The Robinson family aboard the spaceship Jupiter 2 had found their latest planet, a land of ice where it was always snowing, just a little too late to enjoy the winter holiday season.
A few days after landing there to replenish water supplies and ice shield materials, the snowscape surrounding the spaceship had already become dreary and dull. But it was still a welcome change from endless desert planets, and the Robinson children, at least, were excited.
"Mom, Dad?" Tired of trying to transform the Robot into a snowman with Doctor Smith, Penny and Will walked across the ice to their parents, being very careful not to slip. John and Maureen were working on a small drilling rig nearby with Judy and Don, extracting important information about the icy surface of the unusual "Winterworld", as Judy had named it. She and Don had become distracted by making snow angels in the ground, but the Robinson parents were very focused on their work.
"Oh, what is it, dears?" Their mom asked, looking up from a snow-covered computer display. Normally, the Robinson kids would have been fascinated by the analysis and sample gathering that their parents were performing, and want to help out, but this planet was just too distracting. They were bored and wanted to have some fun.
"Well, remember when we used to go sledding back home?" Will asked. Both their mom and dad got that nostalgic look in their eyes, remembering back to their own childhoods, and to the days when their children were young, worlds away now, a very different, easier time. "We certainly do." Said John. "I suppose it has been a long time, hasn't it?"
"Yea," said Will, a little sadly.
" This place does feel so much like home in wintertime." Penny said dreamily. "Before Earth changed, that is. I wish we could do the things we did back then."
"Oh, I feel the same way, Penny", Judy said, getting up and staring into her sister's soulful eyes with a look of understanding. "Sure, exploring the universe and seeing unimaginable, beautiful things is the experience of a lifetime, so many kids dream of doing what you've done, but staring at nebulas and galaxies and 'playing' with space equipment isn't the only way to have fun. I do miss life's simple pleasures… sledding, skiing, four seasons instead of a new single biome planet every week- I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up in space, to spend childhood here, the way you and Will have. Even if it is a lot like Earth sometimes."
"Says the one making snow angels on the ground!" Penny smiled. "Touché" said her sister.
Doctor Smith strolled into the vicinity, overjoyed that the others were also discussing their memories of home. Sometimes he felt like the only one of the Jupiter 2 crew who actually missed Earth. It was comforting to learn that the others felt the same way, even if his memories of his own childhood were much less pleasant than the idyllic life the Robinsons always seemed to lead, on Earth or any other planet.
"Ah," said Smith. "Earth, dear, Earth, childhood. Savor what you have, dear children, for it will soon be gone. But let me tell you, as far as winter activities are concerned, I was a champion in my youth. Sledding, skiing,"
"But not snowman making!" interjected the Robot, who was dripping like a wet popsicle after Smith's attempt to 'transform' him. Smith ignored that comment and continued listing other things he was allegedly good at.
"- such fond childhood memories! All gone now. I'm much too old for that sort of thing now, of course, but I do miss those days, from time to time. Earth, dear Earth, I'm probably the only one of you people old enough to remember it how it was, the good old days, as it were."
"Yea, we know, Smith." Said Don. Whenever the others reminisced about Earth, Don listened like it was very profound stuff, but when Smith rambled, it was a different story. "Still, I miss those times too. I did love sledding, even if I did always end up crashing into trees and stuff-"
"Some things never change, some people never grow older and wiser and stay in a state of perpetual, childhood, recklessness!" Smith huffed, perhaps a tiny bit hypocritically, at Don, who just shrugged.
The Robinson parents were pensive. Their kids hadn't been trying to guilt-trip them on purpose by talking about their lost experiences and memories of home, but it had worked. They wanted to make sure their kids still got to have fun and experience the same things that Earthbound children did, even in space.
"Well, you know-" said John. "We have been meaning to try out the rocket sleds for awhile now. This planet seems like the perfect opportunity."
