Colin Kaiser had a favorite story that his mother read to him every night. It was about an astronaut who put on a space suit and rode in a rocket ship through the galaxy. The astronaut landed on a planet full of angry aliens, but the brave astronaut wasn’t afraid. He took out his laser gun and blasted those aliens! He shot the three eyed alien in the eyes so that it only had one eye left! He blasted the tentacles off another alien so that it only had little stumps. He blew a large, round, red alien to bits, and the bits scattered all over the planet. What a brave astronaut!
“Which story should I read you tonight?” Colin’s mother asked him, even though she knew what his answer would be.
“The astronaut story!” Colin cried, hopping into bed.
His mother took the book off the shelf and began to read.
“Hey! You!” a voice cried out from the pages.
Colin looked closer at the book. A small mouse was calling out to him from the pages. Colin didn’t remember a mouse being in the story, but there it was, and it was talking to him.
“Hey!” the mouse called again. “Are you going to just listen to the story every night, or are you going to join in? Come on! Jump in!”
The mouse was pointing to a very small door in the book. Colin had never noticed it before. He glanced at his mother. She kept reading as if she couldn’t even see the mouse or the door.
“I can’t,” Colin whispered to the mouse. “Can’t you see my mom’s right here? She’d never let me.”
“She won’t notice!” the mouse replied. “Moms never notice this kind of thing. Come on. We need to hurry.”
“I’ll never fit,” Colin protested again.
“Of course you will! The door is huge,” the mouse cried. “Just step inside.”
Colin looked at the door. It didn’t look huge. He looked back at his mom. She was still reading. Colin decided to try, even though he didn’t think it would work. Slowly, he put his foot into the door. It disappeared inside!
“Let’s go, slow poke!” shouted the mouse, and he yanked Colin the rest of the way in.
Colin couldn’t believe it! There he was, on page two of the book. There was the space suit waiting for the astronaut. This was the part where he put it on.
“Go ahead, then,” the mouse urged him. “Put on the suit.”
“Me?” asked Colin. “Where’s the astronaut?”
“What do you mean? You’re here! You’re the astronaut. You know how the story goes. This is the part where you put on the space suit.”
Colin was excited. He’d always wanted to try it on! Every night he wished to himself that he could be the astronaut and jump into the suit. Quickly he put it on. He felt so brave in it. Could his mother see him?
“Are we going to page three now?” Colin asked.
“Of course!” the mouse replied. “Hurry. We can’t be late.”
Colin felt someone turning the page.
There before him was the rocket ship. It was just like the book! It was huge. Colin knew what happened on this page. He ran quickly into the ship.
Inside there were controls everywhere. Colin peered out the windows at the people below. They looked so far away.
“Well, are we going to take off?” asked the mouse.
“I can’t fly this!” Colin answered. “Look how many buttons there are! I don’t know which ones to push.”
“Yes you do. In the book the astronaut always knows how to control the rocket ship.”
That was true. He did. “And now I’m the astronaut,” Colin thought. He looked again at all the buttons. Suddenly they all made sense to him. He pulled down on one lever, and pushed a few more buttons. The rockets fired. Then he pushed more buttons, and he felt the ship take off. Colin felt the page turn again.
This was one of his favorite pages! They were flying through space. He saw the stars all around him. Far, far away, he saw earth. Off in the distance, he saw the alien planet. It was green and large and scary. Colin felt a shiver run down his spine. “Don’t turn the page, Mom. Please don’t turn the page,” Colin thought to himself.
But the page turned again. Now they were landing on the planet. Again, Colin knew which buttons to press to make the ship land safely. “Please don’t turn the page, Mom, please,” Colin thought.
But she did. The mouse pressed a button to open the ship’s doors. “Well, what are you waiting for?” the mouse asked. “It’s time to go fight some aliens!”
Colin was very afraid now. He knew the aliens were scary and angry. He wasn’t sure he could fight them. “I might just stay here for a while,” Colin said, but he felt the page turn, and he was swept outside of the ship.
Suddenly they were all before him. There was the alien with three eyes, the one with tentacles that twisted everywhere, and a large, red, round alien that was rolling towards him.
The aliens growled and stamped their feet. The one with tentacles blew fire out of his nose.
“What are you doing here?” asked the large, red, round alien.
Colin realized that wasn’t afraid any more. He had put on the space suit, flown the rocket, and landed safely on this planet. He knew he could fight the angry aliens.
“I’ve come to destroy you!” cried Colin because he knew that was what the astronaut was supposed to say.
“Again?” asked the alien with three eyes. “Every day an astronaut comes to destroy us. He always blows out two of my eyes. It’s very boring, really.”
