Little House on Big Mars by SAM Gordon

Edited by Anne De Luca

Dedicated to Elle Miami Gordon. My little writer, explorer, daughter and friend.

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Chapter 1 The Cyclone As the sun set they gathered around the fire that Pa had made. It was a long day of traveling. They had to cross two rivers today and everyone was soaked to the bone. The good news was that Mary was able to catch some delicious fish at the second river and they all ate good. Soon after the sun set they all tucked themselves in for a well-earned sleep. The sky was especially clear that night. Laura lay looking up at the endless stars and drifted off to sleep.

Jack was the first sound that Laura heard, soon followed by Ma trying to get everyone awake. It was still dark and Laura didn't understand what all the commotion was all about. But once she opened her eyes and looked across the prairie she knew why Ma sounded so anxious. Coming their way was a giant cyclone. It was spinning and swirling around. Laura closed her eyes and wished it gone but when she opened them the cyclone was still there. Pa quickly piled everything and everyone into the wagon. He told everyone to keep their heads down and hold on to each other. Carrie held onto Ma, Mary held on to Laura, and Pa held on to Jack. Laura looked out of the wagon and noticed that it was still a very clear night and there wasn't a storm cloud to be seen. But that cyclone was just

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feet away from the wagon. She could hear it getting closer and closer and closer…

When she woke up she was still holding tightly on to Mary. The sun had come up but they were all still in the shade of the wagon. Laura was the first one to look out of the wagon. When she saw what was outside the wagon she let out a shriek that quickly woke everyone else up. Jack was startled awake and jumped out of the wagon fearlessly barking at whatever shocked Laura. But his barking turned into a confused look. Ma, Pa, Mary, Carrie, and Laura all stuck their heads in the opening of the wagon and looked amazed.

They weren't on the prairie anymore. Laura stepped out of the wagon and scooped up Jack. She looked all around her and felt the soft green grass below her feet. She looked up and instead of a sky there was a beautiful sheet of ice covering the entire heavens. On the horizon she could see a glowing yellow liquid that created a sweet soft light that covered the whole land. In the distance she could see mountains and hills and behind her she saw a giant pool of water. It looked like the cleanest most beautiful lake she had ever seen. Pa joined her and they spun around in amazement.

Laura asked Pa, "What happened, how did we get here?" Pa replied, "It must have been that cyclone, I think it picked up that whole wagon and then set us down here." "But Pa," Laura asked, "Where is here?"

Later that day Pa, Laura and Mary decided to take a short hike up to the nearby ridge to get a better look at the land. They left Jack with Ma and started to climb. When they got to the top of the ridge they could see for miles in all directions. Pa had a confused look on his face and so did Mary. But Laura smiled with excitement. Pa broke the silence with his explanation of what he thought they were looking at. They way Pa explained it was that they must be in some sort of giant cave of ice. He pointed out the yellow glowing lava and the ice above. He told Laura and Mary that where they were between the hot and cold must be a balance of temperature that allows for all the water and land and plants that they could see. Where the lava touched the beautiful lake of water steam went up into the air. Mary pointed to a space on the ceiling where melted water was dripping from the ice ceiling just like rain. It was truly a magical place.

Laura asked, "Pa where is the sun?" Pa shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe there isn't a sun here?" "How will we know when it is bedtime?" asked Laura. Mary laughed that in all this craziness Laura was worried about bedtime.

It turns out Laura's question wasn't so silly after all. When everyone started getting tired and Pa said he figured it was about 8 o'clock at night it was a still as bright as could be outside. In the place where they were the light came from the lava and the lava never went away. So there was never any dark. Ma knew the kids wouldn't be able to Â

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go to sleep well in the light so Pa got to work building a new shelter to block out the light. With Mary and Laura helping it didn't take long to get something built. They found plenty of wood and new plants with giant leaves that they could use for a roof. Ma gathered everyone inside and got some supplies from the wagon and made it feel comfortable. Everyone lay quietly with their own thoughts. Laura didn't know where they were or what was going to happen next but she figured a good night's sleep would help with whatever tomorrow would bring. She pulled Jack up close to her and dozed off exhausted.

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Chapter 2 You Don't Eat With Your Eyes The next day Laura started to feel a rumbling in her tummy. They had packed a wagon full of provisions but Ma and Pa were being very careful to not eat too much. They had no idea how long their food would have to last. They had spent most of the morning working on their new cabin. They had found all the materials they needed. While Pa built the structure, Laura and Mary wove the leaves together to make a strong waterproof roof. They were all very impressed with how quickly they were able to set up their new home. But they were all very hungry.

Ma told Pa that they would need to find some new food. Pa nodded in agreement and asked for volunteers to go help him find some lunch. Laura volunteered and Jack tagged along as they wandered off into the woods next to the lake. Laura asked, "What are we looking for Pa? None of these plants look familiar." Pa answered, "Laura, I am not sure what we are looking for but I hope we find a lot of it." Just then they came upon a clearing with a beautiful old tree in the center of it. On the tree there was large round fruit. The fruit was yellow with shiny orange spots on it. It looked delicious. Laura ran to

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the tree excited to fill her belly. They looked so delicious and she just knew that something so bright and beautiful had to be sweet. Just as she reached up to grab a big juicy piece Pa grabbed her arm.

"Laura, don't eat that. It isn't safe," Pa said. "If this fruit were edible the animals would have picked all this low hanging fruit. We shouldn't eat anything unless we see the animals here eating it. That is how you know it isn't poisonous."

Laura was disappointed and so was her tummy. But she understood why her dad was being cautious. Instead of looking for fruit on plants Laura started to take notice of the animals. She saw some bright purple birds circling around some bushes at the bottom of a small hill. She grabbed Pa's hand and led him over to the bushes. Once they were close enough they saw the birds were eating some small green berries. Pa reached out and grabbed one. He chewed on it for a while and Laura tried to figure out if it tasted good by the look on Pa's face. Pa didn't really look that happy and kind of confused. Laura asked what it tasted like and Pa said, "Milk." Laura didn't believe her dad and thought he was playing a joke on her. She grabbed a couple of the green berries and tried them herself. Sure enough Pa was right. These little green berries tasted just like milk. They looked at each other with a confused look. Laura said, "Well at least it doesn't taste like brussel sprouts."

