The Curious Case of Calico's Shop

Scrap metal tore off the starship as it sped towards the floor of the barren moon. Flames erupted across the roof and burnt deep into the vessel. The back of the ship was hit severely. The entire back turbo-engine was burnt to a crisp, leading the ship in a downward trajectory towards the rocky moon below. Inside the ship, two Intergalactic Rangers, Violet Mercury and Gregory Stardust, braced for a rough landing. 

“What’s the damage?” Gregory Stardust asked from his dusty control console.

“Hard to tell so far,” Violet Mercury answered while proactively sealing the roof. “It looks like the roof took most of the damage, but the left wing is damaged in some way.”

“And the landing?” Stardust could already tell from Mercury’s face that he wasn’t about to hear good news. 

“It’ll take a miracle to save the ship at this speed with this much damage!” Mercury said solemnly.

“We’ve seen miracles before!” Stardust said hopefully. Determined to save the ship, he looked through the tinted glass window for any softer landing spots. Although the moon below had a mostly rocky exterior, there were patches of water scattered throughout. “Do you see those patches of water below?” 

“Of course! The problem is that none of them are nearly big enough for our ship to survive the landing!” Mercury reasoned. 

“I know that,” Stardust responded “But small patches of water typically lend themselves to bigger patches of water. All we need to do is find that and we can probably land safely enough to save the ship— and our lives for that matter.” 

“How much time do we have until impact?” Mercury asked.

“Less than a minute!” Stardust responded

“Then you better be right about there being water nearby,” Mercury said.

“I see it! It’s roughly a half-kilometer away.” Stardust exclaimed in relief.

Stardust steered the ship toward the body of water below. If they made it all, it was going to be close. As the ship continued to careen towards the lake below, Gregory felt that there was something off about it. The surface bubbled lightly and, along the shore, there were broad metal pipes that extended through the shore. The ship dived towards the water, narrowly missing the shore alongside it.

With a splash, the ship landed in the water, effectively saving its structure and putting out the flames on the roof. Using the last bit of power in the engine, Gregory flew the ship out of the water and dropped it onto the shore. 

Eager to check the ship for damages, Violet immediately opened the wide garage door-like hatch at the back of the ship and exited the ship. Although most of the ship would survive, the turbo-engine that allowed for the long-distance flight was completely fried. 

“Gregory,” she called. “You might want to see this!” Gregory stepped outside of the ship and groaned upon the sight of the back engine. 

“What are we going to do about it?” He asked.

“I mean, I might be able to repair the outer-shell but the interior turbo engine is completely totaled,” Violet answered solemnly. 

“There are some kind of lifeforms near here,” Gregory pointed out. “If we follow those pipes, they should lead us to them.”

“How do we know they’re friendly?” Violet asked.

“We don’t,” Gregory admitted. “But right now, they’re our best shot.”

Mercury and Stardust followed the pipes to a nearby alien marketplace. Shops and stands occupied by grotesque aliens and animated machines of varying sizes were littered throughout the street. Among them were short, bulbous blue aliens with big eyes, fuzzy brown aliens with snout-like noses, and tall lizardmen who stood high above the others. 

No matter how shocked the pair of rangers were at the appearance of the aliens, they were the foreigners to this settlement. Their baggy grey spacesuits and dark gloves were like nothing the aliens had seen in decades. Their once white boots were worn with time. 

As they passed through, the rangers found all eyes placed on them. “Let’s find the engine we need and get out of here!” Violet suggested, noticing a bumpy blue alien stare her down sternly.

“That shop looks like it might have what we need!” Stardust responded, pointing at a shabby wooden building with a straw roof labeled ‘Calico’s Parts and Pieces.’

“Agreed, although it doesn’t look like these aliens get around much.” Violet could feel the soft hum of Saturn-gnats around her ears, at this point, she was just eager to get indoors.

The Rangers stepped into the building, instantly shocked by what they witnessed. The shop was divided into three rooms. The ceilings and walls were worn with time and covered in various burns and stains. Rows of shelves with assorted boxes and jars of everything imaginable filled the three rooms of the shops. Jars of colorful goo, slimes, wires, gizmos, liquids, and jams covered every shelf.  In the center of it all, a humanoid alien in an office chair. 

