Door to Kandalaura (2 page)

“Interesting,” said Mom. She was calming down a little. I could tell because her
voice wasn't so loud and her eyes were beginning to soften.

She was still guarded and careful. “So you're not even from this planet,” she stated.
“Let me ask you, where you come from, did you ever have a first man and woman?”

“Yes ma'm,” said Andron. “We call them Mama and Papa. They're the parents of our
entire race, born many years ago.”

“Hmm,” Mom thought for a minute, trying to put it all together. “Then you're saying
that people on your planet never die like Herby did. Do you have sickness or death
or sin on your planet?” she questioned.

“I don't know any of these,” said Andron. “How did your planet come to know them?”

“That's a long story,” said Mom. “Our first parents,
Adam and Eve, lived in a beautiful
garden called Eden. They were deceived by a dazzling creature into disobeying God.”

“We have a beautiful creature on our planet too,” said Andron. “He's always trying
to get us to go over to his side of the planet. But Jesus said not to.”

“Oh, Andron, you must warn your people,” said Mom in a caring voice. She seemed to
be warming up to Andron. “We suffered severe consequences because of disobedience.
Adam and Eve had to leave their beautiful garden. Now everyone has to work to survive.
Evil has come to our planet, and now we experience death, like Herby did.”

“Surely Jesus could change all that,” said Andron.

“He has,” answered mom. “He came to be born as one of us. Later He died a horrible
death for us—nailed by His hands and feet to a cross in order to get us back.”

“So that's how He got those scars,” said Andron. “We always wondered, but He never
told us that story.”

“He gave His life to rescue us,” said Ben.

“But He lives,” said Andron. “He's alive now!”

“Yes,” Mom said. “But He paid a huge price. Our Father in heaven raised Him up from
the dead and gave Him His life back. Then He went to live with Him in heaven. After
He left, He sent us the gift of His Holy Spirit. His Spirit lives inside anyone who
chooses to be a follower of Jesus.”

“It's all recorded in a book we call the Bible,” I added.

“And now when we die,” said Ben, “we go to heaven and live with Him forever.”

“This is amazing!” said Andron. “I'm learning so much today.”

“The important thing,” said Mom, “is that you and your people must never believe
this creature. He'll tell you things that are only half true.” She was talking like
a mom
talks to her son. I think she finally saw that Andron wasn't a threat.

“You know what I think, Andron,” I said. “I think you're here for a reason.”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “None of this was by chance. I see that now. I'm grateful
to all of you for sharing.”

“I'm glad you came,” I said. “I've been wanting to have you over for a long time.”

“I'm glad you came too,” said mom. She looked at Andron tenderly. “Forgive me for
being so abrupt with you.”

“There's nothing to forgive,” he said. “You were only trying to protect everyone.
And you helped me a lot, more than you know.” After saying that, he jumped up and
ran to the window. “My brother's here!” he shouted.

How do you know?” I asked. “I didn't hear anything.”

“I just know,” he said. “It's how we communicate. I don't want to leave, but I have
to go now. My people will be very interested in what you've told me.”

“Wait. You can't leave yet,” I said. “I have something to give you.” I ran to my
room and grabbed my Bible.

What's this?” he asked.

“This is the book my mom was telling you about,” I replied. “It tells the story of
our people.”

“Thanks,” said Andron, holding it close to his chest. “I promise to read every word.”

I'm sure glad you came,” said Ben. Herby wouldn't be alive if you hadn't come. You
are coming back, aren't you?”

“As long as I have permission,” replied Andron.

“Yes,” said Mom. “You must come back again. We'll miss you. We've learned a lot too,
but I'd like to know more.” She leaned over and gave Andron a big hug. “Don't forget
to warn your people.”

“You can count on that,” said Andron. “Will you come see us off?”

“You bet,” I said. “We wouldn't miss it.” I was excited to see what he meant by transport.

We all headed for the back yard. To our surprise, there in the middle of our overgrown
blackberry bushes, was a tiny spacecraft. And sure enough, there was his brother
waiting for him, waving to us from inside.

I was surprised. I had expected to see a huge spacecraft. This wasn't really all
that big. I was about the size of a small helicopter, only without rotor blades and
tail. It gleamed of bright silver, except for a large window shaped like a copter
window. About a foot behind the huge window, a door opened.

All we could see inside was a purple curtain. Andron slipped in through the curtain,
and the door closed. In a minute we could see him seated beside his brother. They
waved good-bye and shot off into the sky like a silver bullet. In one second they
were like a steely marble in the clear blue. Then they were completely out of sight.

Whew! I hadn't expected any of this. It was shocking enough to see a spacecraft in
our backyard, but seeing it take off so suddenly was almost more than I could handle.

My mind turned to mush; my knees felt weak. Slowly we all sauntered back. Ben took
Herby to his house, and we went back to ours. What an afternoon!

“Wow!” said Mom. “I wonder if your father will believe all this really happened.

I was beginning to wonder that myself. My brain started to feel foggy. Was this all
some sort of dream? When I got back to my room, I shouted aloud, “This did not really
happen!”

Just then Ben called. “Mikey,” he said, “you won't
believe what's happening. Herby's
swimming all over the place, jumping high out of his fish bowl. I've got to buy him
a whole new aquarium.”

OR DID IT?

