March 31, 2025 • 23 mins
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In Part 2 of this silly story, two boys become the first kids to go into space. If a space museum had been of little interest to them, will an authentic experience really be any better?
Warning: this goofy story for kids may result in smiles, snorts, and possibly some LOLs. Listen at your own discretion.
*Shout-out and character name lists remain closed
Visit lolstorytime.com for merch and other... stuff.
In Part 2 of this silly story, two boys become the first kids to go into space. If a space museum had been of little interest to them, will an authentic experience really be any better?
Warning: this goofy story for kids may result in smiles, snorts, and possibly some LOLs. Listen at your own discretion.
*Shout-out and character name lists remain closed
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hellol story Times really not a glory time. Rabbits standing,
You'll be fine. Follow the whole storyline, Hellol story Time.
Might you live at least one time story Time? Welcome
back to the show. This is episode ninety six and
part two of the story Mars Mode. If you haven't
yet heard part one, you might want to start there,
(00:22):
but you do you now. In addition to the characters
we met in part one, we also have two new
characters in part two, named after listeners, Kai and he Clips.
That's for show outs. I'm slowly making my way through
the many requests from back in November, which includes some
of these awesome people. Veronica, Axel Eve, You're Riah, Zara
(00:43):
and Wynn Zeale from Leon, France, Zephyr and Otis Jack,
Emma and their puppy Confetti from Connecticut, Yenev from Israel,
Matthew and his brother Miles from Coral Springs, Florida, Lulu
and her You're a cat, Toby Tyrush from India, Lena
(01:04):
and Centennial Colorado, Maya from Morocco, Sammy and Noah sisters,
Juliana and Sienna. Gilbert listening along with Mama and Dada
in Columbus, Ohio, Eleanor from Vancouver, and Carter and Hayes
from Los Angeles, California. Happy upcoming Birthday to Auvi and
(01:25):
Happy upcoming Birthday to Jewels. On April seventh, Raina and
Jian also have a happy birthday shout out for their
dad Double It says, You're not getting older, You're just
increasing in awesomeness and maybe the number of naps you take.
Hope you have a fantastic birthday. Love you tons. More
shoutouts to come next week, along with the Writing Contest
(01:47):
kickoff announcement, But for now, let's get into part two
of our story. Charlie and his brother Ripley had of
officially become the first kids to go into space, but
had it come easily. Absolutely not sitting through two weeks
(02:07):
of safety talk is hard on a kid. They even
had to put pants on for this whole thing, and
now they had just found out they were only staying
for five minutes in space, five measly minutes where they
weren't even allowed out of their seats. Well, that's not
how kids roll. Kids need to be able to check
things out, move around, explore, push a button or two
(02:28):
that they were told a dozen times not to touch.
How could you blame Charlie for wanting to unfasten his
safety harness. He wasn't trying to cause trouble. He only
wanted to get a closer look through the window, which
kid wouldn't. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Seeing their home planet from space was like nothing they
had ever experienced. No picture, no video, and certainly no
(02:49):
space museum could ever do it justice. It was beautiful,
it was mesmerizing, It was nothing short of breathtaking, and
Charlie just wanted to enjoy the best possible view with
what little time they had. Bro, what are you doing,
cried Charlie's brother Ripley. Yes, Bro, please return to your seat,
(03:10):
said the computer lady. Pardon me for saying, Bro, I
meant Charlie. Charlie was now floating through the cabin of
the spacecraft as he had forgotten about the whole zero
gravity thing. Guys, I feel like I'm swimming through the air,
but one problem. I'm not a great swimmer, Ripley watched
(03:30):
as his brother attempted to do some sort of awkward
doggie paddle maneuver. It's not working, I can't control where
I'm going. Will you better think of something, warned Ripley,
You're about to crash into that red button ahead of you.
Try the backstroke, try anything, swim like you've never swim before. Ripley,
(03:50):
who was an avid swimmer, was now starting to unbuckle
his harness to see if he could help. The computer
lady was also trying to coach Charlie on how to
properly float. All the while Charlie continued floating straight toward
the big, ominous red button. Their training instructor had specifically
told them not to push the red button. He also
said not to push any of the buttons, but there
(04:12):
was a lot of emphasis on this particular button. And
that's because this was the button that activated Mars Mode,
an experimental and untested addition to the spacecraft that, in theory,
could engage a level of hyper speed fast enough to
propel them to the planet Mars in a relatively short
amount of time. Hold on, brother, I'm coming to get you,
(04:33):
hollered Ripley. But in his eagerness, Ripley pushed himself out
of his seat with a little too much force. He
went barreling right into the backside of his brother, who
naturally extended his arms to prevent a collision, and in
doing so pushed the red button. Oh my goodness, I
just pushed the red button. I just turned on Mars mode.
How do we stop it? How do we stop it?
