The House Above the Clouds

Nicholas pressed his face against the cool glass of the floating window. Below him, white clouds stretched like cotton candy in every direction. The Magic House drifted silently through the sky, its wooden floors creaking softly with each gentle sway.

"Another hour passes in the realm of wonder!" announced the talking clock from the main room, its brass pendulum swinging with enthusiasm.

Nicholas rolled his eyes and wandered down the hallway. He'd been in the Magic House for three days now, and the clock's hourly announcements were getting old. His sneakers squeaked against the polished floor as he explored.

The invisible bed in his room still made him nervous. Last night he'd rolled right off it twice before remembering where the edges were.

"Five rooms to explore," he muttered, counting on his fingers. So far he'd only seen three. The kitchen made pancakes by themselves, and the bathroom had a mirror that showed tomorrow's weather.

A strange blue glow caught his attention from under a door he hadn't noticed before.

The Blue Room

Nicholas pushed open the door and stepped into the fourth room. Blue light poured from a massive control panel covering the entire wall. Dozens of screens showed different parts of Earth - cities, oceans, forests.

"What is this place?" he whispered.

A bark echoed from the corner. Nicholas spun around and saw a golden retriever sitting near a pile of dog toys. The dog's eyes glowed bright red like tiny lasers.

"You can see me!" the dog said, tail wagging. "I'm Laser! I've been waiting for someone to find this room."

Nicholas's mouth fell open. "You can talk?"

"Of course! And look at this." Laser's red eyes suddenly shot beams of light across the room, cutting a perfect circle in the wall.

The screens started flashing red. An alarm blared through the house.

"Incoming alien ships detected," announced a computerized voice. "Earth invasion imminent."

Nicholas stared at the screens. Dark spacecraft filled the sky above major cities worldwide.

"They're real," he breathed. "Aliens are actually attacking Earth."

Laser bounded over to him. "That's why I'm here, Nicholas. We have to stop them together."