The Boy from the Lost Planet

Author: Yahya Türkeli

Design: Yahya Türkeli

Translation: Poe-Artificial Intelligence
Cover & Illustration: Copilot.microsoft.com

E-ısbn: 978-625-6020-41-2

No part of this work, in whole or in part, may be used without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

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The Boy from the Lost Planet

1

Arhan and Defne are 12 years old and are twin siblings. They live in a small town with their grandmother, Dudu Hanım. As soon as summer vacation begins, they spend most of their days at their country house, located two kilometers from town. In the summer, they grow various fruit trees and vegetables in their garden.

At night, under the twinkling stars in the sky, they would stay up late in front of the country house with their friends from the neighborhood. Most of the work in the garden was done by their grandmother, who found it increasingly difficult due to her age. One day, they decided to sell the garden together with their grandchildren. To do this, they hung a "For Sale by Owner" sign at the entrance gate of the garden. Many people, including real estate agents, showed interest in buying the garden, but the sale could not be completed because the offered price was too low.

One evening, Arhan and Defne were playing chess in front of their house. Their grandmother had worked hard in the garden all day and had fallen asleep early. Suddenly, they felt strange sounds and a breeze around the large rock at the end of the garden. When they looked toward the sound and breeze, the sky turned red and then purple. Arhan excitedly said, "What's happening?!"

A spaceship, glowing with lights and resembling a helicopter, began to descend, circling around the rock. They watched in fear and excitement as the spacecraft landed. They were too startled to speak or move, just staring for a while. The information the two siblings had about spaceships and aliens was limited to what they had learned from films, television, the internet, and school lessons. The thought of seeing it up close had never crossed their minds. After a few minutes, they regained their composure.

Defne shouted excitedly, "Aliens, aliens... they are coming here!" Arhan tried to calm her down, saying, "Don't worry, nothing will happen." Defne hugged him, and this time, Arhan got scared too, but he tried to hide it, saying, "There's nothing to be afraid of."

Defne, in a trembling voice, quietly said, "What if the aliens abduct us? I'm really scared; let's wake up Grandma." Arhan replied, "Let's not wake Grandma; she would be even more scared." Defne said in a shaky voice, "They landed on the rock in our garden." Arhan could only whisper, "Yes."

Defne asked, "Aren't you scared, Arhan?" Despite feeling scared, Arhan stretched and said, "No." "Let's watch a bit. If necessary, we can hide; they won't find us." Their fear lessened a bit when their dog, Kumsal, started barking as he paced back and forth due to the noise and commotion. Their dog could protect them.

They talked among themselves to overcome their fear. Then, holding hands, they quietly walked through the trees in the garden towards the spaceship. And what did they see! A child in glowing clothes like a firefly emerged from the spaceship, followed by a dog.

Defne whispered, "They look very strange. They must want to learn something about our world..." The child had a protective mask on, similar to those beekeepers wear to avoid bee stings. However, it was adorned with shining buttons, and on top of his head was a device resembling an antenna. The dog wore a helmet similar to those worn by miners, and on its back was a glowing covering resembling a shepherd's bag.

The alien child began to observe the surroundings with binoculars, while the dog sniffed around, lifting its nose into the air.

2

Arhan and Defne silently approached them, wanting to get a closer look. Their dog, Kumsal, raised its head, sniffed the newcomers from a distance, and then stopped barking.

Defne asked, "Do aliens have very sharp eyes? Can they see us?" Arhan replied, "Of course they can see us. If you knew how sharp their eyes are, you wouldn't ask such a thing." Then he recalled something he read in a magazine. "Sharp? It's super sharp! They can see an ant on a stone even in the dark of night."

Defne was amazed by what she heard: "Wow, even an ant!" Arhan emphasized, "Yes, even an ant! What did you think?" Defne asked, "Arhan, how do you know all this?" Arhan replied, "I read it in a magazine about space."