The alien was like nothing the rangers had ever seen. He was eccentrically draped in crimson robes, with a gold plate across his chest to fasten it to his body. His skin was a patchy mixture of pine-green and pasty white, with no overlap between the two. His eyes were mismatched, with one being a single black slit and the other being a soft brown orb. His nose and lips were shaped forward. All of these details being topped by the scarlet fez the alien wore on his head.

“Greetings, humans!” the creature greeted. “As you likely determined from the sign, I’m Calico, and this is my shop of parts and pieces. I will be happy to help you with any of your construction, repair, or recreational needs.”

“My friend and I are looking for a turbo engine for the rear of our ship. It’s a Nightcruiser-216. Do you have the part we need?” Violet enquired, determined to leave that shop as soon as available.

“I believe I acquired a part like that not too long ago!” The alien sneered. “I invite you to check the storage bin in the room to your right— that’s where I tend to keep mechanical pieces.”

“Thank you!” Violet responded, still unconvinced of her safety. 

As they searched through the bins in the next room, they couldn’t quite seem to find the right piece. Some closely matched but wouldn’t fit, others would fry their electrical system. All in all, not a single item seemed right for them. While Violet kept looking for engine pieces, Gregory couldn’t help but browse through the jars in Calico’s shop.

Each jar had an unsettling aura to it. A jar of red, stringy fruit helplessly straining against the glass they were kept in, a jar of dice that seemed to all be placed so the six sides faced up, and a single hoof surrounded by thin purple fur made up a small part of the wicked collection. One jar in particular, however, caught Stardust’s eye. At first glance, it seemed to be some kind of pale leather or tough fabric, but upon closer examination, the undeniable shape of a human nose could be made out.

“Violet,” Stardust warned quietly.

“What?” Violet responded, frustrated that Stardust was making no effort to help get them off that moon. 

“We need to get out of here!” The exasperated ranger breathed in and took a step back. 

“I was actually starting to hope we could stay!” Violet responded sarcastically.

“You don’t understand!” Gregory began shaking. “The items here are rooted in some kind of evil practice, some kind of—”

“Did something catch your eye, ranger?” Calico interrupted. Stardust froze dead in his tracks but Calico continued to step forward. The shop owner stood at seven feet tall and his flowy robes seemed to let him hover towards Gregory. “They say if you do something you love, you never work a day in your life. I hope they’re right because I’m sure going to enjoy this very much.”

The monster sharply lunged forward at Stardust, restraining his wrists against the shelves. Thinking on her feet, Violet grabbed a jar from the shelf and chucked it at Calico, bouncing off and shattering onto the floor. Violet continued to toss jars from the shelves at Calico, although nothing seemed to stop him. Digging his jagged fingernails into Gregory’s neck, Calico slithered back into the main hull of the shop.

As Violet grabbed another jar from the shelf, she began to reconsider her actions. Throwing the jars didn’t seem to do anything, she needed to try a different approach. She looked at the chrome-colored goo inside the jar, unscrewed the top, and reached her hand in. Instantly she felt a burning sensation through the gloves of her spacesuit. She endured the pain long enough to get a clear shot and tossed the goo at the robed menace. 

It flew through the air and landed on the creature’s bald head. Hissing in rage, Calico released the ranger from his grasp. Gregory regained his footing and grabbed a jar of eyes from a nearby shelf, smashing it over the sinister shop owner's head. Calico fell onto the ground, groaning in pain.

“Grab an engine from the back and let’s get out of here!” Violet commanded.

“Are any of these engines even compatible with our ship?” Gregory was still trying to catch his breath.

“Not for long,” Violet responded solemnly. “But for long enough.” Gregory ran to the back of the shop and picked up the first engine he could get his hands on. It wasn’t the part they needed, but it would have to suffice. As he returned to the exit of the store, Gregory caught Calico regaining his footing.

Gregory pushed through the exit doors with the piece and caught up to Violet outside. A blood-hungry Calico quickly threw the doors open and chased after them. Pushing through aliens in the crowded market streets, Gregory and Violet were eager to leave this moon with their lives. Gregory’s heart pounded with each step he took. His vision became blurry and he wasn’t certain he would make it. Behind him, Calico shoved a thin bell-nosed alien aside, leaving nothing between him and the rangers.

