The Spaceship Took Us to Octavia Read online

  ALEX GETZ

  THE SPACESHIP

  TOOK US

  TO OCTAVIA

  Copyright © 2020 Alex Getz

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 9798640455274

  For my parents and grandparents.

  Also, for Mark, Luba, and Natalie.

  CONTENTS

  1.The Wellingtons

  2. Portal to Octavia

  3. Planet Bokstel

  4. An Unexpected Meeting

  5. Meeting the Ketlings

  6. Intergalactic Station

  7. The Invisible Border

  8. Day off

  9. Group Twenty-Four

  10. The New Project

  11. Possible Future

  12. Tennesill

  13. Lunar Rocks

  14. The Plan

  15. The Mountain Glade

  16. The Second Chance

  17. Epilogue

  Chapter one

  The Wellingtons

  In a small town nestled in the mountain lowlands, there was a two-story house, where the Wellington family lived. Mr. Wellington was a practical, serious man. He worked a lot and rarely found time to spare. And if he ever did, he would spend it sitting at his home office, poring over books from the tightly packed shelves, underlining passages, and scribbling notes in the margins. His appearance could make an impression of a busy person.

  Mrs. Wellington managed the household and enjoyed pottery-making. She had her studio in the house, where she molded and decorated various clay creations. Mrs. Wellington worked in the main town library and was the founder of the Book Club, which was wildly popular among the town housewives.

  Mr. and Mrs. Wellington had two sons: Arthur, who recently turned twelve, and thirteen-year-old River. Both studied at school and were like most other children of that age. River was keen on astronomy. Every evening he peered through his telescope and could spend several hours this way, examining nearby stars. River was a tall, thin boy with dark brown hair, and he enjoyed spending time on his own. Arthur’s hair was almost identical to River’s, but with a reddish tint. His main hobby was rock collecting. He kept a special shelf in his room where he would carefully lay them out with descriptions of when and where each rock had been found.

  Mr. Wellington always got up early, he could be already awake at four or five in the morning. It was hard to say what he might do at such an early time, most likely read or write in his large, shabby notebook. Mrs. Wellington slept longer than her husband and usually woke up two hours after him, in time to make breakfast and get the boys ready for school. Arthur was the last to wake, he rose with great difficulty and had to be forcefully dragged out of bed every morning.

  This morning, like any other, Arthur longed to stay wrapped in the warm blanket a bit longer. Possibly, he even intended to feign a headache or stomachache.

  “Arthur, enough sleeping, we’re going to be late again because of you. Mum’s already made breakfast, get up right now!” River yelled from the bathroom while brushing his teeth.

  “Yeah, right now, just one more minute, and I swear I’ll be there downstairs.”

  “That doesn’t sound very convincing,” his elder brother mumbled.

  Finishing his morning routine, River left the bathroom and walking through his brother’s room, saw Arthur still peacefully sleeping, as if nothing had happened.

  “Like there was any doubt.”

  River headed down to the kitchen to complain to their mother. Mrs. Wellington had to climb upstairs and sit on the edge of her son’s bed.

  “Arthur, dear, wake up.”

  Through a sleepy haze, the boy gained awareness and decided to play dead, so he could have a reason to skip school. Multiple tries not to respond to Mum’s speech, and even breath-holding didn’t help him to achieve justice.

  “Enough already, get up, open your eyes. Arthur!”

  The boy couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

  “Oh, you! I’ll wait for you downstairs. Be there in two minutes!” Mrs. Wellington ordered.

  “Okay, Mum.”

  That morning Mrs. Wellington cooked cream crepes with berries. The sweet smell spread through the whole kitchen. At the dining table, Mr. Wellington was reading a daily newspaper. It was so big that only the top of his head could be seen.

  “How are you doing at school, boys?” he asked, folding the newspaper in half and putting it off to the edge of the table.

  Arthur silently nodded to River, who, as an elder brother, took the responsibility of reporting to their father.

  “Fine,” he answered briefly.

  “Arthur, as far as I remember, you had a math test last week. Have you got your grades back already?”

  Arthur knew that his father would inquire. He always remembered to ask about important things.

  “Er, not yet,” the boy lied. He failed the test, and it was painful for him to confess.

  “And what about you, River? How is the Aviation Club?”

  “I will participate in the town competition next month,” he said.

  “Oh, well, that’s wonderful! Do you know already what you’ll have to make for the competition?” A note of pride rang in his father’s voice.

  “We will need to make a model rocket.”

  “I hope you will duly prepare for it and worthily defend your school’s honor. As for you, Arthur, I’m going to take a look at your worksheets later today,” Mr. Wellington said sternly, glancing at his younger son. Arthur focused his gaze on the plate.

  An older woman entered the kitchen, leaning on a cane as she walked. This was Grandma Doris, a frail old lady with gray hair gathered in a bun on the top of her head. She was dressed in a dress adorned with colorful embroidered wildflowers. Grandma Doris was Mrs. Wellington’s mother.

