Earth Among Zork

• Lingyu Wong, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2011

Earth among Zork

As Spaceman Spike hears the countdown once again, he braces himself for the exploration of Plant Zork, the first planet to be created by gamma rays! With intense heat and blobby aliens, Spike knows that making 26th mistake in a row on another planet will be extremely fatal (this time). Spike checks his fastener and lies back as – CHOOM! – the rocket blasts rapidly out of Earth’s atmosphere to Planet Zork.

Hours later, Spaceman Spike finds himself floating towards his first work station to help direct the crew to the galaxy Planet Zork lies. Then, it’s off to map this section of the universe with his new 75G 1000 computer. Next, he heads to the new UUMDT (Ultra Ultra Minorly Detailed Telescope) to look for faraway objects and UFOs. Lastly, he checks his penicillin experiment in the science lab before floating to his room, strapping himself to bed and falling asleep… …

Spike is soon awakened by a blast of blinding light. He knows he must prepare for the exploration of Planet Zork as he changes into his astronaut silver suit. Spike floats bravely over to his trusty red mercury spaceship and prepares to blast into Planet Zork’s Atmosphere. He pulls the ejector, steps on the super accelerator and – POW! – he’s off!

Spike lies bummed on Planet Zork, he did not expect such gravitational pull! He struggles up like an open umbrella trying to fly out of a chimney and crawls sluggishly towards his spaceship. Somehow, Spike speeds off splendidly and easily maps Planet Zork’s stone structures, violent volcanoes and curved craters before plummeting like a rock back to Planet Zork. Spike realizes that Planet Zork’s gravitational pull is only effectively from time to time as he brushes off the golden sand he was dumped in.

Minutes later, Spike bounds across the surface collecting rocks, stones, gravel, sands and larvae. Then he hurries back to his spaceship before gravity stops him from taking off. This time, Spike goes closer to the atmosphere of Planet Zork to find alien life. Suddenly, he begins to dart here and there while frantically accelerating at top speed. A speedy blue alien just appeared out of nowhere and gave chase at spike. Spaceman spike goes everywhere to try and confuse the alien but accidentally flew in the atmosphere of Zork just as the gravity was getting stronger… …

CRUNCH! Spike lands awfully on a rock, spins through at tight arch, is tumbled out of his spaceship and lands in a foggy cave. The caves fog causes Spike to lose consciousness and fall asleep while the blue alien watches from the outside.

Suddenly, Spike comes to! He finds himself upside down on a wall chained by his feet in 3 different cages. Then there is a solid wall with wires sticking out of it. Spike fears he may never see Earth again, but he must try to escape. Spike uses tremendous power haul his upper body (or rather, lower body) up to his feet and unties the chain holding his feet, then drops onto the concrete-hard floor. Something seemed to spike Spike, he picks up the object, a sort of rock toothpick. Spike thought it was no use until he remembered the 3 cages he was in. He tried to pick the first lock-Voila-, he’s through. Then, when he stepped through, he tripped over a bag, sharp log. The log flew across the cell, fit perfectly in the key hold and Spikes was through again. Just one unlocked cell remained before Spike, but there were no keyholes anywhere in the third cell. Spike desperately tried to find an opening, he looked in every hole of the cell, he looked for loosed bits in the ceiling and trapdoors on the floor, but there was no luck for Spike. Spike decided the only way to escape out of here was his manpower.

Spike took the log from the second cell and used it to bash a bit of the cell. He started softly until he thought he could go a little harder. Minutes later, he thought the cell would snap if he hit it real hard, and so he ripped to log towards the cell at stupendous speed. Ooer! –he wished he had not done that. After recovering from that, he tried to poke the cell with the sharpened end and even managed to make tiny little hole, but the cell was too solid. Spike was very, very fatigued by the end of that day and decided to sleep. He rested his body and legs on the floor and rested his head on the bottom of the cell. Spike wriggled around like a worm until he felt more comfortable and then went to dream-made.

Seconds later, Spike heard a crash which woke him up suddenly. He bumped his head violently on the hard, bare floor and opened his eyes. Miraculously, he found that his head is weight had caused the bottom of his part of the cage to collapse and make a hold just big and wide enough for Spike to squeeze his whole body through. Now Spike needed to get around this solid wall and escape back to his spaceship. Then – GLOOP!- the whole wall melted like hot butter. Spike was finally free! He dashed through a labyrinth of stairs and the doors of numerous hallways until he saw light again. Then he tiptoed around alien guards, jumped over quick sand, sprinted around geysers and dived over acid pools, all the way over the planet until the familiar silhouette of his spaceship came into sight. Then Spike blasts off speedily to his waiting crew.
The crew happily greeted Spike when he came back. They talk about the latest planet discovered, but Spike feels way too tired to do another mission straight away and told the crew to go to home, Planet Earth.