Izzy & Eliza...an alien tale

~~BEFOREWORD~~

A girl lay on her back, watching the stars through a hole in the roof of her dilapidated tree house. As she peered into the night's universe, she felt very small.

She also felt as if she were being watched. It was eerie and uncomfortable to be watched by something that she could not name or even see for herself. Even so, curiosity lured the girl back night after night.

I am the only one out here tonight, she muttered to herself, but I am not alone.

It was an intriguing concept for the young girl, and it was a feeling she could not shake.

Who are you and why are watching me? She waited for an answer she knew would not come. No one ever answered back.

You have no right to spy on me. Either make your presence known, or leave me alone, she said with conviction.

Many moons away, in a different space, someone observed the girl. He spied using an abnormally large, complex telescope. The being had a considerably round head, shaded with a greenish tint that almost glowed. His eyes were like shiny marbles of obsidian, staring down at the girl. Soon his transformation to human shape would be complete and very few traces of his true form would remain. Even though he knew the girl could not hear his voice, the being spoke aloud.

See you soon, Eliza Allready, sooner than you think.

Even farther away, in an even different space, someone else observed the shape shifting boy, watching the girl. This being sat in a cozy, plaid recliner. With feet propped up, she stared at several projection screens. She called herself Yarn, and was quite possibly older than dirt, although probably not that old. Yarn remained in her own form, having abandoned the youthful follies of shape shifting centuries ago.

Even though she knew neither the boy nor the girl could hear her, she spoke nevertheless.

This show is about to get good.

***

*PART ONE*

~~MEET YARN~~

Our adventure begins beyond earth, deep in the stars, on a small plot of rock called Klesia Moon Prime. Klesia Moon Prime is actually the prominent moon of a larger planet, known as Klesia. The planet Klesia and its smallish moon reside just beyond earth's telescopes and satellites and various other magnification technologies.

You wouldn't have heard of it; yet. As it turns out, this may very well be the first time anyone on earth will learn anything about Klesia or its moon.

This may also be the first time a story is told with the name Izzian Klowosky or Eliza Allready. For certain our two heroes of this tale embark upon a journey full of phenomenal escapades; maybe running from the bad guy or deflating a bully here and there.

Perhaps our characters learn of the more wondrous aspects of life such as; exploring new planets, encountering unknown creatures or dare I say…falling in love?

Even if somebody falls in love along the way, this is still a story worth telling; for there will surely be enough adventure and exploration to make up for all the oversentimental bits and pieces.

Who am I to be so sure of myself, one may ask? Just know this: I have unique abilities as a storyteller and have a lived a long, long time.

My name is unimportant as I have gone through a few hundred different ones in my lifetime. You may call me The Watcher. No, that sounds too creepy and rather unsettling. You may call me an old lady, but I'd rather you not.

Yes, I have worn many names and toiled at many careers; some worth remembering and others, not so important. Once I was Natasha, a purveyor of oddly unique antiques, circling the globes, searching for the next rare treasure and my long lost love Vladimir. Perhaps if I had remained as the fierce Natasha, I'd be immune to the cold weather and would not have to turn the heater up so high.

On the other hand, I have correspondingly taken on less glamorous employment: I was a manure farmer on a planet consisting mainly of large Shilka Beasts. It was a nasty job, but somebody had to do it.

It is important to emphasize that I am addicted to spying on wondrous escapades such as Izzy and Eliza's. While I laze away the day on the observation deck in the relative safety of Leon, my own SpacePod, one might question my motives.

Why not join in or go out and create my own adventures? Well, the time has passed for me to be jaunting around the universe, planet hopping and such. I am too old and for some reason, I can never be warm enough anymore.

So now I study the young ones and watch their stories unfold like a Spanish telenovela. Sitting here in my comfy plaid recliner that I filched from a street corner in New York City, I watch these little social experiments with a spirit of wonder and awe.

I also have more practical uses. When it comes to life on other planets, there will always be a need for explanations. Without my expertise, an earthling might never understand how a Klesian student travels to earth on a comet, or where the Famien Constellation resides.

