Planet-H: The End of the Beginning

by J. T. Winterlord

  From a face veiled by tears and a lack of voice due to the laughter I heard a faint, half sobbed, "Sorry," from Sonia. I still did not understand but that word seemed to unlock something. Matt was laughing heartily, Serena laughed from the other room and I let go completely and laughed without restraint or reason, just for the heck of it. I wanted to be part of that strange family and I wanted to understand the meaning of all this.

  THE EXPLANATION

  Sonia continued to laugh and turned Matt giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. She said,

  "Tell her! Go ahead, tell her!"

  He had a dazed expression as if not understanding.

  Seeing this she began to laugh all over again, going to the sink to rinse her face in cool water, in an attempt to recover a little.

  Matt began began in a quiet, somewhat flat tone and an almost dull expression.

  “You're free, you're not mine ... okay? You are not our property. Understand ?"

  He stared at me with those deep bright eyes and just smiled.

  Sonia let out another hearty laugh and said,

  "Excuse me Kate, but did you really think you could be someones property?"

  "Of course not," I replied dryly. But that answer started them laughing again and annoyed me - were they laughing at me?

  A feeling that I could not control was beginning at the level of the solar plexus and spreading slowly outwards. This rapidly transformed the muscles of my face into a radiant smile which I wanted to stop but it was overwhelming. And while I smiled my eyes filled with tears and I was both furious and happy and, for the moment, confused. So I smiled and burst into tears. My anger stemmed from not being able to control the growing excitement that was overcoming me. I let it all out and gave way to pent-up emotion. The words of Matt and Sonia again invaded my mind - I was free! I burst into uncontrollable tears of happiness.

  I could not see properly as my eyes were completely full of tears. I tried to get up and in the attempt managed only to tip the tray of fruit onto the floor. An apple rolled away and I watched as a banana fell on my foot and I kicked at it, cursing.

  "Damn banana!"

  Sonia could do nothing except start to laugh again. I opened the tap and rinsed off my face between sobs. I could not stop, I was laughing and crying at the same time. I felt like an idiot.

  A little internal voice crept inside me again - well-planned strategies - the master of escape, everything exactly according to plan.

  "Shut up you little idiot," I found myself saying out loud. I had not actually done anything at all to escape, not lifted a finger. There had been no attempt to implement a plan but there was still a part of me that imagined some Machiavellian plot had been put into action.

  Sonia and Matt beamed at me. I wiped my eyes, the tears subsided and I was filled with great joy, so much so that I threw my arms around his neck and hugged Sonia. She wrapped her arms around me in a close delicate embrace and then whispered teasingly in my ear

  "Can I breathe again now?"

  I let her go slowly so she could breathe normally. I planted a kiss on her cheek and radiated a smile. I barely knew them, so why did I like them so much ?

  And so to a restless night full of transient dreams where I was sold to unscrupulous criminals who would persecute my family if I did not bend to the rules of the game. I had no memory of these rules but the dreams left in me a restlessness that when I awoke was not to be seen in my face.

  But despite a turbulent night I felt full of hope for my new life, as if that dream belonged to a past experience that was no longer a part of me.

  The next morning Matt looked at me and said to Sonia:

  “Maybe it’s better if this girl doesn’t go to work today. Let’s allow her to wander around the estate at least for the morning.”

  He got up and added,

  “Look at her! Miss shiny-eyes! In a fit of benevolence she might give away everything she can lay hands on!"

  He smiled and stuck out his tongue. The face amused me.

  "All right, free morning for the young damsel," said Sonia.

  I realized that I could indeed really give away anything, perhaps even other people’s property, just to see someone smile. The thought made me grin.

  I was still me, beyond any reasonable doubt, but I felt different, an invisible chain had snapped inside me and I continued to smile at anything.

  Serena came in with a basket that seemed quite heavy judging by its bowed sides.

  "That old devil Tony has gone too far this year with the strawberries!"

  She heaved the basket up onto the table and proposed to make us a nice smoothie with apples and of course strawberries.

  No one said no, so she went off and soon came back with a big pitcher and three glasses into which she poured the dense fruity nectar. Small flakes of ice dropped from the glass while it was pouring. I already felt refreshed mentally.

  Serena stood observing us in silence, her hands placed on her sides. She seemed to be awaiting compliments on the drink. I chugged it down greedily, it was really fresh and delicious.

  Sonia was the first to put down her glass. Matt caught me with a conspiratorial look and turned towards Serena with a bright smile that showed off all the strawberry seeds caught in his teeth. When I saw that neither had bothered to wipe away the strawberry semi-circle the drink had left on their upper lips, I imitated them, exhibiting my fruity moustache smile complete with strawberry seeds to Serena.

  Seeing us all so idiotically united in this little joke, Serena ran out of the kitchen shaking her head, trying with difficulty to hold back the laughter. We heard her echoing peals of mirth from afar. Matt wiped his face and said

  “Serena has evidently gladly accepted our professional judgement!”