(04:55):
Ripley told his brother to be quiet and listen. Charlie.
Nothing's happened. This is great. Maybe you didn't push it
hard enough to turn it on. Charlie disagreed. Nah, I
definitely pushed it really hard. It was like this. To
ripley surprise, his brother pushed the red button again, just
to demonstrate, why did you just push the button again?
(05:19):
Stop touching the button. Fortunately, nothing happened this time either.
Computer lady, do you know why the button isn't working?
The computer lady had been quietly searching her computer database
for tips on how to deal with children. I cannot
say for sure, but it is possible the button is
not fully operational yet. Please return to your seats at once.
(05:42):
The spacecraft will be returning to Earth in thirty seconds.
Their time was almost out, but Charlie just couldn't get
past the red button not working. Yeah, no, it could
be a loose connection. Sometimes our TV won't turn on,
and I just have to kind of bang it like this.
Charlie smashed the side of the red button with his fist,
(06:04):
which prompted a different computer voice to come on. Mars
mode activated, preparing hyper speed accelerators. Hey look at that, guys,
I fixed it, said Charlie, ever so proud of himself.
Why did you do that? Wailed Ripley. Even the computer
lady seemed disappointed. Ripley helped guide his brother back to
(06:26):
his seat while the Mars mode computer voice began a countdown.
Computer lady, isn't there a way for you to turn
off Mars mode, Ripley asked. There are many things I
can do, but Mars Mode has not been connected to
my system. The countdown was already at the ten second mark.
The boys quickly strapped themselves in and braced themselves for
(06:49):
the inevitable. When the countdown reached zero, the entire spacecraft
seemed to lose power, but a second or two later,
the systems came back online, and then the space ship
started to rumble. And when I say rumble, I mean
really rumble. That's an earthquake, shouted Charlie. Oh wait right,
(07:12):
we're not even on the Earth space quak, The spacecraft
jerked forward and took off. According to the computer lady,
they were now traveling at hyper speed on the fastest
course toward Mars, though looking at the window it was
difficult to tell that they were moving at all. Kind
of thought it would feel a little different, admitted Ripley.
(07:34):
I don't even have roller coaster face. Yeah, began Charlie,
this is a very smooth speed. Guess that's what happens
when you don't have bumpy roads, potholes or traffic lights.
Could you imagine hitting a bump traveling at hyper speed?
Or if you had to slam on the brakes because
you saw a turtle crossing through space. Charlie didn't get
(07:56):
to finish his thought because suddenly, in an emergency siren
began blaring throughout the cabin, accompanied by some flashing red lights.
Computer lady, what's going on? Is something wrong with Mars mode?
The computer lady explained that she didn't yet know the
(08:17):
reason for the siren, but was working on figuring it out.
The boys sat worried in their seats, wondering what was
about to happen. The training instructor had said Mars mode
was experimental and that it hadn't been tested yet. Was
the system overheating? Was the spacecraft not built to sustain
such speeds? Why did they have to be the guinea
pigs to test out this new technology? Oh yeah, because
(08:40):
Charlie couldn't resist pushing that shiny red button. Suddenly, and
for no apparent reason, the emergency siren abruptly shut off.
The spacecraft was now silent, not even a hum from
the engine. H Charlie, I don't think we're moving anymore.
Right on, cue the second computer voice, Mars mode guy
(09:03):
came back on. We have now arrived at your destination.
Welcome to Mars. We hope you enjoy your stay. Charlie
and Ripley looked at each other with the exact same
confused looks on their faces. There was no way that
ride couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Back home
(09:24):
at the Space Museum, one of the infographics had said
that a trip to Mars could take anywhere from seven
to ten months. Uh, Mars Mode computer guy, are you
still there? That was a ridiculously short trip, and those
sirens made it seem like the spacecraft was considering not
being a spacecraft. Anymore. Boys, if you look out your window,
(09:46):
you will see we have arrived. Hyperspeed is the real deal.
There's a reason why they don't call it calm speed.
Ha ha ha. As for the siren and flashy light,
that was just to notify you that we are now
getting low on fuel, Charlie shrugged. Kind of an excessive
(10:09):
way to let you know you need to hit up
a gas station. Don't you think whenever my parents car
is low on gas, there's a little tiny yellow light
that shows up on the dashboard. That's it. Well, you
might also hear a little thing when the light first
comes on, but seriously, you should tell the Mars mode
engineers to switch over to that option. The boys began
unfastening their harnesses again while the computer lady briefed them
(10:32):
on how to safely exit the spacecraft. She knew there
was no use in telling them to remain in their seats,
So I will say it again, spacesuits stay on. You
need them to breathe, and remember, do not wander off
any farther than where you can still see the spacecraft. Boys, boys,
(10:52):
are you even listening? No, no, they were not. I'm
gonna be the first person to step on Mars. No,
I'm gonna be the first person to step on Mars. No,
I'm gonna be the first person to step on Mars. Now,
I'm gonna be the first person to step on Mars.
