Chapter Text
Summer, that time of year so sacred to children, had come again. Warm breezes and sunny days meant freedom from school, freedom to sleep in if they so chose, and freedom to play all day every day from morning until night. While their parents were still obligated to go to work and care for their homes, no loving mother or father was able to begrudge their child's joy during the three months of vacation. After all, children were only young once and for most families, the sight of their boys and girls being so happy and carefree rivaled the memories of their own childhoods.
Such had not always been the case for James Henry Trotter. When his parents had been alive, summer at the seashore was nothing short of a delight. Building sandcastles, swimming in the waves, and countless games of imagination had been the order of each summer's day. But when James had lived with Spiker and Sponge, any semblance of fun was forbidden. At his aunts' house, summer had just meant having to toil away at his chores under the glare of a blazing sun while Spiker and Sponge relaxed with glasses of lemonade and plates of biscuits. James remembered all too well the burn of the sun on his skin and the awful headaches he'd get from working in the heat with little to drink. Thankfully, well water was always available, but drawing said water was a chore unto itself and Spiker and Sponge always got mad when James stopped working for too long. As such, summer became not a season of fun, but a time of year with its own share of miseries.
Of course, considering what had happened in the middle of last summer, James couldn't say it had been all bad.
Now, nearly a year later, James could safely look forward to a true summer vacation again. His friends from his previous year at school were able to come to Central Park nearly every day to enjoy the warm sun, the fresh air, and the sheer joy that came from being able to play all day long. But, James also had to admit, a day of fun with his friends wasn't the only good thing in his life anymore.
"My goodness, even more news out of Washington." Mr. Grasshopper turned to the second page in his morning newspaper. "Have you heard about this, Centipede?"
"If you're talkin' about the Space Hotel USA, yeah. No one in the office will shut up about it."
"We learned about that in school," James said, sipping the last of his breakfast orange juice. "Mrs. Brown said that people are going to be able to start staying there in July."
"Humph, let them!" Earthworm groused. "You won't catch me goin' into space, no sir!"
"Aww, c'mon, Earthworm, you ain't a little curious?" Centipede grinned at the serpentine bug. "Bein' able to say you went to outer space for fun when most people have to spend their whole lives hoping just for a chance to go?"
"You mean the chance to potentially be devoured by alien blobs? No thank you! I may not be able to read the papers, but I've heard all about the nasty beasts those astronauts ran into!"
"If you're referring to the Vermicious Knids, I think the entire world has heard about them." Mr. Grasshopper shook his head. "Rather a stroke of luck, really. Who'd have thought Wonka's Golden Ticket Contest would get mixed up in that? Or Mr. Wonka and his new apprentice would know how to handle them? Those astronauts owe their lives to Willy Wonka and young Charlie Bucket."
"Too bad you didn't find one of those tickets last winter, eh, kid?" Centipede grinned at James.
"I don't mind," James answered. "I'm glad Charlie Bucket did, though. He and his family needed it."
"Yes, dear, we already got lucky, didn't we?" Mrs. Ladybug was collecting the breakfast dishes and paused to plant a light kiss on James's cheek as she did. "Though I must say, the Bucket family has had quite the adventure too. I'm glad they made it through relatively unscathed."
"Indeed. For all the horrors we faced, at least we never had to deal with aliens." Earthworm shuddered. "Bad enough knowing we're not alone in the universe. Now we have to live with the knowledge that a bunch of slimy brutes are just hovering above the Earth waiting for the opportunity to gobble us up."
"But Earthworm, we learned in school that the Vermicious Knids can't get to Earth. They don't have a way to protect themselves from Earth's atmosphere and would get burned up if they tried to come to Earth."
"There, see?" Centipede nodded at James. "Nothing to worry about."
"Oh really? The Vermicious Knids may not be able to get to Earth, but they certainly had no trouble gettin' into the Space Hotel. Now that they know the place is a decent hunting ground, what's stopping the Knids from simply waiting for rockets to arrive and then attacking people as soon as they set foot inside?"
"From what I understand, President Gilligrass has already addressed those concerns," Mr. Grasshopper retorted.
"You're right about that." Centipede leaned back in his chair, slurping down the last of his coffee. "Been hearin' a lot from the governor of New York. Apparently, there's a big defense plan Washington's come up with that they're gonna unveil during the official opening of the Space Hotel next month. It'll be a huge deal from the sound of it, but apparently, it's gonna solve the Knid problem once and for all."
"Oh?" Mrs. Ladybug looked back into the dining room from the kitchen. "My goodness, that will be interesting to hear about. Can you give us a clue as to what it will be, Centipede?"
"Sorry, no can do. It's all hush-hush at the moment, but officials all over the country are bein' told that they should be ready for a big announcement from the President. Whatever it is, I'll probably have to address the city personally." Centipede puffed out his chest proudly as he pulled a fresh cigar from his pocket. "Maybe we'll get a free week up in space for that."
"I'll pass, thank you very much!"
"Why don't you hear what the plan is first, Earthworm?" James asked. "It might make you feel better."
"A very good point, James." Miss Spider drifted into the kitchen, favoring her little boy with a loving smile. "And no smoking indoors, Centipede."
"I know, I know. Hope the Space Hotel has a cigar lounge."
"Ugggh." Earthworm flopped onto the mostly-cleared table. "Can we change the subject please? I can't stand any more talk of creatures from outer space tryin' to eat us!"