They went right to work filling up one of the baskets that they had with Â

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them with the green berries that they decided to call Milk Berries. Once they had their basket filled they decided to walk a little deeper into the woods. Pa pointed out to Laura a cute little fuzzy animal. It was kind of like a squirrel but it had long curly white hair. It kind of looked like a squirrel with a white winter coat on. They decided to follow one of them to see where it lived. They followed the fuzzy little guy for several minutes and he seemed to be in a hurry. Eventually he stopped at the edge of a large rock and started to dig. His pretty white hair was soon covered in dark brown mud. He dug and dug and dug. Finally he pulled up a brown lumpy thing that looked kind of like a mushroom or a root. He started to chew on it and twitched his tail. It was then that the fuzzy little creature noticed Pa and Laura watching him. He grabbed the root in his mouth and took off up a tree. He jumped from branch to branch, tree to tree and Laura quickly lost track of him. Pa walked over to the hole that the snow squirrel had dug and reached down and grabbed some of the root. It was lumpy and mushy and covered in dirt. Pa brushed off most of the dirt and smelled the lumpy little clump. Laura thought Pa was crazy as she watched him take a bite of it. "Pa what are you thinking?" Pa's face lit up. He smiled from ear to ear. "Laura you have to try this, it is amazing!" Pa exclaimed. Laura thought to herself that there was no way she was going to eat that dirty old brown lump. But then she saw Pa take another bite and then another. He was so excited and made the same face he makes when he eats Ma's Famous Bacon Breakfast. Pa reached down into the hole and pulled out another piece and brushed off the dirt. He held it out to Laura. He knew that Â

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Laura didn't like the way it looked but he walked over closer to Laura and said "You don't eat with your eyes." Laura reluctantly took the brown lump into her hand. It was cold and smushy. It wasn't really slimy but kind of floppy. She knew that Pa wasn't going to let it rest until she took a bite so she decided to be brave. She closed her eyes tight and brought the lump to her mouth. She took the smallest little nibble and let it fall onto her tongue.

Instantly she knew what Pa was smiling about. It tasted amazing. It was like a salty chocolate marshmallow. She hadn't had chocolate for a long time and it felt like such a special treat. She took another bite but much bigger this time. Pa gave her a big hug. His eyes said that he was proud of her for trying the new food even if it didn't look that appetizing. They each finished their lumpy clumps and started to dig a bigger hole. They found handfuls of the sweet stuff and filled a bag with it to share with the rest of the family. They knew that there was bound to be more food out in these magical woods but they also knew that everyone back at the cabin was hungry for lunch so they headed back loaded down with Milk Berries and Lumpy Clumps for dessert.

While they were out gathering food Ma and Mary had set up their new cabin with all the furniture they had packed into the wagon. They all sat around the dinner table and Pa gave the basket of berries to Ma. Pa and Laura decided to keep the Lumpy Clumps a secret surprise for after lunch. Ma tasted the Milk Berries and decided to make a Â

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yummy soup with them. It didn't take her long to put together an amazingly delicious recipe. They all sat around the table and shared stories about where they thought they were. Mary thought they were in California, Ma said Southern France, Laura guessed Canada. Pa just smiled and ate his Milk Berry Soup. Once everyone was done with their lunch Pa announced that he had a surprise. Laura pulled a piece of the Lumpy Clumps out of the bag under the table. "Ewww, what is that?" Mary asked. "Laura, why did you bring that dirty mushy stuff into the clean new cabin?" Ma exclaimed. Pa winked at Laura. "You don't eat with your eyes," Laura said as she took a giant bite of the brown lumpy substance. Ma almost passed out from how disgusting it looked. Laura gave everyone a piece and encouraged them to eat it. Carrie instantly chomped down on it and let out a giggle. Pa laughed and took a big bite himself. Then Mary, after smelling it closely, decided to give it a chance. Ma watched Mary's reaction and when she saw Mary's smile of delight Ma decided to be brave too. Ma took a nibble and let out a giant laugh. "That is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted in my life!" Ma said. Laura looked around the table at her family smiling and chomping the Lumpy Clumps. She was feeling less and less nervous about this new place. She decided she might like it here.

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Chapter 3 Ursa Laura and her family were starting to figure out life in their new home. It was a very strange and interesting place. The lake was perfect for swimming and Laura loved going on exploration hikes with Pa. They had discovered all kinds of new delicious fruits and vegetables. On the far side of the lake they found a prairie full of a plants that looked a lot like corn but instead of yellow they were blue. In the woods they found some beautiful trees that had giant and tasty nuts in them. The nuts were the size of watermelons and one nut could feed the whole family. Ma was busy turning it into a paste so they could eat it like peanut butter.

One day Pa, Laura and Mary decided to go on another hike. Jack wanted to come along but Pa told him to stay home with Ma and Carrie. They decided to explore some cliffs on the far side of the woods. It was a long hike through the entire woods so they left right after breakfast. As they walked through the woods Mary spotted a Melon Nut Tree that they hadn't seen before. Pa pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket. At Laura's suggestion, Pa had started making a map of the forest and all the new lands around their house. Pa noted where this new Melon Nut Tree was and then folded the paper back up and they kept marching on.

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They were almost to the far edge of the woods when Laura started to feel a little hungry and her tummy let out a growl that both Pa and Mary heard. Mary suggested maybe it would be a good time to take a break and have some lunch. They found a nice big clearing and sat down and spread out the nice picnic that Ma had prepared. They had some Blue Corn Tortillas with Melon Nut spread and Wheel Berry jam. They decided to call them Wheel Berries because when you cut them open the pieces inside looked just like the spokes of the covered wagon wheel. Mary commented on how their lunch tasted just like peanut butter and jelly sandwichesâ&#x20AC;Ś but a little bit different. A little bit different like everything in their new land.

As they were finishing their lunch they all heard a rustling in the woods behind where Laura was sitting. They all turned to look but couldn't see anything. Pa said it was probably just a bird or one of those white furry squirrels. They continued packing up their picnic, but then they heard it again, but this time it was behind Mary. Pa had the girls get behind him and he grabbed his gun. Just then a giant brown bear jumped out of the bushes and started to rush towards Pa. Laura and Mary let out a loud scream but Pa didn't make a sound or budge an inch. He stood still as the large beast came closer and closer. Laura was so confused as to why Pa hadn't shot the bear yet. She was worried he was frozen in fear and went to reach for the gun herself. Just as she reached for the gun Pa dropped it and put his arms out toward the bear. Laura thought Pa had completely lost his Â

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mind and was going to try and wrestle the bear to protect his daughters. But then Laura was even more confused when she witnessed Pa and the bear embraced in what could only be called a bear hug. Pa was laughing as he hugged the bear tighter and tighter. The bear licked Pa's face and Pa giggled. Laura wasn't used to hearing Pa giggle much. She wasn't used to seeing him hug bears either. Eventually the bear and Pa stopped hugging and Pa looked over at a shocked Laura and Mary.

"Girls, this is my old friend Ursa." Pa said, "Ursa mean bear in Latin." Laura wasn't really interested in a Latin lesson she wanted to know why her dad was hugging a bear and how his "old friend" was in this very strange place. Pa knew it was time to tell his daughters the secret he knew he needed to tell them the day they arrived here from that cyclone.

