by Rae Knightly
Laura’s face broke into a smile. “Hi, Kimi. That’s so sweet of you to come by for Ben’s birthday!”
Ben and Kimi exchanged a lightning glance. Kimi’s face went crimson. “I… I had no idea!” she stammered. “You should have told me it was your birthday,” she scolded. “You obviously have plans. I’ll come back another time…”
But Laura put her hands on her hips. “Now wait a minute! Ben hasn’t had any school friends over since we arrived! Why don’t you stay for dinner? We’d love to have you!”
“Mom!” Ben exclaimed, the blood rushing to his cheeks, then he refrained from saying anything more as he realized he didn’t dislike the idea. He glanced at Kimi to see how she would react.
The girl resembled a small bird caught in a trap. Ben could see her brain scrambling for an excuse. “I don’t know…” was all she came up with.
“I’ll tell you what,” Laura offered “Why don’t you guys head on up and start your homework. You can think about it and decide later, Kimi. How’s that sound?”
Kimi replied in a small voice, “Um, okay.” She apparently liked the delayed decision better.
Ben smiled excitedly. “Yeah! Come on up! I need help with the literature assignment.”
Kimi hung up her jacket this time, though she kept her beanie hat on. “Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?” she hissed as they climbed the stairs.
“Because you weren’t at school, dummy!” he teased. Kimi punched him in the side and he laughed. When they reached the landing, he turned to her, saying, “Hey! How did you know where I lived?”
She shrugged. “Everybody knows where Thomas lives.”
* * *
Laura struggled with the icing pipe; the frosting she had made was too runny and oozed down her fingers instead of on the cake. She squealed when the doorbell rang again and stuffed the sweet goo into her mouth before it fell to the floor. As she opened the door with her sticky hands, she heard Kimi clambering down the stairs behind her.
A woman with waist-long, black hair stood in the dim light.
“Hi,” the woman said. “I’m Maggie, Kimi’s mother.”
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Laura,” she replied. “Sorry I can’t shake your hand; mine are full of icing.” She let Maggie in, suddenly realizing that there was a furious look on the woman’s face. It was directed at Kimi.
“Kimimela!” Maggie said sharply. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!”
“I was doing homework!” Kimi snapped. “I missed school, remember?”
“What’s gotten into you? You don’t go to people’s houses uninvited! These people obviously have things to do!” Maggie retorted.
“Fiiine!” Kimi said in exasperation as Ben joined the group. She grabbed her jacket, glaring at her mother. “Let’s go, then!”
Thomas materialized out of the kitchen. “Maggie!” he bellowed. “Is that you? I don’t believe it! It’s been ages!” He rushed to the woman with his arms outstretched and a big smile, oblivious to the unfolding drama. He placed both hands gently on the woman’s shoulders and kissed her on each cheek.
“This must be my lucky day!” he continued enthusiastically. “You won’t believe what I’m making! I’m trying out your famous pot pie recipe and failing grandly at it! You’re just the person I need! Please, please, help me. I need to know which herbs you use…” He chatted away, leading Maggie into the kitchen before she could object.
Laura, Ben and Kimi remained in the hallway, staring at each other uncomfortably.
Laura jumped into action. “Ben, grab an extra set of chairs. Kimi, could you add a couple of plates to the table, please? Dinner will be ready in five minutes, and we’ve got plenty of it!"
Everyone pretended nothing had happened only a moment earlier. Kimi hung up her jacket once more, then helped Laura with the dishes while Ben brought two chairs from the upstairs bedrooms.
Aware that Thomas was trying to lighten the mood, Laura noticed he gave Maggie and Kimi no chance to leave the house. He kept Maggie in a constant conversation until, unexpectedly, they were all sitting at the table, admiring Thomas’ steaming pot pie and Laura’s fresh spinach salad.
Only Mesmo’s seat was empty. Laura figured it was best to set a plate for him, explaining that her husband, Jack, was working late. Maggie accused Thomas of making Ben’s dad work too late on the boy’s birthday, to which Thomas replied that Jack had no reason to complain: he was working in the warm Canmore Air hangar while he himself had just come from a three-day trip way up in the Inuvialuit Region.
