Wonderland - Version 2024

A4 Shutting Up Like a Telescope

A4 Shutting Up Like a Telescope

My birthday gift this year is a telescope. I’ve wanted one for years. I love star watching and this will enable me to wander the sky, keeping track of the stars, the planets and the satellites as they roam the night sky.

One night not long ago I settled myself into the folding chair behind the scope. We drove to the airport to find a dark sky, hoping to see shooting stars. The Geminid meteor shower happens in November and December, so we bundled up and drank hot chocolate as the sky turned black. The meteors started their show and we took turns using my new toy.

Suddenly George shouted.”Hey! You gotta see this!”

I ran over, took a look. We grabbed the star charts.

“What is it? Nothing should be there tonight.”

“Satellite? Space station?”

“Nope, nothing predicted for that location at this time.”

“Did we?”

“Shut up…You’re nuts.” I grabbed my phone and dialed the university.


Suddenly every night our small county airport was overrun with observers. Then news crews and reporters from all over showed up.

“When did you first know you’d found a new planet?” One reporter shoved a microphone in my face.

“Um, well. It was so unexpected…” And that was the beginning.

Since all those months ago, we’ve actually communicated with the new planet. The inhabitants insist that the person that first saw them come visit. And I got to name it, George insisted, and NASA agreed. He said it was his anniversary gift to me. So you can keep your roses and wine, dinner and diamonds. I got to own a planet.

I’ll be traveling to Planet Julie next week. I don’t know what to wear. Is it summer there? Are you allowed to wear white in winter? Do you have to dress for dinner? Do you bring a welcome gift for the inhabitants?

So many questions. All they’ve said so far is: Come as you are. But who am I? Who are they? Will they speak a language I can understand and will they understand me?

I have a year to travel to Planet Julie. I’ll start language classes soon. No one in NASA will tell me what to expect. Just this, since I am a mother and own a pet, I should be fine. So many questions…

Planet Julie is smaller than I imagined. Landing in a cloud of pink dust, a blue sun shines down. Purple trees, or something resembling trees, dot the landscape. Under the trees are red shrubs with orange blossoms. Green ponds filled with some sort of liquid are off in the distance. It’s truly a kaleidoscope of color, a rainbow spilled across sky and ground.

Approaching my spaceship is a fleet of tiny metal vehicles. Its reminiscent of silver bugs, beetles perhaps. They seem no larger than that. They stop, and out jump tinier beings. Could these be inhabitants of Planet Julie?

My exit from the spaceship was less than elegant since I fell face down in the pink dust. It felt like talcum powder and tasted like cotton candy. Sweet, sugary.

“Hello, I am Julie, from Earth. I discovered your planet.”

The huddled tiny beings, all robed in silver similar to their vehicles, murmured a greeting. Translated, I think they said, “How can you discover something that is not lost?”

Good point. To discover something is to find it, or to find out what I didn’t previously know, is my thinking of the word.

“Well, you weren’t lost, but you weren’t found either. We just had to meet you, I guess is what I mean.”

Again the little beings huddled together. The surroundings changed colors. The sun turned green. The tree turned blue. The ponds are now purple. Red shrubs with yellow flowers are now pink shrubs with orange flowers. The pink dust that tasted like cotton candy is now a rainbow of colors.

“We know you like colors. We know you like bright rainbow colors. We know you like ‘my little pony’.” Tiny beings shone in the green sun’s rays, their silver suits and vehicles reflecting the green light.

“What? How did you know that? I was about six years old.” I towered over these things, people, whatever they were. I could crush them like the bugs they resembled.

“Julie, we know all about you. We changed Planet Oumet’s name to Julie, because you named it Julie. We changed Planet Oumet’s colors to honor your arrival, because you like colors. We want you to like Planet Oumet.”

Silver Oumetians surged around my feet. They carried me to a tiny silver vehicle.

One word from the lead Oumetian and I became their size. “Now we will take you to our city. There you will meet and greet and seat with the elders.”

Suddenly I could understand all being said to me. Nothing was lost in translation. Communication with the aliens in outer space was possible. I could report back to earth and George and everyone. Won’t they be amazed! I looked over my shoulder to the NASA space ship, longing to go inside and communicate the good news.

But as I watched, the ship was being dismantled by hundreds, if not thousands of tiny silver Oumetians. They swarmed over all parts of the rocket, just like ants on a piece of picnic bread. Soon the space ship lay in pieces on the rainbow dust.

“You will not look back again, Julie. This is your new home. You claimed it. It is yours now, forever.” The Oumetian leader took my hand. The leader took me to the vehicle. We sped off, floating over the rainbow dust and into the green sun’s setting rays.

W/C 949

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