“There’s much to do,” Sarah said. “I don’t know where to start. I just know I want to be part of it. I’m hoping you two will be with me on this.”
“I think we should continue on the course Flora has for us,” Stanley said. “She’ll know when the time’s right for us to reach out to other dimensions. We don’t want to rush anything.” An uncontrollable surge of brain chemicals from his cleansing caused him to be continuously smiling.
“I don’t want to sound suspicious,” Corona said. “But I’m concerned how far the Homelings and Travelers will go to get to us. I get definite hate vibes from Golden and Gessie. They’re particularly unhappy about me. I can feel it. We must be cautious, that’s all.”
“I didn’t get that from any of them. They just seemed curious, that’s all,” Sarah said.
“I didn’t get the impression they hated us,” Stanley said. “They just seemed to want to know more about us. Why wouldn’t they like us?” Newly enriched chemicals freshly enhanced by the Healing Room, cascaded over his nervous system once more, causing him to relax and feel good all over.
Corona was puzzled by their false memories. “I just think we need to be careful, that’s all,” Corona said.
Corona couldn’t confide to her friends what she’d learned from the In Situs through her abilities. She reminded herself to ask Flora and Fancy about the Ward where little ones were made, and she wondered if her lesion was used the same way as Star’s lesion - to make more little ones. She didn’t want to think someone or something had taken cells from her without her permission or knowledge to make more beings. And why me? Fancy promised me they’d not do that.
Chapter Sixteen
Back At Golden’s home
“Your final posting is brilliant,” Golden said to Gessie. “Your false comparison of time and resources spent to help their world should win many more to our side.”
Golden was convinced it’ll be particularly troubling for In Situs to learn the human’s violent culture. And they don’t even look alike. People come in different sizes, shapes, colors and facial features, displaying their inferiority. In situs understand that highly advanced beings have evolved into one basic representative organism.
“When do you think we should finish off the Hybrids and the Human Camp here?” Gessie asked.
“Before we do anything with the Camp, we’ve got to take care of the humans in our hidden cells.”
Chapter Seventeen
Golden programmed the transport device to go to the hidden cells. She enjoyed her occasional visits to the secret human prison. The low-life humans amused her with their whining and sorrow, bolstering her feelings of superiority.
Two humans encased in small honeycomb-like blisters withered in their cages above her.
Golden liked keeping them in light and darkness at times of her choosing and dispensing their needs at will. It fulfilled her desires for power and control. She was disappointed how, despite her callous treatment, they’d managed without being too much trouble.
At first, the couple had tried to escape confinement by tearing away at their prison walls and mesh covering. They abandoned those efforts when the damaged areas repaired themselves instead of freeing the prisoners as they’d hoped.
In his cell, Dr. John Bond leaned against the wall. He was ill and his organs were aging fast. He’d become depressed a few short years after being taken from his boat. The futility of planning escapes and having scant mental stimulation to occupy his hours were more than his once-brilliant mind could handle. Now, he passed time with the recitation of the works of his favorite poets.
Golden had noticed the light beam she permitted the man to walk and run on in his cell for daily exercise hadn’t been used for a long time. With swollen ankles and breathing problems, any exertion was nearly impossible. Her prisoner didn’t seem to possess the necessary will to do it, either.
Golden attributed John’s deterioration to his inability to adapt to captivity. She was certain it was an innate human weakness. It supported her theory that humans just didn’t have what it takes for much of anything, giving up when something becomes difficult. She planned on presenting this disinformation as part of her evidence against them.
John’s wife Linda, in the other cell, was suffering with a physical malady similar to his. Linda’s lungs and arteries were losing elasticity causing her circulatory system to fail.
When Golden placed each of them on a Healing Room bed and ran a scan, records showed the inner linings of their vessels were gradually deteriorating. No effective treatment for their case was available. It proved the drug Curmonin, used to cause this malady, would be valuable for the Homelings’ other purposes. The scan indicated a negative prognosis. The end for the couple was rapidly approaching.
Linda, despite physical maladies and discomfort, walked on her light beam a little bit at a time. She noticed that every few days, she could do less than the previous one. She imagined she looked like a hamster on an exercise wheel, putting one engorged foot in front of the other, getting nowhere. The prisoner recognized her own worsening condition and predicted it to be a short time before she and her husband would pass away. With all they’d suffered so far, she was not horrified by the idea, but embraced it. She’d done her best, but was growing weary of it all. The thought of having an end to their nightmarish life, pleased her.
Emotionally, Linda endured her idle hours better than John. She devised mind games including plays and recitations in an attempt to keep them both mentally alert.
John tried his best to keep up with her.
While unable to see each other, the couple could hear their partner speak from one cell to the other. If they stretched a finger through the corner of the mesh covering the front, they could touch one of their partner’s digits, bringing them some comfort.
Linda looked at her left hand where her engagement and wedding rings used to be. Her captives had taken them from her when she arrived. They’d also stolen John’s diamond wedding band. She wondered what use they could possibly have for diamonds and platinum here since she never saw them wearing jewelry. She rubbed her tingling hands together to help her poor circulation.
