Dedicated to Grandma O'Brien
Special thanks to my daddy.
It was dark at the space center as the crew prepared the rocket ship for the journey. However, Astronaut Bear's day was brightened by a shiny piece of gold on the space suit that he was wearing as he got ready for the trip.
Astronaut Bear was going to Jupiter to find out if there was life on the planet. He was on a mission to find out the truth about life on Jupiter, so he could tell the scientists on earth.
Astronaut Bear had many friends he would be leaving on Earth as he traveled the galaxy, including one special friend named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was seven years old and she liked to play soccer.
That shiny piece of gold on Bear's suit was very special. It had his name on it, and, if he saw something scary it could light up and blind any frightful creature.
Finally, the day had arrived for Bear to go to Jupiter. The trip was going to take forty days. He planned to sleep most of the way to rest up for the "one spotted" planet.
On the fortieth day he arrived at Jupiter. He saw something red and decided to go toward it. He landed his spaceship real close to the "red spot." After he got out of his ship, he walked through the red spot. Astronaut Bear saw something moving on the far side of the red spot. As he got closer, the gold piece from his suit blinded the moving creature. His gold piece worked so he could hide in a bumpy crater that was nearby. The creature he saw was green, slimy, and stinky. It was medium sized, without a nose and nothing to "talk" with. But, it had eighteen fingers and toes.
While Astronaut Bear was still hiding, the alien walked out of the red spot and saw Bear's space ship. He went in the ship and hid without Bear knowing. Bear came out from his own hiding place and returned to his ship.
Bear was scared and decided to return to Earth. He did not know that the alien was still hiding in his space ship. He took off and headed back to earth.
He got back to Earth in only twenty days. He was able to get back much quicker because he was so scared he did something he never had done before. He went in the back room of the ship and pulled a switch to turn the super rockets on.
When he landed on Earth, the alien escaped the ship and was now wandering around the planet. The slimy green thing went to a little girl's house, and that little girl just happened to be Elizabeth. Elizabeth saw the stinky creature and screamed very loudly! Her mother came running to her and the alien turned invisible. Elizabeth said, "There is an alien in my bed!" Her mother went over to check her bed but did not see the alien. The alien was under the bed. Elizabeth's mother said, "There's no alien here, now go to bed!"
Elizabeth went slowly to her bed, knowing that the alien was somewhere near. Later, Elizabeth heard a noise under her bed. She looked and saw the alien. She screamed again, but her mother did not hear her. The alien jumped out from under the bed and pointed out the window. Elizabeth put the covers over her head as the alien disappeared.
Finally after a few minutes, Elizabeth came out from under the covers to look around her room. She got out of bed, opened the door and went out to the hallway to downstairs. She saw her mother watching television. The alien was sneaking behind the television.
Elizabeth said, "Mommy, please fix me some waffles."
Then she went to find a baseball bat. She grabbed her dad's favorite bat and swung it behind the t.v. She found the alien there and said, "Go Home!"
The alien made a shape with its hands. It seemed to be the planet Jupiter as if it was trying to tell her something. Elizabeth understood and said, "I will help you get home."
Elizabeth then decided to go to Astronaut Bear's house to ask him for some help.
"Can we use your space ship?" she asked.
Astronaut Bear said, "O.K."
Elizabeth took the alien to the space ship so they could fly back to Jupiter. When they arrived she took the alien back to his house in the "red spot."
Elizabeth waved goodbye and headed back home to Earth where she could eat her mommy's famous waffles.
Astronaut Bear, Elizabeth and her mother lived happily ever after.
Oh, don't forget the alien. He lived happily ever after too!