They crossed over a rocky hill and their ship was visible by the river shore. Calico was quickly closing in. Gregory made an important decision. 

“Violet!” He called from behind his colleague. “Catch!” Gregory tossed the engine part to violet who, thinking quickly, narrowly caught it. Gregory stayed behind, attempting to subdue their attacker. 

Violet made it back to their ship and opened the back engine’s shell. Removing the burnt engine from the shell, Violet needed to figure out how to connect the piece she was holding. In size, the engine Gregory had grabbed was a lot smaller than the one that belonged in their ship. To connect the engine, she would need to expose the wiring and connect it manually. She picked a jagged rock up from the ground below her and stabbed it into thick metal covering the wiring panel. She got it open, now she just needed to connect the wires to the engine. 

Meanwhile, Gregory was struggling to hold the alien back. Calico swung his bony arms at Gregory. With each swing, Gregory struggled to dodge the monster. One hit was too swift for Gregory to escape. Calico’s claws found themselves lodged in the temple of Gregory’s head. As he pulled away, blood flew into the air. Gregory’s vision became blurry as the monster stood over him victoriously.

“What a shame it is, human,” Calico eloquently spoke. “You nearly got off this space rock, but now, you’ll be like the rest of your kind who enter here: a jar in my shop.” Just then, a loud whirring noise shook the ground below them. Violet started the ship back up and lifted it feet above the ground. 

Gregory had Calico distracted. He punched him in the shin and lifted himself off the ground. Running after the ship, Gregory’s vision cut in and out. His legs ached with each step on the rocky ground below him. His arms were sore from running. Nonetheless, he carried onward. 

When Gregory got to the ship, Violet was waiting on the ship’s hangar to pull him on board. He jumped up and grabbed hold of the underside of the ship. Violet grabbed his hand and began pulling him on board. Right as he was lifted onto the starship, he felt a cold hand latch onto his leg.

Calico grabbed hold of Gregory’s legs and hoisted himself onto the ship. “All that running and you’ve gotten nowhere,“ he smiled eerily. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

“Hold tight, Stardust!” Violet commanded.

“What do you mean hold ti—” Gregory was interrupted by the ship’s swift jetting upward. Gregory caught hold of the seat behind him and Calico clung to the sides of the ship as the ship raised high into the atmosphere. Calico crawled his way into the ship, digging his claws into the flimsy metal of the floor. He inched nearer and nearer to Gregory, unable to escape.

“I need some help back here!” Gregory yelled to the front of the ship. Violet pointed the nose of the ship upward, sending cargo, tools, and Gregory flying towards the back. Gregory gripped the edge of the ship with all the force in his body. He swung back and forth as the ship continued to move. Too weak to lift himself, Gregory felt a chill shiver down his spine as a familiar voice called to him.

“Now, now,” Calico laughed sinisterly. “You don’t want to lose your grip, do you?” Calico stomped on Gregory’s right hand, causing him to lose his grip. Gregory panted heavily. Struggling to keep his grip, he desperately attempted to lift himself back up. Despite his best efforts, he wasn’t able to. 

“Hey, Calico!” Violet called from behind the monster. “Get off my ship!” 

Calico swiftly turned around in realization and with a swift kick in his chest, Violet was able to knock Calico from the starship. As he plummeted towards the rocky moon below, Calico clawed helplessly at the air, searching for anything to break his fall— to no avail. His body slammed against the rough ground of the moon, shattering his skeleton instantly. 

“Close the hatch! We can finally get out of here!” Gregory shouted excitedly as Violet lifted him back onto the ship. The hatch rickety ship sealed itself and the duo finally felt the events that took place on the planet below them shave away. Gregory Stardust sat in the front seat of the ship’s console next to Violet and breathed a sigh of relief.

“I sure am glad that ‘s over!” Violet said.

“Me too!” he responded. “It’s a miracle we were able to escape.”

“Not that we haven’t seen them before!” She smiled. 

The pair prepped to exit the atmosphere and return to outer space. The damages to the ship, both from Calico and the subsequent incident, would need to be repaired in time. For now, however, Gregory Stardust and Violet Mercury just needed a second to forget the interaction on the moon below them. Although certainly unhappy with how the events transpired, they were relieved to leave that miserable rock for good. 

THE END.