Unforgettable journey to other planets. Venera Harrison

The others looked at him.

      “Jean-Pierre!” shouted the doctor.

      “What?”

      “This is not Earth, do you understand?” the doctor shook his head, looking into the Frenchman’s eyes from twenty meters away.

      “What are you doing here?” a high, unfamiliar voice sounded.

      Jean-Pierre perked up and began to look around, ready to protect everyone. Everyone jumped to their feet and piled back to back.

      “Who are you?” the squeaky voice repeated.

      “Who are you?” Jean-Pierre shouted very loudly.

      “Me?” someone squeaked.

      “Yes!” shouted Jean-Pierre again. “Where are you? Show yourself.”

      “Why are you yelling like that?” said the voice. “I’m right in front of you.”

      Jean-Pierre slowly lowered his eyes and saw someone very small standing right in front of him. The creature was the size of his thumb and looked up at everyone with undisguised contempt. Jean-Pierre knelt down and tilted his head even lower.

      “Who are you?” Jean-Pierre rounded his eyes.

      “Humans,” the creature said in a disappointed voice. “I am Van. Valikhilya.”

      “What?”

      “Aaah,” Van said, shaking his head in displeasure. “You are humans, and I am Valikkhilya. My name is Van, and you are…” he paused.

      “What the hell is that?”

      “Yeah, I’m sure it’s not a name,” Van muttered.

      Jean-Pierre shook his head and put his palms to the top of his head, trying to get rid of the obsession. He looked back at the others; they were squinting their eyes at the creature, expressing complete incomprehension.

      “You are in the kingdom of His Grace the great Vivasvan, King of Light,” the little man squeaked.

      “Vivasvan?” Dr Capri said, coming out of his stupor. “I know who Vivasvan is.”

      “Then you must bow down before him right now,” the little man said proudly.

      Jean-Pierre stepped back from Van and looked at Dr Capri with an expression of bewilderment. Even more bewildered than he had been a second ago.

      “Do you know him?”

      “It’s the name of god from Indian philosophy, like Ra in Egypt or Apollo in Greece. He rules over the Sun.”

      “God?” David clarified, confused.

      “Yes and no,” answered the doctor, trying to explain. “He is a demigod, a powerful living being who controls the most important star in the universe.”

      “Yes and no?” Van squeaked grudgingly. “Vivasvan’s greatness is equal to God’s greatness.”

      No one was listening to him. He kept muttering something, slowly approaching the group of people.

      “Hold on!” entered Yulia. “Are we truly on the Sun?”

      She began to breathe heavily, panting in a panic attack.

      “The Sun?” Van snarled maliciously, mocking Yulia. “Oh, I think we’re on the Sun,” he rolled his eyes in a look of surprise. “No, no, we just accidentally, really, honestly.”

      At this point, he walked over to Jean-Pierre’s foot and kicked his boot. Jean-Pierre heard the kick and put his head down:

      “Hey!”

      “Was I being polite?” Van began. “Did I say my name? I asked yours.” he paused. “Who-are-you?”

      “Excuse me,” Dr Capri stepped in, “my name is Tulu-Manchi.”

      Van smiled:

      “A strong man?”

      “Yes,” the doctor nodded embarrassedly. “This is Yulia, David, and Debby,” the doctor said, pointing to each of them. “And this young man’s name is…” he didn’t have time to finish.

      “Women?” Van was surprised.

      There was surprise and fright in his squeaky voice. He looked around and said in a loud whisper:

      “You shouldn’t be here. You must leave.”

      Jean-Pierre got down on his knee again and asked the little creature quietly:

      “Okay. We’ll leave if you help us,” he thought and added. “What scares you so much?”

      “There are no women here. No women here for a very long time,” Van continued to whisper.

      Debby and Yulia looked at each other. Debby shrugged.

      “Why is that?” Jean-Pierre continued, looking at the girls.

      “Why?” unsatisfied with the question, Van looked at him. “Because they’re not here.”

      “Okay,” Jean-Pierre said, raising both palms up. “We are leaving.”

      “Wait, Jean-Pierre,” David said, holding the Frenchman back. “Are we on the Sun? On a burning ball that… I don’t understand.”

      Van looked around at them all:

      “You have come from the human world. What is it called now? Earth?” he asked.

      “Um… Yes,” David grinned, “it’s always been called that.”

      “Always?” Van snorted. “Just because you call your home by that name, it doesn’t mean that everyone else does. All right, Earth. Then the answer is this,” he paused for greater effect. “You’re on the Sun.”

      Dr Capri, Yulia, and David began to ask other questions in rapid succession.

      “How is it possible?”

      “How can we be here if we have to burn?”

      Van looked up at them with annoyance and shook his little head negatively.

      “You said you would leave!” he said grudgingly and sharply.

      “Wait,” Dr Capri tried to exhale. “We received a signal on Earth from our spacecraft. That’s why we’re here. Do you know anything about it?”

      Van took small steps closer to the doctor.

      “What kind of signal?” he looked at him questioningly.

      “The signal from the Voyager,” the doctor was confused, unable to find the words in front of the unusual creature.

      “It records the sounds of our planet, music and…” Yulia didn’t finish.

      “Music?” Van smiled.

      “Yes!” cried Dr Capri. “Did you send it? Did you want us to come here?”

      “What?” said Van in surprise. “No. I mean, I’m not sure, but…” he hesitated again. “No, that can’t be right.”

      Van turned away from the group of people who were grasping at the thin straw of understanding in this unusual and strange situation. He took a few steps and rubbed his forehead thoughtfully with a small hand.

      “Okay,” Van concluded, “we’ll go to the palace and see if you should be here. But…” he turned sharply to the group, “you won’t ask any more questions, or…” the little Sun-dweller pondered.

      “Or what?” Yulia asked.

      “Ah!” shouted Van irritably. “That’s what I’m talking about. You’d better not say anything. Don’t say anything, or,” he thought up, “I won’t take you anywhere.”

      Debby pointed with her finger that she was silent.

      “Don’t do that,” Van said, mocking Debby. “Let’s go to the palace.”

      “Wait a minute!” Jean-Pierre stopped him. “We have many questions, and we would like