"There could be nice people living out in space too, Earthworm," James said. "Maybe they'll hear about the hotel and want to be friends."
"I doubt that."
"Why? You've got such a winning personality."
"Centipede!"
"C'mon, Angel Fangs, you know I'm right!"
"All joking aside, the discovery of different alien life forms is not out of the realm of possibility," Mr. Grasshopper remarked. "There is a good deal about the reaches of space we don't know about yet. Chances are there has to be some form of life that isn't hostile. It might have just been bad luck that Earth's first encounter with an alien race was one that posed a threat."
"Or it's a sign of what's to come." Earthworm slid moodily from the table and toward the stairs. "I have enough trouble with birds; I don't need to add space creatures to the mix. And since I have no work today, I'm going to burrow into my dirt piles and try to ignore the fact that slimy bug-eatin' beasts exist. But you won't catch this bug associatin' with some monster from another planet, I promise you that!"
"Oh dear, he does seem to have worked himself into a proper tizzy, hasn't he?" Mrs. Ladybug asked once Earthworm had left the dining room.
"Will he be alright?"
"Hmmm? Oh, I'm sure he will, James dear. But perhaps we really shouldn't discuss such matters in front of Earthworm from now on. I had no idea outer space made him that nervous."
"I say let him whine." Centipede rolled his eyes. "Remember when Earthworm didn't want to talk about cars 'cause he was scared of gettin' run over? Or how he first hated actually havin' to go to work 'cause he'd have to be in a human building? Or heck, remember how he hid under the hotel bed for the entire week while the pit was bein' worked on 'cause the idea of livin' in actual house almost made him faint?"
"In this case, Centipede does have a point," Miss Spider said. "Earthworm may be nervous about anything different, but that should not take away from the enjoyment of those who are excited by news such as this. And from the sound of it, there will be a lot of exciting news to hear."
"You betcha. Earthworm'll get used to it and then figure out somethin' else to be afraid of. He always does."
"But it's no fun to feel scared all the time," James noted. "I hope we didn't make Earthworm feel too badly."
"Don't worry, my boy; I'm sure Earthworm will be just fine." Mr. Grasshopper folded his paper before rising from his seat. "While we shouldn't to force him to participate in any discussions that worry him, he'll have to face his fear sooner or later. History is in the making, after all."
"Exactly. Besides, kid, you'd wanna check out the Space Hotel, wouldn't ya?"
"It does sound like fun," James said with a smile. Still, the little boy couldn't help glancing at the staircase. "But I'd feel badly if Earthworm was too scared to enjoy it."
"That's kind of you, dearie, but we don't need to worry about such things yet," Mrs. Ladybug assured him. "For now, why don't we focus on what we have here on Earth? Goodness knows we have a lot to enjoy."
"That we do." Mr. Grasshopper glanced down at his pocket watch. "I for one am going to finish my paper out on the back porch; the early summer sun is a delight."
"And I think your friends should be here shortly, James."
"Right. We're going to play by the big rocks today!"
"Go and have fun," Miss Spider told him. "I will call you when it is time for lunch."
"Yes, Miss Spider." James left the table to put his breakfast dishes in the sink.
"I'd best get ready for my shift." Mrs. Ladybug rubbed her hands on her apron before heading upstairs to change for her job at the hospital. "I should be back around six, but the chicken breasts are defrosting in the fridge and I bought new red potatoes."
"I will put them in the oven at four," Miss Spider assured her. "I will have to leave for my club between nine and nine-thirty, but I have a lot of paperwork to look over before then. There are a lot of people looking to use the space for wedding receptions this summer."
"Which means you're gonna be extra busy in about nine months, Mrs. Ladybug."
"Oh really, Centipede!"
"Hey, just sayin'!"
"What's that mean, Centipede?" James asked.
"Never mind, dear boy!" Mr. Grasshopper gave Centipede a meaningful look before guiding James toward the back door of the house. "Come, I'll walk you outside. If you or your friends need anything, I'll be there to keep an eye on you."
"Okay." James smiled up at his guardian before asking,
"Mr. Grasshopper? Do you think there are nice people living on another planet?"
"I would say the odds are in favor of that, James. After all, just because we don't know that something exists doesn't mean it isn't so. Why do you ask?"
"Well, a lot of kids in school read stories about aliens attacking Earth and people fighting them, but there aren't a lot of stories about people becoming friends with aliens. I think that kind of story would be fun too."
"Do you now?" Mr. Grasshopper smiled at his son. "Well, James, perhaps that is a story you yourself will have to write one day. And who knows? Given everything that's happened, it might end up being a true story!"
"Maybe," James agreed with a smile. "But I think Tessa and I should try to make up a story like that first. We could act out a story about animal people from another planet with our toys."
"If you do, write it down; I'd love to read it. But for now," Mr. Grasshopper nodded at the group of children approaching the peach pit, "go be with your friends, James."
James leaned against Mr. Grasshopper's side for a moment before running off to join the other children. Mr. Grasshopper watched his son fondly before settling down into one of the deck chairs and turning his attention back the news of the day. Bright summer sun beamed down upon Central Park as the laughter of children intermingled with the air. The soft blue sky was dotted with puffy clouds and not a single Vermicious Knid would be able to force its way past them to threaten the people of Earth.
Nor, in fact, would the Knids be able to threaten Space Hotel USA thanks to some very unlikely friends from a planet yet unknown to most of humankind.