An individual could easily confuse a Chulupean with a Junipean without my help, or never understand what or who a Poo might be. That is where I come in, and I'm sure Leon and I will have a few adventures of our own, as well.

In any case, it is important to have a name, so for this tale, you may call me Yarn. I'll weave you through our tale, a single consistent thread running from one end to the next. There will surely be ups and downs and loops and turns, but eventually, the end will come.

Now I will move on to the bones of this story. Our young man hails from Klesia Moon Prime, the moon of Klesia that I mentioned before I started rambling about comets, Junipeans and my temperature preferences.

The HumanSpeak version of his name is Izzian Klowosky or Izzy, as his friends like to call him. Either way, the kid's gonna have a tough time with that moniker following him around every day.

I do not have the appropriate font to support the language of Klesianeese, so we will stick with the Humanspeak version and hope for the best, even though Izzian Klowosky might not be the most earth-friendly name ever uttered.

Our boy's story is the result of an annoying little thing every middle-schooler on any planet must suffer through. It's a maddeningly frustrating irritant for Izzian in particular. You guessed it; I'm talking about good old Efuevaclcluaia. Translated to HumanSpeak, I'm talking about homework.

One might imagine that an advanced society like Klesia Moon Prime would have long ago abandoned such an archaic tradition as homework. Unfortunately, one can travel to the stars and beyond and still be stuck doing math, page 119, problems 1-32; even. Although it bears mentioning, the homework assignments of Klesia go a bit beyond your basic math worksheets or a simple English class crossword puzzle.

As a matter of fact, it is this very cursed homework assignment that ends up bringing our young Izzian Klowosky to earth in the first place. I don't want to bore myself or Leon silly with too much talk of homework.

For now, let's just say that Izzy must travel to earth, study and befriend Eliza Allready, a teen earthling, a girl; thanks to an all-important homework assignment required on Klesia called the Goodwill Project.

First, travel with me if you will, far away from where you may currently be, sitting in your favorite reading spot; snack at hand, warm cup of cocoa steaming, and settle into our story.

Imagine me, Yarn, as a young girl, living in the Lagrinia System. My bones have not yet calcified and my teeth are still vividly white, but my eyes see wonderment in the ordinary.

I step outside after a snowstorm. Perhaps I am not the only one to imagine I might have stepped into another world, a new existence.

The frozen piles glisten like sugar as the reflection of the moon dances off each individual snow crystal. I do not recognize the place. I might still be asleep, because the once ordinary village square transforms into a magical dreamscape.

As the snow settles, every normal thing morphs into unrecognizable forms. The snow shapes itself into unfamiliar mounds that might be the propane grill off to the side of the porch; or that prickly old shrub in the corner by the fence. Even something as simple as a garden gnome takes on an alien form and resembles a Slimerot Slinker.

If only I could reach just beyond the snow covered fence and walk a few more steps, I might uncover another new place, a different galaxy. On the other hand, I might just freeze my toes or pinky finger clean off my body.

It's a chance I take, a decision I make, on that snowy night in the Lagrinia System, years ago. I will always search for new places and discover alternate existences. Now I invite others to do the same.

Think about that unfamiliar dreamscape in your backyard that happens after a late night snowfall. Imagine that just beyond that back fence, lies Klesia. It's there, trust me. However, as the moonlight shines, turning the world to blue, imagine if the moon cast a more greenish tint. Ah, that's more like it.

Now take another look at the propane grill and the hedge and imagine what or whom those smoothed domes may contain. On Klesia, they are homes, schools and grocery stores, offices, art galleries and movie theaters.

If the disguised garden gnome actually happens to be a Slimerot Slinker, then you'd have nothing to fear. On Klesia, Slimerot's are thought of as the family pet.

On our beloved Klesia and Klesia Moon Prime, there are hovering highways and AutoPods, just as you might imagine. There are flashing signs advertising the awesomeness of a new household cleaner or a political slogan featuring President Boojum Twoeyes.

