SPACE ODDITY
CHRISTOPHER EDGE
2 PALMER STREET,
FROME, SOMER SET
BA11 1DS
–3–
Text © Christopher Edge 2021
From an original idea by Sarah Ryan © The Big Idea Competition Limited
Illustrations © Ben Mantle 2021
First published in Great Britain in 2021
Chicken House
2 Palmer Street
Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS
United Kingdom
www.chickenhousebooks.com
Christopher Edge has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events
and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious
manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely
coincidental.
Designed and typeset by Steve Wells
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY
The paper used in this Chicken House book is made from wood grown in sustainable
forests.
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data available.
ISBN 978-1-912626-86-1
eISBN 978-1-913322-50-2
For Josie, who’s always
the first to spot the stars.
And in memory of
David Bowie,
whose songs told us that
we’re not alone.
–5–
“I’m sure the universe is full of
intelligent life. It’s just been too
intelligent to come here.”
ARTHUR C. CLARKE
–7–
TWELVE YEARS AGO . . .
–9–
A SHOOTING STAR
It looked like a shooting star at first – a silver
streak of light, glowing bright against the
darkness of the night. And trailing in its wake
soared three more glowing spheres, their lights
flashing blue and white as they fell towards
Middlewich Forest.
But if anyone could have heard the noise
coming from inside the silver streak of light they
would have realized that this wasn’t a shooting
star – it was a screaming star.
‘AAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!’
–1–
The alien’s scream faded into a gibber of
fear as he spun around the observation dome.
Branches and leaves bounced off the flying
saucer’s failing force field as the spacecraft
crashed through the trees. On the rear-view
screen he could see the glowing spheres growing
even brighter, their blue-white beams of light
almost blinding him as they closed in for the
kill.
‘WARNING! YOU ARE TRESPASSING IN A COSMIC
ZONE OF EXCLUSION. ALL TRAVEL IS STRICTLY
RESTRICTED. WARNING! YOU HAVE ENTERED THE
ATMOSPHERE OF A P-CLASS PLANET. ALL CONTACT
IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. WARNING! YOUR VESSEL
WILL BE VAPORIZED IN THREE ZEPTONS. PREPARE
FOR DISINTEGRATION, ION OF MMBOG—’
With a despairing flick of his wrist, Ion tried
to cut the communication channel into silence.
For an alien, Ion looked remarkably human.
One head, two arms, two legs. No tentacles.
The only thing that would make him stand out
from the crowd, apart from his shiny silver
–2–
jumpsuit, was the colour of his skin – which
was a bright shade of green.
Ion grabbed hold of the starry egg that
hung suspended in the air in front of him.
This was the Quintessence – the beating heart
of his spaceship. With this he could control
everything: the interstellar drive, the quantum
gravity boosters and the Zeno cloaking shield.
But all of these were useless now . . .
Wrenching the egg-shaped device free
from the energy matrix, Ion’s emerald fingers
scrabbled to activate the emergency settings.
If he couldn’t save his spaceship, he could still
save himself. Through the observation dome,
Ion could see the ground of this strange planet
racing up to meet him. The only chance he had
left was an emergency teleport to the surface of
this world. And there wasn’t far to go.
Twisting the device, Ion heard the lifeboat
mode load with a click. The stars that
shimmered across the Quintessence’s surface
now shone with a pale green glow. As this eerie
–3–
light surrounded him, Ion felt the atoms in his
body start to unravel.
The last thing he heard was the sound
of the robotic voice ringing in his ear: ‘YOUR
VESSEL WILL BE VAPORIZED IN ONE ZEPTON—’
And then he was gone.
–4–
