right,¡± agreed the Protector.  ¡°For example, if you claimed I was asleep under a blanket or something, they¡¯d look under the blanket to make sure it was really me.  They¡¯ve done that before when Emberly¡¯s been asleep.¡±


    The Protector smiled deviously.  ¡°But there is a way,¡± he said secretively.  ¡°It¡¯s a little secret that only someone who knows about Flibbets would know.¡±  He lowered his voice confidentially.  ¡°I¡¯m going to shed my skin!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± said George, staring at the Protector with wide eyes.  ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°Not for a Flibbet, it isn¡¯t,¡± responded the Protector.  ¡°It¡¯s easy, really.  Flibbets can shed their skin anytime they feel like it.  It¡¯s kind of like an insect on your planet shedding its exoskeleton.  After I¡¯ve shed the skin, you¡¯ll just lie it down anywhere in plain sight.  They¡¯ll think it¡¯s me asleep.  But in actuality, I¡¯ll be carried out by them in the trash!  I think I¡¯ll hide in a grapefruit rind, since I¡¯ve always loved grapefruit.  From there, I¡¯ll make my way to their spaceport and steal a ship to get back to earth.¡±


    George was still staring at the Protector in amazement.  ¡°It sounds impossible.  Do you think it will really work?  Will you be able to fly one of their spaceships?  I don¡¯t remember seeing any controls to fly the ship when we went into it on the day we were captured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve flown many different kinds of ships over the years,¡± said the Protector with a touch of pride.  ¡°I even flew one ship that was shaped like a pretzel.  The controls looked like the handles on a baby toy, but I could still fly it!  So I think I can figure their ship out.  The controls must be in there somewhere.¡±


    George stood up and began to pace the room excitedly.  Could they really escape?  It seemed impossible¡ªalmost too good to be true.  But George had never known the Protector¡¯s plans to fail.


    ¡°How will you find your way back to earth?¡± asked George.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been studying the stars at night, or at least what little I can see of the stars out our window.  I¡¯ve recognized some of the star patterns, and I think I know what sector we¡¯re in.  We¡¯re not too far from earth, although it would sound far to a scientist on your planet.  I should be able to fly there in just a few hours.¡±


    ¡°You mean, we¡¯ll be rescued by tomorrow?¡± said George, with mounting excitement.


    "Probably not by tomorrow,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°Although it is possible if I can steal a spaceship tonight.  But it¡¯ll probably take me awhile to find where their spaceport is.  And of course, I¡¯ll have to study very carefully how to get into their ship and then take off without being stopped, or pulled back by a tractor beam.  It might be a few days before I¡¯m able to get away from here.  But I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡±


    "You''ll let me know when you''re coming, won''t you?" asked George.  "By using the communicator ring?"  George held up his finger sporting the ring he had previously received from the Protector.  It allowed him to communicate with any other person having a similar ring, if they both stuck their rings in their ears.


    "I''m afraid not," replied the Protector.  "As you know, Emberly and I left our rings in my Volkswagon on earth, before we were transformed into flibbets.  I will get my ring when I get back to earth, but it has a communication range of only a few million miles.  I''m afraid I won''t be able to call you on it until I am back here, on this planet--which will only happen when I come through the transporter door to rescue you!"


    George frowned in disappointment while the Protector hopped off the TV remote and went into the bedroom and over to one of George¡¯s shoes.  For no apparent reason, he started taking out one of the shoelaces.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked George curiously.


    ¡°In order for a Flibbet to shed its skin,¡± said the Protector, ¡°it has to be strung up from the ceiling by its toes.  We¡¯ll use this shoelace to hang me from the light fixture in the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be strung up by your toes?¡± said George incredulously.  ¡°Upside down?  Won¡¯t it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± said the Protector as if pain was unimportant.  ¡°It sounds uncomfortable, I know.  But it¡¯s not bad at all for a Flibbet.  They only experience a short time of agony.  I should be able to shed my skin in about an hour once I start hanging.¡±


    George shook his head wonderingly.  ¡°That¡¯s sure not something I¡¯d want to do,¡± he said.


    ¡°Now when I¡¯m finished, you¡¯ll have to put my skin on the towel here in the bedroom.  It¡¯ll look just like me.  Then put the real me in an empty milk carton.  That might be better than a grapefruit rind.  Make sure you punch a few tiny holes in the carton, so I¡¯ll be able to breathe.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just walk over to the milk carton and get in yourself?¡± asked George.


    ¡°When a Flibbet sheds its skin, it slows down the metabolic rate,¡± answered the Protector.  ¡°In other words, it puts me to sleep.  I¡¯ll wake up in about eight hours, more or less, which is just about the time they¡¯ll be taking me out.  Until then, I¡¯ll be pretty much knocked out.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be o.k.?¡± said George worriedly.  He didn¡¯t like the thought of the Protector lying around all day, looking as if he were dead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be perfectly fine,¡± said the Protector with a smile.  He had finally finished pulling out the shoelace.  ¡°Here, why don¡¯t you tie this around my toes.¡±  He handed George one end of the string.  Reluctantly, George tied the string around the Protector¡¯s toes.


    ¡°Now, take me into the bathroom, get up on the counter, and tie the other end to the light fixture in the ceiling,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°We need to do it in there, so the zoo gawkers outside won¡¯t see me shed my skin.  You¡¯ll have to keep the bathroom door closed during the day.¡±


    George carried the Protector into the bathroom and climbed up on the sink.  ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± he said, looking down at the Protector.  He looked so helpless and small with his toes tied.  George could hardly stand the thought of him hanging upside down all day in the bathroom.


    The Protector laughed.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± he replied.  ¡°I¡¯ll be perfectly all right.  Believe it or not, Flibbets love to hang upside down¡ªjust like bats on your planet!  Just put a towel on the floor under the light fixture, so when I fall out of the skin, I¡¯ll have something soft to land on.  It shouldn¡¯t take too long for me to fall out.¡±


    Reluctantly, George reached over and tied the other end of the shoelace to the light fixture.  Then he carefully let out the string until the Protector was hanging in the air by his feet, below the fixture.


    ¡°That¡¯s just fine,¡± said the Protector with a yawn.  ¡°I can feel the effect of the skin pulling already.  It¡¯s making me very sleepy.¡±  He yawned again.


    ¡°Now, remember,¡± said the Protector urgently, ¡°put the towel down on the floor beneath the fixture, and keep checking back in here every hour to see if I¡¯ve fallen.  As soon as I fall out, sneak me into the milk carton, then put the skin on the towel by the lamp table in the bedroom.  Be sure you don¡¯t let the teddy bears see you carrying my skinned self.  And try to carry both the real me and the skin very carefully.  If you¡¯re too careless with the skin, it could rip apart.  It has to look convincing to the teddy bears.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George unhappily.  He didn¡¯t like this at all.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯d better go on out, and shut the door,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Just check back in an hour or so.¡±


    George backed up to the door, where he hesitated for a moment.  ¡°I don¡¯t know about this,¡± he said with concern in his voice.  ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s o.k.?¡±


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    The Protector laughed again.  ¡°It¡¯s perfectly all right!¡± he assured George.  ¡°Flibbets love a good skin shedding!  It feels better than soaking in a hot tub¡ªit¡¯s wonderful!  The painful part is only excruciating for a few moments.¡±  He smiled blissfully, shutting his eyes.  ¡°I feel so sleepy,¡± he said drowsily.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯ll just be asleep?¡± said George worriedly.  ¡°I mean, you won¡¯t be ¡­ well, you know ¡­¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡± said the Protector with a smile.  ¡°I¡¯m absolutely positive I won¡¯t be dead.  Just feel my feet anytime today and you¡¯ll feel that they¡¯ll still be warm.  That means I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°O.k.,¡± said George, relieved that there was at least a way he could check on his friend to make sure he was all right.  ¡°I¡¯ll come back in about an hour.¡±  Softly, he went out and closed the door.  There was already a crowd of teddy bears outside the window looking at him hopefully, wanting him to destroy some more furniture or do something exciting.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± said Emberly sleepily from her towel next to the lamp table.


    ¡°The Protector¡¯s figured out a way for us to escape!¡± said George excitedly.


    "Really?¡± said Emberly in surprise.  ¡°You mean, we¡¯re going to leave?¡±  She looked almost disappointed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to?¡± asked George.


    Emberly threw him a pretend smile.  ¡°Yes, of course!¡± she said with false enthusiasm.  Then she asked tentatively, ¡°do you think we could take some of the food with us?  It tastes so much better than the bland stuff on your planet.¡±


    So that was it.  All she seemed to care about was the food.  George couldn¡¯t figure how she could think earth food was bland and teddy bear food wasn¡¯t.  But everyone had their own taste.


    ¡°Sure, we can take some,¡± said George.  ¡°We¡¯ll pack a whole bunch!¡±


    Emberly¡¯s face lit up.  ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± she said excitedly.  ¡°I guess it will be good to be free again.   Although, I guess I never really feel too free on your planet.  Everything there is so strange, I usually just stay in the Protector¡¯s house.  It¡¯s about the same size as this place.¡±


    George smiled, but didn¡¯t say anything.  He¡¯d never really thought about Emberly much, or how life must be for her.  She had lost her whole planet and everyone on it.  Even though the Protector cared for her, it must get lonely sometimes, spending most of her time cooped up in his house in the Volkswagen ¡­


    A group of teddy bears were pounding on the glass.  Some of them were even picking each other up and throwing each other at the window, obviously hoping George would start doing the same with the furniture.  They sure acted strange sometimes.  If George hadn¡¯t been on this side of the glass, he would almost think sometimes that he was watching them in a zoo.


    "Come on out into the kitchen,¡± said George, picking up Emberly and putting her in his pocket.  ¡°I¡¯ll get you a big bowl of glue flavored corn flakes.¡±


    Emberly smiled so wide it looked like her face would crack.


    The day passed slowly.  Every few minutes, George would go to the bathroom and check on the Protector.  His eyes were closed and he had a contented smile on his furry Flibbet face, but he was perfectly still, hanging upside down from the light fixture.


    After more than an hour had passed and the Protector still hadn¡¯t fallen out of his skin, George started to worry.  The Protector had said it would only take about an hour.  Why wasn¡¯t it working?  Should he wake the Protector up?


    But when George checked next, he found that it had happened.  The protector lay contentedly on the towel on the floor.  Without his Flibbet fur he looked wrinkly and bare and tiny.  But George felt his feet and they were still warm.


    Carefully, George put the Protector between the pages of a book he was reading and took him into the kitchen. He punched holes in a milk carton, then turned his back on the crowd of gawking teddy bears and carefully put the Protector into the carton.  He left the carton on the counter, next to the trash bin.  The teddy bears would see it and take it with the trash, since they always cleaned up whatever garbage was lying around.


    Then George went back and put the Flibbet skin on the towel next to the lamp table.  The skin was all flabby and a bit creepy, and George didn¡¯t like to touch it.  It felt kind of like a furry glove.


    Time ticked slowly by.  George finished reading ¡®Journey to the Center of the Earth¡¯ while Emberly watched the same game shows on TV that she had already seen half a dozen times.  She never seemed to get tired of them, even though she had memorized who would win each game.  Every once in awhile, she would go out to the kitchen and have a snack of something or other.


    Finally, after what seemed like two days instead of one, the crowd of teddy bears outside the window began to thin out.  It wouldn¡¯t be long now until the teddy bear cleaning crew came into the kitchen, to clean up and restock the refrigerator.


    George waited impatiently by the locked kitchen door.  He kept looking into the milk carton to see if the Protector had woken up yet¡ªbut he hadn¡¯t.  He still lay there with a contented, blissful smile on his whiskered face.


    After a few minutes, a key turned in the lock, and the teddy bears entered¡ªin a cloud of purple smoke as usual.  ¡°Good evening,¡± said one of the teddy bears.  ¡°Have a nice day?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George, trying to act casual.  The key to the whole plan was for them not to look in the milk carton, or they¡¯d find the Protector.  Of course, they never did look through the garbage, so he knew there was little to worry about.  They would usually just gather it up from wherever it was, and take it out.


    To George¡¯s horror however, one of the teddy bears went straight to the milk carton and opened the top.  He glanced inside, then looked up at George and smiled.  ¡°He¡¯s in there, all right.¡±  The teddy bear reached in and gently lifted the Protector out of the carton, then set him on the kitchen table.


    ¡°A very clever idea,¡± said the teddy bear, giving George a knowing smile.  ¡°We didn¡¯t know Flibbets could shed their skin until we heard him tell you all about it this morning.  We were listening in on you all the time, of course.¡±


    George was so furious, he couldn¡¯t restrain himself.  He pounced toward the teddy bear.  But with amazing speed, it darted out of the way.


    ¡°Stop!¡± it commanded.  George stopped.  ¡°Go over and sit in the chair,¡± it said.  George went and sat, still shaking with rage.


    He glowered at the teddy bears in pure hatred and frustration.  All of the Protector¡¯s carefully laid plans were ruined!  They weren¡¯t going to escape after all.  The disappointment felt so thick in George¡¯s throat, he could hardly swallow.


    A teddy bear came into the kitchen carrying the Flibbet skin that had been laying on the towel.  ¡°This is absolutely fascinating!¡± he said.  ¡°It really is his skin!  I¡¯ve never seen anything like it!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it with us,¡± said another of the teddy bears, as it poured some trash into a big bag.  ¡°Our scientists will probably want to take a look at it.  Be careful with it, though.¡±


    George wanted to jump out of the chair and grab the skin out of the teddy bear¡¯s paws.  He didn¡¯t know why, since he didn¡¯t particularly like the skin.  It just seemed wrong, somehow, for them to take it for experimentation.


    ¡°Well, see you tomorrow,¡± said the teddy bear leader from the door as the others walked through carrying the trash.  ¡°Say goodnight to your friend when he wakes up.  Oh, and by the way, you can get up as soon as the door is closed.¡±  Then they were gone.


    George got up and paced the floor furiously.  ¡°Those blasted teddy bears!¡± he cried.  ¡°They ruined everything!¡±  He went over to the Protector on the table and shook him gently.  ¡°Come on!¡± he said urgently.  ¡°Wake up!¡±  But the Protector just continued to lie there, with the same silly, contented look on his face.


    It was like that for the rest of the night.  No matter how much George shook him or called to him, the Protector wouldn¡¯t wake up.  His feet were warm, but there was no movement, or any other sign of life.  George was starting to get very worried.


    He fretted and stewed.  He paced back and forth, finally causing Emberly to complain because he kept crossing in front of the TV screen which she was still watching.  Finally he went into the bedroom and flopped on the bed.


    All of their plans were ruined.  And now the Protector wouldn¡¯t wake up.  What had happened to him?  George felt as low as he ever had in his life.


    After awhile, he got up and tried shaking the Protector again, who was now on the lamp table next to the bed.  ¡°Come on, wake up!¡± he fairly shouted.  But there was still no movement.  Just the same contented look on his fuzzy face.


    Finally, George went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.  He knew he wouldn¡¯t sleep, but he had to at least try to get some rest.  When he pulled his toothbrush out of its holder, he noticed a tiny piece of paper folded underneath it.  He unfolded the paper, and saw that it was a note, written in the Protector¡¯s writing.  It read as follows:


    Dear George,


    By now, you are probably very worried because I won¡¯t wake up.  Don¡¯t worry.  The wrinkled, skinless Flibbet you think is me really isn¡¯t.  You see, when a Flibbet sheds its skin, it stays inside the skin itself.  The rest of it is just a leftover shell.  The feet will stay warm for a few days, and you can use it to show the teddy bears every time they come in.  Just say something to Emberly about how I¡¯m not feeling well, and have to lie down all the time, and she and the teddy bears won¡¯t realize it¡¯s not me for awhile.  By the time they do realize it, I¡¯ll be long gone from this planet.


    Sorry I didn¡¯t let you in on my little secret, but I wanted your actions to be genuine and convincing to the watching teddy bears.  I knew they were listening to everything we said.  So I made sure they heard just what I wanted them to hear.  I also knew they would want to take what they thought was the Flibbet skin to their scientists for testing, so that was how I would get away from here.  Don¡¯t worry.  They won¡¯t expect a Flibbet skin to get up and walk away, so they won¡¯t lock me up or anything tonight.  Their scientists are done working for the day, and I will escape tonight, so I won¡¯t be experimented on.  By this time tomorrow I hope to be in deep space, headed for earth.


    Take care of Emberly, and try to keep acting disappointed.  Above all, don¡¯t act excited and happy, or tell Emberly about me, or the Flibbets that are watching will know something is up.  Also, make sure you rip up this message into tiny pieces, and put it in your pocket.  Throw it away a few pieces at a time over the next few days, so they can¡¯t piece it together.


    See you soon when I come for you in the transporter.


    --The Protector


    It took a tremendous effort for George to hold back the huge smile that kept wanting to break out all over his face.  Quickly he brushed his teeth, turned off the light and jumped into bed.  It was terrible not being able to yell or jump for joy.  But inside, George felt like he was soaring.  The Protector had outsmarted them!  He had done it again!

 Chapter Seven - An Unexpected Rescue

    Two days had passed since the Flibbet skin Protector had been taken out of the zoo prison by the teddy bears.  George had done the best job of acting he could, trying to look disappointed and upset about their escape plan not having worked.  He even threw a few chairs at the window/wall, to the joy of his ever present throng of teddy bear watchers.


    George kept the fake Protector on the towel by the lamp table all day.  The first morning, he told Emberly loudly that the Protector was sick, and just needed to rest and sleep a lot, and that this was a normal reaction for a Flibbet that had just lost his skin.  He knew his efforts at continuing to fool the teddy bears were succeeding when they came in both nights still gloating over how they had (supposedly) tricked George and the Protector and stopped their escape plan.


    It was now the second night since the Protector had gone.  George had been jumpy all day, halfway expecting for the Protector to come walking through the transporter and into their prison at any second.  Maybe he had been able to steal a spaceship right away!  If so, he should be back on earth by now.  Why hadn¡¯t he come?


    It was hard to not act excited, so the teddy bears watching him on their hidden TV monitors wouldn¡¯t get suspicious.  Finally he went to bed.  But he couldn¡¯t sleep.  He just kept tossing and turning.  Where was the Protector now?  How much longer would they have to wait before being rescued?  Had the Protector run into trouble?  If they captured him, would they bring him back here, to be with George and Emberly?  Or would they do something else to him?  It was a long time before George fell into a fitful sleep.


    He dozed fretfully.  At times he was partly awake; at other times, mostly asleep.  He kept tossing and turning.  The light was very dim, so if he opened his eyes, it was almost as if they were still closed.  He could tell it was going to be a long night.


    Sometime during the night, George opened his eyes.  Surely, something had moved over by the wall!  With a leap of joy, George realized it might be the Protector!  He wanted to jump out of bed and turn on the light to see.  But he knew if he did that, the teddy bears watching on the monitors would see also, and would probably rush in to stop their escape.  He knew that the Protector must have a plan for them to escape quickly in the transporter, without being caught by the teddy bears.  He just wished he knew what that plan was.


    His heart pounding, George forced himself to stay still.  There it was again!  In spite of the dim light, George was sure he had seen something move over by the wall.  They were going to be rescued!


    ¡°George,¡± a soft voice called in the darkness.  Why was the Protector calling him?  Wouldn¡¯t the watching teddy bears hear?


    ¡°George,¡± came the soft voice again.  George suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.  That wasn¡¯t the Protector¡¯s voice!


    ¡°Who is it?¡± George whispered in a quavering voice.  He didn¡¯t need to ask.  He knew who it was.  He recognized the voice.  There was only one possible person it could be.  But it was so impossible for it to be that person that he just couldn¡¯t believe it.  He just sat there on the bed, shivering, unable to move.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± said the soft voice by the wall.  ¡°I¡¯ve come to rescue you.  Can you turn on the light?¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ll see,¡± George blurted out before he could stop himself.  ¡°Then they¡¯ll come and stop us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of them already,¡± came the voice.  ¡°They¡¯re not watching or listening anymore.  Just turn on the light, will you?¡±


    George needed no more encouragement.  He leaped out of bed and swiped wildly at the light switch.  The room was suddenly bathed in light, so that George was nearly blinded and had to squint.  And there, standing against the far wall, was the last person in the world George had expected to see.


    ¡°DAD!!¡± cried George ecstatically, rushing forward.  A huge smile covered his father¡¯s face.  But he quickly held up his hands.  ¡°George, stop!¡± he nearly shouted.  ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    George froze, halfway across the room.  The smile on his face was frozen too.  What was wrong?


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to alarm you, but I¡¯ve got a sickness,¡± said his father rapidly.  ¡°You can¡¯t touch me, or you¡¯ll get it too.¡±


    ¡°A sickness?¡± said George in a small voice.  Something in the pit of his stomach suddenly felt very cold.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said his father reassuringly.  ¡°It¡¯s nothing too serious.  I¡¯m not going to die, or anything.  It¡¯s just not a very pleasant sickness, and I don¡¯t want you to get it.  Gives you diarrhea and stuff like that.  It¡¯s kind of gross.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re o.k., then?¡± said George, still worried.


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± said his father, a huge smile all over his face.  ¡°It just takes awhile to get over this kind of sickness.¡±  The look in his father¡¯s eye was intense, and George could see a tear in his eye.  ¡°Gee, it¡¯s so good to see you!  I¡¯ve dreamed of this moment so many times.  And now it¡¯s coming true!¡±


    George took a step closer, but his father was still holding up his hands.  How he longed to rush into his arms, like he did when he was just a little kid, and his dad would pick him up and swing him around as if he were a sack of potatoes.


    But, of course, 12 year old boys don¡¯t do hugs.  So maybe just a handshake would do.  But he couldn¡¯t even do that!  He couldn¡¯t touch his dad at all!


    ¡°I¡¯ve dreamed of it too,¡± said George.  ¡°How did you get here?  How did you even know I was here?  Have you been home and seen Mom and Janet yet?  How did you escape from the Grak?¡±  George could think of about a million more questions he wanted to ask.


    His father laughed.  ¡°Hold on, there,¡± he said cheerfully.  ¡°I know you¡¯ve got an endless number of questions, but I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s just no time now.  We¡¯ve got to go quickly, while we still can.  I¡¯ll explain everything to you later.¡±


    ¡°But where are we going?¡± asked George.  His father put his finger to his lips.  ¡°No more questions right now, remember?  Follow me.¡±  He went swiftly through the bedroom door, through the living room and into the kitchen.  The outside door that was always kept locked was now wide open!


    Even as his heart leaped at the freedom waiting for him on the other side of that door, a sudden hand seemed to grip him by the shoulder and hold him back.  Emberly!  He had to wake her up and take her too!


    George turned and raced back into the bedroom.


    ¡°George?¡± called his father, coming back in after him.  ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Emberly!¡± said George, trying to gently shake her awake.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to take her with us.¡±


    ¡°Emberly?¡± said his father curiously.  ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°A friend,¡± said George, realizing it would take awhile to explain.  There was so much he and his dad had to talk about!  It would probably take months to catch up on it all.


    ¡°She looks like a mouse!¡± said George¡¯s dad in wonder.


    ¡°She¡¯s actually a Flibbet,¡± said George.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said Emberly sleepily.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to go!¡± said George urgently.  ¡°My dad is here.  We¡¯re being rescued!¡±


    ¡°I thought the Protector was going to rescue us,¡± said Emberly.  ¡°Even though he got sick and couldn¡¯t go.¡±


    George shook his head.  She sure got things mixed up sometimes.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.¡°The Protector did go,¡± said George.  ¡°He escaped that first night.  But the teddy bears don¡¯t know it.  This here¡±¡ªand George picked up the fake Protector¡ª¡°is just a fake.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said Emberly curiously, poking the fake Protector with her paw.  ¡°Then the Protector really is going to rescue us,¡± she said happily.  ¡°So why is your dad trying to rescue us too?  We¡¯ve got one more rescue than we really need.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t worry about that,¡± said George in exasperation.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to go, before the teddy bears stop us.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± said Emberly with a firm lift of her jaw.  ¡°If the Protector is coming to rescue us, I¡¯m going to wait for him.  You go ahead with your dad, if you really think his rescue will be better.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ve got to go NOW!¡± said George firmly, taking Emberly by the paw and starting to pull her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going!¡± Emberly cried, yanking her paw back.  ¡°I¡¯m going to wait here for the Protector!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve got to come!¡± said George in rising desperation.  ¡°We don¡¯t have any time to argue about this.  Just come!  I¡¯ll explain it all to you later.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± said Emberly defiantly.


    George looked up at his dad, not knowing quite what to do.  His dad looked thoughtful.  ¡°Maybe she¡¯s right,¡± he said, while slowly stroking his chin.


    ¡°What?¡± said George in surprise.


    ¡°Is this Protector person really coming to rescue you?¡± asked George¡¯s father.


    ¡°Yes, unless he wasn¡¯t able to escape,¡± replied George.


    ¡°Well, when he gets here and finds you¡¯re gone, he won¡¯t know what to do,¡± said George¡¯s father.  ¡°He¡¯ll be worried.  You could leave him a note, but the teddy bears will probably take it.  So, it really might be best to leave her.  She can explain what happened, and they can join us at the planet Uth.¡±


    ¡°The planet Uth?¡± said George in shock.  That was where the mysterious, powerful stone came from¡ªthe one that he had found at the fallen star in his prior adventure, and that had saved him from the Grak.  Its splendor and beauty came flooding back into his mind in a rush.  ¡°But I thought we were going back to earth!¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± said his father firmly.  ¡°But the Glosh who rescued me made me promise to get some Uth stones for them, to help them in their fight with the Grak, so I have to go to Uth first.  I don¡¯t really have any choice.  Your Protector friend and Emberly can meet us there.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the Glosh?¡± asked George curiously.


    ¡°There you go with questions again,¡± said his father.  ¡°I¡¯ll explain it all to you later.  Right now, we have to get going.¡±  He turned and headed to the door.


    George followed, but hesitated at the door, looking back at Emberly.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± she said firmly.  ¡°Nothing you can say or do will make me change my mind.  I¡¯m waiting here for the Protector, and that¡¯s that!  You can go ahead with your old father, if you have to.  Just don¡¯t expect me to tag along!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be all right, I promise,¡± said George¡¯s father from the living room.  ¡°This Protector friend will rescue her, I¡¯m sure.  And if they don¡¯t join us at the planet Uth, we¡¯ll come back here and get her.¡±


    ¡°Can we do that?¡± said George eagerly.


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied his dad.  ¡°Only, you and I have got to go NOW!  Our time is running out!  So, come on!¡±


    With one last look at Emberly (who returned his worried look with a flippant shake of her head), George raced out the door and after his father.  In no time, they were outside the kitchen door.


    George had dreamed countless times of getting past that door, and of the freedom that waited beyond it.  In his mind¡¯s eye, he had created the image that the door opened onto a green meadow that sloped gently upward.  At the top of the sloping hill would be a spaceship, waiting to take them back to earth.


    The reality of what was past the door was nothing like that at all.  There was simply a labyrinth of dull, grey hallways, which led past other exhibit rooms.  Many paths opened up and branched off from the hall they raced through, going in all different directions.  Thankfully, his father seemed to know right where he was going, and was hurrying through the hallway at a fast clip.


    His father!  George still couldn¡¯t believe his father was really here!  It had been so incredibly long since he''d disappeared¡ªand now he was right there in front of him!  There was so much George wanted to ask him, so much he wanted to know ¡­


    They emerged suddenly from the labyrinth of hallways into a brightly lit room that was quite large.  Several of the teddy bears were there, sitting at tables, or standing near a thing on the wall that looked kind of like a water cooler.


    George shrank back instinctively.  They couldn¡¯t go in there!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said George¡¯s father, looking back over his shoulder with a smile.  ¡°They¡¯re all immobilized for a few minutes.  That¡¯s why we had to get out quickly.  But the immobilizer won¡¯t work much longer.  Then they¡¯ll start waking up.¡±


    As they rushed across the room, George saw that it was true.  None of the teddy bears moved or even blinked their eyes.  They looked like fluffy teddy bear statues.  A thrill of revenge surged across George¡¯s mind.  It was wonderful to see them as the victims at last, after all they had done to him.  It was all George could do to stop himself from rushing over and giving a group of them a quick shove, so they would go sprawling all over the floor.


    And then they were outside.  To George¡¯s surprise, it was raining lightly, a slow drizzle.  George followed his father swiftly across a plaza at the zoo entrance, and out through a gate.  There were no teddy bears in sight.  It was very late, and apparently they were all tucked in their fluffy little beds for the night.  But it was a comfort to see that his father had suddenly produced what looked like a gun in his hand.  He was ready just in case they happened to meet any.


    They raced through the streets of the teddy bear city.  If he hadn¡¯t been running for his life, George would have wanted to slow down and gaze in wonder at the strangeness of what was all around him.  The houses and stores were tiny, and had strange signs written on them.  Incredibly, the street they were running on looked almost like it was made of candy.  If George hadn¡¯t known the teddy bears were actually unfeeling and heartless, he would think he had stepped into a fairy tale land made for children who loved teddy bears.


    After a time, George noticed that the houses seemed to be thinning out.  There was more distance between them, and more open fields on either side of the road.  Rounding a bend in the road, his heart leaped to see a spaceship in a field in front of them.  There was no one around it at all.


    ¡°That immobilizer sleep potion must have just about worn off by now,¡± said George¡¯s father, glancing nervously over his shoulder.  ¡°We don¡¯t have long.¡±


    They raced across the last open space to the ship.  George¡¯s father ducked inside without any hesitation, with George hot on his heels.


