It was all beyond his imagination. He was the lone survivor. There was no one else left on the planet base station when he suddenly heard a violent knock at the main door.

He froze.

At first, he couldn’t believe his ears — but the next knock was louder, shaking the metal walls. His heart began to pound. He stayed perfectly still, afraid to make even the slightest sound. It was the second time Ibraheem had felt such terror in his life.

Ibraheem was a brave, adventurous astronaut who had volunteered for this historic mission — to be part of the first human team to land on a new planet in another solar system. Ten astronauts had travelled together, their hearts filled with excitement and pride.

As their spaceship touched down safely on the planet’s surface, the cabin erupted with cheers.

“Everyone wants to step out first,” laughed Ali.

“Hold on,” Ibraheem said eagerly. “Sara should go first — she’s our senior-most astronaut.”

The others nodded in agreement. Sara smiled modestly, then reached for the door.

With a hiss and a jerk, the airlock opened. Darkness surrounded them. They switched on their headlamps and stepped onto the strange, rust-coloured ground.

Their joy knew no bounds — they were the first humans to walk on a new world.

“Ahmed, can we take off our helmets?” Ali asked the team’s astrogeologist.

“Wait, let me check,” Ahmed replied. He bent down, scooped up a handful of soil and sealed it inside a cylinder from his bag. After examining its texture, he frowned.

“Strange,” he murmured.

“What is it?” asked Ibraheem.

“It feels like this soil has been disturbed… touched recently,” Ahmed said, still staring at it.

“Are you sure?” asked Sara.

“Almost,” he replied.

They looked around. The valley stretched far and wide, surrounded by dark orange mountains.

“This is incredible!” Ali exclaimed.

Ahmed finally spoke again. “We can remove our helmets, but be careful. The air is breathable, though slightly different from Earth’s. Some of us might feel light-headed.”

One by one, they lifted their helmets. The air was heavy and carried a strange, sharp odour — unlike anything they had smelled before.

Meanwhile, Zaroon, who had stayed inside the spaceship to check some systems, called out, “Repairs complete! Everything’s ready!”

The mission was going smoothly.

“I hope Earth gets to know about our success soon,” said Ali, grinning. “We’ve found our planet’s twin.”

Then Noman pointed ahead. “Ahmed, what are those structures? Are they plants?”

Ahmed examined the glowing stalks rising from the ground. “Possibly. They seem alive. Maybe this planet has its own kind of vegetation.”

“There are so many,” Noman said in awe.

“Whoever or whatever lives here must love planting,” Ahmed said cheerfully. His excitement was contagious.

They spent a couple of hours exploring the terrain, collecting samples and marvelling at the alien landscape. Then, as the first rays of the planet’s sun appeared, something strange happened.

A shadow moved. Then another.

One by one, towering figures emerged from the orange mist — tall, broad, green creatures with enormous mouths and glowing eyes. Within moments, the astronauts were surrounded.

The creatures’ faces showed unmistakable hostility.

“We should go back,” Maria whispered, trembling.

“No, wait,” Ahmed said, raising his hand. “Let’s try to communicate.”

He stepped forward bravely. “Hi… we are humans, from Earth. We come in peace.”

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the creatures’ eyes flared bright red. A crackling sound filled the air — and in an instant, Ahmed vanished before their eyes.

Sara screamed. The others turned to run. In the chaos, Noman and Ali disappeared too.

Ibraheem sprinted toward the spaceship, his heart pounding harder than ever. He stumbled inside, slammed the door shut and collapsed into a chair, gasping. Outside, the pounding on the metal door grew louder and louder.

He buried his face in his hands, tears streaming down. He was the only one left.

“Ibraheem! Ibraheem! Son, wake up!”

He opened his eyes to see his mother leaning over him, shaking his shoulders gently.

“Are you alright? What happened?” she asked, worried.

He sat up, breathing heavily — realising it had all been a dream.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 25th, 2025