A Planet Called Home

By Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III

The story of “A Planet Called Home” is a legend of a lost space colony and how a 2-thousand-year-old super computer named Epsilon saved the colony from destruction with the help of six teens, and a ship built in the shape of a “Dragonfly”. It’s Captain a 13-and-a-half-year-old boy, its science officer 14 years old boy. The pilot a boy 17 years old, its engineer a boy 18 years old. The ships communication officer a girl 16 years old, and her girl cousin 15 years old the navigation officer. The crew battles a giant Earthworm, meets with the Wicker man made of vines and dangerous thorns, traverse the foot hills full of man-eating plants. Solves riddle’s, overcome physical obstacles, personal and emotional obstacles, and teen romance. Repairs an ancient world defense system all on their own to save the world from a fleet of space aliens trying to steal their planet. Of-course with the help of an ancient super computer who thinks it is funny and likes to pull April Fool jokes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005830960

Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III

I am a Award winning Poet, Writer, Artist, Sculptor, Pop Sociologist, an Inductee into the National Deans List, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. I have been active in Community Service: Past Board Member of the Vine Neighborhood Association (3 terms), Membership Chair, Fund Raising Committee, Board secretary and interim Board Treasurer. Past member of the Recipient Rights Committee, County Mental Health Board. KVCC Public Museum Volunteer for 20 years. Involved in Community Theater for 50 years off and on most recent with the Kalamazoo Civic Theater since 1985. I have been apart of a Disaster Relief team for Hurricane Andrew in Florida helping feed 5000 people a day. I have be a home missionary worker with a local church administrating a shelter program for the homeless, Minister of the food Ministry, cook, and procurement of emergency food pantry items 1991-1992, I am a graduate of Kalamazoo Valley Community College 1998, Studies at Western Michigan University, Studies at Lansing Community College 1975, Graduate of Davenport College of Business 1974. Graduated Portland High School at age 21 in 1970. I was born in 1951 premature Twin with developmental issues, Learnings disabilities, and hearing impaired.

Book preview

A Planet Called Home

By

Rowlen Delaware Vanderstone III

Copyright 08/3/2021

Smashword Edition

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Introduction

The story of A Planet Called Home is a legend of a lost space colony and how a 2-thousand-year-old super computer named Epsilon saved the colony from destruction with the help of six teens, and a ship built in the shape of a Dragonfly. It’s Captain a 13-and-a-half-year-old boy, its science officer 14 years old boy. The pilot a boy 17 years old, its engineer a boy 18 years old. The ships communication officer a girl 16 years old, and her girl cousin 15 years old the navigation officer. The crew battles a giant Earthworm, meets with the Wicker man made of vines and dangerous thorns, traverse the foot hills full of man-eating plants. Solves riddle’s, overcome physical obstacles, personal and emotional obstacles, and teen romance. Repairs an ancient world defense system all on their own to save the world from a fleet of space aliens trying to steal their planet. Of-course with the help of an ancient super computer who thinks it is funny and likes to pull April Fool jokes.

Chapter 1

Dilly Town

Logan Dilly age 15 was a lad with a humble character, well like by his fellow peers. He wasn’t an out spoken boy, had a meek and mild manner. Never one to jump to a heated conclusion about anyone. On the surface he may appear shy at times with strangers, but when his best friends where around he was an open book. Modest about his goals in life and didn’t put on airs just because his great, great, Grandfather Dilly was the oldest elder of 130 years of age in the town council. In fact, his great Grandmother, 105 years of age, Grandfather Dilly’s daughter and Logan’s father were elders of the council as well. The Dilly’s where elders of the council since the colony ship Paradise landed on the planet 125 years ago with 100 families with their young children 400 members total started Dilly Town The town was named after Captain Horatio Dilly of the Paradise who had courageously landed the crippled ship safely on the planet. The Paradise was heading for another planet to colonize, when a meteorite storm crippled one of the ships engines and the colony ship was forced to land on the nearest habitable planet. The Paradise never made it back into space again. One hundred twenty-five years later, and the colony 26,000 strong souls later, survived to make this unknown planet home. Like many colony ships they came with everything they needed to have a new start on a new world. It was rough at first but the 100 young couples with two children each one boy and one girl five years old. Where genetically altered to survive the worst, a new world could dish out.