Charlie and Ripley, why not just take the first step together? Boys?
(11:16):
What are you doing now? Is that rock? Paper scissors? Boys?
My goodness. In the end, no one really knew which
brother had taken the first step. It was almost Charlie,
but then Ripley tackled him on the final step, sending
them both crashing to the ground head first. Fortunately their
helmets did not sustain any damages. The boys stood up
(11:39):
and dusted off the orangish red dust and sand from
their suits. All right, let's check this place out Mars.
Then five minutes later they were already back. Uh, computer,
I think you dropped us off at the wrong spot.
Nothing but rock and sand here. We want to visit
the Martian kids and play with their Marsian toys. We
(12:00):
want to check out their treehouses. Just please don't tell
our parents we were climbing trees in space. We may
have told them that that wasn't a thing here in space.
The computer lady confirmed that tree climbing was most definitely
not a thing here in space, at least not in
Mars anyways. Rock, sand and dust was sure a thing, though,
and there was lots of it, practically the entire planet. Huh,
(12:24):
well that's interesting, said Ripley, clearly disappointed. The whole planet. Huh.
The boys had come all this way, becoming the first
people to step foot on Mars, only to find out
this planet should have been named Planet Boring. Well, I
think I'm ready to head home, said Charlie. Turns out
(12:44):
five minutes in space was probably all we really needed
after all. The computer lady asked if they wanted to
go back outside and take pictures, perhaps even collect some
rocks to bring back home. All she got back was
a nah, we're good, but if you have any space
pizza on board, will definitely give that a try. All
the space traveler is making us hungry. Dehydrated pizza in
(13:08):
an air sealed bag wasn't quite what they had in mind,
but in space, you get what you get. Not like
they'd have to eat much more of this space food. Anyways,
they had Marsmo to get them home in a jiffy. Boys,
I have notified the Control Center back on Earth about
our situation. They are prepared to send us more fuel
so we can return home. Approximate time for fuel delivery
(13:31):
seven months. You may want to consider going easy on
the food pouches. Seven months, seven months, seven months. And
I will now play an audio message from your training instructor,
Charlie Ripley.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
It's me training instructor Band. You touch the red button.
I thought I told you not to touch the red button.
Awesome way to go be in the first ones on.
I bet you're having a totally awesome time there. What
an exciting place to be stranded for seven whole months.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Charlie and Ripley wanted to go home now. They didn't
want to wait around for seven months on this dusty
red snooze factory. Mars didn't even have any good parks
or any parks. Computer lady, we're gonna need you to
hit up a gas station. Okay, just swing by the
nearest planet and we'll see what they can do. The
(14:28):
computer lady explained that the nearest planet was Earth and
that they didn't have enough fuel to make it that far. Well,
what about Jupiter, asked Charlie. I hear they've got the
best video games in the galaxy. Ripley informed his brother
that Jupiter was not only in the wrong direction, but
was also way farther than returning from Mars back to Earth. Well,
(14:52):
I don't know, said Charlie. I just saw some cool
green aliens playing video games on Jupiter in a movie
I saw once. Computer lady, can't you just look up
nearby gas stations on your space GPS. That's what my
parents do back home in their car. There is no
such thing as a gas station in space. There's no
(15:13):
point in me even checking. Then the other computer voice
came back on the Mars mode guy, I just got
something on my GPS. Looks like there's a gas station
on planet Technopolis. We should have enough fuel to take
us that far. See there you go, cheered Charlie. Planet
(15:36):
Technopolis always been my favorite planet. Both the computer Lady
and Ripley had to remind Charlie that no such planet existed,
at least not in our galaxy, but Mars Mode Guide
insisted he was seeing it right there in his computer
GPS system. Then the two computers got into a hold
back and forth argument over it it is not a planet,
(15:59):
Yes it is, No, it is not. Yes, it is, no,
it is not. Charlie and Ripley exchanged looks. Eeshh, is
this what we sound like when we do that? I'm
so embarrassed for them. In the end, the computer Lady
decided it was worth giving it a try. After all,
(16:20):
the last thing she needed was seven months with two
unpredictable kids who do the opposite of what you tell them,
and a malfunctioning computer system who believes in non existent planets.
So Mars mode. Computer guy used up the last of
their fuel trying to find a planet that somehow no
scientists back on Earth had discovered, even though this would
make it the closest planet to Earth. Really it says,
(16:44):
it's supposed to be right here. I do not understand.
The computer Lady got a little bit sassy. That's because
you are an unfinished computer system, probably designed by kid programmers.
Huh huh huh. Charlie and Ripley looked out the window
but saw nothing but distant stars. Then suddenly the spacecraft
(17:08):
appeared to be pushing itself through some sort of giant bubble.
