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(ZYRG, THE MARTIAN BOY)
This story was written by a group of kids during the 2014 Heaters Heroes fundraiser in Niagara Falls.
It follows a young boy and his new friend Zyrg, a Martian child who crash lands on earth. Follow along as they find a way to help Zyrg find his way home.
You can download the story or read it below for free :)
"What does this even say?" Asked the man in the suit to the little boy.
"This is a note I received from my friend Zyrg before he left Earth.
It's his story.
Since you probably can't understand Martian I'll translate it for you"
The little boy grabs the note and begins to read.
Hello, I'm Zyrg and this is the story of my visit to Earth.
I noticed I was out of gas when my ship started slowing down
in an uncharted part of space; I believed I had little hope of surviving.
I was afraid I'd never find my home so I took a nap.
When I awoke I noticed a little star in the distance and I wondered what it was. I soon realized it wasn't a star but a planet as your gravity pulled me closer until I was in the atmosphere and then crashed on your planet.
BOOM!
I climbed out of my ruined spaceship and a large group of people were rushing over to see what happened. I had never been here before but it seemed I understood everyone as if my brain translated it as I heard it...
Or maybe I'd been here before and don't remember.
The sign in front of me read 'Welcome to Oake’s Park' and underneath it, another sign that read 'Heater’s Heroes today'.
"Just what I need" I thought to myself "Some heroes" and I joined the festivities.
It was some sort of race or running event.
I used some of my special magic on a frog that was hopping by
and it made him grow ten times his size...
when it was done growing I hopped up on it and joined the race.
George, a little boy in the race, saw me and wanted to be my friend.
I was trying to win, but he told me it wasn't a race so we walked together.
After the finish line we came across a trail towards the forest nearby:
“This is Heartland Forest” George said as the frog leaped into the trees.
We had fun all afternoon, I still wondered how I would return home but hanging out with them was the first time I've had fun in forever.
We came across a lemonade stand that was run by a rather large turtle
and George asked if he had any grapes.
“Yes, I do” said the turtle as he handed over some tasty green grapes.
We had a picnic in the forest and the turtle decided to join George, the magic frog, and I on our adventure. He told us of a ship hidden somewhere deep in the forest that will be able to get me home, so we decided we'd find it together.
Just then, the turtle and the frog started racing each other through the forest but the frog was much faster than the turtle and beat him by at least 40 steps.
The frog stopped right in front of a board that hovered slightly over the ground. It was painted with flames and had a cool sound buzzing sound coming from it. It looked like the material my ship was made out of and I didn't question how it got here, I just thought maybe I could use it to get home.
I tried to use the hover board but it wouldn't budge from its spot.
A woman came out from behind the trees holding a bunch of red beans.
“These are magical beans” said the woman. “But in return for these beans and my hover-board, I want to ride your friend, the magical frog”.
The frog was more than happy to give the woman a ride; he loved hopping through the trees and onto the rocks and would do it anytime, for anyone.
After a few laps around, the woman got off the frog and handed us the beans.
“Eat these and the board will be at your command”.
We were told that we had to wait a few hours before the board would be charged enough to go all the way to my planet.
Since we had time to waste, I taught everyone my language.
I wrote this note to declare that this has been the best day I've ever had.
The day I met you, the turtle, the frog, and everyone else at Heaters Heroes.
When the board has enough power I plan to go home but I promise I'll be back again next year if I can.
Sincerely,
Zyrg, the Martian child.
"This is a note I received from my friend Zyrg before he left Earth.
It's his story.
Since you probably can't understand Martian I'll translate it for you"
The little boy grabs the note and begins to read.
Hello, I'm Zyrg and this is the story of my visit to Earth.
I noticed I was out of gas when my ship started slowing down
in an uncharted part of space; I believed I had little hope of surviving.
I was afraid I'd never find my home so I took a nap.
When I awoke I noticed a little star in the distance and I wondered what it was. I soon realized it wasn't a star but a planet as your gravity pulled me closer until I was in the atmosphere and then crashed on your planet.
BOOM!
I climbed out of my ruined spaceship and a large group of people were rushing over to see what happened. I had never been here before but it seemed I understood everyone as if my brain translated it as I heard it...
Or maybe I'd been here before and don't remember.
The sign in front of me read 'Welcome to Oake’s Park' and underneath it, another sign that read 'Heater’s Heroes today'.
"Just what I need" I thought to myself "Some heroes" and I joined the festivities.
It was some sort of race or running event.
I used some of my special magic on a frog that was hopping by
and it made him grow ten times his size...
when it was done growing I hopped up on it and joined the race.
George, a little boy in the race, saw me and wanted to be my friend.