    Once inside, George¡¯s head reeled in shock.  The ship was full of the Grak¡ªalmost ten of them!  And they were all staring at him with wide, cruel grins!

 Chapter Eight - On the way to Uth

    ¡°No!¡± George croaked in horror.  ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡±  He took a step back.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said his father, sudden concern etched across his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see them?¡± said George in a voice that he could hardly keep under control.  ¡°It¡¯s the Grak!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said George¡¯s father, in sudden comprehension.  Then incredibly, he broke into a huge grin, and started to laugh.  Several of the Grak laughed with him.


    George stared at them, his eyes so wide they were about to pop.  What had they done to his father?  He wasn¡¯t acting normal at all!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, George,¡± said his father reassuringly.  ¡°I should have realized, and told you sooner.  These aren¡¯t the Grak.¡±  He pointed at several of the Grak-like creatures, who were all still looking at George and smiling.  ¡°These are the Glosh.¡±


    George just stared at his father in confusion.  Seeing the terror that was still in George¡¯s eyes, his father motioned him over to a side door in the ship.  ¡°Come on in here, and I¡¯ll explain everything,¡± he said calmly.  George hesitated.  Had they done something to his father?  A voice seemed to turn itself on in his head: ¡®Things are not always what they seem ¡­¡¯


    George turned back to the outer door of the spaceship, ready to bolt out of it and back into the night air.  But again he hesitated.  Where would he go?  Back to the teddy bear prison?


    His father came over to him and raised his hand, as if he were going to put it reassuringly on George¡¯s shoulder.  Then he thought better of it, and let the hand drop to his side.  He said simply in a soft voice, ¡°I know this all seems crazy, George, but I can explain.  These really aren¡¯t the Grak.  They won¡¯t hurt you.  None of them are trying to stop you from going back outside.¡±


    That much was true.  None of the Grak¡ªor Glosh¡ªor whatever they were¡ªhad moved.  They still stood there smiling.  He could easily bolt out the door and back to the teddy bear city, and no one would stop him.


    ¡°I promise, it¡¯s all right,¡± said George¡¯s father gently.  ¡°You had a terrible ordeal at the hands of the Grak, so what you¡¯re feeling is very understandable.  Believe me, I was put through a lot from them too.¡±


    George turned suddenly toward his father.  His face turned scarlet in shame.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, embarrassed.  ¡°I should have realized that if you trust them, then ¡­¡± his voice trailed off.  If his father trusted these Glosh after being held prisoner by the Grak for over a year, then George was just being silly.  What George had experienced from the Grak was nothing compared to what his father had been through!


    ¡°Come on in, and we¡¯ll talk about it,¡± said his father again, in reassuring tones.  ¡°Maybe the Glosh will bring us a bite to eat.  Meanwhile, you can ask all the questions you want.  We¡¯re safe now, and we have time ¡­¡±


    Slowly, George followed his father into a little side room.  The Glosh seemed to come unglued and started to move around their ship, not paying any more attention to the father and son.


    Once inside the room, George¡¯s father closed the door softly behind them.  It was a small room, not much bigger than a broom closet.  But it was shiny and clean.  And best of all, his father was there!


    His father sat down on one of two chairs that sat next to a little table in the room.  ¡°I was being held by the Grak on their home planet,¡± he said before George could start asking questions.  As George looked at him, he saw a flicker of pain cross his father¡¯s weathered face.  ¡°It was a horrible place.  A place I hope I can forget someday ¡­¡±


    His father shook himself suddenly, as if trying to throw off a dead memory.  ¡°After their attempt to destroy earth failed,¡± he continued, ¡°they were very angry.  They took out their anger on me and the other two men that were with me.  You probably don¡¯t know anything about these other two men, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I do,¡± said George.  His father¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise.  ¡°One of them is from Portugal and his name is Jose.  The other is from China, and I don¡¯t know his name.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± said George¡¯s father in wonder.


    ¡°With the help of the Protector,¡± said George simply.  ¡°We found out what their plan was, and made contact with the Chinese guy¡¯s daughter and Jose¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to tell me lots more about this Protector,¡± said his father curiously.  "He sounds pretty amazing."


    Before George could answer he felt a sudden jolt, as if the space ship had been hit by something.


    ¡°Nothing to worry about,¡± said his father reassuringly.  ¡°That just means we¡¯re underway.  See?¡±  He went over and passed his hand over a tiny light in the wall.  Instantly, a panel George hadn¡¯t noticed before opened up, revealing a window.  Through it, George saw a thick sprinkling of stars that sparkled brightly.  He could also see the teddy bear city swiftly dropping away below them.  They were leaving the teddy bear planet!


    ¡°Anyway,¡± continued his father, taking a seat at the table again, ¡°the Grak were very angry.  They said they were going to take us to some horrible work planet, and make us slave for the rest of our lives.  Then in the middle of the night, they came and took me away, leaving the other two men.  They put me on a spaceship, and before I knew it, we were out among the stars, going somewhere.  None of them would tell me where we were going, or even speak to me at all.¡±


    Glancing out the window, George saw that the teddy bear planet was shrinking away behind them.  It was amazing how fast the ship was moving.  In no time at all, the planet would be out of sight.


    ¡°We finally landed on a planet that looked very red as we were coming up to it.  I was taken off and put in a cell, and left alone.  But when I woke up the next morning, I heard what sounded like gunfire.  The building I was in shook as if it were going to fall apart.  Suddenly my door burst open, and a Grak came racing in.  Only he said he wasn¡¯t a Grak, but was something called a ¡®Glosh¡¯ instead.¡±


    ¡°Just like you, I didn¡¯t believe him.  He looked just like a Grak to me.  But instead of cuffing or hitting me like the Grak always did, he lifted me up gently and told me we had to go quickly.  His people, the Glosh, had made a surprise raid on the Grak.  There was fierce fighting.  He said we had to leave quickly.  I didn¡¯t argue.  I figured if he was just another Grak, I¡¯d be no worse off.  So I followed him.¡±


    ¡°He led me to his ship¡ªthis ship¡ªand we took off.  I could see out the window that the Grak tried to follow in ships of their own.  But this ship was too fast for them, and they were soon left behind.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t trust the Glosh at all, even though they treated me with kindness, and kept reassuring me they were Glosh, not Grak.  They told how they have been at war with the Grak for decades.  It was a war the Grak started, when they began kidnapping Glosh to use as slaves.  The Glosh tried to rescue the ones who had been kidnapped.  They have been fighting the Grak ever since.  The Glosh raided the red planet I had been taken to, because they saw the ship come in with me on it.  They thought it had brought some kidnapped Glosh instead of an earth man like me.¡±


    ¡°How do you know they¡¯re really not Grak, and are simply tricking you?¡± said George quietly.


    His father smiled.  ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to trust them.  But believe me, I know the Grak.  I lived among them for a year.  I could tell rather quickly that the Glosh are nothing like them.  There are lots of subtle ways I could tell¡ªthings that I can hardly describe.¡±  He paused.  ¡°George, you¡¯ll just have to trust me on this.  I know the Grak.  And I know these are not the Grak.  Trust me.¡±


    George looked at his father earnestly.  How could he not trust him?  Of course, maybe trust was irrelevant, since they were already in space on the Glosh ship, and there was no way off.


    Yet, in spite of everything, that little voice kept coming back into his mind, ¡°Things are not always what they seem ¡­¡± George shook his head to make the voice go away.  How could things possibly be any different than he was seeing them?


    ¡°What was it like being held by the Grak?¡± asked George.  ¡°They took you prisoner a year ago.  How did you survive?¡±


    His father¡¯s eyes suddenly looked very sad.  There was a long pause.  ¡°I suppose,¡± he said slowly, ¡°it was hope ¡­ of seeing you and Janet and your mother again.  A hope that is finally coming true!¡±


    ¡°As for living with the Grak,¡± said his father standing up and going over to the window, ¡°that¡¯s something I don¡¯t know if I can describe.  Not now, anyway.¡±  He turned to look at George.  ¡°Maybe someday.¡±


    George was dying to know the details, but knew he couldn¡¯t ask anymore.  It was understandable that his father didn¡¯t want to talk about it.  It must have been a horrible experience.  George couldn¡¯t imagine how anyone could live through it.


    There was silence in the room for a moment.  Finally his father said, ¡°Anyway, as we were traveling through space, I happened to be watching the Viziscreen here on this ship.  It¡¯s kind of like an intergalactic TV set.  I saw a special show on a new zoo specimen at a place called the Kroban zoo¡ªand then I saw you!  The Kroban are the teddy bear creatures that captured you.  I talked the Glosh into coming to rescue you, and they were more than willing.  With their locating instruments and immobilizing powder that knocked out the Kroban, I was able to get you away from there.¡±


    George looked at his father curiously. ¡°You mentioned earlier something about the Glosh taking us to the planet Uth before going to earth,¡± said George.  He felt uneasy at the thought of going there, even though he knew it was such a beautiful, joyous place.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said his father.  ¡°When I told the Glosh my story, they wondered if they could use some Uth stones in their war with the Grak¡ªpurely to help them locate and rescue the slaves the Grak have taken, of course.¡±


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    ¡°But they can¡¯t use the Uth stones!¡± said George.  ¡°The Uth stones are ¡­ well¡­¡± his voice trailed off.  What words could he possibly use to describe the sheer power and purity of the planet Uth and its stones?  Taking stones away from that place was unthinkable.


    ¡°I know the stones are very powerful,¡± said his father.  ¡°I knew that when they had me deliver one next to the fallen star where you would find it, then later gave one to me on that terrible night when they captured you and tried to use us both in their scheme to hurt the earth.  Those are the only two times I saw one, so I don''t know much about them.  I also don¡¯t know how they ever got them.¡±  He looked at George curiously.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you think it¡¯s right to take the stones from the planet?¡±


    ¡°Well, because I¡¯ve been there,¡± said George quietly.  ¡°And it just doesn¡¯t seem right to take stones away from that planet.¡±


    His father¡¯s eyes opened wide in wonder.  ¡°You¡¯ve been to the planet Uth?  How?  When?  It¡¯s not possible!  Did you learn how to control our stone, and then have it take you there?  How did you learn to do so?¡±


    ¡°They can''t really be controlled,¡± said George slowly, ¡°but I did learn about them, and I  did go to their planet."


    "Maybe it''s best if you tell me your story from the beginning," said his father, sitting down next to George.


    "Well," George started, "it kind of all started the night I saw a falling star near our house.  I went out to the star the next day, and found a clear stone.  I didn¡¯t know then that it was an Uth stone.  But I soon found out that it had strange powers ¡­¡±


    George¡¯s father listened attentively as George told his story.  And slowly, George told exactly what had happened¡ªabout how he had met the Protector.  About how he had been visited by the strange, leathery Ziphon that had warned him that earth was in danger.  About how the Protector had discovered what the Grak were up to.  And finally, how he had been captured by the Grak that fateful night, not really that long ago, and had been forced to use the Uth stone to help the Grak destroy earth by stopping its rotation.


    And then of course, he told what happened next.  About how suddenly he and the Uth stone had seemed to go far out into space.  About how they had jointly decided to cast themselves into the black hole to stop the Grak¡¯s plan¡ªbut had suddenly been pulled to the planet Uth instead.  And about the incredible joy George had felt there, and the homecoming his Uth stone had experienced after being away so long ¡­


    When George had finished, his father sat pondering quietly for a long time.  Then he got  up and paced to the window, looking out into the emptiness of space.  George also sat silently, not knowing what more to say.


    Finally, his father turned to George.  ¡°I can understand now why you don¡¯t want to go to Uth and get some of the stones there for the Glosh.  It¡¯s just not right somehow.  It¡¯s like kidnapping almost, since the way you¡¯ve described it, the Uth stones are alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said George.  ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine doing it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them and explain,¡± said his father.  ¡°Hopefully they¡¯ll just take us home and forget about the Uth stones.¡±


    ¡°What happened to yours?¡± asked George curiously.  ¡°The one they had you use on their ship, to make a beam of energy between yours and mine.¡±


    ¡°Well, as you know, the Grak can¡¯t touch the Uth stones, being evil creatures,¡± said his father with a faint smile.  ¡°Although, I didn¡¯t know that at first.  That¡¯s why I say, I have no idea how they ever got the stones in the first place.  All I know is that they had me and the other two men each hold a stone in one hand, while holding onto a metal ring on their ship with our other hand.  They told us if we didn¡¯t do it, they¡¯d kill our families.¡±


    ¡°I could feel energy shooting out from the stone, down toward the earth.  But I didn¡¯t know what was happening.  I didn¡¯t know there was an energy link between your stone and mine, and that they planned to stop the earth''s rotation with this energy.  All I know is that suddenly the energy stopped flowing.  That must have been when you and your stone disappeared, and the energy link was broken.  The stone in my hand just turned grey, and looked like an ordinary pebble.  It seemed to have lost its power somehow.  The Grak made me give it back to them¡ªputting it in a special box, since they wouldn¡¯t touch it.  Then they took the box away.  That¡¯s all I know.¡±


    Suddenly the door to the little room they were in opened.  A Glosh¡ªwhich still looked terrifyingly like a Grak to George¡ªbrought in a steaming tray with a plate of food on it.  It looked like mashed potatoes, chicken and green beans.  Seeing the food, George suddenly realized he was terribly hungry.


    ¡°I sure hope this food has some taste to it,¡± said George, his mouth watering as the Glosh set the tray down on the table.  Then the Glosh went out and shut the door again.


    ¡°Taste?¡± asked his father curiously.


    ¡°The teddy bear food was all bland, and tasted like glue,¡± said George, his face screwing up in disgust at the memory.  ¡°I haven¡¯t had anything decent to eat since they captured me.¡±


    ¡°I thought you looked like you¡¯d lost a little weight,¡± said his father with a laugh.  ¡°This food tastes pretty good, I can assure you.  It¡¯s a lot better than the stuff the Grak used to feed me¡ªwhen they bothered to feed me at all.¡±


    With no further preliminary, George dug into the food as if he hadn¡¯t eaten in months.  It was delicious!  After all that time of bland food, he felt like he was in heaven!  When he had finished half his plate, he suddenly looked up in embarrassment.


    ¡°What about you?¡± he said curiously.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat anything?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I ate right before I went to rescue you,¡± said his father.  ¡°And because of my sickness, I can¡¯t eat much anyway.  At least not right now.  So no, I''m not going to have any.¡±


    ¡°What kind of sickness do you have?¡± asked George, that same uneasy feeling stealing back into his stomach.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, really,¡± said his father.  ¡°The Grak would never tell me, of course.  All I know is that I developed diarrhea and other unpleasant symptoms.  Maybe it was the lack of decent food that caused it.  After the Glosh rescued me, they did a complete test, and told me what it¡¯s called, but I don¡¯t remember the name.  They just said it¡¯s very contagious, and so I hadn¡¯t better touch you.  As long as we don¡¯t make any physical contact, you won¡¯t get it.  Believe me, you don¡¯t want it.  It¡¯s no fun.  But it¡¯s not life threatening, and it will go away in time.¡±


    Suddenly there was a gentle tapping at the door.  A Glosh entered slowly.  As George looked at it¡¯s dog-like, cruel face he couldn¡¯t help but have the same repulsed feeling he had always experienced around the Grak.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± said the creature.  ¡°I don¡¯t mean to interrupt, but it¡¯s time for your medication.  After that, you need to get some rest.  It¡¯s the quickest way to overcome your illness, you know.¡±


    George¡¯s father shrugged his shoulders, and reluctantly stood up to leave.  ¡°Well, I¡¯d better do as he says.  He¡¯s the doctor.  He knows how to cure this sickness better than I do.¡±


    His father turned at the door, and looked back at George.  ¡°You can use this room as your own.  Why don¡¯t you try and get some rest?  There¡¯s a bed in the wall.¡±


    ¡°A bed?¡± said George curiously.  He didn¡¯t see anything that looked like a bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s that tiny red light, over there,¡± said his father, pointing.  ¡°Just pass your hand in front of it, and a bed will come out of the wall.  It should have bedding and everything.  Try and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George simply.  But secretly he knew he was far too excited to sleep.


    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± said his father with a wave of his hand.  ¡°Wish we could talk more tonight, but if I don¡¯t take this medication right on schedule, the sickness gets worse.  We¡¯ll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow.¡±


    And then he was gone.  George turned back to his dinner, which only took him another two minutes to gulp down.  After that, he went over to the window and stared out into the black, starlit expanse of space.


    Were the Glosh to be trusted?  Had they done anything to his father?  What about the Protector?  Would he know where to find George?


    And what about the planet Uth?  Would the Glosh agree to not go there and get the stones?  Or would they insist on it, taking George and his father prisoners if they refused to cooperate?  Even if they were different from the Grak, their war might drive them to do things they wouldn¡¯t otherwise do.


    There were no answers¡ªjust questions.  At long last, George went over to the light in the wall, and passed his hand in front of it.  A bed promptly popped out, which almost filled the entire room.


    George lay down, but turned to stare out the window at the passing stars.  Would tomorrow bring a return to earth, and a wonderful reunion between his father and mother and Janet?  Or would something happen to spoil the reunion, and force him and his father to be whisked off to some other strange place in the galaxy?


    George closed his eyes.  Sleep was going to be a long time coming tonight.

 Chapter Nine - Another Warning

    George was dreaming again.  He was surrounded by many Grak, who snarled and laughed at him in derision.  He could feel their hot, rank breath on him, making his skin crawl.  All of a sudden, his father was there.  But he had bright red spots all over his body, and looked so weak, he was about to fall over.  George rushed forward, but was stopped by a dozen teddy bears carrying Flibbet skins.


    And then someone was calling his name.


    ¡°George Brown,¡± said the voice.  It was a familiar voice.  A raspy voice.


    ¡°George!¡± the voice said again, in a commanding tone.  His eyes flitted open and looking down, he saw a leathery creature at the foot of his bed.  A Ziphon!


    ¡°George Brown!¡± said the creature again in its strange voice, which sounded like gravel.  ¡°The Uth stones can both heal and harm.  While they can always be used for good, they may also bring danger again to your people.¡±


    The Ziphon sat silently, staring at George with its wide eyes.  Then with a mild ¡®pop!¡¯ it was gone.


    George sat bolt upright in bed.  Another visit from a Ziphon!  And another message that was hard to understand.  However in one respect, part of this message was easier.  The Uth stones could bring danger to his people!  That increased his determination to not go to the planet Uth for the stones desired by the Glosh.  He clearly had to try to avoid getting the stones if at all possible.


    He quickly got out of bed and went to the door.  What time was it?  Of course, time was hard to keep track of in space.  How long ago had they left the teddy bear planet?  Could he find his father if he went out now, to tell him about the Ziphon and its message?


    Cautiously, George opened the door.  He saw two of the Glosh across the open area in the middle of the ship.  They were seated at a table, and were engaged in an animated conversation.


    George¡¯s stomach knotted at the sight of them.  He would rather not come anywhere near them.  In spite of his father¡¯s assurances, he still didn¡¯t trust them.  They looked too much like the Grak.


    Where was his father¡¯s room?  There were several doors off of the main open area.  Which one was the right one?  The last thing George wanted to do was barge in on a sleeping Glosh.


    ¡°George!¡± came a familiar voice from across the room.  Looking quickly around, he was relieved to see his father striding toward him.  He looked more relaxed and refreshed than when he saw him last.


    ¡°Mind if I come in?¡± his father said with a smile, as he gently entered through the door.


    ¡°Not at all!¡± said George.  He was bursting to tell him about the Ziphon¡ªbut not until the door was closed, so the Glosh wouldn¡¯t overhear.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re almost at the planet Uth,¡± said his father, closing the door behind him, and crossing over to the window.  ¡°It¡¯s that big, bright-looking star, straight ahead,¡± he said pointing.  ¡°We¡¯ll be there in less than an hour.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t go there!¡± blurted George.  ¡°The Ziphon told me the stones may bring danger to the people of earth.¡±


    ¡°The Ziphon?¡± said his father, turning swiftly to look at George.


    ¡°He was just here, a few minutes ago,¡± said George.  ¡°The Protector says Ziphons travel sideways through time, and know the future.  They can appear anywhere, anytime, and often come to give warnings.  When this one came, it was at the foot of my bed.  He warned me about getting the stones.  He said they could heal or hurt; that they could be used for good, but they may bring danger.¡±


    Quickly, George crossed over to his father, reaching out to grasp his arm.  ¡°Please, let¡¯s not go there.  We can¡¯t!¡±


    The tips of George¡¯s fingers suddenly felt as if they had been dipped in water, or liquid of some kind.  They felt cold and tingly.


    His father pulled back his arm in alarm.  ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± he said in a nearly frantic voice.  ¡°You¡¯ll get the sickness!¡±


    George looked down at his fingers.  They looked normal.  But they still tingled.  Had he touched his father?  But if so, why had it felt like putting his hand in water?  He had felt nothing solid at all.


    ¡°I talked to the Glosh about turning back, and not going to Uth to get the stones,¡± said his father, walking back around the table to the other side of the room, and away from George.  ¡°I tried every bit of persuasiveness that I know how to use.  But they¡¯re still determined to go there.  They said they won¡¯t take us to earth until we get the stones.¡±


    ¡°I knew they weren¡¯t to be trusted!¡± cried George.  ¡°We¡¯re trapped!  We¡¯re their prisoners!¡±


    ¡°Now, George, don¡¯t get excited,¡± said his father, holding up his hand as if to slap away a mosquito.  ¡°They didn¡¯t threaten me, or treat me rough like the Grak used to do.  In fact, they were more apologetic than anything.  But they were also insistent.  They see the Uth stones as important tools, which might help them finally bring an end to their long war with the Grak.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t go there!¡± cried George again.  ¡°We just can¡¯t!  Especially not now, after the Ziphon¡¯s warning!¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way you do,¡± said his father sadly.  ¡°But what can I do?¡±


    ¡°We can refuse to go down to the surface of Uth to get the stones,¡± said George firmly.  ¡°That¡¯s what we have to do.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± agreed his father with a nod of his head.  ¡°But then we¡¯ll just sit here in space.  They made it very clear they¡¯re not going to leave until we get the stones for them.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t they get the stones themselves?¡± cried George.  ¡°Why do they need us?  As I understand it, the stones can only be obtained by the pure in heart.  Their refusal to get the stones on their own shows they¡¯re not pure in heart, and can¡¯t be trusted!¡±


    ¡°No, not really,¡± replied his father slowly.  ¡°They won¡¯t get them because, frankly, they¡¯re afraid.  They¡¯ve heard the legends about how powerful the stones are, and are mortally afraid to touch them.  But they know that you and I have handled the stones before.  Therefore, they want us to get them on their behalf, and show them how to use them.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to sit in space forever then!¡± said George in determination.  ¡°I¡¯m not going to get the stones, or show the Glosh anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it then,¡± said his father with a sigh.  ¡°You stay here on the ship.  They¡¯ve got a landing craft I can use, and I¡¯ll just go down and get two stones as soon as we arrive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should do it,¡± said George.  ¡°That¡¯s just giving in to them.  The Ziphon said the earth may be in danger if we get those stones!¡±


    ¡°But the Ziphon also said the stones could be used for good, and could heal as well as harm,¡± said his father.  ¡°I¡¯ve got to get them.  It¡¯s the only way for us to get back to earth.  And we¡¯ve got to go there soon, or¡ª¡°


    He suddenly clutched his stomach and staggered.  His face went white.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± said George in alarm, springing forward to catch him.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.¡°No!¡± said his father firmly, holding up his hand and staggering backward.  ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!  You don¡¯t want to get this sickness, believe me.  I¡¯ll be all right in a minute.  It usually passes ¡­¡±  His face contorted as if he were in pain.  He slumped against the wall.


    George stared wide-eyed, feeling helpless.  What was he to do?


    Suddenly he raced to the door and flung it open.  ¡°Quick, get your doctor in here!¡± he called out.  ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with my Dad!¡±


    Several of the Glosh turned and stared at him.  Then the old-looking one that had come for his father the night before rushed forward.  He pushed his way past George, and knelt over his father.


    ¡°Stand back!¡± he called, after a brief examination.  ¡°He¡¯s in critical condition¡ªI¡¯ve got to get him to his room, where I have the needed medications.¡±  The Glosh picked up his father as if he had no weight at all, and hurried out of the room.


    George followed closely behind him.  ¡°Will he be all right?¡± he asked in a tight voice.  The knot in his stomach felt as big as a baseball.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the Glosh, who rushed across to another doorway.  He passed a hand over the wall, and the door opened.  George saw a room that looked similar to his own, but with a number of wires connected to the bed.


    The Glosh put his father down on the bed, and quickly started connecting the wires to his father¡¯s arms.  ¡°Go back to your room!¡± he commanded.  ¡°I need to work quickly, and it will be easier if you¡¯re not here.¡±


    George stood for a moment, unmoving.  How could he leave now?  What was going to happen to his father?


    The Glosh looked up at him.  ¡°Go!¡± he said again, but in a softer voice.  ¡°I know you¡¯re worried.  But if you go, I¡¯ll be better able to help him.  I¡¯ll come to you as soon as I can.¡±


    George quickly went out, and crossed back over to his own room.  He closed the door behind him.  He still didn¡¯t feel very comfortable in the presence of the Glosh scattered around the main room, who were all staring at him.


    What was he to do?  He felt helpless and alone.  He paced back and forth across his room, occasionally smacking one of his fists into the palm of his other hand.  He had to do something.  He just had to.  He couldn¡¯t just stand by and let his father die!  But what could he do?


    Suddenly he looked up.  Through the window he saw what looked like a bright star.  It was very bright, and seemed to be drawing closer every second.


    The planet Uth.  That¡¯s what it was.  He was back.  He was seeing it again.  And it looked just like it had before ¡­


    The planet seemed to reach out to him, beckoning him to draw nearer.  A warmth seemed to flow from it, accompanied by fragile strains of music.  But such music!  It seemed to fill George¡¯s senses, as if the music were liquid, and he was drinking it up from a deep, bottomless cup.


    Joy seemed to burst all around him as he stared at the planet.  Joy and light.  Joy inexpressible.  The joy of countless trillions of beings, whose knowledge and wisdom so far exceeded George¡¯s own that it was staggering.  With all his heart, George suddenly longed to be on the surface of the planet again.  Yet at the same time he shrank back, a gnawing uneasiness in the pit of his stomach.  It wasn¡¯t so much fear as it was discomfort.  The place was bright.  Incredibly bright.  And pure.  Could he actually go there?  Last time he had come after sacrificing all that he had.  Now he was coming with a different purpose.  Was he pure enough?


    With an effort, George broke his gaze away from the window.  He couldn¡¯t get caught up with the planet Uth now.  He wasn¡¯t going to go there.  His father was.


    His father!  He lay sick, maybe dying.  He needed help!


    There was a sudden catch in George¡¯s throat.  What was it the Ziphon had said?  Something about healing.  ¡®The stones can both heal and harm.¡¯  They could heal.  THEY COULD HEAL!


    George raced to the door.  But even as he reached it, it swung open and the old Glosh was standing there.  His face looked grave.


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll live,¡± said the Glosh heavily, ¡°but perhaps not for long.  He needs desperately to get back to his home planet. He¡¯s been gone from it too long.  Just being in its atmosphere again will help him.  If he gets there soon he¡¯s got a chance.  Otherwise ¡­¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ve got to go there!¡± cried George. ¡°Now!  As quickly as possible!¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± said the old Glosh sadly.  ¡°But, I¡¯m afraid this ship¡¯s commander does not.  He¡¯s determined to get the Uth stones.  He believes it will save countless Glosh lives, in our war with the Grak.  He will not rest until he has them.  And he will wait here as long as he has to, in order to get them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the stones then!¡± said George, without hesitation.  In surprise, the Glosh looked at him suddenly.  It blinked it¡¯s eyes rapidly, as if trying to understand.  ¡°But I thought ¡­ your father told me you were opposed to going.¡±


    ¡°I changed my mind,¡± said George rapidly.  He offered nothing more.  He still didn¡¯t trust the Glosh, and wasn¡¯t about to tell him about what the Ziphon had said regarding the stones¡¯ power to heal--and his intent to use the stones to help  his father.


    After a moment, the Glosh said simply, ¡°I will go and tell the captain then that you are ready to go down to the surface as soon as we arrive.  Wait here.¡±


    George stepped back into his room and closed the door.  His heart was racing.  He felt like he was caught in a vice, and it was being turned tighter and tighter.  He knew he shouldn¡¯t go.  Not after the Ziphon¡¯s warning.  But he also knew that he had to.  He just had to.  His father''s life depended on it!


    He turned and looked back out the window at the planet Uth.  They were so close now that it filled the whole window, bathing it in intense light.  And even as he looked, he felt the same joy leap out and grasp his heart again.  And in his mind he could once more hear singing.  It was a song so glorious and full of joy that it felt like creation itself.


    ¡®Come!¡¯ the planet seemed to beckon to him gently.  ¡®Come and sing with us ¡­¡¯

 Chapter Ten - The Singing of the Stones

    George was in a small landing craft which was soaring gently through space.  He had left the Glosh ship just moments before.  It lay poised behind him, waiting expectantly for his return.  The landing craft, he had been told, was pre-programmed to take him to the surface.  A bubble helmet with oxygen was sitting on the seat next to him.  He was to use it when he went out of the landing craft to get the stones, so that he could breathe.  There was no atmosphere or oxygen on Uth.


    Once he re-entered the ship after getting the stones, it was programmed to close the door behind him, refill the space with oxygen so he could remove the bubble helmet, and then take him back up to the Glosh.