"Mary, Laura," Pa said. "I know this land is new to you, but this isn't the first time I have been here. We are on Mars. I was born here and so was your Ma. We both grew up here and after we were married we signed up to become explorers. We were assigned to go explore the planet Earth. While we were on Earth we were supposed to discover how people lived there. We learned their customs, we learned about their plants and animals, we learned about their technology. While we Â

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were on Earth you girls were born and Ma and I thought it would be best to let you think you were just like everyone else. We couldn't let anyone know that we were Martians or it would ruin our exploration. So that is why we haven't told you the truth until now." Pa continued, "I knew that someday we would be called back here to our home planet to report on our research. I guess now is that time. I am sure you have questions and I will do my best to answer them."

Mary asked, "So that cyclone did you know it would bring us here?" "Yes." answered Pa. Laura asked, "So you already know what foods are safe and what is poisonous?" "Yes." answered Pa. "So why did you not tell us earlier about the food and the whole Mars thing?" Laura exclaimed. Pa replied, "Because I wanted to teach you how to be good explorers incase that is what you want to be when you grow up. Like your Ma and I did." "Is that bear going to eat us?" said Mary. Pa laughed, "No. Ursa wouldn't hurt anything. On Mars bears are kept as pets, like dogs on Earth. I got Ursa when I was 10 years old. Leaving Ursa behind was the hardest thing about becoming an explorer. But I knew I would see him again one day."

Mary and Laura looked at each other. They both found comfort that the other looked as confused and shocked as they did. Laura couldn't Â

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get over the fact that she was a Martian. She thought it was a little odd that Ma and Pa weren't more freaked out by landing in a completely weird and different land. They both seemed to be smiling more now that we were here. Laura thought it was just because there was plenty of food and the weather was nice. But now she knew it was because they were finally back home.

Pa broke the awkward silence by saying, "We should probably head back home. Ma will be wondering what we found today." Laura replied back. "What we found today was the truth that we are MARTIANS!!" Pa laughed and explained that they would get used to it eventually. They headed back to their house with Ursa trailing behind them.

As they approached they house Ma was hanging some laundry on the line outside. She saw them coming and then she saw Ursa behind them. She started running toward them. As soon as Ursa saw Ma he took off running too. They met in an even bigger hug than Pa had, and Ma knocked Ursa to the ground. They rolled around laughing. Ma was so happy she had tears in her eyes. It was very strange to see Ma rolling around with a giant brown bear, but strange was happening a lot lately.

Mary asked Pa, "I thought you said Ursa was your bear, why does he seem to like Ma even more than you?" Pa explained, "Ursa was the reason me and your Ma met. She loves Â

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Mars Bears and she thought my Ursa was the most beautiful one she had ever seen.” “Sometimes I wonder if you Ma married me just to be able to spend more time with Ursa." Ma, Pa, Mary and Laura all had a good laugh.

Chapter 4 Pa's Report At dinner that night Laura was full of questions. "Where are all the other people… the Martians?" Laura asked. "Do they look like us? Do they speak English? Are we aliens to them? Are there other Martians on Earth?"

Pa waited for Laura to get all of her questions out and then he told her everything she needed to know. The rest of the people are in a village near by. The reason they have been living in this cabin by the woods is that they have been under quarantine. He explained that a quarantine is when you come from a different land you have to stay away from everyone for a couple of weeks to make sure no germs came with you from the other planet. Pa knew that once their quarantine was over they would send a messenger to let them know it was okay to come into the village. Pa never guessed they would send Ursa as the messenger, but if anyone would be able to find Ma and Pa in the woods it would be Ursa. Pa said that the Martians looked just like Earth humans and everyone on Mars knows how to speak English. Pa said that he and Ma were the first Martians to explore Earth but maybe more Martians would travel there in the future. Pa told everyone to get a good nightʼs rest because tomorrow they would be going into the village.

Mary started to fuss with Ma over what to wear. Carrie quickly discovered that Ursa was fun to climb on and was as gentle as a summer breeze. Pa was busy writing something on a piece of paper and Ma went to the lake for a quick bath. Laura was flooded with thoughts of what tomorrow was going to be like. She was excited to see a real Martian village and real Martians, well other than Ma and Pa. Jack was hiding under Laura's bed because he was not convinced that Ursa was friendly just yet. Laura saw Jack and took him into her bed and curled up and went to sleep.

The next morning everyone was quiet at breakfast. Pa seemed nervous. Ma seemed excited. Mary had been up for a long time fixing her hair. Pa told everyone it was going to be about a two hour hike and everyone needed to take turns pulling Carrie in the little wagon that Pa had made for her. As soon as Pa finished his last bite Ursa began to paw at the door. Ursa was anxious to get to the village too. So they began their hike. Laura walked up front with Pa. They crossed over to a side of the lake they hadn't been before. Laura used to be curious as to why Pa never seemed to want to explore these hills but at they reached the top of the first hill she discovered why. In the distance she could see a giant village. Hundreds of homes and stores. She could see covered wagons being pulled by bears, giant green parks and a village center with a beautiful tower in the center. She pointed to the tower and asked if that is where they were going. Pa nodded yes.

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As they got closer to the village Ursa ran ahead. Ma called out for Ursa to come back, but Pa told her to let him go. After a couple more minutes of walking they could see other people walking toward them. There was a team of bears pulling a giant wagon. As they got closer they noticed Ursa was one of the bears pulling the wagon. On the wagon was a sign that said "Welcome Back!" Ma told everyone to climb onto the wagon. The wagon was decorated with ribbons and flowers and soft squishy chairs for everyone to sit on. Everyone climbed on and Pa let out a call that got the bears taking the family into town. They reached the edge of the village and discovered that they were the main attraction in a Welcome Back Parade. Pa and Ma were heroes to the Martians and they lined the street waving and shouting their gratitude. Pa was right. They did look just like Earth humans. There were old and young, boy and girl humans. Laura thought it was very exciting to be at the center of attention. She waved back at the hundreds of villagers as their wagon was pulled through town to the village center.

At the base of the large tower was a stage with a large sign that read "Welcome Back Earth Explorers". Ma and Pa helped their girls out of the wagon and onto the stage. The people who lined the streets had followed the wagon as it passed and now they were all standing in anticipation in front of the stage. Pa walked up to the front of the stage and pulled out the paper he had been writing on the night before.

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"People of Mars," Pa announced. "We have returned from Earth - a beautiful and curious planet. It is full of amazing plants and wonderful animals. It has challenging weather and days that are measured in light and dark. We found very kind people who were generous and helpful. But we also found people who were full of fear and selfishness. The most special thing we found on Earth was beautiful art and music and dance. For years we made Earth our home but now we have returned to you. I will file my official Explorer's Report with the Mayor and I will be available to answer any questions that you may have. My family and I want to thank you for this warm welcome and I want to thank you in advance for welcoming my daughters into our community. Have a ridiculously amazing day."

