‘James! Please sit, I don’t have… I don’t have much time. I have something I need, I mean, you must know,’ she said in a weakened and confused voice.
James uncomfortably perched himself on the side of the bed and took his mother’s hand.
‘I… She loves you, James,’ Carol whispered.
She dragged out a small metallic box from beneath the bed sheets.
‘Now’s the time…You don’t belong here. You must return home. Much danger!’ and she handed him the box.
‘I don’t understand. What do you mean?’
She gripped James’ hand tightly and took a deep breath. She was trying to pull together her remaining strength but was finding difficult to put a sentence together. Her brain was blanking more and more; her mind was fading in and out.
‘You…You can stop it. Change all this! James you must not start it again. Kalrea must read the diary.’
He was evidently confused by his mother’s words, but he was sure she was trying to say something important.
‘What are you trying to tell me? Who’s Kalrea? What diary?’
‘You will understand,’ Carol said, gripping his hand even more tightly and tried to raise her head from the pillow towards him. She looked very frightened. ‘James, Kalrea must read the diary....’ Carol mumbled and then stopped, her eyes closing. Her head dropped gently back onto the pillow before she exhaled for the last time.
‘Mum! Wait! Don’t die!’ James said. Tears formed in his eyes. ‘Don’t go… Don’t leave me?’ he said sadly. ‘Please! Don’t leave me.’ A tear dropped from his face onto his mother’s limp hand.
Realizing that his mother was gone, he felt a painful emptiness inside. His life seemed now to have lost its meaning. He was all alone with no one else close to comfort him.
While James was placing her hand gently onto the bed, he heard the Mustang’s engine starting and the sound of gravel beneath its wheels.
The old woman.
He rushed over to the window to see the car moving slowly out from the shade. The car stopped. The old woman looked up at him, and he caught a glimpse of her wiping a tear from her face.
Just when he was about to call out, the car sped away. James tried to catch sight of the number plate, but the dust thrown up by the wheels of the car made it impossible to see.
*****
The following three weeks seemed like an eternity to James. He had the long wait for the autopsy and the worst part for him, being all alone at the cremation. That same day, upon returning home, he set about the sad, solemn task of sprinkling Carol’s ashes over an area of ground where her husband Lex laid. It was at the rear of the cottage in an area Carol had prepared all those years ago when Lex died, on the side of a gentle hill overlooking the cottage with trees and bushes all around.
Sprinkling Carol’s ashes kept James occupied for a while, allowing him to suppress his feelings. Nothing could distract him from this task. It was not until he had finally placed some freshly cut flowers from the garden on top that he suddenly felt devoid of energy. He sat down on the hillside and stared across the valley where dark clouds were gathering.
He had sometimes hated Carol for living in isolation miles away from the nearest town. It was something he could never fully understand, because Carol had never seemed the kind of person who wanted to live alone. Carol always distanced herself from the few friends he had, making his life very difficult. But now that she was gone his resentments were mixed together with sadness for the loss of a much loved person. These feelings were tearing him apart. He was wrestling with his thoughts.
I would give anything to get her back. Anything, he thought, staring at the cottage and rolling countryside below. Why? Why? I don’t understand. Life’s not fair. Carol was fine five weeks ago. I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. James shook his head slowly. It’s my fault. I should have made her go to the hospital or made them come here. Why was she so stubborn?
James’ thoughts made his head spin. He was unable to think straight and the full intensity of this mother’s death overwhelmed him. Tears formed slowly in his eyes before gently meandering down his cheeks.
What do I do now? James thought, while the tears flowed. I don’t want to stay here all alone. But what about the cottage? He took a deep breath and wiped his face. I could sell it. Move! Yes, I could move. But what about Carol and Lex? I can’t leave them here alone. He felt like he was trapped in this remote place, where all purpose of his life had been stolen away. All he had was his memories. His mind wandered back to one of the few reminiscences of his father.
*****
James was five. It was a clear late summer evening and there was a gentle breeze blowing through the valley. That day Lex had made him a bright scarlet coloured model aeroplane, which they spent the evening gliding down the hillside at the rear of the cottage. When it became too dark to see James sat down alongside him, half way up the hillside.
James pointed up into the night sky.
‘Look, dad, an aeroplane?’
‘That’s not an aeroplane.’
‘What is it, dad?’
‘It’s called a shooting star,’ Lex replied, watching the bright white line fading quickly away.
He coughed.
‘What’s a shooting star?’
Lex picked up a large stone that lay nearby.
‘A large rock, which may have been as big as you, has got very hot and burned up in the sky like a giant firework.’
‘Did someone throw it?’
Lex paused for a moment and gazed up at the sky.
‘No,’ he coughed. ‘It’s been travelling for a very long time.’
‘Where did it come from, Dad?’
‘Somewhere out there,’ he said, pointing to the sky. ‘See all those lights?’ Lex coughed once more. ‘One day you’ll look down from up there.’
‘Will I be able to fly?’
‘Yes, son,’ Lex replied and smiled.