In an instant, an actual planet was right there in
plain view, and unlike Mars, this planet had some stuff
going on. The boys were immediately greeted and welcomed by
two residents of the planet. Hey, welcome to Technopolis. My
name is Kai, and this is Eclipse. We've been waiting
(17:30):
our whole lives for space aliens to visit our planet.
It's a pretty hard place to find because there are
some toxic gases in the air that make the planet
seem invisible until you've actually entered into the atmosphere. Charlie
and Ripley were trying to figure out why these space
aliens were calling them space aliens. They weren't the space
aliens these guys were, and by now you probably can
(17:52):
guess the back and forth argument that ensued, but thankfully
they quickly made peace and moved past it. Kai and Eclipse,
though they looked like any other kid you might see
back on Earth, explain that they were both over one
hundred years old. Apparently everyone on Technopolis looked like kids
regardless of age, many of them still acted like kids too. Yo,
(18:14):
I want to hear a fuddy joke Planet Earth kidding.
Come on, we'll show you around. Their new friends led
them into a building that seemed to be connected to
a whole bunch of other buildings. The entire structure extended
as far as the eye could see. It was like
a shopping mall that had made sure to eat all
of its wheedies. It was huge. Inside. The four of
(18:36):
them began removing their bulky spacesuits. The air on this
planet is not great, explained Eclipse. That's why we spend
most of our time indoors. And anyways, why would you
even want to go outdoors when you could have all
of this. Eclipse waved her arm around to show them
the inside of the most technology loaded building the boys
(18:56):
had ever seen. It was obvious now why this place
was called Technopolis. Robots, flying scooters, and screens. So many screens.
People were touching the screens, watching the screens, talking to
the screens. Some of the screens appeared to be touching
the people. Wow, is that screen over there moving? Cried Ripley.
(19:18):
Is it alive? Kai explained that many of the screens
could take on different forms. Screens could be reshaped to
serve as a functional kitchen that you could actually use.
You could turn a screen into a bed of any size,
shape and color with just one simple command. Check this out,
said Eclipse, while turning to a screen fireplace. Right there
(19:41):
before their eyes, what looked like a regular flat screen
began transforming itself into a fireplace. It looked like the
real deal. You could even feel the heat from what
looked like actual flames, though fireplaces weren't even necessary on Technopolis.
They had the technology to maintain the perfect temperature everywhere
on the planet, so you can wear shorts whenever you
want it without ever having to worry about putting pants on.
(20:06):
How does it do that, asked Charlie, who was practically
petting the mantle of the fireplace like it was a kitten.
Kai began explaining a bunch of scientific gobbledygoope about particles
and atoms or something or other, but he could tell
that the boys had already stopped listening. Hey, ripley, I
just asked the screen to turn into a k neon
pink port a potty and it worked. For the rest
(20:30):
of the day, the boys continued testing out different types
of technology stuff people on Earth can only dream about.
Guys use space aliens, I mean not Space aliens have
the coolest planet. I sure hope our parents are okay
with us not coming home for a few years, because
I love it here. I can't wait to see what
(20:50):
your treehouses look like. Their new friends looked confused. Uh,
we don't really have trees here, but we can make
a tech tree and have a robot climb it for you.
We don't climb stuff here, what if you were to
fall out of the tree. The boys made a few
more suggestions, trampolines, water slides, roller coasters. Oh my goodness,
(21:13):
what about a ski hill made out of technology, suggested Charlie.
Kay and Eclips seemed weirded out by each one of
these suggestions. Sorry, guys, we don't really do those sorts
of things here. Doesn't sound very safe, does it. But
I suppose we could still make those things for you
so you could watch the robots using them. Charlie was
(21:34):
now looking nervous. Huh, I notice you use the word safe.
One more thing. You do have video games here, right?
What are video games? Asked Eclips. Charlie and Ripley ran
back to the spaceship faster than you can say, get
me out of here. Fortunately, the computer Lady had already
(21:57):
sourced enough fuel from the planet to return home, and
for the last time, Mars mode was put to the test.
Upon returning home, the boys were put to their own test,
surviving a super tight hug from their parents, mom My
face is turning purple. The boys were then ushered into
(22:17):
a large media room where dozens of news reporters were
waiting to ask questions from behind a cluster of TV
cameras and microphones. Charlie and Ripley stood behind the podium.
All right, everyone, let's make the snappy, shall we. How
about we just give it to you straight. Here's all
you need to know. Mars not worth the trip. You
(22:39):
should all just stop trying to go there now. And
Technopolis definitely better. And while they do make the best
pizza in the galaxy, here's all you need to know
about that place too safe for kids. Now, if you'll
excuse us, my brother and I have some trees to
climb and possibly fall out of, and we're okay with that.
