by Dan Holt
“This is the year,” Audrina said as she hung up the phone.
“Yeah. This year we will know what Mom has kept to herself all these years. A promise she made to Grandpa Anderson. They were very close, Dad said, and, as you know, Grandpa died at sixty of a massive heart attack. When I asked Dad about the promise he said he didn’t know. He left the hospital room so Grandpa and Mom could talk.”
“Your mother’s wonderful. She can keep a promise.”
When June came around Brandon and Audrina arranged their vacations to begin on June 2 to keep his promise to be at his mother’s on his birthday. They planned to leave Houston on Saturday, May 31 and drive to his parent’s home, spend Sunday with them, then leave after the birthday party Monday, June 2.
Arlington, Texas
Sunday, June 1, Brandon slipped out of bed in the guest room at his parent’s home. Audrina stirred and then got quiet again. Brandon quietly dressed and walked down the familiar hallway to the kitchen. The light was on over the sink; the dim pattern cut a line across the carpet in the hallway. The glow of the coffee pot Ready Light caught his eye. Brandon quietly got a coffee cup off the wooden pegboard beside the cabinet and poured himself a cup of coffee, then went into the living room. His father was sitting in his recliner in the dark sipping a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, Son,” Ray said.
“Good morning, Dad,” Brandon responded then sat down in his mother’s matching recliner. They sat in silence for some time with the quiet interrupted only by the ticking of the wall clock with its gold colored pendulum swinging one way each second. Brandon remembered looking up at it years earlier and wondering how they figured out how long to make the pendulum so the clock would keep accurate time. A curiosity that had never faded over the years. A curiosity that increased his pulse as he thought about tomorrow and the answer to a thirteen year wait. What was going to happen on birthday number twenty-five? Brandon glanced at his father.
“Dad, you still don’t know about tomorrow?”
“Not a word, Son. But I can tell you this. Soon after your mother talked with your grandfather, he passed away. We spent that night with your Aunt Marie. On the way from the hospital to your Aunt Marie’s house, your mother had me drive by your grandfather’s house and pick up an old wooden trunk. We locked it in the trunk of the car and…”
“What was in it?” Brandon interrupted.
“Pictures, I guess. I know that one came out of it,” Ray said pointing to the wall across the room. Brandon stood, turned on the light, and studied the picture. It was in black and white, mounted in an antique frame, with a bubble shaped glass over the image. There were two young boys dressed in overalls standing side by side with their arms hanging straight down. They were not smiling when the picture was taken. Ray stepped to Brandon’s side.
“That’s your grandfather, Buck, and his brother, your great uncle Robert. They were twelve and fourteen; your grandfather was the older.” Brandon studied the picture for a moment then he and his father returned to their seats.
“Surely, Mom didn’t wait thirteen years to give me a picture.”
“I doubt it.”
“Well,” Brandon said, “I’ll know tomorrow.”
Birthday # 25
On Monday, Brandon’s birthday, his mother set the cake in the center of the table. Brandon blew out the twenty-five candles in one breath. His mother, father, and Audrina cheered and clapped their hands. Kathleen handed Brandon a knife and gestured toward the cake. Brandon cut four pieces and put them on plates. They enjoyed the cake and coffee, Brandon being careful not to mention the promise.
The cake finished, Brandon announced that he and Audrina were anxious to start their vacation; pointing out that there were a lot of things they wanted to see in the two weeks. His mother smiled and left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a metal box four inches square and two inches deep. It was a faded green color with the paint missing in some places and it had an emblem on the lid with scroll lettering advertising Stouffer’s Candies. The box was sealed with a clear tape that had yellowed with age. His mother was gripping it with both hands and holding it to her breast. Brandon, his father, and Audrina remained quiet.
“Brandon, this is from your grandfather. He made me promise not to tell anyone about it. He said to give it to you when you were twenty-five.”
Brandon nodded awkwardly when she placed the box in his hands. Brandon hugged his mother. “I love you, Mom,” he said quietly. She stepped back and nodded and then looked at Audrina. Audrina hugged Kathleen and looked curiously at the faded metal box in Brandon hands.
Brandon sat down at the table and removed the yellowed tape sealing the lid onto the box. He looked up at the three watching him and then pulled the lid off the box. Inside there was a business card with a key taped to the back of it and a sealed envelope folded in half lying on the bottom of the box under the business card. Brandon picked up the business card, looked at the key for a moment, at the number 113 stamped on it, then turned the card over and read it.
Wichita Falls Bank and Trust
1101 Main Street
Wichita Falls, Texas
Phone: BL3-1766
“This is a key to a safety deposit box in a bank in Wichita Falls,” Brandon said. He picked up the envelope. Hand written across the front of it was: Brandon Lee Stevens. Brandon tore open the envelope, removed the sheet of paper, and unfolded it. It read:
Please give the contents of this safety deposit box
to my grandson; Brandon Lee Stevens. He’ll have
the key. It’s box number 113.