    The immensity of the planet Uth lay before him, filling his vision, his mind, and his whole being.  This was truly no ordinary planet.  It seemed to fill every one of his senses.  Coming here was such a total experience, it felt like every cell in his body was on high alert.


    The music was indescribable.  It seemed to fill George¡¯s mind and soul.  The melody was so haunting, so joyous, so exhilarating and so pure that George knew he would never be able to describe it to anyone, or even remember it after he was gone, at least not in a way to do it justice.


    His ship was slowly descending toward the surface.  As before, George looked at the planet in total awe.  It was massive¡ªhundreds of times larger than the earth.  It was made up of trillions upon trillions of clear, pure stones, and the surface was smooth as glass.  The entire planet was perfectly clear, and he could see straight through it to the other side without the slightest distortion.


    The singing seemed to grasp his heart, and gently sway him back and forth.  The feeling that came with it was indescribable.  It was happiness and joy and utter, total peace¡ªand yet it was more.  George had never thought there could be something more than joy before.  But here he could feel it.


    The music seemed to be talking to him.  It whispered his name, and spoke to his heart.  It remembered him, and knew who he was.  Indeed, he felt like his mind was an open book, and there was no thought he had ever had that it didn¡¯t know.


    With a gentle bump, his ship landed.  The surface of the planet shimmered and glowed, beckoning to him, reaching out to him, enfolding him in its arms.  George quickly put on the oxygen helmet, and opened the hatch.  Before when he had come, he had not needed an oxygen helmet.  Although as a matter of logic he knew there was no atmosphere on this planet, and that he would die without a helmet, somehow he knew that it wasn¡¯t really needed here, even now.  There seemed to be almost a ripple of laughter of a billion small stones at his wearing it.


    George suddenly took it off, and tossed it back into the space pod on the seat.  He truly didn¡¯t need it.


    Stepping onto the clear surface of Uth sent a quiver up George¡¯s spine.  Every one of his muscles suddenly felt so totally relaxed that if he had been anywhere else he would have collapsed.  He closed his eyes¡ªand instantly saw more than when they were open.  He now could see the music that before he had only heard and felt.  It soared up and around him in waves of delighted color.


    And then, a single small voice came into his mind.  ¡°Why have you come?¡±


    In spite of the joy all around him, a cloud seemed to pass over George¡¯s heart.  In shame he resisted answering, yet the thoughts in his mind seemed to form wings, and fly away to the surface in answer.  ¡°To take away two small stones,¡± his thoughts said.


    While he had expected rebuke at his audacity, what came instead was a gentle ripple of laughter.  And then another question.  ¡°Do you really think you could freely take anything from here?¡±


    Instantly, George knew it was true.  The thought of actually trying to reach down and pick up two stones and leave with them was utterly ludicrous.  The smallest pebble on this planet had more power than his entire world.  And with a shock, George realized that for him to even be standing here at all--for his ship to have been allowed to land, and for the larger Glosh ship to approach so close--was by the condescension of the beings that comprised this world.  It was a gift they were freely giving him.


    And then, another question formed itself in the music that swayed and filled the atmosphere of this indescribable world.  A question that startled George, and that was not directed to him at all.


    ¡°Does anyone wish to go with George?¡± it asked simply.  The question seemed to hang in the air, on fluttering wings of color.  And then it soared gently up and away and out of sight.  A moment of silence followed.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I will go,¡± said a sudden small voice, at George¡¯s feet.  Opening his eyes, George looked down at the surface¡ªand straight through the millions of miles to the other side.  Yet, in spite of the limitless expanse of his vision, he could see clearly which stone had spoken.  It lay expectant and waiting at his feet.


    ¡°So will I,¡± sang another voice, also at his feet.  And almost immediately, George felt himself leaning down, reaching for them.


    A wave of guilt overcame him.  He shouldn¡¯t be doing this!  These creatures were alive, and pure and innocent!  How could he dare to take them away from this place of beauty, and subject them to the cruelty and hardship of what lay outside their world?


    George tried to pull back his hand, but was unable to do so.  It kept reaching, as if it had a mind of its own.  And then the two stones leaped gently into the air, and landed softly in his open palm.


    A tingling sensation shot from his hand throughout his entire body.  It felt as if fire and ice were coursing through his veins, as if he were breathing frozen lava, as if he were being pierced with burning icicles.


    A voice formed itself again in the air around him.  Once again, it was not directed to George at all.  ¡°You¡¯re sure you want to go?  You know what this means, and the price you may have to pay?¡±


    George suddenly felt like weeping.  With all his might, he tried to drop the stones back to the surface, to spare them the blackness of having to answer.


    Yet he couldn¡¯t move.  His fingers still clenched the stones tightly, unable to release them, as if cemented in place.


    ¡°We know,¡± came the two voices of the stones, with a sense of sadness, hope and expectancy.


    ¡°Then go,¡± said the first voice with gentle laughter, as George was suddenly carried up on a breeze of music and deposited back in his ship.


    The hatch clicked shut, and the engines of the pod began to whine.


    ¡°No!¡± cried George¡¯s mind, since his mouth was still frozen shut.  ¡°I can¡¯t take them!  Last time I came, it was with one like them, who had left.  He was gone for eternities, experiencing pain and sorrow.  I won¡¯t put them through the same pain!  I won¡¯t!¡±


    Laughter shook itself gently through George¡¯s ears, and all the way down into his heart.


    ¡°Will you take away their choice, then?¡± it asked simply.  ¡°Indeed, can you take away their choice?¡±


    And instantly, George knew it was true.  He could no more command or force the two stones to not come with him than he could command the planet Uth to be split asunder.  It was their choice to go, not his.


    ¡°No, please!¡± George found his mind saying again.  Begging.  ¡°Don¡¯t let them go.  It¡¯s not right.  I¡¯m not pure.  My motives aren¡¯t pure.  I came to get them, to heal my father.  After that, the Glosh want them to fight the Grak.  They¡¯ll be used and exploited.  Please make them stay!  Please stop me!¡±


    The pod was slowly lifting into the air, in the midst of gentle laughter.  ¡°We know all that, George,¡± the voice all around him sang once more. ¡°And so do they.  But their choice to experience all that will come has been made, and their destiny is set.  And so is yours.  There will be sadness.  There will be choices.  And in the end, depending on what future choices will be made, perhaps there will be joy, and a time of returning.¡±


    George was crying now.  Not so much crying as weeping, tears streaming down his face.  ¡°NO!¡± he cried again.  ¡°Take my life, instead!  Don¡¯t let them suffer.  PLEASE STOP ME!¡±


    ¡°Farewell,¡± came a gentle voice in response.  And then the voice seemed to pierce to the very center and the very heart of George¡¯s soul.  It spoke with firmness and urgency.  ¡°George, remember the warnings of the Ziphon.  You must learn to feel.  Danger awaits.  A new sacrifice will soon need to be made.  But in the end, all can be right.  Your greatest danger is you.  Above all else, do not condemn.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± wept George in anguish.  ¡°Do not condemn what?¡±


    ¡°Not what, who,¡± answered the voice.  And even as it spoke, George could sense that his mind was beginning to lose consciousness.  He was drifting away, and would soon be asleep.


    As if from a great distance, a tiny voice carried itself into his mind on a lilting melody, landing as softly as a butterfly.


    ¡°Do not condemn ¡­ yourself ¡­¡±


    And then there was blackness, and all was still.

 Chapter Eleven - The Trap is Sprung

    George could feel movement beneath him, a gentle swaying.  His eyes were shut, and his eyelids were so heavy he couldn¡¯t force them open.


    Where was he?  Was he still in the pod, flying up from the surface of the planet Uth?  Was he on the Glosh ship?  Or was he somewhere else?


    ¡°George,¡± a soft voice said to him, gently.  It wasn¡¯t the singing voice of Uth, but was a familiar voice that he had heard many times before.


    It was his father¡¯s voice.


    ¡°George,¡± it said again.


    Slowly, with great effort, George forced his eyes to open.  He found himself looking up into the eyes of his father.  There were circles under those eyes, and he looked worried.


    ¡°Are you all right, George?¡± asked his father, his voice full of concern.


    ¡°Sure,¡± George croaked, his throat and lips so dry they felt like sandpaper.


    ¡°Here,¡± said his father.  ¡°Drink this.¡±  A glass appeared in the air in front of him, held there by a mechanical arm poking out of the side of his bed.  Slowly it dribbled some liquid into his mouth.  As it flowed into him, it left a path of warmth and strength in its wake.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± said George after a moment.  ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back on the spaceship,¡± said his father with a gentle smile.  ¡°You came back from the surface of the planet Uth yesterday.  You gave me quite a fright, returning in the pod like you did, looking as if you were dead!¡±


    ¡°The stones!¡± cried out George suddenly, trying to sit up.  He barely moved an inch.  He felt so weak!


    ¡°There, now, take it easy,¡± said his father.  ¡°The doctor here said it will take awhile for you to recover.  Apparently it¡¯s quite an ordeal to go to the planet Uth!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad when I went there before!¡± said George thickly.  ¡°I wasn¡¯t weak like this.  What¡¯s happening?¡±


    A look of concern crossed his father¡¯s face.  ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said worriedly.  ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t catch my sickness.¡±  His father got up and moved slowly around the side of the bed.  As he did so, George saw in shock that he was wearing what looked like handcuffs, that tightly held his wrists together.


    ¡°What are you wearing those for?¡± asked George, a cold fear gripping deep inside his chest.


    His father sighed heavily, and hung his head.  For a minute he didn¡¯t speak.  Finally he said, ¡°You were right, George.  We shouldn¡¯t have gone to get the stones.  Now the Grak have them.¡±


    With rising fear, George said, ¡°You mean the Glosh have them, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said his father, turning slowly to look at George.  There was a pained look in his eye.  ¡°I mean the Grak.  There are no Glosh, and there is no war between them and the Grak.  You were right all along.  It was apparently all a trick, so they could use us to get two more Uth stones.¡±


    ¡°NO!!¡± cried George.  With all his strength, he tried to sit up.  However, he could only move a few inches off the bed.


    Tears stung in George¡¯s eyes.  This couldn¡¯t be happening!  To be captured by the Grak, and held helpless on their ship!  Worst of all, he had gotten two of the pure, innocent Uth stones, and practically gift-wrapped them for the Grak as a present!  How could he have been so stupid?


    ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡± George repeated over and over.  ¡°It just can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, George.¡±  His father held out his hand longingly, wanting to touch his son, to give him some comfort and reassurance.  But the reality of his sickness was too much for him.  Slowly, he pulled back his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± said his father bitterly.  ¡°After living with the Grak for a year, and learning of their ways, I should have known it was all an elaborate trap.  I was so desperate to believe the Glosh were real, and that we could really be rescued!  I convinced myself that the danger signs you saw weren¡¯t really there.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said George weakly.  ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.  You¡¯ve been through so much, being their prisoner for a year.  You¡¯ve done the best you could ¡­¡±  George didn¡¯t say the rest of what he was thinking¡ªthat perhaps, the Grak had affected his father¡¯s mind in ways he would rather not know.  Obviously he couldn¡¯t be blamed for that.  There was really only one person to blame, at least as far as getting the Uth stones was concerned.  And that person was himself.


    The door opened suddenly.  The same old Glosh¡ªor rather, Grak¡ªentered the room.  ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re awake,¡± he said in a raspy voice.  He no longer made any pretense of trying to talk in a gentle manner.  ¡°What do you think of my little weakness potion?¡±


    George¡¯s eyes bulged in sudden realization.


    ¡°YOU!¡± cried George¡¯s father in a frenzied voice.  ¡°You caused his weakness?  You told me it was a result of being on the planet Uth.¡±


    The old Grak laughed merrily¡ªa laugh without humor.  ¡°And you still believed me?¡± he chortled.  ¡°No, for someone like your son, a visit to the planet Uth would give him more strength, not less.¡±  He walked around the bed to look down into George¡¯s eyes.  Saliva drooled out of his mouth, dripping on George¡¯s shirt, where it stung like acid.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t forgotten what George here did the last time he had a stone in his hand,¡± he said quietly.  ¡°Although he looked asleep when he came back in the pod, we couldn¡¯t be sure.  So we immediately injected him with my weakness virus, and took the stones away from him.¡±


    ¡°You beast!¡± screamed George¡¯s father, rushing at the Grak and pounding at it with his fists.  With one powerful move, as if his father¡¯s arms were as weak as wet noodles, the Grak twisted him around and held him tightly.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± he said in mock concern.  ¡°Is that any way to treat the doctor who¡¯s been treating you?¡±


    ¡°Treating me?¡± laughed George¡¯s father hysterically.  ¡°I¡¯ll bet you¡¯ve been treating me.  What drugs have you been using on me, eh?¡±


    The Grak smiled, but didn¡¯t answer.


    Just then, another Grak came in the door, holding a small cage.  As horrified as George was at what had been taking place since he woke up, nothing could have prepared him for the shock of what was inside that cage.  It was Emberly!


    ¡°George!¡± she called out frantically, shaking the bars of her tiny cage with all her Flibbet strength.  George could see the terror in her eyes.  The Grak had destroyed her entire world, and killed her family.  And now to be captured by them, and held in a cage ¡­


    ¡°Let her go!¡± cried George.  Summoning all his strength, he lurched up in bed, and swung around to face her captor.  The old Grak looked at him in surprise.


    George stood up.  He swayed unsteadily on his feet for a second.  He reached out a hand to Emberly¡ª


    And then he felt himself falling ¡­


    ¡­ falling ¡­


    ¡­ into blackness so deep it felt like he was in the center of the earth.


    When George woke again, his eyes opened on the expanse of space.  He was lying on his side, and found himself looking out the window of his room at billions of stars.  The scene was peaceful and awe inspiring.  It was a stark contrast to the horror that was gripping George¡¯s chest.


    They were captured by the Grak!  His father, him, Emberly¡ªall of them!  With all his heart, he wished he could go back to being a zoo specimen of the teddy bears.  That was heavenly compared to this.


    How could he have been so stupid?  The minute he saw the Grak he should have known.  How could his father be expected to realize the trap they had laid for them, after the unthinkable year they had put him through?  But George should have known.  His mind hadn¡¯t been poisoned by the Grak.  He should have run back to the teddy bears, and warned them of the danger¡ªeven if they did just throw him back into his zoo prison.


    And the Uth stones.  Tears leapt to George¡¯s eyes as he remembered the eagerness with which they had volunteered to come with him.  Their purity and power and goodness were overwhelming.  And he had delivered them to be used by the most ruthless of all creatures in the galaxy!  How could he have done it?  How?


    The anger George felt welling up inside¡ªanger against himself, not anyone else¡ªwas so tangible, he could taste it.  He yearned with all the energy of his mind that he could undo what he had done, that somehow, he alone could be punished for his stupidity, and that his father and Emberly and the Uth stones could go free.  Even if it meant he had to endure torment forever, and ever ¡­


    Unexpectedly, a strain of gentle music ran through his mind.  It came unbidden, from who knows where.  And with it came a thought, a distant memory, a voice.  ¡°Do not condemn ¡­¡± it said softly.  ¡°Do not condemn ¡­¡±


    Who was it that he had been told not to condemn?  It was himself!  And if the Uth had known enough to tell him that¡ª


    George sat bolt upright in bed, surprised that he did not feel as weak as before.  The Uth had known!  They had known he was going back to be captured by the Grak!  Why else would the voice on the Uth planet have told him not to condemn himself?  It had known!


    And if it knew that, then ¡­


    George¡¯s head spun.  It was too fantastic to believe.  But it must be true¡ªit must!


    Of all the powers of the Uth stones that he had seen, there was one that he had never guessed, until that moment.  Why had it never occurred to him before?  The likelihood, the apparent reality of that power was now staring him solidly in the face.


    They could see the future!


    Or at least, the ones on the planet Uth could.  The little stone he had previously returned from earth to the planet Uth in order to stop the Grak¡¯s plan hadn¡¯t known the future, George had to admit.  It had been just as surprised as he was when George and it were rescued from the black hole they tried to throw themselves into.


    But the Uth on the planet knew.  They had told George not to condemn.   And they had told him something else!  They said to remember what the Ziphon had said ¡­ that a new sacrifice would soon need to be made ¡­ that things were not always what they seemed ¡­


    ¡­ and that in the end, all can be right!  That¡¯s what the Uth voice had said!  That all could be right, if the right choices were made!


    But the Ziphon hadn¡¯t said that at all.  It had said nothing of the kind!  The Uth had added that on their own¡ªbecause they KNEW!  They KNEW what was coming!


    George stared unseeing at the stars sparkling gently outside his window.  The thin strain of music was still racing through his mind.  A gentle strength was rising through him, caressing his fears, easing his worries.  The strength of hope.


    The Uth had known.  With their knowledge of the future, they had reassured George that in the end, all could be right.  It wasn¡¯t an absolute promise, but neither was it a guarantee of total failure.  There must still be a possibility that things could work out, depending on the choices that were made.  There must!


    Suddenly there was a gentle tug on his finger.  Stupidly, George stared down at it.  What on earth was going on?


    There it was again.  He was alone in a darkened room, looking at the stars.  What could be tugging at his finger?  There was nothing near it at all.  It just had the Protector¡¯s ring on it ...


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    The Protector¡¯s ring!  His communication ring!  George had forgotten all about it!  Why hadn¡¯t he thought of it before?  Since it had only limited range of a few million miles, that fact it was tightening on his finger must mean the Protector was near!


    Quickly, George pried the ring off and stuck it gently into his ear.  Almost immediately, he heard the Protector¡¯s voice.


    ¡°George?¡± it asked worriedly.  ¡°Are you there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here,¡± George answered excitedly, relief flooding through him like a river at hearing the Protector¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Thank heaven!¡± exclaimed the Protector.  ¡°Are you all right?  They haven¡¯t hurt you, have they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they have,¡± answered George.  ¡°They did give me some kind of weakness drug when I came back from the planet Uth.  But it seems to be wearing off.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope so,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°You¡¯re going to need all your strength for our escape.¡±


    ¡°Escape?¡± said George, his heart leaping.  Good old Protector¡ªhe had a plan.  ¡°But how are we going to do it?  And where are you?¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, on the Grak ship,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°I¡¯ve been here since yesterday, when they captured me.¡±


    The smile froze on George¡¯s face.  ¡°Captured you?¡± he repeated stupidly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the Protector, sadly.  ¡°When I went back during the night to the teddy bear house through my transporter, I found the place empty.  I searched frantically until I found a note hidden in your shoe.  I assumed the teddy bears had not seen it--you remember how they never liked the smell of your shoes--and I was sure you had left it.  It said your father had rescued you, and that all of you, including Emberly, had gone with the Glosh¡ªyour rescuers¡ªto the planet Uth.¡±


    ¡°Emberly!¡± cried George.  ¡°She didn¡¯t come with us!  She stayed behind, to tell you where we¡¯d gone!¡±


    ¡°I know that now, but I didn¡¯t then,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°The note was obviously left by the Grak, to trick me.  And I have to admit, it worked.  Since I didn¡¯t have a precise location to use the transporter to go to you instantly, I had to steal another teddy bear ship and set course for the planet Uth.  I got there yesterday¡ªand was promptly taken prisoner by the Grak.   Since then, they¡¯ve gleefully told me all about how they took Emberly right after you and your father left the zoo, and how they left that note, and threatened the teddy bears with destruction if they so much as touched it.  They also gloated about how they came to Uth, and used you to go down and get two new stones.¡±


    ¡°Did you bring the transporter?¡± George asked eagerly.  ¡°Can¡¯t we use it to get out of here?¡±


    ¡°I wish we could,¡± said the Protector sadly.  ¡°I did bring it with me on the teddy bear ship I stole.  But the instant I realized I was being captured by the Grak, I destroyed it.  Transporter technology is something they don¡¯t have yet.  If they had captured it, they would have gained far more power than we want to give them.¡±


    ¡°You destroyed it?¡± echoed George in shock.


    ¡°It has a self destruct button hidden on it,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°I hit the button before the Grak could stop me.  Boy, were they angry!  Until then, they thought they¡¯d gotten a fine prize!¡±


    ¡°Without the transporter, how are we going to get out of here?¡± said George desperately.


    ¡°I have a plan,¡± said the Protector softly.  ¡°We should be able to leave as soon as I know where you and your father and Emberly are.  Do you know what rooms they¡¯re in?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± said George sadly.  ¡°My father¡¯s room was across the open area, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s still there.  I don¡¯t know where Emberly is at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got to find them,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°I¡¯ve got a can of that obedience spray that the teddy bears used on us.  Once I know where everyone is, I¡¯ll use the spray on my guard, and escape.  Then I¡¯ll use it again to rescue you and the others.  We¡¯ll go to the teddy bear ship I stole, which is still being held by the Grak in their hold.  If anyone tries to stop us, they¡¯ll get a dose of the obedience spray!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s brilliant!¡± exclaimed George.  Then a sudden thought burst into his mind.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you just use it to capture the whole Grak ship?  Then we wouldn¡¯t have to escape!¡±


    ¡°I thought of that,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°Unfortunately, however, I don¡¯t know how much spray I¡¯ve got left in this can.  Maybe I could take over the whole ship, but then again, maybe I¡¯d run out of spray before I could do it.¡±


    ¡°Then you may not have enough spray even to rescue us!¡± said George sadly.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± agreed the Protector.  ¡°But hopefully I will.  It¡¯s worth a try.  We have nothing to lose.¡±


    George went quickly over to the door, but as he expected, it was locked.  ¡°How are we going to find the others?¡± he asked anxiously.  ¡°My door is locked, so I can¡¯t look for them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± answered the Protector thoughtfully.  Suddenly his voice tightened.  ¡°My guard is opening the door.  I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡±


    The Protector¡¯s voice had been so reassuring, George wanted desperately to hold on to it.  But there was nothing he could do.  He would just have to wait and try to be as patient as possible.


    He took the ring out of his ear and crossed over to the window.  The stars glowed softly.  They were so peaceful that it seemed hardly possible for things to be so bad while traveling through their midst.


    George turned, and sat down on the bed to wait.  Each minute seemed like an eternity.  Had the Protector decided to use the spray now?  Was he trying to find Emberly and his father?  Or had he decided to wait, until a better opportunity?


    Minutes passed.  There was no sound or movement outside the door that George could tell.  It looked like the Protector must have decided to wait.


    George¡¯s eyes began to droop.  It seemed ironic that he could be so excited, yet feel so sleepy at the same time.  Maybe it was an after effect of the weakness drug the Grak had given him.


    Suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door.  George leapt up, and by the time he had reached it, the door was open.  On the other side was a swarthy looking man and his father!


    The strange man held his finger to his lips for silence.  ¡°I¡¯ve used the spray on just two guards so far,¡± he whispered.  ¡°We¡¯ve been lucky.  But the can feels very light.  I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much left.¡±


    ¡°Are you the Protector?¡± George whispered in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, sorry I didn¡¯t tell you,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°I changed my appearance as soon as I got back to earth.  Anyway there¡¯s no time to talk more now.  Let¡¯s go to the teddy bear ship and get out of here!¡±


    ¡°What about Emberly?¡± asked George worriedly.


    ¡°What about me?¡± came a sudden voice from the Protector¡¯s pocket, a little louder than it should have been.  Emberly suddenly poked her head up out of the pocket.


    ¡°You got her!¡± said George happily.


    ¡°Yes, your father knew where she was,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Now let¡¯s be as quiet as possible.  Follow me.¡±  He went out the door and moved quickly to a nearby hall, then darted down it.  George and his father followed as quietly as they could.  Thankfully, there were no Grak in sight.


    The Protector stopped at the end of the hall.  Cautiously, he poked his head around the corner.  ¡°All clear,¡± he whispered, then took off down the hall to the right.


    They had just reached a staircase when a Grak unexpectedly came out of a door at the foot of the stairs.  It¡¯s black, unfriendly eyes opened wide at seeing the Protector, George and his father.  But before he could cry out or do anything, the Protector let him have a dose of the spray right in his face.


    The Grak staggered back, clutching at the wall.  ¡°You will not yell or say anything!¡± commanded the Protector.  They could see the Grak open his mouth, trying to speak, but nothing came out.


    ¡°You will sit down on the floor, close your eyes and go to sleep, not waking up for two hours,¡± said the Protector.


    Instantly, the Grak sat down on the floor and was asleep.


    ¡°That stuff is amazing!¡± said George¡¯s dad in wonder.


    The Protector didn¡¯t reply.  He was bounding up the steps two at a time, beckoning for the others to quickly follow him.  They were spiral stairs, which wound around in a circle.  At the top was a door.  The Protector waited for George and his father to catch up to him, then whispered, ¡°I¡¯m almost positive the teddy bear ship is on the other side of this door.  I remember from when I was captured.¡±


    He then passed his hand over the wall, to activate the door opener.  The door popped open.  And three Grak were standing there facing them!  Their mouths stretched into smiles of cruelty and spite.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± said the one in the middle arrogantly.  "We heard every word you said to this stupid boy, about your plan to  escape.  We knew you would come here--"


    Before they could say more, the Protector let them have it with the spray.  But after only spraying two of them, the can sputtered.  The spray was running out!


    ¡°Sit down and go to sleep!¡± commanded the Protector to the two Grak who had received the spray.  They instantly sat and were asleep.  But their comrade wasn¡¯t!  He pulled a wicked looking object from his belt, which appeared to be a gun or blaster of some sort.


    ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t!¡± he cried.


    Desperately, the Protector shook the can and tried to get more spray out of it.  Only a tiny cloud came out!


    The remaining Grak smiled wickedly.  ¡°Looks like your luck just ran out!¡± he said harshly, as he raised his blaster to point straight at the Protector¡¯s chest!

 Chapter Twelve - Escape!

    There was complete silence for a moment as the Grak stared at them gloatingly, and they looked back in despair.  To have gotten so close, only to be stopped now!  They could see the little teddy bear ship through another door behind the Grak, in a large cargo area.


    Unexpectedly, George¡¯s father leaped forward.  With a strangled cry, he attacked the Grak with all his strength, hitting and kicking him.  The Grak was so surprised that he staggered backwards¡ªand dropped his blaster!


    Instantly, the Protector leaped forward and grabbed the blaster.  The Grak had recovered from his shock and shoved George¡¯s father roughly aside, but found the blaster pointed at his chest by the Protector.


    ¡°The tables have turned,¡± said the Protector quietly.  He adjusted a knob on the blaster, then to George¡¯s shock, pulled the trigger.  A beam of light shot out of the blaster and caught the Grak in the chest.  He slumped to the floor and was silent.


    ¡°Not to worry,¡± said the Protector, noticing George¡¯s shocked look.  ¡°I set the blaster to stun.  He¡¯ll wake up in a few hours, feeling a bit sore.  I just didn¡¯t want to have to tie him up¡ªwe don¡¯t have time!¡±


    The Protector rushed through the other door and toward the ship, while George reached out a hand to his father, to help him up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± cried his father anxiously, waving George back.  ¡°The sickness, you know.¡±  He staggered to his feet.  ¡°I¡¯m all right,¡± he said softly.  ¡°He didn¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°That was incredible!¡± said George in awe.  ¡°You attacked him when he had a blaster pointed at you!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over me,¡± said his father with a rueful smile.  ¡°It was crazy, I guess.  Downright foolhardy!  But I just couldn¡¯t stand the thought of them winning again¡ªand keeping you captive.¡±


    The Protector had disappeared inside the teddy bear ship.  They could hear its engines start to whine, and could see the Protector beckoning to them urgently from a window in the forward hull.


    ¡°We¡¯d better get on board quick,¡± said his father, breaking into a run.  George quickly followed him through the other door and into the cargo area, and then up the ramp and into the ship.


    Once more, George was taken aback by the unexpected interior of the teddy bear ship.  The floor, the walls, the chairs, everything was decorated in soft, plush fluffiness.  Most of it was pink and purple, with a few soft yellow swirls mixed in.  It looked more like a pre-school playroom than a spaceship.


    But the Protector had managed to find a control panel, apparently by pulling a pillow off what had looked like a couch.  There were dozens of glowing dials and knobs on the panel, and the Protector was feverishly punching buttons.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be lifting off in a few seconds,¡± he said, turning to George and his father.  ¡°The coordinates are all set.  Just flip that switch on the wall behind you to raise the entrance ramp, please.¡±


    Turning, George saw a switch and flipped it.  The ramp slowly closed behind them.


    ¡°How are we going to open the outside door?¡± asked George¡¯s father worriedly.  ¡°It looks like we¡¯re trapped inside this cargo hold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already located the remote control door opener,¡± said the Protector, turning back to the control panel.  ¡°It¡¯s similar to a garage door opener on your planet.  I¡¯ll first shut the door we came in by remote control, to trigger the air lock, then open the outside cargo door.¡±


    He flipped another series of switches.  Through the window, George saw the door they had come in¡ªwith the unconscious Grak on the other side¡ªgently swing closed.  Turning, he then saw a large door in the side of the cargo area suddenly start to open.  Loose items on the floor of the cargo area immediately started to lift in the air and drift about, caught up by the weightlessness of space.


    ¡°Now, just a few more seconds,¡± said the Protector, pushing more buttons feverishly.


    Suddenly, the lights in the cargo area turned red, and a siren began to blare.  ¡°They¡¯re on to us!¡± cried the Protector, over the noise of the siren and the increasing whine of the ship¡¯s engines.   ¡°We¡¯ve got to get out that door before they close it with their override button!¡±


    George noticed the outer cargo door had stopped opening.  The stars of space were beckoning to them gently from the other side, but the opening seemed very small.  Was it big enough for them to get out?


