Neptune - A (extremely) short story

Instructions

Neptune - A short story I got off the spaceship. It was shivering cold, and even though I was in my hot, ventilated suit and had a jacket in that suit, I felt like I was standing in the north pole with summer clothes. The whole place was misty. I was happy that I had oxygen in my suit, because the air as thick and white and looked like it was mixed with rat poison. The airy, icy, yet quite solid blue ground looked as it was shivering with me, as it moved side to side. I felt quite dizzy, and it had only been 30 seconds since I came out. "Attention. Attention." I said in the built-in speaker of my suit. " I've reached Neptune." "Good. Is the Rover there?" they asked from the space station. I looked around. It was so foggy that I couldn't even see my own suit properly. "It's misty here, I haven't found it yet. But I'm on it." I replied. The reason I had came here, was because NASA had recently released a space rover to Neptune, with a very high cost, about 3.5 billion dollars. The rover, though, after one day, showed suspicious activity and stopped working. NASA wasn't able to locate where it was. Since the rover was for a extremely important project, they needed to find it. And I, the newcomer, was said to be the 'perfect one' for it. I was so excited that I was chosen to go on this mission. Of course, a coworker who didn't like me said the only reason they were sending me was because they didn't care if I died, but I just turned a deaf ear to her vile comments. I walked slowly. I felt the ground jiggling like jelly and I felt sick in my stomach. But I went through the mist. The more I walked the more colder it became, and I soon was frozen. Just when I felt that things were going to end, I felt warmth. Warmth coming from - smoke? But it wasn't icy smoke, it was like fire smoke. I rushed as fast (but still slowly) and the closer I went the more warmth I felt. What was this warmth? I was really confused when I saw the bonfire. On NEPTUNE! First - how would a fire not extinguish in the cold, iced Neptune. And how was it so hot, like a sauna? And what or who would create such a fire? Then I saw what was burning. It was the rover. I gasped in shock. "Attention. We have a burning rover. I don't know how, or why it's burning. But it's burning." I said through my speaker. Suddenly something moved behind me. It was a - alien? It was blue and white, and camouflaged perfectly with Neptune. It was a wonder I could even see it. Before I could do anything, it said, "INTRUDERRR" and suddenly pushed me on the rover. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Astoria? Astoria? Attention, are you there? A-t-t-t-ennntion, aa-ree yo-u tt-hhere?" The speaker broke. The alien looked down. "Oh, a human. Wonderful." it said. It lifted Astoria and went to the spaceship. It kept her in there, blew the flames off, and started the spaceship. "Goodbye, Intruder." said the alien. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up in the NASA space station. I had no idea how I went there, but I was there. I went to the office. "How did I come here from Neptune?", I asked. "We never sent anyone to Neptune, what are you talking about?" they replied. "It would be impossible to make a space suit that can heat anyone up for Neptune, and there is no reason why to go there." "But sir, the rover on Neptune..." "What rover? We've only released the Mars Rover. I don't know what you're thinking, Astoria, but you better get those silly ideas out of your head." I was confused. Was that all a dream? I went outside to freshen my mind. I kept my had in my pocket, but suddenly my hand burned like all the fires of the world were in there. My hand, as I took it out, was dark black from - soot? The second I took my hand out all the pain stopped. I was confused. Very carefully, I flipped my pockets and touched the thing. After coming out, it was no longer hot. I examined it closely and saw the word "Neptun" with the 'e' almost gone. It was a piece of the burning Rover. -------------------------------------------------------------------------