  We smiled. Every so often we heard Serena chuckle in the distance. I was happy, I was relaxed and I stayed at home alone for the rest of the morning.

  I wandered the house, still in disbelief at what was happening. I was feeling positively joyous and it allowed me to admire even the most insignificant things. I found myself outside, walking through the garden and coming up next to the big oak tree. I realized I had never really seen the grounds in daylight. I meandered without a specific destination.

  Everything had seemed somehow smaller to me the first time I saw the property. The house and grounds appeared to have the dimensions of a castle but the shape of a rural habitation. It appeared that the areas more generally in use were those near the entrance where the large kitchen and living room were located. The kitchen was perhaps the most utilised space in the house.

  I found myself on the path that led to my apartment. From the window of what must have been her kingdom I noticed Serena. She handed me a large strawberry that I accepted gladly.

  "Would you like a smoothie?” she asked.

  "No thanks, I'm fine," I replied.

  "Okay treasure, I'll put a little in the fridge for you."

  She didn’t wait for my reply and turned back to her work. I peeked inside the window and saw a kitchen three times larger than the one in which we had dinner.

  "Wow," I thought "They could serve a lot of people from a place like that."

  I guessed it was probably an old hotel or restaurant converted into a dwelling.

  One wing of the house must have been Serena’s but ..... who was Tony?

  As if in response to my question I saw the gardener from the day before who had raised his hand in greeting. There’s the answer - that would certainly be Tony. He was arranging some boxes of tomatoes on a small trolley.

  I looked away and moved off in the direction of a grove of trees a few steps distant.

  In that direction the terrain was hilly with many planted areas. The path through the trees was slightly uphill, but not enough to slow down my pace. Just after a bend I was amazed to find a small lake. Three ducks were swimming in single file, creating an artistic wake in the water that rippled across the immobile surface. Its waters perfectly reflected the gre
en of the hills that encompassed it, seeming almost to protect. The lake could not be seen from the house because it was hidden by a small curvature of the hill. I stood watching the beautiful scene for a moment before I turned around.

  The location was dominant. From there you could see a part of the valley and a road that crossed it and further down I seemed to see the bed of a stream that ran alongside the road. I felt I was in paradise!

  I still could not believe this was all happening to me. What had I done to deserve all this? And who were they really this strange couple who, in two days and a lot of laughs, had managed to upset my life so positively? No, there were still too many unanswered questions - I had to know!

  I had willingly accepted the situation. I had worked and played along in an attempt to understand how things actually were and needless to say I was happy and well and I felt at home. In just two days the place had become so familiar that I felt I had been living there for years.

  There was real joy in me, no longer just a dazed smile for everyone but a pleasant sort of security that stayed with me.

  It was just past noon, and I saw that Serena was carrying two trays to the table under the big oak tree.

  She said,

  "I’ve prepared you something, you'll be hungry, come!"

  So saying, she returned to her kitchen.

  I realized that my wanderings had indeed given me an appetite. I sat down on the comfortable chair placed in full shade and hit by a pleasant breeze. From the pitcher on the table Serena had poured a glass of fresh Kefir and I sipped at it. Hmmm ... good! It was slightly but not unpleasantly alcoholic. I nibbled at one of the two sandwiches prepared with shrimp, cocktail sauce and and homemade bread. They were so good I devoured them. Another sip of kefir and my eyes fell on a jar of apricot jam. I spread a generous dollop on a slice of bread. I chewed voraciously, it seemed to just melt in the mouth as I tasted the flavour and aroma of ripe apricots.

  God bless her Serena! I thought, smiling, delighted that she had made all that with her chubby little hands. One last sip of Kefir and I headed to my car.

  I greeted Serena with a wave as I passed and reached my wonderful Mercedes. Starting it up I noticed the silence and the regularity of its engine beat. It was a real gem. I started driving and greedily snatched at the steering wheel. I liked it, it gave me a feeling of security and I found myself fantasizing about how it would be nice to be able to move a hidden lever for the the car to magically transform into a small spaceship.

  “Well anyway .... I like driving!”I said out loud. Without a care in the world I steered the vehicle towards the office and soon reached my destination.

  Alice was on lunch break and there were few people around. I had arrived earlier than the others, but now that I thought about it I realised nobody had imposed any working hours on me. All those freedoms in such a short time made me a little dizzy. I felt completely out of place and at the same time at home.

  How is it possible for two such contradictions to live together? I found no answer.

  I took the elevator to get to my office floor. I saw Matt greet me with a nod from the other side of the long corridor. I returned the greeting and walked to my office where I found a steaming cup of coffee waiting for me on the desk. I took no notice of this oddity - these days things like this were happening more and more.

  THE OTHER ONE

  I got down to work leaving all thoughts behind me. I made myself comfortable on the cosy leather armchair and swiftly checked the calendar. OK, just a couple of‘routine’tasks and a little administration to attend to.

