An Alien Hand

Summary 

Tilloo lives with his parents under the surface of a planet. People live underground because the surface is very dangerous. Tilloo has read about the sun and stars but has never seen them. Tilloo’s father goes to work every day through a secret underground passage. Only a few trained people are allowed to go there. One day, when his father is resting, Tilloo secretly takes his security card and enters the forbidden passage. He hopes to see the sun or stars.

However, the security system detects him quickly. He is caught and taken back home. Tilloo’s father then explains that the surface has very thin air and freezing temperatures. Ordinary people cannot survive there without special suits and oxygen. Long ago, humans lived on the surface, but changes in the sun made life impossible. Birds, animals, and fish became extinct. Humans survived by using advanced technology and living underground. Tilloo’s father works on the surface to maintain machines that provide energy.

Later, an alien spacecraft is seen approaching the planet. Scientists and leaders discuss what to do. They decide not to interfere and to observe quietly so that the aliens do not know there is life on the planet. Tilloo is taken to the Control Room by his father. On the screen, they see a mechanical hand coming out of the alien spacecraft to collect soil samples. Out of excitement, Tilloo presses a red button, and the mechanical hand stops working. The spacecraft actually belongs to NASA’s Viking Mission from Earth. Scientists later announce that the mechanical hand is working again, but finally conclude that there are no signs of life on Mars. Thus, the aliens fail to discover Tilloo’s underground world.

Difficult Words & Easy Meanings

• Artificial – man-made, not natural

• Underground – below the surface of the earth

• Habitat – living place or home

• Forbidden – not allowed

• Siesta – short nap or rest

• Evading – avoiding

• Barred – blocked

• Beckon – invite or call

• Intruder – someone who enters without permission

• Briefed – explained or informed

• Extinct – no longer living

• Hostile – dangerous or unfriendly

• Sustenance – food or support for life

• Trajectory – path followed by an object

• Impotently – without power or control

• Momentous – very important

• Unmanned – without people inside

• Passive observation – watching without interfering

• Malfunction – stop working properly

• Probe – spacecraft sent to explore space

Comprehension Check

1. How does Tilloo manage to find his way to the ‘forbidden passage’?

Tilloo manages to find the forbidden passage by secretly taking his father’s security card and following the same route his father used every day to go to work.

2. What did Tilloo hope to see once he emerged from his underground home?

Tilloo hoped to see the sun if it was daytime or the stars if it was night.

3. Why did Tilloo’s father advise him not to try to reach the surface of the planet?

Tilloo’s father advised him not to go to the surface because the air there was too thin to breathe and the temperature was extremely low, which could make him freeze to death without special training and equipment.

4. What changes had occurred, which forced people to live in underground homes?

The sun had changed slightly and became harmful. Because of this, birds, animals, and fish became extinct. Humans were forced to live underground using technology to survive.

5. Why was everyone in the Control Room greatly excited?

Everyone in the Control Room was excited because they had detected an alien spacecraft approaching their planet. It was something unusual and important.

6. Was the spacecraft manned or unmanned? How do you know it?

The spacecraft was unmanned. We know this because there were no signs of life or living beings inside it, and it was being controlled automatically.

7. What did Number One and Number Two suggest should be done about the alien spacecraft?

• Number One suggested that the spacecraft should be destroyed, as it could be dangerous.

• Number Two suggested that it should be allowed to land and be examined, to understand where it came from and why it had arrived.

8. What do you think the mechanical hand was trying to do?

The mechanical hand was trying to collect soil samples from the surface of Mars to examine them and find out if there was any life there.

9. Tilloo pressed the red button and “the damage was done”. What was the damage?

By pressing the red button, Tilloo destroyed the alien spacecraft. As a result, the mission ended and the chance of studying Mars further was lost.

10. Where had the spacecraft come from?

The spacecraft had come from Earth. It was sent by human scientists as part of the Viking Mission to Mars.

11. On which planet do Tilloo and his parents live?

Tilloo and his parents live on Mars.

Exercise

Discussion Topics

1. If you had to live in a home like Tilloo’s, what parts of life would you find most difficult? What compensations might there be?

Difficult parts:

• Not being able to see the sun, sky, stars, or natural scenery

• Living in artificial light and air

• No open spaces, plants, animals, or fresh air

• Feeling restricted and confined underground
  
  

Compensations:

• Life would be safe and well-controlled

• Advanced technology would provide comfortable living conditions

• No natural disasters like storms or extreme weather

• Strong sense of community and cooperation

2. What, if anything, might drive mankind to make their homes underground?

Mankind might be forced to live underground due to:

• Extreme climate changes

• Pollution making air unsafe to breathe

• Nuclear wars or natural disasters

• Damage to the atmosphere

• The sun becoming too hot or harmful

Living underground would help humans survive in a controlled environment.

3. Do you think there is life on other planets? Can you guess what kind of people there may be on them? In what ways are they likely to be different from us?

There may be life on other planets, but it might be very different from life on Earth.

Possible differences:

• They may not look like humans

• They might survive without oxygen or water

• They could be more intelligent or technologically advanced

• Their bodies may be adapted to extreme temperatures

They may communicate differently and live in ways we cannot imagine.