An Untrue Story

Even though I use my own name, this is an untrue story, but came of the fact that I couldn't think of a Science Fiction story idea for Language Arts class. I figured that I could come up with an idea about not being able to come up with an idea, and this story was born! (I hope you like the surprise ending!!)1

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As the bright red digits on the school clock switched to 9:20, Katherine found herself staring at a blank paper. This was a curious position for Katherine to be in; math usually came so easily to her, especially simple multiplication.3

Later that day in Language Arts, Katherine again blanked out and wondered if she would ever think of a plan for a Science Fiction story. The 7th grader knew that if she didn’t come up with a clever idea in time, she would get a bad grade for the assignment. Her Language Arts teacher Ms. Tevanian had specifically said that the rough draft was due Monday. Today was Wednesday and Katherine still couldn’t figure out what to write.4

Katherine was positive that come Monday, she would be the only student in her entire class at Lyman Moore that didn’t have even an inkling of a story. After all, even if she did have a wondrous “Eureka moment”, Katherine was only 12 years old and couldn’t possibly perceive being able to write a story in 5 days!5

That night at home as Katherine tried to work on her story, her mind wandered. Random thoughts crossed the girl’s mind as she unsuccessfully attempted to shape them into a coherent group. It was almost as if something had taken the ability to create eloquent thoughts away from her.6

Just what that something was might not be so difficult to decode. Katherine began to hear voices arguing in her head: “We need her here!”, “No, but that might take forever!”, “She’s our only hope in this kind of peril!”, “I vote we take her by force!”, etc. The voices were somewhat extra-terrestrial, and definitely like nothing Katherine had ever heard before in her life. “Hello?” she inquired tentatively. “Who’s there?” The voices ceased immediately, and the only thing Katherine could hear was the squeaks and clicks of her hamster on his wheel.7

In the absence of the strange disagreement going on in her mind, Katherine could also hear a faint reverberation, almost like that of a jet plane starting its engine. As she tried to ignore it and get on with her work, the roaring grew more and more powerful until finally Katherine thought it would burst her eardrums.8

Suddenly, the noise stopped and a massive bolt of electricity shot through her body. Katherine began lifting into the air and flying out the window and into the sky; slowly at first, then building speed until she was hurtling involuntarily through space. Katherine could not fathom how much peril she would be in if the invisible mechanism supporting her stopped working.9

After a few minutes, Katherine realized that even though she was in space with no atmosphere, she could breathe in oxygen without trouble. Katherine did not have much time to dwell on this subject of wonderment for too much longer, though, because she abruptly realized that she was careening at nearly 100 miles an hour straight towards a huge structure. Katherine panicked; she didn’t know if she would (1) change course, (2) crash, or (3) proceed to fly right into the contraption. It seemed Katherine was heading for option 3, and with that she sped into the building.10

The first few observations Katherine made after picking herself up off the floor were (a) the people running the place were not at all fazed by seeing her, (b) the people scurrying about were diminutive in comparison to the average adult, and (c) the people there weren’t, well, people.11

The creatures looked like extra-terrestrials, aliens if you will, with their big green heads, large bulbous eyes, and anomalously long hands and fingers. The only part of the aliens that did not fit in with the polished image was their dingy, threadbare attire, but never mind that now.12

The station they were in looked like a U.F.O. Katherine had no idea where she was or why she was there, but in the past hour or so she had become slightly accustomed to such intriguing abnormalities. Since no one seemed to be giving any instruction as to where she was supposed to go, Katherine decided to have a look around.13

Since Katherine was still unsure of the aliens around her, she decided to steer clear of them as much as she could. As she turned a corner, Katherine heard the same voices that had been in her head earlier that evening coming toward her. Katherine ducked into a crevice in the wall and waited until the aliens proceeded down the hallway. She backed up more, afraid she might be seen, and collided with a large, red, circular button:14

Do Not Push!15

opens door 16

to database!17

“Oh, no!” She whispered as a semicircular door slid open to her right. It was a miracle that no one heard the portal give way to reveal a magnificent metal room. From the huge machines beeping and lighting up mixed with the sign on the button, Katherine inferred that this was the main experiment and testing room of the station. Katherine figured she should search the room for clues as to why she was at the alien station. After all, poking around had gotten Katherine this far, and nothing terrible had happened yet.18

After what must have been at least half an hour, an alien found Katherine. Since she was too absorbed in her exploring of the room, Katherine did not hear the alien coming. She tried to reason with the creature: “There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why I am here. I flew here by accident and no one told me what to do or where to go and I just-”19

“Hush up!” The alien cut her off. Katherine was taken aback.20

“Excuse me?”21

“Hush up and follow.”22

“Ok then.” Katherine followed the alien out of the database room and down another hallway.23

“Why am I here?” Now that Katherine had recovered from the shock of being discovered, she had some questions. “I sent for you.”24