Izzian's planet is not terribly different from your own, but it is noticeably uncommon to an earthling unschooled in the habit of space travel. For one thing, most every being on each planet, rock, crater and constellation in Izzian's neck of the universe knows that intelligent life exists all over the place. Earth just happens to be out of the loop, so now you know.

As a matter of fact, those planets that are out the loop are easily recognizable to the alien culture. If a planet name does not begin with a capital letter, that planet is not aware of alien life in the universes, such as earth.

As I believe I've said before, this story is about to get good. And, if you think the stuff I just told you is crazy, well stick around cause things are about to go nuts.

And remember to keep an open mind, because that is where the best ideas are born.

***

CHAPTER 1

*FOUGHT FOR NAUGHT*

Izzian Klowosky was not the best student at Klesia Preparatory. He was smart and somewhat attentive; not very patient but not completely disrespectful of his teachers. There was that one time he accidentally set a girl's scalp cover (hair) on fire. And that time he glued a picture of a half-naked Klesian actress to the pull-down map.

Mrs. Kleevox got quite a shock that day when she realized she was pointing at an actress's half exposed buttocks, rather than the Loomicka Quadrant. The other students actually appreciated Izzian's humor that day.

Mrs. Kleevox wasn't unreasonably angry. She told Izzian he was hungry for attention and that she would have a word with his ortnots (parents). Izzian's ortnots were always angry, in his opinion, so he was not surprised that Ojolian and Mirtheea Klowosky had grounded him for an entire month.

Izzian considered his childish tricks and humorous classroom antics to be harmless, and did not concern himself with the consequences. Even back in his first year, Izzian indulged in thoughtless escapades, earning himself a reputation as an immature prankster.

He did not consider the aftermath of replacing the contents of his classmates' lunchboxes with Plevert droppings. Nor did he consider how Reddle F. Girth felt after he charbroiled the ends of her hair.

He simply enjoyed the act itself and the feeling of satisfaction that came along with each prank. He'd grown up some since his early days of tomfoolery, but he still rarely considered the effects of his causes.

And although Izzian knew he was not a completely horrible student, he did know that he was in no way the teacher's pet. In fact, he believed Mrs. Kleevox rather disliked him; so Izzian was perplexed when his teacher announced the name of his subject for the Goodwill Project.

The school year was almost at an end and students would have plenty of time to watch their subjects from afar and memorize cover stories. If a Klesian student wished to graduate and go on to equidistant school, they had better put in the time and pass the Goodwill Project.

Mrs. Kleevox called Izzian into her office on that bright green afternoon that Izzian feared was about to turn gray.

Izzian Klowosky, said Mrs. Kleevox as she scanned her plascreen, I have the details of your Goodwill Project.

He knew the reason Mrs. Kleevox had called him to her office and he wished she would get to the point already. The suspense was killing him. Ever since Izzian was a tiny alien, he dreamed about the Goodwill Project and where it would take him.

For as long as he could remember, he had imagined escaping to an exotic planet, or better yet, a travelling asteroid, changing form and becoming something else.

In his heart of hearts, Izzian Klowosky dreamed of going to earth. Earth was his guilty secret.

Which was part of the reason, when Mrs. Kleevox announced his Goodwill assignment subject, he felt so perplexed. He had come prepared for an argument, but it turned out his preparations were in vain.

Your Goodwill subject is a female earthling, stated Mrs. Kleevox.

Without thinking, as Izzian often forgot to do, he rose from his seat and exclaimed, Earth? He assumed Mrs. Kleevox would send him to some far away planet covered in Shilka Beast manure. But earth was a surprise.

Although the boy secretly loved earth, his classmates would never let him forget he was chosen to go there. They would laugh and poke fun and remind him how truly boring earth was.

He had wanted to show off and get chosen for Grotanoa or the Famien Constellation. He knew his classmates would, without a doubt, surreptitiously poke fun of earth. He was totally shocked that Mrs. Kleevox knew him well enough to offer up earth on a Gypodendrite platter.