Golden observed the captives with contempt. Her original plan was to use them as propaganda to show In Situs how the humans were like the filthy, ignorant animals kept in cages in their own dimension. She was disappointed it hadn’t worked out as hoped.
After their clothes were taken from them, John and Linda wore In Situ tunics without complaint. The couple was clean, taking care of their physical needs in cubicles adjoining their cells.
Vegetarians since marriage, the transition to eating plants and flowers Golden provided wasn’t a hardship. Their diet was boring yet tolerable. Sweet nectar fluids given them to drink, tasted delicious so were accepted without complaint.
Golden watched the prisoners as often as her schedule permitted, looking for signs of inferiority. Since her observations proved fruitless, she kept a journal with fabricated entries. Anecdotes included false documentation of the prisoners screaming, throwing their food, fighting and dirtying themselves and their cells.
In the future, when the All or any others were presented with the writings, Golden was certain they’d excuse her trespasses into the humans’ world as having provided important first-hand research of why they should be controlled. If the All didn’t forgive her, Golden was confident she could deal with it. She was not without her own resources.
Smelling the heavy musk of decaying lilies, Linda suspected Golden was watching them. She refused to give her captor the satisfaction of eye contact, preferring to pretend she didn’t know of her presence.
So far, the morning had been a good one. She and John had acted out one of the small plays they’d improvised to fill their time. After that, they’d played the ongoing mental game of building a home after selecting a seaside site for their dream house. This was one of their newer mental exercises and, since John was not as sharp as he’d been, it was slow
-going.
Over the weeks, in their minds-eye only, a make-believe slab was poured and a sturdy frame erected with lots of large, yearned-for windows and doors that opened onto patios and gardens and the ocean beyond. They’d chosen a standing seam, steel roof and concrete walls for endurance and safety. Plenty of rare wood adorned the make-believe interior. Today, their imaginations provided the final furnishings for their kitchen and adjoining breakfast nook. Linda’s cabinet choices were reviewed and installed under a wide expanse of windows that exploited the envisioned salty vista. The couple enjoyed discussing it between them. They promised each other it would be built for real when they were finally freed and back home.
“You have company,” Golden called out.
Linda hushed her husband.
“Having a little fun are we?” Golden asked. She was pleased to have a plan for ending their mental exercises and games.
“A little,” Linda replied without looking up. She was determined not to let their nasty jailer beat her down.
John said nothing.
“Aren’t you speaking anymore, John?” Golden asked.
Still silent.
“How you chose him for your mate is beyond me,” Golden said with disdain. “You’re a strong, intelligent female and should’ve had more wisdom in your choice. Instead of this weakling, you deserved a powerful man. If there is such a thing. Not this wreck I’m witnessing here.” She looked at John and then back at Linda, her gold-flecked eyeband flashing with contempt.
“Too bad you can’t see him,” Golden said. “He’s a mess. Lying there on his side, humming and mumbling like a crazy person. Disgusting. He’s deranged.”
“You’re the disgusting one,” Linda said.
“How dare you,” Golden shouted. She glided closer to the mesh to watch John.
His head was cocked to the side, eyes glazed over, looking out at nothing in particular through the opening of his cell. He made no attempt to acknowledge her presence. Instead, he was humming a haunting Civil War melody that was playing over and over in his head.
“He’s weak. Useless,” she said to Linda.
“You know nothing about us,” Linda said. “When you took us from our boat that day, you deceived us into feeling euphoric at the prospect of going to your world. We were entranced by your silent beckoning and the sweet Lily perfume. We now know a lot more about you than you’ll ever know about us. You’re a cruel, horrible creature. My husband had a brilliant mind and you sapped everything from him through your abuse and neglect. So, don’t start judging us until you look inside yourself at what you really are.”
“Who do you think you are, to talk to me that way,” Golden said, incensed at the woman’s unbroken spirit. She relaxed and said victoriously, “What does it matter, though? You weaklings are dying. Nothing can help you. So sad. Not good for you, but very good for us. I could be blamed for it if you could tell someone or were discovered.” She paused and said, “But that won’t happen.”
“What have we done to cause you to hate us so much? We’ve always been quiet and keep our rooms and ourselves neat and clean. You’ve nothing to justify what you’re doing.”
“That’s not what my postings say. I’ve logged your dangerous behaviors to each other and to us. Not to mention your unclean habits. I’ve a friend who’s gifted in swaying others with her writings and speaking, just like those in your dimension who spread propaganda. Gessie will embellish my anecdotes. She’s very convincing. I’ve watched you for a long time and have plenty of postings to prove to my fellow In Situs that your kind aren’t worth helping.”
Linda shifted her gaze to one of the dark recesses of the room. An orange eyeband was just visible.
“What’s that?” She asked of Golden.
“What?”
“That orange glow in the corner,” Linda said. “It watches us sometimes. And when the two of you are here at the same time, you’re nastier.”
“You’re as crazy as your husband. Don’t be stupid. That’s absurd,” Golden said. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.” She turned to look where Linda was pointing.
