In the early 1800's, a meteorite fell in a desolate section of the lake country just north of Eau Claire, Wisconsin — at least it looked like a meteorite. Actually, it was a spaceship carrying a family of tiny space travellers from Quatro, the fourth plane of Alpha Centur, and Shortcake was the captain and leader. "Shortcake" was a nickname — his real name was Keekotaniko, which in Quatrain means "He Who Stands Above," a fitting name because Shortcake stood 2 1/8 inches tall, a full 1/16 inch above any other member of the expedition.

The travellers quickly adapted to their new home, building houses of Peter weeds and long grasses and thriving on the golden shiners they harpooned. They varied their diet with cranberries, hazelnuts and an occasional shrew (shrew hunting was their favorite sport).

Each autumn the clan was hired to help Jack Frost paint the leaves in the Northern Forests. After a tree was fully colored the painters would sail back to earth on the leaves. How many times have you watched leaves fall without realizing there were probably wee aliens from outer space riding them to the ground?

The boys met Shortcake and his family when they were dropped off in the Northern Forest because Halleys had to go out beyond Pluto on some emergency mission. While they were visiting the clan, Shortcake went out in his hazelnut shell to meet Jack Frost at the Cranberry bush on the other side of the small puddle that served as the family's private lake. While in open water, Shortcake was attacked by Comet Morehouse and almost killed. As a matter of fact, at one point everyone feared that Shortcake had been lost because his little tiny shell washed up on shore with no Shortcake inside. It was a false alarm, though, and Halleys ultimately saved Shortcake. Halley's threw Comet Morehouse so far and hard that he landed in Yellowstone Park, thus causing "Old Faithful" geyser.