A Planet Called Startis

1

" Pamela! Pamela! " Jessie  called  to  me  as  she  ran  down  the  hall.2

" Yeah? "  I  asked, stoppping  in  my  tracks.3

" You'll...never  guess...where...I  was...yesterday. " She  was  so  out  of  breath  from  running  and  being  excited, I  thought  she  was  going  to  have  another  asthma  attack.4

" The  moon? " That's  where  I  kinda  hoped  she  would  go  most  of  the  time. She  was  always  making  up  crazy  stories, and  I  knew  whatever  she  had  to  say  was  probably  going  to  be  another  one  of  her  doozies.5

" No, but  you're  close! " She  squealed.6

I  rolled  my  eyes  and  began  to  walk  away. She  grabbed  my  arm  and  pulled  me  back  so  forcefully  I  almost  fell  on  the  floor. For  the  shortest  kid  in  the  fourth  grade, she  was  pretty  strong. 7

" No, wait, listen  to  me! " She  continued. " I  went  to  a  planet  called  Startis! "8

" I'll  bet. "9

" No, it's  true! " Her  big, sky  blue  eyes  widened. Her  freckled  face  turned  beet  red. As  she  lowered  her  head  and  looked  down  at  the  floor, I  really  believed  she  was  going  to  start  crying. At  this  point  I  really  did  not  know  what  to  say  to  her.10

" You  know  the  old, abandoned  mansion, just  past  Mr. Jenkins, the  rock  man's  house? " She  asked  me.11

" The  one  the  older  kids  like  to  hang  out  at  over  the  summer? Bad  things  are  always  happening  over  there. " It  was  true. One  summer  night  a  guy  decided  to  camp  out  by  it  because  his  friends  dared  him  to. The  next  morning  he  was  found  with  his  throat  slit. That  place  always  gave  me  the  willies.12

" Yeah, well, after  Sunday  School, yesterday  I  got  bored. So  I  decided  to  go  for  a  walk. I  wandered  over  by  the  mansion  and  decided  to take  a  look  around. There  must  be  hundreds  of  miles  of  land! That  place  is  huge! As  I  was  walking  I  heard  a  strange  noise. It  sounded  like  the  kind  Pac  Man  makes  when  he  eats  those  little  orange  dots-- "13

" They're  yellow. "  I  corrected  her.14

" No, I  think  they're  orange. But  it  doesn't  matter! I  heard  the  noise  when  I  looked  up  and  saw  this  spaceship. It  looked  like  a silver  disc  and  it  landed  right  in  front  of  me! Then  this  alien  came  out  and  talked  to  me! Her  name  was  LuLu  and  she  was  pink  and  fuzzy! She  had  four  legs  and  antennas. She  took me  on  the  spaceship  and  we  went  to  her  planet, Startis! She  said  she  might  come  back  and  see  me. I  want  you  to  come  with  me  and  meet  her   after  school  today! " 15

" I  don't  know. " I  said.16

" Come  with  me  pleeeeze! " She  begged. Jumping  up  and  down, and  whining  like   a  big  baby.17

" Alright  I'll  think  about  it! "  I  yelled. " I'm  gonna  be  late. "18

I  strode  off  to  my  classroom, room  4A, thanking  God  that  her  and  I  weren't  in  the  same  class. I  would  not  be  able  to  take  it  if  I  had  to  listen  to  her  all  day. It's  not  that  I  did  not   like  Jessie, of  course, she  was  my  best  friend. But  unfortunately  she  was  the  biggest  storyteller  in  the  world. She  would  say  anything  to  get  attention. She  told  stories  of  unicorns  coming  to  her  bedroom  window, and  finding  leprechauns  in  her  back  yard. The  killer  was  when  she  told  everyone  at  school  that  her  dad  was  a  big  music  executive. She  claimed  that  she  knew  every  celebrity  imaginable  and  was  going  to  get  everyone  whatever  concert  tickets  they  wanted-- for  free! Everyone  was  happy  until  the  following  week  when  one  of  the  popular  kids  at  school  caught   her  dad  working  in  the  meat  department  at  the  grocery  store. Then, they  all   became  furious. Ever  since  then,  the  kids  at  school  always  made  fun  of  her. They  eventually  began  picking  on  me, too, because  of  my  association  with  her. I  was  beginning  to  get  sick  and  tired  of  it  all! I  tried  talking  to  her  about  making  things  up  all  the  time, but  it  only  made  things  worse. She  would  cry  and  complain  how  no  one  understood  her.19

