Aliens, Ladybugs, and the Lethal Virus

By Hilda L. Trevino and AC Canales

Extraterrestrials from the planet Infinite in the Andromeda Galaxy land their spaceship near the home of the Bopper family: five ladybugs in Missionville, Texas. The extraterrestrials recruit the ladybugs to be part of their mission to save children dying from a virus in the town of Hopeville, Texas. Through their own trained robots, the aliens equip the ladybugs with a microchip containing the virus’s cure to be transported to the children’s hospital. Though humans are puzzled by the aliens’ advanced technology and visionary gifts, they join forces with robots, and the ladybugs battle evil and danger with optimism and hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532065828

Hilda L. Trevino

Hilda L. Treviño has worked as Language Arts/English/Speech Teacher and as Consultant for South Texas Writing Project. Her poems have appeared in anthologies and The Border Line. She enjoys reading children’s stories and action novels and published her first children’s book Ladybugs on a Mission in 2013. Hilda, her husband Joe, and their Beagle dog Spark live in Laredo, Texas.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Aliens’ Arrival

Papa Trey held up his hands, one foot in the air holding off stomping the first beat as Mama Shelly tapped and sang, Got the beat in our feet. Ain’t that sweet. Their three young ladybugs giggled and jumped on top of dry leaves scattered at the bottom of a citrus tree trunk, their home.

C’mon, Papa. Keep on. We need the beat, Papa! shouted Tribeetleye, the young one with the third eye.

His brother, Antenny, and sister, Leggy, chanted, Got hope in our thoughts, got the power in our antenna tower, got the beat in our feet.

Oh, all right, Trey said and stomped down his foot and carried a fast rhythm while clicking his front legs.

The young ladybugs and their mom sang, Got the beat in our feet. Ain’t that sweet. Even through the rhythmic stomping of his feet, Papa Trey could feel his heart throbbing and melting.

Suddenly, a rippling blue phosphorescent light emerged from a jade-green pyramid-shaped spacecraft. It swerved above an empty dirt field and descended in front of a citrus tree in the outskirts of Missionville, Texas. Its roaring engine blasted, crackled, and boomed, spitting dust particles into the citrus trees. Silence. The spacecraft stood still about two hundred feet from the Bopper family: five orange ladybugs with black speckles on their shells. Papa Trey, Mama Shelly, and their three young ones—Antenny, Leggy, and Tribeetleye—halted their tapping and singing celebration. They had just completed a dangerous mission of saving their home inside the citrus tree behind them from threatening aphids. Trembling, faces tightened, eyes blinking, the five ladybugs’ front legs furiously wiped dust off their faces like windshield wipers during a heavy downpour. Trey whispered to Shelly and his three young ones, Be not afraid, and be perfectly still. Keep your eyes focused on this gigantic strange-looking machine.

Silence.

Shelly whispered softly, Thanks, Papa, for taking charge. The three young ones’ legs relaxed. With eyes and jaws wide open, the five Bopper ladybugs sat and observed.

A small pyramid door at the bottom of the spacecraft swung open. Five pearl-colored mushroom-shaped alien figures about five feet six inches tall scurried down a ramp.

Papa Trey whispered to his ladybugs, By my shaking beetle shell, did you see how these strange-looking figures with bodies shaped like mushroom stalks maneuvered the two roller coaster wheels underneath them as they glided down that ramp?

Shelly uttered in a low voice, Awesome umbrella heads that look like medium to large mushrooms.

Dripping with sweat, Papa Trey pointed to the first extended tree branch on the right side and said, Boppers, unzip your shell cases and climb with me to that branch.

The ladybugs obeyed Trey’s command and marched, forming a zipper line on the tree branch. Trey said, I am proud of you listening to your papa.