    The teddy bear ship suddenly lurched into the air, and swung around to face the door.  And at that very instant, the door began to close!


    ¡°Hold on!¡± cried the Protector.  ¡°No time for a smooth exit¡ªit¡¯s gonna be a quick one!¡±


    There was a blast of sound, and George was shoved off his feet as if he had been punched in the chest.  He flew against the wall, hitting it so hard, that for an instant, some of the stars he was seeing were not all intergalactic ones.


    George saw that the Protector had also been shoved back, and was hanging onto the controls for dear life.  Yet, amazingly, his father had hardly moved, and was standing as erect as before, as if nothing had happened!


    ¡°We¡¯re out!¡± cried the Protector.  ¡°The door was barely open wide enough!¡±


    ¡°We made it!¡± cried George excitedly, staring in tremendous relief at the stars filling the outside window.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± said the Protector grimly.  ¡°They¡¯ve got a tractor beam they¡¯re going to hit us with, any second, like they did when they captured me.  It¡¯ll pull us right back to the cargo hold.¡±


    ¡°You mean, we¡¯re still trapped?¡± cried George.  ¡°Isn¡¯t there a way to get past it?¡±  He stared back through the window at the Grak ship, sitting ominously in space behind them.


    ¡°Not normally,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°But there is a way.  No time to explain.  Just hold on.¡±


    The teddy bear ship swerved suddenly, and arced upward.  Then, to George¡¯s surprise, it headed back down directly toward the Grak ship!  What was the Protector doing?


    The Protector was feverishly working the controls.  Suddenly, George saw a stream of white shoot out of the teddy bear ship toward the Grak ship.


    ¡°Nothing but water,¡± said the Protector, anticipating George¡¯s question about what the white stuff was.  ¡°Just enough to mark their tractor beam.¡±


    The teddy bear ship swerved around sharply again, shoving George back against the wall.  His father had sat down on one of the tiny, fluffy teddy bear chairs in order to not be tossed about as much.


    ¡°Now, up and away!¡± cried the Protector.  Yet, even as the teddy bear ship surged forward, George saw a beam of greenish light shoot out of the Grak ship toward them.  He could see it clearly in the white crystallized water that still shrouded the Grak ship like a fog.


    ¡°That¡¯s their tractor beam,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°We can see it because of the water I sprayed on them.¡±  He flipped some more switches, and suddenly it felt as if the teddy bear ship had come to a screeching stop in space.  The force of their sudden stop shoved George once more against the wall.


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    ¡°Their tractor beam just shot ahead of us,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Right where we would have been if we hadn¡¯t seen it and stopped!  That should give us just barely the time we need ¡­¡±


    He talked slowly and deliberately as he worked the switches on the control panel.  ¡°It¡¯ll take them about 15 seconds to reset their tractor beam for another try.  Meanwhile, we should be able to get just out of range¡ª¡°


    George was again shoved against the wall as the teddy bear ship shot forward as if being blasted from a gun.  The Protector had evidently given it full power.


    George watched in fascination as the Grak ship shrank away from them at incredible speed.  Boy, were they moving!


    ¡°You sure know how to operate a spaceship,¡± said George¡¯s father in admiration.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing really,¡± said the Protector, with as much modesty as he could muster.  ¡°I¡¯m just a genius, that¡¯s all.¡±


    George saw another greenish beam of light shoot through the fog around the Grak ship.  ¡°That¡¯ll be another tractor beam,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°And it¡¯s going to grab us this time.¡±  Even as he spoke, the teddy bear ship shuddered, as if it had been grabbed by an invisible hand.  The ship slowed nearly to a stop, and shook as wildly as a flag in a windstorm.


    ¡°They¡¯ve almost got us,¡± said the Protector, sweat beading on his face in concentration.  ¡°But they don¡¯t quite have enough power.  We¡¯re too far away ¡­¡±  He flipped some more switches.  George could hear the engines of the little teddy bear ship whine as they peaked at full power.


    And slowly, they began to move forward!  ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± cried the Protector happily.  ¡°They were so convinced they¡¯d get us with their tractor beam, they didn¡¯t use their guns on us!  Now we¡¯re out of both gun range and tractor beam range!¡±  He flipped some more switches, and the ship swerved suddenly to the left.  ¡°Now, to make a real jump!¡± said the Protector, enthusiastically.   The tractor beam suddenly lost its grip, and the teddy bear ship shot forward as if propelled by a slingshot.  George once again flew against the wall.


    ¡°Now, the chase begins,¡± said the Protector softly, turning more levers and switches on the control panel.  ¡°But not for long.  This ship is pretty fast.  In about 30 seconds we¡¯ll break the light barrier, and then they¡¯ll be lost for good.¡±


    ¡°Break the light barrier?¡± said George curiously.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± replied the Protector, not taking his eyes from the gauges.  ¡°Or, as they would say in Star Wars, we¡¯ll make the jump to light speed.  Only it¡¯s not really a jump.  It¡¯s more of a gradual build up of speed until you just bridge over the speed of light.  Sort of like an airplane on your planet building up speed until it gradually pierces through the sound barrier.  Then it¡¯s traveling faster than sound.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating!¡± said George¡¯s father.  ¡°I wish we had such technology on earth.¡±


    ¡°Be glad you don¡¯t,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen of earthlings, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re ready for such power just yet.¡±


    George noticed that the stars seemed to be shuddering gently, as if they were spiraling in tiny little circles around where they had just been the second before.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost at the light barrier,¡± said the Protector calmly.  ¡°The light of the stars always begins to act funny at about this point.¡±  He flipped some more switches, and to George¡¯s surprise, a black sheath suddenly descended down across the window, completely shutting off their outer vision.  Glancing back, he could barely see the Grak ship like a tiny speck behind them before the shield closed completely and cut off his vision.


    ¡°It¡¯s a light shield,¡± said the Protector, anticipating George¡¯s question about the shield.  ¡°After we break through the light barrier, the light of the stars looks like it¡¯s gone crazy.  Without the shield, we¡¯d be blinded.  But if we flip a few more switches¡ª¡°


    Suddenly, the stars reappeared in the window, exactly as they had been before.  The Protector turned to George and gave a deep sigh of relief.


    ¡°We made it,¡± he said with a happy sigh.  ¡°Boy, was that a close shave!¡±


    ¡°How come the stars came back into view?¡± asked George.  ¡°And where¡¯s the Grak ship?¡± He pointed to where he had last seen it before the window was shielded.


    ¡°It¡¯s still there,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°It just isn¡¯t being projected onto the screen like the stars are.¡±


    Seeing George¡¯s look of confusion, the Protector explained.  ¡°The stars you¡¯re seeing aren¡¯t real.  They¡¯re just images projected on the light shield, as if it were a movie screen.  That¡¯s so we can watch our progress through space.  Only the more advanced projector screens show spaceships or other objects than stars that may be around us.  This teddy bear ship isn¡¯t that advanced.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a chance we may hit something out there that we don¡¯t see?¡± asked George¡¯s father worriedly.  ¡°Like maybe an asteroid?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied the Protector casually.  ¡°The ship¡¯s navigation detects them all and steers clear of them.  We¡¯re perfectly safe.  And the Grak ship won¡¯t be following us for long.  It¡¯s impossible to follow another ship for very long after breaking the light barrier.  Even the most advanced ships can¡¯t do it!¡±


    George¡¯s father came over and looked in amazement at the myriad of dials and buttons on the control panel.  He whistled softly.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how on earth you can make sense of that,¡± he said in wonder.  ¡°Much less, how you could make this ship do all the things you just did.  That was an amazing job of space flying!¡±


    ¡°Aw, shucks,¡± said the Protector, happily embarrassed.  ¡°It was nothing.  For a genius, that is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± said George suddenly.  ¡°The Grak ship doesn¡¯t need to follow us, does it?  They already know where we¡¯re going¡ªto earth!  They¡¯ll probably just send a message ahead and have another of their ships meet us just as we¡¯re getting close!¡±


    The Protector looked at George in admiration.   ¡°You¡¯re absolutely correct,¡± he said gently.  ¡°Well done, to have thought of that.  I¡¯m sure the Grak have done exactly what you said!¡±


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s no hope!¡± cried George¡¯s father in despair.  ¡°After all your efforts, we¡¯ll just be captured again¡ªwithin sight of home!¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°I knew they¡¯d do that, so I plotted a different course.  We¡¯re not going to earth.  We¡¯re going somewhere they don¡¯t expect us to go¡ªsomewhere with lots of transporters.  As soon as we arrive there, we can just go through a transporter and be at my home on earth immediately, the minute we walk through!¡±


    George¡¯s eyes lit up in excitement.  ¡°You don¡¯t mean ¡­¡± he said slowly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± said the Protector in triumph.  ¡°We¡¯re going to my planet!  We¡¯re going to Dluron!¡±

 Chapter Thirteen - An Unplanned Stop

    An hour had passed since they escaped from the Grak ship.  The stars through the window looked pretty much the same to George.  But the Protector assured him that they had indeed changed dramatically.


    ¡°You see this constellation here,¡± said the Protector, pointing at a group of stars that looked as indistinguishable as any other.  ¡°When we left the Grak ship, this constellation wasn¡¯t even visible at all.  It¡¯s the constellation of Rodlyn, or color as you would call it.¡±


    ¡°Color?¡± said George blankly.


    ¡°It¡¯s called that because of the planet Rodlyn which sits in the middle of the constellation,¡± explained the Protector.  ¡°That¡¯s where all the creatures talk in color.  Their music is color, their food is color¡ªalmost everything is color.  And such colors!  You¡¯ve never seen such vibrant purples and blues as you¡¯ll see on Rodlyn.  It¡¯s quite a tourist attraction.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± said George in confusion.  ¡°People can¡¯t eat color!¡±


    ¡°You and I can¡¯t,¡± agreed the Protector.  ¡°But the Rodlynians can.  They guzzle it down like it was ice cream.  And when they talk, it looks like a rainbow is coming out of their mouths.  But they understand each other!¡±


    George shook his head as if to clear it from a fog.


    ¡°Is earth visible from here?¡± asked George¡¯s father.  ¡°Or the earth¡¯s sun?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°It¡¯s still a bit out of range.  The sun is over in this sector¡±¡ªhe pointed at another patch of stars that didn¡¯t look any different to George than the stars anywhere else¡ª¡°but it¡¯s too faint to see.¡±


    ¡°But these stars are all fake, aren¡¯t they?¡± asked George.  ¡°You said they¡¯re just a projected image, like on a movie screen, because we¡¯re going faster than the speed of light.¡±


    ¡°True, but if the screen were gone and we were going slower than the speed of light, the stars would look identical to what we¡¯re seeing,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°The projected image is very accurate and real.¡±


    ¡°Where did we just come from?¡± asked George¡¯s father.


    ¡°Over in this sector,¡± said the Protector, crossing over to the other side of the screen.  ¡°You can just make out the planet Uth right here¡ª¡° he pointed to what looked like a star.  ¡°It¡¯s not a star, of course, but because it¡¯s like clear glass it reflects the light of the stars around it almost as brightly as if it were a real star.¡±


    At mention of the planet Uth, George¡¯s heart sank.  How could he have forgotten?  His high spirits at having escaped the Grak almost filled him with shame, as he remembered the Uth stones that were still back on the Grak ship.  ¡°What a pity,¡± he said sadly.  ¡°We should have rescued the Uth stones, and brought them with us.¡±


    To his amazement, both the Protector and George¡¯s father smiled.  Had they gone crazy?


    And then, the Protector slowly drew a small box from his pants pocket.  And when he opened it¡ª


    ¡°You brought them!¡± cried George in shock.  The Uth stones sparkled and shone with a light that seemed to emanate from within.  ¡°However did you do it?¡±


    The Protector laughed.  ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± he replied simply.  ¡°It was your father.  He knew right where they were.  The Grak had bragged about them to him, and pointed out where they were.  So we grabbed them right before we came for you.¡±


    George¡¯s smile was so broad, it looked like his face would crack.  What the Uth had told him was true¡ªthings had turned out all right.  They were free of the Grak and on their way home.  And they had brought the Uth stones with them!


    Cautiously, George reached out to the stones, and gently touched one of them.  As he did so, a small electric shock shot through his finger, and all the way to his toes.  And with it came a surge of joy.  Perhaps the stones knew of their rescue, and were grateful.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± cried Emberly¡¯s plaintive voice suddenly, as she poked her head out of the Protector¡¯s pocket.  ¡°Who cares about stars and rocks¡ªwhere¡¯s the food?¡±


    Everyone smiled.  ¡°I guess, that¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°The food galley on this ship is a little room over through that door.¡±  He pointed to a passageway across from the control panel.


    Emberly swiftly hopped out of his pocket and darted down the passageway.  ¡°Isn¡¯t anyone else hungry?¡± she called out after them.


    George hadn¡¯t realized until that moment how hungry he was.  He was ravenous!  All the worry and anxiety of the last few hours and days were falling off him, leaving him hungry and tired¡ªand unstoppably happy.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± he called out after Emberly, as he followed her down the hall.


    He found her in the fluffiest kitchen he had ever seen.  All the cabinets and counter tops were fuzzy and cushiony.  Even the refrigerator was padded and decorated in pink.  Emberly was straining at the door, trying to get it open.  But her tiny Flibbet arms just weren¡¯t strong enough.


    ¡°Here, let me help,¡± said George.  Pulling the door open, he saw a variety of green and black items strewn about that didn¡¯t look very appetizing.  George¡¯s heart sank in disappointment.  It didn¡¯t look like there was anything else in the fridge but the pasty teddy bear food!


    Emberly climbed into the refrigerator and took a bite out of something shaped kind of like a carrot, but which was jet black.  She let out a happy squeal.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡± she cried.  ¡°Just like the food they gave us back on the teddy bear planet!¡±


    George¡¯s heart sank some more.  Emberly had loved that food¡ªbut he hadn¡¯t!  If that¡¯s all they had here, then he hoped they reached the Protector¡¯s planet soon.  Hungry as he was, there was no way he was going to eat that bland teddy bear food again.


    ¡°Want some?¡± said Emberly happily, ripping off a piece and holding it out to George.


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± said George firmly.  ¡°Here, let me get it out for you, so you don¡¯t have to stand there shivering and eating in the cold.¡±  He pulled the black carrot-like thing out, and set it on a fuzzy table, then set Emberly next to it.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the Protector as he came into the kitchen.  ¡°Find anything good to eat?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything here besides teddy bear food?¡± said George dismally.


    The Protector laughed.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.  This is a teddy bear ship, you know.¡±


    ¡°Then, how long until we reach your planet?¡± asked George.  ¡°Soon, I hope.¡±


    ¡°About six more hours,¡± said the Protector with a smile.  He was about to say more, when the ship lurched slightly, nearly throwing George off his feet.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± cried the Protector.  ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be doing that at all!¡±  He turned quickly and darted out the door, with George close on his heels.


    When they reached the control panel, George¡¯s father looked at them with a white face.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened!¡± he said worriedly.  ¡°That light there suddenly started to flash, and then the ship swerved and lurched.¡±


    The Protector didn¡¯t say a word, but feverishly began hitting buttons and knobs on the control panel.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked George.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°There was no indication of trouble before.  But now we seem to have a problem in engine number two.¡±


    ¡°Is it serious?¡± asked George, biting his lower lip.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell just yet,¡± said the Protector, flipping some more switches.  Suddenly a series of red lights started to flash along the top of the control console.  The ship lurched once more.


    ¡°Blast it!¡± cried the Protector.  He grabbed a knob, and pulled back on it gently.  The ship suddenly felt as if it were screeching to a halt, and George was nearly pitched into the window.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got trouble!¡± said the Protector, working the controls feverishly.  ¡°I¡¯ve slowed it down, so we¡¯ll be coming through the light barrier any second.¡±


    Sure enough, a few seconds later the windows went completely dark, as all of the projected stars disappeared.  Then the light shield screen slowly began to rise, revealing the same stars out the windows they had been looking at before¡ªthe real ones, this time.


    ¡°The number 2 engine is dying!¡± cried the Protector, punching at the controls.  ¡°That will leave us with just one engine.  This is bad!¡±


    The ship suddenly started to jump and twist as if it had gone crazy.  George grabbed onto a fuzzy chair for support, only to feel the fluffy chair back pull free in his hands.


    ¡°Get down on the floor!¡± commanded the Protector.  ¡°We¡¯re in for a rough ride until we slow down some more.¡±


    George dropped to the fluffy floor, glad for once that the teddy bears had made it so soft.  He didn¡¯t stay there for long though.  The ship nearly flipped upside down, throwing George clear across the room.  As he sailed through the air, he saw his father hanging on to another of the fuzzy chairs for dear life.  It looked for a second like George would collide into him, but somehow he managed to zip by without touching him.


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    ¡°We¡¯re nearly under control,¡± said the Protector, who had miraculously somehow stayed at the control panel.  The bucking and twisting of the ship seemed to contradict him, as it jerked around as much as ever.


    And then, suddenly, it stopped.  Everything was quiet.  Everything but Emberly, who came trotting in from the kitchen, with black smeared all over her face.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you keep the ship from bouncing around?¡± she demanded hotly.  ¡°It¡¯s very hard to eat with it moving so much!¡±


    George picked himself up off the floor, and crossed over to the control panel.  The Protector¡¯s face looked ashen.


    ¡°This is bad,¡± he repeated, to no one in particular.


    ¡°How bad?¡± asked George worriedly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hope now of making it to Dluron,¡± said the Protector sadly.  ¡°And the radio¡¯s gone, so I can¡¯t even call them for help.  We were almost in range of radio contact, too.  I wasn¡¯t able to communicate with them before.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± said George, fear starting to rise up inside him like a cold wave.  ¡°Are the Grak going to catch up to us now?¡±


    ¡°Not very soon,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°We¡¯ve come too far for them to find us very easily.  But if we end up adrift in space, they probably will find us, eventually.  We need to find a planet to set down on¡ªand quickly!  Maybe we can get some help from the natives to fix the ship.¡±


    ¡°Do you know of any planets around here that we could go to?¡± asked George.


    ¡°Not really,¡± said the Protector, pulling out what looked like a star chart from a lower panel.  ¡°We were in a very remote part of space when we left the Grak ship, a place where there were few friendly planets around.  Let¡¯s see if we¡¯ve travelled closer to anyone we can go to for help.¡±


    ¡°How about the color planet?¡± said George in sudden hope.   ¡°You said it¡¯s a favorite tourist attraction.¡±


    ¡°Too far away still,¡± said the Protector.  He flipped through the chart.  ¡°No, we need something much closer than that.¡±  He studied the chart silently for a moment.  George¡¯s father came up behind George, and looked anxiously at the chart.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a possibility,¡± said the Protector after a moment.  He paused, then glanced up at the gauges.  ¡°Yep, we might just make this one.  In fact, it¡¯s probably the only planet we can reach that will sustain life.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked George¡¯s father in a tight voice.  ¡°Maybe it would be safer to just wait here in space.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯d be picked up by the Grak if we did that!¡± cried George.


    ¡°Maybe so, but even that¡¯s better than being killed on some uninhabitable planet,¡± replied George¡¯s father.


    ¡°It¡¯s a remote planet, all right,¡± said the Protector, before George could object anymore.  ¡°The chart doesn¡¯t show that it has any inhabitants that have the ability to talk.   Just plants and simple animals.  But its atmosphere has been carefully assessed, and it will easily sustain life.  In fact, it¡¯s kind of like a jungle planet!¡±


    ¡°Boy, I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± said George¡¯s father, rubbing his chin.  ¡°If it¡¯s such a good place, why haven¡¯t people moved there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too remote,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°We¡¯re still in a part of the galaxy that is just plain empty.  But if this planet were close to mine, believe me, there¡¯d be people there.  Lots of them!  Jungle planets have a lot of potential, not only for sustaining life, but for conversion into retirement communities.  People like all the green plant life.¡±


    The Protector began to adjust the dials and switches on the control panel.  ¡°I¡¯ll head over to it now.  At normal speeds, we could be there in a few seconds, but as weakened as we are without engine number two, it will be about twenty minutes.¡±


    George¡¯s father still looked worried, and was pacing back and forth.  George peered through the screen, trying to see if he could locate a planet in the vast inkiness of space.  ¡°I don¡¯t see any planet out there,¡± he said after a moment of careful scrutiny.


    ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s there,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°We¡¯re now heading straight for it.  I¡¯d better go check the emergency gear in this ship, to make sure we¡¯ve got the survival tools we¡¯ll probably need.¡±


    ¡°Survival tools?¡± said George¡¯s father in alarm.  ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go down to this planet at all!¡±


    ¡°Not to worry,¡± said the Protector with a slight smile.  ¡°All I mean by survival tools are simple things, like tents, blankets, knives, things like that.  The information on this planet indicated there are no hostile animals or creatures, and it is very docile.  The blankets and other things are just to make us more comfortable.¡±


    George started to follow the Protector down the hall.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay up by the control panel?¡± the Protector said suddenly.  ¡°Keep an eye on it, and come tell me if any more flashing lights come on.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George, a bit disappointed.  He didn¡¯t know what any of the dials were, and didn¡¯t know how he could possibly keep an eye on it.  The survival gear sounded more interesting.


    George resumed his place by the front window, and watched the stars, as well as the control panel.  His father continued to pace back and forth behind him, muttering worriedly to himself.  It was obvious he didn¡¯t like the idea of going down to this planet at all.


    After a few moments, George noticed the dim outline of what looked like a small moon coming toward them.   It seemed to be growing larger.  A nearby star bathed it in light, and as they approached, George could see swirls of white and green across its surface.


    ¡°Clouds and rainforests,¡± said the Protector, suddenly at his side.  ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re seeing.  It doesn¡¯t have nearly as many oceans as earth, which looks more blue from a distance than green, because of all the water.¡±


    ¡°What about the emergency gear?¡± asked George¡¯s father in a tight voice.


    ¡°It checks out o.k.¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°We¡¯ll have what we need.¡±


    The green and white planet was drawing slowly closer.  It now looked like a large marble sitting in space, with swirls and gashes of green mixed with the clouds of white.


    The Protector moved some controls and adjusted some of the instruments.  ¡°We¡¯ll be landing in about five minutes,¡± he said.


    The planet loomed larger and larger in front of them, and soon seemed to swallow the entire screen.  Now that they were this close, the planet looked massive.  George could see some small patches of blue in some places¡ªoceans or lakes, apparently.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the same size as earth, even though it looks bigger right now, since we¡¯re so close,¡± said the Protector.


    ¡°What did you say the name of this planet was?¡± asked George¡¯s father.


    ¡°It has no name,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Just a number designation¡ªL91.¡±


    The ship suddenly rocked gently from side to side.  ¡°That¡¯s the outer atmosphere,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Any second now, we¡¯ll feel a bit of a jolt, then we¡¯ll be through.¡±


    Hardly had he said it, than it happened.  With a bounce that nearly knocked George off his feet, they entered the full atmosphere of the planet.  Some of the clouds were reaching out to them now, nearly touching them.  Through the clouds they could see bright patches of green.  They were low enough now that it looked similar to when George had flown on an airplane to Los Angeles two years ago with his family.  He could see hills and rivers, and a distant shoreline of what must be a large lake or an ocean.  There were clouds everywhere.


    They sank lower, and were now completely submerged in clouds.  George always felt nervous flying through clouds, wondering if the ground would suddenly reach up to them so rapidly they would crash.


    But it didn¡¯t.  The Protector was glued to the control panel, concentration written all over his face.  As they burst through the lower clouds, they saw what looked like a vast forest stretching out beneath them.  The gentle sunshine from the nearby star¡ªwhich served as this world¡¯s sun¡ªmade it look incredibly similar to earth.


    The Protector steered the ship towards an open meadow patch that he saw nearby.  ¡°We¡¯re almost there ¡­¡± he said under his breath.  George sat down on the floor, not wanting to be pitched from his feet when they landed.


    And then they were down.  The Protector made a perfect, gentle landing, which was so soft all George felt was the slightest bump.  Looking out the window, he saw a blanket of trees towering above them.


    The Protector sighed with relief, and turned to face them.  ¡°We have landed,¡± he said crisply.  ¡°Welcome to L91.¡±

 Chapter Fourteen - Exploring the New Home

    George¡¯s father stood gazing out the window disapprovingly.   ¡°I still think we might have been better off waiting in space.  How are we going to get off this planet with a damaged ship?¡±


    ¡°That is a problem,¡± agreed the Protector.  ¡°But we wouldn¡¯t have been any better off in space.  Not many ships come this way.  We can send out a distress signal just as well from down here as we could up there.  And at least here, we¡¯ll be able to replenish our food supply, and get fresh water.  The supplies in the ship wouldn¡¯t have lasted very long up in space.¡±


    ¡°But what about the ship?¡± repeated George¡¯s father.  ¡°Do you think you can fix it?  And if you can¡¯t, where does that leave us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can fix it,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°I can only try ¡­¡±  His voice trailed off.  They were all thinking the same thing.  If the engine couldn¡¯t be fixed, they could end up being stranded on this planet for a very long time.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the Protector after a moment.  ¡°I suppose we should go out and have a look around.¡±


    ¡°Do we have to?¡± said Emberly, still munching on a carrot.  ¡°Why don¡¯t we just stay in here where it¡¯s safe.  It looks big out there.¡±


    ¡°To a flibbet, I¡¯m sure it does,¡± said the Protector with a smile.  ¡°You can stay here Emberly, and eat everything you find in the kitchen.  We¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    George¡¯s father was leaning over the star chart that told about L91.  Unfortunately, all of the information was written in a strange language.


    ¡°Is the atmosphere safe?¡± his father said worriedly.


    ¡°The ship¡¯s instruments show that it¡¯s very similar to earth, although slightly richer in oxygen.  That¡¯s probably because of all the dense forests and plant life covering the planet.¡±


    ¡°How about dangerous animals?¡± asked his father.  ¡°Or even dangerous plants.  Are there any?¡±


    ¡°Not according to the notes of the last three-day exploration expedition.¡±  The Protector looked closely at the star chart.  ¡°That was five years ago.¡±


    ¡°A lot could have changed in that much time,¡± said his father.  He paced back and forth again.  Then he stopped and looked pointedly at the Protector.  ¡°Does this ship have any weapons?¡±


    ¡°I just now found some more cans of the obedience spray in the emergency supply room,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°And I also found some simple, low power echo guns.  They should work well on any creature we find on this planet.¡±


    ¡°Echo guns?¡± repeated George curiously.


    ¡°Come here, and I¡¯ll show you,¡± said the Protector, leading the way down the hall.  ¡°An echo gun uses sound as a weapon.  It shoots an exceptionally loud noise at your enemy, which continues to echo over and over in his ears, even though you only hear it once.  It¡¯s very effective at scaring off animals.¡±


    They had arrived at the emergency supply room.  Not surprisingly, it was also decorated in fluffy cushions and fuzzy softness.  The Protector pulled three silver objects from a cabinet.  They looked more like TV remote controls than guns.


    He handed one to George.  ¡°The yellow button is the firing mechanism,¡± he said simply.  He then held one out to George¡¯s father.  Surprisingly, he waved it away.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be needing one, if you and George have one,¡± he said off-handedly.  ¡°We¡¯ll all be staying close together when we go out, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The Protector looked at him curiously.  ¡°Well, at least take one of these obedience spray cans then,¡± he said, pulling one off a shelf and holding it out to George¡¯s father.


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± said his father.  ¡°I¡¯ll meet you guys up front.  I just want to look through the window again, and make sure nothing¡¯s out there.¡±  He disappeared down the hall.


    ¡°Strange,¡± said the Protector, looking after him curiously.  ¡°He seemed so nervous before.  He¡¯s the one who asked for weapons!  Does your father dislike guns?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s never owned a gun,¡± said George simply.  ¡°But I never knew him to dislike them, particularly.  It is funny how he doesn¡¯t seem to want to take one, even though he¡¯s worried about our safety.  That¡¯s not like him.¡±


    ¡°Well, we know it¡¯s not fear of enemies,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Not after the way we saw him attack that Grak.  No ¡­¡± he paused, deep in thought.  ¡°Perhaps, his time with the Grak has affected him in ways we aren¡¯t aware of.  We¡¯d better watch out for him.¡±  George silently pocketed the echo gun, and took one of the obedience spray cans as well.


    Back at the control panel, they found George¡¯s father carefully scanning the trees at the edge of the clearing.  ¡°There doesn¡¯t appear to be anything out there,¡± he said.  He looked grim, but determined.  ¡°I guess we¡¯d better go out and see what¡¯s there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have a quick look around, close to the ship,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°At night, we¡¯ll obviously stay in here and lock things up.¡±  He led the way over to the outer hatch and pushed a button.  There was a loud click, and slowly the panel swung outward.  A set of steps retracted out of the ship and onto the ground while a gush of fresh, rich air reached up to them.


    Cautiously, the Protector led the way out of the ship, his echo gun in hand.  At the foot of the steps, they paused to look at their surroundings.


    ¡°Wow!¡± said George happily, taking a deep breath of the thick air.  ¡°It smells wonderful out here!¡±  After his weeks of captivity and time in space, it was heavenly to be in an apparently normal place again.


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    ¡°That¡¯s the rich oxygen I told you about,¡± said the Protector.


    George stood at the foot of the ramp, drinking it all in.  The sunshine felt marvelous on his shoulders.  There was a gentle breeze that rustled some nearby bushes, and he could hear the soft buzzing of an insect nearby.  It all seemed so familiar and welcome that George had a hard time believing they were on a strange planet, far from earth.