Buck Anderson
Brandon looked at his mother. “Do you know what’s in the bank box?”
“Your grandfather said it was a Keepsake,” his mother answered. “I don’t know what it is but he said he wanted you to have it when you were a man.”
“Grandpa knew how to create a mystery, didn’t he?” Brandon said.
“It was very important to him; he made me promise just before he died.”
“Did he say why he wanted me to be twenty-five before you could give it to me?”
“No. He said you had to be a man.”
…
Chapter 4
THE LETTER
“Let’s go see what it is and then head out on vacation,” Brandon said. He saw Audrina nodding before he finished the sentence as they drove away from his parent’s home.
“If it turns out to be just a family relic or heirloom that’s fragile,” Audrina said, “we won’t spend our whole vacation wondering what it is.”
Brandon smiled and glanced at her. “My feelings exactly.”
They drove to Wichita Falls and got a room. Tuesday morning, they went to the bank at 9:00 a.m. Brandon and Audrina stepped up to the service desk and requested access to the safety deposit box.
“Your name and box number, Sir.”
“I’m Brandon Lee Stevens. The box is in the name of my grandfather, Buck Anderson.” Brandon handed the lady the note from the metal box and showed her the key. She read the note, looked up at Brandon, at Audrina, then back to the note. She got up from her desk, excused herself, and walked into the bank offices. A few moments later, she reappeared and escorted Brandon and Audrina into the bank president’s office.
“Mr. Stevens,” he said when Brandon walked into the office.
“Yes,” Brandon said as they shook hands. “This is my wife, Audrina.”
“I’m Herbert Simmons,” the bank officer said as he shook Audrina’s hand.
“Mr. Stevens, may I ask you for some identification?”
“Sure.” Brandon took out his wallet and produced his driver’s license. The president looked at it, returned it to Brandon, and smiled. He offered Brandon and Audrina a chair then sat down behind his desk. He picked up a file pocket, pulled the elastic band off and opened it.
“This box has been sealed for thirty-eight years. We have reviewed the documents every year. Mr. Anderson came into the
bank in 1960 and reserved the box. He came in every year and paid the fee. Then in 1973, he came in and paid the fee through 1998. We haven’t heard from him since.” Brandon and Audrina looked at each other. The banker looked up and smiled.
“I was born in 1973,” Brandon said. “Buck Anderson was my grandfather on my mother’s side.” Herbert Simmons nodded then reached into the file pocket and retrieved the bank key for box 113. He stood and walked into the safety deposit box area with Brandon and Audrina following him then inserted the key into the box. He nodded toward them then stepped outside the door. Brandon inserted his key then grasped the bank key then turned the two keys together and pulled the safety deposit box open. Audrina leaned close as Brandon lifted the metal lid. Inside was a drawstring pouch, blue velvet, twelve inches long and six inches wide. Brandon and Audrina looked at each other, and then Brandon reached into the box and picked it up.
“It feels like there’s an envelope inside it…and something solid.” Brandon started to open it. Audrina touched his arm.
“Let’s go to the car.”
Brandon nodded and closed the box.
Brandon started the car and turned on the air conditioning. The cool air filled the car in the warm mid-morning sunshine. He pulled the drawstring pouch open, reached in, and retrieved a yellow envelope. On the front, in his grandfather’s handwriting was Brandon’s full name. He laid it on his lap then reached into the pouch again and retrieved a golf ball sized sphere. It was a translucent smoky black color and seemed to have no weight. Brandon held it up above his other hand, palm open, and released the sphere. It floated slowly down to his open palm. He studied it for a moment then looked over at Audrina; her eyes met his. He tested the weight in his hand then handed to her. She tested the weight then turned it over and over in her hands, examining it. She held it up about a foot above her other hand and released it. It fell slowly. She tried it a second time. “It’s almost weightless,” she said carefully examining the surface.
Brandon picked up the envelope and removed the hand written pages then unfolded them. Audrina followed along when Brandon began reading aloud.
June 2, 1973
Dear Brandon,
“You were born this morning. You are my first grandson. I never had a son to grow into a man and do this for me so it had to wait for you. The fact that you are reading this means that you are a man, twenty-five years old, and I’m gone. The year will be 1998 and you may have already met the people from the other planet…”
Brandon recoiled then looked at Audrina. She looked at him as her mouth fell open. They looked at the letter again then Brandon continued reading aloud:
“If you have met them then you can ask them what this black ball is and what it’s used for. If you haven’t then maybe you can find out what it is yourself. I figure that in the year 1998 people will know a lot more that we do now.
First, I had better tell you where it came from. I was one of the soldiers that helped clean up the wreckage when those people crashed their spaceship in New Mexico. They are not as big as us; only about three or four feet tall. I saw three of them that were killed in the crash lying on a blanket. Anyway, I found this ball among the wreckage we were cleaning up. It was so light I wanted it for a Keepsake so I put it inside the bloused fold of my fatigues at the top of my boot. Nobody noticed and nobody knew I had it.