Now get out there, people, go push some buttons and
(23:01):
live a little and don't let anyone tell you you
need to wear pants on a Saturday. The end. That's
the story, and here is your question of the week.
Finish this sentence. I'd like to be the first kid
to blank. That's all for now. New bonus story coming Thursday,
(23:24):
and for everyone else, I'll catch you on the next one.
Hellol story Times really not a glory time. Rabbits standing,
You'll be fine. Follow the whole storyline, Hellol story Time.
Might you live at least one time story Time? Welcome
back to the show. This is episode ninety six and
part two of the story Mars Mode. If you haven't
yet heard part one, you might want to start there,
(00:22):
but you do you now. In addition to the characters
we met in part one, we also have two new
characters in part two, named after listeners, Kai and he Clips.
That's for show outs. I'm slowly making my way through
the many requests from back in November, which includes some
of these awesome people. Veronica, Axel Eve, You're Riah, Zara
(00:43):
and Wynn Zeale from Leon, France, Zephyr and Otis Jack,
Emma and their puppy Confetti from Connecticut, Yenev from Israel,
Matthew and his brother Miles from Coral Springs, Florida, Lulu
and her You're a cat, Toby Tyrush from India, Lena
(01:04):
and Centennial Colorado, Maya from Morocco, Sammy and Noah sisters,
Juliana and Sienna. Gilbert listening along with Mama and Dada
in Columbus, Ohio, Eleanor from Vancouver, and Carter and Hayes
from Los Angeles, California. Happy upcoming Birthday to Auvi and
(01:25):
Happy upcoming Birthday to Jewels. On April seventh, Raina and
Jian also have a happy birthday shout out for their
dad Double It says, You're not getting older, You're just
increasing in awesomeness and maybe the number of naps you take.
Hope you have a fantastic birthday. Love you tons. More
shoutouts to come next week, along with the Writing Contest
(01:47):
kickoff announcement, But for now, let's get into part two
of our story. Charlie and his brother Ripley had of
officially become the first kids to go into space, but
had it come easily. Absolutely not sitting through two weeks
(02:07):
of safety talk is hard on a kid. They even
had to put pants on for this whole thing, and
now they had just found out they were only staying
for five minutes in space, five measly minutes where they
weren't even allowed out of their seats. Well, that's not
how kids roll. Kids need to be able to check
things out, move around, explore, push a button or two
(02:28):
that they were told a dozen times not to touch.
How could you blame Charlie for wanting to unfasten his
safety harness. He wasn't trying to cause trouble. He only
wanted to get a closer look through the window, which
kid wouldn't. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Seeing their home planet from space was like nothing they
had ever experienced. No picture, no video, and certainly no
(02:49):
space museum could ever do it justice. It was beautiful,
it was mesmerizing, It was nothing short of breathtaking, and
Charlie just wanted to enjoy the best possible view with
what little time they had. Bro, what are you doing,
cried Charlie's brother Ripley. Yes, Bro, please return to your seat,
(03:10):
said the computer lady. Pardon me for saying, Bro, I
meant Charlie. Charlie was now floating through the cabin of
the spacecraft as he had forgotten about the whole zero
gravity thing. Guys, I feel like I'm swimming through the air,
but one problem. I'm not a great swimmer, Ripley watched
(03:30):
as his brother attempted to do some sort of awkward
doggie paddle maneuver. It's not working, I can't control where
I'm going. Will you better think of something, warned Ripley,
You're about to crash into that red button ahead of you.
Try the backstroke, try anything, swim like you've never swim before. Ripley,
(03:50):
who was an avid swimmer, was now starting to unbuckle
his harness to see if he could help. The computer
lady was also trying to coach Charlie on how to
properly float. All the while Charlie continued floating straight toward
the big, ominous red button. Their training instructor had specifically
told them not to push the red button. He also
said not to push any of the buttons, but there
(04:12):
was a lot of emphasis on this particular button. And
that's because this was the button that activated Mars Mode,
an experimental and untested addition to the spacecraft that, in theory,
could engage a level of hyper speed fast enough to
propel them to the planet Mars in a relatively short
amount of time. Hold on, brother, I'm coming to get you,
(04:33):
hollered Ripley. But in his eagerness, Ripley pushed himself out
of his seat with a little too much force. He
went barreling right into the backside of his brother, who
naturally extended his arms to prevent a collision, and in
doing so pushed the red button. Oh my goodness, I
just pushed the red button. I just turned on Mars mode.
How do we stop it? How do we stop it?
(04:55):
Ripley told his brother to be quiet and listen. Charlie.
Nothing's happened. This is great. Maybe you didn't push it
hard enough to turn it on. Charlie disagreed. Nah, I
definitely pushed it really hard. It was like this. To
ripley surprise, his brother pushed the red button again, just
to demonstrate, why did you just push the button again?