"But John, I thought we were using the sleds to transport cargo?" Don wondered, quizzically. It wasn't like Professor Robinson to break the mission protocol in this way.
"Well, Don, they are built to carry people. How about taking them on a test ride? And the kids can come with you!"
Judy, Penny and Will all smiled at one another. They had never known about the rocket sleds before, but this was just the opportunity they had been looking for after so much boredom. Don couldn't say no to them, and even he was excited- next to piloting, sledding had been one of his favorite activities. And at least snow was soft, so crashes wouldn't be as bad.
Soon, Don and the kids had changed into helmets, just in case. "Well kids, ready for your grand adventure?" Don asked. "Oh boy!" said Will. "Yea!" said Penny. "Are we ever…" said Judy. She had agreed to come along on the trip to supervise her younger siblings. As much as she would have loved a romantic sleigh ride with Don, getting to have fun with her little sister and brother was an unexpected and unusual treat. But Maureen and John, as fond as their childhood memories were, had realized they had better stay behind and watch the campsite. They promised to keep an eye on the riders through the Jupiter 2's visual scanner, to cheer them on and also to monitor the situation in case something went wrong, such as an attack by space yetis or one of Don's infamous crashes.
The parents smiled as the silver, rocket propelled sleds were unloaded from the Jupiter 2's cargo bay. They looked more like miniature missiles than any sort of sled, but this made the kids (and Don) even more excited. Will was saying goodbye to the Robot, who just couldn't fit in one of the sleds.
"Do not worry, Will Robinson, my tread section is also capable of sliding through snowy environments! Although if you do not mind I will remain here at the Jupiter. This cold air makes my sensors shutter, and I have had enough of classic winter activities after Doctor Smith transformed me into a snowman!"
"Awe that's okay, Robot. But wait, what about Doctor Smith?" Smith tried to back away, but Will cornered the older man, smiling in his usual optimistic way. "There are five rocket sleds, there's room for you too, Doctor Smith!"
"Oh William, I think it would be best if I remain here, it's been years, since I've slain… sledded, whatever the proper term is…"Said Smith. "I'm not as young as I used to be, you know."
"Oh, sure, Smith, whatever happened to being such a 'big sledding champion', eh?" said Don. " Oh right, as usual, you were lying, even as a child I'll bet you never played in the snow, why would you need to since you've got an ice cold heart?!"
Realizing he had a reputation to uphold, Smith decided to come along. "Indeed! Well, Major, at least I've never crashed while sledding! I'll show you, yet!" He snuck over and started talking with the Robot about modifying his rocket sled for greater speed, apparently under the impression that this was some sort of competition. Don began to regret starting an argument with Smith, it would have been easier if he had just stayed behind. Don trusted the Robinson kids, even as young and hyper as they were, to be careful, but with Smith along, Don just knew there would be trouble. Some things were worse than crash landings.
Judy just smiled knowingly. Penny and Will were too excited about getting to go sledding again for the first time in ages to focus on anything else.
Everyone boarded their peculiar vehicle, and soon they were racing across the planet's surface, sliding against the ice, snowflakes swishing past them like stars in hyperspace. More than once, the riders became lost in flurries and clouds of snow, but found their way back by the bright light of the rocket engines attached to the back of each sled, and by Smith's extremely loud screams as he remembered his motion sickness. But aside from Don "accidentally" bumping into Smith's sled a few times, it was a calming, relaxing ride through the nearby downhill snowbanks, all five riders sliding in formation.
Will pretended he was at the controls of a fighter spacecraft. The whole trip was about reliving a childhood memory of Earth, but he still couldn't help letting his imagination take flight, even if piloting a real fighter spacecraft was something he got to do more often than sledding, these days.
Penny laid back and relaxed in her sled, watching the snow drift by and serenely counting the snowflakes. She enjoyed the feeling of moving fast, but enjoyed being able to take it in slowly and just be calm and joyful. She remembered the past, being pulled back up the driveway by her mom after she had slid down it as a curious seven year old… so long ago. A lot had changed, but at heart, her emotions, her feelings were still the same. Only now she wasn't afraid. Now she was excited- excited for adventure, but also for fun.