The original world they were headed for was a Tiger compared to the Lamb they landed on. The other world was much younger geologically, rough wild weather and terrain, infrequent volcanic activity and earthquakes This world was much older geologically, with wind worn mountains. Dried up oceans and shallow seas and very few lakes and rivers left. There was no volcanic activity, no earthquakes, weather was mild to moderate, and the fresh water supply was deep underground. Nearly, 60 percent of the planet was old ancient stands of tree’s reaching more than 2000 feet in the air, with trunks that were 500 feet in diameter and canopies that blocked out the day and night skies. If not for the strange foliage being translucent no light would have reached the ground. The tree’s where nicknamed Old Iron Wood, as nothing could cut a nauch in the wood, let along fell a tree. Even the best laser’s they had could not mar the Old Iron Wood tree’s. The old Iron Wood forest wasn’t the only trees on the planet. Another species they called the Green Wood trees a much smaller and shorter made up another 20 percent of the forests on the planet. The Green Wood was harvested for building material. The rest of the terrain ranged from old dried-up sea beds now deserts, shallow seas, and low-lying mountain ranges. What few lakes there were, were mildly salted and provided a variety of eatable fish. Captain Horatio Dilly had managed to land his crippled ship right dap in the right location where there was a good size lake, a massive forest of the Green Wood tree’s to harvest, and to clear land for crops, fertile soil and an underground aqueduct for fresh water. On the far side of the lake the ancient forest of Old Iron Wood stood as a reminder of the planets age.

Logan Dilly was a large lad for his age, Brown hair and Brown eyes, some might say he was a bit over weight, but under those loose clothes he always wore was all muscle and a love for learning his lessons at school. He day dreamed a lot and had always wondered what was in that ancient Iron Wood forest. Like his peers he had heard many a story about those who tried to explore the old Iron Wood forest only to come back with stories the woods where haunted. Eventually the elders deemed it a forbidden place of limits for exploration. Logan’s great, great Grandfather Dilly was the last to cross the lake and attempt to explore the forest. After 10 days in he returned with tales of haunts, and spirits roaming the forest with wails and screams driving the 5 men with him to turn around and find their way back to the lake. Not since then has anyone dared to enter the Iron Wood Forest. Among his peers, it was a custom each year to dare someone among their peerage to cross the lake and spend even one day in among the Iron Wood forest. And every year no would take up the challenge. It wasn’t exactly a law against it, just common sense that you respected your elders and the council when they said it was easy to get lost in the Iron Woods, as no electronic compass would work among the tree’s. The only way his great, great grandfather and his men made it back out was that they had left trail markers cleverly clued to the trunks of the Iron Wood and used paint markers to give them directions as the way back home was. Logan wondered if Mason Tanner’s throwback compass technology would help them navigate the forest. It was designed on a principal so old that it was a simple function of a metal needle on a non-metallic pin head encased in a water tight box. It had no electronics involved like the compasses his great, great Grandfather used. It detected the magnetic poles of the planet with the high tech.

Mason Tanner was 14, a tall slim lad who looked two years older than he was, blond hair and Hazel eyes. Mason was a very inventive and resourceful teen. Always taking old technology found in the Paradise Museum, what remained of the colony ship and repurposing it. Mason father is the curator and director of the museum. Designing it to work without all the technological science and mechanics. After 125 years, Dilly Town had done much to preserve the technology the original Colony members had when they landed on the planet. In time without critical replacement parts, that Technology became useless, and they had to dump most of it and come up with new ways to recreate the purpose those broken-down devices once offered the colony. When the ships power supply could no longer power the growing colony. They converted much to wind power and maintained the basic principles of solar power panels. They discovered that the harvested Green Wood tree’s offered a good source of heat when burned. The Green Wood unlike Planet Earths wood burned hot and burned long. One typical log 4 feet long and 12 inches in diameter could burn for 10 days before it was consumed. One tree provided fuel for 3 months and that fuel was used to generate electricity. Unlike earth tree’s they burned smokeless and gave off no harmful gases into the atmosphere. They was just one problem. It took extreme heat to ignite the Green Wood, but once it was started it burned hot and forever it would seem. The furnace that generated electricity was never allowed to burn out and that same furnace used steam to drive the pistons of the generator and provide steam heat for the town through underground piping to each resident and commercial place. A clever automatic wood feeder on a timer kept a stock of wood feeding the furnace at all times. By the towns estimate it would take 10,000 years to use up the entire forest of standing trees of Green Wood. A forestry program kept planting new tree’s for everyone they cut down. It was a renewable source of fuel. As for the source of renewable oxygen for the planet. It was discovered that The Iron Wood tree was the primary oxygenators for the planet, and as they could not be cut down they would always remain as a source for the planets clean air. The Green Wood tree’s they harvested and burned they found out did not produce oxygen or carbon monoxide or provided any harm or benefit to the planet. Yet the tree’s grew fast and were replenishable.