Eyes intently gazing, bodies frozen, the ladybugs watched as the aliens’ umbrella heads halted six inches from the tree trunk. Two pitch-black eyes, one on each side of every umbrella head, sank deep in their sockets. At the center of each alien’s stalk, a red circular light rotated like a fan on high speed. A green pyramid-shaped eye emerged from the middle head area. The only alien with a shimmering orange strip across the bottom of his stalk rolled to the front. Short beeps and chirps echoed through the citrus tree trunk, hitting the ladybugs’ ears as the alien’s red circular center light in his body discharged a luminous beam to each of the five ladybugs. Pressing their lips and crunching their noses, the ladybugs’ eyes shut.

Trey said, No need to panic. Rub your eyelids softly and open them slowly. They did.

Antenny said, Papa, what’s the light for? I was blinded by it.

Do not worry. I am sure there is an explanation and a purpose for all of us being hit with the bright light.

Trey studied the bizarre huge creatures. The alien with the orange strip spoke through a diminutive purple box below the green eye, and as he spoke, the box slid in and out. We come in peace. Raise your front right leg if you heard my words. The ladybugs raised their front legs, glanced at one another, and brought them down. Trey, you are absolutely correct. There is no need to be concerned. We are not here to harm you in any way. That beam of light programmed each of you with auditory sensors so you can communicate with not only us aliens but also our robots, machines, and humans too.

Trey stepped out in front of the ladybug zipper line and asked, What’s your home planet, and how long have you been traveling to get here?

The alien replied, Excellent question. We come from the Andromeda galaxy, which is the nearest to your planet Earth, and traveled through a wormhole. Our home is planet Infinite.

How can such a large spaceship get through a hole as small as that of our earthworm neighbor Crowley? asked Trey.

For us, traveling through a wormhole offered the opportunity to take a shortcut through curved space, which made our trip to Earth possible. The scientific explanation may take too much valuable time. However, there is a simple way to describe it. The alien’s black eyes ejected two robotic arms, and humanlike hands popped out from the arms’ tips. He bent, squatted, and glanced at the two aliens on his left and the two on his right. Then, sliding back, he raised his arms and shouted, My infinite companions, listen up!

Yes, Captain, replied the four aliens.

Perform the wormhole show. Find your spot on the ground.

Trey whispered, My beetle bugs, eyeballs on the demonstration. All five ladybugs lined, stood, and stared as the four aliens skated on the scattered wet and dry leaves just a few feet to the left of the spacecraft’s ramp and formed a line facing the alien with the orange strip. The four aliens discharged from their black eyes two robotic arms, and humanlike hands emerged. They bent their elbows and extended their arms to the front as if to hold and carry an object, and they wiggled their fingers, shouting, Ready, Captain!

By the way, ladybugs, I am the captain of this spacecraft, Captain Mushroomy. Keep your eyes on these guys. A laser beam ejected from the alien captain’s red circular light and landed on the aliens’ arms. They stood still, holding the bright long tube of light. The alien captain brushed his chest with the back of his hands three times and pointed his palms toward the long tube of light, expanding it wider and wider. Still aiming at the tube, the captain clenched his hands into tight fists three times, and the tube wiggled up and down and then stopped when the captain brought his arms down.

Goose bumps erupted on the ladybugs’ arms, and their teeth rattled. They rubbed their eyes several times. The Bopper ladybugs clapped, whistled, and exclaimed, Awesome. Wow!

Tapping her chest with her front right leg, Leggy said, Papa, my heart is pounding so hard like it is going to burst out. What a neat wormhole!

Trey massaged Leggy’s chest and whispered, Breathe in, breathe out. Feel better?

Yes, I do, replied Leggy.

My ladybugs, let’s capture and store this magical wormhole show in our tiny brains, said Trey.

With the back of his hands, the alien captain brushed his chest with the palms of his hands and, pointing his index fingers to the lit wormhole like a cowboy does during a duel shootout, extinguished the light. The four aliens brought their extended arms by their sides, shook them twice, skated toward the alien captain, and stood at attention, two on each side.

Ladybugs, I do hope you have a better understanding of how this wormhole offered us the opportunity to take a shortcut for our long space journey, declared the alien captain. Of course, the wormhole we traveled through was a gigantic one, much bigger than this one you are seeing. It expanded like a Slinky to allow our spacecraft safe passage.

