Space Taxi Read online

  Begin Reading

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  To our favorite copilots, Griffin and Chloe

  Chapter One:

  Take Your Kid to Work Day

  Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

  It’s not every day a regular kid like me gets to wake up at midnight. But this is no regular day. Today is Take Your Kid to Work Day, and I’m going to ride with Dad in his taxi! Dad works the night shift, so he’s usually awake when I’m asleep and asleep when I’m awake. But not tonight.

  I’ve been waiting eight years, eight months, and eight days for this day to arrive. Instead of staring at the maps of the big city taped to my walls, I’ll actually get to go places. Mom likes to keep us close to home, but I’m itching to explore. My little sister, Penny, is the same way. Any open door and she takes off like she’s late for something important.

  Mom sticks her head in my room. “Archie Morningstar, aren’t you up yet? Dad’s waiting outside.”

  Mom always uses my full name when she wants to make sure I’m paying attention. I wish I had a normal last name that no one would tease me about. The real Morning Star is a nickname for the planet Venus, which is so bright you can still see it as the sun rises. Maybe Morningstar would be a cool name if I lived in the country and could actually see the stars and planets. But here in the city all we can see is bright lights and smog.

  I jump out of bed, fully dressed.

  She frowns. “Did you even sleep at all? It’s going to be a long night and you don’t want to fall asleep on the job.”

  I shake my head. “I was too excited to sleep. But I’m not tired, I promise.” I hurry over to the window. Dad’s yellow taxi gleams under the streetlight. He keeps it really clean, even though it’s old and clunky and most mornings he comes home without any hubcaps on his tires.

  I push up my window. “I’m coming, Dad!”

  Mom groans. “Archie, it’s midnight. You probably woke your sister. And half the block.”

  “Oops, sorry.” I run over to my desk and grab the one thing I don’t go anywhere without—the metal tube my grandpa gave me before he retired to Florida. It looks kind of like an empty paper-towel roll, but it’s black with a single silver star painted on it. I bring it with me to baseball practice, to school, even to the bathroom! My friends are so used to seeing it they don’t even tease me anymore. Well, not much, anyway. When Grandpa gave it to me, he told me I’d need it one day and I’d know when that day arrived. So until that day comes, it goes where I go. “See ya later, Mom!”

  “Archie, wait,” she says.

  I stop, pretty sure she’s going to tell me to leave the tube at home, like she always does.

  But Mom doesn’t mention the tube. Instead, she hands me a brown bag and a warm thermos. It’s the same thing she gives Dad before he leaves every night. It would be dorky to show how cool I think this is, so I just take it and mumble, “Thanks.”

  “Let me take one last look at you,” she says, wiping her eyes. “I never thought this day would come. I’m going to miss you.”

  Mom can be so mushy, always hugging and smooching me. She doesn’t like it when I complain that I’m too old for that stuff. So I hold in my groan and say, “Oh, Mom. I’m only going to the other side of town.”

  “Well… it may be a little farther than that, honey.” She pulls me in for a hug.

  “I’ll be fine,” I tell her, squirming away after what I feel is a reasonable period of time. “I’ll be with Dad.”

  She opens her mouth to say something, but instead she kisses me on the cheek, whispers, “I love you, honey,” and shuts the door behind me.

  Chapter Two:

  Barney’s Bagels and Schmear

  With my supplies in hand, the dark night before me, and Mom inside, I’m feeling pretty grown up right about now. I hold up my thermos and paper bag. “Hi, Dad, I’m ready to go to work!”

  He lets out a deep, rumbly laugh. “Buckle up then, Archie! You’re in for a wild ride.”

  I carefully place Grandpa’s tube on the floor behind my seat and put my seat belt on. The old taxi rattles and groans as we pull away from the curb. I don’t think the ride’s going to get too wild. Our biggest adventure will probably be going over a bump and losing a hubcap!

