Polaris (19 page)

Authors: Beth Bowland

Tags: #aliens, #childrens, #fantasy, #space, #science fiction, #action and adventure

Later that afternoon Mr. Martin drove up to his house and smiled when he saw Aaron sitting on the steps waiting for him. He blew the horn as Aaron ran toward him.

Mr. Martin opened the car door and Aaron tackled him with a bear hug. He returned the embrace.

“Dad, I’m so glad you’re home,” Aaron said.

“I’m so glad to be back,” Mr. Martin answered. “I’ve really missed you and your mother, seems like more this trip than the others.”

Mr. Martin hit the button on his key ring to open the trunk. “Grab a couple of those bags for me, son.”

“Sure,” Aaron reached into the trunk and began tugging and pulling out bags.

“Strange weather we’ve been having,” said Mr. Martin as he pushed the car door closed. “Anything interesting happen while I was away?”

“Are you kidding? So much has happened I don’t even know where to start,” Aaron replied.

“I’m not due to travel for a while, so we have plenty of time to catch up.”

“Cool. So, how was your trip?” Aaron asked as he fiddled with the retractable handle on one of the bags.

Mr. Martin gazed toward the roof of the house, near the corner gutter, at something just barely in view. “It was very interesting,” he answered as he made eye contact with a lone falcon wearing a small diamond medallion. His father’s pupils dilated as tiny amber electrical sparks flickered from his eyes.

Just as Aaron found the button to release the retractable handle, the falcon flew away. Aaron looked up at his father.

“I’m happy you’re home.”

Mr. Martin smiled at his son. “You wouldn’t believe all that I’ve gone through to get here. Seems like it took decades, but I’m glad to finally be home with my family.”

Epilogue

“Now that was an exciting game,” Arcturus said as he adjusted his blue baseball cap with
Captain
embroidered across the front. He wore a matching T-shirt with
Team
Aurora Borealis
on the front.

“That was probably one of the sweetest wins that I’ve had in centuries. Wouldn’t you agree, dear brother?” Arcturus asked.

Standing directly in front of him was his twin brother, Sirius. He was dressed in a red T-shirt with
Team
Aurora Australis
embroidered across the front and a matching red baseball cap with
Captain
written on it. He slumped against a wall and kicked at the table with his sneaker, while he slapped a large globe of Earth mounted on a stand, causing it to spin faster.

“Yeah, whatever,” Sirius answered.

“Arcturus!” a woman’s voice yelled. “Sirius!”

“Yes, Mom,” they answered in unison.

“Tell your friends it’s time for them to go home, and you boys get cleaned up for dinner,” she said.

Sirius sighed. “Yes, Mother.”

Arcturus pointed to a group of boys playfully roughhousing on the floor. “Vega, Capella, Pollux, and Altar, come on. Let’s huddle over here.”

Arcturus locked arms with his team members as they lowered their heads and huddled tightly together.

“You guys rocked!” Arcturus said in a whisper. “I told you we’d win despite Sirius’s cheating. You guys stayed calm and we won.” A broad grin spread across his face. “Looking forward to the next match.”

Sirius looked at the other group that sat on the floor fiddling with things. Defeat showed on their faces. He walked over to them and sat cross-legged in front of them.

Canopus, Rigel, and Achernar, you guys did a pretty good job, but, Hadar, you will need to step it up before the next match or else I will have to replace you,” Sirius said as he glared at his team members. “Go home and get some rest. Think about new strategies. I think we just underestimated the determination of our opponent.”

“Sirius,” Arcturus said, “let’s pick the location for our next match.”

Sirius nodded as he stood up and gave the globe another spin. He grabbed a dart from the table.

“From behind this line,” Arcturus said as he stepped back several feet.

“Okay,” Sirius said. He eyed the spinning globe, repositioned the dart in his hand, took aim, and threw it.

The group immediately gathered around the globe.

Arcturus pulled out the dart and placed his finger over the spot. “Our next match will be in Hawaii. See you next week, fellas!”

The visitor walked along the sandy beach, using his cane for balance as he hobbled along, following the shoreline and the sparkling blue water. He looked straight ahead at a small beach house positioned back amongst the palm trees. He stopped when he reached the front door.

He wiped his sweat-drenched face, saddened his expression, and knocked on the teal door.

A few moments later, the front door opened, and in the doorway stood a man with a tanned face, wearing swimming shorts and a Nike T-shirt.

“Can I help you, stranger?”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Inspiration can come from many places, but my inspiration for this book came to me years ago while in elementary school on a class trip to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus Ohio. I spent the day in this magical, scientific world, which ended with a visit to the planetarium. My view of the night sky was forever changed when I was introduced to the yearly Perseid meteor shower.

Thank you, Georgia McBride Month9books/Tantrum Books, for releasing this out to the world & embracing my whimsical side. To my crew: Joy Tolliver-West, Toni Price, Veronica Carter, Greta Hillman, and Candace Norris, thank you for always being there for feedback.

Love & Hugs section: Phillip, the best husband ever, a one man support system. Shannan Todd, my awesome daughter, who inspires me daily. My big sister, Michelle Clemons, for being my first beta reader when we were kids. Reginald Staples, the coolest big brother ever. SCBWI-North Texas, for being awesome!

My little angels, whose words and pictures mean the world to me. Taylor Tate, Andrew & Alex Wettrich, thank you for the smiles.

Imagine. Dream. Believe.

BETH BOWLAND

Beth Bowland, a native Ohioan, has always enjoyed reading and creating stories of her own. As a child, she devoured every book she could get her hands on and spent numerous hours at the library weekly. She loves writing stories for tweens and young teens, and her characters are often described as quirky and fun, but always relatable. When she isn’t writing, she loves watching HGTV. She has one daughter and resides in Arlington, Texas with her husband.

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