Braids
Chapter 4
UFO
The next day at work, Dib and Esther did not have to wait very long for a customer. Less than an hour after they opened, and old man walked in.
"Can I help you, sir?" Dib asked.
"Last night," the old man began, "Last night on the farm, there were these flames in the sky... Me and my lady walk out to the cattle pens, and right there, by the alfalfa bushes was a UFO. And it's still there right now."
"Have you contacted the police or--"
"No. Just you."
"Are you sure it's a UFO?" asked Esther.
"Yes. Listen here young lady, I may be old, but I can see."
"OK, we'll stop by as soon as possible," replied Dib. Esther rushed to the phone, and started to dial. "Who you calling?" asked Dib.
Esther hushed him, and put her ear to the phone, "Hello?" there was a short pause, "Zim? Hi. This is Esther. Listen, we just got a customer who says that a UFO has crashed on his property. Do you think, just maybe you would be able to identify it?" she said, there was a pause, "OK, come on over then. Bye." She turned to Dib, "Zim says he might be able to help. He's on his way."
Dib didn't say anything. He nodded, and went into the back room to retrieve a few items. A few moments later Dib returned, and Zim walked through the door, "Ready?" Esther grabbed the car keys, "Yeah, let's go."
When they reached the old man's farm, they saw the UFO almost instantly, "My God, it's huge!" exclaimed Esther. They rushed to the sight, "Well... Zim?"
Zim circled the space craft a number of times, "Oh..." he said.
"What?" asked Dib and Esther.
"This vehicle belongs to a Razerken, from the planet Razen."
Esther giggled, "Heh heh... raisin."
"No. Razen. Not to be mistaken with a dried grape.... though their planet is purple." Zim walked to a specific spot of the Razerken ship, and touched it lightly. Doors slid open, and revealed the inside of the ship.
"Woah," Esther said, gazing in awe. She peeked in, and looked at the many buttons on the walls of the vehicle. "But... where's the driver?"
"That's what I'd like to know," said Dib also peering in. He looked at Zim.
"Don't look at me! I haven't a clue where the Razerken is!" exclaimed Zim.
"Hmmm... Zim? You think you could fly it?" asked Esther.
"Yes. Why?"
"We can't just leave it on this old man's property... Do you think you could fly it back to your base, and keep it there for a while?"
"I guess."
Dib crossed his arms and frowned, "Why at his place?"
"Where we gonna keep it? The apartment?" Esther said sarcastically, "We can't keep it at work either... too small!"
Dib shook his head, "I still don't trust Zim," he whispered into Esther's ear.
"Oh come on Dib, your sister will be there, too," she whispered back.
"Fine." Dib peered back into the ship, he then climbed in, and walked around it studying the alien controls. He saw the pilot's seat, and approached it. He saw a small round coin on the seat, he picked it up, and turned it round and round. He walked back outside, "What's this?"
"Lemme see," Esther said. Dib placed it in Esther's hand; she looked it over, "Hmm..." she showed it to Zim, who shrugged, "I dunno," he said studying it. He handed it back to Dib, who tucked it in his back pocket.
Dib and Esther returned to work and sat at the front desk. Dib glanced at the clock, "11:43... Wanna go to lunch early?" he asked.
"Sure," she smiled, "How 'bout we go back to the apartment, and I'll cook some weenie burgers."
"Some what?" he asked, switching the sign to CLOSED, and locking the door.
"You'll see."
They reached the apartment, and Esther went into the small kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out a pack of hot dogs, and began to slice them through the middle. She pulled out a small pan, and placed it on the stove. She switched the stove on, and put a small amount of butter in the pan; soon the butter began to sizzle, and she placed the hot dogs in the pan. Esther then took four slices of bread, placing ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes on two of the slices. She then turned off the stove, and placed the cooked half hot dogs on the other two slices, where the hamburger patty would normally go. Esther set a piece of cheese on top of the hot dogs, and then the slice of bread that was dressed with accessories. She handed a weenie burger to Dib, "See?"
Dib looked it over, "God... it's like a cheeseburger, but the patty is replaced with hot dogs... that's... different." He took a bite, "Different... but delicious." He sat down at a small dining table, and Esther sat down next to him. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, "Who could that be?" Dib said walking to the door; Esther followed. Dib opened the door to find a young man, his age. Green spiky hair, baggy jeans, and a dark blue T-shirt. "Who are you?" asked Dib.
"Hey, my name's Teq. I just moved in down the hall, and just wanted to say hi." The boy said.
"Uh, hi," Dib said, "My name's Dib." He shook Teq's hand.
"Hi, I'm Esther," said Esther shaking Teq's hand as well.
"Would you like to come in?" asked Dib.
"Uh... no, that's OK. Like I said, I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself..."
"Oh, OK then.... We'll see you later?"
"Yeah, maybe I'll have you guys come over sometime... Play some video games, or something..." said Teq, "Bye Dib. Bye Esther."
"Bye," Esther and Dib said in unison. They closed the door, "What a name... Teq...." Esther said.
"Yeah."
"He seems nice, though," Esther quickly added in.
"Mmhmm..."
"What's up Dib? You're not really saying much..."
"Sorry, but my mind's on that Razerken space ship... Do you think we should question the old man? We might be able to get a little more info."
"Yeah... When we get back to work, I'll call him and set up a date and time."
"Make it ASAP."
"Of course."
