Koontz Creatures & The Stolen Wind- - A Schwartski Adventure- by the Pittman Family

Planet Yumburger is three million miles from our planet, Earth. It looks a lot like Earth too, but the sky is green and the grass is blue!! The clouds are pink all the time and they have two square suns! All the creatures that live there are different shades of Purple, too! When the wind blows it makes music. At night the creatures of planet Yumburger fall asleep to lullabies sung by the wind.

One day a terrible thing happened on Planet Yumburger. Some mean old creatures from Planet Koontz came and took away all of their wind! There would be more no more lullabies for the creatures of Yumburger. It was a sad sad day.

Schwartski was only a child when the creatures from Planet Koontz stole the wind. No one on Planet Yumburger could get to sleep anymore without it and they became very very cranky. There seemed there would never be anymore happiness and laughter on Yumburger without it. Schwartski wanted more than anything to bring back the wind to Planet Yumburger. He decided to hide on board a space ship that he knew was programmed to hunt for the stolen wind.

Schwartski knew his only way home was to find the wind because this spaceship would not return to Yumburger without it. He was scared and alone, but he was on a mission. He was brave and he would face the ugly Koontz creatures and bring back the wind to Yumburger.

After what seemed like forever, the ship finally landed in a cow pasture just outside of a little town on Earth called Walker, Louisiana. Schwartski looked outside and saw big animals that looked like cows except they were brown and black and on his planet cows were pink and yellow. He was in such a strange place. Then he noticed that everything was upside down and backwards here. The sky on Earth was blue and the grass was green! He had never seen such thing. He was very excited and wanted to explore.

Schwartski was very brave and knew that this ship must have stopped on this planet because it detected traces of the stolen wind from the creatures of Koontz. Schwartski knew he had to go looking for it.

He exited the ship and ran as fast as he could away from the big cows. It wasn't very long until he came upon a small town with houses and stores that looked a lot like Planet Yumburger. Schwartski was very hungry, but knew that he could not let these strange creatures see him or he could be captured. He decided to hide in a park close by and would search for food when night came so no Earthlings could see him.

Schwartski found him a place to hide inside a big tunnel that circled down. He wasn't there long when he heard voices approaching. He wanted to be brave, but there was no where to run. If he left his hiding spot, they would see him for sure. Schwartski peeked out of the end of the big tunnel and watched as two creatures ran and played just as he and his friends did on Planet Yumburger. Schwartski knew these very pale and funny looking creatures must be children.

He decided to ask these children for their help. He slowly crept to the end of the tunnel and called to them, "Hello! What is your name?" He saw the children looking around to see where the sound was coming from, but he was too afraid to show himself just yet. So, he called out, "It's okay. I am in the big tunnel. My name is Schwartski." The children crept closer and the little girl said to him, "My name is Erin and this is my little brother, Taylor. Why are you hiding in the slide?"

"I am afraid you won't like me.", Schawartski replied. "I am much different than you."

"It's okay", Erin said and Taylor agreed with a nod. "My mom says it's cool to be different".

Braver now, Schwartski tried to slowly ease out of his hiding spot, but he lost his footing inside the tunnel and came sliding down in a big whoosh and fell right on his bottom. He stayed very still and worried that they would run away from him, but instead they began to laugh. "Man, that slide is so much fun.", Taylor said. "Let's all give it a try!". This made Schwartski relax and he began to laugh too. His laugh sounded a lot like wind chimes and this made the children like him more.

While Taylor went to slide, Erin admired their new friend. He was much smaller than they were AND HE WAS PURPLE!! However, Erin remembered how her parents explained that there are lots of different kinds of people and to show kindness to everyone no matter how different they seem. Erin thought that being purple was not what her mother had in mind, but decided to mind her manners anyway. She did not want the little kid to runaway. He looked afraid and lonely.

Erin asked instead, "How old are you, Schwartski?" Schwartski told them that he was 108 years old. Erin and Taylor looked puzzled. "How can that be? You are not an old man, but a child." they said. Schwartski knew he must tell them the truth and he felt in his heart he could trust them. He asked them to sit down with him and he would tell them his entire story.

Just then his tummy growled. Erin and Taylor quickly retrieved two lunch pales they brought with them for a picnic and shared their lunch with Schwartski. They listened in wonder about his home, Planet Yumburger, and how the creatures of Koontz stole the musical wind.

"You see my new friends. In order for this ship to return to Yumburger, it must have retrieved the wind. I cannot return to my Mom and Dad until I find it."

After Schwartski finished telling his new Earth friends all about his home planet, Yumburger, and how the creatures of planet Koontz stole their wind, the kids decided that they wanted to help him get his wind back and get back to his Mom and Dad. Only they needed a plan.

