Return to Earth! Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 Mystery Planet

  Chapter 2 Get Ready

  Chapter 3 Earth!

  Chapter 4 Grams and Gramps

  Chapter 5 Forkus Hagnus

  Chapter 6 The Escape

  Chapter 7 The Old House

  Chapter 8 Chasing Luna

  Chapter 9 Spotted!

  Chapter 10 The Bone

  'A Haunted Halloween' Excerpt

  About Ray O’Ryan and Jason Kraft

  Chapter 1

  Mystery Planet

  Zack Nelson sat at the kitchen table. He was in his house on the planet Nebulon. His dog, Luna, curled up on the floor beside him.

  A holographic, 3-D image of stars in space floated above the table.

  “This planet-collector that dad just brought home from Nebulonics is so grape!” said Zack. He ran his finger along the screen of a small handheld device.

  Luna tilted her head and yawned. Then she scratched her ear with her back paw.

  “It’s a game that lets me keep track of every planet I’ve ever been to. When it shows me a planet I’ve visited, I have to place it where it belongs in space.”

  The 3-D image of a small blue planet appeared among the stars.

  “That is Araxie,” said Zack. “It belongs over here.”

  Using his finger, Zack moved the floating planet to a far corner of the star field. Then he tapped on the device again.

  A planet covered with orange specks appeared.

  “That’s Cisnos,” Zack said. He moved the planet to where it belonged among the stars. “It has orange mountains.”

  “Arrrrr,” moaned Luna, stretching her front legs.

  “I know. Weird, right?”

  Zack added a few more planets he had visited since he and his family moved from Earth to Nebulon.

  The door to the kitchen elevator slid open. In walked Otto Nelson, Zack’s dad. He was home from his job at Nebulonics.

  “Hey, Captain, that looks great!” said Dad. He looked up at the planets orbiting above the kitchen table.

  Luna jumped up and ran over to greet him.

  “Those are all the planets I’ve been to,” Zack said proudly.

  “I think you’re missing one,” said Dad, “and it’s an important one. Nebulonics is actually sending me on a business trip to that same special planet. I think you’d really enjoy coming along. My boss, Fred Stevens, is going. He’s bringing his son, Seth. We thought maybe you could keep Seth company and show him around.”

  When Zack had first arrived on Nebulon, he and Seth got off to a rough start. Although Seth could still be a bit tough to get along with sometimes, the two had since become friends.

  “So, it’s a planet I’ve been to?” Zack asked.

  “Yup,” said Dad.

  “Juno? Plexus? Gluco?” guessed Zack. He looked up at all the holographic planets floating above the table.

  “Nope,” said Dad. A big smile spread across his face. “It’s a planet called . . . Earth!”

  Chapter 2

  Get Ready

  In his room, Zack pulled out his überspace duffel bag. He needed to pack fast: They were leaving right after school tomorrow! He began throwing clothes, gadgets, and other stuff into the bag. Each thing he put in was instantly shrunk to a tiny size. This let him fit lots of things inside. When the items were taken out of the bag later, they would return to their original size.

  “I can’t wait to see the Dubbsville Nine play an actual baseball game,” said Zack. He tossed his Dubbsville Nine baseball cap into the bag. It shrunk and vanished inside. “Galactic blast is fun and all, but I miss going to real baseball games.”

  “Arrrufff!” Luna barked in agreement.

  “Maybe Bert can come with me, just like old times,” said Zack. “Bert! Holy rondo bird! I’ve got to tell Bert!”

  Zack snatched his hyperphone back out of his bag. He plugged it into his 3-D holocam and called. Within seconds, a life-size 3-D image of Bert appeared in his room.

  “Hey, Bert,” said Zack. “Guess what! I’m coming to visit Earth tomorrow!”

  “Yippie wah-wah!” cried Bert. “That is what you say on Nebulon, right?”

  “Yup! Yippie wah-wah!”

  “Can’t wait to see you!” said Bert.