(05:19):
Stop touching the button. Fortunately, nothing happened this time either.
Computer lady, do you know why the button isn't working?
The computer lady had been quietly searching her computer database
for tips on how to deal with children. I cannot
say for sure, but it is possible the button is
not fully operational yet. Please return to your seats at once.
(05:42):
The spacecraft will be returning to Earth in thirty seconds.
Their time was almost out, but Charlie just couldn't get
past the red button not working. Yeah, no, it could
be a loose connection. Sometimes our TV won't turn on,
and I just have to kind of bang it like this.
Charlie smashed the side of the red button with his fist,
(06:04):
which prompted a different computer voice to come on. Mars
mode activated, preparing hyper speed accelerators. Hey look at that, guys,
I fixed it, said Charlie, ever so proud of himself.
Why did you do that? Wailed Ripley. Even the computer
lady seemed disappointed. Ripley helped guide his brother back to
(06:26):
his seat while the Mars mode computer voice began a countdown.
Computer lady, isn't there a way for you to turn
off Mars mode, Ripley asked. There are many things I
can do, but Mars Mode has not been connected to
my system. The countdown was already at the ten second mark.
The boys quickly strapped themselves in and braced themselves for
(06:49):
the inevitable. When the countdown reached zero, the entire spacecraft
seemed to lose power, but a second or two later,
the systems came back online, and then the space ship
started to rumble. And when I say rumble, I mean
really rumble. That's an earthquake, shouted Charlie. Oh wait right,
(07:12):
we're not even on the Earth space quak, The spacecraft
jerked forward and took off. According to the computer lady,
they were now traveling at hyper speed on the fastest
course toward Mars, though looking at the window it was
difficult to tell that they were moving at all. Kind
of thought it would feel a little different, admitted Ripley.
(07:34):
I don't even have roller coaster face. Yeah, began Charlie,
this is a very smooth speed. Guess that's what happens
when you don't have bumpy roads, potholes or traffic lights.
Could you imagine hitting a bump traveling at hyper speed?
Or if you had to slam on the brakes because
you saw a turtle crossing through space. Charlie didn't get
(07:56):
to finish his thought because suddenly, in an emergency siren
began blaring throughout the cabin, accompanied by some flashing red lights.
Computer lady, what's going on? Is something wrong with Mars mode?
The computer lady explained that she didn't yet know the
(08:17):
reason for the siren, but was working on figuring it out.
The boys sat worried in their seats, wondering what was
about to happen. The training instructor had said Mars mode
was experimental and that it hadn't been tested yet. Was
the system overheating? Was the spacecraft not built to sustain
such speeds? Why did they have to be the guinea
pigs to test out this new technology? Oh yeah, because
(08:40):
Charlie couldn't resist pushing that shiny red button. Suddenly, and
for no apparent reason, the emergency siren abruptly shut off.
The spacecraft was now silent, not even a hum from
the engine. H Charlie, I don't think we're moving anymore.
Right on, cue the second computer voice, Mars mode guy
(09:03):
came back on. We have now arrived at your destination.
Welcome to Mars. We hope you enjoy your stay. Charlie
and Ripley looked at each other with the exact same
confused looks on their faces. There was no way that
ride couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Back home
(09:24):
at the Space Museum, one of the infographics had said
that a trip to Mars could take anywhere from seven
to ten months. Uh, Mars Mode computer guy, are you
still there? That was a ridiculously short trip, and those
sirens made it seem like the spacecraft was considering not
being a spacecraft. Anymore. Boys, if you look out your window,
(09:46):
you will see we have arrived. Hyperspeed is the real deal.
There's a reason why they don't call it calm speed.
Ha ha ha. As for the siren and flashy light,
that was just to notify you that we are now
getting low on fuel, Charlie shrugged. Kind of an excessive
(10:09):
way to let you know you need to hit up
a gas station. Don't you think whenever my parents car
is low on gas, there's a little tiny yellow light
that shows up on the dashboard. That's it. Well, you
might also hear a little thing when the light first
comes on, but seriously, you should tell the Mars mode
engineers to switch over to that option. The boys began
unfastening their harnesses again while the computer lady briefed them
(10:32):
on how to safely exit the spacecraft. She knew there
was no use in telling them to remain in their seats,
So I will say it again, spacesuits stay on. You
need them to breathe, and remember, do not wander off
any farther than where you can still see the spacecraft. Boys, boys,
(10:52):
are you even listening? No, no, they were not. I'm
gonna be the first person to step on Mars. No,
I'm gonna be the first person to step on Mars. No,
I'm gonna be the first person to step on Mars. Now,
I'm gonna be the first person to step on Mars.
Charlie and Ripley, why not just take the first step together? Boys?
(11:16):
What are you doing now? Is that rock? Paper scissors? Boys?