“So, that was all you, the voices, the flying, and everything?”25

“Yes.” The alien answered so abruptly that it’s tone was almost rude, but Katherine was too curious to notice. “Why did you send for me?”26

“We are in grave peril.” Katherine had already discovered this in the database, and she wanted to know more. “Why do you need me?” “We need your superior intelligence to build a saving machine. Without it, bad things will happen.” That was the longest answer the alien had given Katherine so far, and it was the one that told her the most. “Wow, what’s a saving machine? I need to know many things before I can help you build one.”27

Katherine was honored that the aliens had chosen her. “A saving machine is square. It has many parts. It needs electricity. It will save us from The Filth.”28

“What is The Filth? Why does it want to hurt you?”29

“The Filth is something that has disturbed our colony since The Beginning. I do not know if it does or does not want to hurt us, necessarily. We just need to be rid of it.” The alien quickened its pace, as if it were on a mission to get somewhere and it was late. “How is this saving machine supposed to conquer The Filth? By the way, I don’t think you told me your name.”30

The alien replied in a more rapid manner, as if the speed of its voice would help the alien move at an accelerated pace. “The saving machine will cleanse our colony of The Filth now and every time it returns. I am called 3262. What are you called?”31

“I’m Katherine. How did you get the name 3262?”32

“My maternal unit is 1626. My paternal unit is 1636. Everyone in the colony is called by the sum of their progenitor’s digits.”33

By now alien and girl had reached a semicircular door. 3262 punched a code into a number pad to the side of the portal and the wall slid open, revealing diminutive living quarters. 3262 led Katherine inside and ordered her to “sit and wait.”34

Minutes ticked by, which turned into hours, and finally Katherine’s voice penetrated the silence. “How long has this colony been here?” 3262 answered in a familiar manner; it was the type of voice that Katherine used when she couldn’t answer a question that she should be able to.35

“That is a question that you need to ask our leader. I do not know how long our colony has lived here, for I am nascent and I have not lived many years.”36

“What is your demagogue’s name-I mean digit?” Katherine had momentarily forgotten that the aliens were christened by numbers, not names. “His short digit is 460578932.”37

“Holy cow. I’m almost afraid to ask, but what is your leader’s full digit?”38

“Our esteemed leader’s full digit is as follows: 460578932163580692413850692.”39

“Can I just call him 460578932?”40

“Yes. As possessive as he is of his authoritative position, 460578932 does not mind if people call him by his short digit.”41

3262 was typing frantically into a small device that looked like a calculator as it spoke. A short time later, another alien entered the room. It looked every bit the leader of a large and faithful colony. “I understand that 3262 has informed you of our current crisis. Good work, 3262. Many thanks to you.”42

As the new alien spoke, 3262 got down on his knees and hailed the recent arrival. The younger alien motioned for Katherine to do the same and she followed suit. 3262 leaned toward Katherine and whispered: “That is 460578932. Show nothing but respect!”43

After the elder of two aliens bowed back to 3262 and the girl, he sat down and began to speak again. “I will get straight to the point. This colony will become overrun with The Filth if we do not harness your brilliant thought waves and build a saving machine before it is too late. The future of the colony depends upon you and this machine. What say you?”44

“Um, well, this is really sudden. Is there any way I could help you build this machine without you taking my thoughts? You know, me voicing my thoughts instead of you stealing them?” Katherine anxiously awaited the answer of the wise creature.45

“The project will take approximately 3 weeks to complete. You have a choice, earth girl: You may stay with the colony for that time and help us build, or you may go back to Earth and have us continue harnessing your thought waves until the project is complete. It is up to you.”46

Katherine felt a growing frustration building up inside her. “Why me?”, she burst out. “I know plenty of kids at my school who are smarter than me. I bet Chandler or Alexis could give you just as much help as I could.”47

By this time, 460578932 was exasperated with the child. This machine was so important to his colony, and this primitive life form just could not grasp the severity of the situation at hand. “Hush up and listen well. We need your thoughts. How we get your thoughts is up to you, but if you do not decide in time, I will decide for you.”48

Katherine was frightened by this sudden display of irascibility from the seemingly placid demagogue. She didn’t know what to say or do at that moment. 3262 jumped in at what couldn’t have been a better time. “Excuse me, 460578932, if I may say something, this is a very hard decision for Katherine to make. Please give her some time and I am sure she will make the right choice. I was also wondering; I have forgotten why we called Katherine here in the first place.”49

The chief was losing patience quickly. “We discussed this already! We brought the child here so that she could make her own decision as to what she wanted to do. clearly, this person is not capable of deciding, so I shall now decide FOR HER! You must stay here until the machine is complete or face the dire consequences. 3262?”50