  “We’ll be staying with Grams and Gramps,” said Zack. “Why don’t you meet me there?”

  “Great! See you tomorrow night!”

  The vid-chat ended. Luna jumped onto Zack’s bed and started barking.

  “Oh, don’t worry, girl,” said Zack. “You can come too. I’m sure Dad wouldn’t want you to miss out on this trip!”

  The next day at school, Zack couldn’t think of anything but his trip to Earth. At recess, he ran into Seth Stevens.

  “I can’t wait to show you all the grape stuff on Earth,” said Zack.

  “There is nothing you can show me there that I cannot see here,” Seth said. “Earth is way behind Nebulon on tech and gadgets and robots.”

  “Yeah, but wait until you taste the pizza on Earth,” Zack said. He was trying to get Seth excited about the trip. “You know, pizza was invented on Earth.”

  “You think it is better than what Ira can make?” Seth asked. “No way!”

  Maybe this trip isn’t going to be as much fun as I think. Zack worried.

  “And, besides, Earthlings are wimpy,” Seth said. “I mean, I guess you are okay. But you have been living on Nebulon for a while.”

  “So why do you even want to go?” Zack finally asked.

  “Are you kidding?” said Seth. “I get to miss a whole day of school!”

  Zack sighed. At least I’ll have Luna there to keep me company.

  Chapter 3

  Earth!

  School finally ended. Zack’s Dad and his boss, Fred Stevens, were waiting outside the building.

  “You boys ready to visit Earth?” asked Mr. Stevens when Zack and Seth arrived.

  “You bet!” cried Zack. He slipped into the backseat of his dad’s flying car. He sat right next to Luna. She happily licked Zack’s face.

  “Whatever,” moaned Seth. He joined Zack in the back.

  The car zoomed off into the sky. A few minutes later it arrived at the Creston City Spaceport.

  Everyone boarded the shuttle for Earth. Zack hurried to get a window seat.

  “I want to be the first one to spot Earth,” he said.

  The shuttle took off and rocketed into space. Zack remembered that the trip would last a few hours.

  “I brought 3-D Cosmic Chess for us to play,” said Zack.

  Seth shrugged his shoulders and turned toward Zack. “Okay,” he said.

  Zack pulled a small square vid-screen from his backpack. He pressed a button on the bottom.

  A 3-D chessboard sprang from the screen. The chess pieces looked like tiny robots, spaceships, and asteroids.

  As the boys took their turns, the pieces on the board acted out each move. Spaceships chased one another around the board. Robots battled, trying to stay out of the way of flying asteroids.

  The hours slipped by. Then a tiny blue-and-white dot appeared in the blackness outside the window.

  “There it is!” Zack shouted. “Earth!”

  He hit the save button so they could continue their game on the trip home.

  Earth grew bigger and bigger in the window.

  Soon the shuttle landed at the Dubbsville Intergalactic Spaceport.

  “Yippee wah-wah!” shouted Zack. He rushed down the shuttle’s ramp. “Back on Earth!”

  Seth followed. He stretched his arms and yawned. “Traveling makes me hungry,” he complained. “Tell me again what you have to eat on this crazy planet.”

  Before Zack could answer, Luna dashed past them and into the crowded te
rminal. She sniffed the air and barked happily.

  “Whoa, easy, girl!” cried Zack. He pulled her leash from his backpack. “I know you’re excited to be back on Earth, but let’s get your leash on.”

  Before Zack could attach her leash, Luna took off. She raced into the busy spaceport.

  “Luna, come back here!” Zack shouted. He and Seth ran after Luna.

  But she had already disappeared into the crowd.

  Chapter 4

  Grams and Gramps

  Luna charged into a large crowd of Earthlings and visitors from other planets. She quickly leaped over a small purple Argonian child and headed for the terminal’s main entrance.

  Seth hurried around the edge of the crowd. He was waiting when Luna popped out. He scooped her up into his arms. “Where do you think you are going, Luna?” he asked. Zack and the dads caught up.