    George¡¯s father had stayed back, and was standing in the shadow of the ramp.  He was looking around uneasily.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said the Protector, waving them forward.  George followed him across the clearing they had landed in.  It was over 100 feet wide in a circular shape, with mostly low grass for a covering.  But around all the edges were large and stately trees, and beneath them they could see a thick undergrowth of bushes.


    Looking back, George was surprised to see that his father was still in the shadow of the ramp.  Was something wrong?


    Just then, a shadow came over the entire clearing.  Looking up, George saw that one of the numerous clouds he had seen from space had temporarily covered L91¡¯s sun.  His father stepped quickly out from under the ramp, and came over to them.


    ¡°It is quite a beautiful place,¡± he said, looking all around.  ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe there are no inhabitants, other than plants.¡±


    ¡°Just a few little furry animals, according to the last explorer report,¡± said the Protector.  He led the way across the clearing, and into the undergrowth of the trees.


    ¡°It looks like we have some sort of berries here,¡± said the Protector, pointing to a bush laden with plump, reddish fruit of some kind.  ¡°I¡¯ll take some back and test them in the ship to see if they¡¯re edible.¡±  He plucked some of the fruit, and put it in his pocket.  George pulled off one of the berries, which felt soft and gushy in his hands.  It didn¡¯t have much smell, but squirted a reddish juice on his fingers.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look around, a little farther in,¡± said the Protector, leading the way into the thick undergrowth.  There were fern-like plants and bushes in such abundance that it was hard to find a way in.  There didn¡¯t seem to be any trails.


    Moving cautiously and slowly, the Protector pushed through the undergrowth and farther into the forest.  George followed, keeping his eyes on the ground and the leaves.  From his walks in the woods back in California, he had learned to keep an eye out for spiders and other annoying little insects that might brush onto him.  What type of insects might there be here?


    ¡°Here¡¯s another kind of berry,¡± called the Protector from in front of them.  Looking up, George saw a bush laden with bunches of a bluish-green fruit of some kind.  The Protector picked a few off, and put them in his pocket as well.


    They kept on heading into the forest.  In no time they had lost sight of the ship.  ¡°One could get lost here, very easily,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°There are no landmarks.  We¡¯d better not go any farther in.¡±  He looked back the way they had come.  ¡°We left a trail, of sorts, of bent branches and so on, so we¡¯ll be o.k. to find our way back.  But just the same, we¡¯d better make it a hard and fast rule that no one goes into the forest alone, and when they do, they need to leave a trail behind them, to follow back.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± said George¡¯s father.  He was standing in the shade of a tall tree, his feet seemingly cut off by the brush at its base.


    They headed back, and in no time saw the ship through the green foliage.  In spite of all the problems they still had, of damage to the ship and the Grak being after them, George felt exhilarated at being in the woods.  Maybe it was just the rich oxygen like the Protector had said, or maybe it was something more.  Whatever it was, George liked it.


    There were still clouds casting shadows in the clearing as they walked across the meadow to the ship.  ¡°I¡¯ll test these berries out right away,¡± said the Protector as he stepped up the ramp.  ¡°If they¡¯re o.k., we can quickly get some more and have a berry feast.¡±


    ¡°Anything would be better than the teddy bear food,¡± said George hopefully.  He hesitated at the foot of the ramp.  It felt so refreshing and alive here, he didn¡¯t really want to go back into the fluffy ship.  It reminded him too much of the teddy bear creatures that had held him captive.


    ¡°Coming up, George?¡± asked his father, as he passed George and headed up the ramp.


    ¡°In a minute,¡± he responded.  He looked around again at the lush greenery surrounding the clearing and took a deep breath of the crisp, wonderful air.


    Beautiful as it was however, George hoped they wouldn¡¯t be here long.  He yearned to be home, and to see the joy on his mother¡¯s face when his father entered the house.  He was even looking forward to seeing his sister Janet.  He grinned, ruefully.  Now that was a bad case of homesickness!


    Slowly he went up the ramp.  A nagging fear tugged at the back of his mind.  How long would it be before he saw home again?  How much time would pass before he would hear the unpleasant jangle of his cell phone, as his mother called again¡ªa sound he now longed to hear?  How long before he could do something normal, like stroll into a grocery store with his mother?


    Or, was this place, lovely as it was, going to be their new home, forever?

 Chapter Fifteen - L91

    A week had passed since they had arrived on planet L91.  It was a week of worry, busy activity and testing of various plants and roots to see if they were edible.  The bluish-green berries tested well, and proved to be edible and very tasty.  In spite of their color, they tasted almost like watermelon.  The reddish plump fruit had some toxins in it, so the Protector warned them not to eat it.


    Meanwhile, the Protector found several different varieties of roots and a few other berries that were edible, some of which tasted quite good.  For George, even the blandest, least desirable of the edible roots they found tasted far better than the teddy bear food.  They would cook the roots in the teddy bear version of a microwave, and the results often tasted surprisingly good.


    As for engine number 2, they were still uncertain whether it could be fixed.  The Protector had spent the entire afternoon of their first day dismantling it and carefully analyzing each piece to see what was wrong.  In the end, he had thrown his hands up in despair, declaring he would have to study the engine manual in tedious detail to figure out what the problem was.  And that is what he had been doing every day since¡ªwith a good deal of cursing, complaining and grumpiness thrown in.


    While the Protector worked on the engine, George had gone exploring every day in the woods.  The Protector had found a set of direction finders in the ship, and so there was no longer any fear of getting lost.  The finders would point the way and guide him back to the ship, no matter how far away he wandered.  George would often go for hours at a time, simply exploring and seeing what there was to see.  Emberly would sometimes join him on these expeditions, riding in his pocket and chattering away at everything she saw.


    George¡¯s father however, rarely joined him in his wanderings.  George was worried about him.  He rarely went out, and kept to himself in the ship, often saying he didn¡¯t feel well.  He would spend hours, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.  He never ate with the others, even when they prepared him a special dish of whatever new root or berry they had found.  He said his stomach was still recovering from his experience with the Grak, and so he would snack in the kitchen at odd times.  But George had to admit, he had never seen him eat, not even once.  And no matter how hard he tried, he could never get him to try even a bite of anything.  It was very strange.


    Yet, in spite of not eating, his father continued to look about the same as always.  He didn¡¯t lose weight, or decrease too much in energy.  But he would rarely go out of the ship, and then only on cloudy days.  He seemed to have an unusual fear of the sun.


    At night, the clearing was very dark.  Out the window, they could see a rich display of stars rising above the trees of the clearing, but when they looked into the woods there was no light at all.  They looked dark and forbidding.  However, they were also oddly silent.  George was used to hearing crickets or other insects at night, but there was no such sound here.  The quietness was eerie, and seemed to intensify the sense of isolation each one of them felt when night fell.  George was always grateful to greet the rising sun of a new day.


    One of the most unusual and intense things about planet L91 was the vividness of their dreams.  On his first night, George dreamed of being back in the zoo of the teddy bears, with all the watching crowds.  The sights and sounds and smells were so real that it seemed like he was actually there.  In commenting on his dream the next morning, he was surprised to learn that the Protector and Emberly had also had vivid dreams, although his father hadn¡¯t.  ¡°It¡¯s probably just the rich oxygen on this planet,¡± said the Protector off-handedly.  ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡±


    While rummaging through the ship on the day after their arrival, George was surprised to find a copy of the earth book ¡®The Wizard of Oz.¡¯  The Protector said the teddy bears must have taken it from earth, to put in his zoo cage.  Since there wasn¡¯t much else to do other than explore or watch the Protector sweat and curse over engine number 2, George started reading it.  It was a simple book, and didn¡¯t take him long to finish.


    Strangely enough however, for the next several nights George dreamed about the unusual china country in the book.  This was a part of ¡®The Wizard of Oz¡¯ that wasn¡¯t in the movie, and isn¡¯t very well known.  Dorothy and her friends at one point enter a strange little land where all the people and houses and everything are made out of fine china¡ªthe same thing that fancy dinner plates are made out of.  Dorothy and her friends had to walk carefully among the china people to not scare them into running, since they might fall and break themselves.


    In George¡¯s dreams, he often saw himself looking over the protective china wall into this bizarre china country.  He would see the clown from the book, who was the only one unafraid of being broken because he had fallen and been broken and glued back together so many times.  He had cracks and seams all over him.  In George¡¯s dreams, the clown would often stand on his head, and fall over and break himself again.


    Other times, George would see the strange china cows in his dreams.  They usually stayed safe in their China barns, munching impossibly on china hay.  George had no idea why he dreamed of this place.  He started telling himself before going to sleep that he needed to dream about something else.  But his dreams still always ended up being about this bizarre country of the china people.


    On the morning of the eighth day, George packed a few of the tastier berries in a small travel bag he often carried with him when he explored.  He was feeling restless and uneasy, and thought he would try a new direction from the ship today that he had never gone before.


    No one else seemed to want to go with him.  ¡°How long are you going to be gone?¡± asked Emberly in her usual blunt manner.¡±


    ¡°Oh, quite awhile, I think,¡± answered George.  There wasn¡¯t much to come back to, anyway.  He had long since finished reading ¡®The Wizard of Oz,¡¯ and there were no other books to be found on the fuzzy ship.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay here then,¡± replied Emberly.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to be away from the fridge too long.¡±


    George rolled his eyes.  Emberly spent most of her days in the kitchen, munching almost incessantly on the teddy bear food she found so appetizing.  She had gained several ounces, and was beginning to look a bit roundish.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far,¡± said his father, giving him a meaningful look.  He didn¡¯t approve much of George¡¯s wanderings.  ¡°There still could be dangerous creatures on this planet that we don¡¯t know about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be all right, Dad,¡± George said off-handedly.  His father seemed to be worrying about his comings and goings almost as much as his mother used to, back in California.  If cell phones would have worked on L91, he was sure his father would be calling every hour he was out exploring, just like she had.


    ¡°Go and find some more berries for us to eat,¡± said the Protector, his face so buried in the engine manual that he didn¡¯t bother to look up.  ¡°I think I might finally be making progress with engine number 2, so I won¡¯t join you today.¡±


    And so, George set out alone.  He headed off to the left of the ship, in a direction that he had never taken before.  Right before he left the clearing, he looked back and saw his father standing inside the teddy bear ship at the window.  He waved cheerfully.  His father waved back, and forced a smile.


    Then George plunged into the thick undergrowth of the woods.  He was no longer as concerned about insects as he had been at first, since he had seen very few since their arrival.  He simply pushed ahead through the thick undergrowth, swatting the branches and leaves aside, and making a great deal of noise.


    After a time, the earth sloped gently uphill.  The ground was rougher, and George frequently stumbled and nearly fell.  The woods were quiet, reflecting little sound other than the noise he was making himself.  In a way, George felt like an elephant bungling his way along, he was making such a racket.


    Coming to the top of a small rise, George peered down into what looked like a small valley.  It looked no different from the rest of the woods, being almost a solid wall of green foliage and trees.


    He started down.  He filled his lungs with the rich, invigorating air.  These walks through the woods were often a bit boring, yet at the same time, were also strangely invigorating.  His heart beat strongly, and he felt so very much alive!


    George stumbled over a tree root, and lost his footing.  He sprawled headlong on the ground.  He smiled ruefully.  Now he had the rich, black earth all over his hands.  Flopping over on his back, he looked up at the green leaves of the trees, far above his head.  It was so peaceful here.  In a way, it was just like home.


    Suddenly, George felt something hard and cold beneath his hand.  Turning, he was shocked to see something white, half buried in the black earth.  Quickly he dug it out, and was amazed to find himself looking at what could only be a broken piece of china, as if it had come from a dinner dish.  What on earth was it doing out here?


    George scrabbled around in the dirt some more, looking for more pieces of the dish.  There were none.


    He stood up, and looked closely at the china piece he held.  Now that he looked at it, it didn¡¯t look like it came from a plate after all.  It had an odd shape, sort of round on one side.  One thing was for certain¡ªit was not a natural thing.  Someone had made it.


    So they were not alone on this planet after all!  His father had been right!  His father and the Protector would be fascinated at his discovery¡ªbut of course, his father would also be very worried, and would probably not allow George to wander anymore through the woods.  Should he tell them?  On the other hand, dared he not tell them, considering how important this discovery could be?


    Suddenly, George heard a sound.  Whirling around, he stared through the trees in the direction it had come from.  He saw nothing.  He stood perfectly still, waiting to see if he would hear it again.  He wasn¡¯t sure what it had been.  All he knew was that it sounded familiar somehow.


    There it was again!  It was a little louder this time.  And it sounded exactly like the mooing of a cow!


    This was impossible!  There couldn¡¯t be any cows on this planet!  What was going on?


    George crept forward, trying his best to go slowly and not make any noise.  It wasn¡¯t easy.  The undergrowth was so thick, and the bushes and branches so dense, that he had to constantly push them aside to make his way forward.  The rustling this made was unavoidable.


    There was the sound again!  This time there could be no mistake¡ªit was definitely the mooing of a cow!  And with it was something even more amazing.  Someone was laughing!


    George crouched down and peered carefully through the thick undergrowth.  There, up to the right¡ªwhat was that?  It was shiny and white, and completely out of place in the thick, green undergrowth spread all around George.


    He knew he should go back.  There could be danger here.  He should go tell the Protector, and the two of them and his father could come back and see what this was all about.


    But at the same time, he felt himself being drawn irresistibly forward.  It was as if something was pulling him.  Something familiar, that he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on.


    He reached down and pulled the echo gun from his pocket.  Best to be prepared.  Holding his thumb over the yellow trigger that would fire the gun, he crept cautiously forward.


    The white, shiny thing was plainly visible now.  It was quite large, and seemed to stretch off in both directions.  It stood almost as tall as George.  And as he approached, he knew what it was.


    It was a wall.  A long wall made of china.  And as he approached, and heard more of the mooing and laughter and talking, he knew what he would see on the other side when he peered over it.


    It was the china country from the Wizard of Oz.  It was exactly what he had dreamed about every night for the last week!

 Chapter Sixteen - The China Country

    George stood staring at the wall in absolute fascination.  This couldn¡¯t be happening!  This wall was impossible!  Yet, there it was, right in front of him.


    Walking cautiously forward, he peered over the top of the wall.  Just as he had expected, he saw the china country, exactly as it was described in The Wizard of Oz!  There were barns and houses and rolling hills, and even a little church not far away.


    ¡°Oh, my goodness!¡± cried a voice from below.  Looking down, he saw a china milkmaid, holding a pail of milk, and leading a cow.  This must be the milkmaid mentioned in the book!


    The milkmaid looked up at him with round eyes.  Her hands began to tremble, and she took a step backwards, nearly stumbling over her feet as she did so.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± she cried.  ¡°You might break me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to,¡± said George softly.  ¡°I just want to ask where you came from.¡±


    The girl looked at him quizzically.  ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°How did you happen to get here?¡± asked George.  At her blank stare, he continued.  ¡°You know.  To this planet¡ªto L91.  How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the faintest idea what you¡¯re talking about!¡± she said.  ¡°Are you sick in the head?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said George, trying to think fast.  He decided to change his tactics.  ¡°I¡¯m just trying to figure out where I am,¡± he said.


    ¡°The land of Oz, of course,¡± replied the milkmaid.  ¡°In the south part, the land of the Quadlings.  You must be sick in the head to not know where you are.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been here?¡± asked George.


    She looked at him for a moment, before answering.  ¡°All of my life, of course.¡±  Then she added, ¡°Maybe you should go see Glinda, the witch of the south.  She might help your head be all right again.¡±


    At that moment, a jolly little china man rounded the corner of a nearby barn.  George recognized him immediately as the clown who was always standing on his head, and falling over and getting cracked and broken¡ªexactly as he kept seeing in his dreams!


    ¡°Mr. Clown!¡± he called.


    The man looked up and was so startled at the sight of George that he fell over backward with a resounding clatter.  It sounded exactly like a teacup falling on an empty plate.


    Picking himself up, he gazed up at George with wide eyes.  ¡°My, you¡¯ve got a loud voice, giant.  I nearly broke myself again!¡±


    The clown brushed himself off, apparently not greatly concerned that he had nearly broken when he fell.  The milkmaid pulled anxiously on the cow she had in tow, and walked quickly away.  Every once in awhile, she glanced worriedly over her shoulder at George.


    ¡°Now, what is it you wanted?¡± asked the clown, coming closer to the wall, and suddenly standing on his head.


    ¡°I just wondered where you came from,¡± said George.


    ¡°Seems to me, I¡¯m the one who should be asking that question,¡± answered the clown, standing right side up again.  ¡°After all, you¡¯re the stranger from somewhere far away.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not!¡± insisted George.  ¡°That is, I am from far away, but you¡¯re a stranger here too.  How long has this china country been here?¡±


    ¡°As long as Oz has been here, I guess,¡± said the clown, pulling some tiny china balls out of his pocket, and starting to juggle them.


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t Oz!¡± cried George.  ¡°This is a strange planet, without any inhabitants.  There is no emerald city nearby, or Glinda the Good, or anything else from the book about Oz!¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The clown stopped juggling to stare at George.  ¡°My, you are a strange one,¡± he said at last.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how you come by your ideas.  I ought to know what country I was born and raised in!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to come outside the wall and see?¡± said George, leaning over the china wall toward him.  ¡°I can show you.  You¡¯ll see that there¡¯s no emerald city.¡±


    The clown backed quickly away.  ¡°Not at all!¡± he cried.  ¡°I¡¯ve never been outside the wall¡ªit¡¯s too dangerous for us china people!  Someone is liable to pick us up and take us home to put on their fireplace mantle!¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± said George, ¡°how do you know you¡¯re in the land of Oz?¡±


    The clown shook his head sadly.  ¡°Your head must be more cracked than mine,¡± he said sadly.  ¡°Of course I¡¯m in Oz!  Where else would I be?  Every once in awhile, we have some bungling visitor come through and assure us they just came from the emerald city, or are going to see Glinda.  Like that funny little girl and her dog the other day, who came with a walking scarecrow and some creature made out of metal¡ªand a big, clumsy lion!¡±


    George could see it was pointless to keep questioning him.  He and the milkmaid were both absolutely convinced that they were in the land of Oz.  He considered climbing over the wall and going farther into the china country, in search of someone who might know a bit more.  But in the distance he could see the milkmaid talking to a crowd of china people.  She was pointing toward him and talking excitedly.  The people looked restless and worried.  He wasn¡¯t likely to get much help from them.


    George pulled back from the wall, and pulled the direction finder out of his pocket.  He had to get back and tell the Protector about this!


    Flipping the finder on, he headed off swiftly in the direction it indicated he should take.  It was late morning, and the sun was shining brightly.  But a cloud of worry covered George¡¯s heart.


    The china country from the Wizard of Oz couldn¡¯t be here. It just couldn¡¯t!  How was it possible?  Was it connected to his dream somehow?  But how could that be?


    George was running now.  He had to find the Protector and his father and bring them back to this place.  Even if his father didn¡¯t let him go out in the woods anymore, they had to know about what he had found.


    The bushes tore at George¡¯s clothes, and branches frequently slapped him in the face.  He often stumbled and fell over tree roots or loose stones.  But he didn¡¯t care.  He just had to get back¡ªand fast!


    George suddenly burst into a clearing where the sun was shining brightly.  But this wasn¡¯t the clearing where the teddy bear ship was resting.  And what George saw in the clearing was so astounding that he simply stood and gaped in wonder.


    ¡°Come on in, George!¡± came a voice from the clearing in front of him.  ¡°The water¡¯s fine!¡±

 Chapter Seventeen - Hop in for a Swim

    George stood motionless at the edge of the woods, staring at the impossible scene in front of him.  If he had thought the china country was impossible, that was nothing compared to what he was looking at now!


    It looked like a large swimming pool.  There was a stone walkway all around it, and an expanse of blue, rippling water.  And swimming in the pool were some of the oddest creatures George had ever seen.  They were small, and brown and leathery.  They wore funny looking little swimsuits in bright colors.  There were dozens of them, running around the edge of the pool, or splashing and laughing in the water.  And right in the middle of them all was the Protector!  In contrast with the others, he was still in the form of the swarthy man he had transformed himself into on earth before coming back to rescue Emberly and George.


    ¡°Amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± called out the Protector to him.  George was so stunned by the scene that he could not reply.  ¡°Here, let me get out and we¡¯ll talk.¡±  The Protector started wading slowly toward George across the pool.  After a minute, he pulled himself out, dripping profusely, and caught up a towel which sat on a reclining chair at the pool¡¯s edge.  He was wearing a swim suit with bright red and white stripes, which made him look like a candy cane.


    Drying himself off with the towel, he came slowly up to George.  ¡°Impossible, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked casually.


    ¡°What? ¡­ How? ¡­¡± George spluttered.


    ¡°I know exactly how you feel,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable and impossible that this pool can be here, filled with the creatures from my home planet.  But here it is!  And it¡¯s a very nice pool, at that.¡±


    George turned on the Protector, trying to articulate the confusion in his mind.  ¡°How can this be happening?¡± he asked at last.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the Protector calmly.  Having finished drying himself off, he dropped the towel on the chair and put his hands on his hips, staring at the pool.


    ¡°I was working on engine number 2 over there at the ship, which is just on the other side of those trees,¡± said the Protector, pointing.  ¡°All of a sudden, I heard laughing and splashing over here. I came to investigate¡ªand behold!  A Dluron swimming pool, just like you find all over the place on my planet.  Swimming is a very popular sport there, you know.¡±


    ¡°But how did it get here?¡± demanded George.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t the faintest idea,¡± said the Protector casually.  ¡°All I know is that I¡¯ve been dreaming about this pool for the last week.  And now, here it is!¡±


    ¡°Dreaming!¡± cried George, grabbing the Protector¡¯s arm.  ¡°You dreamed this pool?¡±  His eyes were intense, boring into those of the Protector.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± said the Protector calmly.  ¡°For several nights in a row, now.  I Can¡¯t seem to stop dreaming of it, in fact.¡±  He looked sharply up at George.  ¡°I¡¯d bet you were just coming to tell me you saw something out there that you dreamed about, too?  Is that right?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± asked George blankly.


    ¡°Simple deduction,¡± said the Protector, walking slowly over to a canopy to get out of the sun.  ¡°If it happened to me, it probably happened to you.  Although we both know that it¡¯s impossible and it can¡¯t be happening at all!¡±


    ¡°But how is it happening then!¡± cried George, almost in a frenzy.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t the foggiest notion, like I said before,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°And none of my people who you see swimming here are any help.  They all look at me as if I''m crazy when I ask them how this pool got here to planet L91.  They''re convinced they''re back on Dluron!"


    The Protector stroked his chin for a minute, while George continued to stare at him in confusion.  "My speculation," he began slowly, "is that it has something to do with this planet.  Perhaps there is some power here, some invisible, bizarre force that creates the things we dream about.¡±


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!¡°But how?¡± cried George.  ¡°And why didn¡¯t the first explorers to this planet find it?¡±


    ¡°They probably didn¡¯t stay long enough,¡± answered the Protector.  ¡°We¡¯ve been here more than a week, whereas they stayed only 3 or 4 days.  As for how it¡¯s happening, all I can say is that there are many strange things, in space, that can¡¯t be explained.  Space explorers have often come across phenomenon like this on other worlds.  It makes for exciting reading, and excellent book sales in newsstands across the galaxy!¡±


    ¡°So this planet has some mysterious power to create real dreams?¡± said George slowly.


    ¡°It does seem to, yes,¡± replied the Protector.


    ¡°Is it safe, then?¡± asked George worriedly.


    The Protector gave George a pointed look.  ¡°As long as our dreams are safe,¡± he replied.


    ¡°What in thunder is all this?¡± came a voice from the other side of the pool.  Looking up, George saw his father standing under the shade of a tree at the far edge of the pool.  His eyes were opened wide as he stared at the carefree Dluronians, none of whom paid any attention to him.


    ¡°A dream,¡± called out the Protector calmly, walking around the pool toward George¡¯s father.  ¡°I was just explaining to George that I have dreamed about this pool for the last several nights, and now here it is.  He also dreamed something that has come into reality.  It would seem that this planet has a strange power to make our dreams come true!¡±


    George¡¯s father stared at the Protector for a moment.  At last he sighed deeply, and said, ¡°I knew we should have stayed up in space, and not come to this blasted planet!¡±


    ¡°We really didn¡¯t have much choice,¡± responded the Protector, unruffled.  ¡°If we had tried to stay up there, we would have lasted only a few days.  Then we would have had to come down here anyway.  We would have needed water, food, and even oxygen to breath.  We simply couldn¡¯t have stayed up there for long.¡±


    ¡°But this!¡± cried George¡¯s father, pointing wildly at the pool and its carefree inhabitants.  ¡°This is impossible!  Has the planet affected our minds?  Are we¡¯re going insane?¡±


    ¡°I think not,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°What appears to be going on here is a force generated by the planet somehow that turns dreams to reality.  I don¡¯t think it¡¯s threatening in any way, as long as the dreams are safe.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± said the Protector suddenly.  ¡°What have you been dreaming about lately?  Has it come true as well?¡±


    George¡¯s father was taken aback.  ¡°I almost never dream,¡± he said curtly.  ¡°Some people don¡¯t, you know.¡±


    ¡°So, you haven¡¯t had any dreams at all, then?¡± asked the Protector curiously.  ¡°Nothing?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said George¡¯s father with a frown.  He was wringing his hands uneasily.  ¡°I don¡¯t like this.  There¡¯s something dangerous here.  We need to get off this planet!  Even being held by the Grak would be better than the dangers here!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said the Protector, raising an eyebrow.


    George also stared at his father.  ¡°How can you say that?¡± he gasped.  ¡°You know what they tried to do to us¡ªwhat they tried to do to the whole earth!  Anything would be better than being held by them!  Even this insanity!¡±


    George¡¯s father stared at his son for a moment.  Then he shook his head from side to side, as if trying to clear it from a fog.  ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said softly.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying.  I guess I was held by them too long.  I just don¡¯t know what to make of all this.  It¡¯s eerie.  It could be dangerous.  We just don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit spooky, I suppose,¡± commented the Protector dryly.  ¡°But then, it has it¡¯s good sides.  When I first saw the pool, I just couldn¡¯t believe it.  But then, after awhile, I decided that I might as well go in for a little swim while I tried to figure it all out.¡±


    Before anyone could reply, they heard a wild scream.  It came from the other side of the trees, where the teddy bear ship was sitting.


    ¡°What was that?¡± said George¡¯s father, peering curiously through the trees.  ¡°There¡¯s no one over there, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°Emberly!¡± cried both George and the Protector at the same time, as they started to run.

 Chapter Eighteen - Planet of Dreams

    George and the Protector darted into the trees, heedless of the branches that slapped mercilessly across their faces.  That scream must have come from Emberly!  What was she facing on the other side of these trees?  What had she been dreaming about lately?


    As George came crashing into the clearing, he once more was brought up short by the bizarre impossibility of what he was seeing.


    The clearing was filled with what looked like little furballs.  Hundreds of them.  Maybe thousands!  They were of all different sizes and colors, and as they moved and rolled and danced about, they created a soft humming sound that almost sounded like harmony.  Emberly was standing in the middle of them, looking around at them with wide, unbelieving eyes.


    ¡°Incredible!¡± cried the Protector, coming up next to George, out of breath.  ¡°Absolutely impossible!¡±


    ¡°Quick, we¡¯ve got to do something, before they hurt Emberly!¡± said George, fumbling around in his pocket for the echo gun.  He swiftly pulled it out and pointed it at the countless furballs.


    ¡°George, wait!¡± cried the Protector, knocking the echo gun from his hands.  ¡°Those furballs aren¡¯t dangerous!  On the contrary, they¡¯re friends.  They¡¯re Emberly¡¯s people.  It¡¯s her race, from the planet where she came from!¡±


    George looked at the Protector with unbelieving eyes.  ¡°Her race?¡± he echoed.  ¡°This is what the people on her world looked like?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied the Protector simply.  ¡°And what she would look like too, if she weren¡¯t presently transformed into a flibbet.  Don¡¯t you remember from when you first came to my home?  She looked just like that!¡±


    George¡¯s father suddenly came up behind them.  He seemed to have an uncanny ability to move through the trees silently, while George and the Protector crashed about like hippos.


    ¡°What are they?¡± he said in wonder.


    ¡°Praetorians,¡± said the Protector simply.  ¡°Emberly¡¯s race.¡± He paused, then added slowly, ¡°a race that no longer exists, since it was completely destroyed by the Grak.¡±


    ¡°Then this is once again impossible!¡± said George¡¯s father.  ¡°This planet must have incredible power, if it can create a race that has been exterminated!¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said the Protector, stroking his chin.


    Emberly had started dancing and running about in sheer ecstasy.  She was chattering away in a tongue George didn¡¯t recognize.  Several of the furballs answered her in the same confusing dialect.  When she saw George and the others staring at her, she ran over excitedly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡± she called.  ¡°It¡¯s my people!  They¡¯ve come for me!¡±


    ¡°Is that what they told you?¡± asked the Protector curiously.


    ¡°No,¡± said Emberly, ¡°but that must be true.  Why else would they be here?¡±


    ¡°Have they asked you why you are here?¡± asked the Protector.


    ¡°No,¡± replied Emberly.  Then, being too excited to stand still, she danced away with several of the furballs.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± said the Protector slowly.


    ¡°What is?¡± asked George¡¯s father.


    ¡°The reaction of Emberly¡¯s people.  She thinks they¡¯ve come to rescue her, but none of them have even asked what she¡¯s doing here.  And back at the pool where I was swimming, not one of the people there thought it was odd that I don¡¯t look like them.  I¡¯m still transformed into a human, you know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± said George, looking at the swarthy figure of the Protector.