The audience erupted in applause. Laura felt very proud of her Ma and Pa and understood the important work they had been doing on Earth. A man came up and introduced himself to the family as the Mayor. The Mayor invited them all back to his home for lunch. The crowd was still cheering and everyone around the stairs to the stage reached out to shake Ma and Pa's hands. Laura and Mary were shocked that their parents were celebrities. As they made their way through the villagers to the Mayor's home Laura noticed all the shops in the village. She saw a toy store, a general store, a music shop, and a library. Laura was excited to spend some time in the village. She had never shopped on Mars before. Â

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Chapter 5 Jill They finally made their way all the way to the Mayor's house. On his porch, Laura saw his lovely family. The Mayor introduced his wife, Bunny, his 15 year old son Tom, and Jill his 6 year old daughter. Jill looked very friendly and Laura thought it was very nice to meet someone her age. Immediately Jill asked her mom if she could take Laura up to her room to play. Bunny thought that would be a great idea, so Jill took Laura up the stairs to her room. It was a big room full of beautiful furniture. She had a giant canopy bed and a dresser with a row of books on top. On Jill's bed she had a beautiful collection of stuffed animals. Laura pointed to one of the stuffed animals and told Jill that it looked a lot like their dog Jack. Jill was excited to hear that Laura brought an Earth dog back with them. In the corner by a beautiful window there was a desk where Jill explained that she liked to do her homework. Laura walked over to the desk and looked out the window. From there she could see the village center, the beautiful tower and all the shops. She could also see over to the hills where Laura and her family have been living.

"So tell me all about Earth," Jill said. Jill had a very friendly face and she seemed so excited to hear about Laura's adventures on a foreign planet. Laura said she would tell her all about Earth if Jill would tell her all about Mars. They made a deal and Jill showed Laura a secret

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handshake that meant that they promised to follow through on their agreement. So Laura spent the next hour answering all of Jill's questions. Just when it was time for Jill to answer some of Laura's questions they got called downstairs for lunch. Laura made Jill promise that it would be her turn to ask questions after lunch. Jill said, "We shook on it didn't we?"

Lunch was delicious. There was a huge variety of foods that the Mayor's family had that Laura hadn't found out by their house. Ma and Pa kept on saying how much they missed good old fashioned Martian cooking. Laura was super excited to hear that they were going to have Lumpy Clump Pie for dessert. While they were waiting for dessert to come out the Mayor told Ma and Pa that the villagers had pooled their resources together and built them a home in the village all stocked with furniture and food. Each of the children were going to be able to have their own room, and Ma was excited to have a big kitchen to cook in. Laura was so excited she almost wanted to skip the pie and go straight over to see their new house, but it was Lumpy Clump Pie so she decided she could wait a little while longer.

After lunch was over the Mayor got up to walk Laura and her family over to their new house. Jill asked her dad to wait just one second and she ran up stairs. Moments later she came back down the stairs with her friendly smile bigger than ever with the stuffed animal that looked like Jack in her arms. She handed the stuffed dog to Laura and said, "Here you can have this. We didn't stock your new house Â

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with toys yet because we didn't know what you liked. But you should have at least one thing for your new room." Even though they had just met Laura knew she had found a good friend. She gave Jill a big hug and said that she would have to come over for a visit later.

As they walked up to their new home they were all overwhelmed by how big it was. It was beautiful with flowers out on the front porch. As they entered the house they saw all the beautiful furnishings. Carrie loved all the open space to waddle and explore in. Mary took off up the stairs to try and find her room, Laura stayed with Ma and Pa as the Mayor gave a tour of the house. Eventually they got upstairs and the Mayor said that the bedroom was for Laura. She was amazed at having her own space. Ma told her to go try out the bed. Laura ran across the room and took a dive onto her fluffy bed. She had never laid on anything so soft before. It was like her bed was hugging her back as she laid in it. Laura told them to continue on the tour without them, she was going to explore her room a little bit more. She went over to her window and looked out at the village. Then she was excited to see that she could see the Mayorʼs house a couple of streets over, and she could actually see Jill's bedroom window. She was excited to be so close to her new friend. She put the stuffed dog that she had been carrying onto her bed. It looked perfect there.

She caught up to her parents and the Mayor in the kitchen. Ma was opening all the cabinets that were full of food and utensils. She didn't know what to do first. Then the Mayor said that evening there was going to be a cookout in the park if we wanted to join in. He said it was fine if we wanted to take the night to settle in to our new home. Pa told him that he appreciated the invitation but he needed to get back to the cabin to pick up Jack and get some of the familyʼs personal belongings. The Mayor offered to help but Pa said that he had done more than enough.

Laura told Pa she wanted to go with him back to the cabin to get Jack and the wagon full of stuff. So Laura and Pa and Ursa headed off while Mary and Ma started making their house a home. On their walk back Laura continued to ask Pa all about life on Mars. Pa explained how the lava and ice and made for a perfect environment but the Martians had to be very careful to respect the resources and keep the hot and cold in balance. Pa told Laura about going to school and learning all about the universe and science and math. He explained that the stories he read as a kid is what inspired him to become an explorer. Then Pa told her that she and Mary would be starting school in a couple of days. That made Laura very excited. She loved the idea of learning about the universe, and being around other kids her age. Pa told Laura that the Mayor said she would be in Jill's class so she already had a friend. Laura started to walk a little faster she was so excited.

Once they got to their cabin Pa loaded up the wagon. Laura worked on convincing Jack that Ursa wasn't going to eat him. Jack eventually came around to realize that having a big friend like Ursa might come in handy. After only a few moments of sniffing at each other Jack and Ursa were running around the yard playing with each other. Laura helped Pa load up the last items and then they headed back to the village. There wasn't a parade this time but everyone they did see on the street came over to Laura and Pa and said hello. Many of them offered to help unload the wagon, but Pa was proud and thanked them but insisted that we do it ourselves. As they got close to their home Laura asked Pa if she could quickly run over to the Mayor's house and show Jill her dog. Pa thought that would be okay and Laura took off down the road. She knocked on the door and Jill's mom answered. She was happy to see Laura and called for Jill to come down. The minute Jill saw Jack she let out a shriek of excitement. "He is SOOOO cute!" Jill said. Laura and Jill sat down on the lawn and watched Jack run around. He was showing off for his new friend. He came over and gave Jill a big lick on her face. Jill laughed and then giggled uncontrollably. She had never been kissed by an Earth Dog before. Laura told Jill that she and Jack had to get back to her house and help unload the wagon. Jill understood and gave Laura a big hug for coming by and introducing her to Jack. Jill gave Jack a rub on the head and headed back into her house as Laura turned to go back home. "See you tomorrow Laura," Jill said. "Bye," said Laura. Laura was so excited to have a new friend. Â

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Chapter 6 Special Talents Laura woke up feeling nervous and excited. It was her first day of school on Mars. Jill had already told her about their teacher when she came over to play the day before. Their teacherʼs name was Mr. Blackwell and he used to be an explorer like Ma and Pa. He spent his time on Jupiter and if the class was good sometimes Mr. Blackwell would tell them stories about his adventures. Mr. Blackwell was a nice man but he was very strict about the rules and kept his classroom very orderly. Jill said she would come by and walk with Mary and Laura to school. Laura was ready early and sat on the front porch tossing a stick for Jack to fetch. When Jill arrived Mary had just finished getting ready. Then the three of them walked to the school. It was a beautiful building with pictures of famous Martians and planets and wild animals on the walls. Jill walked Mary to Mrs. Oblong's class where she would be, then Jill and Laura walked to Mr. Blackwell's room.