  Zack snapped the leash onto Luna’s collar. “That was close.” He sighed.

  What could have gotten into her? Zack wondered.

  “Thanks for catching her, Seth!” Zack said.

  Next, they rented a car. They put their bags into the trunk, and everyone piled in. The bright blue oval lifted about a foot off the ground. It zoomed from the spaceport and headed toward Zack’s hometown.

  “When do we fly up above the city?” asked Seth.

  “Oh, Earth cars don’t fly yet, Seth,” explained Mr. Nelson. “They hover.”

  “You guys really are old-fashioned,” groaned Seth.

  Zack laughed. “But these are brand new! When I left Earth, everyone still had cars with wheels.”

  Seth was shocked.

  Soon the hover car arrived at Zack’s grandparents’ house. Grandma Sonia and Grandpa Henry rushed over to greet them.

  Zack jumped from the car and gave his grandparents big hugs.

  “We’ve missed you so much, Zack,” said Grandma Sonia.

  “Me too, Grams,” said Zack, smiling. “Oh, this is my friend Seth and his dad, Mr. Stevens, from Nebulon.”

  “Nice to meet you,” said Grams.

  “Thank you for letting us stay with you,” Mr. Stevens replied.

  “Of course!” said Gramps. “Now, I heard a rumor that a fresh batch of Grams’s famous peanut butter cookies are about to come out of the oven.”

  “What are we waiting for?!” cried Zack. The whole gang headed into the house.

  Grams pressed a button on the wall next to her oven. The oven door slid open and a tray of steaming cookies appeared. Grams scooped up the cookies and put them on a plate.

  “You bake the cookies yourself?” Seth asked, amazed. “Why do you not just have Ira do it for you?”

  “Who’s Ira?” asked Grams.

  “It’s our Indoor Robotic Assistant back on Nebulon,” Zack explained. “He’s one of the many cool inventions we have there.”

  “Well, I don’t think any robot could match Grams’s peanut butter cookies,” said Gramps.

  Zack and Seth each grabbed a warm cookie and started munching.

  “Oh, these are really good!” said Seth. He snatched another cookie. “I do not know if Ira could make cookies this good!”

  “So, I want to hear all about Nebulon,” said Grams.

  “Me too!” said someone from the doorway.

  Chapter 5

  Forkus Hagnus

  “Bert!” shouted Zack. He ran over to greet his best friend on Earth. The two boys quickly completed their super-special handshake. First they gave each other high fives with their right hands. Then with their left hands. Finally they each lifted a fist into the air and bumped them together.

  “And I wouldn’t mind one of Gram’s famous peanut butter cookies!” said Bert.

  “Certainly, dear,” said Grams.

  “Bert, this is my friend Seth from Nebulon,” said Zack. “Seth, this is Bert.

  Bert remembered how people said hi on Nebulon. He lifted his hand with his palm facing out. Then he moved it in a small circle in front of his face.

  Seth did the same thing. He was glad that he didn’t have to do the special Earth handshake. It looked hard.

  Zack filled Grams, Gramps, and Bert in on his life on Nebulon. He talked about his school, his friends, his house, the amazing inventions, the different foods, the vivivids, and anything else cool he could think of.

  “So, Bert,” he said when he was finished, “what parts of Dubbsville should we show Seth?”

  “The atomic skateboard park, of course,” said Bert. “And the mountain bike speedway.”

  “But what will we ride?” asked Seth. “My Torkus Magnus is back on Nebulon.”

  “Your Torkus who?” asked Gramps, scratching his head.

  “The Torkus Magnus is the fastest bike on Nebulon,” Zack explained.

  “Well, I have a couple of bikes,” said Gramps. “Let’s take a look.”

  Gramps led the three boys to the garage. There he pulled out two dusty old bikes. Lights flashed along the handlebars. A button in the middle of the handlebars was labeled FASTER. A square solar panel sat on the back bumper of each bike.

  “These were pretty high-tech a few years back,” Gramps said proudly.

