The Story of Little Xeno
By Ben Phillips
“You were actually there?” asked Qworlo with a look of awe on his green face.
“Yup” said Xeno, and he twitched his antennae excitedly at the memory. “I was there. The Center of the Universe”.
“What was it like?” asked Rozeria, looking out past the planet’s three moons to the deep, blackness of space. “Was it as good as in the stories?”
Xeno’s purple lips spread into a wide grin. “Better” he said.
Xeno had been on a space-trip with his parents to visit some relatives in a distant solar system, but had been separated when the family saucer encountered an asteroid field. Xeno had hurtled through space in his personal escape pod, landing with a splash in the water of an unknown planet. Climbing out of the pod’s hatch and looking toward the land, Xeno caught sight of a giant, yellow-and-black sign that read “Welcome to Bellingham, courtesy of the Fairhaven Lions Club”.
After climbing up the boat ramp at the end of Taylor Dock, Xeno found his way into the heart of Fairhaven. As he walked down 11th street, he felt scared, and confused. This was a new, strange place, he didn’t know where is parents were, and people on the street looked at him as though he were from a different planet. Just as sparkly, blue tears were about to roll down Xeno’s green cheeks, he saw ahead of him a sign that made him stop, his eyes wide and his heart beating fast. Xeno had heard stories about the wonders of the Fairhaven Toy Garden, that exciting, vibrant place at the center of the universe. And here he was; he had found it.
Xeno ran down the street, past the yarn store and the sandwich shop and the East/West antique store. He even ran right past Purple Smile, his own purple lips stretched into a grin. As he was about to enter the Toy Garden, Xeno stopped. He remembered that he was an outsider. What if the Center of the Universe was not a welcoming place for small, green aliens with purple lips and bobbing antennae? But as he crossed the threshold, the jaunty music and bright colors reassured him; the Center of the Universe was the place to be!
A friendly Toy Gardener came toward Xeno and said “Hey. How’re you today? Do you want to learn a new game?” Xeno looked up at her shyly. Then he nodded his head. Xeno’s quick mind was no match for the Toy Gardener when it came to strategy games and he smiled happily when she said, “Wow, you win. Good game!”
Xeno spent hours in the Toy Garden, and the whole time, he felt as though the bright colors and captivating toys were revolving around him. Xeno had never felt this special or this welcome with his classmates back home, so to feel this way here, so many light years away…
There were things that reminded Xeno of home, like a gold spaceman hat, and some stuffed characters, Gizmo and Beeper, who looked just like his neighbors, but most of the things he saw were completely, marvelously, have-to-touch-and-examine-and-play-with-ly new. Xeno was fascinated by the die cast cars, the musical instruments, the wool roving, the giant, store-wide marble roller, the upstairs toy testing zone, the hourly games and contests, and the Wildly Noisy Wooden Thing. Xeno couldn’t wait to go on the city-wide Toy Garden treasure hunt or see the famous Toy Garden Juggling and Magic Show on the Village Green.
As Xeno was examining the rainbow kite in the window, he saw that outside in the street there were crowds of people coming toward the store, excited, expectant looks on their faces. Their shirts gave clues about their origins: Alaska, California, Germany, Nigeria, Saturn, Taranu. Xeno looked up at the face of the man wearing the shirt from Taranu, and saw his own father’s green face. His mother was following close behind. As the three Taranuans embraced, they all looked around, soaking in the energy and the magic of the Fairhaven Toy Garden, the Center of the Universe.
Rozeria and Qworlo sat silently looking at Xeno, their mouths slightly open, their eyes wide, and their antennae undulating excitedly.
“I want to go!” they said in unison.