“And my tentacles!” cried the other alien. “I always have to go to the hair dresser to have them redone after the astronaut blows them off.”
“I don’t know what you two are complaining about,” said the large, red, round alien. “I’m the one who is always blown to bits. Do you think I like having my bits scattered everywhere? It’s very hard to find someone who’s willing to glue all of my bits back together. Usually my mother does it, but she has to go grocery shopping tomorrow. That means I’ll have to stay as bits for an extra day. I hate that.”
“But you are angry aliens!” cried Colin. “You’re supposed to want to fight.”
“I suppose we did like to fight in the beginning,” said the alien with three eyes. “But I am a bit tired of it now.”
“I’m not so angry,” said the alien with tentacles. “I used to be, but I’ve been going to a therapist. I feel much better now.”
“But you blew fire out of your nose!” said Colin.
“Oh, that’s just allergies,” the alien with tentacles answered.
“I think we’re supposed to fight,” Colin explained. “My mother is reading the book. She expects a battle. Besides, what would we do if we didn’t fight?”
“Oh!” cried the large, red, round alien. “I know! I’ve always wanted to have a tea party. Please, let’s not blow anyone to little bits. Let’s drink tea instead.”
Colin wasn’t sure. This wasn’t how the story was supposed to go.
“Don’t worry about your mother,” the small mouse jumped into the conversation. “She won’t notice. Mothers never notice these types of things.”
“You don’t really want to blow me to little bits, do you?” asked the large, red, round alien.
Colin looked at the aliens. They didn’t seem so angry, actually.
“No, I suppose I don’t,” Colin answered.
“Excellent!” replied the large, red, round alien. “Do you take your tea with sugar and milk?”
So Colin, the three aliens, and the small mouse sat down to tea. The aliens talked about life on their planet, and Colin talked about his rocket ship. At the end, Colin realized he had made four new friends. He felt rather happy he hadn’t blown anyone to bits.
When it was time to leave, Colin and the mouse climbed into the rocket ship. Colin flew it home, past planets and shooting stars, until he landed on earth. He took off the space suit and put his pajamas back on. The mouse showed him the door that led back to his bed. It didn’t look so small any more.
“Can I come back and visit again?” Colin asked the mouse.
“Of course,” he replied. “We have an appointment for tea tomorrow. You’re flying.”
Colin smiled and climbed slowly through the door. His mother was just shutting the book and putting it away. She kissed Colin on the cheek. “Good night,” she whispered.
“Mom,” Colin asked. “Did you think there was anything different about the story tonight?”
His mother thought for a minute.
“Yes,” she replied. “I liked the hero better this time.” Then she turned out the light.
“Which story should I read you tonight?” Colin’s mother asked him, even though she knew what his answer would be.
“The astronaut story!” Colin cried, hopping into bed.
His mother took the book off the shelf and began to read.
“Hey! You!” a voice cried out from the pages.
Colin looked closer at the book. A small mouse was calling out to him from the pages. Colin didn’t remember a mouse being in the story, but there it was, and it was talking to him.
“Hey!” the mouse called again. “Are you going to just listen to the story every night, or are you going to join in? Come on! Jump in!”
The mouse was pointing to a very small door in the book. Colin had never noticed it before. He glanced at his mother. She kept reading as if she couldn’t even see the mouse or the door.
“I can’t,” Colin whispered to the mouse. “Can’t you see my mom’s right here? She’d never let me.”
“She won’t notice!” the mouse replied. “Moms never notice this kind of thing. Come on. We need to hurry.”
“I’ll never fit,” Colin protested again.
“Of course you will! The door is huge,” the mouse cried. “Just step inside.”
Colin looked at the door. It didn’t look huge. He looked back at his mom. She was still reading. Colin decided to try, even though he didn’t think it would work. Slowly, he put his foot into the door. It disappeared inside!
“Let’s go, slow poke!” shouted the mouse, and he yanked Colin the rest of the way in.
Colin couldn’t believe it! There he was, on page two of the book. There was the space suit waiting for the astronaut. This was the part where he put it on.
“Go ahead, then,” the mouse urged him. “Put on the suit.”
“Me?” asked Colin. “Where’s the astronaut?”
“What do you mean? You’re here! You’re the astronaut. You know how the story goes. This is the part where you put on the space suit.”
Colin was excited. He’d always wanted to try it on! Every night he wished to himself that he could be the astronaut and jump into the suit. Quickly he put it on. He felt so brave in it. Could his mother see him?
“Are we going to page three now?” Colin asked.
“Of course!” the mouse replied. “Hurry. We can’t be late.”
Colin felt someone turning the page.
There before him was the rocket ship. It was just like the book! It was huge. Colin knew what happened on this page. He ran quickly into the ship.