Judy, meanwhile, was caught up in the moment. She loved excitement, but she rarely got to experience these same thrills on most missions. But this was totally free, just her, her siblings, and Don… racing down the planetside. Don and Judy smiled at each other as their courses intersected, only to be blocked by Doctor Smith, who sped ahead of them, unusually competitive.
Smith had stopped screaming. He was getting used to the feeling, although he was still motion-sick. But it could be worse, sledding was better than being in space… or on a boat. Still, it was agony, all the snow in his eyes, the roaring winds. But he heard the giggles of the children, and he realized it was all worth it. He just wished he could have had a family like them when he was a youth. Maybe then I could have turned out differently, he thought, not with bitterness. But there was always a first time for everything, it was never too late. After all, despite all of his boasting, this was the first time Smith had ever been sledding in his life.
"Rosebud" He whispered, a reference that none of the others would recognize.
Lost in memory, but not lost in snow, the riders continued on, unaware of the fiery, crackly trail their rocket engines were leaving behind them…
Back at the Jupiter 2 campsite, Maureen and John watched the sledders on the portable visual scanner, an oversized cross between a telescope and binoculars with a built in viewscreen, as they waited for the planetary surface samples to come in from the drilling rig. The Robot was nearby, patrolling the area and on the lookout for any potential danger.
"You know, darling." said John, "I was very tempted to go with them on this sledding ride. When I was a boy, I used to do this stuff all of the time. But hey, now our kids are off doing it, while we look at computer monitors. Who would have thought?"
"Well dear," said Maureen. "I remember I did the same thing when I was young. I was never the 'outdoorsy type' the way you were, but still, spending so much time at my grandmother's farm in the wintertime had its fun advantages." She smiled, and held her husband close. "But I do worry about our children. It's true, they never got to experience what we had. It's still not the same, now we have to be on the lookout for danger, even with something as innocent as a sled ride. I wish we could just let our kids have fun."
"Well, they certainly seem like they're having fun." Said John. "after all, what other kids get to ride rocket powered sleds!"
"Darling, speaking of rocket powered sleds, are we sure this isn't dangerous, I mean this is a snow planet, and those Deutron- atomic blast-drives burn pretty hot?"
"If it can hold the Jupiter's weight-" said John, gesturing towards the large, slightly snow covered saucer shaped spaceship behind them, "this planet can handle a few small sleds. Besides, from all our observations there are no lifeforms on this world, so we're not damaging the environment by leaving a few rocket trails."
"Well, I sure am glad there are no space yetis waiting to drag our children to some ice cave. But John, the Jupiter 2 landed with its magnetic drive, not with rocket exhaust. Leaving trails of smoke and fire across the surface could melt the ice. We should have just waited until we finished our analysis of the planet's surface… as much as it seems like it sometimes, this place isn't Earth. We do have to be more cautious. "
"You're right Maureen. But they should be back soon, so far it seems to be going okay."
Maureen sighed. She loved her husband, but her main concern was the children, and keeping them safe.
"Professor Robinson, Doctor Robinson!" said the Robot, wheeling over, his arms flailing. (never a good sign)
"I have just completed the planetary surface analysis! It is as Doctor Robinson feared. This planet is not only eternally cold, it is an ICE WORLD! Similar to Europa in our own solar system or the Inland Sea of Priplanus, beneath the sheet of ice we are currently resting upon is a sea of water! Rocket exhaust could melt this ice, leading to cracks that would spread. Such cracks could not only leave the occupants of the rocket sleds in a raging sea, but could potentially spread back to our campsite. If this ice melts, the Jupiter will be submerged beneath the water, and lost! You will all perish!"