Captain, enlighten us, please. What kind of aliens are you, and what do you want from us? asked Trey. Shelly and the three young ones wrapped their arms around one another as they listened.

We are peaceful beings with an ultimate goal: to help humankind. Again, I am Captain Mushroomy. On my right are First Lieutenant Freedominy and Second Lieutenant Justiciny.

Both waved their hands up and exclaimed, We are for freedom and justice for human beings and all creatures in our universe.

The captain and ladybugs applauded.

The captain continued. To my left are First Sergeant Advisoriny and Staff Sergeant Informiny.

First Sergeant Advisoriny turned to the captain and cupped his hands at the captain’s left ear. He faced the ladybugs and said, I offer advice.

Staff Sergeant Informiny wiggled his fingers in front of his chest, and pretending to be typing on a computer keypad, he declared, I spread the news through tech news bulletins and information media.

The alien captain rolled to the right and then to the left and shook his mushroom head and shoulders, yelling, Infinite aliens, my companions forever. You shake, rattle, and rock. The four aliens stood at attention.

Ladybugs, you have been chosen for a special mission—to save children who are dying from a deadly virus in Hopeville, Texas. We aliens are part of this mission too.

Pleased to meet all of you. I am Trey Bopper. To my right is my wife, Shelly, and standing next to her are our three younger ones, Antenny, Leggy, and Tribeetleye.

What a delightful experience for us aliens to meet you, replied Captain Mushroomy.

Forgive me, Captain, for asking, but you do notice how tiny we are? Are you sure we are right for this delicate, difficult operation? And why us? Why not select another species? asked Trey.

After extensive research by Sergeant Informiny, we discovered that in your previous mission to save your home from being destroyed by aphids, you demonstrated immeasurable stamina, endurance, and optimism. Your vision did not see obstacles, only opportunities. We admire your love of family and zest for life. Above all, you can easily fly, hide, spy, sing, and dance, and you possess creativity and pizzazz. Ladybugs, you will be carriers of not only a cure for a virus but also hope, in an effort to save children who are dying. Are you up to the challenge?

Trey scratched his head and thought, If we fail, we could ruin everything, but if we succeed, well, who would ever believe it? The humans think ladybugs are silly little creatures, cute to look at and meant to decorate baby toys. As Trey glanced at the aliens, Shelly, and his three young ones, he said, Captain, I don’t know.

Do you want time to decide? asked Captain Mushroomy.

Yes, we do, replied Trey.

Before we think this over, why not use humans instead? asked Tribeetleye.

Humans are too visible and are unable to hide or fly as well as you do, said the captain.

And why are you trying to help children in Texas? asked Leggy.

The captain turned to his left and said, Sergeant Advisoriny, please explain to the ladybugs why we want to help the children in Texas.

Extending his right arm, Sergeant Advisoriny drew an outline of the state of Texas up in the air and said, Texas is a huge state, and our vision is to eliminate the virus and prevent an epidemic.

Can we do it, Dad? Can we go on the special mission? asked Tribeetleye, always the most forward and curious, even with his physical limitation, missing his two hind legs.

Trey replied, Let’s huddle, and in silence, let’s ponder. Then we’ll discuss it. The Boppers brought their front legs to the sides of their foreheads. A couple of minutes later, Trey whispered, Ladybugs, are we willing to risk our lives to save children? This is a monumental challenge.

Shelly answered, I call it a colossal one. The ladybugs paced back and forth on the tree branch with their front legs on top of their heads for a long time.

Tribeetleye said, We have hope in our thoughts and courage in our hearts, don’t we?

Antenny and Leggy whispered to each other and then shouted, Absolutely yes! Let’s embark on this cosmic mission.

The Boppers stood on their hind legs, except Tribeetleye, who was on his bottom, since he was born without one leg, and he lost the other in the saving-home mission. Trey confidently declared, We accept the challenge to save children who are dying of a deadly virus in Hopeville, Texas.

Captain Mushroomy skated forward and backward a couple of times, and as he raised his arms, he looked up and replied, "Universe, we aliens are grateful, and, ladybugs, thank you for accepting