‘Lex!’ Carol shouted from the cottage below. ‘It’s time for James to go to bed.’
‘Coming, dear,’ Lex replied.
‘Oh! Do we have to?’ James said.
Lex coughed more violently. He took two large deep breaths.
‘Are you all right, Dad?’ James asked.
‘Yes, I think so. Let’s go in! You heard your mother,’ Lex said.
‘I want to stay and watch the stars,’ James said, smiling at his father to try to convince him.
‘Come on! There’s always tomorrow…’
*****
Raindrops started to fall on James’ face, bringing him back to reality. He looked up at the angry clouds. I’ll be soaked in minutes, he thought, but nothing seemed to matter anymore, and he lay back on the hill.
*****
It took some time for James to finally come to terms with his mother’s death. He spent hours just sitting up on the hillside or in his favourite armchair in the living room, worrying and contemplating his life ahead.
Sitting once again in his usual soft armchair, he was admiring a small magnogenic canvas of a brightly coloured flower hanging above the fireplace. Carol always liked that painting. It reminded her of where she grew up. The flower’s so unusual; it has so many colours. I wish I could paint like that.
James looked across to where Carol would have sat. His attention was drawn to the small box Carol had given him, sitting on the chest beneath the small bay window. He couldn’t even remember placing it there. Sunlight reflected mysteriously on its dark-grey surface which was acting like a prism, casting a rainbow onto the far wall. James reached across and held the box in both hands.
It was about half the size of a shoebox and cold to the touch. It was extremely light and James thought it was probably metallic. All the corners were rounded off and its grey surface had no blemishes or scratches on it. Looking for a way of opening it, James could hear things rattling around inside. He noticed there was a very faint line near the base, or was it the top? James turned it ov
er and placed it on the table just in front of him. He went on trying to open it until the faint line slowly widened and the top came away with a soft click.
Inside there were five objects which James removed to have a look at.
The first appeared to be a watch. It was entirely jet black, had a mirror-like shine and felt warm when held. There were no buttons, and where the face would have been was an embossed symbol of the letter ‘A’ without the right leg, set inside an ellipse.
There were two thick cartridges which reminded him of a large computer flash drive. One was pearlescent green and had the words ‘BAL OUF LOVAXYISPID’ printed on it. The other was bright red and had ‘FTOEF RISEWTAQ ———’ written on it. The final word had been deliberately scratched away. One of the corners of the red data cartridge was missing and it looked like the casing had been melted.
There was a torch and finally a large brass key which was slightly worn.
At the bottom of the box James discovered a sealed envelope and a piece of folded notepaper with writing on it. The handwriting started off neat but degenerated into scrawl. The note was in Carol’s handwriting, and James suspected that she had finished it just before her death.
‘Son, you must forgive me for not telling you this face to face,’ James read. ‘What you’re about to read will seem unbelievable, even impossible, but you must believe me; it’s not fiction. We were waiting for your twentieth birthday, but now both Lex and I have passed on to another place you must now know the truth. James you must return home…’
James stopped for a moment remembering what Carol had said just before she passed away. He thought, but I am home, what can she mean?
‘…It’s been fifteen years since we made this planet our home. It was an ideal hiding place for us, because our form is identical to that of the humans. However, there was one problem; we found that we couldn’t risk becoming sick. Any Earth virus we contract could kill us, with a 50/50 chance of survival. I know this sounds like I’ve lost my mind, but you must believe me. It’s the reason Lex died all those years ago and why I’m dying now. You always wondered why we had to live out here and why I would never see any of your friends. I’m sorry, James, but it was too much of a risk for me. Think back; when did you last have a cold—’
James stopped once more. I can’t remember, but I must have.
‘—We thought at first that you would run the same risk like us. That’s why I had to keep you away from everyone and why Lex and I often wore masks—’
Those funny masks, James thought. That’s why.
‘—But when you were eleven years old I realised that your body had adapted. James, you are immune to Earth viruses. I discovered that the younger you are the more chance your body has to overcome Earth’s bacteria and adapt to prevent illness. If we had been younger, then we would have developed some resistance also, but unfortunately Lex and I were just too old. I’m afraid that no doctor on this planet will be able to save me; this time my luck has run out. My name is really Karunet, yours is Jameilo and our real surname is Brasdoi—’
James went on reading, although in disbelief.
‘There’s a planet, on the far side of the galaxy, over one hundred and forty-three thousand light years away, called Qintaino. It’s in a system we call Ulio. That’s where you really belong. We’re called Qinants…’
James paused. I know those words. Qintaino… Qinant… Ulio... But from where, he thought.
‘No, it can’t be!’ he said out loud.
He quickly picked up the two cartridges and read the writing on the pearlescent green one once more.
‘“BAL OUF LOVAXYISPID”. That means KOMPUTRONIC DATA KEY.’
He looked at the bright red one.
‘“FTOEF RISEWTAQ”… means PERSONAL DIARY.’
He sat back in the armchair. How do I know that? I don’t understand, but that is what the words mean. How could that be possible, unless…
James placed the cartridges on the table and continued to read the note.