Laura glanced at Thomas in surprise, wondering what Thomas had been doing so far North of the Arctic Circle. She had become used to Thomas’ frequent absences, as he was hired as a pilot to fly to remote locations. She hadn't realized he had to fly that far away and made a mental note to question him later. She stood up, saying she would bring something to drink for this special occasion.
In the kitchen, she took a bottle of red wine from a cabinet, opened it, then found three wine glasses for herself, Thomas and Maggie. When she turned around, Thomas was standing right behind her.
“Oh!” she gasped, almost dropping the bottle.
Thomas had a bleak look on his face which caught her off guard. “Not that!” he whispered, taking the wine bottle away from her.
“Hey! What are you doing?” she objected.
Thomas put a finger to his lips, indicating she shouldn’t speak so loudly.
Laura lowered her voice. “What going on?”
Thomas said in a quiet, serious voice, “Maggie can’t handle alcohol.”
Laura’s eyes widened. Very slowly, she let out a long, “Oh!” Carefully, she placed the wine glasses back on the kitchen sink, then turned around to face him again. “I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I had no idea.”
Thomas nodded sadly. “Juice would be better,” he said, then headed back to the dining room where she heard him say joyfully, “Who wants seconds?”
When Laura sat down again, Thomas was asking Maggie to tell them stories about the people of Canmore, most of whom she had known for years. Both Thomas and Maggie took turns telling funny stories about the neighbourhood, making them all laugh.
When it was time for dessert, Laura switched off the lights and brought in the cake she had baked for her son. They sang Happy Birthday, then Ben blew out the candles after Laura encouraged him to make a wish. When she switched on the lights again, Mesmo was standing in the kitchen doorway, startling them.
Recovering swiftly, Laura shouted, “Surprise!”
Ben said, “Hi, Dad!” with a crooked smile on his face.
Laura cleared her throat, then introduced him. “This is my husband, Jack.” She turned to him, adding, “You made it home just in time for the cake, honey!” She moved a chair aside at the table so he could sit with them without having to shake Maggie and Kimi’s hands. Laura presented the guests to him while she cut the cake.
Mesmo nodded to them, then turned his attention to Ben. “Happy birthday, Ben,” he said, playing along. “There’s a gift waiting for you in the yard.”
Laura threw him a warning glance, but he ignored her.
“Really?” Ben said with genuine surprise.
Before Laura could react, Ben and Kimi were out of their chairs, dashing to the kitchen. The adults followed.
Laura heard Ben exclaim, “Wow!” as he opened the kitchen door and rushed out. Ignoring the freezing air, she spotted the gift immediately: a very well made, round igloo with a square opening.
“Terrific!” Kimi exclaimed.
Ben ran back, his eyes shining. Breathless with excitement, he said, “Thanks, Dad. I love it!”
Mesmo nodded. “I thought you would.”
A smile crept on to Laura’s face. She caught Mesmo’s eye and mouthed, “Thank you.”
* * *
Later that evening, Thomas insisted on driving Kimi and Maggie home so they wouldn’t have to walk in the cold. Laura was stacking dish
es in the dishwasher by the time he returned.
“Where’s Mesmo?” Thomas asked.
“He’s still outside.” He’d been outside ever since the children had discovered the igloo.
Thomas headed for the wine bottle, pulled out the cork and filled up two wine glasses. He passed one to Laura and they gently clanked their glasses together.
“Here’s to a not-too-messed-up-cake,” Thomas said, winking at her.
Laura laughed. “Here’s to a scrumptious pot pie.”
They each took a sip out of their glasses.
“I had a good evening, Thomas!” Laura said earnestly. “I’m glad Kimi and Maggie decided to stay. It made Ben really happy. He needed some sense of normalcy.”
Thomas nodded. “I needed that, too. I mostly avoid town folk. They’re too nosy. But Maggie’s okay.”
Laura glanced at her wine glass thoughtfully. “Thank you for stopping me earlier. I had no idea Maggie had a drinking problem.”