This  UFO  story  at  the  cursed, old  mansion  was  not  only  proof  that  things  were  getting  worse, but  it  was  also  the  icing  on  the  cake  for  me. I'd  had  enough  of  it! When  I  walked  in  to  the  cafeteria  Matt, the  most  obnoxious  boy  in  the  world  ran  up  to  me.20

" Hey  Spammy  Pammy! I  hear  you  and  Pinocchio  are  going  to  Mars! " 21

" Shut  up! " I  responded.22

I   found  Jessie  sitting  at  a  table  with  Kim  and  Sara, the  two  most  easy  going  girls  I  ever  met. She  was  telling  them  all  about  her  " trip  to  the  planet  Startis " as  they  patiently  listened. I  leaned  over  on  the  table  and  got  in  her  face.23

" Why  are  you  telling  people  I'm  going  to  another  planet  with  you? "24

" Well, you  are, aren't  you? " 25

" I  never  even  agreed  to  go  to  the  mansion  with  you!!! " I  banged  my  fist  on  the  table  and  stormed  away. 26

From  across  the  lunchroom  I  sat  alone  in  a  corner  eating  my  peanut  butter  and  jelly  sandwich. I  watched  Jessie  quickly  recover  from  my  fit  and  continue  to  recount  her  story  about  travelling  to  some  other  galaxy  far  away  from  here. The  excitement  of  it  all  made  her  face  glow  and  her  blue  eyes  brighten. Her  strawberry  blonde  pony  tail  swayed  back  and  forth  as  she  rocked  her  head  and  bounced  around  in  her  seat. She  was  having  a  grand  old  time. I  could  hear  her  voice  boom  as  she  became  louder  and  more  excited. 27

" The  planet  Startis  is  located  just  beyond  the  nebula! It  is  made  out  of  blue, yellow, and  green  cheese! I  was  there  for  about  two  hours, but  when  I  got  home, my  watch  said  I  had  only  been  gone  for  about  twenty- five  minutes! The  alien, LuLu, gave  me  a  rainbow  colored  rock  with  little  crystals  in  it, but  I  put  it  in  my  pocket  and  lost  it. " 28

On  and  on  Jessie  went  telling  her  amazing  story. After  school  let  out,  she  caught  me  while  I  was  walking  across  the  street  to  my  house.  29

" Please  go  with  me! Please! " She  begged. She  looked  up  at  me  earnestly  and  held  on  to  my  arm. I  could  hear  her  wheezing  under  her  breath. She  really  wanted  me  to  go. Though  I  really  didn't  want  to  set  foot  anywhere  near  that  old, scary  mansion, I  decided  to  try  to  let  go  of  my  fear  and  walk  over  there  with  her. Maybe  it  would  prove  to  her  how  ridiculous  her  stories  were, and  she  would  stop  telling  them. 30

I  told  my  mother  that  Jessie  and  I  were  going  to  hang  out, and  after  that  we  began  our  trek  down  to  the  abandoned  mansion. It  was  a  warm  and  sunny  May  afternoon, but  as  we  got  closer  to  the  mansion  the  sky  began  to  turn  gray. The  same  color  gray  as  that  of  the  haunted  European  castles  you  read  about  sometimes  in  books. That's  exactly  what  the  mansion  looked  liked  to  me  as  I  noticed  it  peeking  out  from  behind  a  hill. 31

But  one  thing  I  noticed  was  that  Jessie  was  right  about  one  thing. The  property  was  amazing. Miles  of  land  seemed  to  stretch  out  endlessly. It  was  surrounded  by  a  black  painted  metal  fence. As  Jessie  yanked  open  the  gate  my  stomach  turned  as  I  noticed  the  red  and  white  " WARNING: DO  NOT  ENTER "  sign  hanging  from  it. 32

" It's  alright. " Jessie  tried  to  comfort  me.33

We  walked  a  little  ways  and  then  sat  down  somewhere  in  the  middle  of  the  field, which  Jessie  referred  to  as  " the "  spot. We  sat  there  for  about  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  when  I  began  to  look  at  her  questioningly. 34

" LuLu  will  be  here! " She  exclaimed.35

We  continued  waiting  and  after  about  half  an   hour  I  told  her  it  was  time  for  me  to  go  home. She  sat  there  looking  down  at  the  grass. Her  face  was  turning  red  again  and  her  eyes  were  flooding  with  tears. I  figured  she  must  have  really  learned  her  lesson  this  time.36