Mason, loved to tinker and take old technology abandon at the Paradise museum and figure out it how it worked, why it worked, and how he could redesign it to work with today’s materials. Often his carefree enthusiasm would backfire on him, when a repurposed device would go haywire and explode on him. Mason had a side kick Dylan Gray 13 and a half, a small lad for his age, Red hair, and Green eyes, who was very gullible, and easily deceived and tricked in to being one of Mason lab assistants when it came to testing out some new repurposed gadget. Dylan may be gullible which was a usual trait for a teen his age and size, which he would eventually outgrow his gullibility. Despite his nativity he was a proud and generous lad. One to give of his time to a cause and proud of his generosity. His heart was in the right place. Mason never really took advantage of Dylan’s gullibility, for Dylan truly wanted to help Dylan with his inventions. Dylan generosity always found him in good stead with his peers and elders when they needed a helping hand. No town is without those who did take advantage of Dylan gullibility and would trick him into mischief or get him into trouble with the elders. The Elders were patient knowing that in time Dylan would find his fortitude and those town bullies would be at the other end of the stick this time.

Dylan did have one protector in town who kept an eye out for him. Cody Easton 17 his older cousin. Cody was 6 feet 4 inches, Red hair and Green eyes like his cousin. Cody was a tolerant soul, broad-minded. Lenient most of the time. But knows when to take action to right a wrong. He is found to be trustworthy, someone you can count on when you need someone to confide on or expect to do as he promises. He has only one weaknesses, he is over cautious at times, spending far too much time, deciding when to take action, but when he does, watch out Cody will not let anything get in his way when he decides to do something. Like teach a few bullies their lesson about taking advantage of his little cousin Dylan’s gullibility. Now, Cody, as most young men his age had a sweet heart. Isabella Roman, age 16 going on 30. Isabella was a tall girl with a beauty that accented her height, and her blue eyes, and Auburn hair. Which attracted Cody to her. Cody on the other hand though interested, knew nothing about the opposite sex, and certainly not how to treat them as equals.

Isabella’s Grandfather and father were elders of the town councils, and Isabella spent most of her time with a marked sensed of exaggerated self-importance and was conceited. She inherited her smugness from her Mother who raised her daughter to know her place in the towns social register as the granddaughter and daughter of councilmen. There was just one problem Isabella hated being a snob, when she was among her closest peers, she acted as if she had no family social standing in town. When with her mother in public she had a different face, she wore. All Isabella wanted was to be accepted and feel loved for who she was not or who her Grandfather or father was. Or the fact she on shared the bloodline of Captain Horatio Dilly on her Grandfathers side. It was a constant battle between Mother and Daughter to get Isabella to know her place in society. Her father found it difficult to keep the peace in the household between them.

Isabella had a cousin Aria Roman, 15, Black hair, and black eyes, she took after her mother. Aria was 5 feet tall, petite but athletic, ambitious with a desire to succeed at all cost. Reckless at times and daring. Her curious nature found her in places she ought to have stayed out of and that included other people’s business. She wasn’t a snoop, just always seemed to find herself in places to hear curious things. Always an ear turned to conversations, or her nose where it didn’t belong. She was also very out spoken and not afraid to take a stand on an issue that concerned her. If not for the fact she was a granddaughter of a councilmen she would have been labeled a rebel. Aria was a tomboy at heart. She was welcomed in her small group of peers, which included Logan, Mason, Dylan, Isabella, and Cody. They all had one thing in common, it wasn’t being misfits or smart, or gullible or age or romance. Or that they were children or Grandchildren of councilmembers of the town. Or descendants of Captain Horatio Dilly, The one thing they had in common was frequent dreams of the Iron Wood Forest.

***

Please everyone, settled down. Logan asked. We have not much time today for local gossip, and whether it will rain today or not. We all agreed to meet to discuss the Iron Wood Forest. How many here had another one of their dreams about the forest? Five members of the Iron Wood Forest social club raised their hands, including Logan. Then to safe time telling each other what they dreamed, did anyone dream anything different than the usual dream we have been having. Mason raised his hands. Mason, what was different about your dream this time Logan asked.