  “Good morning,” she said, unexpectedly appearing right opposite Mr. Wellington.

  “Good morning, Grandma!”

  “Mother, would you like anything for breakfast?” Mrs. Wellington asked.

  “No, thank you, dear, although maybe a cup of coffee. I’ve already had one this morning, but I don’t think anyone would refuse another cup of coffee to the old lady at death’s door.”

  Mr. Wellington raised his thick eyebrows, keeping his eyes at the newspaper.

  “How are you, boys? Today is going to be a wonderful day!”

  “We’re fine, Grandma,” River answered. “What’s so great about today?”

  “Every day is wonderful, isn’t it? And what if all of a sudden something will happen today and change your entire life? Arthur,” she turned to her grandson, “tell me, would you like to change something?”

  “I don’t know,” the younger brother muttered. “I wouldn’t mind giving Steven from another class a good kick.”

  Mrs. Wellington froze with the coffee maker in hand.

  “Arthur! Where did you learn that manners?” she asked her son reproachfully.

  “Now he’s gonna get it,” River muttered under his breath, finishing the last crepe and sipping his tea with milk.

  “It’s no big deal, Mum. Just a personal matter with him. Of course, I am not going to kick anybody,” Arthur said, intentionally avoiding the others’ gazes.

  “I think Arthur knows what he does. And if not, quite soon, he�
��ll figure it all out for himself,” Grandma Doris said enigmatically, and from her voice, you could hear that she knew more.

  “What do you mean, Grandma?” Arthur, along with all the others, was confused by these words.

  Mr. Wellington tapped his foot impatiently; he was not particularly interested in Grandma’s philosophical riddles. Everyone has been accustomed to her peculiar manner of speaking.

  “Here, Mother, your coffee,” Mrs. Wellington handed a steaming cup to the old woman.

  “Thank you, dear.”

  “Grandma, explain anyway,” Arthur begged, unwilling to leave things unsettled.

  “Seems like it’s time for you to hurry, or you’ll be late,” she said, looking at her watch.

  Chapter two

  Portal to Octavia

  After breakfast, the brothers grabbed their backpacks and left the house. The school was nearby, roughly a ten-minute walk. It was sunny out, and the late May temperature was warm, but the cool traces of night still lingered in the morning.

  Along the way, Arthur crouched down, picked up a small rock, and examined it.

  “Don’t lag!” River shouted, walking ahead. “Oh!”

  “What is it?” Arthur asked, still looking at the rock.

  “Come here, quick! I’ve never seen anything like it,” River shouted impatiently.

  “Like what?”

  “Come see it already!”

  “Okay, I’m coming,” Arthur said, and, placing the rock in his pocket, caught up to his brother. “Whoa, it’s huge indeed!”

  “Enormous...”

  The boys stood in front of Mr. Kronman’s orchard, behind which the view opened up onto a field. Over it arched an unusually large rainbow.

  “Let’s go take a closer look. Although we really will be late for school, then,” said River.

  “Awesome, I might miss my test!” Arthur rejoiced.

  “Let’s try quickly to go there and back. Only we’ll have to sneak through the orchard—if Mr. Kronman sees us, Mum won’t be pleased.”

  The brothers ran into the orchard. The rainbow grew brighter and loomed bigger the closer they got. Finally, they stopped a few steps away from it.

  “Let’s go through it!” River suggested.

  “Ok, let’s go.”

  The boys approached the center of the rainbow slowly, and when they crossed it and appeared on the other side of the rainbow, they noticed that their surroundings changed.

  “River, what just happened?” Arthur asked his older brother, nervously.

  “I don’t understand how this could’ve happened.”

  The brothers stood in place and looked around. The mountains in the distance were the same, the field also, but the town disappeared; not Mr. Kronman’s orchard, nor the church on the hill were visible as if it never existed.

  “The rainbow’s gone, too,” River noticed.

  “Wonderful, what are we supposed to do now?” Arthur asked worriedly. “How are we going to get home?”

  “You should be happy, you’re missing your test,” River said.

  “Yeah,” Arthur answered. He was noticeably concerned. “Where do we go now?”

  “I don’t know yet... Phone!” River shouted abruptly. “We should call our parents!”

  The boy pulled his cellphone out of his backpack, but it seemed to have stopped working.

  “No good,” he said in annoyance. “It looks like we’re stuck for good. We should have just gone straight to school. Why did I drag us here? I wish we’d never seen that rainbow.”

  “Hey, River, look!” yelled Arthur. Large shining letters started to appear in the air.

  “Whaaat,” whistled River looking at the appearing words.

  “Welcome! You have been chosen to visit Octavia ― a hidden land of magic. From this day forth, you will have the chance to know the truth, learn magic, and bring the knowledge back to your world. I hope you will enjoy your stay. You will find out more very soon, as we will meet later today. Gamp will fly to pick you up.

  See you soon!

  – Florence.”

  “Oh, man!” was the only thing Arthur was able to say.

  “Interesting ― who is this Florence?” asked River. “Must be someone important in this land.”