I was trying to win, but he told me it wasn't a race so we walked together.
After the finish line we came across a trail towards the forest nearby:
“This is Heartland Forest” George said as the frog leaped into the trees.
We had fun all afternoon, I still wondered how I would return home but hanging out with them was the first time I've had fun in forever.
We came across a lemonade stand that was run by a rather large turtle
and George asked if he had any grapes.
“Yes, I do” said the turtle as he handed over some tasty green grapes.
We had a picnic in the forest and the turtle decided to join George, the magic frog, and I on our adventure. He told us of a ship hidden somewhere deep in the forest that will be able to get me home, so we decided we'd find it together.
Just then, the turtle and the frog started racing each other through the forest but the frog was much faster than the turtle and beat him by at least 40 steps.
The frog stopped right in front of a board that hovered slightly over the ground. It was painted with flames and had a cool sound buzzing sound coming from it. It looked like the material my ship was made out of and I didn't question how it got here, I just thought maybe I could use it to get home.
I tried to use the hover board but it wouldn't budge from its spot.
A woman came out from behind the trees holding a bunch of red beans.
“These are magical beans” said the woman. “But in return for these beans and my hover-board, I want to ride your friend, the magical frog”.
The frog was more than happy to give the woman a ride; he loved hopping through the trees and onto the rocks and would do it anytime, for anyone.
After a few laps around, the woman got off the frog and handed us the beans.
“Eat these and the board will be at your command”.
We were told that we had to wait a few hours before the board would be charged enough to go all the way to my planet.
Since we had time to waste, I taught everyone my language.
I wrote this note to declare that this has been the best day I've ever had.
The day I met you, the turtle, the frog, and everyone else at Heaters Heroes.
When the board has enough power I plan to go home but I promise I'll be back again next year if I can.
Sincerely,
Zyrg, the Martian child.
reviews
I just read the short story, Zyrg the Martian Child, and it was such a fun read - I really enjoyed it. I understand it was written by a group of kids who were all lined up at an annual charity event called Heater's Heroes, and I really enjoyed the premise behind the story, which was that it's a translated letter from a young boy from Mars who crash landed his spaceship. I loved that there were many interesting themes throughout this entertaining and magical story. It focused on new friendships and helping others - two great life lessons for readers of any age. From a purely creative standpoint, I very much enjoyed the writing and would encourage the young authors to keep on writing and to keep sharing their creative energy with the world. Job well done!
James Ryan, author
James Ryan, author
5 Star Review for Zyrg The Martian Child - Janet Balletta on September 6, 2015
This is a delightful story about a martian child named Zyrg on a special mission who runs out of fuel causing his spacecraft to crash on a foreign planet. Upon exiting his spacecraft to explore the planet he notices a park called Heater's Heroes where a race is being held. He uses his magical powers to enlarge a frog, hops on him, and enters the race. He makes friends with a boy named George and a large turtle who both want to play with him and his magical frog. As they are racing through the park, they find a spacecraft Zyrg thinks can get him back home. He tries starting the spacecraft but it doesn't work. Suddenly, a lady appears and offers Zyrg some magic beans to make the spacecraft fly, if he will let her have a ride on his magic frog. He accepts her offer for the magic beans that will allow him to command the spacecraft to take him home. While he is waiting for the magic beans to take effect he teaches his new friends how to read and write Martian. Finally, Zyrg tells his friends it was the most fun filled day of his life, promises to return next year, and commands the spacecraft to take him home. Zryg the Martian Child teaches a strong message of acceptance, tolerance, and friendship. It's definitely a children's must read and worthy cause.
This is a delightful story about a martian child named Zyrg on a special mission who runs out of fuel causing his spacecraft to crash on a foreign planet. Upon exiting his spacecraft to explore the planet he notices a park called Heater's Heroes where a race is being held. He uses his magical powers to enlarge a frog, hops on him, and enters the race. He makes friends with a boy named George and a large turtle who both want to play with him and his magical frog. As they are racing through the park, they find a spacecraft Zyrg thinks can get him back home. He tries starting the spacecraft but it doesn't work. Suddenly, a lady appears and offers Zyrg some magic beans to make the spacecraft fly, if he will let her have a ride on his magic frog. He accepts her offer for the magic beans that will allow him to command the spacecraft to take him home. While he is waiting for the magic beans to take effect he teaches his new friends how to read and write Martian. Finally, Zyrg tells his friends it was the most fun filled day of his life, promises to return next year, and commands the spacecraft to take him home. Zryg the Martian Child teaches a strong message of acceptance, tolerance, and friendship. It's definitely a children's must read and worthy cause.
