Aerospace II - The Island Cycle

Aerospace II - Fox Planet

Aerospace II : The Island Cycle

Fox Planet

A Short Novel

Chapter 1 : The Family from Mercury

I remember Ted. I remember the day his family arrived in town. It was like a strong wind. A change in everything. From that day on. No more boredom.

Bruce, Ted's father, burst in the door of the bakery. I was playing legos by the window. I could see the white van parked in front of the empty shop next door. People were out looking in the dirty shop windows. A boy my age was running around and following his father with his eyes. Then this woman grabs his hand they come in here. I thought it was his mother.

There was an older couple still outside talking to another older couple. They look excited and were looking over at me through the window.

The father, Bruce, was talking to my uncle Bjarni, standing behind the counter. The stranger was speaking English, and I knew he was asking about the old shop. They mention Frida and the house. That caught my interest.

The boy Ted came in and sat across from me. He spoke English but I understood enough. I offered him some legos and we started building. Soon we were out the door. Ted looked up at the sky and over to the mountains. Mountains and fjord everywhere. It was like he had never seen such things before.

He pointed up at the mountain side that the town was built beside. I said fjall. He pointed to the water. I said fjordur. He repeated those words several times. He pointed to the ground. I said jord. And so it went. He learned and remembered what he learned. House is hus. Shop is bud or verslan. Road is vegur. Sky is himinn. etc. He was learning.

He wanted to go running. But he was very tired. We sat on the sandy ground and he began to draw circles. In the centre was the sun. Then Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. He pointed to himself. Then at Mercury.

I had a hard time believing it. I ran in to talk with my uncle. "He says he is from Mercury." I said out loud. My uncle asked Bruce. He said yes. They had lived there several years.

I ran back out. My uncle Bjarni, was right behind me. He had the key to the empty shop. I remember the old man, who ran the music store. Just about nobody went in there. I would visit him and one day he gave me an auto-harp. He showed me how to play it. He picked up a violin and we played something silly together. I left the auto-harp in his shop, because I was afraid my uncle would not let me have it.

Then there was the day they found him dead in the shop. I went to the funeral. Afterwards, when we came home, dad showed me the instrument. "The old man gave it to me for you. That was about a week ago. I guess it is yours."

As I went into the shop, behind the crowd of newcomers, I thought about him. He would be happy to see this new family.

All the instruments were gone, but the mess was still there. Paint peeling and a funny smell. It was the water getting in from the roof.

They were very happy. Ted's grandfather's name is Keith. He is a carpenter and Bruce is also a carpenter. They could fix the place up. They were all anxious to get started. But it would take a week to do all the paperwork. They left and I did not see them for a while. They were staying with Billa. She is the caretaker at Frida's house.

It takes time to adjust to Earth gravity.

Chapter 2 : The Sphere

This is Eskifjordur, on the east coast of Iceland. There was a TV series here once (BBC?). 

The upholstery shop began to take shape. They were all working on it. The second week, they took off for Egilsstadir and bought out the old music shop there. They worked on that place, until Mel and Gladis could stock it. He had a music shop on Mercury. Ted told me.