A Planet Named Greenleaf

By Dolores Strandberg

A teenager named Celt believes her parents have been killed runs away and becomes a stowaway on a spaceship carrying supplies to a new colony on a planet named Greenleaf. Adopted into a family on Greenleaf she and an odd kitten she befriends find many adventures as she grows up.
The new planet becomes home in spite of strange animals wreaking havoc among the human population. They defend their new home even though the animals and strange trees are not the only problems that arise. Strange unexpected things happen; more than one cat finds a home here; kidnappers make another attempt to steal her away, foiled by the cats and her new friends. Carving out new homes take time and make for many more adventures as she grows up learning much more about the cats. Her parents are found alive but captive of the villains. Again she finds more adventures as she and her friends return to Earth to rescue her parents. Then with the unexpected help given by the cats they return to Greenleaf for more exciting adventures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 16, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469119311

Dolores Strandberg

I am a fourth generation Floridian who retired from the banking industry and turned my hand to writing which has been a hobby for a number of years. I have been married to my best friend and love, Charles, since 1963. I enjoy sewing, reading, writing, and various crafts. I teach a children’s Sunday school class and entertain them with my stories which usually have a good moral point. I make friends easily and my husband calls me a people magnet. We have lived in the Palm City Farms area of Martin County Florida since 1966.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Attack

Celt Oberon slowly packed the backpack she had arrived with a few weeks ago and thought back over the anxious times she had lived through during her escape.

The worst times began with the loss of her family and she relived that fateful time over and over in her mind. As a young child her parents had tried to prepare her for a possible disaster. Little did she realize what they had meant as they showed her where several packed back packs were hidden away. One in her room, one in the utility room at the back of their apartment, and one in a space station locker that would only open to her own thumb print.

She had been told that a ‘bad man’ was looking for her parents and that all of their lives could be endangered if they were found. Her parents were going by false identities that showed them to be a teacher and a librarian under the names of Clark and Amy Olson. They had given her the name of Celt Olson.

They had been very loving parents to her over the years, though some of their instructions to her that had been repeated every few months of her life were somewhat scary. ‘IF’ anything should ‘happen’ to either of them she had orders drummed into her repeatedly to grab the nearest backpack which contained clothing, a wig, food bars, water container, papers giving her a new identity and funds to take care of her for several months. Then to run and hide somewhere safe. That safe place would be anywhere the bad men would not find her and several addresses of ‘friends’ were included.

She had spent an almost normal life until just before her fifteenth birthday. Then the thing she had been told to prepare for ‘happened’.

She had arrived home from school before her parents, had showered and put in a load of laundry for her mother before beginning dinner. Her mother soon arrived just in time to put the laundry in the dryer and took over the food preparation while Celt set the table.

Soon her father arrived and they sat down and ate dinner as usual. Following dessert her mother sent Celt to her room to study while she cleared the table and washed up the dishes. Her father changed clothes and sat down to grade some papers at his desk.

Then their backdoor slammed open as it was broken inward with a loud crash. Celt ran into the hallway just in time to see someone aiming what looked to be a gun at her mother. Then she heard a thunk and watched her mother fold soundlessly down on the floor.

Her father yelled No! Don’t! Then another thunk and she heard him fall down too, though he was out of her line of sight.

With her heart hammering in fright she remembered her often repeated lessons. Celt ran into her room, closed and locked the door, grabbed the backpack from the closet, entered her bathroom and slid down the laundry chute into the utility room two floors below. There she also grabbed the second backpack and fled out the door into the alleyway behind the apartment.

She crossed the alley and raced into a neighbor’s utility room where she hid in one of the trash bins. She had placed the backpacks inside first and then pulled a bag of trash in on top of herself, making it look like a full bin of trash.

Soon afterward she heard the outer door open and at least two men rushed inside the utility room and looked around, they hammered on the back door until her neighbor opened the door.

Has anyone run into your apartment in the past ten minutes? She was asked.

No, I just got home a few minutes ago myself. Why? What has happened? She asked the men.

We’re Government Agents and believe a criminal to be in this area. Your neighbors, the Olsons, have been injured and their daughter is missing. Here is my card and if you see a stranger to this area or if you see the daughter please call us at once. He stated.

Oh, My! Amy and Clark hurt! How awful! And Celt missing! They are such good neighbors. I can’t believe it! She wailed. Which hospital have they been taken to? My husband and I can go to them. Maybe we can help.

