by Rae Knightly
A bald man was posted by the gates at the end of the playground, observing the school. Ben could not make out his features from this far, yet he broke into a cold sweat. He glanced around the classroom to see if anyone else was sensing danger, but the other students were placidly working on their assignments. By the time he looked back, Tike was sitting again, though straight and alert, and the man was gone.
If he had not been able to concentrate before, it was now near to impossible. But whereas he had been in a sad, dreamy state before, he was now alert and nervous, checking on Tike every two minutes. Ben was so focused on what was happening outside that he jumped when someone knocked on the classroom door. An assistant from the school reception came in. She whispered something to the teacher before turning to find Ben.
“Ben?” She said, “Could you come with me please? And, bring your backpack with you.”
Ben stood up so quickly his chair almost fell over. He crammed his books into his backpack, asking, as he followed her out: “What’s going on?”
“There’s a phone call for you. You can take it in the Principal’s office.” The woman said, as she led him down to the reception area.
The school Principal’s assistant glanced up at him as she spoke over the phone: “Yes, Ms. Archer, he’s here now. Please accept my condolences for the loss of your father.” She nodded into the receiver before adding: “Yes, goodbye.” Before handing the receiver over to Ben, saying: “It’s your mother.”
Ben took it from her, relieved: “Mom?”
His mother answered hurriedly on the other end: “Ben, I’m here to pick you up. Can you come right away? I’m in the side street to the right of the school.”
“Er,… hold on.” He replied, eyeing the stern assistant: “Er... my Mom is here to pick me up. Is it ok if…” he began.
The assistant said: “Yes, yes, she told me.”
“I’ll be right there, Mom.” Ben said into the receiver before hanging up. “Thank you.” He said to the assistant, who ushered him out with a wave of her hand and replied: “Make sure to let us know when you’ll be back at school, Ben.”
Ben nodded, already halfway out the door. He ran outside with his backpack thumping at his side. He whistled to Tike who joined him with his tongue lolling and tail wagging. Suddenly, Ben stopped in his tracks.
My suitcase!
He had forgotten his suitcase with his clothes and toothbrush upstairs. He wondered briefly whether he should go back for it, but quickly decided against it. He wanted to see his Mom.
I wonder why she’s in such a hurry to pick me up?
He sped along the school wall, then out the side gate into the short street he had taken not so long ago to escape the two bullies, Peter and Mason. He walked at a fast pace, searching for his mother’s car, then jumped when he passed a chain link fence. He had completely forgotten about the three guard dogs who were prowling up-and-down the yard, as if they had been waiting for him all afternoon. He tried not to pay attention to them but couldn’t avoid feeling their large, black eyes fixated on his every step. So much so, that he did not notice the bald man heading across the street straight towards him. It was only because Tike bounced back into him with his tail between his legs that he suddenly realized what was happening.
The man was almost on top of him, reaching out to grab him.
“Wha…?” Ben exclaimed, stepping back in fright to avoid him. He didn’t have time to finish his sentence, as he lost his balance and fell backwards into the sloping parking entrance next to the guard dogs’ house.
The three guard dogs barked ferociously, throwing themselves at the nearby fence.
Ben’s breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground. Fortunately his backpack broke most of the impact in his back, but he scraped his elbows.
Already the man was reaching out for him again. Tike tugged at the assailant’s pant, but the man kicked him aside nonchalantly.
Ben blinked the stars from his eyes and rolled over swiftly. He dropped his backpack and slid further down into the dark, public parking. He ran down to the second and last level, splashing through the large rain puddle that had trickled down the ramp and accumulated at the bottom. Only a couple of cars were parked there with no-one in sight to go to for help. Ben ran to the end of the parking lot, knowing full well that it was useless, for there was no other way out.
Behind him the man followed more slowly, knowing that he had Ben cornered. The guard dogs’ hysterical barking echoed into the parking lot.