Defne lowered her voice and asked, "Do you think the alien can see us right now?" "Of course, they can see us," Arhan said. Defne sighed, "If they can see us, I wish they would call out to us!" Arhan responded, "Why? What happened?"

Defne twirled around slightly, lifting her skirt: "I would love to show them my flowered dress." Arhan laughed at her comment. Defne, feeling offended, said, "Why are you laughing? Is my dress not beautiful?"

Arhan replied, "No, your dress is very beautiful, but the alien has no time to look at your clothes." Defne shot back, "Hmph, you think so. If they are like us, they will look. Don't we wonder what they wear?"

Arhan admitted, "We do." Defne continued, "Why wouldn't they be curious?" Arhan couldn't find an answer to Defne's statement. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Maybe."

3

Arhan:

"Wait here, I'll go talk to the alien," he said.

Defne:

"It might abduct you, don't go, I'm scared."

Arhan:

"Maybe it wants to meet me, just like I do."

Defne:

"You know best, but still be careful."

Arhan gathered his courage, took a white handkerchief in his hand, and walked towards the alien. When he got close, he stopped. The alien dog growled!
The dog barked at Arhan in short bursts. When the alien child said something to its dog, it became quiet.

The alien child was about the same height and build as Arhan. Arhan thought to himself, "I'm glad it looks like me." Meanwhile, Kumsal looked at the alien dog and barked twice in short bursts. This barking wasn't aggressive or fearful. Kumsal always barked like this at someone he liked. The alien dog seemed to enjoy Kumsal's barking, as it responded in kind with its own "woof woof." Kumsal barked again, and the alien dog did the same. Kumsal wagged his tail and joyfully ran towards it. The alien dog lifted its tail and wagged it side to side, becoming lively. The two dogs met in the middle and began sniffing each other.

