by Donnie Light
“I was thinking, Audra,” Galen started, “that you might go with me over to the professor’s place tomorrow.”
Audra thought for a moment, gently nibbling her upper lip. She wanted to help Galen get over this personal tragedy, but at the same time wanted to give him some room. She looked at him and saw the look of sadness and fear play across his gentle features. He was wounded, hurt and in pain. Audra could not let that go unchanged.
“Sure,” she said. “What time do you want to go?”
“I’m off for forty-eight, after twelve noon. What time do you get off work?”
“I’m on the seven-to-three shift for the rest of the week.”
Galen shrugged and said, “how about six or so?”
“That’s fine with me. Want to meet here?”
“Sounds good,” Galen replied. “How long are you on call tonight?”
Audra looked at her watch. “Just about long enough to wash up and get my purse.”
Galen looked at his watch, too. “Jees, it’s almost midnight,” he said in disbelief.
“Yep, and five a.m. comes awful early when you’re on call ’til midnight. So, I’ll see you here at six tomorrow.”
Galen nodded, “Okay, and thanks for everything, Audra. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime,” Audra said, not knowing exactly what she was being thanked for. She smiled warmly at him and disappeared, leaving Galen sitting in the back of the ambulance.
After Audra had left, Galen sought out an empty bunk and lay staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. No matter how hard he tried to think of something else, the events of the evening played across his mind. As if projected like a movie from the depths of his brain, visions of Al Gaston flashed upon the inside of his eyelids.
Galen tried to fight off the depression that had set into him. He had been around this business long enough to know about what many paramedics called The Wall. This Wall, a kind of burnout state of mind, was just beginning to be understood. It usually took place after a particularly disturbing call, but not always. Often being attributed to the constant exposure to death, pain, and the gruesome scenes emergency workers often encountered on the job.
Galen had never experienced a head-on collision with the Wall, but had side-swiped it a few times. He struggled now to keep himself centered, and put things into the proper perspective.
To Galen, becoming a Paramedic created an instant conflict. Wanting to help people who were injured or sick required a warm, loving heart. It required getting involved with the patient, to share his pain, to feel his emotions.
On the flip side, a person could only withstand these emotional storms for a short time before seeking refuge. Refuge was a cold heart. Do your job, but do not get emotionally involved. Keep your distance.
The result was to bury those emotions. Keep them hidden away, stored in a dark closet somewhere in the hall of memories. However, when the closet was full, you faced The Wall.
Galen was at that point right now and he knew it.
§ § §
At six o’clock the next evening, Galen stood talking to some other people on the department. He was dressed in civilian clothes; an Air Jordan t-shirt and jeans. A small group of people had gathered around the soda machine, smoking cigarettes and sipping cold soft drinks. It was the only area in the station where smoking was allowed and there was often a small group gathered there with their heads in a rolling cloud of smoke. The large overhead doors were open to take advantage of the northerly breeze. The newly waxed fire trucks gleamed under the station’s fluorescent lights. Galen saw Audra’s new red Mustang pull into the parking lot.
She waved at him from the car, as he walked toward her. “Want me to drive?” she said, smiling.
“I never turn down a good chauffeur service,” Galen replied.
He walked around to the passenger’s side of the car. “Nice rig,” he said. He sat down, running his hand over the plush upholstery.
Audra backed up, and then sped out of the parking lot. Not in a reckless way, but very quickly.
“Whoa!” Galen said, grasping for a hand-hold. “I didn’t picture you as the hot-rod type.”
Audra slowed a bit. “Sorry,” she said. “I guess I don’t have passengers that often.” A faint redness appeared in her cheeks.
“Hey, it’s okay. It’s just that we’re not going to a fire or anything.”
They both laughed.
“So, how are you today?” Audra asked, now very conscious of her speed.
“I’m a lot better,” Galen lied. “It’ll just take some time.”
“Time heals all wounds, as they say.” Audra’s tone was more subdued now that they were talking about Galen’s loss.
“Galen, I want you to know that I’m sorry about what happened last night.”
“I know you are, and I’m alright,” Galen said. He smiled at her, a smile that meant “thank you”.
Audra’s right hand was resting on the stick shift. Galen placed his on top of hers.
“I’m glad you’re coming with me, Audra. I thought about going over there alone, but I would much rather have someone along.”
Audra looked at him sympathetically and nodded. Letting go of the shifter, she closed her hand around his.
“It’ll be okay, Galen,” she said in her most soothing voice. “Really, it will.”
“I know,” he said, “but I was afraid that going over there by myself…” He paused and looked intently through the windshield.
“I thought I might really break down over there. All those memories; all of his things,” he finally blurted.
She squeezed his hand.
“I know, Galen, you don’t have to explain.”
They made it to Gaston’s place and she turned the Mustang into the long driveway. The house sat back off the road further than she had realized. The expansive lawn was beautiful. The hedges were trimmed to perfection and beautiful flowers painted colorful lines and patches in several areas. The setting was park-like. The house was very large and well kept. The white brick structure featured four large columns in the front. It reminded Audra of a plantation house in the south.
