Reach for the Light

Story

Adventures in Ink: The Space Mission by Hamnah Hareem

Welcome to “Adventures in Ink,” a thrilling series where every day, for the next few months, you’ll delve into the imaginative world of grade 7 and 8 students’ stories. As part of their term project, these young writers have crafted tales filled with suspense, adventure, and of course, the undead. While I’ve made minimal corrections for grammar and spelling, each story remains the original work of these budding authors. Get ready to be captivated by their creativity and immerse yourself in the gripping narratives they’ve crafted. The second was written and illustrated by my talented student Hamnah Hareem from class 7C.

Laser beams struck the side of the spaceship. Max cried out in terror as it tilted dangerously. It was Max’s first day on the spaceship. He had been sent by Earth’s Command Operator to destroy the aliens attacking planet Earth. Max was only ten years old, but his mother had been the leader of the Command Operation. Unfortunately, they had been captured by the aliens on planet 23910 (planet Mars). Being the youngest on board, the Captain of the spaceship had assigned him the duty to seal up any cracks or damages in the ship. They needed it to withstand enough pressure to go to planet Mars, get back Mr. and Mrs. Spacer, and destroy the aliens.

As Max started his job on the spaceship, laser beams suddenly struck the ship. The Captain shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen! Grab the electromagnetic blasters and get up above.” Max abandoned his duty and quickly raced to the “Weapons Department” to grab his weapons. Then, he climbed up above. Seeing the situation above, Max almost wished that he had stayed down and completed his duty. Then, he thought about his parents who had been captured and fury rose inside him.

On the deck, laser beams flew everywhere. The Captain had set up a line of defense but even that was too weak to withstand the attacking forces of the aliens. Then, Max spotted something that made his blood cold. It was the grotesque figure of an alien with a hunched back. It had a single reddish-brown eye right in the middle of his forehead. Instead of a nose, pods protruded from its scaly green skin. Pinned on one corner of its chest was a badge with the word “CAPTAIN” on it. It carried a dangerous-looking weapon in its huge hands.

Upon spotting the alien, Max froze. The alien fired at him, but he ducked. He ran towards the bottom, the alien captain close beside him. Gaining pace, Max suddenly had an idea. He knew that defeating this alien on his own was impossible. Only someone with true power and courage could do that. His mother was deemed to be the most courageous figure to ever walk on planet Earth. If only he could get to her…

Then he spotted the spare ship that the Captain always kept on board. He raced towards it, his heart thudding with every breath he took and seated himself in it. Pressing the controls, Max aimed toward Mars. In the blink of an eyelid, Max was on the dusty red planet of the aliens. There were signs of war everywhere on Mars. Squinting, Max finally spotted something far away. Yes! A command cabin. It appeared to be deserted. After miles of walking, he finally stood at the door of the cabin. He readied his electromagnetic blaster and kicked the door open. Three extremely surprised aliens gaped at him. Before they could say anything, Max slammed one in the face with his blaster. The second one growled but soon Max had dislocated its shoulder. The third one leaped at him and Max fired his blaster. It evaporated into dust.

He then rushed to the corner of the cabin where a woman with a spacesuit sat, her hands tied up, looking dazed. “Mom!” Max exclaimed and untied her. She hugged him, all the while caressing his cheek and ruffling his hair fondly. Max told her about his plan. She loved the idea. Getting back into the small ship, they raced back onto their spacecraft. Cheers arose at the sight of Mrs. Spacer. Afterglow, she was a living legend. When the alien captain spotted her, he let out a growl so deep that everyone quietened. Mrs. Spacer fought with bravery, firing her electromagnetic blaster. Max helped her and after a few minutes the captain dropped dead. Cheers arose once again. This time they were louder.

Later that night, everyone had a dinner celebrating Earth’s victory over Mars. The two planets had now made a treaty to not fight anymore. As for Max? He couldn’t possibly be any happier.

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