Why earth? asked Izzian with suspicion in his voice. Are you tricking me, Kleevox?

The teacher remained seated and calm in the face of her student's suspicions. She had been on the receiving end of student suspicions for years and had the distinct ability to ignore them.

I am not finished, Izzian. Please sit down. Mrs. Kleevox's tone of voice caused Izzian to cower back into his chair.

Your subject's name is Eliza Allready and she is a female earthling, said the teacher, again ignoring the look of frustration and confusion on her pupil's face.

She continued, "You must attend equidistant school in Eliza Allready's little community, which is called middle earth on school. No, I meant it is called middle school on earth. No trips to middle earth will be required," Mrs. Kleevox added dryly, recalling an older earth book of science fiction in which the characters travelled to the earth's core.

You will live there for a year, blending in perfectly. You must study your subject, Ms. Allready, and complete your Goodwill Project. After that, you will return to Klesia Moon Prime and graduate. Then and only then will you be competent enough to attend equidistant school on the mainland.

Izzian was stunned. Was Mrs. Kleevox playing the biggest prank of all time? She had given him earth, but Eliza Allready was obviously female-the wrong gender. His mind scanned through all the reasons why a human, female earthling was the wrong choice for a green boy from Klesia Moon Prime.

He desperately wanted to go to equidistant school on the mainland and he secretly loved earth, but he'd hoped his subject would be a boy. Izzian had never had a brother and desperately wanted one- an earth brother, actually. The boy knew Mrs. Kleevox was expecting an argument and she would get one.

Of course, Izzian couldn't come right out and shout for joy that he was chosen for earth; he just knew that it was expected of Izzian Klowosky to cause trouble. It was expected of Izzian Klowosky to dislike teenage girls from earth and it was expected of Izzian Klowosky to dispute every decision forced upon him by his elders. It was in his nature, he believed.

If the boy had dug deep enough, he'd have recognized the wisdom of his elders. He would have accepted his fate with gusto. Unfortunately it was also expected of Izzian Klowosky to never surrender without a fight, even if he was fighting for naught.

Finally, he riled up to speak, Mrs. Kleevox, what could I possibly have in common with a female earth teen? I mean, really. You are setting me up to fail before I even begin.

Mrs. Kleevox knew better and was in no mood to hear yet another student complain about their graduation homework assignments, entitled the Goodwill Project, as she had been hearing mostly complaints all morning long.

It's too late, Mr. Klowosky. The elders and I have already chosen and our decisions are final. Work hard young Klesian; learn all you can and nothing can stop you from being a success, said Mrs. Kleevox with her voice edging towards boredom.

But…but…, the young Klesian stammered, I…you…, he couldn't quite come up with the real words he wanted to say.

What, Mr. Klowosky, are you attempting to say?

Finally, after building up some anger at the whole situation and realizing that it was totally out of his hands, Izzian looked into Mrs. Kleevox's large obsidian eyes and spoke. I don't care about some girl on earth. There, I said it.

Now that the young man had started, he was suddenly unable to stop. "I. Do not care. I don’t care about being a Compassionate Citizen of the Universe. I don't care about some silly teenage earth-girl and I definitely do not care about this stupid homework assignment. Goodwill Project? It should be called the ill will project. There, I said what I intended, Mrs. Kleenex."

Izzian was fibbing a little, and his teacher knew it. The fact that his subject was a girl was irrelevant. He loved the planet often referred to as the little blue ball. Izzian was well educated on the topic of earth, having studied it extensively for a boy his age.

He certainly knew enough to call his teacher a tissue commonly used on earth for wiping one's nose. Izzian's little insult had given away his true feelings.

Mrs. Kleevox stared blankly at her troubled student, realizing she still had her work cut out with this one. Even though Izzian Klowosky would soon graduate to equidistant school, the teacher knew her job was not yet complete. He was hiding his passion for earth and dismissing the all-encompassing, most important, Order of the Compassionate Citizen of the Universe, the CCU.

This will not do, reflected Mrs. Kleevox.