“Park in the back,” Galen instructed, pointing the way.
Audra hadn’t noticed the view of the river during the call last night. In fact, she hadn’t notice much about the place at all. She had been too focused on the call and doing the best she could for the patient.
“This is such a beautiful place,” she said. “I had no idea this place was so big!”
“Yea, it’s great isn’t it?” Galen said. “C’mon, I’ll show you around.”
Galen led Audra to the far side of the house. Another building sat about thirty yards away.
“What’s that building?” Audra asked.
“It used to be a stable before Al bought the place. He just stores stuff in it now.” Galen realized his mistake, then added, “At least he used to, that is.”
The house sat atop a large hill and the Pecatonica river wound a serpentine course about a half-mile away.
“It’s such a pretty view from up here,” Audra said.
Galen nodded and opened a door leading onto a screened-in porch that covered most of the backside of the house. The porch was equipped with white wicker furniture and a porch swing hung unmoving at the far end. Audra moved to the swing, and merrily tried it out.
“I just love these things!” she declared, sitting down and putting the swing in motion.
Galen leaned against the wall and smiled. “Me too,” he said. “My grandparents had one of these. We could fit six of us kids on it when I was little.”
Audra patted the spot beside her, inviting Galen to sit down. He moved toward her, accepting her offer.
“Al and I used to sit out here a lot in the summertime,” he said, gazing out into the yard. “We would bring a bucket filled with beer and ice and just sit and talk. Sometimes, we would go out into the yard on reclining lawn chairs and just look up at the stars.” He pondered the
thought for a moment and then looked to Audra. “Have you ever done that?”
Audra shook her head.
“Makes you feel small, almost insignificant,” Galen said, looking out over the lawn. “You’ll have to try it sometime.” Galen leaned back in the swing, straightening his legs in front of him. “You get the feeling there are things out there man will never understand. You start to think about how big space really is, and wonder what part we play in the scheme of things. It’s peaceful and scary at the same time.”
They sat quietly for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say. Galen still brushed against the “wall,” and longed for internal peace. He no longer wanted to be a Paramedic. After a brief silence, Galen straightened up in the swing and slapped his hands on his thighs. He closed his eyes to the “wall.” “Let’s see if we can find this dang box for this guy at Baxter College.”
The back door to the house was locked, probably by the police, Galen guessed, although he didn’t know. The professor had no family nearby, only the nephew who lived out east. Galen himself had called the funeral home in town and found out Al had pre-arranged his funeral and had paid for it in advance. The County Coroner’s office - part of the Sheriff’s Department - had asked Galen about any relatives and Galen told him what he knew.
Al had mentioned the nephew a couple of times, a stock broker in New York named Leonard Brewer. Beyond that, Al had not said anything more.
They entered the kitchen as they had the night before. The place was very tidy and painted a bright peach color. The room was large and windows lined one wall. Galen gave her a tour of the house as they worked their way to the study on the second floor.
Audra was agape at the furnishings and decorations in the house. It was more like a museum, but very well done. The walls were plaster, with beautiful hardwood trim and floors. The ceilings were quite high, giving the rooms a very open feeling. Interesting items sat everywhere but nothing looked cluttered. There were hand-woven baskets and rugs, hand-carved masks, and a few musical instruments of unknown origin. There were other things adorned by feathers that Audra thought to be Native-American. Large pieces of pottery sat in a couple of corners and small sculptures made of various materials were distributed throughout the house. The furniture was not too unusual, but very elegant. Some traditional art, mostly paintings, also added to the decor.
Audra’s thoughts turned for an instant to the cedar chest in her apartment. The one in which she stored all of the things that would someday help furnish her own house. She had been saving things in this chest since she was a teenager, fantasizing about a small white house with blue trim. Someday, when she met the right guy, she would unveil the cherished things in her cedar chest. It would provide the finishing touches to a newlywed’s love nest. It wouldn’t go very far in a house like this, she thought.
The stairway to the second floor was massive. Made of a dark wood, it utilized beautifully turned balusters and handrails. A large chandelier hung above the stairs, adding to the grandeur.
“Al must have been rich to afford all of this,” Audra said.
“Al obviously had a lot of money, but he never talked much about it.”
Actually, Galen knew little about Gaston’s financial status. Money had not seemed important to Al, although Galen observed Al as being very thrifty. For instance, he knew Al always traveled coach class in airplanes, drove a Toyota, and clipped coupons from the Sunday paper.
Audra’s image of Al being a meticulously neat person changed when they entered the study. It was chaotic. In one corner was a huge desk, buried by an equally massive pile of junk. Papers, books, computer disks, photographs, a telephone, and various other things were strewn about in no obvious order. Books were piled everywhere, on chairs, small tables and windowsills. A smaller desk sat along one wall supporting a personal computer. Any wall space that was not occupied by windows or bookshelves, was covered with maps or charts.
Galen began looking on the bookshelves for a wooden box. He had no idea of how big it was and hoped he would find only one.
“This place is a pigsty!” Audra declared.
“Reminds me of my place,” Galen said under his breath.