Martian school had been in session for several weeks already and Laura knew she was going to have to talk with Mr. Blackwell about catching up on her assignments. When she walked into the class she saw written on the board "Special Talent Report Day". This made her nervous because she didn't know what was special about her. Jill walked Laura up to Mr. Blackwell's desk where he was busy writing in

a notebook. Laura said, "Hello." and he looked up. He gave a friendly smile and said, “You must be our new Earth Explorer. I talked to your dad the other day; we used to be friends when we were in school. I am sure you have some good stories for us about Earth." Then Mr. Blackwell explained that today was a great first day for Laura because all of her new classmates were going to be giving reports on their special talents. He told Laura that they had been working on this assignment for two weeks and they should be very helpful for her learning about her classmates.

Mr. Blackwell gave Laura a seat right behind Jill towards the back of the class. She looked around the room at all the posters and books and information on the bulletin board. It was so much to take in. Then Mr. Blackwell took attendance and introduced Laura to the class. Everyone seemed very friendly and excited to have a new classmate. Then the teacher asked for a volunteer to go first with their Special Talent Report. A little boy jumped up and went to the front of the class. He put up his poster that showed his talent of running fast. He said, "My name is Harry and I can run faster than a yub-yub-bird." Laura didn't know how fast a yub-yub-bird could fly so she didn't know whether or not to be impressed. Then Harry said, "Now for my demonstration I will go pick a pink flower from the village center that is 1 mile away and return in 7 seconds." Laura laughed a little. That was ridiculous. Not even a horse at full sprint could do that run in less than 6 minutes. Harry asked the class to count and he took off in a blur. One, two, three, four, five, six, and then like magic there Harry

was with a pink flower in his hand. Everyone clapped and Harry took a bow and then returned to his seat. Then Jill raised her hand to go next. Mr. Blackwell called Jill up to the front of the class where she put up her Special Talent poster. She said, "Hello my name is Jill and I can speed read. For my demonstration I am going to read these 32 books in 14 seconds." Laura thought that sounded ridiculous but she had learned that ridiculous is pretty normal on Mars. Jill started reading and the class counted, 10, 11, 12, "Done!" Jill shouted. Jill had turned the pages faster than anyone she knew could move. Mr. Blackwell wanted to make sure she actually read the books so he asked Jill, "What is page 234 of The Cold Night about?" Jill answered, "That is about how the little girl in the book learned to make bread with her grandma." Mr. Blackwell nodded his head in approval, proving that Jill was correct. Laura was amazed. Her new friend was a genius. Then Mr. Blackwell called on a boy named Juan. Juan put up his poster showing a drawing of him flying over the village tower. He said, "My name is Juan and I can fly." Laura was feeling more and more impressed by her classmates, but she was also feeling less and less special. Juan demonstrated his flight by flying out the window and flying around the village tower.

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Then another student showed how they could make fire with their hands. Then another showed how they could see through walls, and another showed how they could walk on water. Laura was exhausted of being amazed. Then Mr. Blackwell asked her, "Laura what is your special talent?" Laura was embarrassed; she didn't have any super powers to share with the class. Laura said, "I can only imagine what it would be like to have a special talent like you guys." The class let out a gasp of shock. "Did you say you can imagine?" Mr. Blackwell asked, surprised. "Of course I can imagine things, that is what your imagination is for." Jill turned around and told Laura, "We don't have imaginations, and imagination is one of the rarest talents on Mars. Most Martians only know what they read or what they learn. They can't imagine things that are not real or haven't been made yet. You are the most talented of all of us." Laura was confused. How could you not have imagination? But then she realized that Juan might think it was weird that Laura couldn't fly because it came easy to him. Mr. Blackwell asked if Laura could give a demonstration. Laura asked the class how she could demonstrate her imagination. A boy in the front row told her to tell the class a story that she imagined.

Laura thought it was a very simple and strange request but she did like making up stories. Laura walked up to the front of the class and closed her eyes and let her imagination show her a story. Then she told it to the class. It was a silly story about a flightless bird who wanted to live on top of a mountain but he kept on slipping down every time he got close to the top. But he got his friends to help him Â

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by building an animal ladder to the top of the mountain. Once the bird got to the top he realized he was scared of heights and moved back to the beach. The class loved her story. They were laughing and particularly liked the part when the animals built the ladder. The class all clapped and they were excited to have someone with imagination in their class. Laura felt very special after all.

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Chapter 7 The Library Laura loved going to the library. Every Saturday Jill and Laura would go to the library after lunch and spend all afternoon reading. Jill would read hundreds of books and Laura would read one or two. Jill loved reading but she didn't like having to put the books back on the shelf. But Laura loved it. One Saturday the librarian, Mrs. Page, showed Laura how the numbers on the side of the books showed you where the book belonged on the shelf. Laura was fascinated. It was like a big game. Laura loved Saturdays because Jill always made giant stacks of books that needed to be put back.

Mrs. Page was very grateful to Laura for helping put back the books. Before Laura became Jill's friend Mrs. Page had to leave 15 minutes of her Saturdays for putting Jill's stack of books away. Mrs. Page saw Ma and Laura at the store one day and told Ma how much help Laura was around the library. Ma felt very proud. Ma and Mrs. Page were friends when they were younger, much like Laura and Jill. Ma had imagination and Mrs. Page loved stories. Mrs. Page and Ma used to have sleepovers and Ma would just tell silly stories all night. Mrs. Page became the librarian because she loved stories so much she wanted to surround herself with them. Mrs. Page asked Ma if Laura could come by the library at closing time to help her put the books from that day back on the shelf and that she would pay Laura for her

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work. Laura said, "Please Ma, please!!!" Ma said that she thought that would be fine.

So every day right after dinner Laura would go down the library and help Mrs. Page put the books back. Laura would ask Mrs. Page about being a librarian and she would show Laura all the different jobs that librarians have to do. Sometimes Mrs. Page would ask Laura to tell her stories. Laura was happy to share her talent. One day Mrs. Page gave Laura a book filled with blank pages. Laura looked confused until Mrs. Page explained that the book was for her to write down her stories. Mrs. Page encouraged Laura to start writing some of her stories down and that she was a very talented writer. Laura felt very proud and special.