At that moment, something caught their attention. The alien dog resembled Kumsal astonishingly well, as if it were a copy of him. They seemed to have met their twin. It was evident from their behavior that they liked each other very much. Seeing Kumsal bond so quickly with the alien dog gave Arhan more courage. He walked towards the alien child. Smiling, he said, "Welcome, I'm Arhan."
The alien child responded in a crackly, unintelligible metallic voice, but Arhan couldn't understand it. He repeated, "Welcome, I'm Arhan, welcome to Turkey on the planet Earth."
There was a moment of silence. After adjusting its voice, the alien child asked, "Is this Turkey on the planet Earth?"
"Yes, you are in Turkey on the planet Earth!"
After a brief pause, the alien child said, "I am Yosi. I am communicating through artificial intelligence."
Arhan approached the alien child and extended his hand.
"Welcome, Yosi," he said.
The alien child replied, "Nice to meet you, Arhan."
When the alien child addressed him by name, Arhan almost jumped for joy. He didn't know what to say or where to start. The first question that came to his mind was, "Is this dog yours?"
"Yes, my dog is named Storm. What is your dog's name?"
"My dog's name is Kumsal."
The dogs had already become friends by sniffing each other. They were showing affection by rubbing against each other side by side.
Yosi said, "They've become friends, so let's be friends too."
"Why not? I feel a strong connection with you," Arhan replied.
Yosi asked, "What does feeling a strong connection mean?"
"It means to love and be friends." "I like you very much too," Yosi said.
And so, they became friends.
Arhan hugged Yosi and asked, "How do you know our language?" Yosi explained, "Before children start school in our world, they are taken to a laboratory in a knowledge bank. Various information, including foreign languages, is loaded onto them." He then pointed to the digital watch on his wrist, saying, "I can understand the translation of your language with this and speak it."
Arhan replied, "That's great, then we will understand each other very well."
Yosi raised his arms in the air and waved them like he was applauding, saying, "Yes, we will understand each other very well. You will tell me about your world, and I will tell you about ours."
Arhan said, "I can't say I know much about your world."
"Our world is called Lost Planet 2. Two years ago, scientists from your world came to our planet and named it 'Lost Planet 2.'"
Arhan exclaimed excitedly, "I recently read a book called 'Lost Planet 2!'"
Yosi said, "I met a child named Akio on the ErCi–7174 spaceship that came from your planet two years ago. We played games together and had a lot of fun. Now I’ve come to find him."
Arhan, excitedly, said, "I know that a child named Akio went to your planet. He lives in a country called Japan."
"You can give me the coordinates of where he is, and I'll go find him."
Arhan said, "Sure, I’ll give you the coordinates of the country where Akio is. But first, be our guest. I will introduce you to my family and friends. We would be very happy if you could stay with us for a while."
Yosi replied, "Sure, I would like to get to know your country and you all better."
Arhan said, "Great. So how did you come? Are you alone?" Yosi explained, "Our world is in the Andromeda Galaxy and is the twin of your world, Lost Planet 2. Two years ago, scientists from your world held meetings on our planet. They shared documents and information about our planets. Now our scientists have come to your world with our spaceship. My father is also part of the team that came. They parked our spaceship in the airspace of your planet's atmosphere. Our scientists went to the meeting center with their small vehicles to meet with your scientists. After their meetings are over, we will return. Their discussions may take a few months. During this time, I can stay on your planet." After this, he raised his hand and said, "One minute, I need to inform my father that I met you and will be a guest here."
Yosi began to speak to his father in a different language, providing some information. Then he raised his right arm, made an "OK" sign with his thumb, and smiled, saying, "It's settled, I'm staying with you."
Arhan asked, "Is this spaceship yours?"
"Yes, it is. It can fly without a pilot. I can send it back to the spaceship whenever I want..."
Arhan was taken aback by Yosi's explanation. Without losing his composure, he said, "It resembles our helicopters."
Yosi replied, "Yes, but it's more advanced."
Arhan asked, "Do you know how to operate it?"
"Yes, just like you ride a bicycle, I can operate the spaceship," Yosi said.
There was a moment of silence. Then he looked up, as if searching for something in the sparkling sky. After removing his mask, Yosi said to Arhan, “Our planet is very, very far away.”
“Is there anyone else in the spaceship besides your dog?”
Yosi laughed, saying, “No, it's just the two of us...” Then he became a bit anxious.
“Don't worry, Yosi, I'm here with you now. I will protect you from all dangers...”
As Yosi was lifting his head to respond, they heard Defne's voice from the lower part of the garden. Arhan said to Yosi with concern, “Are there people coming?”
“That voice is my sister's. She is also eagerly wanting to meet you,” he said, then paused for a moment, “Others might have seen the spaceship!” He became very anxious. Then, noticing the sounds approaching, he added, “There are people coming who have seen the spaceship.”
Yosi asked excitedly, “What are we going to do?”
Arhan replied, “It's easy to hide you, but what about the spaceship?”
Yosi said, “That's very easy! I can handle that...” and quickly dashed towards the spaceship's ladder.

Arhan was very surprised. Less than a minute later, Yosi descended with a small remote control in hand. “This is very valuable to me. It contains a lot of important information,” Yosi said. He pressed a button on the remote. The spaceship took off without a pilot and disappeared instantly. Yosi remarked, “That's done.”

Arhan was left in awe. He asked Yosi, “Wow, how did it take off and disappear like a bird?” Yosi pointed to the remote, saying, “I can call it back whenever I want.” Arhan was about to ask more questions when he noticed sounds approaching from the lower part of the garden. “Come with me,” he said, taking Yosi's hand, and they ran towards the garden. Yosi suddenly stopped. “Where's my dog Storm?” Arhan replied, “He's playing with Kumsal in the garden. Don't worry; he's no different from Kumsal. No one will notice.”

“But he has glowing sticks on his head. If they see him, they will catch him.” Excitedly and anxiously, he added, “You take off your glowing headband too.” Just then, Kumsal and Storm jumped out from between the trees. Yosi removed his dog's headband.