‘—Our world was smaller than Earth, but just as beautiful. We had two stars, so it was always light and warm—’
James thought, but Carol has written this like it was in the past.
‘—It was a peaceful place until the Treitans entered our galaxy. I don’t know where they came from, only that they attacked us without provocation. They gave us no warning. Our ships were far superior to theirs, but we were heavily outnumbered. When Lex and I left Qintaino it was under heavy bombardment; we were losing.
Lex was in the planetary defence and exploration force. He was ordered to take the Aurora, an unfinished prototype ship, to a safe place and return when it was completed. The ship only just had its event horizon drives enabled to travel at light speed. We hid the ship and finally located this planet we now know as Earth where we could live undetected, while the ship was being completed.
We were able to find a source of rare metals which this planet values very highly on the far side of their moon. With the technology available to us, we extracted platinum and gold, and we were able to learn their language and culture by monitoring their primitive radio and television.
When we arrived on Earth authorities started to ask questions. Like, where did we come from? So Lex had to access the computer systems here on Earth and create a past for us…’
James paused and smiled to himself. Dad was a hacker.
‘…So as not to attract any more attention we bought this cottage.’
The writing suddenly became more uneven and harder to understand.
‘Unfortunately Lex contracted an Earth illness and died before the ship was completed. I was too old to pilot the ship, so you are the last hope, James. I knew that if we had told you this before now, you would have wanted to go back before you were ready. James, the Aurora is safe, but you are barely old enough to pilot her. Your mind is still too young.
You must promise to do something for us. You must now return home to Qintaino to help our people. There’s an envelope with this letter. Please open it and follow the instructions within—’
James glanced down at the envelope on the table.
‘—You must listen to Kalrea; she will protect and tell you anything you need to know. We love you…’ The writing was now too disjointed and broken up to make any sense.
James was shell-shocked, but also intrigued by what he had just read. He poured himself a glass of whisky and went over to the bureau to find a letter opener. He looked under the many piles of papers and noticed some of his father’s old books hidden at the back. He glanced at the titles and smiled. They were all about a spaceships, which had supposedly visited Earth. UFOs, he thought. I could be an alien!
James sat down again and read the note once more, pondering over each sentence while he drank. He also recalled the last words Carol had said. His mind was full of unanswered questions.
Who’s Kalrea? Is she related? Where’s the Aurora if it exists? And how do I know that strange language? Carol’s last words were; Kalrea must read the diary. I do have a red diary, but there was no mention of it in the note. Maybe she was affected by the illness or delirious? But what if it’s all true? Then I must find our people.
There were too many unanswered questions, and he had nothing to remain here for.
Carol’s name is really Karunet, mine’s Jameilo, James thought as he glanced through the note. I’m never going to get used to a strange name like that. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it. He smiled to himself. It does seem incredible; no, impossible, but maybe my life is not what it seems. Perhaps there’s a reason for all this and my life still has a meaning. A direction! There’s one way to find out.
James took a deep breath and carefully opened the envelope with the knife. He removed and unfolded the sheet contained inside. At the top of it was printed the heading, ‘GUARDIAN AURORA’. There were just three brief typed instructions. James turned the paper over to look on the other side which was blank. There must be more, he thought and lo
oked quickly inside the envelope, before returning to read the three instructions.
The first read: ‘Wear the telementor on your wrist. It only protects when worn. Never remove it.’
That must be the black watch, James thought.
He removed his own.
As he was about to fasten the telementor on his right wrist, a tingling sensation rushed up his arm, catching him by surprise. He jumped and dropped the telementor which bounced across the table and onto the floor.
‘What the—,’ he said, his heart beating fast.
James waited a moment before gingerly picking it up once more. He studied it closely before nervously fastening it to his wrist. The symbol on the face of the telementor changed its colour to orange, and a tingling sensation swept throughout his body. He had never felt anything like this before. His heart quickened once more as he realised that what Carol had written to him was true. He felt an excitement tempered with apprehension: that same feeling he had after passing his driving test. There was a world out there to explore, but only if he dared to go.
The second instruction gave the coordinates of a location to be visited only at night, equipped with just the box, its contents and a few possessions.
James went to the bureau once more and rummaged around to find a local map. He laid it out in front of him on the table. He wished he had paid more attention to Carol when she was teaching him Geography all those years ago. His first attempt at the reference ended up in Lake Ullswater. He said to himself, that can’t be right, I’d better check again. The location was actually on the side of one of the nearby mountains about five miles away in an old abandoned quarry. Just as well I rechecked, he thought. I hate swimming!
The final instruction read, ‘The key will give you access to the mine and the telementor access to the shuttle.’
Shuttle, he thought. That could be the Aurora.
James was tired, so he decided that he would travel up to the mountain the following evening, leaving one full day to prepare him for whatever lay ahead.
That night, whilst lying in bed thinking and reading the note again, James could have sworn he heard a quiet voice in his head.
The Aurora (Aurora Saga, Book 1) Page 4