"My god." Said John. "I'm sorry, Maureen. How could I have let this happen? I knew about the rocket sleds. I just didn't even think… I just wanted to make the kids happy, and now- "
"I understand, John. But we have no time to lose, we have to recover and warn them before it's too late!" The parents rushed back towards the Jupiter 2, while the Robot set out at top speed across the ice to warn the riders, still contentedly sledding in circles around the campsite, still totally unaware that they were shattering the ice behind them.
"Woooohooo!" Will yelled at the top of his lungs as he stood up in his sled and increased the speed. The others couldn't help but smile, even Doctor Smith. But after awhile, it was time for the fun to stop. "Alright, we'd better get back before dark, guys." Said Don. " Let's retrace our steps- the nice thing about these sleds is they work uphill as well as downhill, although the area here is a very flat bank of ice. Wait, what are those cracks? Those weren't there before…"
"Look!" said Will, but he wasn't pointing at the cracks. "There's the Robot. I guess he's come to join us after all. Hi Robot!"
"Gee, it looks like he's ice skating." Said Penny.
"Danger, Danger!" said the Robot. "This Ice is about to crack and melt! Deactivate your rocket engines and return to the Jupiter at once!" But it was too late. The Robot rolled over one of the melted cracks, and the ice shattered, submerging him deep in a pool of pitch black water. And the cracks were spreading. Now, all of the sled riders were screaming as they suddenly found themselves not on solid land, but floating just above a treacherous, expanding pond.
"What just happened?" Judy wondered. "There just always has to be some unnecessary danger, doesn't there-"
"It was our rockets, they melted the ice." Said Don. "Fortunately these rocket sleds can stay afloat."
"There was a pond under the ice the whole time." Said Penny.
"But how did it melt so fast?" Will wondered. "The Robot- he came here to warn us, and now he's down there somewhere."
"We'll get him out, don't worry, Will. But first we just need to get back on solid ground!" said Judy.
"Fire melting ice, whoever would have thought?" said Smith sarcastically , trying to hide his fear. "Well, never fear, Smith is here, not only am I an expert slayer, I mean sledder, but I am also a skilled sailor, despite my seasickness!"
"Oh yeah, Smith, I'll be you were the one who sunk the Titanic!" interjected Don. Even though Smith wasn't the one responsible for their current predicament, Don still couldn't resist.
Smith closed his eyes, and screamed at the sky. He could hear Don laugh, thinking he was just frightened as usual, hardly an expert sailor. But he remembered that boating accident, the one that had claimed his parents. His tears dripped into the water and were lost.
"Wow, like we're castaways in the ocean! That's even better than sledding!" said Will. The kids splashed in the water, which was inexplicably hot. "Don't worry, your parents will be here soon to save us. And this area of water is pretty small, we're safe for the moment" said Don. But at that moment, a massive creature, a crystalline cross between a turtle and a dragon, but nearly as large as the Jupiter. burst forth from the water, scattering everyone off their sleds/boats and into the water. The cracks nearby expanded as similar creatures began emerging. The ice split apart to reveal the massive sea beneath.
John and Maureen had been watching the horrible scene from inside the Jupiter. The cracks had somehow spread very close to the campsite.
"I'm taking the Pod and going out there!" said John, darting across the deck. "I have to save them."
"But John, the Pod uses rocket thrusters, you'll just melt the ice further."
John stopped and turned around. As always, Maureen made a good point.
"Well, we never assembled the Chariot. Which I guess is a good thing, since we'll have to leave this planet soon if these ice cracks keep up! But I have to save the kids! They should be able to stay afloat in those sleds for awhile," (John hadn't noticed that they had been swept off their sleds by the turtle creatures) "but when those cracks reach the Jupiter, we'll be submerged. And we can't just sail the Jupiter across the water!"
"Well, John, that is possible, actually."
"IN WHAT UNIVERSE?"
