A Visitor from Outer Space

In the morning, when Pete woke up, he looked out of the window and noticed something odd. A small greyish ball was stuck to the window frame — it must have happened overnight. The boy was sure it had not been there yesterday. Had the wasps built a nest? Pete was not easily frightened, but ever since last summer, when a wasp stung him for the first time, he has been more cautious.

A really subtle movement thrust the boy out of his thoughts. Two tiny eyes peeked out from underneath the ball. They winked at him and then quickly went back into hiding. Pete shook his head, a bit confused. As he was about to convince himself that it must have just been a fantasy, he saw a small hand with long, thin fingers waving at him from behind the ball.

Now standing at the window, Pete rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The creature was still there, so he carefully opened the window. He reached for the ball, grabbed hold of it, and took it inside. It was gently purring in his hands, and although the heat of the sun was already burning-hot, the ball was unnaturally cold.

At once, the ball said cheerfully: “Hiya!” And then a round head with extremely large eyes peered out at him from the hole in the top of the sphere.

The boy’s unexpected visitor made him gasp. Words failed him. The only thing he could manage to say was: “Ermm...”

“My name is…” Pete heard a jumble of strange sounds that he didn’t understand. “But just call me Ben. What’s your name? And how are you doing?” The creature continued asking questions, not even noticing Pete’s nervousness.

“I’m P-P-Pete,” the boy finally blurted out. It took him…