    ¡°These dreams may seem real,¡± said the Protector slowly, ¡°but there seem to be some limitations as well.¡±  He turned suddenly on George.  ¡°What about your dream people, George?  How did they react to you?¡±


    ¡°Well, they weren¡¯t exactly normal earthlings,¡± he replied slowly.  ¡°In fact, they¡¯re people that can¡¯t exist.  They¡¯re the china people from the book ¡®The Wizard of Oz!¡¯  It¡¯s impossible that they can even be alive!¡±


    ¡°Just like Emberly¡¯s race,¡± said the Protector slowly, a touch of sadness in his voice.  ¡°It would seem that this planet will give us our dream, and in the process create what appear to be real, living, breathing people that we dream about.  But they¡¯re not real, no matter how real they may seem to us.¡±


    They watched Emberly dancing among the furballs for a moment.  Suddenly, George felt a profound sense of sadness.  She looked so happy, and was so absolutely convinced that these furballs were actually her people.  What would she think when she found out the truth?


    ¡°We won¡¯t tell her,¡± said the Protector suddenly, as if he had read George¡¯s thoughts.  ¡°Not just yet, anyway.  Let her enjoy her people for a time.  She¡¯s been through so much.  Let her just enjoy ¡­¡± His voice trailed off.


    A cloud suddenly came across the sun, casting a shadow across the clearing.  George¡¯s father stirred, and started off toward the ship.  ¡°Dreams or no dreams, we¡¯re still stranded on this planet,¡± he said.  ¡°And we still need to get off!¡±


    ¡°Very true,¡± replied the Protector, starting off after him.  ¡°And that means I need to get back to engine number 2.¡±


    George stayed where he was.  The dance of the Praetorians continued without letup, with Emberly swirling merrily in the midst of them.  If only dreams really could come true.  For Emberly¡¯s sake, George wished with all his heart that it were so.


    The day passed swiftly.  The Praetorians danced merrily around the teddy bear ship until dusk, then piled themselves up into little pyramids as night fell.  ¡°That¡¯s the way they would sleep on Emberly¡¯s planet,¡± explained the Protector.  ¡°They were very sunlight oriented creatures, and would only be active while the sun was shining.  They¡¯ll sit in that pyramid pile without moving all night.¡±


    ¡°What about Emberly?¡± asked George in concern, as he watched her trying to worm her way into the middle of one of the piles of furballs.


    ¡°We¡¯d only just upset her if we pulled her away from them,¡± replied the Protector with a sigh.  ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be all right.  It¡¯s quite warm outside at night, even if it is dark.  And surrounded by her people, she will feel no fear.¡±


    George didn¡¯t reply.  He merely watched as she continued worming her way into the pile, until only her narrow little flibbet nose was showing.  It pointed like a flagpole out of the furry pile of Praetorians.


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    A little later, when George was in the kitchen preparing some roots for dinner, the Protector came in and approached him conspiratorially.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about your father,¡± he said abruptly.


    ¡°Why?¡± asked George.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be acting normally, don¡¯t you think?¡± said the Protector.  ¡°He hasn¡¯t dreamed like we have, he doesn¡¯t eat hardly anything¡ªnothing in fact, as far as any of us have been able to see.  He doesn¡¯t let anyone touch him, and he occasionally makes remarks about how being with the Grak isn¡¯t really all that bad.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been through a lot,¡± said George defensively.  ¡°We can¡¯t really understand what he¡¯s experienced.¡±  George shuddered.  ¡°I can¡¯t imagine living as a captive of the Grak for a year.  Who knows what that would do to a person¡¯s mind?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, of course,¡± said the Protector hastily.  ¡°It¡¯s just that ¡­ well, how do you think your mother is going to react to him, when you get back?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± said George, a bit testily.


    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t she going to want to feed him, and fatten him up.  Isn¡¯t she going to want to give him a hug and a kiss, welcoming him home?  What¡¯s she going to think when he doesn¡¯t let her touch him, and doesn¡¯t eat?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll understand,¡± said George quickly.  ¡°Anybody would.  It¡¯s just part of what he¡¯s been through.  It¡¯ll just be good to have him around again, even if he isn¡¯t quite healed yet.¡±


    The Protector looked deeply into George¡¯s eyes.  ¡°I see,¡± he said after a moment.  Then, spearing one of the steaming roots with a fork, he stuffed it into his mouth.  ¡°Just thought I¡¯d ask,¡± he said casually.  Then he strolled out of the room.


    George sat at the fluffy table, staring at the steaming roots on the plate in front of him.  He knew.  He understood what the Protector was trying to say, about his father not being normal.  And he knew also, how impossible it was for him to face the answers.  After all, it was his father they were talking about.


    So his father had some problems, so what?  Of course, the Protector saw it differently, not being as close to the situation as George was.  It was to be expected that the Protector would be less willing to overlook some of these little oddities in his father¡¯s behavior.


    But George could.  It was just enough to have his father back again, even if he wasn¡¯t quite his normal old self.  That would come in time.  All that was needed was a little time.


    George picked up a fork, speared a root, and chewed thoughtfully, while staring unseeing at the fluffy walls around him.


    The sun was shining through the trees onto George¡¯s house as he came up the walk from the street.  His mother was standing on the porch, watering the Petunias in the flower boxes.


    ¡°Mom!¡± called George excitedly.


    She looked up, and smiled.  George raced up the steps and stopped.  She looked at him expectantly.  But 12-year-old boys don¡¯t do hugs.  They just ¡­ well ¡­ sort of, stand there.


    ¡°Dad¡¯s back!¡± cried George.  ¡°He¡¯s come back!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said his mother in gentle excitement.  Her eyes shone, but she didn¡¯t move.  ¡°Where is he?¡±  She looked all around, up and down the street.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± said George in confusion.  How had he gotten here?  Where was his father?  Where was the Protector?


    ¡°Hi, squirt!¡±  Janet had suddenly come banging through the front door from inside, out onto the porch.  ¡°Who¡¯s day have you been ruining so far?¡±


    Same old Janet.  ¡°Nobody¡¯s,¡± he said simply.  ¡°Guess What!  Dad¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said Janet, looking around.  ¡°That¡¯s nice, but I don¡¯t see him.¡±


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you come in and have a cup of cold juice while we wait for him,¡± said George¡¯s mother calmly.  ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be along any minute.¡±


    George looked at his mother and Janet curiously.  They were there, and yet they weren¡¯t.  Something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°But, he¡¯s back!¡± cried George again, as if this simple statement was such a profound truth that it needed to be stated again.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited?  Don¡¯t you want to go find him?¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re excited,¡± said his mother in a pleasant tone.  ¡°But there¡¯s no need to go looking for him.  He¡¯ll be along.  Now come inside, please.¡±  She went through the door and into the house.  Janet gave him a nasty look, then went in as well.


    What was wrong?  This wasn¡¯t making any sense.  George rubbed his head in confusion.  Why weren¡¯t they excited?  Where was his father?  And what was that buzzing he kept hearing in his ears?


    ¡°Come on in, George,¡± his mother¡¯s voice called to him from inside the house.


    ¡°Go ahead and stay out,¡± came Janet¡¯s voice.  ¡°Then I can keep all the stuff I took from your room while you were gone.¡±


    George shook his head, still confused.  Then what Janet had said suddenly clicked in his mind.  They knew he had been gone a long time!  Why weren¡¯t they excited to see him?  Why wasn''t his mother both crying and scolding him at the same time?  He suddenly yelled, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m back!  Aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡±


    ¡°Or course we are,¡± replied his mother¡¯s voice calmly.  ¡°Now come along inside, and we¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    George gripped the doorknob, and pulled on the door.  It seemed to swing very slowly, as if it were in slow motion.  He took a step inside¡ª


    ¡ªand then he woke up.  It was dark and still, except for a low buzzing from the refrigerator in the kitchen in the next room.  Sweat covered George¡¯ face.


    He sat bolt upright in bed.  He had been dreaming!  His mother, Janet, the house¡ªit was all a dream!  No wonder they weren¡¯t acting right!  He sighed in relief.


    He was about to lay down again, when another thought seized his mind.


    His dream.  It hadn¡¯t been about the china people in the Wizard of Oz like the past nights.  It had been about his home and his mother.  And on this planet that meant¡ª


    Sweat broke out on George¡¯s face again.  This was L91, which seemed to be a planet of dreams which would came true.  Whatever you dreamed would happen.  They had learned that just yesterday.


    And that meant that today, George was going to go home, and see his mother!

 Chapter Nineteen - The Treehouse and Globgarts

    ¡°Good morning, George!¡± said the Protector cheerfully, as George walked bleary eyed into the kitchen the next morning.  ¡°Have any interesting dreams last night?¡±


    George looked up sharply at the Protector.  Did he know something?  ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± said George simply after a moment.  He sat down heavily in a chair, and poured some of the greenish-blue berries in a bowl for breakfast.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you what I dreamed about,¡± said the Protector calmly, while spearing a root with a fork.  ¡°Globgarts.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± said George, looking at the Protector dumbly.


    ¡°Globgarts,¡± repeated the Protector, as if merely saying the word would cause instant understanding in whoever heard it.  ¡°It¡¯s a game on my planet.  Everyone is given a ball with a  number on it.  Everyone picks someone to throw their ball to, and while all the balls are in the air, a number is called out.  If you catch the ball with that number, you have to quickly tackle three people, or you¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°Sounds weird,¡± said George through a mouthful of berries.


    ¡°It is a bit odd, but very exciting,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°It gets more exciting when more than one person decides to throw their ball to you, and you have to try to catch them all at once.  If you drop any, you¡¯re out.  Then of course if one of the balls you catch has the called number on it, you have to also quickly tackle three people!¡±


    ¡°Good morning all,¡± said George¡¯s father cheerfully, as he suddenly came into the room.  ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George, giving his Dad a curious look.  He normally didn¡¯t come into the kitchen while the others were eating.  And he usually didn¡¯t act this cheerful, either.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, I had the most marvelous dream last night,¡± said his father, while picking up one of the bluish-green berries, and examining it carefully.  ¡°It was about a tree house I had when I was a boy.  Isn¡¯t that silly?¡±


    George and the Protector looked at each other.  His father had a dream?  But he never dreamed!


    George nearly choked on his berries when he saw his father tentatively put the berry in his mouth, and chew slowly.  ¡°Mmm ¡­¡± his father said in fascination, as if tasting it for the first time.  ¡°It¡¯s quite good!¡±  Unexpectedly, he spit it out on a napkin.  ¡°But probably not good for me right now.¡±  His chin was bluish-green, where it must have stained when he spit it out.


    ¡°So, what did you dream about last night, George?¡± asked his father pleasantly.


    George hesitated.  Should he tell his father?  How would he react?  But what harm could there be in it?  ¡°I dreamed about home,¡± he said simply.  ¡°And about seeing Mom and Janet.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± said his father, suddenly standing up.  ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go out and find that tree house.  Who knows?  Maybe one night of dreams will be enough for it to be there!¡±  He rounded the corner and was gone.


    George looked over at the Protector curiously.  Not knowing what to say, he mumbled, ¡°Maybe your worries were wrong after all,¡± he said.  ¡°He seems to be normal.¡±  Yet, George suddenly felt that his father was acting more abnormally than he had before.  In a way, his new behavior was even more frightening.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± said the Protector, a curious look in his eye.  ¡°Still, I¡¯d like to see something.  Especially since it¡¯s a sunny day outside.¡±  He got up and went out of the kitchen, with George following.


    George¡¯s father had already gone outside.  George and the Protector watched through the forward window as his father made his way through the dancing Praetorians.


    ¡°Do you notice anything unusual about your father?¡± asked the Protector.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± said George slowly.  It was sunny out, and the bright sunlight seemed to penetrate right through his father¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Where¡¯s his shadow?¡± the Protector suddenly said.


    George¡¯s eyes opened wide.  Where was his shadow?  It was there¡ªand yet, it wasn¡¯t!  It seemed to be a shimmering shadow, as if it couldn¡¯t make up its mind about whether to stick around.  Sometimes it would be on the ground, following his father dutifully as a shadow should.  Other times, it was simply gone!


    His father had reached the edge of the clearing.  He entered the trees, and seemed to wade effortlessly through the bush, easily dodging the many branches in his path.  In no time he had disappeared.


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± said George in concern, turning on the Protector.  ¡°How can he not have a shadow?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the Protector, his eyes narrowing.  He walked slowly over to the scattered parts of engine number 2 that he had been working on.  Absently, he picked up one of the parts.  Suddenly, he turned swiftly, and tossed it to George.  ¡°Here, catch!¡± he said.


    George caught.  The engine part felt cold in his hands.


    ¡°Bend it,¡± said the Protector unexpectedly.  George just looked at him stupidly.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said the Protector again.  ¡°Bend it.¡±


    So, George tried to bend it, even though he knew it was solid metal and he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it at all.  Yet, to his amazement, the part started to bend!


    ¡°This is impossible!¡± cried George.  ¡°This is solid metal!  It can¡¯t bend!¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± said the Protector mysteriously.  ¡°Yet it does bend, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    George tried bending the piece again.  Once more, it started to bend.  He felt like superman, bending a hunk of solid metal!


    The Protector came over and put both of his hands on George¡¯s shoulders.  ¡°George, tell me something,¡± he said calmly, while looking into George¡¯s eyes.  ¡°Are you awake, or asleep?¡±


    George stepped back, startled, breaking free of the Protector¡¯s grip.  ¡°What do you mean!  I¡¯m awake, of course!  Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    The Protector looked at him for a moment.  Then he said unexpectedly, ¡°What time did you get up this morning?¡±


    George looked involuntarily at the clock.  To his surprise, it was almost noon.  ¡°Wow!¡± said George.  I guess I overslept.¡±


    ¡°So did I,¡± said the Protector thoughtfully, while stroking his chin.  ¡°So did I ¡­¡±


    He turned back to the pieces of engine number 2.  Slowly George came over and put the part he had been holding down with the others.  ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked quietly.  ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of this.  Why are you asking such strange questions?¡±


    The Protector looked up and smiled at George.  It was a sad smile.  After a moment, he said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.  Go on out and see if you can find your mother.  She might be expecting you.¡±


    George looked at the Protector in confusion.  ¡°Meanwhile, I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯m going to do,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Since these engine parts aren¡¯t quite as solid as they need to be to actually work, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll waste my time trying to put them together anymore.¡±  He paused.  ¡°I think I¡¯ll go out and try to find a rousing game of globgarts.¡±  He sauntered over to the door, and went outside.  George could see him walking slowly across the clearing.  After he a moment, he disappeared into the bush.


    George stared for a long time at the bushes and the dancing Praetorians with Emberly in their midst.  Finally, he went slowly into the kitchen, and packed a few roots to take with him on today¡¯s hike through the forest.


    There appeared to be a clearing up ahead.  George could tell that the sunlight seemed to penetrate more brightly through the thick, jungle-like foliage.  He hastened his steps, nearly stumbling over the tangled mass of roots that seemed to grow all over the forest floor.


    Parting the bushes at the outskirts of the clearing, George saw a house ahead.  It was his house.  It was standing by itself in the midst of the forest, looking as out of place as a ballerina in a bowling alley.  And on the front porch, he could see his mother, quietly watering the petunia¡¯s in the flower boxes.


    Unable to control his excitement, George burst through the bushes and ran up the front walk.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.¡°Mom!¡± he called excitedly.


    His mother looked up, and smiled.  George raced up the steps and stopped.  She looked at him expectantly.  But 12 year old boys don¡¯t do hugs.  They just ¡­ well ¡­ sort of, stand there.


    ¡°Dad¡¯s back!¡± cried George.  ¡°He¡¯s come back!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said his mother in gentle excitement.  Her eyes shone, but she didn¡¯t move.  ¡°Where is he?¡±  She looked all around, up and down what should have been a street, but was just green foliage.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± said George in confusion.  Where was his father?  Where was the Protector?


    ¡°Hi, squirt!¡±  Janet had suddenly come banging through the front door from inside, out onto the porch.  ¡°Who¡¯s day have you been ruining so far?¡±


    Same old Janet.  ¡°Nobody¡¯s,¡± he said simply.  ¡°Guess What!  Dad¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said Janet, looking around.  ¡°That¡¯s nice, but I don¡¯t see him.¡±


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you come in and have a cup of cold juice while we wait for him,¡± said George¡¯s mother calmly.  ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be along any minute.¡±


    George looked at his mother and Janet curiously.  They were there, and yet they weren¡¯t.  Something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°But, he¡¯s back!¡± cried George again, as if this simple statement was such a profound truth that it needed to be stated again.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited?  Don¡¯t you want to go find him?¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re excited,¡± said his mother in a pleasant tone.  ¡°But there¡¯s no need to go looking for him.  He¡¯ll be along.  Now come inside, please.¡±  She went through the door and into the house.  Janet gave him a nasty look, then went in as well.


    What was wrong?  This wasn¡¯t making any sense.  George rubbed his head in confusion.  Why weren¡¯t they excited?  Where was his father?  And what was that buzzing he kept hearing in his ears?


    ¡°Come on in, George,¡± his mother¡¯s voice called to him from inside the house.


    ¡°Go ahead and stay out,¡± came Janet¡¯s voice.  ¡°Then I can keep all the stuff I took from your room while you were gone.¡±


    George shook his head, still confused.  Then what Janet had said suddenly clicked in his mind.  They knew he had been gone a long time!  Why weren¡¯t they excited to see him?  Why wasn''t his mother both crying and scolding him at the same time?  He suddenly yelled, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m back!  Aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡±


    ¡°Or course we are,¡± replied his mother¡¯s voice calmly.  ¡°Now come along inside, and we¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    George gripped the doorknob, and pulled on the door.  It seemed to swing very slowly, as if it were in slow motion.  He started to take a step inside¡ª


    ¡ªand then stopped.  He let go of the doorknob, and the door swept closed with a bang.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t bang the door,¡± came his mother¡¯s voice from inside the house.


    George turned swiftly around, and started to run.  He didn¡¯t stop when he reached the edge of the clearing, but just crashed through.  He jumped wildly over the tangling roots, and ran almost blindly.  He didn¡¯t know where he was.  He didn¡¯t know where he was going.  But somehow, he knew that he would be back at the ship in a moment if he just kept running.  He had to get back to the ship!


    ¡°Hold on, there!¡± came a sudden voice from his right.  George stopped.  Looking around, he saw his father standing under a particularly large tree.  He was smiling, a light of happiness shining in his eyes brighter than George had seen in a long time.


    ¡°It¡¯s up there!¡± said his father, pointing straight up.  ¡°My boyhood tree house!  Want to come up and have a look?¡±


    George stood frozen.  ¡°Maybe some other time, Dad,¡± he said finally.


    ¡°George, what¡¯s wrong?¡± said his father, a look of concern coming across his face.  He stepped toward George.


    George stepped back.  He wasn¡¯t sure of anything anymore.  Was he dreaming, or was he awake?  What was going on?


    His father took another step closer, and this time George didn¡¯t step back.  And as his father came up to him, George reached out his hand, and gently touched his father¡¯s arm.


    It was soft.  And warm.  It was his father!  He was real!  This was no dream!


    But wait!  What was this?  George pressed down gently on his father¡¯s arm.  It felt spongy, as if it was made of moss.


    George pulled his hand away, and stared at his father¡¯s arm.  Where he had pressed down, there was an indentation, about ? of an inch deep!


    ¡°Well, will you look at that?¡± said his father, staring at his arm as if he had never seen it before.  Then he looked up at George, and the look of joy in his eyes was so startling that George caught his breath involuntarily.


    ¡°You touched me!¡± his father said, as if that fact were tremendously unusual.  ¡°You touched me¡ªand I¡¯m real!¡±


    They stared at each other for a moment, father and son.  Then abruptly, George turned, and started to run again.  He crashed through the brush madly.  The branches swatted mercilessly at his face, stinging him until his eyes watered.  He didn¡¯t look back.


    All of a sudden, he crashed into another clearing, and fell on the ground, panting, and completely out of breath.  He closed his eyes, trying to block out the vision of the dent in his father¡¯s arm, of the madness of the visit to his mother¡ªof everything!


    ¡°Hello, there,¡± said a familiar voice above him.  Opening his eyes, he looked up into the smiling face of the Protector.  He was holding a ball with a number on it¡ªthe number 13.


    Without warning, George reached up and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.  ¡°What is going on?¡± he screamed.  ¡°Am I going mad?  What¡¯s happening?!¡±


    Calmly, the Protector helped George to his feet, and removed his hands from his shirt.  ¡°Now, then, there¡¯s no need to get excited¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t act calm with me!¡± screamed George again.  ¡°That¡¯s what my Mom and Janet did¡ªand they¡¯re not real!  Aren¡¯t you real anymore?¡±


    ¡°I assure you, I am very real,¡± said the Protector, gently pushing George¡¯s hands aside, where they had gripped his shirt again.  ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s time you and I had a little talk.¡±


    The Protector turned, and walked over to a tree stump a few feet away.  ¡°Come over and make yourself comfortable,¡± he said gently, motioning toward George.


    A ball suddenly flew past George¡¯s nose.  ¡°Hey, be careful, there!¡± called out the Protector.  ¡°You almost hit my friend.  You know you¡¯re out, if you hit anyone with a ball!¡±


    George turned and looked stupidly into the clearing.  There were a number of leathery creatures throwing numbered balls at each other.  They were obviously having a game of globgarts.


    Slowly, George came over and sat down next to the Protector.


    ¡°You remember,¡± said the Protector abruptly, ¡°how yesterday we discovered that dreams on this planet become reality?¡±


    Yesterday.  It seemed an impossibly long time ago.  ¡°Yes,¡± said George slowly, his throat parched.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve seen the truth of that again today.  I¡¯ve found my game of globgarts.  You found your mother and sister.  I suspect your father even found his tree house.¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± said George suddenly.  ¡°I ran into him back there.¡±  George felt a huge lump in his throat.  Somehow, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell what had happened when he touched his father.


    ¡°This planet has an amazing ability to transform dreams into reality,¡± said the Protector slowly, gazing at his fellow Dluronians on the playing field.  ¡°But it appears to do something else at the same time.  Something a little more frightening.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± cried George anxiously, turning with frenzied eyes on the Protector.  ¡°What is it!  You¡¯ve got to tell me!¡±


    ¡°I think,¡± said the Protector slowly, seeming to choose his words carefully.  ¡°That is, I would guess, or surmise, although I don¡¯t really know ¡­¡±  He looked at George, almost helpless and at a loss for words.


    ¡°Oh, bother!¡± he suddenly cried.  ¡°I¡¯ll just come out with it bluntly then.  I think it also turns reality into dreams.¡±

 Chapter Twenty - A Real Transporter?

    George stared at the Protector as if he had gone mad.  His mind groped at what the Protector had just said, unable to comprehend.


    ¡°Just think of it,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°A solid metal object suddenly is bendable.  Your father suddenly changes his behavior and eats¡ªbut doesn¡¯t cast a normal shadow.  And the reality of what is going on, and our ability to distinguish between dreams and reality at all, seems to be getting harder and harder to discern ¡­¡±


    ¡°But this is impossible!¡± cried George, even though he knew in his heart that what the Protector was saying was true.  ¡°It can¡¯t be!  How can reality turn into a dream?¡±


    The Protector looked at him, but didn¡¯t answer.


    George suddenly got up, and started to pace back and forth.  ¡°Am I dreaming this?  Are you telling me this in a dream?  Or is this real?   When does the dreaming stop, and the realness start?¡±  He turned on the Protector, his eyes wide with terror.  ¡°When?!!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer your questions,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Indeed, I feel the same way.  At times, when I see something clearly impossible, I realize I must be dreaming¡ªyet this cannot be a dream, because I dreamed last night.  Or that is, at least I think I did.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± cried George, grabbing the Protector¡¯s shirt again.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to do something!¡±  He paused.  ¡°And when do we do it?  Now?  Or tonight when we might be dreaming¡ªor awake!¡±


    The Protector stood up, and carefully removed George¡¯s hands from the front of his shirt yet again.  ¡°Come with me,¡± he said simply.  ¡°There¡¯s something else I dreamed last night, that I want you to see.¡±  He turned and walked slowly across the clearing.


    George followed.  One of the numbered balls hit him in the shin, and stung.  Surely, he must be awake, to feel the sting of that!


    ¡°Foul!¡± cried one of the Dluronians, pointing triumphantly at the fellow who had hit George with the ball.  ¡°You hit him, and you¡¯re out!¡±


    Then, they were out of the clearing and fighting their way through the bush again.  George followed close behind the Protector, hacking at the branches and undergrowth that seemed to be constantly swinging up in front of his face.


    They broke through into another clearing¡ªthe clearing where the teddy bear ship was sitting.  The Praetorians were still there, dancing crazily, with Emberly in their midst.  Didn¡¯t they ever stop dancing?


    ¡°Over here,¡± beckoned the Protector toward George.  ¡°Behind the ship, by engine number 2.¡±  Following the Protector around the ship, George suddenly saw one of the last things in the world he had expected to see.


    ¡°Amazing, eh?¡± said the Protector with a flourish.  ¡°Right out of my dream, and here next to the ship.  The very thing we need!¡±


    It was the transporter!  It looked like a door frame, made out of some strange gauzy, colorful fabric, in which the colors were constantly changing.  On the right side was the little black box that looked like a remote control.  It was the box that allowed the Protector to choose where they would go when they stepped through it.  If he entered the right coordinates, they could step through it to anywhere they wanted to go in the universe!


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    ¡°Does it work?¡± said George softly, as he stepped up to it, and touched the gauze gently.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± replied the Protector.  He walked carefully all around it.  ¡°It certainly looks real, and it should work.  But you have to remember that this transporter came as the result of a dream.  If it worked, it would take us away from the dream magic of this world.  So, while it may work here, I¡¯m not as sure it will work on the other end.¡±


    ¡°But if it doesn¡¯t work on the other end, then where will we ¡­¡±  George¡¯s words trailed off slowly.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said the Protector, reading his thoughts.  ¡°It will obviously be very risky to use it, since we may step into nowhere!  Yet, I¡¯m afraid, with what we have discovered today, we¡¯re probably going to have to use it soon¡ªand do so without delay!¡±


    George looked at the Protector curiously.  ¡°What do you mean?  How long do we have, before we have to use it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell,¡± said the Protector simply.  ¡°The power of this planet seems to be picking up speed, the longer we stay.  We only discovered the reality of our dreams yesterday, yet today they seem much stronger.  Before, it took a week for the things we dreamed about to materialize.  Now, they do it in a day.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s something else,¡± said the Protector slowly.  ¡°I¡¯m very careful about when I get up in the morning.  I believe firmly in maintaining a consistent pattern of rising at the same time.  But, I¡¯ve noticed that each morning of the past week, I¡¯ve been getting up later and later.  I just couldn¡¯t seem to help it.  And I¡¯ve also noticed that we¡¯ve all been going to bed earlier and earlier.  We just feel the need to¡ªwe¡¯re tired sooner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± cried George in sudden realization.  ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it, but we did all go to bed earlier last night!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel tired now?¡± asked the Protector, tellingly.  ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to go to bed soon?¡±


    George hesitated for a moment.  But the Protector was right.  He felt exhausted.  The thought of bed and sleep was wonderfully appealing¡ªand frightening.


    ¡°So, what does it mean?¡± asked George worriedly.


    ¡°Unless I miss my mark,¡± said the Protector slowly, ¡°I think it means that if we are ever to go through the transporter at all, we¡¯d better do it tomorrow.¡±


    George looked at the Protector, fear mounting in his heart.  He knew what the Protector meant, even though he hadn¡¯t said it.


    They had to go through tomorrow¡ªbecause after that, they might never wake up!

 Chapter Twenty One - Escape from the Trap of Paradise

    ¡°NO!¡± cried Emberly at the top of her lungs.  ¡°I won¡¯t do it!  You can¡¯t make me!¡±


    The Protector and George looked at her in exasperation.  This was something they hadn¡¯t counted on.


    ¡°Look,¡± said the Protector patiently, ¡°it¡¯s absolutely vital that we go through the transporter door tomorrow.  By then it should hopefully be real enough to work.  But if we don¡¯t go through it then, we may be trapped here in our dreams forever!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± screamed Emberly.  ¡°If this is really a dream, I like it and I want it to last.  I get to be with my people again!  Nothing could be more important than that!¡±


    ¡°But we have to go!¡± cried George.  ¡°Don¡¯t you see?  If we don¡¯t go tomorrow, we¡¯ll lose our chance forever!  We¡¯ll be trapped here!¡±


    ¡°Go yourselves, then,¡± said Emberly bitterly, turning toward the door.  ¡°I¡¯m going back out to my people.¡±  She darted quickly out the door and down the ramp, nearly running into George¡¯s father as she did so.


    ¡°What¡¯s she in such a hurry about?¡± asked George¡¯s father with a smile as he entered the ship.  Without waiting for a response, he stretched his arms far above his head, and sighed happily.  ¡°Boy, what a day!  Best I¡¯ve had in a long time!  Can¡¯t wait for tomorrow.¡±


    George and the Protector looked at each other meaningfully.


