A door slid open to what Tyler thought must be an elevator.
A soft female voice greeted them. “Welcome back, Ethan. Shall I contact your parents to inform them you and our guest are safely aboard?”
“Yes, please do. Let them know Tyler will totally help us in any way he can. Oh and please tell them I love them and miss them,” said Ethan.
This made Tyler proud and sad at the same time. To be part of such an important mission was exciting but he began feeling homesick.
The door shut as the elevator began humming.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.
“Well, I miss my family already.”
“I completely understand,” Ethan assured him. “That is why I left a device at your home to allow you to check in on them whenever you wanted. Remember, time is moving much slower for them so they will appear to be completely still in their bed. Here you go, focus on the Hungadunga in my hand.”
Tyler gazed down into a glow rising up from Ethan’s palm. A hologram of his parents’ bedroom became visible. Mom and Dad were fast asleep, which made him smile.
“I told you everything’s fine,” Ethan said. “Anytime you want, you can do this with your own Hungadunga.”
Tyler grinned and nodded.
The lift’s door slid open to reveal a room unlike anything Tyler had ever seen before. They stepped out and Tyler began scanning the area intently as the elevator retracted back into the floor behind them. There appeared to be no ceiling and yet no sign of glass...it just seemed wide open. Tyler could look up and see the belly of the ship above them.
He peered around, soaking in everything. The space stretched thirty feet in diameter and was round with a smooth white counter top ringing the room at what would be an adult’s waist height. The floor was made from the same flawless material as the counters. Every surface shined seamless as if made from one mold.
When Ethan approached, the counter sagged down to his waist. He waved his hand in the air and a ten-foot transparent screen appeared in front of him. The image arced overhead so he could touch every part of the surface.
The characters seemed unfamiliar, though Tyler surmised they had to be words and a map.
Ethan began tapping the hovering translucent parchment. At times the screen dipped so Ethan didn’t need to stretch.
The friendly woman’s voice came back. “Ethan, are you ready to shove off?” she asked.
“Yes please, Bob. Thank you,” answered Ethan.
“You are welcome, Ethan. Please prepare to depart shortly,” the voice responded.
Bob? Tyler thought. Now that’s a funny name for a girl.
Tyler stood behind Ethan, observing all the goings on. “Is Bob a person on this ship?”
“No, Bob is the ship,” Ethan replied.
“If Bob isn’t a person, why be so polite?”
“Because I constantly try to be polite. Besides, as my Mom often reminds me, There is always time for manners.”
Tyler nodded in agreement.
“Bob, may we have some seats please?”
“Absolutely, here you go,” said Bob, as two high backed chairs popped up from the floor. Tyler sat in the chair holding his backpack in his lap.
“Thank you Bob,” Ethan said as he settled in his seat.
Bob began to move forward silently, without any vibration or hum.
As the craft poked out of its parking spot. Tyler turned to Ethan, “So, your ship is named Bob?”
The ship turned sharply to the right and began slowly bearing down on a giant gap.
“Yep,” said Ethan, “Bob’s my uncle.”
A sign above the opening blinked in a language Tyler did not understand but he assumed read ‘Exit.’
“Bob’s your uncle? So the ship is your uncle?”
The ship gracefully traversed the final stretch of the parking lot and began to slip out the exit.
“Tyler, the ship is not my uncle,” Ethan said giggling. “The ship is named after my Uncle Bob. He’s one of the most brilliant artists in the history of Ganrea. Plus his brother, my Dad, is the president after all.”
They cleared the garage and the vessel began rumbling and humming.
“Okay Ethan.” Tyler laughed. “I like your ship Bob but why does your uncle sound like a girl?”
Even though the ship shook ferociously, the chairs in which the boys sat did not move one bit.
Ethan giggled harder, “Tyler, my Uncle Bob sounds like a man when he speaks. I just changed the ship's voice to a woman because it reminds me of my mom. All right Tyler, here we go!”
In an instant Bob burst out like a bolt of lightning. The strange sensation startled Tyler because he had no snap back from the acceleration. He gazed up through the transparent roof at the moon dissolving in the distance.
“Ethan what’s happening?”
“We’re on our way to the jump point!” Ethan yelled back.
Then, as if a switch being thrown, Bob leveled off and the rumbling faded away.
The boys had been huffing and puffing but started laughing hysterically.
“Okay Tyler,” said Ethan as he twisted out of his chair, “we can unbuckle now.”
Just then, the restraints sucked back into the chairs. Both jumped up in a snap, as the seats disappeared through the floor.
“Yeah! That was cool, Ethan!” yelped Tyler.
“If you think that was cool, wait until we hit the jump point!”
“What do you mean by ‘jump point’?” asked Tyler.
“The distance between solar systems is massive. Traveling between them would take hundreds or thousands of years. So we need short cuts. The short cuts are called wormholes,” explained Ethan.
“Wormhole? You don’t just go real fast?” asked Tyler.