"Where do you even begin to look?" Erin said. "Earth is a big planet, Schwartski." said Taylor. "Not to mention, you can't even SEE wind!". Erin exclaimed. "OH, but you CAN see this wind!", Schwartski said. It drifts like smoke through the air, smells as sweet as a flower, and makes the most beautiful sound like a Mother's lullaby." he told them.

"Well," Erin said, "if there's something like that floating around, it's sure to be on the News!"

"What a great idea!" Schwartski said. Erin and Taylor set off for home to watch the news. They promised to come back right after and would bring him some dinner

When Erin and Taylor got home and turned on the news channel they were excited to find exactly what they were looking for. A news report about a mysterious smokey substance in the air that blows like wind, smells like flowers, and sounded as beautiful as a lullaby. The news reporter said the sound was so much like a lullaby that a lot of people who stopped to listen and watch were falling fast asleep on the downtown sidewalks! They had to hurry back to Schwartski.

Schwartski was so excited that the children had located the singing wind that he hugged them both and started to dance around. Erin interrupted the celebration with a question. "How do we get to downtown Baton Rouge, Schwartski? Taylor and I are too young to drive." Just then Taylor says, "Schwartski has a space ship. Will that get us to Baton Rouge?"

Schwartski wasn't sure so the kids followed him back to the cow pasture to find the ship. Sure enough, there was a small hover craft built right into the ship for exploring planets. And the best part was this thing could drive all by itself. That was good because none of the children knew how to fly a hover craft.

The children's hover craft landed them right near the Louisiana State Capital building. They could see the beautiful singing wind flowing down the Mississippi River like a cloud. Erin and Taylor were amazed. They also started to yawn. "NO!", Schwartski yelled. "Let's put something in your ears so that you do not fall asleep." So they took Taylor's bandanna and ripped tiny pieces off to stick in their ears.

Their new problem now was finding a way to capture the wind. This really stumped them. They could not go out onto the river. They could not climb up to the bridge. There just had to be a better way. So they started walking. Walking and thinking. And all around them people were sleeping on the sidewalks and in their cars. It was the most silliest site the children had ever seen. Grown ups sleeping like babies! The sound of Schwartski's laugh (like wind chimes) lifted Erin's and Taylor's spirits. They kept walking and thinking.

As they turned another corner they began to worry they may get lost and not make it back to the hover craft. Just then Taylor saw something big that looked like an airplane parked in front of the Museum. It was a strange vehicle that did'nt seem to belong.

Schwartski started to jump and dance and clap his hands. "This is the Koontz space ship!" he said. "and they are fast asleep like all the Earthling grown ups! Look! Look!". The children were a little afraid of the big green aliens with lots of arms and red eyes everywhere, but there they were, snoring louder than their daddy.

The children decided to look inside of the spaceship. There they found a giant black sleeping bag. Well, that's what it looked like to Taylor. He asked Schwartski what is was. Again, Schwartski's eyes lit up. He was so excited he almost wakened the sleeping Koontz creatures.

Schwartski whispered an explanation. "This is the magic bag the Koontz used to lure the wind from our planet Yumburger. With this bag, we don't need to go near the river to retrieve the wind." he told them.

So they quietly rolled up the bag leaving the ship and the sleeping Koontz and took off for the hover craft.

It was Erin's idea to take the bag to the top of the tall State Capital building to get the wind. The children were amazed at the beautiful site of the river and the city from way up there, but remembered they had a mission to complete.

Schwartski, Erin and Taylor each took an end of the open part of the bag and stretched it out wide. They watched in wonder as the smokey wind made its way to the Capital. In no time, they had the wind all wrapped up and were headed to the hover craft

The children took the hover craft back to the park instead of near the big stinky cows. They could see all the people below them waking up on the sidewalk. It made them all giggle again and they were so excited to for Schwartski.

When they landed, though, Taylor became very sad. He told Schwartski that he would miss him and Erin agreed. They had become great friends and hoped to see him again someday.

Schwartski's tears were gold. Bright liquid gold like the color of his eyes. He told the children he would miss them too, but he had to save his planet and he missed his mom and dad. The children understood and they said their goodbyes. They watched as his ship, now with Schwartski and the Singing Wind on board, left for planet Yumburger

Even though no one ever believed the story they told, Erin and Taylor didn't care and would never forgot about Schwartski. One cool evening only months after they helped save a planet far away, the doorbell rang. There stood three purple aliens! "SCHWARTSKI!!" the children screamed in excitement. Erin was sure her Mom would faint, but she only stood there with her mouth wide open. Erin thought that was not very good manners.

Schwartski and his family came to visit the children that helped save their singing wind. To thank them, they brought an entire basket of Hamburgers! Taylor was confused. "Why a hamburger?" Schwartski said, You don't think they call it planet YUM Burger for nothing, do you?"

THE END.