Tike was hiding behind Ben’s legs. Ben had his back against the concrete wall, facing the man in his neat, grey suit. It was the same man he had spotted from his classroom window that afternoon.
“Leave me alone!” Ben shouted at him.
The man continued to approach the boy until he was a couple of strides away from him. He gazed, bemused, at the Terrier who was barring his teeth in an attempt to protect Ben, though not a bark or growl left his poor throat.
Ben thought it was a trick of the light, but he was certain he had just seen the man’s eyes turn from green to honey-brown.
Twisted eyes!
He caught his breath.
Then, to Ben’s horror, the being’s whole face began to tremble at an alarming speed, as if two identities were struggling to take control of his features. When the unnatural shaking stopped, instead of the bald man with green eyes who had been there before, there was now a taller man with spikey, white hair and honey-brown eyes. The being clenched his teeth, as if he were angry with his own transformation.
Ben yelled urgently: “Mom! Mom!”
The being turned his face away, a smile on the corner of his mouth, and Ben heard his mother say: “I’m right here, honey!” Then the being looked at Ben again as his mother’s voice left his lips: “I told you I’d pick you up.”
Ben’s heart dropped like a stone, his skin crawling as if a hundred tiny spiders were scattering up and down his body. He stared at the abnormal man with dread. The being had clearly spoken with Laura Archer’s voice, the same one that he had heard in the receiver in the school office.
“Where… where’s my mother? What did you do to her?” Ben’s voice was thick with fear.
The being didn’t seem amused any more: “I’m not here to talk about you mother, Benjamin Archer.”
How does he know my name?
He stared intently at the boy, then said: “I’m here to talk about Mesmo.”
Ben caught his breath. “I don’t know wat you’re talking about.” He croaked, his voice sounding weak and unconvincing.
The being was unsmiling: “Of course you do. You see, your grandfather and I had a little chat about you 4 days ago.”
Ben’s eyes widened, his mind whirled back as something clicked in his memory. He had bumped into this man in the hospital after visiting Grampa one night, though back then he had been wearing a doctor’s coat.
The night Grampa passed away…
Ben stared at the unnatural man with new fear in his eyes.
“Who are you?” He breathed. Somewhere far away, the guard dogs were barking incessantly.
“I am Bordock, also known as the Shapeshifter. That is my Skill.” The being said enigmatically. “I have been playing a hide-and-seek game with Mesmo for two months now and my patience is running out.” His dark eyes bored into Ben’s: “You spoke to Mesmo yesterday, in the graveyard, during the funeral. Why?”
Ben swallowed hard.
How does he know?
He felt he was becoming smaller and smaller while the being was looming ever more over him. He unconsciously reached for Grampa’s watch, silently praying it would magically make him disappear.
“I don’t understand what you want.” Ben said helplessly. “Leave me alone!”
The Shapeshifter grabbed him by the shirt, glaring down at him. His eyes were deep, brown pools that stirred another memory in Ben’s mind, one that was terrifying: something that had triggered many nightmares and which he had tucked far away
into his unconscious.
“I want Mesmo.” The Shapeshifter said menacingly, “and you’re going to tell me where he is!”
“I’m right here, Bordock.” A voice boomed from behind them in the parking lot.
Ben peeked from behind the Shapeshifter’s shoulder as he turned around slowly.
Mesmo was standing at the bottom of the ramp, his tall body reflected in the large puddle of rain.
The Shapeshifter let go of Ben’s shirt, then placed himself before him, so that Ben had to stretch his head to see what was going on.
The two men glared at each other with palpable hate.
“Finally!” Bordock said. “What took you so long?”
“Leave the boy alone, Bordock.” Mesmo said, “He has nothing to do with this.”
Bordock observed Ben curiously for a second, before jeering: “What would you care about a human boy, Mesmo? Have you lost track of your mission?”
“That’s enough! You’ve done enough harm already!” Mesmo retorted.