That night Laura started to write her stories down. Some of her stories would be about living on Earth. Some of them would be silly stories about animals. Some of her stories would be about Martians and how much they love their Lumpy Clumps. One story she wrote was about a book that had feelings and how it loved being read and checked out. The story was about the book getting lost under the bed of a little boy and some of the other things he meets there. The book starts out scared about his future but then realizes being under the bed isn't so bad when you get to be friends with the missing sock and the bouncy ball that are under the bed with you. When Laura shared that story with Mrs. Page she insisted that Laura send the story to Mr. Frank the bookmaker. But Laura was too shy. Â

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Jill loved the story too and asked Laura if she could have a copy of it. Laura was happy her friend liked it so much and got to work on making her a special homemade book. She even added pictures to Jill's version of the story. She stayed up almost all night putting it together. In the morning before school she gave the book to Jill. Jill loved it. It was even better with the pictures. Once they got to school Jill asked Mr. Blackwell to read it to the class. Laura was a little embarrassed when he agreed to read it after lunch, but she was also a little proud. Mr. Blackwell read the book to the class. He always used funny voices when he read books to the class, it made them more fun. All of her classmates loved the book too.

After school Laura invited Jill to go get some ice cream at the general store. Laura had saved all of her money from helping Mrs. Page at the library and liked taking her friends and family out for treats every now and then. Jill said she would love to go get some ice cream but she had to run an errand first. Laura decided to walk with Jill on her errand. They walked past the library, the general store, the toy store and then they went into Mr. Frank's book shop. Laura suddenly realized what was going on. Jill walked up to the counter and put Laura's book in front of Mr. Frank. He picked it up and started to read Â

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it. He giggled, he laughed, he nodded his head up and down. By the time he got to the last page Jill already knew what he was going to say. Mr. Frank said, "Laura, you have written a very good book, and I love your illustrations. May I please publish your book? I think you are going to be a famous author someday." Laura couldn't say no. She was so happy that everyone loved her book. She was proud of her imagination and she was excited that she could make other people have happiness. She was also grateful to have a friend like Jill that wouldn't let her hide her talent.

A couple of weeks later Laura went to her job at the library. Mrs. Page told Laura they had received a special shipment of new books that need to be put on the shelves. About halfway through the box Laura looked down and saw her book, actually ten copies of her book. She helped Mrs. Page put the numbers on the side of the books so that they would always know where they go. She found where they belonged out on the library floor and placed them on the shelf. Mrs. Page came over and grabbed one of them back off the shelf and said, "I need this one, I am checking it out tonight."

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Chapter 8 Birthday Laura was so excited. It was her seventh birthday. A couple of months ago she was on Earth and now here she was on Mars on her birthday. She had no idea what to expect. Usually Ma and Pa bugged her about what she wanted for gifts but this year nobody asked her anything. She walked downstairs to breakfast and nobody mentioned anything to her other than "Good morning." After breakfast Laura and Mary walked to school. Laura tried to bring up the subject of her birthday without sounding too pushy. "Looks like it is going to be a beautiful day," Laura said. "I wonder if anything special is going to happen today." Mary just shrugged her shoulders and said, "You never know." Then Laura went into Mr. Blackwell's classroom and expected there might be a sign on the board or balloons drawn on the calendar, but nothing. Laura was too bashful to bring it up but she was a little disappointed that everyone seemed to have forgotten her birthday.

She made it through school and went home to have dinner. Everyone talked about their days, but no one mentioned Laura's birthday. She thought maybe with moving planets and all the new things going on maybe nobody remembered. As Laura cleared off her plate from the table Ma reminded her that she needed to head to the library to help Mrs. Page shelve the books.

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Laura was looking forward to doing some work. It would take her mind off of missing out on a birthday celebration. She went into the library and noticed the lights were already off. Maybe Mrs. Page already finished shelving the books and went home early. As she turned around to leave the lights came on. "Surprise!!!" everyone jumped up and shouted. With the lights on Laura could see the library was decorated for a party. Jill ran up to Laura and gave her a big hug. "Do you know how hard it was for me to pretend like today wasn't special?" her friend asked.

Jill and Mrs. Page had worked for weeks planning the perfect surprise party for Laura. They had her favorite ice cream, her favorite Lumpy Clump Pie and Mrs. Page even made an exception and let Jack come inside the library for the night. Laura's family arrived and Pa and his friends started playing some live music. Mary and Ma started dancing and everyone joined in. Laura looked around at all of her friends and family and felt truly blessed. It was a special day and she was sharing it with special people. Jill grabbed Laura's arm and drug her out onto the dance floor and they spun around giggling and smiling so big it made their cheeks hurt.

After some dancing Mrs. Page announced that it was time for gifts. Mrs. Page suggested that Laura start with hers. Laura opened the Â

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beautifully wrapped gift to find book with blank pages. Then Mary asked Laura to open her gift, it was another book of blank pages. Then she opened Ma's and Pa's and Mr. Blackwell's and Juan's and Mr. Frank's and then finally Jill's. All of the gifts were all blank books. Jill told Laura that she was such an amazing author that she needed lots of books to write all of her amazing stories. Laura thanked everyone and said, "Before I write any books I need to eat some of that Lumpy Clump Pie." So Ma broke out the pies and everyone ate until their bellies hurt.

After the party Pa suggested that they go for a walk up to the top of the hill to look at the lake. They made the short hike and Ma laid out a blanket. Laura sat down and leaned back on Ursa. Jack climbed onto her lap. Mary and Ma sat at opposite ends of the blanket and Carrie waddled back and forth between them. Pa lay down and looked up at the ice sky above him. Pa told Laura that he was really proud of her. That she was a really talented writer and she had an amazing imagination like Ma. Ma told Laura that she never had the courage to share her imagination like Laura did and that she was inspired by Laura's bravery. Mary even told Laura that she was an okay sister.

Laura smiled and felt proud to be herself. She said, "A lot has happened since my last birthday." They all laughed together. More than a lot had happened. They had traveled to a new planet, discovered they were Martians, made new friends and had a book published. After they talked about Laura's book Ma told everyone that Â

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Laura wasn't the only author in the family anymore. Pa had finished his report on Earth and Mr. Frank's bookshop was printing copies next week. Pa said he was happy to be done with the writing. He said that he enjoyed exploring way more than writing about it. As they looked down at the lake Mary pointed out their old cabin in the distance. Even from far away Laura could see that some plants had started to grow up the walls of their old little one room home.

Pa sat up with a great idea. "Who wants to go back to the cabin for the weekend?" Pa asked. Everyone raised their hands, Jack let out a bark and Ursa gave a low growl of approval. A camping trip sounded like the perfect family getaway.

