Chapter 17
The place Miles found for us was a small hostel built into a grotto just on the outskirts of town. From the looks of it on the outside; the place had a resemblance of an abandoned mine shaft. The entrance was without a door but it did have three pieces of thick lumber wedged together to form a frame. We walked past the rough exterior and into a room where a man nearly as short as Miles and me lead us down a torch lit hallway and finally to our room. The man’s demeanor seemed as if he didn’t want to be noticed by us---he made no eye contact and said very little. He quickly left us once we were settled.
The room was a decent size but was dimly lit. The shadows seemed to cut the room in half. There were two beds on opposite ends of the room and a small round table with two chairs in the middle. I was laid on the bed that was the furthest from the door. Sonya knelt beside me. She checked my bandages that appeared not as blood drenched as I had imagined. While the rest of my body was feeling better; my arm still had a long way to go until it was well again. And even then, the scarring would certainly be extensive. Sonya reached for a cloth and drenched it in water; gently dabbing my arm. She decided that a wet cloth on my forehead might also help ease me into a more relaxed state.
I heard Miles tell KATRAVIN that he needed to find DRUCKER.
“We’re low on supplies and we need plenty of fuel if we are going to make it back to Earth. Trouble is though; I don’t know how this DRUCKER person is able to get access to that amount of fuel. Hopefully; CHANNAH is right about him.”
KATRAVIN responded; “You need to rest. It’s been a long day for you; for all of us---let your search wait till the morning.”
Miles initially shook his head but then seemed to think more of the idea KATRAVIN presented; so he plopped down onto one of the chairs. Sonya then instructed KATRAVIN to rest in the other bed while she stayed with me. She pulled the other chair over to my bedside before KATRAVIN could say anything. KATRAVIN then nodded her head and collapsed onto the bed. My eyes closed and then I slept.
Morning came and I felt even better than the day before. I looked over to see Sonya now asleep on the bed and KATRAVIN shuffling the cards from her apartment. I propped myself up and found out from her that Miles had left as soon as the sun appeared over the horizon. She stared at me and then bit at one side of her lip before asking; “Your planet Earth; what’s it like?”
I shrugged; “Not many differences from the things that happen here in the LOMMETRUS. The planet has cities and a lot of people. There are some beautiful places too. My parents took me to this place called Garden of the Gods in Colorado when I was younger. It was spring and the air was crisp but very comfortable. I loved it because I got to climb on these different rocks. Because the rocks are red, I imagined I was on Mars and I was this astronaut explorer; looking for life or something. It’s funny…”
I drifted off into thought about the trip.
“What is it,” KATRAVIN said.
“It’s just…I hadn’t shared that memory with anyone. I hadn’t even thought of that trip in years.”
I was remembering more details of that trip and got lost in the memory.
I sort of forgot about my conversation with KATRAVIN until she asked; “What is COL-OR-AD-O;” asking while sounding out each syllable carefully.
“It’s a state---a piece of land with borders and its own government---state government. I am from a country that has fifty of those and then has one large government too.”
I could see KATRAVIN processing this information; trying to understand what I had told her.
She then asked; “Then which person rules over you?”
I answered; “No one really. They are just a group of decision makers voted in by the people. The government officials then decide collectively the most beneficial ways to spend the tax payer’s dollars.”
KATRAVIN looked confused and I wasn’t sure that my explanation was really helping. While KATRAVIN spoke my language well, there were things for her that would take years to understand in my world. I wasn’t completely sure of everything in my world either. I decided to turn things back to KATRAVIN instead of furthering an already confusing explanation. I asked her something that I’d been wondering since Miles and I first arrived at her apartment. I felt closer to her and thought she’d tell me now while I was laid up.
“KATRAVIN; I’ve wanted to ask you this but never found the right moment. What was your argument with Miles about---you know---the one you had before he left for Earth?”
KATRAVIN lowered her eyes. She took a deep sigh and then said; “Our father died when Miles and I were still children so it was our mother who cared for both of us growing up. It was hard on her and Miles really helped out a lot. He was so brave after our father died---as was our mother. Right before Miles left; our mother became ill and she didn’t have many days left. She died while Miles was on Earth. He knew this would happen and I’d have to get through it alone. I wanted him to stay but he told me this mission to Earth was something he had to do. I was furious with him. He gave me his guidance component for the Earth mission before he left though. He told me there was another language that he had learned on it; an Earth language, and that I should try to learn it while he was away. He joked with me that it would be our secret language to one another and that no one in a billion light years would know it.”
I thought of the GARGIAN and the taunting words he had used in my language. I almost mentioned that to KATRAVIN but I didn’t.
KATRAVIN continued; “I was angry with Miles but realized that this was his way of helping me grow. I had always relied on him---probably too much.”