I’m sorry, they are under secure watch by our agents and not allowed visitors, but please call if you see anything. OK? He said again.

Celt stayed very quietly inside the bin, overhearing their lies, then she heard the outer door as it was slammed open and another door being closed. She stayed where she was for over an hour and again heard the outer door open and a man mutter to someone, Well, she’s not here. This is the second sweep of this neighborhood. No one has seen her since she came in from school. I guess she ran faster than we thought she could.

Another man answered Put someone at the tram stop and search any vehicle leaving here tonight. I’ll report in and see what the boss wants done next.

After the door closed Celt opened one of the backpacks and took a few sips of water and settled down to wait a few more hours. Maybe they would all go away. She was scared and wanted so badly to cry but bit her lip and kept taking deep breaths trying to keep the tears at bay.

She dozed off soon afterward and awoke sometime later, her watch showed it to be after two AM. There was quiet all around and she eased out of the bin after pushing the bag of trash out onto the floor. She crept to the door after putting the backpacks over her shoulders and slowly pushed the door open a few inches.

A man was sitting on the steps across the way and she hurriedly pulled the door closed again. She went to the door leading into the apartment and found it locked. Only the utility room was open so she searched inside for a way to escape. She pulled the dryer away from the wall and opened the vent, but it was too small for her to climb into.

After pushing the dryer back she climbed up on top of it and pushed up on the hatch leading into a repair crawl space between the floors however there was no other opening where she could get out.

This was no help at all. She went back to the outside door and wedged herself between the wall and one of the garbage dumpsters. Then she looked carefully up and down the street. Surprise! No one was in sight. The man that had been across the way was gone.

She picked up her two bags slinging them across her shoulders and keeping close to the walls of the building she slowly made her way to the end of the street. A few blocks away she heard the rumble of the delivery trams as they carried commodities to the stores where they would be sold when the stores opened for business.

Carefully she made her way toward the sounds watching for any movement. She almost missed the man leaning against one of the buildings. He had taken a puff off his cigarette and the faint glow was what had alerted her to his presence.

She got down on her knees and crawled across the street keeping in the shadows as much as possible. The man was half turned away from her looking back down the street in the opposite direction as she inched her way past him.

Soon she reached the tram way and she waited for it to slow down as it frequently did to drop off one of the filled carts and pick up an empty one from the previous day. She was thankful that her neighborhood had it’s own market place beside the tramway. As one of the trams slowed to leave it’s delivery she grabbed the side of one of the carts and climbed up it’s side and lay down on top, keeping her hands and the packs away from the edge so nothing could be seen from the street.

She rode the tram past several neighborhoods and hung on as the one she was on was dropped off. She peeped over the edge and waited quietly as she looked around. No one was in sight. Quickly she dropped over the side and huddled next to a doorway. Testing the handle she found it was locked. She eased to the corner of the building and looked around it. Still no one was in sight, so far so good.

She walked to the front of the building but drew quickly back as she saw two men walking away from her. If she had been a minute sooner they would have seen her.

She went back to the back of the building and walked in the opposite direction from the two men. Several blocks on she saw a public bathroom near an all night diner. She waited several minutes before entering the bathroom. No one was inside so she entered one of the stalls and latched the door.

She took a blue jogging suit out of the back pack along with a dark brown wig, glasses that made her eyes look funny, and sneakers. After quickly changing she rummaged through the pack until she found the fake identification and money inside a fanny pack which she latched around her waist and covered it with the shirt hem.

She checked her new identity as ‘Nancy Waters’ and memorized the safe house address on the ident card. She quickly put her other clothes back into the pack and slung the pack over her shoulder. The second bag held similar items but in different colors. With neither bag being filled completely, she decided to transfer what she could into one bag.

After exiting the bathroom, she dumped the almost empty bag into a garbage bin. She would be less noticeable with one bag than if she continued to carry both of the bags.

She ate one of the energy bars and took a few sips of the water before venturing onto the street. She found the stores opening for business and entered one of the small markets. She purchased a few apples, a pint of milk, and a loaf of bread which the clerk put into a plastic bag for her.

She then resumed her walk munching on one of the apples. Then she was stopped just before reaching a tramway stop. A man and a woman this time and they showed her their badges and asked for her ident card. She quickly opened the fanny pack and handed them her ‘new’ card.