"Well, in what universe does a massive sheet of ice that can support our entire spaceship suddenly split apart just from a few rocket blasts? We live in a strange universe, dear!"
"We can't think about the science now. We just have to rescue the kids!" John jumped to the controls, expecting Maureen to protest, but then she sat down in the pilot chair beside him. A new idea had came to her.
"I have an idea. When I was a helicopter pilot, I used to airlift people from remote places, even the ocean. We could do something similar with the Jupiter 2! You know, like in the early days of the space program, when capsules were recovered from the ocean?"
"And I thought my sledding stories were impressive- now that's a good plan, Maureen, but the Jupiter 2 just wasn't designed for this. We can't open our cargo bay in flight."
"We'll use the landing legs, the children can climb up, if we maneuver in precisely." Maureen had activated the magnetic drive, and the Jupiter was already rising, slowly but surely. It would have been faster if they had used the thrusters, but the Jupiter's exhaust would have been powerful enough to melt the entire area, and probably manage to set a few things on fire, too.
"But that means we'll lose the rocket sleds, we can't carry them up."
"It's more important that we get our children back!"
Only then did John and Maureen notice the turtle things outside, and their children struggling to swim in the expanding water. The sleds were long gone.
Don remembered his astronaut training, he was prepared for situations like this, but his swimming left a lot to be desired. But Judy was an expert swimmer. Smith, however, was barely staying afloat. Together, Judy and Don held him up and kept him from drowning. "Oh the pain, the pain." He said.
Penny tried to stay afloat in the raging water. When she had been lost down the driveway so long ago back on Earth while sledding, it had seemed like a big adventure at the time. But she never expected that sledding would lead to swimming in water surrounded by giant turtle things. But she loved animals, and she loved swimming, so she wasn't too terribly unhappy with the current situation.
Will hoped that, if they survived this, the next planet they visited would be a beach world. He found swimming and making sand castles much more fun than sledding. This unexpected swimming pool wasn't nearly as fun though, especially with all of the giant creatures around.
However, Will smiled as he saw a familiar sight. Rising up from the ocean was, not another creature, but a familiar, bubble shaped head. Soon, the entire torso of the Robot was floating above water, circular pontoons extending from his tread section. "In addition to my snow capabilities, I am also equipped with a flotation device!" he said. Will just hugged his very wet, cold metal friend.
"What happened, Robot?"
"The rocket exhaust from your sledding destabilized the ice crust, awakening these creatures from their hibernation!"
"They must hibernate in the winter." Said Penny. "That means this planet has seasons too, I wonder what it's like in the summer time?"
"A water world, probably" said Judy.
"I sincerely hope we won't have to stay around and find out." Said the soaking wet Smith, still being held afloat.
"For once I agree with Smith. Let's try to swim to shore!" said Don. But the Robot blocked his path, arms waving once again.
"The rocket exhaust has disturbed volcanic fissures below the surface, this entire area is melting prematurely!"
"That's impossible, Robot! It just doesn't work that way!" Will yelled.
"On this planet it does, Will Robinson."
"Oh no, what if the creatures can't survive?" Penny thought sadly. "The ice is melting before it's supposed to,"
"We must put our own survival first!" said Smith.
Suddenly all five swimmers and their robotic companion looked ahead. Above the rapidly dissolving shore, the Jupiter 2 was rising, spreading a cloud flurry of snowflakes in every direction.
"No, they're leaving us! Come back!" Smith screamed. But instead of ascending into the sky, the Jupiter 2 just hovered overhead. The turtle creatures stared upwards in awe, they had probably never seen anything fly before, especially something even larger than them.
One of the landing legs lowered. "Golly!" said Will. "I think Mom and Dad want us to climb up."
"The Landing Legs won't reach far enough!" said Don. "They can't maneuver the Jupiter in closer with the thrusters, or it will only melt the area more!"
"So near and yet so far!" screamed Smith.
