Chapter 11

We're Back

I leaped from the rocketships door, there was complete slience as i could feel myself gently float within spaces atmosphere. If i didn't have a tether line attached to me, i would have uncontrollably floated away. It was not easy to forget that space can be a lonely place, no one to talk too, no air to breath, planets that cannot support human life. It was the first time i've seen my star up close and personal and not through a telescope. My star named after me by my class all those years ago was as beautiful as ever. I was deep in thought as i wasn't even paying attention to Carlos who was floating beside me talking to me "Hey DA, have you taken a good photo yet?","Ha? Oh oh sorry Carlos you were saying? i answered to him in responce. Carlos rolled his eyes with a smile and had his arms folded. "Hey Dorothy-Ann!" i heard a voice from behind "Try this to take the perfect photo or 2!" i turned round to see Beatrice also floating on a tether holding a unique but interesting looking device. Certainlly something i've might've seen before "What's that Beatrice?" i asked "Well a little invention i made myself, do you remember when camera's use to have films? Then when it was used up you would go to a shop to get them developed?" asked Beatrice with a big grin on her face. "A-ha! Of course" i answered "I remember too my Mum and Dad use to have one, so we can take as many pictures as we like and somehow we can take them developed?" Carlos asked excitably. "Well you'll have no problems using this then, its basically the same thing but with a digital touch to it, like if you were to use a normal digital camera" Beatrice explained as she handed the camera to me "Also once you have taken you shots, we will bring the camera back to the ship and i have a special magical device that we can use to develop the pictures you have taken". Both Carlos and i thanked Beatrice "Wow cool, thank you Beatrice", she closed her eyes and smlied only using her lips not bearing her teeth. This stranger has been nothing but kind to us, i just hope she will be able to get us home as promised. However but right now time for a photoshoot!

Snap, snap, shap, click, click! The sound that the camera made as the button was pressed to take a photo. It really did sound like the olden day camera "Now just to warn you kids, the film only has enough for 12 photos" Beatrice warned us as she tapped us on the shoulders "That's ok i think that will be enough for the both of us!" Carlos answered "Yeah, 6 each we're are sharing!" i shortly answered after Carlos. Beatrice nodded and looked pleased that we were sharing "It is a beautiful star DA, your very lucky to have a star named after you!". I smiled back to her in appreciation. The last photo was taken and it was time to say goodbye to my star "Hope you kids took some nice photos!" asked Beatrice as we handed the camera back to her. We then began to climb our tether lines to help guide us back to the rocket "We hope so" Carlos and i both said together. "We will be able to see once we get back inside, we can put the film in my special device!" Beatrice said excitedly, i was the last to start climbing my tether line as i just wanted to take one last look at "Dorothy-Ann". "Goodbye little star!" i said under my breath "Come on DA! Hurry up!" Carlos i could hear shouting, "Hmmm, coming!" i answered back in annoyance. I was the last one to return to the ship.

As soon as i got back in with the help of Carlos who pulled me in, we returned to the main console room (after we unhooked ourselves from the tether lines) where we found Beatrice already putting the film into this funny looking device to develop the photos. It almost looked like a mini printer "Whats that?" Carlos asked "Oh its a miniature printer/scanner another one of my inventions..." answered Beatrice as she fed the photo film into the device, i think she was waiting for a massive reaction from us. "Oh cool" Carlos said "Thats amazing!" i then responded "Now then kids you keep your eyes on that, it should take a couple of minutes, i'll need to prep this rocket to head back to Earth!" Beatrice was telling us. We were about to head home, for real? i thought in my head, that would be great after the day we've had although i was very happy to get my wish in the end. After being held hostage by a out of control rocketship and then being saved be the mysterious Beatrice Oliver, could this day be any weirder? Anyway i was and i'm sure Carlos was just happy that we were on the homeward bound. She had scuttled off to the main console i think to program it to return us home while the printer/scanner was finishing off its printing. "3...2...1!" I was calling out to it before it made a sweet chiming noise "Ooooo its done lets check out the photos!" Carlos said excitably. We both grabbed the photos that were in a neat pile underneath where they spat out from and split them between us "Hey great photos DA!" Carlos said as he complimented on them "Hey thank you Carlos, yours a pretty too!" i told him also complimenting on his photos. "Ok Kids, i heard the chiming, how are your photos looking?" asked Beatrice, "Great! Thank you so much Beatrice!" Carlos and i said as we thanked her. She had a great beaming smile on her face and clapped her hands twice "Now then are you too ready to go home?" she asked. Carlos and i both looked at each other and nodded "AAHA!" i said "You bet!" Carlos then answered "Well then there is one last thing to say...SEATBELTS EVERYONE!" Beatrice shouted. You might've thought that was weird ha? As it was the saying that both of the Frizzle sisters use to say on every field trip but for Carlos and i, we felt comfortable hearing it again as it brought back memories. I think there is more to Beatrice then we already know waiting to be discovered.