  “I cannot believe I have to ride some old Earth bike,” said Seth.

  “Well, it’s not a Forkus Hagnus, but it’ll get you there!” said Gramps.

  Zack laughed. “It’s Torkus Magnus, Gramps. Bert, why don’t we all meet up after school tomorrow?” he suggested.

  “Sounds good to me,” said Bert. “See you guys then! Thanks for the cookies, Grams.”

  That night, Seth and his dad shared one of Grams and Gramps’s guest rooms. Zack and his dad shared another. Zack was tired out from traveling and fell asleep quickly.

  When he woke up the next morning, Zack hurried downstairs. Dad and Mr. Stevens had left for a business meeting.

  “Good morning, Grams, Gramps,” said Zack.

  “How about some blueberry pancakes?” asked Gramps.

  “That sounds delicious,” said Zack. “Hey, where’s Luna? She’s probably hungry too.”

  “I let her out into the backyard a little while ago,” said Grams.

  Zack opened the door and stepped out into the backyard. He looked all around. There was no sign of Luna.

  Chapter 6

  The Escape

  Zack ran back into the house.

  “Grams, Gramps!” he shouted. “I can’t find Luna!”

  Grams, Gramps, and Zack went out to the backyard. All the noise woke up Seth. He came downstairs and joined the others outside.

  Seth looked around. “Do all Earth backyards have holes under their fences?” he asked. Seth pointed at a freshly dug hole at the bottom of the back fence.

  “Luna dug her way out?” Zack cried. “But why would she do that?”

  “More importantly,” said Grams. “Where did she go?”

  “Wait!” cried Zack. “Luna’s wearing her geo-locator collar. I can track her on my hyperphone!”

  “Geo-what?” asked Gramps. He scratched his chin. “Hyper-who?”

  “It works like a tracking system,” explained Zack. He already had his hyperphone out. “The locator satellite sends Luna’s position right to the screen of my—found her!”

  A small red dot flashed across a map on the screen of Zack’s hyperphone.

  “I don’t believe it!” he cried. “I know exactly where Luna is headed. She’s on her way to our old house! Come on, Seth. Let’s go and get Luna!”

  Zack and Seth jumped onto the bicycles Gramps had pulled out for them. Grams handed Zack his backpack. Gramps handed them each helmets.

  Zack pedaled hard, leading the way toward the place he used to live.

  Seth hadn’t ridden a bike with pedals since he was little. He was nervous.

  “Where is my Torkus Magnus when I need it?” Seth whined. He concentrated hard on keeping his feet on the pedals. By the time they got down the street, Seth had gotten the hang of it. His feet remembered what to do!

  The boys rode past
a playground.

  “Hey, what is that?” Seth asked. He pointed to a spinning ride in the park.

  “That’s the jet-powered carousel,” Zack explained. “I used to ride that all the time when I lived here. Those little rockets are powered by anti-grav jet units. It speeds around and around. Pretty grape, huh?”

  “I do not know,” replied Seth. “Even as a little kid, I think I would have rather watched a vivi-vid.”

  Zack shrugged and kept on pedaling.

  “Speaking of speed,” said Zack. “Press the faster button on your bike.”

  Zack and Seth both pressed the faster buttons on their bikes. The bikes’ solar panels flapped open. The extra power sent the bikes zooming along at twice the speed they had been going.

  “This is more like it!” cried Seth.

  As Zack rode along the familiar streets, he began to feel a little sad. He thought about his old life on Earth.

  “Maybe Luna ran away because she doesn’t like living on Nebulon,” Zack said. He sounded worried. “Maybe she was happier here.”

  “Do not be silly, Zack,” said Seth. “How could anyone, even a dog, think that Earth is better? Nebulon is way more grape.”

  Even if it wasn’t true, Zack wanted to believe that Luna liked Nebulon.

  Chapter 7

  The Old House

  The boys arrived at Zack’s old house. Zack knocked on the front door. It felt very strange not to burst in like he always used to.