“Are all men slobs?” Audra asked, smiling, “or just the ones I know?”
“Give the old guy a break,” Galen said, good-naturedly. “This is where he worked.”
“Worked doing what?” Audra asked.
“Writing and research mostly,” Galen said.
Galen spotted a wooden box on the bookshelf behind the desk.
“Not to fear,” he said, “I think I might have found it.”
Galen retrieved it from the shelf. About the size of a cigar box, it looked rather plain. The top was hinged, and clasped in the front with a small brass hook.
Audra walked over to Galen as he sat the box on the desk.
“Let’s find out what’s important enough for a man to use his last earthly wish for,” Galen said as he examined the clasp.
He tinkered with the mechanism as Audra looked over his shoulder. After a moment, the clasp let go and Galen opened the box.
They both gasped at the beauty of the item in the center of the box. The box was lined with velvet, and an object about the size of a tennis ball sat inside. It was clear, like glass, with hundreds of tiny v-shaped grooves cut into it, leaving its surface covered with little pyramid shapes. For lack of a better comparison, it made Galen think of the Epcott Center sphere at Disney World.
“What is it?” Galen asked.
“I don’t know. Whatever it is, it sure is beaut…”
Audra cut her statement short as the object began to glow.
“What the Hell?” Galen said in amazement.
Within seconds, the object glowed very brightly. Audra and Galen instinctively backed away a step.
The box itself began to vibrate and slowly turn before it once again became motionless. The object began to rise slowly above the box. Its glow became less intense, diminishing to about the same brightness as a candle flame. They noticed the object was slowly turning, reflecting the sunlight from the windows like a miniature disco ball. It began to turn faster. They could hear it hum softly as its facets cut the air. Galen held his arm in front of Audra and began to back up. “What is it?” he asked again, not expecting an answer.
Galen continued to back away as the object began to move toward them. It moved directly toward Galen, about chest high off the floor.
Galen and Audra were too confused to know what to do. They stopped in the middle of the room and stared. The object moved closer. Galen instinctively held out his hand to keep it away.
Audra stood behind him, clinging to his arm. She began to tug him back, away from the mysterious ball.
The glowing sphere began to move faster, covering the few feet between it and Galen in a couple of seconds. Audra began to pull him toward the door. She looked up when she heard Galen yell. Blood was pouring down his arm and he almost fell backward trying to make his way to the door. She caught him, and they both fled the room.
They bolted down the wide stairs, hearts pounding.
“What the Hell is that thing?” Galen screamed, his voice cracking with fear and confusion.
He was clutching one hand in the other. Blood covered them both.
“Let me see your hand,” Audra said nervously.
Galen stopped and looked up the stairs. Seeing nothing, he held out his hand.
Before Audra could look, a queer noise caused them to look up. The noise was similar to that of a dentists drill, only deeper and louder. They both looked around, searching for the source of the noise. They noticed plaster dust falling from the ceiling. They watched in amazement as the object came through the ceiling, boring a hole as it went.
Before Galen turned to run, and in that instant of total confusion and disbelief, he could have sworn, he saw small flames licking at the hole in the ceiling.
Audra, also staring in astonishment, thought she saw two small, red eyes
looking at her through the same hole. Unsure of what was happening, neither said anything about what they saw. “Out the back door!” Galen yelled.
They ran through the kitchen and out into the back yard. They turned toward the car and Audra felt her pockets searching for her keys. She panicked when she could not find them.
They jumped into the car. Audra was relieved to find the keys still in the ignition. She started the car, slammed it into reverse, and turned it around as quickly as she could. Galen was watching the house. Audra shifted into first gear. Galen was slammed back into the seat when she tromped the gas. He continued to watch the house and saw the glass in a front window shatter as they skidded onto the road.
“What was that thing, Galen?” Audra cried. “It scared the Hell out of me!”
Galen was stripping off his t-shirt. “I have no idea what that was. It scared me, too!” Galen began to wrap his hand in the t-shirt.
Audra wiped at her eyes, making a total mess of the mascara she had so carefully applied.
She backed off the gas slightly as they entered town.
“Where are we going?” she asked, with a tremble still in her voice.
“Do you have a med-kit in the car?” he asked.
“In the trunk,” Audra replied.
“Swing by my place then,” he said. “I’ll wash up my hand and see what kind of damage that thing did to it.”
“What happened? What did you do to that thing?” Audra asked.
“It was coming at me and I tried to push it away,” he said. “It just kind of… tore into my hand.”
Galen clenched his teeth together in a grimace of pain as they pulled into his driveway. He lived in the lower half of an older two story home on the southeast side of town. Audra parked the car and ran to the trunk for her first-aid kit.
Audra met Galen at the back door where Galen was fumbling with the keys.
“Let me do it,” she said. She sat the first-aid kit on the porch and took the keys from Galen. She pushed the door open in a few seconds.
Galen headed for the kitchen sink.
The t-shirt was about half-soaked with blood, resembling some morbid tie-dyed job of the sixties. He ran cold water over the injury for a minute before taking a better look.