At that moment, Defne came over. Arhan introduced her, “This is my sister Defne.” Defne, excitedly smiling, extended her hand, saying, “Welcome! I'm so glad you came to visit us.” Yosi replied, “Glad to be here.”

Then, they all headed behind the rock towards the house. They ran towards the house, with the dogs following behind. They opened the door and quietly entered. Arhan led them to his room. “This is my room; please sit down,” he said, pointing to a chair.

After Yosi sat down, he looked at Defne and said, “I've become best friends with Arhan.” They all laughed heartily at this. Arhan put his hand over his mouth and said, “Laugh quietly; Grandma will wake up.”

Arhan and Defne sat in chairs as well. Kumsal and his new friend Storm lay down next to the couch.

*

It began to get dark. A large group from the town went to the spot where the spaceship had landed and then returned. They stopped in front of the garden gate, thinking Dudu might still have seen something. Voices could be heard.

“I saw it with my own eyes. The spaceship landed near the rock.”
“It's getting dark.”
“The darkness has fallen; let's go.”
“If Dudu comes out, we'll ask her.”
“Let's not disturb her; she might be asleep...”

Arhan, not wanting to be seen, lifted the curtain slightly and looked out. In the twilight, he recognized the baker from the town. He had a stick in his hand. The real estate agent Naci was at the front, loudly saying, “We came back empty-handed; there's no alien here.”

Another voice added, “I saw it land over there.”
Yet another said, “We looked everywhere. There was no one.” A different voice chimed in, “Let's not separate from each other, just in case...” Defne said, “I recognized one of the voices. It sounded like the greengrocer.”
Arhan confirmed, “Yes, it's the voice of the greengrocer İsmet. He's a good person.”

They were all looking at the house. Yosi whispered in a trembling voice, “What's happening?” Arhan thought to himself, “Yosi is afraid just like us. His voice is trembling because he's scared.” Then he gently reassured Yosi, “There's nothing to be afraid of; they'll leave soon.”

Defne remarked, “It seems like the newcomers have no intention of leaving.”
Arhan explained, “They looked everywhere. When they didn't see anything, they became suspicious of us.” Then he told Yosi, “You stay quiet here. I'll go talk to them,” and he stepped outside.

When Arhan opened the garden gate and faced the men, Baker Sami asked, “Arhan, did you see the aliens?” Arhan feigned ignorance, asking, “Which aliens?”
A voice from the back said, “Which ones? The aliens that came here.” Acting like he had no clue, Arhan replied, “Did aliens come here?”
“Yes, the spaceship flew around and landed right by your rock.”

At that moment, Grandma appeared at the door. Looking at the crowd with an angry voice, she said, “What's going on?” One of the crowd replied, “Dudu, aliens came to your garden.” Dudu scoffed, “Did you just hear that? That was fifty years ago.” Another person insisted, “No, no, they came tonight. They flew around and landed right in your garden.” Someone else pointed out, “They came, they stopped.”

Dudu looked at him and said, “Are you dizzy?” Everyone laughed at this. Real estate agent Naci exclaimed, “Dudu, we saw it with our own eyes.” Arhan joked, “Are you asking about those aliens that just came?”
One of them replied, “Yes, we're asking about them. Did you see them?” Stretching the word, they said, “I saw them...”

“What did they do?”
Arhan showed the “For Sale” sign and said, “They came to buy our garden. We talked, and then they left.”
Naci, who was trying to buy the garden for a pittance, asked, “Did they come for the land?”
Arhan confirmed, “Yes, they came for the land. Why else would they come here?”

A voice exclaimed, “What did he say, what did he say?”
Baker Sadi shouted, “They came for the land! For the land!” Another voice asked, “So, could you reach an agreement?”
Laughing sarcastically, Arhan said, “We reached an agreement, we reached an agreement. What could be hard about that?”
Naci asked, “Why did they leave?”
“They came unprepared. They went to get money and consult their elders.”