My goodness. In the end, no one really knew which
brother had taken the first step. It was almost Charlie,
but then Ripley tackled him on the final step, sending
them both crashing to the ground head first. Fortunately their
helmets did not sustain any damages. The boys stood up
(11:39):
and dusted off the orangish red dust and sand from
their suits. All right, let's check this place out Mars.
Then five minutes later they were already back. Uh, computer,
I think you dropped us off at the wrong spot.
Nothing but rock and sand here. We want to visit
the Martian kids and play with their Marsian toys. We
(12:00):
want to check out their treehouses. Just please don't tell
our parents we were climbing trees in space. We may
have told them that that wasn't a thing here in space.
The computer lady confirmed that tree climbing was most definitely
not a thing here in space, at least not in
Mars anyways. Rock, sand and dust was sure a thing, though,
and there was lots of it, practically the entire planet. Huh,
(12:24):
well that's interesting, said Ripley, clearly disappointed. The whole planet. Huh.
The boys had come all this way, becoming the first
people to step foot on Mars, only to find out
this planet should have been named Planet Boring. Well, I
think I'm ready to head home, said Charlie. Turns out
(12:44):
five minutes in space was probably all we really needed
after all. The computer lady asked if they wanted to
go back outside and take pictures, perhaps even collect some
rocks to bring back home. All she got back was
a nah, we're good, but if you have any space
pizza on board, will definitely give that a try. All
the space traveler is making us hungry. Dehydrated pizza in
(13:08):
an air sealed bag wasn't quite what they had in mind,
but in space, you get what you get. Not like
they'd have to eat much more of this space food. Anyways,
they had Marsmo to get them home in a jiffy. Boys,
I have notified the Control Center back on Earth about
our situation. They are prepared to send us more fuel
so we can return home. Approximate time for fuel delivery
(13:31):
seven months. You may want to consider going easy on
the food pouches. Seven months, seven months, seven months. And
I will now play an audio message from your training instructor,
Charlie Ripley.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
It's me training instructor Band. You touch the red button.
I thought I told you not to touch the red button.
Awesome way to go be in the first ones on.
I bet you're having a totally awesome time there. What
an exciting place to be stranded for seven whole months.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Charlie and Ripley wanted to go home now. They didn't
want to wait around for seven months on this dusty
red snooze factory. Mars didn't even have any good parks
or any parks. Computer lady, we're gonna need you to
hit up a gas station. Okay, just swing by the
nearest planet and we'll see what they can do. The
(14:28):
computer lady explained that the nearest planet was Earth and
that they didn't have enough fuel to make it that far. Well,
what about Jupiter, asked Charlie. I hear they've got the
best video games in the galaxy. Ripley informed his brother
that Jupiter was not only in the wrong direction, but
was also way farther than returning from Mars back to Earth. Well,
(14:52):
I don't know, said Charlie. I just saw some cool
green aliens playing video games on Jupiter in a movie
I saw once. Computer lady, can't you just look up
nearby gas stations on your space GPS. That's what my
parents do back home in their car. There is no
such thing as a gas station in space. There's no
(15:13):
point in me even checking. Then the other computer voice
came back on the Mars mode guy, I just got
something on my GPS. Looks like there's a gas station
on planet Technopolis. We should have enough fuel to take
us that far. See there you go, cheered Charlie. Planet
(15:36):
Technopolis always been my favorite planet. Both the computer Lady
and Ripley had to remind Charlie that no such planet existed,
at least not in our galaxy, but Mars Mode Guide
insisted he was seeing it right there in his computer
GPS system. Then the two computers got into a hold
back and forth argument over it it is not a planet,
(15:59):
Yes it is, No, it is not. Yes, it is, no,
it is not. Charlie and Ripley exchanged looks. Eeshh, is
this what we sound like when we do that? I'm
so embarrassed for them. In the end, the computer Lady
decided it was worth giving it a try. After all,
(16:20):
the last thing she needed was seven months with two
unpredictable kids who do the opposite of what you tell them,
and a malfunctioning computer system who believes in non existent planets.
So Mars mode. Computer guy used up the last of
their fuel trying to find a planet that somehow no
scientists back on Earth had discovered, even though this would
make it the closest planet to Earth. Really it says,
(16:44):
it's supposed to be right here. I do not understand.
The computer Lady got a little bit sassy. That's because
you are an unfinished computer system, probably designed by kid programmers.
Huh huh huh. Charlie and Ripley looked out the window
but saw nothing but distant stars. Then suddenly the spacecraft
(17:08):
appeared to be pushing itself through some sort of giant bubble.
In an instant, an actual planet was right there in
plain view, and unlike Mars, this planet had some stuff
going on. The boys were immediately greeted and welcomed by
two residents of the planet. Hey, welcome to Technopolis. My
name is Kai, and this is Eclipse. We've been waiting
(17:30):
our whole lives for space aliens to visit our planet.
