“Where do you think your going?” Zach’s rosy cheeked mother asked
“Just outside, I want to go play with Tommy.”
His mom’s nose wrinkled as her face formed a scowl.
“You boys better not be planning on spying on poor old Mr. Tong again.”
“Of course not!” Zach gasped in shock at the accusation.
His mom looked him up and down while she decided what to do next.
“Stay out of trouble.” She huffed and then turned to finish washing the dishes form breakfast.
With the forced okay from his mom Zach went racing outside. Despite what he told his mom, he ran straight to the old tree at the edge of Mr. Tong’s yard. Tommy wasn’t there yet, but he would be soon. Zach quickly climbed up the tree to the highest branch he could get to. The climb was easy enough. From there he could see straight into Mr. Tong’s living room window.
Mr. Tong was a very cranky old man. He was in his seventies, with hard angry eyes, and a limp in his left leg. He had lived in his house for ten years and before that he had lived in china, where he was born and raised. Zach and Tommy believed otherwise. They thought he came from a planet called Rynexthia and they were convinced that he was an alien monster who planned to take over human civilization.
Mr. Tong only left his house twice a day, once to get his news paper and then again to get his mail. On Saturdays he left three times, one extra time to go to the store to buy food. Sometimes he would open his door and yell at kids that were being too noisy as they passed his house.
Zach and Tommy had several reasons besides his anti-social behavior for believing in their alien monster theory. While looking onto Mr. Tong’s living room Zach quickly pulled out a paper with the list of all Mr. Tong’s alien characteristics.
Mr. Tong is an ALIEN!!
1. He is always really mean
2. He talks with a funny alien accent
3. He has wired slanty eyes
4. There is always a bright blue glow coming from his second story window. (It is from his talking thingie to talk to his mother ship!!)
5. He eats CATS!!
Zach and Tommy had never actually seen him eat a cat, but Tommy’s alley cat went missing a few weeks ago and the last place he was seen was on Mr. Tong’s lawn. So, the only logical answer to the cat’s disappearance is that Mr. Tong ate him.
It was while Zach thought about the cat that Zach noticed Tommy. He was standing across the street stock still with his mouth hanging open awestruck. Zack didn’t know what the heck Tommy was looking at and was about to call out to him when he saw it. The door to the house was open.
Fear rippled through Zach in an instant. His little body tensed and his palms went clammy and sweaty. He was shaking so hard now that the entire branch shook. His eyes darted everywhere, searching. No Mr. Tong, maybe he could still get away. He hastily put away the list and started to climb down the tree. That’s when he saw that there, standing at the base of the tree, was Mr. Tong. He was standing with his hands clenched into balls and he was staring at Zach with his angry eyes and a scowl fixed on his face.
That was when Zach fell.
“AHHggaahhagHH!!!” Zach screamed in terror.
He didn’t fall very far because the tree wasn’t very tall but it hurt just the same.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY TREE YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING RUNT!!?” Mr. Tong’s whole body shook with anger as he yelled.
“Don’t eat me!” was all Zach could think to say in his present state of fear.
With these words Mr. Tong stopped shaking but his face was still distorted with furry.
“Eat you?” he spat, “why would I eat you, you stupid little mutt?” he growled through gritted teeth.
Zach sat on the ground in front of Mr. Tong wide-eyed and too scarred to move, too scared to speak. Then Mr. Tong bent down toward Zach with his arms outstretched and his fingers shaped like knobby but sharp claws.
This sudden movement snapped Zach out of his paralyzing fear and into a panic. He screamed out again in fear and began to scramble away. First he crawled away while trying to get up; once he was up he sprinted as fast as he could. His chest was full of fear and his body adrenaline. When he reached where Tommy stood he kept on running, too scared to stop. Tommy turned and began running with him. Neither of the boys stopped until they were at the bottom of the street and Mr. Tong, along with his house, seemed small.
They were both out of breath and their sides ached. Exhaustion replaced adrenaline and they both collapsed on the ground. Zach’s hands and knees stung and both of their chests were heaving.
“He is DEFINITELY an alien.” Tommy gasped between breaths.
“Definitely.” Zach whispered exasperated.
Tears sprang from his eyes as he looked up into those dark crazed eyes. How did this happen? He asked himself as he tried to hold in his desperate sobs. Blood began to trickle from his hands and his knees. They throbbed from his sudden fall out of the tree.
Little Zach was seven soon to be eight and very small for his age. He had light brown hair, dark green eyes, and freckled sun-browned skin. He was a boy with a very big imagination and was normally very happy, but currently he was hurt and very scared.
As he sat on the cement by the old tree, his body tense with fright, he recalled how he had gotten there, starting with his conversation that morning.
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