" It's  okay, Jess. "  I  said  as  I  helped  her  up.37

As  we  began  walking  my  foot  suddenly  stumbled  on  something  awkward  and  heavy, which  caused  me  to  nearly  fall  to  the  ground. When  Jessie  looked  down  to  see  what  it  was, she  nearly  squealed. I  looked  down  to  see  a  beautiful, shiny  rock  which  glistened  in  a  stunning  array  of  red, orange, green, yellow, and  blue. It  looked  like  there  were  small  diamonds  stuck  in  it. I  had  never  seen  anything  like  it  anywhere. 38

" It's  the  rock  LuLu  gave  to  me! We  found  it! " 39

" It's  pretty. "  I  told  her. " We  should  find  out  what  kind  it  is. " 40

" We  should  show  it  to  Mr. Jenkins! He's  into  rocks, and  he  lives  right  over  here! I  bet  he  would  like  it! " Jessie  became  excited.41

" That's  a  good  idea. " I  said.42

Jessie  smiled  ear  to  ear  as  we  traipsed  over  to  Mr. Jenkins'  house. We  found  him  on  his  front  lawn  watering  his  flower  garden. He  was  old  with  white  hair  and  big, hazel  eyes. He  moved  to  Florida  the  following  year, so  I  never  got  to  know  him  very  well. But  he  always  seemed  nice. People  said  he  knew  everything  about  rocks  and  fossils  because  he  used  to  be  a  geologist  and  worked  for  a  museum. 43

Jessie  ran  up  to  him  screaming. " Mr. Jenkins! Mr. Jenkins! Look  at  my  rock! "44

Mr. Jenkins  happily  examined  her  rock, and  seemed  very  impressed  with  it.45

" This  is  stunning! " He  exclaimed.46

" Can  you  tell  us  what  kind  it  is? " I  asked.47

" Well, it  certainly  isn't  peacock  ore...but  it  looks  like  a  mineral..." His  voice  suddenly  lowered. "... I  don't  think  we  have  anything  like  this  that  comes  from  earth. "48

All  of  a  sudden, he  gasped  and  smiled  at  Jessie. His  eyes  began  to  twinkle. " Have  you  been  hanging  around  someone  named  LuLu  recently? " 49

Jessie  giggled. Her  and  Mr. Jenkins'  eyes  locked  as  they  smiled  at  each  other. I  wondered  what  the  two  of  them  were  thinking. I  felt  as  if  they  were  sharing  some  sort  of  unusual  psychic  connection, and  I  began  to  feel  very  left  out. I  took  a  step  back  and  watched  them.50

" And  people  say  the  moon  is  made  of  cheese, huh? " Mr. Jenkins  laughed. Jessie  giggled  some  more. 51

He  then  carefully  placed  the  rock  back  in  to  the  palm  of  her  hand  and  whispered. " Thank- you  for  sharing  it  with  me. "52

" Your  welcome. "  She  replied.53

As  we  were  leaving  Mr. Jenkins  then  shouted  something  to  Jessie. It  sounded  strange  and  I  wondered  what  it  meant.54

" Eeeowiiiya!!! "55

When  Jessie  looked  back  at  him, I  caught  the  two  of  them  winking  at  each  other.56

Jessie  and  I  then  walked  home  quietly. The  sky  was  still  gray  and  cloudy, and a  cool  summer  breeze  beat  against  our  cheeks  as  we  walked. I  didn't  really  know  what  to  say  to  her. I  wasn't  even  sure  what  had  happened. To  this  day, five  years  later, I  still  don't  really  know. All  I  know  is  that  after  that  day  she  never  spoke  about  aliens  or  the  planet  Startis  again. Her  stories  eventually  seemed  less  elaborate, and  she  began  to  tell  the  truth  more.57

Last  summer  I  took  my  dog, Sniffles, for  a  walk  near  the  old  mansion  when  I  heard  the  strange  Pac  Man  type  sound  that  Jessie  had  spoke  of. It  started  out  softly  but  then  became  louder. Sniffles  went  crazy  and  ran  around  in  circles  until  the  noise  stopped. Then  he  peed  next  to   the  fence. When  I  looked  up  in  the  sky  it  was  too  gray  and  cloudy  to  see  anything. I  wanted  to  tell  Jessie  about  what  had  happened, but  that  was  the  same  day  she  came  up  missing. She  left  her  house  that  morning  telling  her  mom  that  she  was  going  to  visit  with  a  friend  named  LuLu. After  that  she  was  never  seen  again.  Though  I  miss  Jessie, I'm  glad  she  finally  found  friends  who  understand  her.58