    ¡°Um, Dad,¡± said George slowly.  ¡°There¡¯s something you should know ¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± said his father cheerfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s this planet,¡± said the Protector mercifully, seeing how hard it was for George to tell his father something that he may not want to hear.  ¡°We¡¯ve come to realize that it¡¯s dangerous, after all.  Just like you said it was.¡±


    George¡¯s father looked at them sharply, concern spreading over his face.  ¡°What¡¯s the danger?  Did you find an alien creature that could hurt us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the Protector slowly.  ¡°It¡¯s something bigger than that, in a way.  It¡¯s the planet itself.  From what we can tell, it seems to be turning dreams into reality¡ªand is also turning our reality into dreams!¡±


    George¡¯s father looked at the Protector uncomprehendingly for a moment.  Then, unexpectedly, he cocked back his head and laughed.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± he said off-handedly.  ¡°That¡¯s nothing to worry about.  In fact, I¡¯d say it¡¯s wonderful!¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t!¡± cried George.  ¡°We¡¯re sleeping longer every day!  We think we¡¯ll probably wake up tomorrow morning¡ªwe hope, anyway¡ªbut the morning after that, who knows?  We may never wake up again!¡±


    George¡¯s father looked at his son sharply.  ¡°Not wake up?¡± he repeated dumbly.  ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand.  I¡¯ve slept here like I¡¯ve never slept before.  It¡¯s been heavenly.  What¡¯s all this worrying about waking up?¡±


    George looked at the Protector in frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve got to go,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Think of your wife and daughter.  Think of George here, and his future.  If we stay, we¡¯ll be trapped here forever!¡±


    ¡°Go?¡± echoed his father with a knowing smile.  ¡°How can we go?  The ship isn¡¯t fixed, is it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the Protector slowly.  ¡°But I dreamed a transporter last night¡ªand it¡¯s real!  It¡¯s sitting outside the ship right now.  We should be able to use it to leave this world, and go straight back to earth!¡±


    George¡¯s father paced across the room slowly, rubbing his chin.  He looked at George and the Protector, but said nothing.  Finally, he sat heavily in a chair.


    ¡°Well?¡± said the Protector, coming closer to him.  ¡°What do you say?¡±


    George¡¯s father looked up at him.  ¡°No,¡± he said finally.  ¡°I think not.¡±  George and the Protector looked at each other in shock.


    ¡°But, Dad!¡ª¡° George started to say.


    His father held up his hand for silence.  ¡°Look, I know you and the Protector are worried.  But I think  you¡¯ve got it all wrong.  This planet hasn¡¯t hurt us.  It¡¯s saved us!  It saved us from the Grak, and now it¡¯s saving us again by giving us the things we¡¯re dreaming for!¡±


    He looked at them patiently.  They only stared back, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°All, right, let¡¯s get down to brass tacks,¡± said his father.  ¡°What proof do you have that we¡¯ll go to sleep and never wake up?¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re sleeping longer everyday!¡± cried George.


    ¡°So we sleep longer, so what?¡± exclaimed his father.  ¡°There¡¯s no harm in that.  No, I¡¯d say we stay right here.  The transporter¡¯s probably too risky to use anyway.  If it came from a dream, who knows if it will work?  Maybe we¡¯ll leave when a rescue ship comes, but no sooner.¡±


    He suddenly got up and stretched his hands high toward the ceiling again.  He yawned long and wide.  ¡°Boy, am I bushed.  I think I¡¯ll turn in.  See you guys in the morning!¡±  He sauntered down the hall to his sleeping quarters.


    George looked at the Protector, not knowing what to say.  The Protector had a faraway look in his eyes.  ¡°How very odd,¡± he said slowly.  ¡°That¡¯s not like your father at all.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± said George.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why my Dad can¡¯t seem to see the danger.  He was the one who was the most worried before.  Now he can¡¯t seem to understand that we¡¯ve got to get out of here tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°And we will,¡± said the Protector reassuringly, patting George on the arm.  ¡°We will.¡±  He leaned closer, and whispered conspiratorially, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the teddy bear¡¯s obedience spray!¡±  He winked at George knowingly.


    George returned the Protector¡¯s gaze.  And then a smile spread its way slowly across his face.


    George was dreaming again.  He was inside his house.  His mother was playing the piano, while Janet was reading a book and scratching Door Jam under the chin.  George was sitting there, telling them over and over that something was wrong, that they were not on earth, but were on some planet called L91.  He didn¡¯t know why he kept telling them that.  They didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention to him, and George wasn¡¯t sure he believed it himself.


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    Suddenly his father walked into the room.


    ¡°Oh, hello, dear,¡± said his mother to him, off-handedly.


    ¡°Do you know, I¡¯ve had the most wonderful time of my life today,¡± his father said with a broad smile.  ¡°I¡¯ve been adding on a room to the tree house I built as a boy!¡±  He looked at them with little-boy eagerness and excitement.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice, dear,¡± said George¡¯s mother calmly.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you put George in it, and lock the door forever?¡± asked Janet hopefully.


    Everyone laughed¡ªeveryone except George.  He jumped up and began screaming at them¡ªscreaming something about dreams turning into reality, and reality into dreams.  None of what he was screaming made any sense, but he couldn¡¯t seem to stop screaming.  And they all just looked at him calmly, unperturbed, patient, as if he were a mere child throwing a tantrum.


    ¡°George,¡± said a sudden voice.  He felt himself shaking uncontrollably.  ¡°George,¡± the voice came again.


    His eyes slowly opened and he found  himself looking up into the face of the Protector.  There was worry written all over the Protector''s face.


    George tried weakly to sit up.  He felt so tired!


    ¡°Do you know what time it is?¡± said the Protector reprovingly.  ¡°Almost three in the afternoon!  Three o¡¯clock!¡±


    ¡°Three?¡± said George dumbly.  His mind felt so sluggish.  It was hard to think clearly.  If only he could lie down again and rest ¡­


    The Protector pulled at his arm vigorously.  ¡°George!¡± he cried.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to go through the transporter door.  And we¡¯ve got to go now!  Come on!¡±


    George staggered to his feet.  He slapped himself, trying to clear the fog from his mind.  He couldn¡¯t seem to think clearly, or to focus his eyes.  But dimly, through the fog in his brain, he realized that the sleepiness of the dream world they were on was overtaking him!  They had to escape fast!


    ¡°Come on!¡± cried the Protector, dragging George down the hall and outside.  Once there, George saw the piles of Praetorians, still sleeping even though it was mid-day.  Emberly was on top of one pile.  She was awake, but her eyes were drooping.


    ¡°Come on, Emberly!¡± cried the Protector.  ¡°Time to go through the transporter!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she cried feebly.  ¡°You go ahead.  I¡¯m staying here.¡±


    The Protector didn¡¯t hesitate.  Pulling a can of the obedience spray from his pocket, he gave her full dose in the face.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± he said in a commanding voice.  Emberly climbed down the pile of sleeping Praetorians and followed.


    ¡°What about my dad?¡± asked George groggily.


    ¡°He¡¯s already outside the ship,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°I saw him a minute ago.  We¡¯ve got to stop him before he goes off in the woods somewhere.¡±


    They found George¡¯s father at the edge of the clearing, on the verge of going off in the direction of his boyhood tree house.  The Protector didn¡¯t say a word¡ªhe just sprayed the obedience spray in his face.


    ¡°Come with us,¡± he commanded.


    George¡¯s father didn¡¯t move.  Was the spray working?


    The Protector sprayed him again.  ¡°Come with us!¡± he shouted.  Slowly, George¡¯s father followed.  But just as they arrived at the transporter door, he stopped.


    ¡°No,¡± he said in a groggy voice.  ¡°Can¡¯t go.  Won¡¯t go.  That would be the end of life.  Have to stay here.  Wonderful discovery, life.  Never knew it was so wonderful.¡±


    George stared at him with wide eyes.  What was he babbling about?  Had he lost his mind?


    ¡°We must go now!¡± cried the Protector urgently, punching the coordinates on the little black control box of the transporter.  Even as he did so, he swayed on his feet, nearly falling from his own weariness.  ¡°I¡¯ve set it to take us back into my house in the Volkswagen on earth,¡± said the Protector in a thick voice.  ¡°Emberly, you go through first.¡±


    Without any hesitation, she walked boldly through the door and disappeared.


    ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t work?¡± said George in sudden horror.  ¡°What if we¡¯re walking to our deaths?¡±


    ¡°Would you rather stay here?¡± asked the Protector pointedly.  Then, in a more reassuring tone, he said, ¡°I¡¯m almost positive it¡¯s working.  It appeared here because of my dream¡ªand now, it¡¯s a reality.  I¡¯m sure it will work¡ªI promise!¡±


    ¡°Not going,¡± murmured George¡¯s father behind them.


    The Protector turned on him.  ¡°I can¡¯t figure why the spray isn¡¯t working on you!¡±  Then he shouted at George¡¯s father, ¡°You go next!¡±


    George¡¯s father balked.  He didn¡¯t move.


    A sudden recollection seized George.  ¡°What about the Uth stones?¡± he cried wildly.  ¡°We can¡¯t leave them here!¡±  He turned to run back to the ship.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got them here,¡± said the Protector, pulling the little box from his pocket.  As he opened it, the stones sparkled brightly in the sunlight.


    George suddenly felt very foolish.  The stones!  Why hadn¡¯t he thought to try to use them to find an escape from L91?  For some unknown reason, he had completely put them out of mind every since they had arrived on this planet.


    George¡¯s father also stared at the stones, transfixed.  His babbling had stopped.


    The Protector faced him again.  ¡°Go through the transporter¡ªnow!¡± he commanded.


    And slowly, his eyes never leaving the stones, George¡¯s father stepped forward, through the transporter door.  And then he was gone.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s our turn,¡± cried the Protector.  Even as he spoke, George felt his eyes drooping, as if he couldn¡¯t force them to stay open anymore.  ¡°Come on!¡± cried the Protector urgently.  He grabbed George by the hand and pulled him forward.


    George stumbled and fell.  He was falling ¡­ falling ¡­ And somehow, he knew that if he wasn¡¯t through the transporter door by the time he hit the ground, his eyes would never open again!

 Chapter Twenty Two - An Unexpected Request

    There was a flash of color, a buzzing sound, and a rush of wind.  George felt as if he were in a tunnel of some kind.  It was dark, and yet not dark.  There seemed to be color everywhere.  Was the transporter working?


    And then he stumbled through and onto the floor of the Protector¡¯s home.


    There was complete silence for a moment.  The Protector was lying on the ground next to George, staring about him in wondrous disbelief at their surroundings.  Emberly''s fluffball shape sat on a chair not far away, and George¡¯s father stood as if in a trance, gazing around at the Protector¡¯s home in amazement.


    Suddenly George let out a suppressed yell.  ¡°We made it!!¡± he cried joyously.  He stood up, gazing around at the familiar surroundings¡ªthe refrigerator wearing a sweater, the screens hanging in the air, the fuzzy furniture with arms poking out of them to scratch the back of whoever sat down, the hat rack and mirror by the door floating in the air as if held up by an invisible force.


    ¡°We really made it!¡± he cried again.  Relief flooded over George like a tidal wave.  It was unbelievable.  After all that had happened, they were back home again!  On earth!


    ¡°Indeed, we did!¡± said the Protector happily, getting up and shaking the dust from his clothes.  ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure the transporter would be real enough to work¡ªbut it did.  We¡¯re home!  Although for some reason Emberly and I were not instantly transformed into our regular form like normal.  But no matter.  I can easily transform us later.¡±


    George looked around and saw that it was true.  The Protector was still in the form of the swarthy man, and Emberly was still a flibbet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to be home!¡± said Emberly abruptly.  She was rocking back and forth on the edge of a chair, her tiny flibbet head held dejectedly in her paws.


    ¡°But, Emberly¡ª¡° began the Protector.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to be home!¡± cried Emberly again, louder this time.  ¡°You took me away from my people!  Where I was happy!¡±


    ¡°But Emberly, they weren¡¯t real!¡± cried the Protector.  ¡°And if you¡¯d have stayed, you¡¯d be trapped there forever.  You may have died!  We had to come back.¡±


    Emberly didn¡¯t respond.  She merely turned around in the chair so that her back was to them all.


    Even Emberly¡¯s bitter disappointment couldn¡¯t dampen George¡¯s spirits, however.  ¡°We¡¯re home!¡± he kept saying over and over, pacing back and forth.  ¡°We really made it home!  After all we''ve been through--being captured by those stupid teddy bears, then trapped by the Grak, and then nearly destroyed by planet L91--we''re really back on earth!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gone,¡± said George¡¯s father suddenly, for no apparent reason.  He was holding up his hand, looking at it as if he had never seen it before.  ¡°Completely vanished.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s gone?¡± asked the Protector curiously.  George¡¯s father looked up as if realizing for the first time that anyone else was even there.  But he didn¡¯t answer.  He just kept staring with wide eyes.


    ¡°Dad, is anything wrong?¡± asked George in sudden worry.  He stepped toward his father, holding out his hand.


    His father took a quick step backward.  ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± he cried.  His eyes looked wild, frenzied.  Then they softened, and he looked around sheepishly.  ¡°Well,¡± he said suddenly, composing himself with great effort.  His voice sounded as if he was trying to sound like nothing was out of the ordinary.  ¡°Here we are indeed.¡±  He looked around curiously.  ¡°Is this your house, then?¡± he asked the Protector.


    ¡°It is,¡± said the Protector.  George¡¯s father walked over and peered closely at a clear glass box on a little table, with a mushroom stool in front of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Snorkfinder,¡± offered the Protector.  ¡°It can bring up information on just about any subject you¡¯d like to know about.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± said George¡¯s father.  He turned toward a plain glass screen with a slot beneath it.  It was sitting next to the Snorkfinder.


    ¡°That¡¯s the News Finder,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°It brings up news items from everywhere in the galaxy.¡±


    George¡¯s father reached out to touch it, then pulled his hand away.  He looked up at the Protector.  ¡°You have some amazing things here.¡±  He walked over to the transporter that they had just come through.  Just like the one on planet L91, it looked like a door frame made out of some kind of gauzy, colorful material.  There was nothing to be seen inside the frame but blackness.


    ¡°This transporter is incredible!¡± he said in awe.  ¡°To take us all the way from planet L91 to here in just a step or two!¡±


    Suddenly, a burst of music shocked the room.


    ¡°Gorzubee!¡± cried the Protector, jumping around wildly, and looking frantically for the source of the sound.


    The music continued.  It was the tune, ¡®You Ain¡¯t Nothin¡¯ but a Hound Dog!¡¯  George¡¯s cell phone was ringing!


    ¡°Mom is calling!¡± said George in amazement, taking the cell phone from his pocket where it had sat unused for the last several weeks¡ªindeed, ever since they had left earth, captives of the teddy bears.  ¡°How did she know we just got back after all this time?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been gone, actually,¡± said the Protector.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t been gone?¡± repeated George dumbly, staring at the Protector.  The cell phone kept ringing.  ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I set the transporter to take us back in time, as well as through space,¡± replied the Protector simply.  ¡°It is now about 10 minutes later than the time we left, when we were captured by the teddy bears all those weeks ago.  She has no idea you¡¯ve been gone at all!¡±


    George stared at the Protector in wonder.  The cell phone kept ringing.  ¡°You can do that?¡± he said in awe.  ¡°Go back in time?¡±


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    ¡°Well, not very easily,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°It only works if you¡¯re traveling across many light years to another planet.  As you know, the speed of light is closely tied to the passage of time.  When you walk through the transporter across that great of a distance, you actually are going much faster than the speed of light.  So, in that case, it¡¯s possible to go back or forward in time a bit, if you want to.¡±


    ¡°Incredible!¡± said George.  The cell phone kept ringing.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer it?¡± asked the Protector.  It had rung about 30 times, and showed no signs of stopping.  When his mother called, she didn¡¯t hang up until someone answered!


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what to say!¡± said George.  He looked quickly up at his father, who had said nothing this whole time.  ¡°Of course, I need to tell her that you¡¯re back ¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said his father firmly.  He crossed the room slowly to face George, while the phone kept ringing.  ¡°Let me tell her.  But not now.¡±  He turned, and went over to a chair, where he sat down heavily.


    ¡°Why?¡± said George in a voice that sounded very small.            ¡°Why?¡± said George in a voice that sounded very small.  It surpassed comprehension that his father would not want to talk to or see his mother right away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick, George,¡± said his father with a sigh.  ¡°You know that.  No one can touch me.  And with all that¡¯s been happening on L91¡ªI just didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be here this soon.¡±  He paused, smiling slightly.  ¡°I know you want more than anything for me to come home and for us all to be together again.  But I¡¯m not sure right now is the right time.  I need a little more time.  Not much.  Just another day, to sort out what I¡¯m going to say, how I¡¯m going to explain things ¡­¡±


    George stared at his father for a minute, while the phone continued to ring.  ¡°Sure,¡± he said slowly.  ¡°I guess that makes sense.  After all, you¡¯ve been through a lot, and you¡¯ve been gone a long time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better answer the phone,¡± said his father gently.  ¡°But don¡¯t tell her I¡¯m here.  I know that¡¯s hard.  But let me tell her in my own way.  Tomorrow.  I promise, I¡¯ll do it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°O.k.¡± said George in a voice that sounded far away.  Slowly he raised the phone to his ear, and clicked the green button.


    ¡°George!!¡± cried his mother¡¯s voice in his ear.  She sounded near hysterics.   ¡°What¡¯s wrong?  Are you o.k.?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m o.k., Mom,¡± said George, trying to sound as casual as he could.  He couldn¡¯t explain why, but he suddenly almost felt like crying.  Having seen what looked like his mother on L91; having his father here; the weeks that had passed.  It seemed impossible that he was really talking to his real mother on earth, over his cell phone, like he used to do all the time.


    ¡°You¡¯re not o.k.!¡± she contradicted him hotly.  ¡°Or you would have answered before letting it ring 50 times!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± apologized George.  He tried to think fast.  Where had he been all those weeks ago?  Or rather, 10 minutes ago, in his mother¡¯s time?


    The orchard!  Playing with Emberly and the Protector.  ¡°I was up a tree, but left my cell phone on the ground.  I couldn¡¯t get to the phone,¡± he lied.  ¡°I couldn¡¯t climb down very fast, or I might have fallen.¡±  That was a stroke of genius¡ªa play on her sense of safety.


    ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t be climbing such tall trees!¡± she cried loudly in his ear.  ¡°And if you do, you should take your cell phone with you.  You know you¡¯re supposed to carry it at all times, no matter where you are!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom,¡± George said in a small voice.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued, ¡°It¡¯s time to come home.¡±


    ¡°Aw, Mom,¡± said George in sincere dismay.  Although part of him yearned to rush home as fast as he could, part of him just couldn¡¯t go.  Not now.  Not with his father here, on earth again at last.  And not after having spent so many weeks completely on his own, away from her control.


    ¡°No excuses!¡± cried his mother.  ¡°I want you here in fifteen minutes!  Understand?¡±


    George looked at his father and the Protector.  They each shrugged their shoulders helplessly.  ¡°Sure, Mom,¡± he said.  ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Make sure that you are,¡± she said curtly.  ¡°Good-bye!¡±  There was a click on the other end.


    Slowly, George put the phone back in his pocket.  ¡°I¡¯ve got to go home,¡± he said simply.


    ¡°We understand,¡± said the Protector.


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t mention a word about me,¡± said his father.  ¡°I promise I¡¯ll go home tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I¡¯m hoping the Protector will be kind enough to let me stay here for the night?¡±  He looked at the Protector hopefully.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said the Protector with a smile.


    George didn¡¯t move.  How could he leave now?  Just a few minutes ago they had been on L91.  Now he had to go home and pretend nothing was out of the ordinary!


    ¡°You¡¯d better head for home, George,¡± the Protector said softly.  ¡°Come over first chance you get tomorrow.  I¡¯m sure your father will be ready then.  And feel free to call me on the communicator ring tonight if you need to.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George, turning at last to go.  This was crazy.  But then, everything for the last several weeks had been crazy.  He walked across to the door that would lead out to the floor of the passenger seat of the Protector¡¯s car.  Once he passed through it he would grow to his normal size, since they were now all shrunk to about 2 inches in height.  Then he could open the car door and get out and go home.


    Turning, he said simply, ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then.¡±  His father and the Protector said nothing.  Emberly still had her back turned toward them all.


    George swiftly turned the doorknob, plunged through and was gone.

 Chapter Twenty Three - Mashed Potatoes, Meatloaf, and Suspicion

    George sat at the dinner table, dabbling with his food.  After the weeks of bland teddy bear food and strange roots and berries on L91, he should have been gorging himself on the mashed potatoes and meatloaf in front of him.  But his mind was in far too much turmoil to care about eating.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, George?¡± said his mother worriedly.  She had already asked him this half a dozen times since he arrived home¡ªevery time he had drifted off again into his silent, melancholy mood.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said George quickly, picking up his fork, and shoveling some mashed potatoes into his mouth.  It tasted wonderful.


    ¡°There is too something wrong!¡± said his mother suspiciously. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re preoccupied with something.  What happened?¡±  His mother had an uncanny sense of when things were not right.


    ¡°Nothing happened,¡± George lied, spearing some meatloaf, and gulping it down.  How could he possibly tell her that her husband was back on earth but was only 2 inches tall, and was just a short distance away under the front hood of a Volkswagen Beetle?


    ¡°He¡¯s hiding something, Mom,¡± said Janet with a saucy flicker of her eyes.  She never lost a chance to make things harder for him.  ¡°Something¡¯s happened for sure.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked his mother again, her fears fed by Janet¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± lied George again.  ¡°I was just playing out at the orchard, and came home. That¡¯s all.¡±  That was true¡ªif you could ignore all that had happened in between!


    His mother scowled at him, but asked nothing more.  Seeing that he was already on thin ice, George tried with all his might to act normal.  He forked more of the food in his mouth.  He had to admit, it tasted pretty good.


    At last dinner was over, and George was able to escape to his room.  As soon as he got there, he closed the door, slipped the ring from his finger, and said, ¡°Protector.  Are you there?¡±


    There was no answer for a minute.  Then suddenly the Protector¡¯s voice sounded in his ear.


    ¡°George?  Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m fine,¡± said George.  ¡°How¡¯s my Dad?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be just fine,¡± answered the Protector.  ¡°He and I are just watching the 6 o¡¯clock intergalactic news.  Nothing¡¯s changed.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said George.  He couldn¡¯t explain why, but he felt uneasy and worried.  But he knew it was probably just a nervous reaction to all that he had been through.


    ¡°Your father is asking whether you told your mother about him,¡± relayed the Protector.


    ¡°No, not a word,¡± said George.  ¡°But she suspects something.  She keeps asking what¡¯s wrong and what¡¯s happened.¡±  He paused.  ¡°I don¡¯t think I can keep this up much longer.¡±


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    There was a pause on the other end.  Then the Protector¡¯s voice said, ¡°Your father says not to worry¡ªfor sure, he¡¯s coming home with you tomorrow, after you¡¯ve been here.  Just do the best you can until then.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said George.  Suddenly, he didn¡¯t know what else to say.  ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, then,¡± said George.


    ¡°Until tomorrow,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°It¡¯s good to be home, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It sure is,¡± said George.


    After hanging up, he paced the room anxiously.  Something was not right.  He could feel it.  He had been so caught up in what was happening at L91, and before that with the Grak and the Uth stones and the teddy bear zoo that he just hadn¡¯t been able to think things through clearly.  But now that he was here, in his familiar and safe surroundings, he knew that something was wrong.  And he knew as well that it had to do with his father.


    He just wasn¡¯t acting normally.  Why hadn¡¯t he come home tonight?  Why didn¡¯t he want to tell George¡¯s mother he was back?  Didn¡¯t he want to see his wife and daughter, who he hadn¡¯t seen for a year?


    But that wasn¡¯t all.  What about all of the strange behavior over the last few weeks, ever since he had rescued George on the teddy bear planet?  George had been so relieved to see him again, he had been overlooking it until now.  But he couldn¡¯t keep doing that forever.


    Why hadn¡¯t his father ever let him touch him?  And what about that time he did touch him, on L91?  Of course, he was under the influence of the dream world then, so it was hard to know what was real and what wasn¡¯t at the time.  But why had his skin felt so pliable, almost like play-do?


    And what about his father¡¯s odd refusal to leave L91?  George hadn¡¯t dreamed that!  His father had seemed insanely happy about his tree house there, as if it had helped him to come alive somehow.  And then there was his strange reaction when they first arrived in the Protector¡¯s home.  He had seemed almost disappointed to be there for some reason.  None of it made any sense.


    George suddenly felt a tightness in his finger.  Someone was calling him on the ring phone!


    Quickly he pulled it off and put it into his ear.  ¡°George?¡± said a familiar voice.  It wasn¡¯t the Protector.  It was Jiu Na!  From China!  The girl who had also lost her father, and who not that long ago had shared a similar experience with the Grak that he had had.  He had forgotten all about her, he had been so absorbed in his own problems.


    ¡°Yeah, this is George,¡± he said quickly.  ¡°Boy, have I got a lot to tell you!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve got a lot to tell you!¡± she cried.  ¡°My father came back¡ªand then disappeared again!¡±

 Chapter Twenty Four - Jiu Nas Story

    George just stood silently in his room, speechless.  Finally, he said in a garbled voice, ¡°Did you say your father came back?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°Or rather, he rescued my mother and I.  Oh, George, it¡¯s been awful!  And I think something terrible is about to happen!¡±


    ¡°Hold it,¡± said George, trying to speak slowly.  ¡°Just calm down, and tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°Well, it all started a few days ago.  My mother and I had a visit from the strangest person.  He was tall and handsome, and dressed very rich.  He said he was from another world!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± cried George.  ¡°Who was he, and why did he come to you?  Was he working with the Grak?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how he heard about us.  Oh, George, he offered us money¡ªlots of it!  You know how my mother and I need money, since my father disappeared.  He said if we would come with him to his world and take part in a simple food experiment, he would give us a huge amount of money.  George, we were scared, but we felt like we had to go.¡±


    George sat down on his bed.  His stomach suddenly felt like it was tied in a knot.  Somehow, he knew this was not going to be a pleasant story.


    ¡°So we went with him,¡± continued Jiu Na.  ¡°And, George, it was a terrible mistake!  We got there and they put us in with all these other creatures from other worlds, and then one of them asked me if I was planning to escape.  George, we learned that their food experiment was us.  We were the food!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± cried George, standing up quickly.


    ¡°Oh, it was awful!  And we waited, knowing it might be our turn next.  And then night came¡ªand George, that¡¯s when my father came!  He came to rescue me and my mother!¡±


    George suddenly felt very cold.  This story had a familiar ring to it ¡­


    ¡°He said he had been rescued by some creatures called the Glosh,¡± continued Jiu Na.  ¡°They found out my mother and I were there, and so they came for us.  They took us away, and¡ªOh, George!  It was so good to be with my father again!  Only he was sick!  We couldn¡¯t touch him!¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t touch him,¡± repeated George dumbly.  His head was roaring.


    ¡°He said he got some terrible sickness from the Grak, so we couldn¡¯t touch him.  Then the Glosh¡ªthey looked just like the Grak, but my father assured us they weren¡¯t¡ªthey took us to the planet Uth because¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡ªbecause the Glosh wanted some Uth stones to fight the Grak,¡± said George mechanically.


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± said Jiu Na curiously.  But before he could answer, she rushed on.  ¡°And when we got there, my father was too sick to go down to the surface, so I went down alone, and I got two Uth stones¡ªtwo stones that volunteered to go, and the planet spoke to me, George!  The Uth planet spoke to me!¡±


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    George moved his mouth, but no sound came out.  Fear was gripping madly at his mind.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me, George?¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°The planet spoke to me!  And it said to remember what the Ziphon had warned me about¡ªI forgot to mention that I had two visits from a Ziphon, telling me I had to learn to feel, and that the stones could heal or harm, and may bring danger to my people.  But the planet told me it could be o.k. if the right choices were made.¡±


    She was rushing on so swiftly now, that George couldn¡¯t have interrupted had he wanted to.  Not that he was able to do so.  His mouth felt like it was filled with glue.


    ¡°And George, after I got back to the Glosh ship¡ªit was terrible!  They tricked us, George.  They weren¡¯t Glosh!  They were Grak!  And they captured us, and were taking us to their planet, and everything looked hopeless¡ªand then we were rescued, George!  By the intergalactic police!  Right out in space!  Somehow they knew the Grak had us!  And they took us off their ship, and the Uth stones too, and brought us back to earth, and took us home, and everything was wonderful¡ªexcept now my father¡¯s gone again, George!  He¡¯s gone!  We just got back earlier today, and we were home only an hour¡ªand now suddenly he¡¯s gone again!  He just disappeared without warning!¡±


    The roaring in George¡¯s ears was getting louder.  ¡°He¡¯s gone?¡± repeated George dumbly.  ¡°Disappeared?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, George,¡± said Jiu Na.  There was panic in her voice.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Grak have him again!  Oh, George, what shall I do?¡±


    A thought was growing in George¡¯s mind.  A thought so horrible that he dared not even consider it.  A thought about his father.


    ¡°Jiu Na, I¡¯ve got to go!¡± he cried.  ¡°I¡¯ll call you right back!¡±


    ¡°But, George¡ª¡°


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve got to go now!¡±  He popped the ring out of his ear, then quickly put it back in again.  ¡°Protector!  Are you there?  Please answer!¡±


    There was a long pause.  And then, the Protector¡¯s voice came on the line¡ªand George could tell instantly that something was wrong.


    ¡°George,¡± said the Protector hesitantly, as if afraid to speak.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have bad news.¡±  He paused.  ¡°I only stepped out for a minute to get a sandwich ¡­¡±  He paused again.  George found that once more he couldn¡¯t say a word, even if he had wanted to.  But he knew before the Protector spoke exactly what he was going to say.


