Chapter One - Syntillia Notantia
It was an average Monday morning when Dib awoke from his sleep. Something seemed unusual about today for a reason that was unknown to him. Arriving at skool a few minutes early, he encountered a girl that looked nearly his age. She wore two rings of some kind of scrap metal about her neck, which struck him as odd. As he had run into her on the street, he hastily apologized.
"It's all right; I'm okay," she simply replied.
"I'm glad." Absent-mindedly they continued to walk together. "Um...are you going to skool too?"
"Isn't every other twelve-year-old?"
"Yes. How'd you know I was twelve?"
"I learned that twelve-year-olds go to skool at approximately 8:00 a.m. Am I incorrect?"
"No, you're not. All people from ages five to eighteen go to skool. How could you not know that?" Dib didn't really mean to be rude, but he was perplexed as to how this could be so.
"I'm sorry, I'm new to your planet."
"What did you just say?"
"I said 'I'm new to your planet.' What's so unusual about that? Oh, it's the rings, isn't it?! Well? Is it the rings?"
"What rings?"
"What do you mean, 'what rings'?! The ones around my neck! You could've at least been honest about it!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt your feelings. But what are they? What are the rings? I'd like to know." Dib laid his hand on her shoulder to comfort her; she obviously was distressed.
"I come from the planet Utaniranki (you-tan-ee-rank-ee)," she said the name of this planet as if it were a curse and closed her eyes in shame.
"So?" Dib could hardly believe the words that came out of his mouth at that moment. He felt he should've been more surprised at her origin than that. Some casual quality about this girl seemed to give him the impression that she was just another ordinary girl despite his knowledge otherwise.
"I was exiled to the planet Earth."
"Why?"
"My home was under attack during a war. I was supposed to leave without my family. I had first priority to escape because I was a soldier in the army. I refused to go without them and tried to save my family. They insisted that I leave alone and it caused them to be harmed by the enemy. I was banished thus."
"I'm sorry to hear that. But you did a good thing. So you got banished? Would it be better to have it on your conscience that you didn't try to save your loved ones' lives?"
"I guess not. Thank you. Humans are nice."
"Well, thank you, but not all humans are so nice. There are lots of bad people in the world. Why rings though?"
"If I were to leave the planet, I would die. If I take them off, I die."
"That's tough. Is there a way to disarm it?"
"It is thought that there is a catch to it, but the engineer who does the task has to be extremely skilled in his craft."
"I'll try to do it."
"It would require hours of careful attention, though! It would take hard work under strenuous conditions!"
"I have to try though. You did a good thing and shouldn't have to live with punishment for it. It's not fair."
"Hardly a thing ever is in the universe. What is your name?"
"Dib. What's your name?"
"Syntillia Notantia."
"Syntillia. I like that."
"Humans like names to be easier to say, so you can call me Tilli."
"I want to call you by your real name. It sounds nicer that way."
"Thank you. Let's get to skool now."
"Okay." They bolted into the classroom, five minutes late.
"Dib, you're late!" Ms. Bitters called out to Dib harshly.
"I know, I'm sorry Ms. Bitters."
"What's your excuse this time?"
"I bumped into Syntillia on the way to skool." As Dib gestured the new girl, the students burst into laughter at this. "What, did I say something funny?"
"I don't think that Syntillia is a standard human name," she whispered into his ear. "My name is Tilli and I am happy to join your class and to converse with you and share a great many fond memories of this year in sixteenth -"
"Sixth."
"-Sixth grade. That's right, SIXTH grade, right! I'm so sorry, I guess I'm just a bit anxious to get at that level." The class got hysterical at this point.
"There are only twelve grades in skool."
"What about college? Isn't that after high skool? Oh, wait, elementary is before high skool and college. Oh no, that's right, I'm in elementary! Wait, I'm confused." They giggled and howled at this, "I'm so sorry, you see, I'm from another planet." This got the class going even more so; Dib had to attempt to think up an explanation for it all to save her the embarrassment.
"Uh...She's a really smart genius and was under the misconception that she was going to be attending college when she moved, and was quite surprised when she was at elementary. Yeah, that's right. She also said she was from another planet because, er."
"Maybe she is from another planet - yours!" It took a while for the class to finally settle down. Eventually Ms. Bitters tired of it and silenced them.
"Take a seat," Ms. Bitters barked to her. Syntillia sat next to Dib in a now-empty desk.
"Thank you, Dib."
"You're welcome, but what for?"
"For not rejecting me as a friend because of the rings. And also for defending me."
"No problem at all. I know what it's like myself. You were treated as a criminal, but you didn't do anything to deserve it."
"Thank you." She enclosed Dib's hand in hers. When she let go, he found that there was a small, round, golden disc.
"What's this?"
"It's a sign of friendship. I want to be your friend."
"I want to be your friend too."
"Its total value on your planet is 3000 dollars."
"Wow...the fact you're giving it to me...is really an honor."
"Won't you sell it?"
"Why would I do that? It's a very special gift. You said it was a sign of friendship. I wouldn't want that friendship to diminish. So long as we're friends, I'll keep it. I hope I keep it forever. I don't want to lose a friendship. You're the only friend I've got. I would never take that in vain."
"Thank you Dib. You passed."
"Passed what?"
"The friendship test. A true friend would keep it like you. I have to confess - it isn't worth that much. It's just worth thirty dollars."
"It's worth a lot more than money."
"Thank you. That's a very nice thing to say."