  I’ve never heard the streets so quiet. It’s almost spooky. I shiver, even though it’s not cold. I have to remember not to let my imagination run away with me. That’s what Mom used to tell me when I was a little kid and thought a four-armed, three-eyed alien was living under the kitchen sink. Plus, I’ll be with Dad, and he does this every night.

  I look around at the empty streets. “How do you find someone who needs a ride?” I ask.

  “I get my assignments from the depot,” Dad explains. “Then I go pick up my fare. That’s what we call the person—or people—who need a ride. Then I take them wherever they want to go. It’s different every night. And tonight I’ll have my best pal along for the ride. Sounds like an adventure, right?”

  Feeling better, I smile back at him. “Right, Dad!”

  A few minutes later we pull up in front of Barney’s Bagels and Schmear. It’s not closed for the night like the rest of the restaurants and stores in the area. Through the large window I can see that half the tables are full with people eating, sipping coffee, talking, and laughing.

  “Our first stop,” Dad says, turning off the car.

  “But Mom already gave us food,” I say, pointing to the brown bag at my feet.

  “That’s breakfast,” he says with a grin. “This is a midnight snack.”

  As Dad pushes the door open, all the eyes in the place look up. Some people shout, “Hey, Morningstar, how’s it going?” Others wave or give the thumbs-up sign. Dad shouts back greetings and leads me to the counter. For a second I think I see what looks like a dog wearing headphones slip out the back door. I rub my eyes. Mom was right. I probably should have gotten some sleep.

  Dad orders us each a tuna sandwich on a bagel, along with a coffee for him and an apple juice for me.

  “Is this your boy?” the man asks as he neatly slices our poppy-seed bagels. He has a big, round belly and a happy smile.

  Dad nods and pats me on the shoulder. “This is Archie. He’s eight years, eight months, and eight days old today.”

  “Big day for you, eh, young Morningstar?” the man says, and then winks. At least I think he winked. Maybe a poppy seed flew into his eye.

  I almost tell him that it’s a big night for me, not day, but Mom always says it’s rude to correct people. So I just nod and say, “I’ve never seen the city at night before.”

  “You’re gonna see a lot more than that,” he says, winking again. Those poppy seeds must really fly! Someone behind us chuckles and I turn around. For a split second it looks like a lady sitting at the counter has one more head than she’s supposed to have. But when I blink again, she goes back to normal.

  Okay, I definitely see a nap happening in my near future.

  On the way out of the deli, Dad stops at almost every table. How does he know all these people? When we get to the street, I ask, “Are we going to the depot now?”

  “We just did,” he replies, pulling a slip of paper from the bag holding the sandwiches.

  “Huh?” I look behind us at the bagel shop. A
ll the customers are crowded by the window, watching us. When they see me looking, they quickly run back to their seats. Life after midnight is weird.

  “Let’s go, son.” Dad steers me toward the car. He hands me the piece of paper and says, “Our first pickup awaits.”

  I read the handwritten words:

  Mr. Ramsey Fitch

  751 Zoder Street,

  Apartment C

  Delta Three, South Quadrant,

  Cygnus Galaxy

  Not to brag, but I’m pretty familiar with the city. I’ve memorized all the maps on my walls. I’ve never seen any South Quadrant, Cygnus Galaxy. When we’re both in the car, I ask, “Is this on the other side of the city, Dad?”

  He smiles. “It may be a little farther.”

  My eyes widen. “You mean like the next town over?”

  He smiles again and pats my knee. “Something like that.”

  I buckle up in a hurry. Forget the nap—I’m way too excited now. A midnight visit to the next town over. Wait till the kids at school hear about this!

  Chapter Three:

  The Next Town Over

  The car starts with its usual clanging and banging. Once we’re on the road, I ask, “Hey, Dad, how do you know all those people in the bagel place?”

  “Oh, I’ve known them for years,” he says, adjusting his rearview mirror. “Most of them are drivers, like me. Some are copilots.”

