How a Peanut Saved a Space Traveler and Brought a Message from the Devil

 

The Mission Gone Nuts: How a Space Rookie Escaped the Devil’s Trap

Stuck at the Edge of the Galaxy: A Place of No Return

Alex never thought he would end up in a space taxi with the devil. He never thought he would have to trade his life for a bag of peanuts. He never thought he would have to search for a peanut that could save the lives of everyone on board. But that’s exactly what happened to him.

You and the devil are sitting in the cockpit, surrounded by buttons, levers, and screens. 

The Devil’s Deal: How a Pilot Bargained for a Bag of Peanuts to Save the Passengers from Sudden Catastrophe.

He turns to you and says, "Alex, pal, I owe you an apology. I ate all the peanuts. I didn't know they were our only fuel source. If you had given me a heads-up, I would have saved one for you." 

You glare back at the devil and blast, "How was I supposed to know?! You're the pilot! Shouldn't you have known better? You traded that whole bag for my life when you're the one flying this ship all along! What twisted game is this" 

The devil shrugs and says, "Hey buddy, Don’t hate the player, hate the game. I’m just following Boss's orders. Plus, I was starving and bored. Your life is worth more than a peanut, right?" 

You say, "Not right now, it isn't. Right now, you said we need a peanut to get back to Earth. Otherwise, we're stuck here at the edge of the galaxy forever." 

The devil says, "Well, don't worry. I have faith in you. You're the chosen one, Alex. The one who can save us all. You just have to find a peanut somewhere on this space taxi." 

You say, "Fine, I'll do it. But you better help me." 

You grab the intercom and announce to the passengers that you need their help to find a peanut. 

You start searching, but no one can find any.

Hours go by hunting, but no one can discover a kernel.

You check every seat, every bag, every pocket, every corner, but you find nothing. 

You're about to give up all hope when you notice a small lump wedged between the seat cushions of your row. 

You feel it and realize it’s a peanut. 

You pull it out and examine it. 

It looks intact and fresh. 

You exclaim, “I found it! I found a peanut!” 

Everyone claps. 

You run back to the flight deck to show the devil the legume.

He says, “Well done, Alex. You did it. You saved us all.” 

He takes the peanut and drops it into a funnel that leads to a small reactor chamber. 

The reactor glows with a bright blue light. 

The reactor is connected to a wire that runs through the space taxi and reaches the engines. 

The engines start to roar and the space taxi begins to accelerate. 

You see the stars blur and the Earth come into view. 

You think you are finally safe. 

But then you hear a loud beep and a red light flashes on the dashboard. 

The devil looks at it and says, “Uh-oh.” 

You ask him what’s wrong. 

He says, “The reactor is overheating. It’s going to explode in 10 seconds.” 

You say, “What? Can we stop it?” 

He says, “No, we can’t. We’re doomed.” 

You say, “But we’re so close to Earth. Can’t we land?” 

He says, “No, we can’t. We’re going too fast. We’ll crash and burn.” 

You say, “Then what can we do?” 

He says, “Nothing. Just brace for impact.” 

You say, “This can’t be happening.” 

"It is happening. Goodbye, Alex. It was nice knowing you." 

You close your eyes and wait for the end. 

You hear a loud boom and feel a jolt. 

You think you are dead. But then you hear the devil laughing. 

You open your eyes and see him smiling. 

He says, "Gotcha! I was just kidding. We're fine. The reactor is fine. The space taxi is fine. We're landing on Earth right now." 

You look out the window and see the blue sky and the green land. You can't believe it. 

You say, "What? You were kidding? You scared me to death!" 

He says, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. It was too funny. You should have seen your face." He laughs harder. 

You say, "That's not funny. That's cruel. That's evil." 

He says, "Well, I am the devil, after all. What did you expect?" 

You say, "I expected you to be honest and helpful. You owe me big time for this." 

He says, "Oh, come on. Don't be mad. It was just a prank. A harmless prank." 

You say, "Harmless? You almost gave me a heart attack." 

He says, "Almost doesn't count. Besides, you're fine now. Look, we're here." 

He points to the window and shows you the airport. You see the runway and the terminal and the people. 

You say, "We're home? We made it?"

You walk out of the space taxi and see the sun shining and the birds singing and the flowers blooming. 

You feel happy and relieved and grateful. You say to yourself, “I’m home. I’m finally home.” You look around and see the airport staff waiting for you. They smile and welcome you back. 

They say, “Welcome to Earth, Alex. We’re glad you made it.” 

You say, “Thank you, thank you. I’m glad too.” You walk towards them and see a sign that says, 

“Welcome to Earth, Alex.”

“You are the star of the show!”  

You say, “What? The star of the show? What do you mean?” 

They say, “Oh, you don’t know? You’ve been part of a reality show, Alex. A reality show. The space taxi was a camera vehicle that filmed your every move and broadcasted it to millions of viewers around the world. You were unaware of this and thought it was real. You are a celebrity, Alex. A celebrity.” 

You say, “A celebrity? That’s impossible. That’s crazy. That’s…” 

You stop and look at the devil.

He is standing next to you, holding your bag. 

He grins and says, “Smile! You’re on TV!”