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Chapter 9 Camping Trip Early Saturday morning they climbed into the wagon and Ursa pulled them back up over the hills to their little cabin by the lake. The first thing Mary and Laura did was jump into the lake for a nice refreshing swim. Pa and Ma tore the weeds off the walls and set up camp. Pa asked for a volunteer to help him go get some fresh milk berries and melon nuts. Laura dried off and joined Pa on the adventure.

Laura reminded Pa that the last time they were in the woods was when they discovered Ursa. She thought it was funny that they never made it to the cliffs on the far side of the woods that they were going to go explore. Pa said that he really did want to see what was over by those cliffs. He said that every time he has tried to go there he gets distracted and never makes it. Pa shared how when he was a little older than Laura he used to come explore these same woods, but he never made it all the way to the cliffs on the other side. Laura said, "Well then today is the day. Letʼs go." Pa loved to see the adventurous spirit in his little girl and they decided to march straight through to the other side of the woods.

Pa pulled out the map he had been making and marked some landmarks as they passed them. They came across a small little pond in a clearing, a waterfall between two giant melon nut trees, and a

giant orange flower that Pa had never seen before. He asked Laura to draw a picture of it for him so he could show it to the florist in the village to see if he knew what kind of plant it was. Finally after several hours of hiking they came to the edge of the forest where the cliffs start. They found a little spring of fresh water where they both got a nice big drink.

"Well, I guess it is just some cliffs," Pa said. Just then Laura noticed a dark spot a little ways down the face of the cliff. She walked down a little closer to the dark spot and saw that it was actually a cave. "Pa, come here and look at this!" Laura exclaimed. Pa and Laura stood at the mouth of the cave. The opening was just a little taller than Laura but smaller than Pa. They couldn't see very deep into the cave because it was so dark. Pa said they would have to come back later when they had some torches. Laura remembered that there was a lava flow back a little ways and she had read a book about how to make a torch out of a stick and some dried melon nut tree leaves. Laura told Pa her idea and they went to work building two torches and setting them on fire using the lava. They took their torches back to the cave and walked inside.

The further they walked in the bigger they realized the cave was. Pa Â

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walked over close to the wall and noticed some markings. The markings were drawings that someone had left a long time ago. There were pictures of people gathering fruit and fishing in the lake. Laura and Pa had discovered ancient Martian cave paintings. "Laura, this is incredible," Pa said. They spent about an hour just looking at the old drawings. Then they realized that they should probably get back to the cabin. Mary, Ma, and Carrie were probably wondering where they were with the melon nuts.

Laura told Pa to make another mark on his map where the caves were and then they hiked back to the cabin. On the way back they filled a bag with milk berries and Pa picked two giant melon nuts. When they got back to the camp Laura told everyone all about their adventure to the cave. Laura imagined who might have drawn the pictures and how long they have been sitting on those walls waiting for someone to find them. The sense of discovery was so exciting to her. Pa bragged to Ma about how he was going to give up on the cave but Laura remembered how to make a torch. Pa said, "Laura is a true explorer."

The next day everyone just relaxed at the cabin playing games, swimming, and digging for fresh Lumpy Clumps. Ursa had a great nose for Lumpy Clumps, he could smell them a couple feet below the ground. When Ursa would start digging everyone would come over and join him. Pa found a clump as big as Carrie. They had more than Their fill, although Jack and Ursa finished the leftovers in less than a Â

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couple seconds. Laura loved having her own room and her own space but she kind of missed the family time of living in one room. There were so many distractions in the village that sometimes she would hardly have time to talk to her family. She really enjoyed spending the weekend at the cabin.

On Monday Laura was excited to go to school and tell Mr. Blackwell about the caves that her and Pa found. And when Laura told him Mr. Blackwell was very excited too. He had done research on ancient Martians and he was anxious to see the cave paintings for himself. That next Saturday, Pa, Mr. Blackwell and Laura all hiked back to the caves. They brought some lanterns and drawing paper with them so they could copy down the images that they saw. Laura thought it was great fun to make the drawings. Pa was pretty good at drawing but Mr. Blackwell was very good. His reproductions of the wall paintings looked almost exactly the same. Laura noticed that at the top of all of his drawings Mr. Blackwell put "LC Drawings". She asked him what the LC stood for. He said, "Laura's Caves… Every great discovery needs to have a name. So your Pa and I decided to call this discovery Laura's Caves." Mr. Blackwell went on to explain that this was a very significant discovery and that he was going to write some of his scientist and historian friends to come and visit. Pa said that someday soon children would be learning about Laura's Caves in their history lessons at school. Laura couldn't believe her luck. She had made a discovery that would be taught in school. She knew that she would get that quiz question right if it came up on a test.

Chapter 10 The Big Decision There was excitement in the village about Laura and Pa's cave discovery. It helped that Pa's book about life on Earth was the best seller in all the stores. Everyone wanted to know about all their experiences on Earth. Jill was the first one done reading the book. She actually read while she was in line to purchase a copy for her dad's birthday. People loved reading the stories about the Earth woods, and the Earth prairies. But they couldn't understand why the humans on Earth still haven't found a way to get along. On Mars everyone treats each other with respect and compassion. Jill told Laura that she liked the stories about Jack the best. Everyone was pleased with Ma and Pa and the great research they had done.

One day after Laura got back from helping at the library Pa sat her down in the dining room. He had a very serious look on his face that made Laura feel kind of nervous. Pa explained to Laura that research that they did on Earth was so helpful and important that they asked him to go back again for another ten years. Laura's heart sank. She had just finally settled down and Mars started to feel like home. She had friends, a fun school, a great teacher, a job at the library, an ancient Martian cave discovery and her very own published book. The look on Laura's face broke Pa's heart. He knew that Laura had grown to love Mars very much.

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Then Pa said something that Laura never expected, "Laura, it is your choice. We talked to Mrs. Page and she said she would be willing to let you live with her and stay here on Mars. Your Ma and I know that you are a very talented writer and that you love school very much. We don't want to force you away from those things." Laura was stunned. She never had been in a position to make her own decisions when it came to something this big. Pa explained that he also gave Mary the choice to stay on Mars but she chose to go back to Earth with Ma, Pa, and Carrie. He continued to say that if Laura chose to go back to Earth with them she would have to take some medicine that would make her forget all of her memories about Mars until she returned in ten years.

"Ten years," Laura said. "But Pa I will be 17 then. I will be a young woman. I thought I was going to get to grow up on Mars just like you and Ma." Laura understood that the work that Ma and Pa did on Earth was important but she just wished there was a different way. Pa told Laura that they would be leaving for Earth in three days so she had a little bit of time to make her decision.