“Not quite enough.” Bordock said darkly, before adding slowly: “You’re still here.”
He braced himself as the air filled with static, which was drawn to him like a magnet. An invisible force gathered around the Shapeshifter. His hands and arms began to glow.
In that instant a car screeched into the parking entrance before coming to an abrupt stop. The car door opened and a woman stepped out. She bent down to pick up Ben’s backpack.
“Ben?” Laura called.
“Mom!” Ben cried back frantically.
The Shapeshifter launched a powerful ball of blue light straight at Mesmo who dropped down, placed his hands in the large puddle then turned it into a solid, transparent shield that blew into a thousand fragments as it was hit straight on. The air fizzled and cracked, transforming into a fine mixture of mist and smoke.
Mesmo picked himself up. Bordock gathered energy as blue light started to emanate from his hands and arms again. But his grin faded from his face when viscous barking boomed into the parking lot. The three huge dogs from next door dashed down the ramp and emerged out of the mist. They headed straight for Bordock and the boy. In seconds they would be upon Ben. His mother cried out in alarm. Ben put up his arms to protect his face, shouting: “Stop!”
Incredibly, they did.
The three beasts stopped in their tracks right in front of Bordock, growling at him menacingly, searching for the slightest movement. They circled him, shaking with anticipation, barely containing their urge to pounce.
Ben remained stuck to the concrete wall, afraid to move an inch for fear they would turn their attention to him.
The mist dissipated, while everyone waited cautiously, frozen to the spot, mesmerized by the deep growling creatures circling the being in the grey suit.
When nothing happened, Bordock let out a hissing breath. He frowned angrily, saying through gritted teeth: “What is this? How is this possible?”
Mesmo, who was joined by Laura, was equally perplexed.
“This is not your doing! It cannot be!” Bordock said angrily. “And your daughter’s skill died with her! Unless…” He stiffened abruptly. Then, as if a silent message had passed between them, both Bordock and Mesmo turned their attention to Ben at the same time, a look of utter disbelief in their eyes.
Ben swallowed, shaking his head in confusion.
Bordock’s eyes narrowed as if he were seeing Ben for the first time: the boy could see his mind was trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.
“Ben!” his mother called anxiously.
Her voice came through to him. Carefully, Ben extracted himself from between the wall and the man. Slowly, he distanced himself from the Shapeshifter, afraid he would lunge. But all he did was glare fiercely at the boy.
The air was static, the few dim lights flickered, as Mesmo urged: “Hurry!”
Laura grabbed Ben’s shoulders in a kind of urgent hug, then pushed him ahead of her. The three of them sprinted up the ramp. Ben opened the back door of the car, jumped in, and was closely followed by Mesmo and Tike. Laura pushed their door shut as she got in herself. In an instant the motor came to life. The car screeched backwards into the street, leaving Bordock to his own fate.
CHAPTER TEN
Lighthouse Park
THEY DROVE THROUGH THE CITY, MAKING IT OUT before the start of rush hour, then crossed Lion’s Gate Bridge to the north shore, which joined the Sea-to-Sky Highway going west. Laura checked her rear-view mirror constantly to make sure nobody was following them. But instead she caught Jack Anderson staring intently at Ben.
When Ben put a hand to his forehead, saying: "Mom, I feel dizzy!", she veered sharply into a driveway leading to the forested coast, which soon turned into a dirt road surrounded by old, majestic Red Cedars with a sign that read Lighthouse Park. She stopped the car in the visitor parking lot in the middle of a lush forest, which was almost empty of tourists at this time of the season, then got out of the car hurriedly.
“What are you doing, Mom?” Ben asked.
She opened the back door, ordering: “You! Get out!” She pointed to Jack. He obeyed. She then closed and locked all the doors by clicking on her car keys to keep Ben safe inside.
“Mom!” He objected, knocking on the window.
She took no notice of him as she faced Jack. “You!” She repeated: “Jack… or whatever your name is… You’d better tell me what’s going on or I’m leaving without you right now!”