When we finished cleaning up the area, they took us back to the barracks then had a meeting with all of us that was on the cleanup detail. They warned us that what we had done was classified. If we told anybody, we would go to prison. I was glad they didn’t find out about the Keepsake. I would have been in a lot of trouble. Everybody that was on the cleanup crew was transferred to other bases. I was sent to California.
Now I want to tell you about the Keepsake. It’s indestructible. I tried to break it open to see what was inside. I tried a hammer, saw, even a drill; nothing worked. I even tried a blowtorch. It didn’t affect it at all. It must be made of some special stuff.
Well, that’s all I know about it. I want you to have it. I sure hope it turns out to be something special because it was very special to me. I’m locking it away for you today.”
Your grandfather, Buck Anderson
Brandon and Audrina stared at the smooth black sphere.
“Grandpa Anderson was there; he saw it for himself,” Brandon said.
“It takes my breath away to think about it,” Audrina added. “For us to actually have a family member there who saw it and them.
“It really happened, Audrina, and this is a piece of the spaceship. It’s light as a feather but feels like metal. And, according to the letter, it’s indestructible I wonder what it is and what was its use?”
Brandon placed it in Audrina’s hand when she extended it, palm open. She studied it closely then held it next to her ear and shook it.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Brandon said.
“We’ve got two weeks,” Audrina said then reached into the back seat and picked up the road Atlas. She handed it to Brandon. He opened it to New Mexico, studied it for a moment, and then turned the pages to Texas.
“We drive southwest through Lubbock, to Brownfield, then a hundred and thirty-four miles straight west to Roswell.”
As Brandon drove out of Wichita Falls, he noticed the giant black metal horses rocking in slow motion, pumping the mixture of salt water and flakes of oil out of the North Central Texas ground. The mixture was pumped to nearby holding tanks where it would settle out; oil on top and water on bottom. The salt water was then pumped back into the ground then the crude oil drained from the tanks for a trip to the refinery, then to his and many other gas tanks. The horses had fascinated him when he was a child and they would come to Holiday, Texas to visit with his grandfather.
His mind went back to his grandfather’s face as he remembered it. It was always gentle and understanding. He’d always looked at Brandon fondly and had praised him for the things he’d done. And, all that time….
Brandon wished he could see the spaceship, flying saucer, for himself, and the people that came to Earth in it; small, with big heads….
“You’re awfully quiet,” Audrina said.
“I was wondering what the spaceship looked like, and the Creatures that flew it.”
“I believed it really happened; Roswell I mean, before we got this,” Audrina said rolling the sphere between her fingers. “There’s just too much inquiry into the event, too many witness that ring true, and too much nationwide interest in it. But since there has been consistent denial by the military all these years and so many different opinions of what the aliens were like I don’t think we will ever know the real truth. It’s really something that your grandfather was there; saw it, and got this to pass down through the years to you. We’re lucky; for us it’s verified. There’s something special about knowing the real truth although it will probably make no difference in our lifetimes.
“It’s an adventure,” Brandon said.
“Yes, it is and I love it!” Audrina agreed.
Roswell, NM
Wednesday morning, 10:00 a.m., Brandon and Audrina drove into Roswell and stopped at a service station. Audrina dropped the Keepsake into her purse, zipped it closed, and went to the ladies’ room. Brandon fueled the car, put on his best tourist’s face, and asked directions to the famous Roswell UFO crash site. The attendant smiled warmly and pointed at a wire rack sitting on the end of the counter. Brandon picked up one of the mimeographed sheets of a hand-drawn map and directions to the UFO crash site. Printed in the middle of the sheet was Debris Field. Brandon thanked the attendant and went to the car. Audrina was just closing her door. Brandon got behind the wheel and handed the crude hand drawn map to Audrina. She studied the sheet with growing excitement as Brandon pulled the car back into traffic. She looked up.
“We take a right up ahead on Main Street then head north until we reach the road that goes left toward Corona. It’s about an hour north of Roswell. Brandon made th
e turn then, minutes later, watched the last of the city pass behind them.
At precisely six miles north of Roswell the inside of Audrina’s purse was filled with an eerie pink light, a flash of light emanating from the sphere that lasted only a millisecond.
When Brandon turned off the pavement onto the dirt road leading to the celebrated crash site another vehicle was coming out. Brandon stopped the car and rolled down his window. The bearded driver of a four-by-four pickup stopped and rolled down his window.
“You find anything?” Brandon said in a jovial manner.”
“No, but I’ve been coming out here and looking or twelve years. You’re almost there; it’s just over the next hill.” The man reached over to the right seat of his truck and picked up a magazine and handed to Brandon then pointed at the open page.
“Here’s a picture of the crash site.” Brandon accepted the magazine and he and Audrina studied the terrain pictured of the full page spread.