  “Copilots? Taxi drivers have copilots?”

  He laughs. “Of course. We’d get hopelessly lost without them.”

  “But you don’t have one.”

  “I used to. Yesterday was his last day.”

  “Huh? But you never—” Suddenly the dashboard lights up in a rainbow of colors. Buttons, knobs, and screens pop out of the flat surface. My eyes bug out of my head. That definitely did not happen on the way to the restaurant!

  Dad reaches for a knob marked COM LINE and twists it two notches to the left. “Sal Morningstar reporting for duty.”

  “Good evening, Morningstar,” a squeaky voice crackles through the car. “This is Home Base. Do you have the instructions for your first pickup?”

  “Affirmative. I’m heading to the field now.”

  Field? What field? The only field I know of in the city is the one I play Little League baseball on, and we already passed it.

  “Be careful out there,” the voice warns. It sounds like a mouse in a cartoon.

  “Always am,” Dad replies. “Morningstar out.” He turns the knob back again without even looking.

  “What was that about, Dad? What’s a com line?”

  “That’s how I communicate with Home Base,” he replies, veering the car hard to the left.

  “What’s Home Base?” I twist around in my seat and look behind us. Where did the city go? It’s so dark. “Where are we?”

  “Hold on, Archie!” We whiz past a sign that says AIRFIELD.

  “Um, Dad?” I grip the sides of my seat with all my strength. “Aren’t airfields where planes take off?”

  “Yup!” Dad says. Before I can even form my next thought, a second seat belt reaches across my body and pins me tightly to the back of the seat.

  The car grunts, and even in the darkness I can tell it’s changing. The hood stretches out until it’s much longer and rounder. The roof grows higher above our heads. “Dad! Are those… WINGS?” I have to shout over the sound of the engine, which is getting louder with every second.

  A keypad swooshes out from the dashboard, and Dad’s right hand flies over the keys.

  “Dad!” I shout. “Can you please tell me what’s going on? I thought you were a taxi driver!”

  “I am, son. Now, this is gonna feel a bit strange, but trust me, you’re totally safe.”

  I tighten my grip on the arms of my seat. Dad presses a red button and… BANG! BOOM! KA-BLAMO!

  Fire explodes from the back of the car. We zoom down a runway that I didn’t even see in the dark. All four hubcaps fly off and spin in different directions. We’re going so fast I don’t even hear them land. And then, before I can catch my breath, we’re going UP! Straight UP! Into the SKY!

  I want to ask Dad if I’m dreaming, but I can’t seem to make words come out of my mouth. My heart is thumping so loudly I bet Mom can hear it back home.

  Mom!

  She would FREAK OUT if she knew about this! If I ever make it home again, she can hug me as long as she wants. Seriously. And I won’t complain about the kisses, either. I’ll even take ’em from Penny, and hers usually leave a smear of peanut butter on my cheek.

  My jaw drops as we pass the moon.

  THE MOON!

  I’ve never been on an airplane before, but I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be this high.

  Dad’s talking and pointing out the window, but I can’t focus on a word he says. He pulls a lever below the steering wheel and we slow down a little. I finally remember to breathe. We are still moving really, REALLY fast, though.

  I begin to notice the stars. Lots and lots of stars. More stars than I ever imagined existed. I stare and stare. I can’t see the moon anymore. Is that… Saturn? We swerve to the right to avoid what looks like a giant chunk of ice, then bank to the left.

  It’s a good thing we haven’t eaten those tuna sandwiches yet. Mine would be splattered all over the windshield by now.

  “Here, Archie,” Dad says, handing me a rolled-up paper scroll.

  I stare at him. He looks like my dad. He sounds like my dad. But we’re in OUTER SPACE and he doesn’t seem NEARLY as surprised as he should be.

  “It’s a map,” he explains, pointing to the scroll clutched in my hand. “I’ll need you to tell me when we reach the third wormhole. They’re invisible, of course.”