Chapter 4
UFO
The next day at work, Dib and Esther did not have to wait very long for a customer. Less than an hour after they opened, and old man walked in.
"Can I help you, sir?" Dib asked.
"Last night," the old man began, "Last night on the farm, there were these flames in the sky... Me and my lady walk out to the cattle pens, and right there, by the alfalfa bushes was a UFO. And it's still there right now."
"Have you contacted the police or--"
"No. Just you."
"Are you sure it's a UFO?" asked Esther.
"Yes. Listen here young lady, I may be old, but I can see."
"OK, we'll stop by as soon as possible," replied Dib. Esther rushed to the phone, and started to dial. "Who you calling?" asked Dib.
Esther hushed him, and put her ear to the phone, "Hello?" there was a short pause, "Zim? Hi. This is Esther. Listen, we just got a customer who says that a UFO has crashed on his property. Do you think, just maybe you would be able to identify it?" she said, there was a pause, "OK, come on over then. Bye." She turned to Dib, "Zim says he might be able to help. He's on his way."
Dib didn't say anything. He nodded, and went into the back room to retrieve a few items. A few moments later Dib returned, and Zim walked through the door, "Ready?" Esther grabbed the car keys, "Yeah, let's go."
When they reached the old man's farm, they saw the UFO almost instantly, "My God, it's huge!" exclaimed Esther. They rushed to the sight, "Well... Zim?"
Zim circled the space craft a number of times, "Oh..." he said.
"What?" asked Dib and Esther.
"This vehicle belongs to a Razerken, from the planet Razen."
Esther giggled, "Heh heh... raisin."
"No. Razen. Not to be mistaken with a dried grape.... though their planet is purple." Zim walked to a specific spot of the Razerken ship, and touched it lightly. Doors slid open, and revealed the inside of the ship.
"Woah," Esther said, gazing in awe. She peeked in, and looked at the many buttons on the walls of the vehicle. "But... where's the driver?"
"That's what I'd like to know," said Dib also peering in. He looked at Zim.
"Don't look at me! I haven't a clue where the Razerken is!" exclaimed Zim.
"Hmmm... Zim? You think you could fly it?" asked Esther.
"Yes. Why?"
"We can't just leave it on this old man's property... Do you think you could fly it back to your base, and keep it there for a while?"
"I guess."
Dib crossed his arms and frowned, "Why at his place?"
"Where we gonna keep it? The apartment?" Esther said sarcastically, "We can't keep it at work either... too small!"
Dib shook his head, "I still don't trust Zim," he whispered into Esther's ear.
"Oh come on Dib, your sister will be there, too," she whispered back.
"Fine." Dib peered back into the ship, he then climbed in, and walked around it studying the alien controls. He saw the pilot's seat, and approached it. He saw a small round coin on the seat, he picked it up, and turned it round and round. He walked back outside, "What's this?"
"Lemme see," Esther said. Dib placed it in Esther's hand; she looked it over, "Hmm..." she showed it to Zim, who shrugged, "I dunno," he said studying it. He handed it back to Dib, who tucked it in his back pocket.
Dib and Esther returned to work and sat at the front desk. Dib glanced at the clock, "11:43... Wanna go to lunch early?" he asked.
"Sure," she smiled, "How 'bout we go back to the apartment, and I'll cook some weenie burgers."
"Some what?" he asked, switching the sign to CLOSED, and locking the door.
"You'll see."
They reached the apartment, and Esther went into the small kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out a pack of hot dogs, and began to slice them through the middle. She pulled out a small pan, and placed it on the stove. She switched the stove on, and put a small amount of butter in the pan; soon the butter began to sizzle, and she placed the hot dogs in the pan. Esther then took four slices of bread, placing ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes on two of the slices. She then turned off the stove, and placed the cooked half hot dogs on the other two slices, where the hamburger patty would normally go. Esther set a piece of cheese on top of the hot dogs, and then the slice of bread that was dressed with accessories. She handed a weenie burger to Dib, "See?"
Dib looked it over, "God... it's like a cheeseburger, but the patty is replaced with hot dogs... that's... different." He took a bite, "Different... but delicious." He sat down at a small dining table, and Esther sat down next to him. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, "Who could that be?" Dib said walking to the door; Esther followed. Dib opened the door to find a young man, his age. Green spiky hair, baggy jeans, and a dark blue T-shirt. "Who are you?" asked Dib.
"Hey, my name's Teq. I just moved in down the hall, and just wanted to say hi." The boy said.
"Uh, hi," Dib said, "My name's Dib." He shook Teq's hand.
"Hi, I'm Esther," said Esther shaking Teq's hand as well.
"Would you like to come in?" asked Dib.
"Uh... no, that's OK. Like I said, I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself..."
"Oh, OK then.... We'll see you later?"
"Yeah, maybe I'll have you guys come over sometime... Play some video games, or something..." said Teq, "Bye Dib. Bye Esther."
"Bye," Esther and Dib said in unison. They closed the door, "What a name... Teq...." Esther said.
"Yeah."
"He seems nice, though," Esther quickly added in.
"Mmhmm..."
"What's up Dib? You're not really saying much..."
"Sorry, but my mind's on that Razerken space ship... Do you think we should question the old man? We might be able to get a little more info."
"Yeah... When we get back to work, I'll call him and set up a date and time."
"Make it ASAP."
"Of course."