It was an average Monday morning when Dib awoke from his sleep. Something seemed unusual about today for a reason that was unknown to him. Arriving at skool a few minutes early, he encountered a girl that looked nearly his age. She wore two rings of some kind of scrap metal about her neck, which struck him as odd. As he had run into her on the street, he hastily apologized.
"It's all right; I'm okay," she simply replied.
"I'm glad." Absent-mindedly they continued to walk together. "Um...are you going to skool too?"
"Isn't every other twelve-year-old?"
"Yes. How'd you know I was twelve?"
"I learned that twelve-year-olds go to skool at approximately 8:00 a.m. Am I incorrect?"
"No, you're not. All people from ages five to eighteen go to skool. How could you not know that?" Dib didn't really mean to be rude, but he was perplexed as to how this could be so.
"I'm sorry, I'm new to your planet."
"What did you just say?"
"I said 'I'm new to your planet.' What's so unusual about that? Oh, it's the rings, isn't it?! Well? Is it the rings?"
"What rings?"
"What do you mean, 'what rings'?! The ones around my neck! You could've at least been honest about it!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt your feelings. But what are they? What are the rings? I'd like to know." Dib laid his hand on her shoulder to comfort her; she obviously was distressed.
"I come from the planet Utaniranki (you-tan-ee-rank-ee)," she said the name of this planet as if it were a curse and closed her eyes in shame.
"So?" Dib could hardly believe the words that came out of his mouth at that moment. He felt he should've been more surprised at her origin than that. Some casual quality about this girl seemed to give him the impression that she was just another ordinary girl despite his knowledge otherwise.
"I was exiled to the planet Earth."
"Why?"
"My home was under attack during a war. I was supposed to leave without my family. I had first priority to escape because I was a soldier in the army. I refused to go without them and tried to save my family. They insisted that I leave alone and it caused them to be harmed by the enemy. I was banished thus."
"I'm sorry to hear that. But you did a good thing. So you got banished? Would it be better to have it on your conscience that you didn't try to save your loved ones' lives?"
"I guess not. Thank you. Humans are nice."
"Well, thank you, but not all humans are so nice. There are lots of bad people in the world. Why rings though?"
"If I were to leave the planet, I would die. If I take them off, I die."
"That's tough. Is there a way to disarm it?"
"It is thought that there is a catch to it, but the engineer who does the task has to be extremely skilled in his craft."
"I'll try to do it."
"It would require hours of careful attention, though! It would take hard work under strenuous conditions!"
"I have to try though. You did a good thing and shouldn't have to live with punishment for it. It's not fair."
"Hardly a thing ever is in the universe. What is your name?"
"Dib. What's your name?"
"Syntillia Notantia."
"Syntillia. I like that."
"Humans like names to be easier to say, so you can call me Tilli."
"I want to call you by your real name. It sounds nicer that way."
"Thank you. Let's get to skool now."
"Okay." They bolted into the classroom, five minutes late.
"Dib, you're late!" Ms. Bitters called out to Dib harshly.
"I know, I'm sorry Ms. Bitters."
"What's your excuse this time?"
"I bumped into Syntillia on the way to skool." As Dib gestured the new girl, the students burst into laughter at this. "What, did I say something funny?"
"I don't think that Syntillia is a standard human name," she whispered into his ear. "My name is Tilli and I am happy to join your class and to converse with you and share a great many fond memories of this year in sixteenth -"
"Sixth."
"-Sixth grade. That's right, SIXTH grade, right! I'm so sorry, I guess I'm just a bit anxious to get at that level." The class got hysterical at this point.
"There are only twelve grades in skool."
"What about college? Isn't that after high skool? Oh, wait, elementary is before high skool and college. Oh no, that's right, I'm in elementary! Wait, I'm confused." They giggled and howled at this, "I'm so sorry, you see, I'm from another planet." This got the class going even more so; Dib had to attempt to think up an explanation for it all to save her the embarrassment.
"Uh...She's a really smart genius and was under the misconception that she was going to be attending college when she moved, and was quite surprised when she was at elementary. Yeah, that's right. She also said she was from another planet because, er."
"Maybe she is from another planet - yours!" It took a while for the class to finally settle down. Eventually Ms. Bitters tired of it and silenced them.
"Take a seat," Ms. Bitters barked to her. Syntillia sat next to Dib in a now-empty desk.
"Thank you, Dib."
"You're welcome, but what for?"
"For not rejecting me as a friend because of the rings. And also for defending me."
"No problem at all. I know what it's like myself. You were treated as a criminal, but you didn't do anything to deserve it."
"Thank you." She enclosed Dib's hand in hers. When she let go, he found that there was a small, round, golden disc.
"What's this?"
"It's a sign of friendship. I want to be your friend."
"I want to be your friend too."
"Its total value on your planet is 3000 dollars."
"Wow...the fact you're giving it to me...is really an honor."
"Won't you sell it?"
"Why would I do that? It's a very special gift. You said it was a sign of friendship. I wouldn't want that friendship to diminish. So long as we're friends, I'll keep it. I hope I keep it forever. I don't want to lose a friendship. You're the only friend I've got. I would never take that in vain."
"Thank you Dib. You passed."
"Passed what?"
"The friendship test. A true friend would keep it like you. I have to confess - it isn't worth that much. It's just worth thirty dollars."
"It's worth a lot more than money."
"Thank you. That's a very nice thing to say."