Laura didn't know what to do. In her short time on Mars she had grown so much. She loved being an author and helping at the library. She loved sleeping over at Jill's house and reading books curled up with Ursa. She loved the perfect weather and the Lumpy Clump Pie. She loved swimming in the lake and going to school and hearing Mr. Â

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Blackwell's stories about his explorations. She really did like Mr. Blackwell's stories, and her Pa's stories. Actually stories about exploring were her favorite kind of stories. And she didn't just like hearing the stories she loved exploring herself. She looked out her bedroom window at the village below. She saw the general store and thought about the ice cream there, but then she remembered what Pa told Ma after she found the caves, "Laura is a true explorer." After every good and amazing thing that Laura could think of about Mars she heard her Pa's voice say, "Laura is a true explorer."

Laura knew what she had to do. She chose to go back to Earth. She belonged with her family. She belonged with the explorers. She belonged to Earth. Laura remembered the amazing welcome that the village gave her family when she arrived and she had a fun idea. At dinner that night Laura told her family that she wanted to throw a giant Thank You Mars Party in the park. Ma and Pa thought is sounded like a great idea. Laura volunteered to pay for all the party supplies with the money she had saved from working at the library. Laura and Mary got busy that night making posters to put all around the village. Once they were done they didn't know if they had time to put them all up. Laura knew just who to ask, Harry the fast boy from her class at school. They took the signs over to Harry's Â

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house and asked if he could help. Harry took the signs from Mary and said he would be right back. He disappeared in a blur. In about 18 seconds Harry came back and said, "Job done, no sweat."

Everyone in town saw the posters and were sad to see Laura and her family leave but very honored that they wanted to throw a Thank You Mars Party. It didn't take long before the entire village was helping out to make it a special party. The school decided to put on a play of Laura's book. Jill's big brother Tom got the lead and got busy making his book costume. Jill was cast as the lost sock. Everyone was very excited. Ma and Mrs. Page got busy making Lumpy Clump Pie after Lumpy Clump Pie. Laura thought if it was going to have to be ten years before she got to eat that again she was going to eat it until it hurt.

Pa was busy packing the wagon for the trip that was coming the next day. He wanted to get it out of the way so that he could enjoy the party. Laura asked what they could bring along and Pa explained that all they could bring were things from Earth. Laura was sad that she couldn't bring back anything but Pa reminded her that her memories of Mars would be gone so she wouldn't be sad about it. But that really didn't make Laura feel any better.

Laura tried to see the play rehearsal but they wouldn't let her in. They wanted it to be a surprise. All the preparation for the party was either done or being done by one of the villagers. Laura had nothing to do. Â

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She walked up to the top of the hills to take another look at the lake. She saw their little cabin in the distance she started to cry a little tear. She sure was going to miss Mars. It was a beautiful and happy place. While she sat and soaked in the view Ursa and Jack came up and sat on either side of her. Jack leaned in and licked up the tears running down Laura's cheek. She was smooshed between two pieces of furry cuteness. She let the moment sink in. Then she heard Pa's whistle, the one that meant that she needed to come home right now. She ran back down the hill with Ursa and Jack running behind.

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Chapter 11 Home Ma, Pa, Mary and Carrie were all on the front porch. "They are ready for us," Ma said. Then they walked together to the park as a family. Everyone was there. Some had smiles on their faces, some were crying, some were already eating Lumpy Clump Pie. Mr. Blackwell showed them to their seats in front of the stage. Then they watched the silliest and funniest play they had ever seen. Jill was a wonderful sock, and Tom was a great book. Laura watched how the book made new friends and it made her think of all the great friends she made. As the play finished the entire village gave the performance and the story a standing ovation. Jill waved Laura up to the stage and asked her to make a speech. Laura was nervous but as she looked at her smiling family she knew she was brave enough to say what she wanted to say.

"Martians, and Jack (who was the only one there that wasn't a Martian). I want to say Thank You," Laura spoke loudly. "I want to say Thank You for making our time here on Mars as remarkable and memorable as it could be. I had amazing adventures here. I learned so much and experienced life in a new way. But what I am most grateful for is the heart that each and every one of you have inside of you. It was those hearts that threw an amazing welcoming parade for us. It was those hearts that provided my family with a house and

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support. It was those hearts that welcomed us into your homes, your schools, your libraries. My Pa said that we are going to take some medicine that will make our brains forget our memories of Mars for the ten years we are on Earth. But I don't feel your love with my brain. I am not grateful from my brain. I feel your love and I am grateful from my heart, and no medicine can take that away. I may not remember why I feel more brave, more loving, and more giving but I will because that is the gift that you have given me. That is the gift that will live in my heart forever."

Laura looked down at her family. They were all crying tears of pride because Laura was able to say what they felt. Laura looked over at Mrs. Page who was smiling through her tears. Laura came down off the stage and went over to Mrs. Page and gave her a hug tighter than Ursa himself could give. Laura tried to thank Mrs. Page but Mrs. Page beat her to it. She thanked Laura for all of her help but most importantly for spending time with her and being interested in her life. She told Laura that she was a great friend. Then Laura was greeted by Mr. Blackwell who said that her speech deserved an A+.

Then Jill came over to Laura still dressed as a lost sock. They hugged and then looked into each otherʼs faces. They wanted to feel sad but they couldn't. They were too happy. They were too happy for the time they had together. Too happy about Saturdays at the library and ice cream at the General Store. Too happy for the time playing fetch with Jack and Ursa and drawing pictures of all the animals they

found in the village. They were too happy to be sad. Laura told Jill, "You are the best friend that I ever had." Then they hugged again.

The rest of the party was fun. They played games and ate food, sang songs and danced. But eventually it was time to go. There was a rule on the poster that stated very clearly that there were to be no "Good Byes". That would be too sad. So everyone just smiled and waved as they left. Jill and Laura snuck in one more hug and Jill gave Jack a kiss on his little cold nose and disappeared down the road to her house. Then it was just Laura and her family standing in the park alone. Laura grabbed one more piece of Lumpy Clump Pie and said, "Good Bye Mars." Just then Pa noticed something strange on the horizon by the hills. He rounded up the family and told them it was time.

Laura thought she had another night of sleeping in her own room but if Pa says it is time then it must be time. Pa gave everyone their memory pill and they all took it together. Then everyone jumped into the fully loaded wagon and had Ursa pull it to the top of the hill. From there they could clearly see a cyclone headed their direction. Pa unhooked Ursa and gave him one last hug. Then Ma gave Ursa a hug, and then Laura jumped out to give Ursa one last hug. While she hugged him she gave that bear very specific instructions, "Make sure you look out for Mrs. Page, and if Mr. Blackwell goes back to the caves make sure to go with him and be helpful, and keep Jill safe and if she misses me or Jack make sure to give her a hug from us." She Â

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didn't know if Ursa understood all of that but she imagined that he did.

As the cyclone came closer Laura wasn't scared this time. She was excited. She knew that amazing adventures awaited her on Earth and that she would be back here to her Martian home.