“Here, let me explain. Say you have a chair on one side of the room and the table on the other. How would you move them together?” asked Ethan.
“I’d push the chair over to the table,” answered Tyler.
“Ah,” Ethan exclaimed, “Not necessarily. What we will be doing is push the chair while the room gets smaller.”
Tyler frowned, and Ethan went on. “Okay, try this. Open your hand.” Tyler did as instructed. “How would you get to the tip of your finger to your wrist?”
Tyler took his right forefinger and ran it down from the tip of his finger to his wrist.
“But there’s an easier way,” Ethan said.
Ethan reached out and folded Tyler’s hand so his middle finger almost touched his wrist.
“See, now the distance is a short jump?”
“So a worm hole folds space?” Tyler asked.
“Exactly! We have some time until we jump, would you like to see the ship?” Ethan held out his arm, turning around as if a doorman.
“As you may have guessed, this is the bridge. This is where we control Bob. Or should I say, where Bob asks me what I want to do.”
Tyler looked up and couldn’t take his eyes off the open roof above him. The view of the stars whizzing by and the sensation of being exposed to the galaxy mesmerized Tyler. Ethan put his hand on Tyler’s shoulder as if to share the moment.
“Yeah, this is my favorite, too. During my journey to Earth I spent most of my time here. If I felt scared or lonely, I would sit and gaze at the stars. On family trips, my Dad used to sit with me on the bridge. We wouldn’t even talk, we’d just sit and stare up at the universe. This never gets old. I am thankful whenever I walk onto the bridge. It’s magical.”
“I wish we had a room like this in our house,” Tyler responded. ”This is so cool.”
“Come on Tyler, I’ll show you the rest,” said Ethan. “Bob, could you please bring the tube back up?”
“Tube?” Tyler chortled.
“Yes, the lift we rode from the hangar to the bridge. It’s a complex of transportation tubes, which runs throughout the spacecraft. So, we call it the tube,” explained Ethan.
“Fair enough, I thought it was an elevator.”
Swish, up came the tube through the floor. The two stepped inside and Ethan asked Bob to please take them to the recreation room. The doors shut and the boys shot through the maze of conduit.
The lift stopped to reveal an empty space, just four blank walls. Tyler expected slides, monkey bars or even a pool. A completely barren room awaited them.
“Isn’t this cool Tyler?”
Tyler scanned the large empty warehouse. “Where are the toys and stuff?”
“Oh you mean like the playground by your house the other morning? No, this is ‘outer space’ fun. You can’t have anything get in the way. In fact, you may want to put the backpack on the latch in the corner.”
Tyler did as Ethan asked and returned to the center of the room, then shrugged.
Ethan cracked a sly grin and blurted out his next command. “Bob! Zero gravity please!”
The weight of Tyler’s body washed away like the water down the drain after a bath. His Z Strap shoes lightly peeled from the floor and he began to float. The joy and excitement welled up in Tyler’s chest and exploded into the biggest belly laugh in the history of belly laughs!
Ethan looked like a seal swimming in the ocean. He twisted and rolled as if dancing in water. He peered down at Tyler and shouted suggestions. “Come on, let’s have some fun! Follow me!”
Tyler resembled a cat flailing in a swimming pool.
“Relax and enjoy,” Ethan directed Tyler. “You’re trying too hard. Here I come.”
Ethan pushed down from the ceiling and glided to Tyler in a skydiver style.
“Now, push off my hands, then whip your arms behind your head,” Ethan said as he stuck his hands in front of him with his palms facing out, like a mime.
Tyler placed his hands on Ethan’s and pushed as hard as he could, then found himself hurtling backwards.
“Now swing your arms up over your head,” Ethan yelled.
Tyler did as asked and spun a world-class somersault. Soon Tyler began twirling out of control and let out a frantic cry for help. “Ethan, I...I...I can’t stop! Please help me!”
In a snap Ethan got to him and ended Tyler’s uncontrolled spin. “Tyler, breathe deep and stare at the circle on the wall until you feel better.”
Tyler did exactly as Ethan instructed and soon the queasiness subsided.
Ethan thought they should have a re-start. He helped Tyler to the closest surface. The boys crouched down and sprang off with their legs like leaping frogs. They held out their hands like Superman racing across the sky. After bouncing wall to wall several times, Tyler had the confidence to suggest they try something new.
“Ethan lets race!”
For the first time, Ethan’s face lit up.
“Okay Tyler, you’re on! We’ll start on the count of three. Ready? One, two...three!”
Tyler yelled and both boys pushed off like Olympic swimmers. Since Ethan had grown up playing in zero gravity he quickly shot ahead of Tyler and beat him to the finish.
Even though frustrated, Tyler stopped short of blurting out in anger. He ‘checked up’ and took a deep breath. Tyler decided to be happy for his friend.
“Way to go, Ethan. You’re pretty awesome at this.”
“Thank you Tyler. You did well for your first time. When you get more practice you’ll be excellent.
