What if the Earth was the other way...?

7.Kliptoran Wonders

Nathalia Avra

Tina brought a platter of what looked like boiled eggs and a glass of water. Not as alien as I thought it would be.

"Thanks," I smile as I take it from her hands and take one of those eggs... definitely not eggs. They felt much harder than a hard-boiled egg and the texture was not quite 'eggish'.

I take a bite. Ew! That is disgusting! It actually tastes like toothpaste mixed with some kind of cream. But I smile awkwardly and show a thumbs up.

They both look at me satisfied, I suppose, because they are pretty good at holding poker faces. I swallow the bite and have a drink.

Fortunately, it's just water!

"Are you going to finish those chunk balls?" Tony asked, gesturing at the plate.

I look at the plate and then look at him.

"Yeah... sure... but let's get talking. I can eat while talking." I nod and lean closer to both of them.

"Ok then, we would gladly introduce Kliptora to you." Tony said.

It really seems that Tony and Tina are not those people who could give a speech. They just talk like dead people. No emotions in the tone, nor in their faces. I hope the rest of the planet isn't like this.

" Kliptora belongs to a galaxy called Zooietoriah. Just like all other planets, Kliptora revolves around a star. Helo is what we call our star." He pauses to make sure I am still following, all the while looking at my plate. I nod and take a bite of those 'chunk balls' and smile.

"It is precisely 5.947e24 kg and resides fourth in our system."

"So that's why it's such a Goldilocks planet." I blurted out interrupting them, causing them to give me an inquisitive look.

"Oh...um, Earth is the fourth planet and roughly the same mass," I mumble.

He nods before continuing. " Kliptora has a binary satellite..."

"That means two moons, right?" I interrupt again.

Once more he nods. "Zooie and Toriah."

Now, Tina takes up the topic, " Zooietoriah has many such star systems, but we have not found any other planet with life."

I nod. Tony looks at my plate again. I grind my teeth under my clenched lips and take a bite and swallow hard, making him smile again.

"Kliptora has eight continents. Engame, Frenchi, Latina, Arabacia, Greka, Mandrea, Sanskrita and Edbranch."

"Wow! They sound super familiar. On Earth, we only have seven. Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica."

"How are the continents classified?" Asks Tina and that's when I notice her eyes go wide open and her leaning forward. I could literally see her ears popping open, so she could grasp everything that I say. I see raw emotions of curiosity in her.

I smile and think. How are the continents classified anyway? If I had my phone and a good reception here, I could've just googled it. But those are not the options now and I really need to open my mouth. So, I answered in a matter-of-factly manner, "Well, a landmass is considered a continent, if it meets all the requirements needed to be a continent."

Pretty clever answer, Nathalia! But Tony and Tina both look unsatisfied with that answer. Tina wilted like a flower in a dry sun. She expected a better answer, I guess. I had to make it up to her.