Well like the other dreams we have, they start out with 6 teens from the Town crossing the lake in a boat that suddenly comes out of the morning mist of the lake to arrive on the North beach. We never see in our dreams who these youths are. Just that they get in the boat and the boat without any obvious motor, sail or oars, crosses the lake and beaches at the shore before the Iron Wood Forest. Last night in my dreams this time the 6 youths actually get out of the boat start in the woods and for the first time in my dreams, I see who one of the youths is. Mason tells the group.

"Who was it you saw Mason?’ Logan asks.

It was Dylan Gray. Everyone started talking at the same time.

"Please one at a time. Did you all have the same dream and see Dylan Gray?’ Logan asked.

No, I saw Cody go into the forest. Isabella stated.

I saw Logan go into the forest. Aria said.

I saw Mason go into the forest. Dylan said.

I saw Isabella go into the forest. Cody added.

And I saw Aria go into the forest. Logan confirmed. We all saw someone of this group go into the Iron Wood Forest. Which sinches it for me. We have been having the same dream now for two weeks, about a six youth in a mysterious boat take the unknown youths across the lake to the Iron Wood Forest, then our dreams fade, but we get a sense of urgency that the shared dreams are telling us something. It would appear now that we are the six youths who cross the lake and go into the Iron Wood Forest. Is there anything else about this last shared dream you remember that might tell us when we are to meet that boat. We know it is in the morning when the lake is covered in mist, which is usually during our summer months when the mist rises when the lake cools after the sun sets and don’t burn off until early morning. But what morning is it. When is when we need to know, or will another dream tell us?" Logan asked.

Dylan stood up. I was the first to tell Mason I was having the dream, and he told me he was having the same dream. Then we learned we were all having the same dream. They were once a week, then twice a week, and now it is 3 times a week. Don’t you see it is a pattern a count down. We have an 8-day week cycle, that leaves us 5 weeks left when we start having the same dream each night for a week. I say that in 5 weeks we are to meet that boat at the lake, where at the lake? We will learn either on the last week or the last day of that week where on the lake to meet that boat. We need to be prepared to meet that boat.

I agree with my cousin, Logan, we need to be prepared. We have been having these dreams about the boat and crossing the lake over to the Iron Wood Forest. We now know it is us in that boat and we go into the Iron Wood Forest. When and why, we may learn in 5 weeks. We have all heard the old stories about the Iron Wood Forest. I don’t think it is haunted with evil spirits. I think someone in the forest is speaking to us in our dreams and what us to go into the Iron Wood Forest. Why, that remains for us to find out when we go into the forest. I don’t think the dreams are going to tell us, why should it. If we knew the why, who is to say we would go into the forest. Especially if our dreams tell us it is to trap by some evil spirits, we certainly will not go. Then again, not to know one way or the other isn’t going to make it easy for us to feel comfortable entering the forest. All I know is that my dreams give me the feeling that it is important we go. Cody told the group.

I guess we need to take a vote. Do we go, or do we ignore our dreams. If we vote to go, we prepare what we need to take with us in advance, so we are ready. We all say go, we all go, any no and we all stay. Logan stated. The Vote was a go.

***

The group the next day made up a list of things they would need, and where to get them. Mason suggested that the Paradise Museum had all the camping gear we would need. Light weight tents for two, designed for all weather conditions cold, hot, wet, and stormy. Plenty of rationing kits, Water sterilization pills, First aid kits, Ropes and gear for climbing and special clothing for expeditions into different terrains. Designed like the tents to handle all kinds of weather conditions and terrain. There are boots which we will need, our ordinary shoes would not do. Everything fits in a special backpack for adults and young teens. I can check them out and make sure everything is still usable. Dad will never know they are missing. They are collecting dust in a back room he seldom goes into." Mason offers the group.

Mason, I have seen the display in the museum of one of those backpack and what they hold. They will be the right thing for us to use, already packed and ready to go. Everyone make sure Mason has the right boot size and clothing size. The expedition uniform or overhauls are designed to fit over our daily clothes. The display says, they cool or heat the body, and are nearly indestructible with all sorts of pockets with tools in them. If we are going into the Iron Wood Forest we will need all we can carry with us without burdening us down with what is available to use today. Thanks Mason, and make sure you bring a few of your working gadgets you think we will need. Don’t bother with any communications device they won’t work in the Iron Wood Forest and bring that new old fashion compass. Our high-tech ones will not work in the forest either Grand dads says. Logan confirmed. Unless, we have anything to discuss further, we should adjourn and go home and do our chores.

Logan, what are we going to tell our parents where we are going, and why. Isabella asked.

"We are not telling them anything. I mean not the truth at first. We tell them we are