  I want to shout, “THERE ARE GIANT WORMS MAKING HOLES IN OUTER SPACE AND YOU WANT ME TO FIND ONE? On PURPOSE?” But I’m still too shocked to speak. I unroll the paper and spread it out on my lap. This is not easy because my hands won’t stop shaking.

  The map isn’t like any I’ve ever seen. Thick green lines crisscross each other, dotted here and there with red and blue splotches, and in the center is one small yellow circle. Tiny numbers are printed along each line in some sort of pattern. “Um, Dad? I have no idea what I’m looking at.” My voice comes out weird, like a croaking frog. A really freaked-out croaking frog.

  “You can do this, son. Just give it a try.”

  “But I don’t—”

  He pats my knee. “You’ll figure it out. I should mention, though, if we miss the wormhole, I’ll be late for my pickup. And late getting you back home. And then we’ll both have to deal with your mother.”

  I stare at him, then back at the map. This is crazy. Why would Dad think I could see something that’s invisible? I stare hard at the paper, but all I see are those lines and numbers and dots.

  And then… BAM! Right in front of my eyes it changes. The images on the map rise off the paper and I’m staring at a 3-D image of outer space. It’s hovering right there over my lap! The small yellow circle is now a perfect image of our taxi! Is that… yes! I can see me and Dad inside, zooming through space.

  The images of the planets and stars are so real I almost feel like I can reach out and touch them. So I do! As soon as my finger lands on one of the glowing spheres, the air around the object fills with information. I touch a wormhole (which, invisible or not, I can clearly see), and words pop up to tell me that a wormhole is a tunnel connecting two distant points in space.

  I look at Dad in amazement. “How does this… what… why…?” I can’t seem to make the words come out right.

  Dad laughs. “You see it now, don’t you?”

  “I see… everything! The whole universe, I think.”

  “It must be quite amazing.”

  “Can’t you see it, too?” I ask, surprised.

  He shakes his head.

  “Why not?” I ask.

  “I’ll explain later,” he says, speeding up again. “Right now I need you to guide me to the thi
rd wormhole. Make sure it’s the third, and not the fourth.”

  My heart thumps loudly again as I try to sort out the different wormholes. They all look the same. “What happens if I choose the fourth by mistake?”

  Dad shudders. “Let’s hope we never find out.”

  Chapter Four:

  The Trip

  “Turn right!” I shout. “Now, Dad!”

  Dad yanks the wheel and shouts, “Yee-ha!”

  We plunge into the wormhole, and the night takes on a whole new level of strange. The stars disappear like someone turned off a huge switch in the sky. Streaks of color fly past our windows almost faster than I can see them. I gasp as we twist and turn like we’re on the universe’s longest roller coaster. I think I’m going to be sick.

  On the plus side, no real worms.

  The whole time we’re on this crazy ride, Dad is leaning back in his seat, grinning wildly. He looks like a kid who just found out he’s going to Disney World instead of the dentist’s office.

  “I knew you could do it, Archie!” Dad says, beaming at me. “The day you were born, your grandpa bet you’d be an even greater space map reader than him. And he was one of the best!”

  I try to answer, but the car plunges into a series of loop-de-loops. I clamp my lips and eyes shut.

  “It’ll straighten out in a few seconds,” Dad promises as the car flips upside down for the third time.

  They are a few LONG seconds, but finally we stop looping and enter an area of gentle curves. I open my eyes and take a few deep breaths before saying, “Grandpa was a space map reader? But he sold hats for a living.”

  Dad shakes his head. “And he didn’t retire to Florida, either. He’s currently tanning himself on a planet where one of three suns is always shining.”

  “There’s a planet with three suns?”

  Dad spreads his arms wide. “You wouldn’t BELIEVE the kinds of planets there are. The universe is an amazing place, Archie. I’m so glad you’re finally getting to see it.”