“Follow me, Katherine.” The pint-sized alien led Katherine out of the room and down yet another hallway. As the girl and her extra-terrestrial acquaintance trekked through the station, 3262 turned to Katherine and said, “Do not give up hope yet. I have a plan that might work. I cannot tell you now, but when it is ready, I shall present you with it and you shall be free.” 3262 deposited Katherine in another room and told her to “Get comfy and sleep.”51

As the alien left, Katherine realized how worried her parents must be that she had disappeared. Katherine pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and, surprisingly, had wonderful reception. Katherine dialed her home number and waited. The answering machine picked up. Katherine waited through the recorded message and, at the tone, said: “Mom, Dad, it’s me. You’re never going to believe me, but I’m on an alien spaceship. They’re holding me captive and I won’t get out until I help them build a ‘saving machine’, whatever that is. Don’t worry, I’m okay, and I’ll be home soon. I love you, bye.” Katherine sighed and drifted off to sleep.52

Katherine soon awoke to a small voice in her ear exclaiming, “It’s ready! It’s ready and you will be free! Wake up!” She recognized the voice as that of 3262 and rolled out of bed. 3262 looked eager and exhilarated. “My plan will work, I am sure of it, Katherine! I will free you and you will go home!” Katherine was wide awake now; she wanted to get home as soon as possible. “When will you show me?” she inquired. “Now, if you wish. It is all ready!”53

“Lead the way, 3262!” Katherine was guided down a new corridor that she assumed was another testing and building location. 3262 halted in front of a door and opened it with a flourish.54

On a table sat 2 phones with extensive antennae on the tops. Katherine was slightly amused that 3262 had “invented” something that had already been created. “What do you call these machines of yours, 3262?” Katherine wondered what 3262 had named its “creations”.55

“They are called talkies. You talk into it and someone holding the other one can hear you. Isn’t it great? You can give us directions and we can hear you through the other one.” 3262 looked so proud of its work that Katherine hated to tell it the truth, but she knew she had to. “Um, 3262, I hate to burst your bubble-”56

“I didn’t make a bubble, I made talkies.”57

“I know, and those are some wonderful talkies, but someone already made that. It’s called a phone, and back on Earth a lot of people have them. You didn’t invent that. I’m sorry.”58

3262 hung its head, looking dejected and disconsolate. “Your plan was excellent, 3262, and thank you very much for trying to help. I might as well just head up to the database and start on the saving machine.” Katherine left the little alien and set out for the database.59

When Katherine got to the database, 460578932 was waiting for her. “I am sorry for my actions last night. This machine is very important to my colony. Without it, the aliens will be forced to succumb to the power of The Filth. I have drawn out a plan for the saving machine and I have a list of materials. Here are the plans.” 460578932 handed Katherine the plans. When she saw the blueprint for the saving machine, Katherine knew that those were either the wrong plans. or there had been a massive misunderstanding. Sitting before her in the alien’s hands were, unmistakably, plans to build none other than-60

“A washing machine? You brought me here to help you build a WASHING MACHINE? You have got to be kidding me. You are kidding, right?” “No kidding about it, earth girl. My colony and I have worn the same clothes since we arrived at this station more than 250 years ago. Unless we can wash them, The Filth will overtake us and a horrible stench will fill the station. You must help us, Katherine. You are our only hope for cleanliness.” Katherine was again amused at the lack of knowledge the aliens had for the world around them.61

“I certainly don’t know anything about building a washing machine, but I might know something that can help you.” Katherine again retreived her cellphone from her pocket and brought the website for Sears up on her internet browser. (How she got bars in space is still a mystery.) “Here you go. You can buy a washing machine online, and then just zoom it out to the station like you did with me. No building involved.” 460578932 was very excited at this prospect, and began making plans at once as to how he could legally buy a washing machine and bring to outer space without anyone knowing the aliens existed. 62

Katherine was confused about this. “Why don’t you want anyone to know about you? Lots of people believe in aliens. Everyone in the NASA program, for starters. You could be famous.”63

“Fame doesn’t suit me, earth girl. Besides, who believes in me apart from those who are paid to?” This one stumped Katherine. “Good question. Well, I’m not sure, but I bet some other people do.”64

“Child, when you exit this space station and return home, if you tell anyone about your adventures here, will they believe you? Or will you even tell anyone at all?”65

THE END66

You wingnut! You probably scrolled all the way down here just to read the surprise ending first, didn't you? (If you didn't, sorry, hope you liked the story.) But if you skipped down here to read the end first, shame on you! Now go back to the beginning and read the whole story, as you should!67

EPILOGUE68

Katherine made it back to Earth in time to write a great Science “Fiction” story for Ms. Tevanian about a girl who travels to outer space and meets an alien named 3262. The aliens happily cleanse their clothes of The Filth thanks to a brand new washing machine from Sears. Katherine still goes out to visit her alien friends sometimes, especially 3262. As expected, no one believed that Katherine had really gone in to outer space and seen aliens. Not even the people from the NASA program. Katherine knew the truth, though, and that was all that mattered.