This one’s not a blond and is not wearing the right clothing. the man said.

Where are you going so early? the woman asked.

I’ve been jogging and picked up some things for my Aunt. I’m on my way home now. The new Nancy Waters stated.

If you see a young girl about your size with long blond hair and wearing a tan pair of slacks and white short sleeved shirt report it immediately to the local security agent. Don’t go near her as she is very dangerous. We believe she may have killed her own parents. Our agents are looking for her. The man told her.

How awful! she exclaimed. I’m going right home!

See that you do and stay inside where you and your aunt will be safe for today anyway. The woman added.

Celt/Nancy rushed into the tram station and got on the first one leaving the area. Luckily it was going away from her real home. She seated herself and sat quietly in place until she approached the neighborhood which had the address on her new ident card.

These were people that had befriended her parents several years ago and so were felt to be a safe haven for her now.

As she walked down the street towards the new address she saw one of the ‘Agents’ that had been in her home come out of the same address where she had planned to go. She slowly walked on past the apartment.

What do I do now? she asked herself. I can’t stay here, I can’t go home, and I can’t go to school. What other options do I have? I wonder if that Agent was telling the truth and my parents are in the hospital. I guess I need to find out before I do anything else.

A couple of blocks later she went into a coin laundry and using their phone she called the local hospital and asked about ‘the Olsons.’ The operator told her there were no patients there with that name. The only other local hospital was one near the university so she called them too and received the same answer.

She then called her parents friends’ home number where she had seen the Agent. When Mrs. Grant answered Celt said, It’s Celt, Mrs. Grant.—However Mrs. Grant cut in and said Gracie how nice of you to remind me of my appointment. No I won’t forget this time. I’ll see you this evening around 6:00 PM, OK?

Celt said, You want me to come by at 6:00 PM right?

That’s fine. I’ll see you then. and she hung up.

Celt thought about the call and decided to hide in the park across from the Grant’s apartment. She circled around the neighborhood and entered the park from it’s North end and wandered slowly around the area close to the street near the apartment complex.

She watched as several Agents came out of the apartment, got into a vehicle parked by the curb and drove away. She waited patiently through the rest of the morning, then watched as two other men approached the apartment. Soon afterward Mr. and Mrs. Grant left with them and they got into another vehicle.

They both looked scared. A few minutes later another couple entered the apartment and did not come out.

I’ll just bet they had tapped the phone and now they are waiting for me to show up so they can get rid of me too, Celt thought to herself. I think I need to get as far away from here as I possibly can and as quickly as I can too.

Chapter 2

The Escape

Celt hid behind some bushes and waited until nighttime, then walked back toward the shops. She darted around the corner and behind the line of shops to begin looking for another tram, only this time an empty one that would be returning to either the farms or one of the factories.

The only open one looked to have been filled with produce as there were wilted leaves and empty crates aboard it. She ate one of the energy bars and sipped some more water before lying down inside using her backpack for a pillow.

She suddenly awoke as the tram was hooked into line with other empties and began moving. It was quite late but getting some sleep had refreshed her.

Celt stayed awake as the tram moved out into the open country picking up speed as it went along. An hour or so later it slowed and several of the cars from the end were dropped off onto a side rail. It was too dark for her to see just where they were so she stayed where she had been sitting.

Again it picked up speed and soon she saw some lights ahead. As the tram neared the lighted area it slowed and finally stopped. The engine unhooked itself from all the other tram cars and moved onto another rail and backed up to another string of tram cars. It hooked up and moved forward a short distance and stopped again.

Celt saw another engine and a string of tram cars coming toward the lighted area which appeared to be a switching area where the trams could be moved around to other tracks. The incoming cars did not stop but kept going back toward the town.

A few minutes later the engine she had arrived on and its’ string of trams moved back onto the rail and she could see that these tram cars were filled with vegetables. It immediately began moving forward heading back toward the town too.

Celt got off the empty tram car and walked around the lighted area but did not see anything or anyone around. Not knowing exactly where she was and not liking to be so alone she got back into the empty tram car and sat back down.

Shortly afterward another engine arrived and hooked itself up to the line of empty tram cars including the one Celt was in. It moved slowly away from the lighted area but going even further away from the town.

Celt dozed off but awoke suddenly as the tram car was jolted as it was being moved off the rail onto another siding. It was just before dawn with light patches of fog drifting around this area. Really spooky looking.

