If Aliens Met Humans by Samuel Masten - HTML preview

CHAPTER SIX

The planet the pencil landed on was named Xylos by its inhabitants. The beings who lived on Xylos were tall and slender, with skin that shimmered with soft, iridescent colors. They were a peaceful and curious race, known as the Xylans. They had no concept of war or violence, as their world was one of abundance and harmony. They spent their days creating art, studying their world, and exploring their own minds.

It was a young Xylan named Zorp who found the pencil. Zorp was a collector of strange and unusual things. He would often wander through the vast purple forests of his world, looking for interesting rocks, unusually shaped leaves, or colorful flowers. He loved things that were different, things that stood out from the ordinary. He was known for his curiosity, which was great even for a Xylan.

On this day, Zorp was walking near the edge of a great, quiet forest when he saw something that made him stop. In a patch of soft, familiar moss, there was an object that did not belong. It was a long, thin tube, blackened and scarred from heat. It was unlike any rock or plant he had ever seen. His curiosity piqued, he cautiously approached the strange object.

Zorp knelt down and looked closely at the tube. He could see that it was made of some kind of clear material, though it was now cloudy and damaged. And inside the tube, he saw something even stranger. It was a long, thin stick of wood, painted a bright, cheerful yellow. One end was sharpened to a black point, and the other end had a small, pink block attached to it.

He had never seen anything like it. The colors were so bold, so different from the soft, shimmering tones of his own world. The object was perfectly straight and smooth, clearly made by someone. It was not a natural object. Zorp felt a thrill of excitement. He had found something truly unique, something that was not from Xylos.

Carefully, Zorp picked up the tube. It was warm to the touch. He turned it over and over in his long, graceful fingers. He wondered what it could be. Was it a tool? A piece of art? A seed from a faraway star? He had no way of knowing, but his mind raced with possibilities. This was the greatest treasure he had ever found.

He decided he had to show his discovery to the Elders. The Elders were the wisest of the Xylans, and they had a great understanding of science and the universe. If anyone could figure out what this strange object was, it was them. Zorp gently wrapped the tube in a soft leaf to protect it and began the long walk back to his village.

When he arrived, he went straight to the Great Hall of Knowledge, where the Elders spent their time. He presented the object to them, his hands trembling slightly with excitement. The Elders gathered around, their shimmering skin glowing with curiosity. They examined the tube and the pencil inside with great interest.

One of the Elders, the wisest of them all, used a special tool to carefully open the heat-sealed tube. The air inside, trapped for a hundred years, hissed out. The Elder then gently removed the yellow pencil. They all marveled at its simple design, its sharp point, and its strange pink eraser. It was a complete mystery.

The Elders studied the pencil for many days. They analyzed the wood, the graphite, and the paint. They discovered that it was made of materials that were not found on Xylos. This confirmed their suspicions: the object was from another world. The Xylans were not alone in the universe. A silent, yellow pencil had just become the most important object on their planet.