Ben was still thumping on the car window.
“Stay right there, Ben, until I’ve sorted this out!” She ordered. She glared at Jack, both angry and afraid at the same time: “I’ve been chased around all morning by the police and now… this! Whatever this was!” She ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head, then continued without waiting for an answer: “Wayne was right. I’m taking Ben far away from here!”
“Bordock will look for you.” Jack warned. “He will never stop. Not after what just happened.”
Laura grimaced: “Don’t you dare make this about us! We don’t have anything to do with this Bordock - nor with you for that matter. Both of you leave us alone!” She reached for the car door, but Jack bent down to the ground all of a sudden.
“What are you doing?” She asked fearfully.
Jack touched a small puddle with his index finger so that it immediately turned into a beautiful ice crystal with intricate designs, like the ones she had seen at her father’s house after his funeral.
She stared at the crystal, taken back to that beautiful, golden sunset over the fields, the grass crunching with fresh, delicate ice… She felt a calm wash over her instantly.
After a silence, she breathed: “Who are you?”
Ben banged on the door again. “Mom,” his voice sounded muffled. Still staring at the ice crystal, Laura opened the door for him as if in a trance. Ben stepped out before she could change her mind. Ben said: “Before Grampa died, he told me to find Mesmo if we were ever in trouble.” He pointed up at the tall man, then added: “This is Mesmo.”
Laura and Ben both stared at the stranger with his out-of-place fur hat, until Laura finally ventured: “Then who is Jack Anderson?”
Mesmo shook his head sadly: “The real Jack Anderson died in a mountain climbing accident in Bolivia last week. I borrowed his name.” He turned his attention to Ben: “Something happened in the parking lot - something I can’t quite explain.” He paused before continuing, “I’m going to need you to recover your memory about the night of The Cosmic Fall, Ben.”
Ben gasped: “But… you said you didn’t want me to.”
Mesmo replied: “Today changed everything. Your grandfather wanted you to forget - to protect you - but after what happened today, that is no longer possible. Bordock was after me, but now he is going to go after you, too.”
“Now wait a minute!” Laura interjected, “What would you know about The Cosmic Fall?”
Mesmo held her gaze before answering: “Because I was the one who crashed th
at night.”
Laura pointed a stern finger at him: “Hold it right there, Mister! Now don’t come to me with some crazy story about crashed UFO’s. I heard that one already...” But she trailed off as her eyes fell on the ice crystal again.
Mesmo explained quietly: “Bordock shot down our spaceships. My daughter and two of my companions died. Somehow I survived. Your father found me and saved me by carrying me to his house. But the police picked him up after he went back to help my companions. I took Ben and escaped.”
Laura gasped, something clicking in her mind: “Are you saying you carried Ben from my father’s house all the way to Chilliwack that night?”
“Yes.” Mesmo replied simply.
Laura sized up Mesmo, unsure what to make of his story.
Ben looked up at his mother pleadingly: “Mom, I need to remember!”
Laura shook her head: “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Benji. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to do that. You know we’ve tried.”
Ben turned to Mesmo: “Can you help me?”
This time, Mesmo replied: “Yes.”
***
The three of them were sitting on a small beach surrounded by boulders toppled with tall fir trees. Way above, the white and red lighthouse illuminated the bay, while in the distance the lights of Vancouver glittered under the night sky.
Laura had had the presence of mind to check the trunk of her father’s car, which contained two ragged blankets, some camping gear, a first aid kit, some cans of food and instant coffee. She was amazed at her father’s foresight, thanking him silently for having taught her to light a fire when she was a girl. She managed to warm up a can of beans, which she and Ben devoured, though Mesmo would not touch any of it. They had found a plastic bottle in a garbage bin, then filled it with water from a tap placed at the park entrance for tourists visiting the site. This water was now beginning to boil in the bean can, so she could mix some instant coffee in it.
