Average

There was nothing better to do, and he did want to learn a little more about these humans if he was to spend there rest of his life stuck on this planet, and so Terry gave in and agreed. The rest of the brotherhood then stood up, and one by one each gave him a respective nod, until they were ready to go and he and the men left through the rip.

They had been walking for almost a kilokout when the farm came into view. It was just a single barn, really, just a large, red, old, insignificant barn. The least bit-intriguing thing he had seen all day, by far. He had been hoping for something a little more ‘exciting’, but he supposed it would have to do. A new group of men walked toward them, and after the rest bowed and were introduced, the one in the center spoke up.

"We have been waiting for this prophesied day for many a year, my friend, and I am glad to be the one that has the chance to look upon it. My great-grandfather Cornelius Alexander, who said he saw in a dream that one day a stranger would visit us, and that we alone could send him home, formed this brotherhood. As we all can proclaim, that day is upon us. Thank you, oui, thanks to you. If you will follow me, I am sure you would like to be off of this planet as soon as possible, and luckily, you happened to come at just the right time. Come." With that, the man turned and walked off after the barn, a confused Terry trailing behind.

They stopped at the large barn doors shortly afterward. The same man motioned for him to stand directly in front, as men on both sides got to their positions and jerkily opened the massive doors. Inside was the biggest, most astounding piece of crap that Terry Toodles had ever seen.

"Behold," the man said. "Our finest hour! I present to you, my alien friend, our meaning of life, our ultimate work and creation. My green alien, I present to you, The Flurl!"

The alien stood stunned. "The what?"

"THE FLIRL, my good alien. It stands for The Fly and Hurl, our first attempt at a spacecraft that went terribly wrong. We lost many a good man that sad, sad day. But it also gave us an insight into the art form of spacecraft building that we all know today."

"Is it safe?"

"Well, we, I mean . . . we haven’t tested it yet, but Yes! Of course it is! What an absurd question. And it is all for you. Please, enter and we will see what you think." Terry’s stomach roiled, but he had to accept. These humans could be brutal if they got angry, and he knew he didn’t want that. He had nothing to lose anyway, had he? Stuck on a planet and no other way to get home. Anything was anything was something, at least.

"Yes, let’s get going." He did not say what he was actually thinking. The steps up to the bay seemed sturdy enough, and even the inside did not look all that bad. He went through and listened carefully at how it was built, modifying a few thing to better suit him. As long as it didn’t leak, it could be space worthy. After he was all done with his inspection, Terry took out his last banana and ate it in peace. The whole of the brotherhood had lined up to watch him depart, almost a hundred, he saw. When he had finished, the man walked with him to the controls in the bay. As he sat down, the man gave him a few last words.

"Good luck, space alien, we are all rooting for you." They held each other’s gaze for half a minute, before the man departed and sealed the door behind him. All was ready. Terry fiddled with the switches, waiting, thinking, before pressing the fire button. Around him, the whole barn fell away, and a launch pad became visible. The craft shook violently, and smoke rose up around him. The ship seemed to hesitate, hop, jump, then shoot off into the air. It was working. He was free! With a pleasant smile on his face, Terry put the ship on autopilot and went below deck for a long awaited nap.

One hundred and eighty seven hours later:

"We’ve been hit by an asteroid, Terry, I can’t control it. We’ll have to crash land on this planet, Cascara. It seems pretty barren to me, Terry. I don’t know if well make it through this one."

"Gee, thanks computer." Terry Toodles hit the manual override and dove.