Baker Sadi shouted again, “They went to get money! They'll be back!”
Another voice added, “They'll consult their elders too,” said.
An elderly person with gray hair remarked, “Well done, well done. Did you see the human child? Even if they come from the sky, they don't go against their parents' words. If it were our young people, oh my...” Another voice chimed in, “Bravo to the men. Keep the land for them and let them go.” Another added, “That's right, that's right. Is there anyone left who listens to their parents' words in this age?”

“They listen to their words,” said real estate agent Hadi, “We never went against our parents' words.” Someone else shouted, “Dudu! Give the land to them and let them go. I’m writing it down here. You won't find a customer like this in this age,” as he started to pretend to write something in the air.

After listening to all this with a puzzled expression, Dudu asked, “Why am I not informed about all this?”
Arhan looked at his grandmother and said, “I was going to tell you, Grandma, but there was no opportunity.”
Real estate agent Naci, eyes wide open, shouted, “Are you kidding us?”
“Why, what happened?”
“I don’t believe you spoke with the aliens!” Baker Sadi looked at Arhan suspiciously and said, “Whatever anyone says, I don’t believe it either.”
Another voice echoed, “I don't believe it either.”

“Then what are you doing here? We didn't call you here,” Arhan replied.
Baker Sadi added, “Yes, the boy is right. We came here on our own.”
“Right,” said one person, “We came here ourselves.”
Baker Sadi pointed out, “Look, the smartest one is this!” then asked, “So, where did the aliens go?”
Arhan joked, “What’s up, uncle? Are you going to catch them?”
Waving the thick stick in his hand, he replied, “You never know.”
Arhan, laughing, pointed to the back of the rock, saying, “They went towards the valley, downwards.”

Real estate agent Naci looked at the others and said, “Come on, friends, we're heading back to town!” As the crowd noisily dispersed, Arhan called after them sarcastically, “With that mindset, you'll be searching for aliens for a long time!”

Once they disappeared from sight, Grandma turned to Arhan and asked, “Now tell me, what’s going on? What’s this story?” Arhan thought for a moment and looked at his grandmother. “Grandma, you might not believe it, but the alien incident is real. An alien child came here with his dog.” Grandma, astonished, exclaimed, “An alien child came with a dog?” She shook him by the arm and asked, “What are you saying?”

“I'm telling the truth, Grandma...”
Half surprised, half joyful, Grandma said, “Oh my God! They finally came. Thank goodness! I knew they would come.” Grandma then asked, “So where is the child?”
“In my room.”
As Grandma walked toward the room, Arhan held her arm.
“Wait, Grandma, Yosi might get scared. Let me talk to him first, then you can meet him,” he said.
“Is his name Yosi? The child's name is Yosi?”
“Yes, Yosi.”

“Good, you talk to him. I’ll come back later,” said the grandmother.

When Arhan entered the room, Yosi and his dog were nowhere to be seen. Kumsal was barking intermittently, wagging her tail next to the sofa. He looked around in surprise. There was no place to hide or hide in the room. Yosi and his dog had disappeared. When they had disappeared, Defne had gotten scared and left the room.

Arhan said to himself:

“Where could they have gone?” He looked at his dog and said in a panic, “Kumsal, where did they go?”

Kumsal turned around the sofa barking, Arhan called out:

“Yosi, I’m here, come out!”

When he couldn’t get an answer, he said to himself in surprise:

“Am I dreaming? But it can’t be a dream. Their headdresses are on the table….”

When he saw Yosi's mask on the bed, he became even more alarmed:

“Yosi, please come out! There is nothing to be afraid of. You are scaring me!” he called out again.

As he looked around, he saw Yosi on the bed. His dog was with him. He was very surprised: “Where were you? I was very curious.” Yosi:

“I made myself invisible for a few minutes.”

“Can you become invisible whenever you want?”

“I can become invisible for ten minutes. I can't keep it up for more.”

“Where is your dog? I couldn't see him either.” Yosi:

“He can also become invisible. He can change color like a chameleon. He changed into your dog's color to get along better with it. He can talk to me,” he said.

