"The Cosmic Crew’s Misadventure"

Five friends, Liam, Maya, Kofi, Zara, and Ben, all science nerds with imaginations bigger than the Milky Way, sat crammed in their treehouse, staring at a poster of a galaxy on the wall. Their mission? To plan the most epic space adventure ever.

"Guys, NASA’s got nothing on us," Liam said, adjusting his oversized space helmet (which was actually a salad bowl). "We’re going to space, and we’ll be legends!"

"First question," Maya chimed in, pulling out a crayon as if it were a laser pointer. "What do we pack?"

Zara, ever the planner, whipped out a list she’d been working on. "Snacks. Lots of snacks. We can’t have an adventure on an empty stomach. And toilet paper. I don't know how astronauts handle that in zero gravity."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Toilet paper in space? Imagine it floating around—disaster."

Kofi, their self-proclaimed "tech guy," looked up from an old, beat-up laptop. "I’ve done some calculations," he said dramatically, as if he had just cracked the code to the universe. "Our treehouse-turned-spaceship needs a lot of fuel... and by fuel, I mean soda."

"Soda?" Zara asked skeptically.

"Think about it," Kofi said. "If we shake up the soda bottles and open them at the right moment, it’s basically rocket fuel! Psshht—straight to Mars!"

Everyone nodded, totally ignoring the fact that this was scientifically impossible.

"Okay, we’ll need an intergalactic playlist," Ben added, pulling out his phone. "I’m thinking some Space Oddity, Intergalactic, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for when we need a nap."

Maya, who had been doodling planets on the side of the treehouse wall, suddenly said, "What if we meet aliens? What do we say?"

Liam thought for a moment. "We offer them snacks, obviously."

"Yeah, nothing says ‘We come in peace’ like offering alien life forms a bag of potato chips," Zara said, rolling her eyes.

The group huddled around their "spaceship" (aka the treehouse) and began preparations. Liam counted down, "Five... four... three... two... one... BLAST OFF!"

Kofi popped open a soda bottle, and it fizzed everywhere, spraying them all with sticky liquid. The treehouse creaked slightly, but there was no movement.

"We’re not moving," Ben said, glancing around.

"Give it a minute!" Kofi insisted, shaking another soda bottle.

Suddenly, there was a loud "creak" as a tree branch snapped, causing the entire treehouse to lean sideways. Everyone screamed as the "spaceship" slowly descended... straight into the neighbor’s backyard.

They landed with a soft thud, right on top of Mr. Peterson’s prize-winning tomato plants. Mr. Peterson, standing in his garden with a look of utter disbelief, stared at the treehouse now perched in his yard.

"Well, we made it," Liam said, unbuckling his imaginary seatbelt.

"Made it where?" Zara asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Uh, Planet Tomato-8?" Liam suggested with a grin.

Mr. Peterson crossed his arms. "Welcome, space travelers. What brings you to my... tomatoes?"

Kofi, always quick on his feet, stepped forward, still dripping with soda. "Mr. Peterson, we come in peace. Would you like some potato chips?"

The group burst into laughter, while Mr. Peterson shook his head and walked back inside, muttering something about "kids these days."

Later, as they repaired their "spaceship" and hoisted it back into the tree, Maya said, "Okay, so maybe we didn’t make it to space today, but it was still an adventure."

"And the snacks were awesome," Ben added, munching on what was left.

Liam raised his soda bottle triumphantly. "To the Cosmic Crew! Next time, we aim for Jupiter."

"Or at least aim to land somewhere without tomatoes," Zara joked.

The friends laughed, knowing that no matter what wild plans they dreamed up next, they’d always have each other for the journey—whether they reached the stars or just the neighbor’s garden.

Here are 5 questions about the story, and these can help guide an illustration of the adventure:

1. How would you illustrate the treehouse-turned-spaceship as the friends imagine it launching into space?
2. What do you think the group's expressions looked like when the soda exploded and soaked them during "blast off"? How would you draw that moment?
3. Can you create a funny scene of the friends landing in Mr. Peterson's tomato garden and their reactions when they see him staring at them?
4. How would you draw the friends offering snacks to imaginary aliens or to Mr. Peterson after their "crash landing"?
5. How would you illustrate the group gathered around, laughing and raising soda bottles, celebrating their adventure even though it didn’t go as planned?

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