It's a pretty hard place to find because there are
some toxic gases in the air that make the planet
seem invisible until you've actually entered into the atmosphere. Charlie
and Ripley were trying to figure out why these space
aliens were calling them space aliens. They weren't the space
aliens these guys were, and by now you probably can
(17:52):
guess the back and forth argument that ensued, but thankfully
they quickly made peace and moved past it. Kai and Eclipse,
though they looked like any other kid you might see
back on Earth, explain that they were both over one
hundred years old. Apparently everyone on Technopolis looked like kids
regardless of age, many of them still acted like kids too. Yo,
(18:14):
I want to hear a fuddy joke Planet Earth kidding.
Come on, we'll show you around. Their new friends led
them into a building that seemed to be connected to
a whole bunch of other buildings. The entire structure extended
as far as the eye could see. It was like
a shopping mall that had made sure to eat all
of its wheedies. It was huge. Inside. The four of
(18:36):
them began removing their bulky spacesuits. The air on this
planet is not great, explained Eclipse. That's why we spend
most of our time indoors. And anyways, why would you
even want to go outdoors when you could have all
of this. Eclipse waved her arm around to show them
the inside of the most technology loaded building the boys
(18:56):
had ever seen. It was obvious now why this place
was called Technopolis. Robots, flying scooters, and screens. So many screens.
People were touching the screens, watching the screens, talking to
the screens. Some of the screens appeared to be touching
the people. Wow, is that screen over there moving? Cried Ripley.
(19:18):
Is it alive? Kai explained that many of the screens
could take on different forms. Screens could be reshaped to
serve as a functional kitchen that you could actually use.
You could turn a screen into a bed of any size,
shape and color with just one simple command. Check this out,
said Eclipse, while turning to a screen fireplace. Right there
(19:41):
before their eyes, what looked like a regular flat screen
began transforming itself into a fireplace. It looked like the
real deal. You could even feel the heat from what
looked like actual flames, though fireplaces weren't even necessary on Technopolis.
They had the technology to maintain the perfect temperature everywhere
on the planet, so you can wear shorts whenever you
want it without ever having to worry about putting pants on.
(20:06):
How does it do that, asked Charlie, who was practically
petting the mantle of the fireplace like it was a kitten.
Kai began explaining a bunch of scientific gobbledygoope about particles
and atoms or something or other, but he could tell
that the boys had already stopped listening. Hey, ripley, I
just asked the screen to turn into a k neon
pink port a potty and it worked. For the rest
(20:30):
of the day, the boys continued testing out different types
of technology stuff people on Earth can only dream about.
Guys use space aliens, I mean not Space aliens have
the coolest planet. I sure hope our parents are okay
with us not coming home for a few years, because
I love it here. I can't wait to see what
(20:50):
your treehouses look like. Their new friends looked confused. Uh,
we don't really have trees here, but we can make
a tech tree and have a robot climb it for you.
We don't climb stuff here, what if you were to
fall out of the tree. The boys made a few
more suggestions, trampolines, water slides, roller coasters. Oh my goodness,
(21:13):
what about a ski hill made out of technology, suggested Charlie.
Kay and Eclips seemed weirded out by each one of
these suggestions. Sorry, guys, we don't really do those sorts
of things here. Doesn't sound very safe, does it. But
I suppose we could still make those things for you
so you could watch the robots using them. Charlie was
(21:34):
now looking nervous. Huh, I notice you use the word safe.
One more thing. You do have video games here, right?
What are video games? Asked Eclips. Charlie and Ripley ran
back to the spaceship faster than you can say, get
me out of here. Fortunately, the computer Lady had already
(21:57):
sourced enough fuel from the planet to return home, and
for the last time, Mars mode was put to the test.
Upon returning home, the boys were put to their own test,
surviving a super tight hug from their parents, mom My
face is turning purple. The boys were then ushered into
(22:17):
a large media room where dozens of news reporters were
waiting to ask questions from behind a cluster of TV
cameras and microphones. Charlie and Ripley stood behind the podium.
All right, everyone, let's make the snappy, shall we. How
about we just give it to you straight. Here's all
you need to know. Mars not worth the trip. You
(22:39):
should all just stop trying to go there now. And
Technopolis definitely better. And while they do make the best
pizza in the galaxy, here's all you need to know
about that place too safe for kids. Now, if you'll
excuse us, my brother and I have some trees to
climb and possibly fall out of, and we're okay with that.
Now get out there, people, go push some buttons and
(23:01):
live a little and don't let anyone tell you you
need to wear pants on a Saturday. The end. That's
the story, and here is your question of the week.
Finish this sentence. I'd like to be the first kid
to blank. That's all for now. New bonus story coming Thursday,
(23:24):
and for everyone else, I'll catch you on the next one.
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