It was not an easy job, drilling the Compassionate Citizens of the Universe Order into young minds, day after day. However, understanding what it meant to be a CCU was the most important aspect of the Goodwill Project.

Every alien within the space travelling community disciplined CCU into every single child. All planets, even those ignorant of the existence of aliens, were expected to follow the CCU Order. Even earthlings, who had never heard the term, were expected to follow the Order.

For without the CCU Order, there would be chaos. Without believing in the strong, sincere mission of being Compassionate Citizens of the Universe, violence would reign and Universal Law would never stand a chance. Mrs. Kleevox never stopped trying to educate her pupils on being CCU, and Izzian didn't stand much of a chance either.

Izzian, she looked deeper into her student's eyes and said, One day you will truly understand the importance of the CCU Order and what it means to live by it. Our government, the CIC, the Council for Interplanetary Consortiums, works hard every day so you can have a chance to live a happy, war free life. Mrs. Kleevox stated, sounding every bit the teacher.

Izzian knew a lecture was forthcoming and he didn't want to hear it. I know I know…How many times do you elders have to tell us about the CCU Order and the CIC? I'm sick to death of it. Maybe when I graduate and move to the mainland, I won't always be treated like a child…constantly hearing CCU this and CCU that and Universal Law and blah blah blah.

Izzian waited for Kleevox's anger to surface, but the seasoned teacher remained as calm as the philosophical side of a Simbiot.

Izzian felt that perhaps he had gone too far. After all, in order to actually graduate and move to equidistant school on Klesia Prime, he first had to pass his homework assignment, the Goodwill Project. He had no choice but study the female earthling and he had no choice but to apologize to Kleevox.

The boy became dispirited when he realized the fix he was in and suddenly, his expected outburst did not seem so appropriate. Izzian realized that he wasn't upset because he had to study some girl from earth: He was upset because he felt he had no control over anything.

Mrs. Kleevox had been teaching for a long while and had heard it all before and she never gave up on a student. She was also wise enough to know that Izzian wanted to travel to earth, regardless of the gender of his Goodwill Subject. He was just too stubborn to admit it without a fight.

Without breaking eye contact, Kleevox's voice became whisper quiet as her words carried a tremendous weight, There will come a time, when you desperately need answers. Where will you search for those answers? At some point, making rash decisions based on your reputation and other frivolous matters could actually hurt others, she paused and reached for Izzian's hand, a rare gesture reserved for only the most important sentiments.

She continued, You may, one day, have someone else's life in your hands. When you are given such a solemn burden, you must dig deep into all you have learned and make important decisions based upon who you are. Who will you be, Izzian Klowosky, when the weight of someone else's life rests on your shoulders?

Mrs. Kleevox paused long enough to allow her rhetorical question to sink in and then continued, "I am confident that when that time comes, you will truly understand the important work of our government, the CIC and the Order of the Compassionate Citizens of the Universe. You will seek your answers with compassion. Then my job will be done…finally."

Izzian hadn't realized how much Mrs. Kleevox cared about him until that moment. He hadn't understood that she was so emotionally connected to her pupils and that she felt such a grave responsibility to each one.

He stared at the floor. He watched a tiny bug crawl along the leg of the desk. He picked at a loose string on his cuff and scratched a scab off his thumb. He did anything to avoid the penetrating, sagacious gaze of Mrs. Kleevox. All the while, the teacher waited patiently, as if she already knew he had finally arrived at some great realization.

Izzian was ashamed of his behavior. It was a new feeling and he was just learning how to cope with it. Of course the boy had felt ashamed before, every kid had. He was ashamed when he had farted loudly during the silence of semester exams. He'd been ashamed when his classmate, Thilillian, caught him sketching little hearts containing her initials linked to his.

If he thought long enough, he was even ashamed whenever he was caught studying earth customs. He wasn't sure why. All the kids acted as if earth paled in comparison to every other planet, when in fact, it was one of the most wondrous hunks of rock in the universe. It was for some reason, considered passé and any kid caught studying earth or speaking about earth in general was considered out of style too.

This particular