Seeking An S.O.S.: Behind The Scenes

43. One Step for Plutonians, Another for Humans

The alien spaceship landed firmly on the parched land that has been extremely dry since rain had not fallen for a long time on the planet. It was a gray, featureless landscape, and the ground was rather rocky.

Xabiere beamed as they had finally reached their destination. It took a lot of patience on his part, but he made it through. With the guidance of his Amma Cena, and Murdock's persistence, Xabiere was proud that he could brag about his voyage to Pluto's leader, Fritz. That is, if they could ever make it back.

Xabiere placed his chubby hands upon his forehead to wipe away the sweat that formed above his brow. He didn't realize how much perspiration ended up on his body throughout the trip, because he fidgeted numerous times.

Safe and sound; at least for now.

Delighted that everything he planned was going in his favor, Xabiere stepped on the brakes to park his spacecraft. Before pressing the button to lower the stairs, he stood up to view the scenery through the window.

Noticing the rugged terrain and how arid the environment must be, Xabiere decided not to step foot outside without his space shoes he tucked away for emergency.

Xabiere didn't  forget his friend either as he brought him an extra pair to wear, even though they might not be Murdock's size. And as Xabiere predicted, his child-like companion hopped like a kangaroo when he saw them as he was eager to leave the vessel.

"Well, Xab. What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Murdock pleaded as he touched Xabiere's back.

Turning around to face him, Xabiere sternly warned his friend to wait.

"Not so fast Murdock! We need to be careful, as this is new terrain. This will not be like the planet Earth where it was a grassy area. It looks unexplored as the soil doesn't have any creases. Thus, it has not been disturbed. But we do not know if there are any other terrestrials here, so stay close to me. We might not be alone in Planet Flora."

Remembering to follow Fritz's orders in naming this new orbit after the royal Amma, Xabiere told himself to do that as soon as possible as he might get reprimanded.

Xabiere focused back to reality, as he gave his friend the extra pair of space shoes he stored away. Murdock tried to fit his round feet in them, but the oblong shoes wouldn't adjust.

"I don't think they fit, Xabiere, do you have anything else?"

Shaking his head no, Xabiere knew ahead of time that they might run into a problem. They were clown shoes that he found lying abandoned in a circus tent. Xabiere figured that if the Earthlings weren't using them, he'd keep them as souvenirs. He didn't want to think of it as stealing, but rather an act of borrowing them.

"No problem, Dock. I tweaked them a bit, especially for you. I can resize them with this instrument. I think it's called a shoe horn."

He placed it inside the clog, and widened it for Murdock's stubby feet. As the shoes finally fit, the two attempted to walk down the stairs after Xabiere grabbed Pluto's purple flag.

"Watch your step Murdock, the ground looks super rocky!"

Listening to his friend's advice, Murdock stayed close by holding on to Xabiere's paw.

"I didn't mean to stick that close Dock, but I guess holding hands will do. Just don't do anything crazy." Xabiere winked at him while he kept focused on his footings. His antenna signals could track some eerie life form nearby and wasn't willing to be somebody else's cuisine for the night.

However, Murdock let go of Xabiere's paw after he coughed a hairball. Thus, the two aliens lost track of each other as darkness fell.

Aloof of his whereabouts, a petal touched Murdock's back. Thinking it was Xabiere playing around with him, he chuckled.