  “I want to go home. I had enough! I want everything to be the way it was before! I want to go to school!”

  “Come on, Arthur, we’ll think of something. Maybe all this is not that bad? And now we have a chance to see something different rather than sitting in school?”

  “How could you be so calm! I feel like I’m dreaming all this. These things don’t just happen! Stuck in the middle of nowhere, town disappeared, phones don’t work, and some words appearing in the air saying we are in a magic land! Crazy! Ok, I have just to lay down, close my eyes, and I will wake up in my bed in my bedroom.” Arthur lay down on the grass and closed his eyes.

  River tried to think of a way out of the situation.

  “Do you hear that? Something’s buzzing!” River said to his brother, listening intently to the new sound.

  “Indeed,” Arthur opened his eyes and raised his head.

  Suddenly, high in the sky, something flew toward them. It didn’t look like an airplane or helicopter—it was difficult to figure out what it was. When it drew closer and descended, Arthur and River could see it was a small spaceship that had the saucer shape with a transparent domed cabin. Gliding up to the brothers, it hovered about half a meter above the ground. Three people sat in the cabin. A man with a mustache seated in front shouted to the brothers.

  “Boys, hop in, quickly!”

  “Who are you?” River yelled back.

  “I am Gamp. Florence sent me to pick you up and fly to her.”

  For a moment, the brothers stood still, hesitating. They had little choice, though. They looked at each other and got into the spaceship. Arthur sat in the back with the two other passengers, who were a boy and girl around his age. River sat in front.

  “Now, everyone belted in?” Gamp warned. “And we’re off!”

  The spaceship raised high over the earth. They flew over a winding river rushing between a lofty mountain range. The ship would occasionally turn and glide at an angle, causing the passengers to fear it might flip over. They flew for about an hour when the ship gradually began to descend. The landscape underneath them changed; they now flew over an unfamiliar town. The ship started to descent and landed in someone’s big garden.

  “Well, that’s it! We’ve arrived. You may unbuckle your seatbelts and get out of the spaceship,” Gamp said. “And now, follow me.”

  “Wow, that was quite a ride,” Arthur said under his breath, walking up alongside his older brother. River nodded in agreement.

  The unfamiliar girl and the boy looked as confused about what was going on as the brothers were. The two children were similar in appearance. Both had hazel eyes, and dark blond hair, the girl’s hair was cut in a bob. They seemed to be the same age as River and Arthur.

  Gamp walked quickly, so the kids had to jog to keep up. “You’re probably wondering where we’re going now and what awaits you. Well, you’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful scenery around you.”

  All around were beautiful plants, some of which were unfamiliar to the children. Walking through the garden, they saw something fascinating—flying creatures gathered fruits in baskets from the trees.

  “Gamp, are those elves?” Arthur asked.

  “Yes, they live in our land.”

  “Are there any other creatures here?” the girl asked.

  “There are a few who live here permanently. But we often host guests from other civilizations, and we maintain a friendly relationship with them,” Gamp answered.

  “Do they fly on spaceships?” the other boy asked.

  “On spaceships, too. Well, we’re almost there.”

  After a few minutes of walking, they appeared in front of a house. According to Gamp, the ruler of Octavia lived there. Ent
ering it, Gamp walked up to one of the doors.

  “I will leave you here for now. Florence will meet you inside,” he said, inviting them to come in. “See you in a bit.”

  The children found themselves in a bright, spacious hall overflowing with light. In the center of it, five chairs stood in a circle. Besides the chairs, there was no other furniture.

  “Please, sit,” a soft female voice sounded out of nowhere, filling the entire room.

  The kids turned but saw no one.

  “Let’s go,” the girl whispered to the others and headed toward the chairs.

  They hadn’t quite reached the chairs when they heard the very same voice again from behind them, seeming quite close by.

  “Welcome to our land. You and I are already somewhat acquainted. My name is Florence,” she said, entering the hall.

  Florence was very tall, she wore a long green dress, and her red hair was fixed on the top of her head in an unusual hairstyle.

  “Please, have a seat. Well, now, we can begin.” Florence looked at the girl. “Your name is Carol, right? And the boy to your left is your brother, Victor?

  “Yes,” the girl confirmed.

  Florence opened a thick old notebook to a bookmark and read aloud.

  “Victor and Carol are brother and sister. They are twelve years old. They live with their grandfather. Carol likes to draw animals and dreams of illustrating books in the future. And Victor hopes to become a famous scientist one day. Did I get that all correct?” Florence asked.

  “Not necessarily a famous one,” the boy replied. “Also, can you please call me Vic?”

  “Sure,” Florence grasped a pencil, which was fastened to the journal, and changed something in her notes.

  “And now we move on to—” she paused as she turned the page and read, “River and Arthur.”

  Florence looked at the boys with interest. Arthur shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

  “River and Arthur are also siblings and live with their parents and grandmother. River is thirteen years old. He likes astronomy, studies fine at school. Arthur is twelve. He collects rocks and doesn’t like going to school because he thinks it’s boring.”