There was nothing there.
“Obviously, your mental stability is suffering. Humans,” she scoffed. “I’ll have to make a note of that.”
“It’s gone now,” Linda said.
When she turned back to Golden, it reappeared.
“I must add in my notes that you tell lies. What a pitiful tactic you used to try changing the focus of my attention,” she sighed. “I’m now bored with you and really don’t want anyone finding you. I’m afraid some are getting suspicious of my group’s activities so today will be your last. What a pity.”
“Don’t do this,” Linda pleaded. “Send us back to our home. We won’t tell anyone about you and what’s happened. I promise. Please don’t kill John.” She reached her pinky finger through the mesh for him to touch.
He weakly reached out and linked one of his digits to hers.
Their pleadings and affection for each other only fueled Golden’s desire to be rid of them.
The smaller orange eyeband in the corner was glowing like fire, sending hateful emotions their way.
“My notes record your threats to destroy all of us so your kind can populate this dimension,” Golden said.
“That’s a lie,” Linda said. “We never said that.”
“I have expert fake recordings of all your threats and boasts. Gessie’s good at doing your voices. It’d be my word against yours. And, since you won’t be around to dispute them, what does it matter? I’ll get what I want. My wants are more important than yours. Part of what I want is for you two to be gone.” She started to leave but stopped and looked back. “You’re not anything like your granddaughter. That girl has gifts.”
“What granddaughter?” Linda asked.
John perked up and slid closer to the opening.
“Oh that’s right, you don’t know, do you? Your daughter Grace left behind a charming little girl. Her name is Corona.” This is fun.
“Corona. My Grace had a daughter named Corona?” Linda said. “And what do you mean, “Grace left behind a daughter?” She started to weep.
“Oh, dear. Stop. Stop. Have I hurt you?” Golden said. “I only told you to let you know what you two weaklings have missed in your unremarkable existence. You not only didn’t get to raise Grace, you never saw your gifted grandchild. She’s asked about you several times. I hear she thinks she’s going to see her mother at the Human Camp and maybe see you two someday.” She snorted. “Not a chance. Nope. Not gonna happen.”
“My Grace is here? At the Human Camp?” Linda said through tears. “John, did you hear that? Our Grace is here at the Human Camp and we have a granddaughter Corona. How beautiful.” She smiled and wiped her face. “I love you, John.”
“Love. How stupid. There’s no such thing. And you don’t get anything right, do you?” Golden said. “What I said was, ‘She thinks her mother is at the human camp.’ ”
John remained quiet. He managed a half smile. Grace. My beloved Grace and a granddaughter. His ribs and chest began to hurt from laboring so hard to inhale and he grabbed at his heart. He gagged a few times. Visions of his beautiful Grace and her child brought peace to his spirit.
“And now, I bid you both, a final farewell.” Golden turned and tapped the wall. An opening appeared and she glided through.
After Golden left, Linda continued begging for their lives. Begging to see her precious daughter and granddaughter. “Please,” she called out to the emptiness. “Please.” Unable to breathe well, she soon quieted and hoped for mercy.
“We have a granddaughter, darling Linda,” John said faintly.
“How wonderful,” Linda said. “Our love will live on.”
When Golden was on the other side of the wall, door closed, she beckoned to Gessie to do her job.
Gessie opened a lit screen and passed her hand across the surface, changing the room oxygen level to zero. As that element decreased, other ga
sses increased to a deadly mixture. The two beings went off to a side room to wait for their deadly results.
“I want their ashes mixed in with our waste,” Golden said. “Don’t bother sending them back to their world. Destroy the contents of their rooms and put the prison cells in storage. It’ll be as if they never existed. Then the Human Camp will be dealt with.”
The voices of the doomed couple got fainter and then ceased.
John and Linda’s bodies were limp.
Foggy mists, one shaped like John and one like Linda, escaped gently from their bodies and each faced the other, while rising above the room. The foggy images swirled around and around, ever closer, until they became one, united again. Their intwined mists, from their vantage point of the corner of the ceiling, looked down upon their own deceased bodies with disinterest. Touching hands and smiling, the united two, floated blissfully away to their final destination, the living state of all matter, energy and form.
Chapter Eighteen
Corona awakened in the dark from a deep sleep, discerning something she valued had suffered a terrible wrong. She wondered what it could be. Droplets of perspiration dampened her hair. She sat upright, sensing night visitors in her room. A faint smell of mulch signaled something unusual, unsettling.
Instead of the feelings she experienced when the night-time beings called on her, she felt fearful. Her eyes scanned the floor then on to the window and she stiffened. There was a slight motion of something emerging from the corner. Corona strained to see what color the eyeband would be so she could identify her visitor. “Hello. Is someone there?” she called out.
There was a flash of orange, and just as quickly, it was gone.
Corona worried what it all meant. She’d long ago accepted that having extraordinary intelligence and abilities, and her senses bathed in stimuli, were both a blessing and disturbing. Tonight, she recognized that something was even more different than usual.
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