She heard another sound quite different from the engine pulling the tram cars and she climbed out of the one she had been riding in. Just in time too.

Another machine had arrived with crates of melons which it slid onto the car she had been sitting in just minutes before.

I would have been mashed flat if I had stayed there, she thought as her heart finally slowed down it’s panicky beating. I guess I better get away from this place and see if I can locate where the melons came from. Someone has to be there. I don’t see how the melons can pick and crate themselves.

She followed the ruts made by the machine that had delivered the melons and saw that it too had been on some smaller rails that were almost hidden in the grass. It appeared to have wheels on it but somehow was also hooked onto the rails.

Celt decided to walk a few feet away from the ruts so if another vehicle came her way she would not get run over. She couldn’t tell how fast the other machine had been moving. but it must have been quite fast as it had unloaded it’s cargo and had soon been out of sight going back to wherever it had gotten the melons.

She soon noticed the land climbing upward on a hillside and as she reached the top of the slope she saw literally miles of melons and several huge buildings every mile or two stretching across the huge valley.

Celt still did not see any people, only a number of machines slowly moving around the farming area. She did see sprayers showering water across one section of the farm area and realized that if she tried to cross the area she would most probably get wet.

She sat down on a boulder and decided to eat another energy bar and call it breakfast. As she sat she inventoried her food supply. If she was careful she had enough to last six more days. Which meant she would soon have to find a way to restock her food supply but just how she was not sure about.

After the water sprayers quit their job, Celt began walking toward the closest building. The door, which was huge was wide open. Looking inside she saw produce being brought in at the far end and automatically dumped on long conveyor belts. It was washed, sorted, and put into boxes before being loaded onto big wagon like vehicles.

As soon as a wagon was filled it began its journey outside and up the hill where, she assumed it was carried to the trams and loaded before being sent on into the city.

Celt was able to fill her water container and out of the reject bin she stole celery, carrots, a cabbage, and some other root vegetable. She wasn’t quite sure what it was but it tasted OK. So she had food and water and that was more than she had expected to get.

Outside again she walked across the field to the next hill and found more huge fields in all directions. She sat down to try to decide what to do next.

Several minutes later she saw a vapor trail in the sky far to the west of her hill. Deciding to walk in that direction seemed to be a good idea. Maybe she could find a spaceport and if a ship was leaving for another of the colony planets perhaps she could stow away on it.

Anywhere seemed better than where she was now.

She spent the rest of the day walking westward and as dusk came she also found a small bunch of willow trees beside a narrow stream. Under the willows seemed about the best place she could find to spend the night. She ate the rest of the strange root vegetable and a carrot and along with a drink of water she made it do for her dinner.

Dark came much too quickly as she sat down and leaned against the trunk of the willow tree. She was much relieved when a bright almost full moon appeared. This was much better than sitting alone in the dark. It also became quite cool and she took a nylon jacket out of the backpack and also took out a folded piece of material that she found to be a sort of thermal blanket to wrap up in.

She soon dozed off and awoke in the early morning hours to a slight drizzle of cold rain. She stayed wrapped up in the thermal blanket to keep warm and it also kept her quite dry as well.

Her stomach was grumbling again and she took out half of one of the remaining energy bars as it seemed to fill her up better than the root vegetables.

As the sun came up so did another heavy fog though it had stopped raining. The world around her glowed strangely in the early light. She couldn’t tell which way was west, so she waited until the fog finally lifted before she regained her sense of direction and began walking again.

Another all day walk left her tired and rather hungry and seemingly not much closer to her goal. Although she did see some buildings and people far into the distance ahead. At least she had walked out of the hilly country and it was much easier walking now.

As she got closer to the buildings she could see a children’s play ground and a pretty park like area with lots of trees around it. It proved to be a school and since most of the children were in uniforms she could not hide among the children.

She went into the park though and sat down on a bench where she could watch the children at play. Soon a lady came out and called them into the building. Celt casually strolled around the outside of the buildings until she arrived at the back.

When suddenly a door opened she ducked behind the trash area and waited as someone dumped something into one of the trash bins. When the person went back inside Celt looked into the bin and found the remains of scraps from the children’s dinner.

She quickly dug through the mess and found quite a few cooked vegetables and bits of meat that had been cooked with the vegetables. She ate all she could hold before walking away toward the spaceport again.

She realized she was quite a bit closer to it now. She could see the tips of some of the