    ¡°George, I hate to have to tell you this, but ¡­ your father has disappeared!¡±

 Chapter Twenty Five - The Stories Converge

    A day had passed.  George was now sitting in the protector¡¯s house in the Volkswagen Beetle.  The arms poking out of the couch were vigorously scratching his back, seemingly guided by magic to those spots where a good rub or scratch would feel heavenly.


    To the right of George on the couch was Jiu Na, who had just been brought through the transporter by the Protector to join them.  And on his left was Donna Theresa--the other person who had shared a former adventure with George and Jiu Na--who the Protector had also brought from Portugal.  After hearing bits and pieces of everyone¡¯s story, and in light of the inexplicable disappearance of George¡¯s and Jiu Na¡¯s father¡ªand of Donna Theresa¡¯s husband too, as it turned out¡ªthe Protector had decided that a face to face meeting would be the best and quickest way to try to figure out what was going on.  That way he could get the details of everyone¡¯s story at once.


    ¡°Now,¡± said the Protector, pacing quietly back and forth across the room in front of them, ¡°If we carefully examine each of your stories and the way they are similar or dissimilar, we might find a clue to what¡¯s going on.¡±  He turned toward Donna Theresa.  ¡°You were saying a minute ago that your husband came for you about a week ago, here on earth.  Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered simply.  Since they were all chewing the Protector¡¯s language gum, none of them had any trouble understanding each other.  ¡°He said some creatures called the Glosh had rescued him from his captors, the Grak.  They brought him here to get me, because they needed two Uth stones in their war with the Grak, and my husband was too sick and weak to go get them himself.  So, they needed me to do it.¡±


    ¡°So we can see, after hearing Jiu Na¡¯s and George¡¯s story, that the Glosh¡ªor rather, the Grak, since we now know that¡¯s who they were¡ªhad come up with a clever plan to trick all three of you into going to the planet Uth to get two stones for them, since they are too evil to get the stones themselves.  I presume you did go there, and get the two stones, Donna Theresa?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± she answered.


    ¡°And then you found out the Glosh were really the Grak, right?¡± said the Protector.


    ¡°No,¡± said Donna Theresa unexpectedly.  ¡°The Glosh then simply brought my husband and I back here.  And then he disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Hmm ¡­¡± said the Protector, stroking his chin.  ¡°That is odd.  You mean to say that the Glosh kept the stones and simply brought you back, like they¡¯d promised?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Donna Theresa.  ¡°Except, after their spaceship left, I was surprised to find that I had one of the stones with me, in a little box.  I don¡¯t know where the other stone is.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve got one stone as well!¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°My father must have had the other one with him when he disappeared.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°And after George¡¯s father disappeared, I found one stone in the little box where both stones used to be,¡± said the Protector, handing the little box with the stone in it to George.  ¡°Clearly, the Grak are behind all this, and made sure that you each had one stone, while the three men also had one stone each.  And I think we can guess why!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡ª¡° began George.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± responded the Protector simply.  ¡°They are apparently planning to do the same thing they did before--to use you three and the three men to create a power link between the fallen stars on earth and their ship in space, in order to stop the earth''s rotation.¡±


    ¡°But how can they do it again?¡± cried George.  ¡°Don¡¯t they know that we¡¯ll do just as we did before, and take the stones back to the planet Uth?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they do know that,¡± responded the Protector.  ¡°But I presume they¡¯ve figured out a way to get around that problem.¡±


    ¡°But there is no way around it!¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°There¡¯s no way any of us would do differently than we did before.  Even if they threatened our families!  When we made that choice before, we did it knowing the price we would pay.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said the Protector with a gentle smile on his face.  ¡°It was a wondrous thing you all did, and I have no doubt you¡¯d do it all again.  But the Grak are very cunning, and seem to have a new plan up their sleeve.  And they must think they can pull it off, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Have you checked to see if they¡¯re nearby?¡± asked Donna Theresa suddenly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied the Protector.  ¡°When this all started coming to light, I immediately contacted the intergalactic police.  They¡¯ve searched the area, and found only one Sus ship orbiting the earth.  There are no Grak ships anywhere close.¡±


    ¡°Sus?¡± said George curiously.  ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Not what,¡± corrected the Protector.  ¡°Who.  The Sus are a very docile race, and usually spend their time studying things and adding to the body of knowledge in the universe.  This particular Sus ship is here on an archeological expedition¡ªof the moon, not the earth.¡±


    ¡°Well, if the Sus ship is the only one in the area, then the Grak must be on it!¡± cried George.


    ¡°My thoughts precisely,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Which is why I had the intergalactic police do a thorough search of their ship.  They found nothing.¡±


    ¡°But they must be there!¡± cried George.  ¡°Where else would they be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid,¡± said the Protector gravely, ¡°it isn¡¯t as vital for them to be on the Sus ship at the moment as you might think.  You see, when your father disappeared yesterday, George, I didn¡¯t realize at first that something else disappeared too.  I only discovered it this morning, in fact.  And it could make all the difference.  It was a portable transporter.¡±

 Chapter Twenty Six - A Trap is Set

    ¡°A transporter?¡± said George.  ¡°You mean,¡± he said slowly, ¡°they plan to transport themselves to the Sus ship when the time is right!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Remember when I told you earlier that transporter technology was something the Grak didn¡¯t have?  Well now, thanks to me, I¡¯m afraid they do.  I don¡¯t know how they got in here past all my extensive security devices to get your father and the transporter, but somehow they did.  It¡¯s a tragic loss, and a great gain for the Grak.¡±


    Everyone was silent for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.  Finally Jiu Na said, ¡°What are we to do?  Just sit and wait for the Grak to act?  Even though they have our fathers?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, we must thwart their plans,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°That¡¯s partly why I brought you all here.  Their plan can only work if you are spread out, with one of you in China, one in Portugal and one here in California.¡±


    ¡°But with transporter technology, they could take us to those places very easily,¡± said George.  ¡°And since they broke in here somehow to steal the transporter and kidnap my father, they might be able to come back and capture us as well!  If they do that, then only our taking the stones back to Uth will stop them¡ªand you say they¡¯ve figured a way around that!¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Obviously, you all are in grave danger.  To resolve this dilemma, I think we need to force their hand¡ªto cause them to act sooner than they had planned.  That¡¯s another reason I brought you here, believe it or not.  To use you as bait, so the Grak will be tempted to get you all at once.¡±


    He got up and went over to a nearby table that had a bottle sitting on it.  ¡°Anyone care for some Vleck?¡± he said unexpectedly.  ¡°I¡¯ve got a tasty new batch, that tastes like strawberry.¡±


    ¡°You brought us here to be bait?¡± said George, ignoring the offer for Vleck.  ¡°How could you?¡±


    ¡°Because he has probably set a trap for the Grak,¡± said Donna Teresa suddenly.  ¡°Is it not so?¡±


    The protector smiled at her.  ¡°Exactly so.¡±  He brought the bottle of Vleck over and set it on the table in front of them.  ¡°This bottle of Vleck contains an audio/visual device that allows the intergalactic police to watch everything we do and say.  It¡¯s a perfect opportunity to finally have some hard evidence that can be used in the intergalactic court against the Grak.  They¡¯ve been very slippery before, and it¡¯s hard to get evidence on them.  I¡¯ve temporarily turned off my security devices here, so the Grak can come in here and expose themselves to the police.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s brilliant!¡± said George, picking up the bottle and examining it closely.  It looked like an ordinary bottle, and George couldn¡¯t imagine how they had managed to hide a listening device and camera inside it somehow.


    ¡°So, now we just wait,¡± said Jiu Na.  ¡°And once the Grak make their move, then the police will see what¡¯s going on and will protect us.  And they¡¯ll rescue our fathers too, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°And that¡¯s not all.  The intergalactic police are also monitoring each of the asteroids, or fallen stars, in each of your countries.  As you know, the Grak have to use these fallen stars to hook their energy beam onto, in order to stop the earth¡¯s rotation.  The police decided it¡¯s less likely that the Grak will try to repeat their last attempt if there are lots of people around each asteroid.  Therefore, they slyly submitted the right papers in China, Portugal and California to arrange for scientific teams to visit each of the rocks and give them a thorough examination.  The teams are doing so right now, here, in China and in Portugal!¡±


    ¡°Fantastic!¡± cried George.  ¡°And it¡¯s really the intergalactic police that¡¯s doing the examining, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied the Protector to George¡¯s surprise.  ¡°Believe it or not, they¡¯re real scientific teams of you earth people.  The intergalactic police are not on the planet at all¡ªthey¡¯re not allowed to be, by intergalactic law, since your planet has not asked for their presence.  Of course, that¡¯s because your planet doesn¡¯t have a single government, and is ignorant of the existence of the intergalactic police.  It¡¯s intergalactic policy in dealing with planets like yours to allow the people on them to remain in ignorance until they find us on their own.  Otherwise the natives tend to get a bit overexcited.¡±


    ¡°So, how are the police monitoring the fallen stars?¡± asked George.


    ¡°From space,¡± replied the Protector simply.  ¡°Even your planet has cameras with enough power to identify a dime from an earth satellite in outer space.  The technology being used by the intergalactic police is much more powerful.  It¡¯s not hard for them to keep an eye on things from a distance.  And if the Grak intrude on your planet, the police will come swarming down, which is allowed by intergalactic law.¡±


    ¡°And the Sus ship,¡± said Donna Theresa.  ¡°Are they watching it too?¡±


    ¡°From a distance, yes¡± said the Protector.  ¡°By law, they can¡¯t go on board the ship either, unless the Sus ask for them.  So they¡¯re watching from a vantage point nearby.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great comfort,¡± said Jiu Na.


    A sudden very loud hiccup resounded through the room.  ¡°Goodness!¡± cried the Protector.  It sounded again, louder this time.  George looked all around, but couldn¡¯t see where the sound was coming from.


    ¡°Someone is calling me!¡± said the Protector.  He rushed over to a book on the lamp table, and opened it quickly, flipping through the pages.


    The book hiccupped again, flapping it¡¯s pages wildly as it did so.  It was so bizarre to see a book hiccupping that George grinned.  Some of the Protector¡¯s devices were certainly unusual!


    ¡°Here, we are,¡± said the Protector.  ¡°Page 52.  That¡¯ll stop the hiccups.  Hello!¡± he called loudly to the book.  ¡°This is the Protector.¡±


    A soft voice came from the book.  ¡°This is Dogor.  I am commander of the Sus ship.  Could you please come up to our ship at once?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± said the Protector in surprise.  ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because we heard from the intergalactic police that the Grak stole your transporter.  We fear they may use it to come aboard our ship.  Since you were the last owner of the transporter, you can help us put a disabling screen on our ship, that will prevent your transporter from being used to gain access here.¡±


    ¡°A disabling screen?¡± said the Protector curiously.  ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a new technology for transporters like yours¡ªa security device.  The screen will read your presence when you come aboard, and identify you as the last owner of the transporter the Grak now have.  After that, if they try to use that same transporter to come aboard here, our screen will recognize the transporter as being yours, and prevent its use!¡±


    ¡°What a wonderful idea!¡± said the Protector with a smile.  ¡°I¡¯d be happy to come up for a minute, if that¡¯s all you need.  I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±  He snapped the book closed and turned to look at them.


    ¡°Well, I guess the Sus are worried about the Grak too.  I¡¯ll just pop up there and be right back.¡±  He went over and started entering the coordinates of the Sus ship into his transporter¡¯s little black control box.


    "I thought you said your transporter was stolen!" said George, looking in curiosity at the transporter sitting in the same corner of the Protector''s lair as it always had.


    "They did," replied the Protector simply.  "This is my spare transporter, which I had stored away until now."


    ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± asked Jiu Na suddenly.  ¡°Won¡¯t it be dangerous for us to be here without you, because of the trap you set for the Grak?¡±


    ¡°The intergalactic police are monitoring everything that happens here,¡± said the Protector, pointing at the bottle of Vleck on the table.  ¡°The trap may actually work better if I¡¯m gone, since the Grak may be more willing to come here if they don¡¯t detect my presence.  Believe me, the police will be here instantly if anything happens.  They heard the conversation I just had with the Sus, and know I¡¯m going up to their ship temporarily.  And anyway, I¡¯ll be back in just a minute.¡±


    He smiled at them, then said, ¡°Now, remember¡ªwhatever happens, do not leave this room!  It¡¯s essential for you all to stay right here were the police can watch.  Don¡¯t go out the door or anything.  Understand?¡±


    George and the others nodded in agreement.  Then the Protector waved to them, walked through the transporter door and was gone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± said Jiu Na, walking over to examine the bottle of Vleck closely.  ¡°I keep thinking of the Ziphon¡¯s warnings.  In spite of how closely the intergalactic police are watching, I don¡¯t feel safe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being bait either,¡± agreed Donna Theresa.


    ¡°But the Protector doesn¡¯t seem to be worried,¡± George pointed out.  ¡°He knows how capable the intergalactic police are, much better than we do.¡±


    ¡°They are capable,¡± agreed Jiu Na.  ¡°When they rescued my father and mother and I from the Grak after I got the Uth stones, they swarmed on board so fast, none of the Grak had time to do anything!¡±


    ¡°Well, there you go!¡± said George in satisfaction.  ¡°We¡¯re perfectly safe.¡±


    A loud hiccup suddenly resounded through the room, startling all of them.  They each turned to stare at the book the Protector had answered before.


    ¡°Should we answer it?¡± asked Jiu Na anxiously.  As if in response, the book started to hiccup louder and more rapidly.


    ¡°I think we have to answer!¡± yelled George, trying to be overheard above the noise of the hiccupping.  He ran over to the book and flipped quickly through the pages.  The hiccupping was now so loud and rapid that his eardrums felt like they were being mauled by a grizzly bear.


    He suddenly reached page 52.  Blessedly, the hiccupping stopped.  ¡°Hello?¡± said George tentatively.


    ¡°George Brown?¡± came the soft voice out of the book once more.  ¡°This is Dogor, the Sus commander again.  Your father and the other two men are here!¡±

 Chapter Twenty Seven - Deception after Deception

    ¡°What?!¡± cried George in amazement.  Jiu Na raced over to the book.  ¡°What do you mean about our fathers?¡± she cried.


    ¡°They are here!¡± said Dogor again, in an animated voice.


    ¡°But why?¡± cried George.  ¡°Where did they come from?  Are the Grak there too?  Where is the Protector?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any Grak, and I don¡¯t know where the Protector is right now, although he was here a short while ago,¡± said Dogor excitedly.  ¡°All I know is that all three men are aboard this ship!¡±


    "George, what do we do?¡± cried Jiu Na.  George stared unseeing at the wall, thinking hard.  ¡°We know,¡± he said slowly, ¡°that the Grak plan will only work if the three of us are on earth, and the three men are up in a ship in space.  So if we go up there where our fathers are, there¡¯s no way they can possibly fulfill their plan!  All of the Uth stones will be together in one place!  And with the power of the stones, we should be able to rescue our fathers!¡±


    ¡°But that may be exactly what they want us to try and do!¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°It may be a trap!  They could easily transport us down to the earth¡¯s surface again, after they capture us.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t forget, we still have the Uth stones!¡± cried George.  ¡°If they try to transport us anywhere, we can avoid it.  Don¡¯t you want to go rescue your father?  This is our chance!  And nothing can go wrong if all the Uth stones are in one place.¡±


    Spotting the bottle of Vleck on the table, he rushed over to it.  ¡°And there¡¯s this, too!¡± he cried.  ¡°The intergalactic police have been listening to everything we¡¯ve said.  They know exactly where we¡¯re going, and if there¡¯s any trouble, they¡¯ll swarm the Sus ship, just like they did when they rescued you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Jiu Na worriedly, biting her lower lip.  ¡°I keep thinking of the Ziphon¡¯s warning.  And the Protector told us not to leave, remember?¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re just going to where he already is!¡± countered George.


    ¡°It may be pointless to argue about this,¡± said Donna Theresa suddenly.  ¡°We don¡¯t know how to work the transporter, so we can¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    George¡¯s heart sank¡ªthen soared again.  ¡°I know how it works!¡± He cried, racing over to the transporter door and picking up the little black control box.  ¡°The Protector already set the coordinates for the Sus ship, because he went up there himself!  All we have to do is press this green button, then walk through!¡±


    For a moment, no one moved.  ¡°Come on!¡± cried George to them suddenly.  ¡°We¡¯ve got to go now!  Don¡¯t you want to rescue them?  This is our chance!  We¡¯ll get them quick, then bring them back down here!¡±


    ¡°But, George, stop and think for a minute!¡± cried Jiu Na in protest.  ¡°The only way our fathers could have gotten on that ship was if the Grak used the transporter they stole from the Protector.  They weren¡¯t supposed to be able to do that, because the Protector went up there to stop them.  But he apparently didn¡¯t stop them!  That means the Grak are there!¡±


    ¡°The Protector may be in trouble, then!¡± cried George.  ¡°Now the intergalactic police will swarm all over that Sus ship.  They¡¯ll probably be there before we are.  Come on!  Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you are right,¡± said Donna Teresa, moving calmly toward the transporter door.  ¡°If my Jose is there, I cannot help him by staying here.  Indeed, it would seem to be more dangerous here than up there.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go,¡± said Jiu Na unhappily, as she walked over to the transporter.  ¡°But I still think it might be a trap!¡±


    George pressed the green button, then set the box down.  As he straightened up to go through the door, he was surprised to feel something small climbing up his leg.


    Looking down, he saw Emberly, still in the form of a Flibbet.  She crawled up his shirt and into his pocket.


    ¡°You can stay here,¡± he said.  ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to go.¡±  He knew that she had been sulking ever since they had come back from L91.  She was so upset that she had apparently refused to be transformed from a Flibbet back to her natural form.


    ¡°The funny little leathery man said I must go,¡± she replied simply.


    ¡°What little leathery man?¡± said George, mystified.  Sudden realization flooded his mind.  ¡°Do you mean a Ziphon?  Did one visit you?¡±


    Before Emberly could answer, Jiu Na cried, ¡°George, are you coming, or not?¡±  She was at the transporter, ready to step through.  Donna Teresa had already gone through and disappeared.


    ¡°Yes, I am!¡± cried George, dashing over and following Jiu Na through the door.  Once more there was a dazzle of color, and a rushing sound of wind.


    And then they were through.  They were standing in a bare room with three windows that showed the stars outside the Sus ship.  There was nothing in the room except for a little creature that looked almost like a puppy.  It wagged its tail at them, then spoke in a soft voice.


    ¡°Welcome.  I am Dogor.  The men you seek are in the next room.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen the Protector anywhere?¡± asked Jiu Na in concern.


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± said the little dog.  ¡°We were not able to set up the disability screen on the transporter before he came.  He was helping us get it set up when he seemed to disappear.  The Grak may have pulled him through somehow.¡±


    ¡°George, this is looking more and more like a trap!¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°The Grak might be taking over.  Let¡¯s go back down to earth before it¡¯s too late!¡±


    ¡°But if this were really a trap, the Grak would have been here to meet us!¡± answered George. ¡°Besides, the intergalactic police probably tracked the Protector wherever he went, and went there too!  They probably have all of the Grak rounded up by now!  And besides all that, we¡¯ve still got the Uth stones.  Combined with the stones our fathers have, our strength should be more than a match for the Grak.¡±


    "Follow me, if you want to see the three men," said the little dog as he started to trot down a bare hallway to their right.  George darted through and ran after him, followed by Donna Teresa and a reluctant Jiu Na.  In seconds, they burst from the hall into a large, open room with many control panels and blinking lights in it.  This apparently was the bridge, or control area of the ship.  And standing in the middle of this room were George¡¯s father, and the two other men!


    ¡°Father!¡± cried Jiu Na, rushing forward to a short Chinese man with gray hair at the temples.  Next to him was a swarthy, dark skinned man with a mustache.  This must be Jose.


    ¡°George!¡± cried out his father.  ¡°You came!  Thank heavens!  Hurry and untie me.¡±  In shock, George saw that all of the men¡¯s hands were tied to a large, metal ring.  The circular ring was about 3 inches thick and 6 feet across.  It sat up off the floor on spindly metal legs.


    George rushed over to his father and grabbed for the ropes that bound his father¡¯s hands to the ring.  But as he did so, a most amazing thing happened.  His hands went right through his father¡¯s hands, as if they weren¡¯t even there!


    ¡°What in the world?¡± cried George in wonder.  Looking up, he saw the same astonished look on Jiu Na¡¯s face, as well as Donna Teresa, as each also tried to untie the other men.


    George¡¯s father and the other men unexpectedly stepped back from the ring.  They hadn¡¯t been tied at all!  Yet George realized in horror that now he was himself fastened somehow to the ring!  His left hand was gripping it tightly, and was held fast by an invisible force as if stuck there with glue.  What was going on?


    His father and the other men smiled at them, then started to laugh.  It was a cruel laugh, that cut George to the very heart, and made Emberly jump out of his pocket and run for  cover.  Everyone was so absorbed with what George''s father was saying that no one paid any attention to her.


    ¡°My, oh, my!¡± said George¡¯s father with a huge smile.  ¡°You certainly were easy to fool.  And you were so willing too!  You walked right into our little trap!¡±


    George¡¯s head felt like it was going to explode.  He looked at his father in horror.  How could he be saying such things?


    ¡°Do you still have your Uth stones with you?¡± asked his father suddenly.  And as he did so, his father pulled from his pocket the other stone.


    Then there was still hope!  All six stones were here on the Sus ship.  George groped in his pocket and pulled out his own stone.  He saw Jiu Na and Donna Teresa do the same.


    ¡°Thank you once again, for performing that last little bit of service for us,¡± said George¡¯s father.  Then, amazingly, the stone in his father''s hand vanished!


    ¡°You see, George, the stone you thought you saw in my hand wasn¡¯t real.  But you each need to be holding your stone in your hand in order for the beam of energy to work.  Meanwhile, your father in California, Jiu Na¡¯s father in China, and Donna Theresa¡¯s husband in Portugal, are all holding their own Uth stones while gripping onto the fallen stars--since if they don''t we have promised to kill their families!  They still know anything about stopping the earth''s rotation, and don''t realize what is about to happen, and that their families are about to die, anyway."


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "In short, we¡¯ve just basically switched places from where you all were last time we tried this little experiment.¡±


    "My father¡­¡± gaped George.  ¡°He¡¯s down there?  Then that means that you are¡ª¡°


    ¡°A fake?¡±  George¡¯s father¡ªor at least, the person he had thought was his father, smiled cruelly.  ¡°Yes, that is correct.  I¡¯ve been a fake all along, from the very beginning.¡±


    In sudden rage, George tried to wrench free of the metal ring, and tackle the taunting figure of his father.  But it was no use.  Somehow the Grak had done something that made his hand stay glued to the ring.  He couldn¡¯t budge.


    His fake father laughed once again.  ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to pull free.  There¡¯s no way you can do so.  But even if you could, you wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt me.¡±  He walked suddenly over to George, who swung wildly at him with his free fist.  But his fist went right through his father as if he weren¡¯t even there!


    ¡°You see, George,¡± said his fake father with a taunting smile, ¡°I¡¯m nothing but a holographic image.  The image of your father is projected into the air by a tiny, floating control device, the size of a grain of sand.  I¡¯ve been programmed to mimic every move and gesture of your real father, and have every bit of his memory stored in my electronic brain, so there is no question I can¡¯t answer that he would know.  I¡¯m a very real and convincing image, don¡¯t you think?  Except for the fact that I can¡¯t touch or be touched!¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not true!¡± screamed George through gritted teeth.  ¡°I touched you once, and you were real!¡±


    A shadow of sadness crossed his fake father¡¯s face.  ¡°Yes,¡± he said slowly, ¡°I almost was.¡±  He paced across to look out at the myriad of stars through the ship window.  ¡°L91 was an amazing planet.  It turned dreams into realities.¡±  He turned suddenly on George.  ¡°And what do you think I am?!¡± he screamed suddenly in a frenzied voice.  ¡°A dream!  That¡¯s all I¡¯ll ever be!  A dream image of your father!  But there ¡­¡± he paused, calming himself down with some effort.  ¡°There, I had the chance to be something more.  I started to become real.  If we had stayed, I would have become alive, as real and breathing as any human being!¡±


    In shocked recollection, George remembered how spongy his father¡¯s flesh had been when he touched him.  He hadn¡¯t been fully real then!  And when his fake father had walked across the clearing and he and the Protector had watched, his father had sometimes cast a shadow and sometimes hadn¡¯t.  He hadn¡¯t reached the point of being fully real then, either!  And then there were the strange things his father had said, about coming alive--things George had not understood at the time, but which made perfect sense now.


    The Ziphon had been right once again.  Things were not as they had seemed.  And he had not made enough effort to touch and feel his father.


    ¡°You liar!¡± yelled Jiu Na at the fake image of her father.  ¡°You beast!  No wonder you never let me touch you.  How could you have deceived me like you did?¡±


    ¡°It was easy, my daughter,¡± said the fake image of her father.  ¡°I was programmed by the Grak.  What else could I do?  I have no feelings for you¡ªnone whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for what you¡¯ve done!¡± cried Jiu Na.  ¡°The intergalactic police know where we are!  They¡¯ll be here any second!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± said George¡¯s father, raising an eyebrow in mock fear.  Walking over to the window, he pointed at a pinprick of light in space.  Looking closely, George saw that it seemed to be on fire!


    ¡°There¡¯s your precious intergalactic police!¡± he spat.  ¡°Do you really think that the mighty Grak are going to be stopped in their plans by a handful of simpletons!¡±


    ¡°But the work teams at the fallen stars on earth,¡± said George.  ¡°You can¡¯t fulfill your plan with them there!¡±


    ¡°And, why not?¡± cried his fake father.  ¡°Who do you think the lead technician in California is, after all?  Your precious father!  And it¡¯s the same in China and Portugal.  Who cares if the other team members suddenly see a beam of energy connect to the fallen star?  By the time they see it, it¡¯ll be too late for them to do anything about it.  They¡¯re simple earth men anyway.  How are they going to stop us?¡±


    George was almost weeping in frustration.  ¡°What have you done with the Protector?¡±


    His fake father smiled.  ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything with him,¡± he said simply.  ¡°But they have.¡±  He pointed toward the hall where George and the others had entered.   And standing there was Dogor, and other creatures like him!  All of them looked like little puppy dogs.


    ¡°It was so nice of your friendly protector to help us,¡± said Dogor with a sneer.  ¡°We sent for him of course, and had a nice trap waiting when he arrived a few minutes ago.  And of course, the fact he had set the coordinates of the transporter so you could all follow him in coming here was also most helpful.  We are SO glad you came!¡±


    George was still staring at the puppies, his mind groping to comprehend.  ¡°But I thought the Sus were peaceful creatures,¡± he said in confusion.


    ¡°They are,¡± said the puppy with a smile.  ¡°Unfortunately, your so-called Protector was so excited about the disappearance of your ¡®father¡¯ and his precious transporter, that he forgot to notice another little item of his that we stole ¡­ his transformer!¡±


    Sudden realization flooded over George.  ¡°You mean you¡¯re¡ª¡°


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Dogor replied.  ¡°We are the Grak.  We took over this Sus ship and replaced all of its crew as soon as we got the transformer, and could change ourselves to look like them.  We never had transformer technology before.  It¡¯s very handy!¡±


    Suddenly, Dogor and his crew did a very strange thing.  Trotting over to a panel, they pulled out what looked like gas masks, and put them on.  George then heard a soft hissing sound from somewhere above his head.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to thank the three of you one last time, for helping us out once again,¡± said George¡¯s fake father in his taunting tone.  ¡°You see, last time you caught us off guard because we left you alone, with no one to talk to.  That let your minds wander, and then your silly Uth stones were able to worm their own thoughts into your minds.  So this time, we knew we had to distract you, to keep you talking, until the gas started to take effect.¡±


    Gas!  George blinked his eyes in horror.  He suddenly felt very groggy.  He had been tricked again!  If he had spent the last few minutes communicating with the Uth stone in his hand, instead of talking with his captors, he could have escaped the same way he did the last time!  In panic, he tried to focus his mind toward the stone.  He could feel its presence, reaching desperately out to him.  But his mind was not able to think clearly enough to reach back.


    In sudden anger, George tried to throw his stone with all his might.  If he could get the stone out of his hand, the connection and energy beam the Grak were counting on would be broken.  But his effort was pointless.  His hand was gripping the Uth stone tightly, and seemed to be frozen in place.  The stone was trapped in his palm.  Indeed, both of his hands were held fast by an invisible force put in place by the Grak.  This was apparently another change they had made from last time, when they had bound his hands with ropes and belts.  They must have obtained some other, new technology.


    In total panic, George jerked and twisted, pulled and screamed.  He had to stay awake!  He tasted blood in his mouth, and realized he must have bitten his lip in his rage.  Tears streaked down his cheeks.  But he could feel his mind slowly slipping away.


    The Grak had won.  They stood sneering at him, along with his father.  His beloved father.  His traitorous father.  How could he have been so blind?  Why hadn¡¯t he try to feel, as the Ziphon and the voice on Uth had told him to do?


    As George passed in and out of consciousness, he could feel the energy building in his hand.  He knew, without having to see it, that an energy beam had shot down from the stone in his hand to the one being held by his real father in California on earth.  The same was happening between Jiu Na and her father in China, and between Donna Teresa and Jose in Portugal.  Even now, the earth was no doubt heaving and pulling against the resistance of the energy beams, as it tried to continue its rotation.  And in just a few minutes, thanks to George and his foolishness, that rotation would be forever stopped, and all of earth¡¯s inhabitants would perish.