Arhan was even more surprised when he heard the dog talking:

“So, can your dog Storm talk to you?”

“All dogs on our planet talk.” “Why didn't you appear when I called?” Yosi replied, bowing his head:

“I was scared when I heard those men were looking for aliens.

And then they talked to your grandmother,” he said.

Arhan sat down next to Yosi:

“You’re scared for nothing. We are a family. I couldn’t hide anything from her. Don’t worry, my grandmother is a very good person. I know she will help us. Come on, let’s go to her now. Let me introduce you,” he said.

He took Yosi’s hand and lifted him up. He took the headdress from the table and put it on his head. They went to the grandmother’s room together. The grandmother and Defne were sitting. As soon as Yosi entered, the grandmother let out a low scream:

“Oh! That’s the same child I saw fifty years ago. The same shiny dress, the same lighted headdress. Bright eyes like a cat… Oh my God, everything is the same! Or are you the grandchild of those who came back then?”

The grandmother stood up, walked around Yosi and began to examine him closely. Yosi was watching his movements.

Arhan said to the grandmother:

“Grandmother, Yosi is scared. Please tell him to welcome.” The grandmother pulled herself together and said:

“I am sorry, my child. I suddenly went back fifty years, welcome to our home!” and hugged Yosi around his neck.

She sat him down on a single chair. This behavior relaxed Yosi.

“Did you come here to buy our garden?” Yosi did not understand this question:

“The garden?” he said.

Arhan told Yosi about the ‘Garden for Sale’ sign and the aliens that the grandmother had seen fifty years ago.

After Yosi understood what the grandmother meant, he said:

“I did not come to sell the garden. I came to find my friend Akio.”

The grandmother was surprised:

“Do you have another friend?” Arhan:

“Yes, grandma,” he began. “Yosi has a friend named Akio who lives in Japan that he met. He came to find him. He will be our guest for a while.

He also got permission from his father. He will leave later.

“Hooray!” shouted Defne. “Yosi will stay with us!”

The family asked hundreds of questions they were curious about until late at night.

Grandma:

“What do you know about our world?” Yosi:

“As far as I know, your world is the twin of our world and they are the same age. Your people have not been able to protect your world well. You are destroying your world. Your forests are rapidly disappearing. Your seas are polluted.

Deadly diseases are increasing in the polluted world…” Defne:

“How can you speak our language?”

“I told Arhan briefly. Let me tell you,” Yosi began:

“In our country; children who have completed their physical and mental development and started school go to the laboratory in the data bank. Their mental capacity is measured there. Byte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte, Petabyte is loaded into the brain according to the status. Thus, no additional time is spent on acquiring information, it is updated when necessary,” he said, and then showed the watch on his wrist:

“Everything in the name of information is loaded here. When I give a command to translate it into your language, my brain perceives it and I can speak.” Arhan:

“So what do you do in schools?”

“In our schools, various educations such as art, music, sports based on manual and arm skills are given. In our country, people spend most of their time on activities such as games, music, sports. There is no negative thing such as quarreling, conflict, argument,

fighting among themselves.” Grandmother:

“I wish our people were like this,” she said.

Yosi answered whatever they asked without getting bored.

“…”

Grandmother:

“Let’s all sleep now. We’ll talk a lot tomorrow.

Yosi shouldn’t be seen by anyone for a few days, let’s find a solution,” he said.

“Where will Yosi sleep?” Defne said.

Grandmother:

“Let’s prepare a bed for Arhan’s room,” she said.

They prepared the bed for Yosi together. Everyone went to bed. On such an interesting night, none of them could sleep properly. They barely made it to morning.

*

Arhan could not believe what he had experienced. In his room, right next to him, was someone he did not know; an alien at that. Was it possible? Was what he had experienced a dream? He raised his head and looked at Yosi’s bed. He raised his head and looked at Arhan. When their eyes met, they laughed.