All 3 of us rushed to our seats and strapped ourselves in tighly "Everyone strapped in?" asked Beatrice from her chair that was in the middle of our chairs but closer to the console where the sterring wheel was "Yes!" Carlos & I both answered eagerly. "Fantastic! Beatrice answered as she was pressing some buttons, it wasn't long until our helmets appeared from the ceiling and where lowed down towards us by the mechanical hands that we experienced earlier. "Ah!" i yepped! "Its ok Dorothy-Ann, just relax they are in our control now" Beatrice quickly told me. I let out a breath and slowly tried to relax as my space helmet was gently placed on my head. Somehow i was able to breath in it without the use of an oxygen tank...magic? Just then we could feel a rumble and the rocket was beginning to shake "The rockets are beginning to activate!" shouted Carlos over the loud sound of the rockets. "Correct you are Carlos! Now then if its alright with you both, i'm going to start the count down!" instructed Beatrice who was hovering her right hand pointed finger over a yellow flashing button on the console. Carlos and both grinned and did thumbs up to indicate all systems go! The button was pressed and a electronic sounding voice began the count down, a much different voice to the old one we heard. "10, 9, 8, 7' the voice spoke slowly "6, 5, 4" I held my breath "3, 2, 1! WAKE UP!". "HA?" i yelped as i breathed out, did i just hear that right? I looked around and everything seemed normal. The spaceship was taking off but for some reason, all i could hear Beatrice's voice saying "DA! Its time to wake up!" over the thunderous sound of the rockets. I was so confused, why was she telling me to wake up? It wasn't long until i could hear Carlos's voice as well saying the some thing! What was going on? Take off was bumpy, we were being rocket around a lot. The seatbelt sign was still on, just like during take-off and landing in an aeroplane. It wasn't long until we could feel the spaceship start to point more horizonally from its straight up postion towards the black and stary space sky. It's engines were still running and causing a bit of bumpy-ness. I looked towards Carlos and smiled. He then smiled back at me as he nodded. I then looked over towards Beatrice who was now facing us only now she was waving at me! "Wakey, Wakey DA!" i heard Carlos say but when i turned to face him his lips were not moving! I still didn't get it why am i being told to wake up? Just then a bright light appeared out of nowhere from the outside "Oh no are we heading towards the sun?" i asked as i began to panic. No one responded and was beginning to panic, the light was getting so bright that i had to force myself to close my eyes. "DA, its over now!" i immediately knew that it was Carlos's voice that i could hear "Did we survive?" i asked as i began to open my eyes. "Yes DA, finally you have woken up" says Carlos "What are you talking about?" i then asked my friend.

I rubbed my eyes to find i was seated in what looked like a chair you see at the movies. I looked around, everything had changed "We're back?" I asked Carlos still feeling a bit groggy. "We're back! You had the same dream too?" he asked in shock as he was standing beside me no longer wearing a spacesuit. I got up from the chair and began to walk around, i looked down at myself to find that my spacesuit had gone too and was back in my normal clothing "We...back in the stimulator? At the Walkerville Planetarium?" i asked him. "We seem to be DA but i haven't tried getting out yet, i wanted to wait until you woke up!" he said to be kindly with a smile, i responded to him with a small smile but in my head i was thinking "Can't have been a dream, surely it felt so real, why would we have fallen asleep during a presentation and lastly where & who is Beatrice Oliver?". I then heard a thumping noise, i turned around to see that Carlos was very kindly picking up my books that were scattered around the room "Oh, thank you Carlos! I wonder how they got there!" i questioned "Not sure DA, i'm beginning to think that it wasn't dream do you agree?" Carlos asked as he handed my books back to me. "I really don't know Carlos, i don't know! Let's see if we can get out!" i said responding to his question. I placed my books in my shoulder back as Carlos went for the button beside the door that we orginally came in from. "Beep!" it went and the door began to open relieving the outside world being the planetarium! "We're back!" i yelled in excitment as we walked through the door. I think that i said it so loudly that other visitors heard me. They just looked at us with confused looks "DA, they are going to think we are a bit weird!" Carlos told me "Everyone's a little weird Carlos, even us" i responded to him as i also looked around the room "Its like nothing happened even the staff don't seem concerned!". Even Beatrice was nowhere to be seen. We decided to leave the Planetarium with 100 questions in our minds that remained unanswered. Carlos and i headed towards the exit to find that we were approached by a security guard, we were terrified at this point. "Excuse me kids! Are you Dorothy-Ann and Carlos?" he shouted as he got closer to us. All i wanted to do is run, were we in trouble? Did we break the space stimulator?.

Carlos then began to speak to him "Yes we are, what can we do for you?" asking ever so casually. "A lady asked me to give kids this" he handed us an envelope "She said she lost track of you and had dash, asked me to keep this for you", we were confused why were we receiving an envelope? "Take care kids" the security guard then wished us as he returned to his orginal spot where he come from. We both looked at the yellowish outside of the envelope which was addressed to the both of us, our names had been beautfiully hand written in black felt pen "Carlos? What do you think this means?" i asked nervously "Don't know DA, lets say we get out of here and open the letter over a milkshake? This place now gives me the creeps" Carlos then said to me. "Of course Carlos but who could this be from Carlos? One of the Frizzle sisters or even Beatrice?". As Carlos and i began to head outside, i grabbed his arm and we ran around the building "DA! What are you doing?" Carlos asks "I want to see if there is a window shaped like the screen in the stimulator!" i told him. "Right?" he responded with, we run right around the complex but were unable to find the window i was looking for "We are not having much luck" he says to me in a puffing state. I eventually agreed with him as all the windows looked normal. Still wasn't convinced that it was a dream and that we really did go to outer space. Carlos stood still and was holding the envelope in his hand "Maybe this will give us the answers DA" he says to me with a smile on this face. Looking at him, i smiled "Guess you might be right for once!" i told him "Hey!" he quickly shouted. The 2 of us then left the Planetarium grounds to search for a quiet cafe to read the letter in peace. As we strolled down the main street as it hit mid-afternoon, we were asking each other questions What will it reveal? Will it give us the answers, Was it a dream or real, Who was the mysterious Beatrice Oliver, Was she real and most importantly why us?"

The End