Inside there were controls everywhere. Colin peered out the windows at the people below. They looked so far away.
“Well, are we going to take off?” asked the mouse.
“I can’t fly this!” Colin answered. “Look how many buttons there are! I don’t know which ones to push.”
“Yes you do. In the book the astronaut always knows how to control the rocket ship.”
That was true. He did. “And now I’m the astronaut,” Colin thought. He looked again at all the buttons. Suddenly they all made sense to him. He pulled down on one lever, and pushed a few more buttons. The rockets fired. Then he pushed more buttons, and he felt the ship take off. Colin felt the page turn again.
This was one of his favorite pages! They were flying through space. He saw the stars all around him. Far, far away, he saw earth. Off in the distance, he saw the alien planet. It was green and large and scary. Colin felt a shiver run down his spine. “Don’t turn the page, Mom. Please don’t turn the page,” Colin thought to himself.
But the page turned again. Now they were landing on the planet. Again, Colin knew which buttons to press to make the ship land safely. “Please don’t turn the page, Mom, please,” Colin thought.
But she did. The mouse pressed a button to open the ship’s doors. “Well, what are you waiting for?” the mouse asked. “It’s time to go fight some aliens!”
Colin was very afraid now. He knew the aliens were scary and angry. He wasn’t sure he could fight them. “I might just stay here for a while,” Colin said, but he felt the page turn, and he was swept outside of the ship.
Suddenly they were all before him. There was the alien with three eyes, the one with tentacles that twisted everywhere, and a large, red, round alien that was rolling towards him.
The aliens growled and stamped their feet. The one with tentacles blew fire out of his nose.
“What are you doing here?” asked the large, red, round alien.
Colin realized that wasn’t afraid any more. He had put on the space suit, flown the rocket, and landed safely on this planet. He knew he could fight the angry aliens.
“I’ve come to destroy you!” cried Colin because he knew that was what the astronaut was supposed to say.
“Again?” asked the alien with three eyes. “Every day an astronaut comes to destroy us. He always blows out two of my eyes. It’s very boring, really.”
“And my tentacles!” cried the other alien. “I always have to go to the hair dresser to have them redone after the astronaut blows them off.”
“I don’t know what you two are complaining about,” said the large, red, round alien. “I’m the one who is always blown to bits. Do you think I like having my bits scattered everywhere? It’s very hard to find someone who’s willing to glue all of my bits back together. Usually my mother does it, but she has to go grocery shopping tomorrow. That means I’ll have to stay as bits for an extra day. I hate that.”
“But you are angry aliens!” cried Colin. “You’re supposed to want to fight.”
“I suppose we did like to fight in the beginning,” said the alien with three eyes. “But I am a bit tired of it now.”
“I’m not so angry,” said the alien with tentacles. “I used to be, but I’ve been going to a therapist. I feel much better now.”
“But you blew fire out of your nose!” said Colin.
“Oh, that’s just allergies,” the alien with tentacles answered.
“I think we’re supposed to fight,” Colin explained. “My mother is reading the book. She expects a battle. Besides, what would we do if we didn’t fight?”
“Oh!” cried the large, red, round alien. “I know! I’ve always wanted to have a tea party. Please, let’s not blow anyone to little bits. Let’s drink tea instead.”
Colin wasn’t sure. This wasn’t how the story was supposed to go.
“Don’t worry about your mother,” the small mouse jumped into the conversation. “She won’t notice. Mothers never notice these types of things.”
“You don’t really want to blow me to little bits, do you?” asked the large, red, round alien.
Colin looked at the aliens. They didn’t seem so angry, actually.
“No, I suppose I don’t,” Colin answered.
“Excellent!” replied the large, red, round alien. “Do you take your tea with sugar and milk?”
So Colin, the three aliens, and the small mouse sat down to tea. The aliens talked about life on their planet, and Colin talked about his rocket ship. At the end, Colin realized he had made four new friends. He felt rather happy he hadn’t blown anyone to bits.
When it was time to leave, Colin and the mouse climbed into the rocket ship. Colin flew it home, past planets and shooting stars, until he landed on earth. He took off the space suit and put his pajamas back on. The mouse showed him the door that led back to his bed. It didn’t look so small any more.
“Can I come back and visit again?” Colin asked the mouse.
“Of course,” he replied. “We have an appointment for tea tomorrow. You’re flying.”
Colin smiled and climbed slowly through the door. His mother was just shutting the book and putting it away. She kissed Colin on the cheek. “Good night,” she whispered.
“Mom,” Colin asked. “Did you think there was anything different about the story tonight?”
His mother thought for a minute.
“Yes,” she replied. “I liked the hero better this time.” Then she turned out the light.
