Zogdon had become incredibly and some may
argue irreversibly disillusioned with the merits of the everyday monotony of
space cadetry.
As he held the revolver to the head
of his former partner in the agency, Zogdon wondered if he had ever loved
anyone; or if anyone had ever loved him. The traitor counted to three in his
head like he had always done since a young age. One…what should I do? Two…how
did this happen? Three…will they ever get revenge on me?
Thoughts bounced through Zogdon’s
head like enormous meteors ricocheting off the dirt piles of the desert
highlands of Jemoff, his home planet and without question one of the most
breathtaking pieces of land in the history of the galaxy even according to the
Simon Cowell of planet beauty contest judges (which apparently dropped the
swimsuit competition, one of the most highly viewed segments of the annual
Planet Beauty Contest), like they were getting some form of payback in regards
to a longstanding dispute over a shared driveway. His agency, the Department of
Space Security, is located in Yasper which is the capital as well as the
largest city on the orb. In addition to being the former co-leader of the
sector, the most despicable defector in the history of the solar system was
also the most well-known raconteur in the galaxy. Most legends have it that
Zogdon could spin a web so intricate that he himself became entangled in its
grasp, never to surface to tell the tale of the tale. A few Jemoffians have
claimed that Zogdon made them grow so weary with laughter from his stories of
yore that they returned to their rock household to sleep for many moons on end,
so many that once they awoke they could not recall what had sent them into such
a spiral of uncontainable giggles.
“Why me?” The other co-leader of the
sector, Keith, cried out in despair as he felt the ice cold metal pressed
against his temple. Keith was bent over on his knees, pushed over to the ground
as if he were about to take in his last breaths. Perhaps, this would be the
case.
“Why not?” Zogdon squawked has he
chortled in delight, looking for appreciation from an unwelcoming audience of
one. Keith never thought Zogdon to have the same amount of wit as the rest of
the galaxy did.
“Remember at Space Cadet School? I
was the first person to be your friend. You were sitting in the corner, eating
lunch by yourself and looking all sad. I reached out to you and came over to your
table to share my peanut butter and jellonium sandwich with you. We were best
friends for years, Zogdon. Does that ring a bell?” Keith whimpered, covering
his ears with his hands as if the whole universe will not fold into itself like
an interstellar burrito if he can just block the sound.
Zogdon was taken aback by Keith’s
pleas for forgiveness. The two of them had gone through so much together; good
time, bad times, the worst. Zogdon worked hard to hold back tears and keep his
composure as memories of their schooling overflowed in his head like one of the
Nine Great Waterfalls of Jemoff. That was one of Keith and his favorite things
to do during the lunch period when they were supposed to be studying for
upcoming exams. While the rest of the students filed neatly in an orderly line,
Keith and Zogdon snuck off through the kitchen of the cafeteria as they bounded
past pots and pans with more joy than anyone has ever bounded past a pot or pan
with. Once they made it past the gauntlet of chefs, teachers, students and the
dreaded Principal Clope, Keith and Zogdon would run as fast as they could to one
of the Nine Great Waterfalls of Jemoff. Upon reaching the base of perhaps the
Fourth or Seventh Waterfall, the two that were nearest in proximity to Space
Cadet School, the two would typically be completely out of breath, panting and
wheezing their way back to life. Then they would scurry up the rock walls of
the waterfall, tiny boulders being flung dozens of feet to the water only to
make the most microscopic of splashes. It was as if these tiny boulders had
spent six months training in Colorado Springs of the United States on planet
Earth with Greg Louganis. Even the Russian judges would give these tiny
boulders at least a decent enough score to advance to the final round.
One time in particular stands out in
Zogdon’s memories like a sore thumb, swollen from years of gardening space
plants. Keith and Zogdon had held back from the crowd of eager future space
cadets, readying to bury themselves in their textbooks for the next hour of
lunch. Once they were free of the scrutiny of the eyes of their peers (who
would most certainly report them to the proper authorities at the drop of an
official Space Cadet-licensed helmet), supervisors and the dreaded Principal
Clope, the two rebels leapt for joy as they hopped and skipped their way to
freedom. Or so they thought.
Meanwhile, in the gardening shed,
Groundskeeper Zon, who had the sorest of thumbs from gardening space plants
(while gardeners on planet Earth are said to have a green thumb, Jemoffian
gardeners acquire sore thumbs the prickly plants that gnash into their hands
like one thousand tiny Greg Louganis boulders being flung into the atmosphere
from one of the Nine Great Waterfalls of Jemoff.)
As Groundskeeper Zon took inventory of his
space tool shed, he heard the obnoxious sounds a couple of rascal students
emanating from just outside the door.
Listen to my movie and storytelling podcast A Star Is Born
Instagram: @ChrisArneson8
Pick up my books Sponge Cake & What's In The Fridge?
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