2 Good News or Not

Two Good news or not? ZEKE WAS BEYOND STUNNED. He stared at his parents, speechless. He always knew that some day he'd have to leave Earth, just like he had left every other place he'd lived. After all, his parents were researchers. Their job was to move from planet to planet, studying each world's habits, customs, and culture.

But Zeke had never been given so much as a hint that his parents were close to wrapping up their time on Earth. "What is all this about?" he asked. "I mean, why now? Why is it time to leave?"

"Xad and I have collected all the research we were sent here for. So we need to go back to Tragas to get our next assignment," explained Quar, his mother. Zeke's shoulders slumped and his chin dropped to his chest. Here I go again, he thought. Another new planet, another new school, new kids, new games, holidays, customs. New everything... again! Zeke was tired of doing this over and over.

He suddenly realized that of all the worlds he'd lived on, Earth had become his favorite. And now this! Zeke tried to compose himself. "So your research on Earth is done?" he asked. "Correct," replied Xad. "We have learned a lot, though." "Yes, we learned that humans require many different types of clothing," Quar said. "They need clothing for warm weather, cold weather, wet weather, windy weather. Very different from Tragas. As you know, Zeke, all our clothing looks the same."

"Yes, and our clothing adjusts for the weather conditions, so we never have to change it," Xad added. "We also learned that humans like to cook their food many different ways— using stoves, ovens, microwaves, grills, and open fires," said Quar. "All we do to cook food is release a small amount of pulsar rays from our fingers." Quar's fingertips started glowing bright red.

"Oh, and don't forget," Xad said. "We now know that humans grow most of their food in plastic containers and glass jars. They pick them right off long, flat trees called 'shelves' that grow inside giant markets." "So you see, there is not much left for us to learn," Quar said. "Sure there is," said Zeke, hoping to convince his parents to stay on Earth a little longer. "There's holidays, and camping, and baseball, and soccer, and—"