The Boy, the Dog and the Spaceship —Nicholas Fisk

Aboutthe author:

Nicholas Fisk, the pseudonym of David Higginbottom ( 1923-), is a British writer of science fiction, who wrote mainly for children. His works include Grinny, You Remember Me, Space Hostages and Trillions. His autobiography, Pig Ignorant covers the years of World War when he served in the Royal Air Force. After the World War, Fisk worked as a musician, journalist, and publisher. His most impressive work, A Rag, a Bone, and a Hank of Hair is a thrilling futuristic novel set at the end ofthe 22nd century. The above text is adapted from his short story The boy, the dog and the spaceship.

There was a spaceship hurtling through nothingness. It was making a desperate attempt to land on a strange planet.

There was a boy and his dog, running and rolling and chasing in a field. The boy's name was Billy. He was nine. His dog was called Scamp. They understood each other perfectly. Billy shouted at Scamp. He chased Scamp. The dog rolled his eyes, yelped with delight and ran.

ln the spaceship, the Captain contacted the robot engineer. The Captain barked, ”make your report”.

The engineer spoke, "Captain, we're going to be smashed."

The Captain pressed a button and immediately padded arms enfolded him. Soon he was completely encased in a puffy softness.

The ship hurtled on. In the control centre, the screens showed a green and blue planet with seas, clouds and land masses. The ship entered the earth's atmosphere. Its metal skin drove against the air and glowed dull red with heat.

The boy whistled for his dog. “Come on, Scamp.” He was proud of having such a well-trained dog. A minute later, they were wrestling in the grass. They stopped their wrestling-match and looked about them. "You heard it! It went sort of wheeeeooosh!” Billy said to Scamp. Scamp had located the noise; over there, by the dark trees.

The Captain had never before experienced a smash landing. “So that's what its like,” he thought. "l am alone, but I'm here as a conqueror. I will conqueror this planet. If there is a ruling species on this planet, I'll invade a creature of that species and thus become a ruler ofall,” the Captain said to himself. The spaceship opened up and the new conqueror of planet earth looked out.

Billy's mother was calling him back home. Billy called at Scamp. The dog's ears were pricked; his tail was high, his body alert.

The Captain found the planet's air breathable. He was wearing a special suit. When the Captain said, "run", the suit would run endlessly; if the Captain said, "climb", the suit would keep climbing for him.

The Captain had seen many worlds, explored many planets. He had never seen one like this. This world was bursting with life. The Captain saw something move, very fast, on several legs. Where he stood, the Captain was surrounded by vegetable richness. A vast green trunk sprang from the very soil near him. The Captain began to climb the trunk.

Scamp gave a yelp of ecstasy as he caught on to a smell. Scamp's black nostrils widened. He bounded towards the source ofthe smell. Billy's mother called, "Come on, now! Billy, come home and eat your supper." Billy yelled at Scamp. But Scamp did not hear.

The Captain was in a dense forest of green columns, all very much the same. He adjusted his helmet to take in air from outside. The air was perfumed and moist. On his own planet he had tasted such air and water onlv in laboratories. The Captain was struck by the inexhaustible richness of the planet. The Captain was pleased to think he was to be the conqueror of it.

Scamp had run over to where the Flying Object landed. There was a bad stench. Scamp licked the source of the smell. It was cold and hard. He picked up the object between his jaws.

Inside the spaceship, the Captain was terrified. He saw a huge monster, white, brown and black with legs, bite into the spaceship. The monster's face opened. It was pink inside and had pointed white mountains above and below.

The Captain instantly decided that the body of the monster must be entered. The Captain could then take over the control of its brain. After that, the invasion would follow its normal course. All species would eventually follow the Captain. Then the Captain would contact his home planet. Many more spaceships would come. The Captain’s race would have found a safe and permanent home.

The Captain slipped out of the spaceship and began climbing the neck of the monster. The brain ofthe monster was above its face. He came to a tunnel leading into the monster's head. He made himself comfortable at the entrance of the tunnel. He was beginning to control the monster's brain signals. "You will obey me," the Captain said. "You will obey me always."

Billy was puzzled, looking at Scamp. Scamp kept shaking his head and he was running. ”He’s got an insect in his ear," thought Billy, "or an itch." Scamp ran left and right and straight. He looked weird in the moonlight. Billy began to be frightened.

The Captain instructed the white, brown and black monster to halt. The Captain was surprised. "This upright monster just now arrived seems a superior creature, though they are almost the same size," thought the  Captain. "The upright creature is making audio signals and expects to be obeyed."

Billy shouted, ”Scamp! Come here when I call you." Scamp sat at a distance in the moonlight, motionless. His eyes looked strange.

”Which monster is the master?" the Captain asked himself. "l must get them to fight to see who wins." The Captain spoke to the dog's brain, "Attack! Attack the other creature there."

Scamp ran towards Billy. "Scamp!" Billy yelled, "Scamp!"

Scamp charged him snarling. Billy was hurled to the ground. The dog stood over him, jaws open, teeth bared. Billy was terrified. "Scamp!" he cried out. Inside the dog's head two voices boomed. One said, “Attack”; the other was an old, loved familiar voice, asking for help.

The dog paused. Billy had struck out his arms in fear. His fist hit the dog's ear. Something small fell to the ground unseen. Scamp said, ”Whoof!" and licked the boy's face. He wagged his tail and got off Billy's chest.

The boy and the dog ran off together across the moonlit field. Billy's mother was calling, ”Billy! Come home for supper!"

The Captain lay beside his spaceship at the edge of the trees. The spaceship was little, but marvelously made. Soon it would rust in the dew. The Captain lay vanquished with his dream of conquering the planet Earth.