by Darrell Bain
Again she started toward the electrical outlets and again Jeffrey held her back. “It's okay, Marge, I think. But how...?” He took a step closer to Dylan, trying to understand the complicated arrangement of magnets and motors and transformers. He grinned, not letting Marge see, when he noticed that Dylan had also plugged a power source from one of his computer accessories into his construction. There were other odd arrangements of the learning toys. A couple of the magnets appeared to be floating in space and he could swear that several of the larger ones were set up with like poles that were too close together to be theoretically possible. He couldn't take it all in at once. Dylan might have an eidetic memory, but he didn't.
“Wait here,” Jeffrey told his wife. “I have to record this.” He hurried out of Dylan's room and ran for his camcorder, hoping he could remember where it was located. He couldn't, and it took several minutes to find it. Unfortunately, the phenomena was over by the time he returned.
The blue beam of light was gone. Dylan was already busy picking up the toys, as if whatever he had intended to do was finished now. After he had everything back in the cardboard box, he climbed back into bed and turned out his beside light, still completely ignoring his parents.
* * * *
The next day, when Jeffrey saw that Dylan was still playing with the articles he had brought home, he rigged up camcorders in the den and in Dylan's bedroom, hoping to catch a repetition of the phenomena his son had caused. He found it very frustrating that Dylan never again produced sounds or lights from the magnets and motors, even though he continued fooling with them. He turned a deaf ear to Jeffrey's entreaties when he practically begged his son to create the light and sounds again.
Marge was much more satisfied. Dylan kept himself busy during the day with his new toys and gave her some much needed rest. She told her husband to leave the boy alone and let him enjoy himself while he was so interested in something new. That didn't happen often enough to suit her and she didn't want anything to spoil it for Dylan. Jeffrey relented, reluctantly. He decided he would just have to live with the unsolved puzzle.
A month later, the spaceship landed in their front yard, in broad daylight.
* * * *
At least Jeffrey thought it was a spaceship, unless he was going crazy. It came down in front of him one morning as he stepped outside to fetch the morning paper, appearing to descend from the heavens on a beam of blue light very similar to the one Dylan had produced that first night with the magnets. Jeffrey stopped in his tracks. He knew instinctively that the craft had to be the result of Dylan's construction. The vessel was about eight feet long and ovoid in shape. A single little steeple about eight inches high on the top side was the only thing that marred its silvery surface.
As Jeffrey stood there, a three foot high oval area on the side of the craft changed from silvery to black. A being floated from the interior through the blackness. which immediately changed back to silver.
“Greetings,” the entity said.
All Jeffrey thought was lacking in the cliché was having it say “Take me to your leaders.” Instead, it continued on as if he weren't standing there like a startled deer blinking in the headlights from a car. “Your species has successfully mastered the technique of instantaneous communication. You are now eligible for membership in the intergalactic civilization, encompassing like worlds. We must apologize for taking so much time before responding, but as you simply sent a general broadband signal, it was necessary to learn your language before contacting you."
“Uh, thank you,” Jeffrey responded. He squinted at the being, trying to make out its exact shape. It was small, less than three feet tall, and shimmered enough so that he couldn't quite discern its outline. He thought it was a biped, though he couldn't see anything resembling a head.
“You're welcome. Others are presently occupied with your leaders at seats of government in a number of places. You must forgive me for intruding, but I desired to meet the entity who fabricated the communication device. I must say, this world lacks almost every technical advancement usually seen upon first contact. The scientist who achieved the feat must have a very unique mind, and our information services are eager to see and talk to the physical embodiment of this person. Would that be you?"
Good God! Jeffrey thought. I don't believe this. For a moment, he stood mute, wondering what the reaction might be when he introduced Dylan.
“No,” he finally said. “The person responsible is inside. Would you like to come in?"
“Certainly,” the shimmery being said. It followed Jeffrey by some means not immediately apparent, as if walking on air.
Jeffrey led it inside, then to the den; thankful that Marge was still sleeping. She might have gone into hysterics at first.
Dylan was sitting on the floor as usual, moving the magnets and motors and transformers back and forth, stacking some on top of others and sliding odd ones here and there around on the floor. He still had the power source from his computer plugged into the arrangement.
“Dylan, I want you to meet someone. Your invention the first night you had the magnets brought him."
Dylan looked up for a second then went on with what he was doing. Jeffrey turned to the alien. “I'm sorry, I guess he doesn't feel like talking right now."
“Of course,” the being said. “I can see that he's very busy with more important activities. Please apologize to him for the disturbance."
Jeffrey followed the diminutive being as it wafted quickly back outside to its craft. It entered and was gone a moment later, ascending on a beam of blue light.
Inside, Jeffrey saw that Dylan was still silently playing with his new toys. Marge came into the room. She smiled at her son, who didn't notice, then kissed her husband.
“He still seems happy with his electrical things and the magnets, dear. You really did well when you brought them home for him."
“You don't know the half of it,” Jeffrey said as he turned on the television.
Marge's reaction was everything he thought it would be, but Dylan paid no attention. He was too busy with other pursuits to be bothered.
THE END
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