%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| >> Static Item >> Chapter >> History >> ID #1591594 |   |
| |||||||||||||
|
THE JOURNEYS OF JULIUS ORANGE Chapter 02 “Aw, come on, Julius!” D’Ar danced around its friend in excitement. The purple, spiky creature’s whining in English occasionally lapsed into its planet’s language of musical whistles. “I’ve been studying that planet where you vacationed, and I know you’re going back there for another visit.” The two friends were floating through Selinia’s thick atmosphere. The gas giant had been home to D’Ar since the creature’s emergence as a single molecule one millennium ago. Not so for its friend, the oddly shaped, orange blob who had arrived on this planet only recently. Ignoring D’Ar for the moment, Julius began to morph into its favorite human shape. The 15-year-old boy looked down at his bare feet and watched the traveling socks appear. Their green and yellow stripes edged up his spindly legs until they reached knobby knees. The wires, once thick and rather ugly, now were slender silver threads woven into the yellow and lime-green slipper socks. “All right, you can go with me.” After saying this, Julius tapped the topmost spike of his friend. He grinned at seeing D’Ar turn into a chubby 12-year-old girl and gently took her hand in his. Without any further hesitation, the two creatures left Selinia and landed inside a dark cave. Burning torches suddenly appeared in their hands. “Watch your step, D’Ar.” Julius started down a narrow, uneven path in the cave. On one side was a solid wall of limestone, while the other side of the walkway fell off into a deep hole. D’Ar gave a terrified whimper, before asking, “Where are we, Julius? I wanted to see Earth, not be inside it.” Stopping to let his scared friend catch up, Julius explained this choice for the younger Selinian’s first visit to Earth. “D’Ar, for you to understand humanity, I wanted you to experience where they first lived.” He continued down the path with D’Ar walking almost on his heels. “On Selinia, your species start as gases like argon, n-Octane, and dozens of others mixed with oxygen and methane. These, of course, are names Earthly humans use for the gases and not their real names. All of you eventually slowly change into your varied solid shapes.” Julius stopped once again, and D’Ar almost bumped into him. “Where I come from, we evolved much differently. Some day I’ll tell you about my planet and more about my fellow travelers.” With that promise, Julius started down the path again, not looking back to see if D’Ar was following him. “Living together in what human’s call a home is foreign to both of us.” Julius cautiously made his way around an outcropping of limestone. On the other side, the pathway widened to allow the two aliens to walk side by side. “Caves like this one, however, are where primitive Earth people first lived.” “Why? It’s cold and damp.” D’Ar looked around the cavern they’d finally reached and began smiling. “Okay, I agree it is pretty.” The cave glowed with phosphorescence, appearing a deep blue, like dusk on the outside. Julius placed his torch to one side of the cavern’s entrance, taking care not to snuff out the flame and motioned for D’Ar to do the same. “To answer your question, early humans found caves provided a safe place away from wild predators. Caves also sheltered them from the harsh elements. This particular cave is the Üçağızlı cave, located in Turkey.” For the next hour, Julius explained how useful caves were to early humans. He ignored D’Ar frantically tugging on his shirt until grunting sounds reached them from the other side of the cavern. Coming toward them were two fur-covered individuals, barely recognizable as human. They were brandishing clubs over their hirsute heads, clearly intending bodily harm to the two unknown interlopers. “Run, D’Ar. Run back up the path. Hurry up!” Julius prodded D’Ar in the back to get her moving. Angry, fierce grunts from the two cave dwellers sounded closer, even as the two aliens raced toward the cave’s opening. Just when they started to see daylight ahead of them, Julius reached for the young girl’s hand and grabbed hold. D’Ar gave a huge sigh of relief when they winked out of the cave. The relief disappeared when she looked around. They were standing in a wide arid desert. Wind blew sand into their eyes, and the sun beat down on their scantily clad bodies. Sand sculpted by the simoom’s hot and dry, dust-laden winds surrounded them. “This is a further step in the human evolution.” Julius appeared unaffected by the harsh conditions and began walking up one of the nearest sand dunes. “After they left the safety of the caves, humans traveled to all points of the Earth.” He looked around at the desolate landscape.” We’re here in the Arabian Desert that was home to countless nomads or wanderers.” D’Ar wiped her sweaty brow and pleaded, “How about we become nomads and wander to someplace cooler?” “Sure, first let’s see where some of them lived.” Julius grabbed D’Ar around her waist, and they were suddenly at the edge of a wide grassy field. Strange appearing round buildings dotted the landscape. “We’re now in Mongolia where some of the nomadic humans lived in those small huts they call a ger. People in other places use the name yurt.” Julius motioned D’Ar closer to one of the felt and stick buildings. As if on command, an elderly woman pushed the hide covering the opening aside and stepped outside. She let out a shriek when she saw the two young people standing only a few yards away. Julius once again grabbed D’Ar around her waist. “I think that’s our cue to leave. Here we go.” The woman gave a terrified cry once more when she saw the young boy and girl disappear. Instantly, they were standing in the middle of a busy thoroughfare. Julius rapidly pulled a stunned D’Ar to the safety of a crowded sidewalk. Neon signs all around them flashed on and off advertising food, entertainment, and other aspects of modern civilization. “Hey, you idiot girl, watch where you’re going!” A fat man scowled at the two visitors when D’Ar accidentally stepped on his shoe. Still muttering, the man continued down the sidewalk away from them. The loud blatting sound of a nearby car horn made both Julius and D’Ar jump. Julius recovered his wits first. “What you see is just one way humans live now. In the country, they still have smallish homes, but do you see that building over there?” It pointed at a 34-story building of concrete, steel, and glass. “Some humans live huddled together in something called apartments. Most aren’t much bigger than the yurts and hardly more pleasant than a dark, dank cave.” Seeing D’Ar beginning to panic from the noise and confusion, Julius knew it was time to return to Selinia. On arriving there, D’Ar gazed in relief around its gaseous world. It unknowingly quoted Dorothy by saying, “There’s no place like home.” TO BE CONTINUED SOON
© Copyright 2009 J. A. Buxton (UN: judity at Writing.Com).
All rights reserved.
J. A. Buxton has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
 Log In To Leave Feedback |
Static Items
Books
Forums
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