Chapter 3

NOT IN MY WILDEST DREAMS

M
IKEY
,” M
OM
CALLED
out, “don't forget to feed the dog.”

I had forgotten. But when I ran back to the utility room, the dog food was gone.
“I must've left it on the porch. Sure enough. There it was. I lifted the bag and
began pouring kibbles into Rosco's dish. Suddenly two mice jumped out of the bag
and scampered over my feet.

“Give me a break,” I hollered. “This is ridiculous!” I was glad mom hadn't seen it.
She would have freaked out. What was I thinking about when I should have been feeding
the dog? Then I remembered. It‘d been almost a year since Andron's visit and my mind
was drifting to somewhere in outer space. I'd been thinking a lot about Andron lately.

“Mikey! Mikey!” a voice shattered the silence.

I'd have known that voice anywhere. “Andron,” I screamed. “What took you so long?
I've been waiting forever.”

We ran toward each other and practically fell we hit so hard.

“Glad to see you,” I said, as we high fived. “I was wondering when you'd come back.”

“Had to wait,” said Andron. “I'm eleven now, and old enough to pilot the transport
by myself. My brother wanted to explore other parts of the universe, so I had to
wait for my parents' permission. I wanted to come really bad.”

“The first time you came was almost like a dream,” I said. “Once I realized it really
happened, I could hardly
wait for you to come back. Come on. I want you to meet my
dad.”

Dad was shocked. “You're Andron,” he said without waiting to be introduced. I guess
he just knew. ”I've heard a lot about you—all good, of course.” Then he smiled and
held out his hand to Andron. I was glad my dad approved.

“Thank you,” said Andron. “I know I'm intruding. I hope it's all right to come unannounced.”

“Of course,” said Dad. “There's no way you could have told us ahead of time, but
what brings you to earth when you have paradise on Kandalaura?”

“Actually, it's Mikey,” he said. “I feel as close to Mikey as I do to my own brother.
I've been thinking about this for a long time, sir, and I have something important
to ask you.”

“I can't imagine what you could possibly want to know from me, but go ahead, Andron.
I'll do my best to answer. You seem intent on whatever it is.”

“Yes, sir,” said Andron. “You see, I want Mikey to come back with me to Kandalaura
for a few days.”

Dad's mouth opened wide, and he almost fell out of his chair. Andron had come right
to the point, and it left my father in utter shock.

I was shocked too—shocked and excited at the same time. Never in my wildest dreams
had I thought of visiting another planet. I felt special just having Andron come
to visit.

Finally Dad got a hold of himself. “Well, young man, you don't waste any time saying
what's on your mind. You really took me by surprise. But the things is, even if I
said Mikey could go, is it scientifically possible. I mean, how could he survive
a trip like that? Even if Mikey survived the trip, would he be able to breathe on
your planet? It
seems out of the question considering the risks,” he said, shaking
his head in astonishment at Andron's request.

“Yes, sir, I understand,” said Andron. “However, I wouldn't have asked without first
investigating the matter thoroughly. You see, our transports don't run on your kind
of fuel. They're constructed to attract huge masses of light. We travel at excessive
speeds on pathways of light, actually much faster than the speed of light. Our people
have fashioned a special helmet for Mikey to wear. It'll insure proper breathing.
To be honest, Mr. Steelman, he may not even need it. It's just a precaution. I have
all the scientific information. He handed dad a folder. “You'll see,” he said. Andron
spoke with such confidence that it seemed like he hadn't even considered being turned
down.

“Yes, sir,” he continued. “There's absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Our
atmosphere on Kandalaura is similar to earth's atmosphere, only the air is purer.
Mikey will be able to do things there he can't even do on earth. Only good can exist
in our country. There's no evil, sickness, or death. Nothing bad can possibly happen.”
With that he flashed a huge smile and gave my dad a proper military salute. I think
he even clicked his heels together.

Dad was totally surprised by what he had just witnessed. But I could tell he was
quite taken with Andron. Finally he spoke, “I have to admit I hadn't expected someone
so young to be this knowledgeable. It's both refreshing and scary. I never imagined
having to make a decision like this. And don't get any ideas because I'm not anywhere
near ready to give my consent. I'm only considering the idea of considering your
offer. And, of course, Mrs. Steelman will be just as much a part of that decision.
Mikey's mom left for the store. She'll be back in a few minutes. She's very
protective
of him. This is a weighty decision. It's going to require some heavy thinking and
a lot more time.”

“I understand, sir. Please take all the time you need.”

“You just handed me a thunderbolt, and I don't know what to do with it,” said Dad.
“On the one hand it's my duty to protect my son. And yet I don't want to keep him
from the experience of a lifetime.”

“I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes, sir,” said Andron.

I couldn't believe it. Dad was actually considering Andron's offer. I could hardly
breathe. This meant that going to Kandalaura was actually a possibility. I hardly
dared think of it for fear of losing it.

Finally Dad said, “Why don't you boys go outside and run off some energy?”

That was a good idea because I was pumped. I was so excited I felt like I could fly.
“Come on, Andron,” I said. “I can't just stand here. I gotta move. Let's go outside.
Have you ever seen a pogo stick?”

Andron shook his head. He was beaming. His eyes were bright with excitement. Yet
he was calm and confident. I'd be jumping out of my skin about now if I were him.
But he's not like us. After all, he's from Kandalaura!