“Thank you for showing me how to fly! This is so incredible! Wait! Ethan! I forgot. I brought something for us!”
Ethan helped him down to the hook where his Transformers backpack hung.
Tyler unzipped the bag ever so carefully, only opening the zipper far enough for his hand to fit in the back pocket.
Without gravity, things may float away…Tyler thought. He reached in elbow deep and began rummaging around. Finally his arm stopped snaking through the pack and in one smooth pull, zip and show-move, Tyler exclaimed, “Bey Blades! Prepare to battle!” Tyler handed the toy and rip cord to Ethan. “This is going to be awesome in zero G!” Tyler said, excitedly.
He showed Ethan how to thread and pull the ripcord. Tyler positioned his Bey Blade next to Ethan’s and started the countdown.
“Three, two, one, let it rip!”
The spinning tops bounced and shot all over the room. Tyler pulled his cord so hard that he too spun from the weightlessness. This began the longest game in the history of Bey Blades. The tops just kept going and going. The boys created a new version, chasing the tops as they ricocheted all about.
“Tyler, I’ve never had as much fun as I’m having now,” Ethan said. “Thank you for sharing your toys with me.”
“You can have them if you like. I earn an allowance by doing jobs around the house, so I can buy new Bey Blades. You don’t have these on your planet. I want you to have mine.”
“Bob, would you mind turning the gravity back on in the recreation room please?”
“Sure thing Ethan,” Bob responded promptly. “Are you on the floor? I do not want you to fall and hurt yourselves.”
“We’re okay Bob, you can return the room to one G.”
The gravity slowly began to press down on the boys. Bob gradually increased the gravity back to normal.
Ethan hid his new toys away in a pocket that materialized on the right side of his emerald green suit. Once he’d deposited the Bey Blades, the pocket vanished. Ethan again waved the same hand at a wall. The surface seemed to melt away leaving an oblong opening with smooth edges. The boys stepped through the oval and entered another room.
The room had light, which glowed from everywhere, yet came from nowhere. Not a single light fixture, but the space seemed familiar to Tyler. A long rectangle table with chairs lined up in rows down the middle. A counter ran the length of one wall.
“This is the cafeteria,” Ethan said. “All you need to do is ask the flashing blue light on the wall and place your order. Do you want something to eat?”
Tyler responded hesitantly, “No, I’m not hungry now, Ethan. Thank you.”
At one end of the dining hall appeared to be a corridor. The boys approached the entrance. Tyler peered down the long hallway, which seemed to go on forever. They passed room after room, all empty.
Ethan picked up on Tyler’s confusion. “This ship is capable of carry hundreds, Ethan explained. “But for our mission, we’re the only ones on board.”
“Are we going to sleep in one of these rooms?” Tyler asked, his voice shaking.
“No, we’ll stay just off the bridge where the captain would normally sleep.”
Ethan led him to the engine room, which had a large glowing orb hovering in the middle.
Ethan explained how the whole ship acted as the engine and this worked like the energy source to power and propel the vessel as well as make the jump into the wormhole.
When he’d finished explaining, Ethan rubbed his chin, yawning. “Tyler, I don’t know about you but I’m beat. The last stop will be the captain’s room where we can get some rest.”
Tyler’s eyes were getting pretty droopy, so he agreed.
Upon arriving at the Captain’s Room, Ethan said, “Take your pick. You can have either bed.”
Tyler found the bed most similar to his own. “I’ll take the one next to the wall.” The one he’d chosen had the exact positioning as his bedroom back home. It even had nightstand and lamp, though they looked quite different.
“We should brush our teeth and wash our faces before we go to sleep,” Ethan suggested. “I’ll show you the washroom.”
Tyler had a silent giggle, so Ethan asked why he found it humorous. “My Dad always says the same thing backwards like, ‘Tyler, let's go brush our face and wash our teeth,’” Tyler explained.
“That’s a good one,” Ethan chuckled.
“Yeah, my Dad’s pretty silly.” Tyler shook his head. Tyler grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste from his backpack and followed Ethan. The bathroom had a sink and an odd shaped toilet, as well as a shower. The whole room was one giant mold of plastic, similar to Tyler’s little sister dollhouses.
Everything had a white-ish gray color. Ethan touched the washbasin causing water to pour from one edge. Two washcloths popped out from the wall like toast out of a toaster. The boys had remarkably similar routines considering they came from opposite ends of the galaxy.
The young adventurers finished up in the bathroom. Ethan left Tyler alone so he could use the toilet and then Tyler gave Ethan a turn. They each climbed into their beds. Ethan, being a good host said, “Do you need a blanket? I see you forgot yours.”
“Yes, please, Ethan.”
“Bob, please give our guest some covers.”
Out of nowhere a blanket floated down from the ceiling like a feather covering Tyler with its warm softness.
“Ethan, I didn’t forget my blanket,” Tyler said with a yawn. “I left it at home on purpose because I’m on a secret mission...good night.”
And the boys quickly drifted off to sleep.