We returned to our shelters that afternoon.  “I’m afraid it’ll take a long time for us to go home,” said Camilla, plopping down on the grass mattress.

“Uh, we may not even be able to go home!” Lyle said grimly.

“We must do whatever it takes to go home,” I said.

That same evening, we were eating supper in our shelter when we noticed two, dark figures standing at the door, staring at us.  “Aborigines!”  Camilla said in a low voice.  Just as we stood up to meet them in a civilized manner, they shot a foul-smelling mist into our shelter.  Immediately we lost consciousness.  –From Chapter One of THE SPACE HERMITS

These samples are from nine-page of the chapter.  Upon rereading the story, I feel I could write it better now, craft-wise.  Still, I love the  story itself.  (The post will be continued.)

A distant voice startled us.  We looked out the window.  Fifty yards away, walking in a line between the trees were humanlike beings!  Two short ones who were leading them were about five-foot tall, had gray skins and large droopy ears, like Basset hound dogs.  “They must be aborigines!”  I said.

When they got farther, we left the cabin and followed them, keeping safe a distance.  Ten minutes later, they stopped at a clearing.  Hiding in the tall grass, we watched some form a line.  A short one with the droopy ears began to throw dark bags over their heads.  Then he started shooting them with a rifle!  The dead ones fell into a pit behind them.  We sucked in our breaths, shocked.

The two short ones turned to go back in the way they came.  We remained in the tall grass until it was safe to pursue them.

–From Chapter One of THE SPACE HERMITS

I was more worried about my dad and brother’s grave than the food.  “I’ll run there now and check,” I said.

Arriving at the crash site, I gawked at the empty beach, stunned.  The remnants of the crashed spaceship and the dead people were gone!  I ran to the boulder where I had buried my dad and brother, and started digging.  They were gone too!  “What the hell…freaking thing happened?”I peeled my eyes to look for anything that had once belonged to the spaceship but could not find any.  There was no evidence of the crash as if the accident never happened.  Even the reek from the condemned ship was gone, and the air was ocean-smell-fresh.  The animals couldn’t have done it.  Excellent cleaning!

–From Chapter One of THE SPACE HERMITS