  Alice came back from lunch. She entered the office and greeted me, taking away the empty coffee cup.

  "Thanks for the coffee," I said.

  "You’re welcome Kate, but I didn’t bring it." She replied and left my office.

  I watched her put down the empty cup and settle at her desk.

  OK I thought, let’s make a start. Routine stuff….

  A quick inter-departmental check was needed between the various departments and the shipping warehouse to ensure everything was working properly. During the first visit to the factory with Sonia I remembered her explaining a lot of stuff to me but embarrassingly I didn’t really recall anything.

  Fortunately Matt appeared beside me. He handed me a clipboard and said he would accompany me during the inspection.

  "As it’s your first inspection you'll have a few questions. If so, ask away.”He smiled professionally, playing the role of the manager.

  "Where do we start?" I asked.

  "From the beginning of course!" he said, chuckling. He was teasing me but I was up for it and allowed myself to be guided through the production departments.

  We were on a raised catwalk about three metres above the floor. I looked down on a lot of machines that I did not recognise. They seemed to function completely robotically. I saw mechanical arms pulling pieces from devices that I had never seen, placing them on conveyor belts. The movements were fascinating, perfectly synchronised.

  The belts were covered in transparent plastic for their entire length, extending to the other side of the department and passing directly into the warehouse through a window formed in the wall.

  Each machine was closed in a kind of chamber madeof aluminum and plexiglass. I could see on the outside wall of each of these rooms a hygrometer, thermometer and an indicator of internal air pressure.

  "Clean Room, or better known as the white room," said Matt, "We must keep away any speck of dust and dirt."

  I didn’t even question him though I had lots in my mind so we moved on to the warehouse.

  I saw two people driving forklifts and huge perfectly ordered rows of shelves with boxes and pallets on each of them.

  There was an area reserved for the loading and unloading of goods, a square with two trucks awaiting their merchandise.

  I wanted to ask what we produced in that place but I decided to wait and see it with my own eyes.

  Matt walked me back to the office and a man, a stranger to me, walked out from the archives.

  "Valdes, let me introduce you to Kate," Matt said, looking at me with unusually bright eyes.

  I shook the man’s hand, savouring the texture of a strong grip. His touch seemed different from a normal handshake. It was almost a caress, a pleasant caress. I studied his face. Black hair combed straight back, light frizziness to the temples, ears somewhat protruding but shapely, a slightly pointed face and eyes so dark and intense that they quickly made me feel uncomfortable. Those eyes had seen a lot but told little.

  "It’s a pleasure to meet you Kate," said Valdes returning my handshake. I looked again into his deep eyes and saw a strange sadness, very well hidden, but I noted it.

  He probably noticed and gave a slight smile followed by a little nod .

  "My pleasure," I replied hesitating about leaving my hand in place. I liked the feeling the touch of his hand gave. It conveyed a sense of strength and security.

  I looked into his eyes for just a moment more and time seemed to stop. I did not want to appear pushy, but I could not pull myself away from the eye contact. My mind emptied of all thoughts while the logical part of me wondered why I was acting that way. What the hell are you doing Kate? Why don’t you let go of his hand and why are you staring at him like that? Let go! You’ll be demanding a ransom for it next!

  I let go. I did not want to appear any stranger than I already felt, but I continued to watch him as he walked away with Matt in the direction of the archive.

  He was a couple of centimetres shorter than Matt but he carried himself proudly and with confidence. My thoughts fixated on that nice Vulcan Mr Spock of Star Trek! The thought made me smile but I was vaguely and strangely aware of having already met that guy. Who knows Kate, maybe in another life. I giggled to myself and made my way back to my desk.

  Another question began to take shape in my mind. From my office I was able to see most of the entrance to the archives. What on earth were the two of them d
oing in there all that time? After all, it’s only an archive.

  I didn’t worry over it any more and got on with the work to be done. It was destiny, I find an answer to one question and another is born at the same time. To hell with it. I returned to my labours. Customs clearances to prepare for the next day. I rang Alice and she came in with the dossier already in her hand with the waybill and proforma invoice. All the papers seemed to be there and I just signed the bottom of the file.

  “Thank you”said Alice,“I need to leave half an hour early today if that doesn’t create problems.”

  “Of course,”I replied and turned towards the picture window behind me that overlooked the courtyard. Parking number four - there was my car.

  I asked her,

  “Alice, who did my job before me?”

  Alice paused and then replied,

  “No-one Kate, no-one did it.”

  And again.

  “How is it that nobody had the job that I do now?”I had an idea however that a humble secretary probably wouldn’t have an answer.

  She said,

  “Matt…that is, the boss, had the idea that when the right person came along…well, the position could be occupied. I’m off now Kate, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With that she left the office.

  And who would the right person be? I thought. It can’t be me, they have surely got that wrong. My thoughts were interrupted as Sonia entered, smiling and waving a credit card.

  “Let’s go! It’s time to shop, we’ll take my car.”