I didn’t have a sibling but felt this brotherly attachment to Miles. The thing about Miles was; he always seemed in control of a situation. Some of this perception changed after seeing failures on ALVERON. Miles could get discouraged like anyone but he was definitely stronger than anyone I’d ever been around. That had to have been difficult for KATRAVIN when he left. KATRAVIN shuffled the cards one more time when she flipped the conversation back on me.
“So---what does your parents do---for a living that is?”
I lay back; looking up at the ceiling and then I said; “My dad is a farmer; mostly corn crop and my mom works at the town library. She just does that part time though.”
KATRAVIN nodded; “A farmer is an important person in the LOMMETRUS. You must have richness in your family.”
I think she just asked me if my family is rich so I continued; “My dad does okay in the farming business. Sometimes he just barely breaks even. It depends on the year. I never went without but I learned to appreciate what I had.”
This answer seemed to impress KATRAVIN as her mouth tensed and her eye brows lifted up. She then got a very serious look on her face and asked me with earnestness; “Will I like it on Earth?”
I hadn’t thought of KATRAVIN traveling to Earth and what her feelings might be as she thinks of a strange new planet. When Miles took me; it all happened so fast. I had the entire journey to ALVERON to think about it but our quick departure and the other uncertainties had distracted me through half of the trip. I really didn’t get worried until we landed in the docking bay on ALVERON.
KATRAVIN knew the trouble we were getting into at the facility. We were all fugitives and needed as much space between us and the planet of ALVERON. The only logical destination; long term that is, would be to settle on Earth. After all, Miles had lived there three years and now; knowing that she was without her family in the LOMMETRUS--- with the exception of her brother of course; it would only be natural for her to go to Earth and stay with Miles.
I responded to KATRAVIN with the most reassuring approach I could think of; “You know; your brother made a pretty good human. He was better at human activities than most humans are.”
This comment not only surprised me but it made me laugh. Then I heard Sonya laugh out loud too. She sat up.
“Miles could’ve run that company had he not left;” So
nya said.
“Maybe the country too,” I added.
Sonya laughed even louder now. KATRAVIN looked perplexed.
“You’re right though, he could have run the company.”
We each told KATRAVIN our Miles stories to catch her up. Soon; KATRAVIN joined in on the laughter. She gave us some of her own funny Miles stories from when they grew up. It was the last story though; that had Sonya and me in tears from laughing so hard. According to KATRAVIN; Miles had this teacher in grade school with a special interest in the planet’s winged creatures. She’d spend her free time at the beach watching birds fly through the air and taking notes on them for her own personal education. The teacher would also spend some time each week sharing these observations with the class. Well; apparently, Miles wasn’t doing great in this teacher’s class and one day---he got the bright idea to climb this tree and take an egg from this poor birds nest; thinking when this bird hatched, it could be the new teacher’s pet.
“Miles was really hoping he’d be the teacher’s pet though, right?”
Sonya laughed at my question but KATRAVIN didn’t understand it.
“I’m sorry---continue---Miles brought this bird into class?”
KATRAVIN continued; “Anyway; he nearly got his head pecked entirely off by the mama bird in an attempt to take this egg and if that wasn’t enough injury---he fell completely out of the tree.”
My side began to hurt from laughing so hard but Sonya was barreled over and on the floor. Tears were streaming down her face now. I understood this as happy tears but KATRAVIN was again confused. She stopped laughing and looked at Sonya with concern. For some reason, this made me laugh even more. I mean I really laughed until my own tears were streaming down my face. KATRAVIN stood up and walked out of the room.
Sonya and I stopped laughing and looked at each other. Sonya’s face was red; as was mine or so I imagined. I realized that Sonya and I didn’t do anything to help KATRAVIN understand human emotion at that moment. It probably frustrated her or worse; maybe it scared her. Our worlds were similar in some ways but they were mostly different. It would be the ability to understand the little details that would either help or hurt KATRAVIN’S adjustment on Earth. That is---if we make it there.
Sonya got up. She walked over to me and checked the bandage on my arm.
“You know; Stacy acted strange on Earth, just prior to our departure. She wasn’t nearly as polished as Miles.”
“She would’ve probably related better to KATRAVIN in this moment better than what we just did,” I said.
“I should go talk to her,” Sonya said.
Sonya got up and walked out of the room. I was thinking about KATRAVIN’S story and then drifted in thought to my own embarrassing experiences. Perhaps none of them topped the toy store moment a few weeks ago and the curious little girl that made it known to the rest of the store that I was a munchkin from Oz. I might’ve told that story had KATRAVIN not walked out but then again; I realized the movie reference that only Sonya and I could understand.
The LOMMETRUS Chronicles: Book One: The Abduction of William Baxter Page 18