Thomas placed his glass on the kitchen counter and began cleaning a pot in the sink. “I don’t think she was always like that, you know? Apparently, before her husband abandoned her, you wouldn’t have recognized her. She was a hard worker. Her veterinary practice was the place to go if you had a sick animal. She’d take on a lot more work than she could handle because her good-for-nothing husband spent his days on the couch. I don’t know what she saw in him. They say he was never satisfied. He always expected more of her and she would try to keep him happy.” Thomas handed her a pot, which she dried with a kitchen towel, absorbed by his tale.
“Then one day he packed his bags, went out the door, and never came back. Maggie couldn’t get over it. She felt it was her fault he’d left. She’s been on a downward spiral ever since. She gave up on her practice, she’s given up on being a mother to Kimi...” He paused, thinking, then added sadly, “Basically, she’s given up on herself.”
Placing the dry pot on the kitchen counter, she observed Thomas while he spoke. With some surprise in her voice, she said, “You have feelings for her…!”
Thomas handed her another pot, looking her straight in the eyes. “I do,” he admitted. “I’m not ashamed of it. She’s a wonderful woman! She’s just forgotten it.” He scrubbed a pan mechanically, lost in thought. “If only she would remember who she was, maybe I wouldn’t be so invisible to her…”
Laura stared at him sadly, trying to find something comforting to say. Before she could reply, Thomas said half-jokingly, “What a sad pair we make, you and me!”
She stopped wiping the pot and frowned. “What do you mean?”
He stared at her in surprise. “Come now! You read me like an open book, Laura. Don’t think I haven’t been reading you, too!” He rinsed the pan, shaking his head with half a smile on his face. “Me, in love with a woman who barely knows I exist. And you, in love with an extraterrestrial. For goodness sake!” he snorted. “It couldn’t get more complicated than that!”
Laura stopped drying the pot altogether, her mouth open in protest, but when she realized he was onto her, her cheeks turned crimson, and she remained silent.
Thomas glanced at her and said gently, “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. These aren’t feelings you can control. They just kind of creep up on you until you can’t shake them off again.” He pulled the plug from the sink, then rested his hands against the side. “We’ve got to keep believing, Laura. Anything can happen. You never know…”
Laura stared at the window to an imaginary landscape outside. It was too dark to see anything, except for the light from the kitchen and her own reflection on the windowpane. “Mesmo has to leave within four months,” she said in a haunted voice.
Thomas frowned. “Why?”
“He said he must return to a place called Enceladus. If he doesn’t make it there within four months, he’ll be stuck here. He won’t be able to go home, ever.”
“Enceladus, Enceladus…” Thomas repeated as if trying to remember something. He grabbed his iPad from the kitchen table and Googled ENCELADUS.
Laura watched over his shoulder as the results appeared on the screen. She scanned the articles, one which mentioned an Enceladus from Greek mythology. But what caught their attention were images on the right of the screen. They belonged to a ghostly, grey-white moon which, the description said, belonged to Saturn, the sixth planet of the solar system.
CHAPTER 8 Northern Lights
After insisting that Thomas head up to bed, Laura finished putting things back in place. She switched off the kitchen lights, then sipped on her wine, enjoying a calm moment to herself. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she began making out the landscape through the window. To her surprise, she could see quite far, and it wasn’t until she bent over the counter that she realized the full moon was shining, illuminating the snow-white hillsides. The glimmering globe rested on top of the distant mountain range, ready to dip behind them and leave Canmore in complete darkness. As she observed the tranquil scenery, she noticed movement on top of the nearest hill. She squinted and stuck her forehead to the frosty windowpane to get a better look.
Two figures were silhouetted against the skyline.
Laura grabbed some dusty binoculars from the top of the fridge and glued them to her eyes. Soon, Mesmo came into view, tall and straight, while before him stood a much shorter woman with a thick parka, snow boots and snow trousers. Although her head was covered by a warm fur-lined cap, her long, black braids flowed from both sides of her neck to her waist. She had a long, straight nose, high cheekbones and slanted eyes. Her skin was creased from being out in the weather for many years.
