Dear Xifot,
I am very sorry for not writing to you for a
long time. Well, it wasn’t my fault; the GSPS( General Space Postal Service) shuttle, Omega, was out of order. The G.S.P.S had switched to “Damien,” but as you know, it does not have as much capacity as the Omega and only a few letters are posted every day.
In your last letter you had asked about the
happenings on Earth. Well, as usual, the
USSR and the USA are again in conflict with
each other, one supporting Jupiter’s attack
on Mars and the other against it. All the
planets had stood resolutely in the UPO (United Planets Organization the United Nations of
planets) condemning Jupiter’s action.
How are things up there on Venus?
You know the population of Earth is still
increasing. This problem is not yet solved
even after the migration of people to other
planets. It is very hot here. My nuclear
electro-air conditioner is out of order. Its
parts are not available on Earth because it
is of a Saturnian make. We are thinking of
moving to the Pacific Ocean, in the Sea View
– Apartments under water. I had gone to
see them in the Hydro-Solar subhovercraft (A machine that is capable of both flying through the
air and navigating underwater. It runs on solar
energy and is even capable of using
water as fuel).These apartments are right in the centre of the ocean. The building’s façade is made
of a special substance, canasadion, which
is imported from Mercury. This material
glows in water and the building acts as an
underwater lighthouse. It is cup-shaped
in appearance and has a spoon-shaped
structure made of radium, projecting from
its top, with its name written on it. At night it is really a treat to watch. Each room has
a beautiful view of the sea with its different
species of fish. Occasionally, one or two fish
come close to the window and give you a
drunken look.
Pho! (An exclamation) I forgot to tell you about the new weapon created for once by the combined
efforts of both the USA and the USSR.
Invented by the USA, Decoder 1 is capable
of destroying any object from 55,000
miles away. The Recorder, devised by the
USSR, has the most advanced computer
system, which gives the precise position
of the object and is programmed to
manoeuvre the rocket out of danger. Its
sensitive eyes give the nature, size and
speed of the object. When the two operate
simultaneously, their combined action will
be effective enough to overcome the Robot
Army and Pluto’s flying Tanka bombers.
My father tells me about the good old
days when Earth was the sole homeland
of humans. They used to have human
teachers and not robots like ours. Speaking
of robots, those in America went on strike.
These robots were demanding their leader
should be allowed to run in the presidential
elections. President Alfred E. Neuman tried
to get it into their steel heads to reconsider
their demands. He even promised them
better oil and the new D2 Robot Sauce,
but in vain. In the end they had no choice
but to short-circuit their leader. The others
were surrounded and assured that no
action would be taken against them if they
behaved like robots. As it is, Earth is facing various threats from other planets; these
robots are not making things any better. It is
good that no robot has yet been promoted
in the army.
You must have heard of the 2000 Olympics
held here last week. The opening ceremony
was a sight to watch. The sky was brightly
coloured by strontium, barium and
potassium fireworks. The participants
marched in their gaily coloured uniforms.
The Olympics were boycotted by Uranus
and Mars because of their conflict with
Jupiter.

After the opening ceremony, the president
of the IOF( Interplanetary Olympic Federation ), Mr. Spookes, gave a speech in which he welcomed all participants. Then the games began. We Earthlings outclassed every other planetarian. The best athlete of the Olympics was a robot, Gruptana 100A.
We won 48 gold-plated moonstone medals,
5 silver-coated granite medals and 6 copper
medals. I felt sorry to hear that your planet
only succeeded in getting 2 ounces of
graphite dust.
I think I have already taken a lot of your
time. Please write to me or tell your robot,
Zephlyde, to do so. Till then, shulalay(Goodbye).

Yours earthly,
Fits Amanullah

Faisal Muneeb
14 years old, Pakistan

Winner International Letter Writing Competition 1982 -Universal Postal Union