The Jupiter 2 was already creating further tidal disturbances, and making it hard to hear over the roar of the suddenly massive tidal waves and the Jupiter 2's Anti-Gravity engine. But the giant Turtle Creatures remained solid as mountains… or icebergs. An idea came to young Will.
"Wait!" he said. "What if we climb up onto these creatures! They're big enough, and that'll get us high enough so we can reach the Jupiter!"
"Like, climbing on a playground!" thought Penny.
"Well, it's worth a try!" said Judy, beginning to climb up. The turtle creatures barely noticed the disturbance, and soon the others followed. From the Jupiter 2, Maureen and John watched with a mixture of worry and then pride.
"I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity of this family" Said John. "We may dig ourselves into holes sometimes, but we climb up again, stronger than ever."
"We always find a way…" said Maureen. "They always find a way."
"It probably would be better not to damage alien environments quite so much." Ruminated John. "But at least they'll be safe."
Standing atop the great shell, Don yelled out in triumph. "How's this for childhood memories, kids! You don't get things like this on Earth!" With the crystal turtle creature below and the flying saucer spaceship above, the Robinson kids smiled. But Smith was still screaming all the way.
Soon, everyone, including the Robot, somehow, had climbed up the landing leg and returned home. The Jupiter lifted off the shell of the great turtle, and was watched as it disappeared beyond the clouds.
"Why does danger always find us, even when we're doing fun, normal activities?" Judy wondered.
"Indeed, Sledding IS a dangerous activity!" said Doctor Smith.
Once they were dried off, the kids spoke to their parents. "I guess you're probably mad at us that we lost the rocket sleds?" wondered Will.
"We're just happy that you're safe." Said their mom.
"And that we had fun?" asked Penny.
"Yes, that too." Said Maureen, who couldn't help but smile. Her kids were safe, and that was what mattered now.
"Fun indeed, I hardly think so!" said Doctor Smith. "If we ever have the misfortune of visiting a dreary iceball planet again, I intend to stay inside the ship with some nice warm tea! As a matter a fact I think I shall do that right now- would you be good enough to fetch me some from the galley?"
"Oh no, Doctor Smith" Said Maureen. "I just came up with a plan to rescue you from a raging sea and a space turtle, I'm not going back to making tea today…"
"Doctor Smith wait! I will require an oil bath!" said the Robot, chasing after. "I am also capable of producing tea, but only if you apologize to me for transforming me into a snowman!"
"Well, I'm setting course for a beach planet." Said Don, sitting down at the control panel with a long sigh.
"Oh boy!" Will was excited again.
"Er, Don, you realize there is water on beach worlds too, right?" Judy asked wryly.
"Don't worry everything, everything will be fine!" said Don, glancing down at a cabinet with emergency life preserver equipment.
"Of course it will." Said Maureen. "After all, we already jettisoned the space rowboat!"
"It's too bad about the rocket sleds, though." Said John.
"Yeah, those things were real cool…" said Will, a little guiltily.
"Maybe there's baby alien turtle things down there that can find them some day?" Penny wondered.
"I guess the rocket sleds would be a good way for them to get warm, since they got woken from hibernation too early." Said Judy.
"Or maybe the baby alien turtles can learn how to sled too on them!" said Penny.
"Awe, c'mon." said Will.
"Well, giving the aliens the gift of sledding doesn't make up for us disturbing their habitat." Said Maureen. "I'm very glad you had fun, but we need to be more careful next time. We do live in space, not on Earth…"
"It's more fun than Earth!" said Will. But Maureen and John knew that their kids didn't know what they missed. Now they were growing up, but the childhood memories were not lost, even if the world that birthed them was so far away. Both Robinson parents knew that being able to sled in space might not be fully satisfying for their kids forever, and there were other Earth customs that would be harder to replicate in space. But for the moment, all that mattered was that the Robinson kids were happy.
The Jupiter 2 sailed on into the stars, which streamed like snowflakes.