The pair looked sufficiently out-of-place to catch Laura’s attention. She observed them for a long moment, attracted by their curious silhouettes and mysterious conversation.
Suddenly, both figures turned their faces in her direction and she was convinced they were looking straight at her. She shrank back, her heart beating fast. But then she straightened and frowned. Why am I hiding? She purposefully opened the kitchen door and glanced in their direction.
The woman bent and placed something on the snow, then turned and walked away in the opposite direction from the town. Mesmo remained where he was, standing still as a statue.
Laura went inside again, grabbed her jacket and snow boots, then headed out the back door. The cold was so intense she almost turned back. Yet Mesmo’s simple brown jacket and relaxed stance played tricks on her mind, convincing her maybe it wasn’t that cold after all. She plodded forward, struggling to put one foot before the other as she sank knee-deep in the snow.
She was half-way there when Mesmo bent and placed his hand above the snow. A soft, blue light emanated from it, seeping through the surface to Laura’s feet. The snow melted before her eyes, forming a solid path all the way up the hill. She joined him easily, finding that it wasn’t as cold as she had expected. They stood next to each other, taking in the rolling white landscape covered by the starlit sky.
Laura glanced at her feet and found what looked like a deformed treble clef from a music partition. She picked it up: smaller than the palm of her hand, made from a heavy metal she couldn’t identify.
She held it up to Mesmo quizzically.
“Will you keep that safe for me?” he asked.
She stared at the object again. “What is it?”
“Information,” he said.
She frowned. “Who was that? The old woman you were talking to just now?”
“She is Angakkuq[2], the Wise One from the North.”
As usual, his answer left her with more questions, but something clicked in her mind. “From the North?” her mind whirled. “Did Thomas fly her over?”
Mesmo nodded. “Yes. I could not travel to meet her, so she agreed to come. Thomas picked her up at my request.”
“Why?” Laura asked, bursting with curiosity. “Why did you need to meet with her? Why do you need this object? Does it have to do with your mission?”
Mesmo stared at her. “Yes.�
�
Laura waited in vain for more, but since he remained silent, she insisted, “Will you tell me why you came to Earth?”
He gazed away and she thought he might not answer. But then he said, “I came to assess the planet. My people have been doing so since before the beginning of the Human era, every two hundred Earth years. Seven Wise Ones report to us from different parts of the planet, from places you currently call Bolivia, Australia, Kenya, Polynesia, Norway, China and Northern Canada. I have met with six of them now. My last stop after Bolivia was going to be China, but then I came back here instead and was waylaid…”
Laura’s eyes widened in amazement. “You’ve been to all those places?”
Mesmo nodded. “I have.”
Laura needed a moment to let this revelation sink in. An uneasy feeling seeped into her mind. He had said something about assessing the planet, and, even though his people had supposedly been visiting the Earth for millions of years, she had to ask, “Are you going to… invade us?” She had seen enough science-fiction movies to nourish her imagination.
He took in the view again with his head turned, so she wasn’t sure he had heard her. But then she thought she heard him mutter, “We cannot invade what is already ours.”
“Excuse m…?” she began, her voice freezing as she caught a movement in the sky out of the corner of her eye. Her head shot up in surprise.
The moon had dipped behind the mountains, leaving only the stars to light the white surroundings. But then the movement came again. It was a river of bluish-green light that illuminated the night sky, swaying in total silence like a kaleidoscope from one end of the firmament to the other. It transformed from a small stream to a wide mantle that covered them, flowing and twirling smoothly over their heads.
“Aurora borealis,” Mesmo whispered.
Laura’s voice was lost in her throat. When she found it again, she echoed his words. “Yes. It’s the Northern Lights!”
They watched in awe as the solar wind, which hit the Earth’s atmosphere, transformed into a swirling display of colours, ranging from green, to blue, to purple. Its magnificence left Laura speechless. She had never seen the Earth put on such an overwhelming show. She felt tiny before such celestial power. They stood side by side as though they were the only beings alive in this quiet world, and the sky celebrated their existence.
