(This is my first short story, which I
wrote in the sixth grade. I liked this story a lot then, and I probably revised it a half
dozen times. Even so, it had many errors. My spelling wasn't perfect, I repeated myself
much too often, and my sentences leave a lot to be desired. Parts of the story also don't
make much sense. See if you can figure out where I went wrong. This is one of the final
versions of the story. I am sharing it with you to show you that a writer has to start
some place...even an embarrassing place.)
It was a cool, summer morning in
Longbranch, Missouri
on the first of July. A great crowd was gathering on the lawn of the Chemical Corporation
to watch an amazing experiment about to take place. The Chemical Corporation was testing a
new substance which would, if successful, be more powerful than dynamite. The substance
was to blow up a shack right beside the Chemical Corporation. The Chemical Corporation was
made of bombproof when it was built so there would be outdoor tests made like this one.
The great moment now came. The people waited anxiously
for the experiment to take place. The last five seconds came. "Five, four,
three," came the voice over the loudspeaker, "two, one, POWER!" As the
words were spoken, the shack blew up, but something more fantastic happened. The Chemical
Corporation blew up too! Everyone was dumbfounded.
Although some of the employees were outside watching
the experiment, many of them were inside of the Chemical Corporation. Fireman and
policemen arrived and told people to go home.
The explosion came over bid in the home of Johnnie
Jones. "Did you here about the big explosion," exclaimed Johnnie at the dinner
table, "over at the Chemical Corporation? Gee wizz, just think of all the blood and
bones and every...."
"Not now Johnnie," said his father,
"we're eating! In fact I wish you wouldn't even talk about it. Some of our best
friends died in the explosion."
That night, after Johnnie went to bed, he got up to get
a drink of water. As he came back into his room he looked out of his window and saw a
weird green light in the sky coming down to earth near the Chemical Corporation ruins. He
decided to go investigate the green light the next day. Since the ruins of the Chemical
Corporation were only about a quarter mile away he would have access to them any time.
The next morning came and the chores piled up on
Johnnie. By late that afternoon he had finished them and went in the house to call up a
friend to come with him. He made arrangements with his friend, Buddy Johnson, to meet at
his house after supper.
"Did you finish all of your chores, Johnnie,"
asked his father, "before you go with Buddy?"
"Yes dad," said Johnnie, "I did them
this afternoon."
It was almost dark when Buddy arrived, but it was light
enough to see around them. They ventured over to the ruins of the Chemical Corporation in
about 15 minutes. Then they started looking for anything that they might find interesting
to play with.
"Hey what's this," exclaimed Buddy, "in
this old bottle?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," returned
Johnnie, "throw it out and keep the bottle."
Buddy threw it out, and he was much surprised when the
bush he threw it on shriveled up and died. After that they thought that they shouldn't
fool around with any other bottles.
While they were looking for things, they didn't notice
that the sun had slipped beyond the horizon. They still wanted to stay and salvage things,
so Johnnie went home to get a flashlight and left Buddy by himself.
He was gone for about 10 minutes, and when he came back
he was very surprised that Buddy wasn't there. He didn't know what to do but go home.
The next morning after breakfast, Johnnie called Mrs.
Johnson, the widowed mother of Buddy.
"Hello Mrs. Johnson, this is Johnnie Jones. Is
Buddy there?" said Johnnie in a hopeful voice.
"No he isn't. I haven't seen him since he left to
go to your house," said Mrs. Johnson in an alarming voice.
They continued the conversation for some time but could
not figure out where Buddy might be.
Still wondering what happened to Buddy, Johnnie turned
on his radio to his favorite station, KLOP.
"Now folks it's time for the news... A young
identified person was found near the Chemical Corporation this morning dead. The cause of
the death is not known yet... An airliner crash...CLICK!"
With hearing that, Johnnie turned off the radio and
started to the Chemical Corporation. The way to the Chemical Corp. is through a little
wooded area. As Johnnie was passing through the woods he noticed that everything was a
bright green, brighter than it had ever been before. Then he noticed that someone was
following him. And just as he turned around he heard his sister's voice, "Johnnie,
wait for me," yelled his sister Judy, I want to come too."
"Well, I don't want you to come," yelled
Johnnie back, "I'd rather go by myself. Now go on home."
After convincing his sister to go home Johnnie
continued to the Chemical Corporation, but discovered nothing new.
By now Johnnie was getting pretty discouraged and
decided not to go to the Chemical Corporation again for fear of what had happened to
Buddy.
"Johnnie, go to the store and get me 2 loaves of
bread," asked his mother, "please. Do to the store across from the Chemical
Corporation."
This was what Johnnie didn't want to do. He started on
the path to the Chemical Corporation and again noticed that he was being followed. Johnnie
crossed his fingers and turned around slowly and saw "it." Johnnie didn't know
what to do, he just stood there and gazed at "it." Johnnie didn't know what it
was, it was just there. "It" had a huge body about 7 feet with strange-looking
features. "It" had strange-looking teeth that looked like toothpicks and those
bulging green eyes. Oh! how sickening they were to look at. Finally after Johnnie had been
gazing a while "it" spoke.
"I am from another planet out of your solar system
and I'm here to conquer the world. Come with me."
Johnnie went with "it" to the ruins, where he
was locked in an undemolished room in the ruins. Hours went by, then "it" came
and unlocked the door, then threw someone in with Johnnie. Johnnie went up to the person
that had just been thrown in to find out who it was. As Johnnie got nearer to the body, he
discovered that it was Judy, his sister. Johnnie just knew he had to get out of there and
warn the people. As he was thinking of a plan to escape, "it" came to the door.
"I have forgotten to warn you about something, if
you get to close to me you will turn a bright green, like me. Therefore you better keep
your distance," came the words.
Johnnie noticed that "it" had left the door
unlocked. Was it a trap? Or was he just absent-minded? Johnnie decided to take the risk
anyway. He opened the door silently. The door creaked. Had anyone heard? He stood still
and then crept into the hall. Slowly but surely he made it outside. Then he ran for his
home. On the way to his house he noticed he was turning green all over his body. He had
gotten too near!! When he reached his house he ran to the tool shed. He looked for the
paint removed, his only chance of becoming himself again. He took off all his clothes and
put on the pain removed. He rubbed and rubbed and rubbed. His muscles ached with pain from
rubbing. Oh, how he wished this would be a nightmare. Suddenly he noticed that it was
disappeared. He saw his flesh again. Outside of the shed he saw one of "it's"
friends snooping around their house. How would he escape now? It looked as if Johnnie was
going to be recaptured, but he soon changed his mind when he saw the thing leave after
being summoned by another.
Johnnie left the tool shed in a hurry. He ran for the
highway; when he got there he started hitchhiking to town. A car stopped. When he got
inside he found it was Mrs. Johnson. He told her his story and she believed it. When they
got into town they went straight to the police station, where he again told his story.
The sergeant at the police station thought he was off
his rocker, but went along anyway. When they got there they went where Johnnie told them
to go and soon they came to the room that Johnnie was locked in. They opened the door and
found that nothing or no one was inside the room. Johnnie insisted he was right, that he
had seen them, but now they would not believe him. They took him home and told him to get
a good nights sleep, but most of all to forget the whole thing.
Johnnie still knew he was right, as he got ready for
bed. Looking out the window, he gazed up into the heavens. There was the green light
slowly making its way to the reaches of other universes.
