Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall: (A boy with an alien power - Book 1 in the Alien Skill Series - a gripping sci-fi adventure story for middle graders and teens) (Volume 1)

by Rae Knightly

  “Ugh!” Ben said, suddenly losing interest. “I smell waffles.”

  Get me out of here!

  He leapt off the bed, then said: “Excuse me!” as he waited for Mesmo to move aside and let him through. Technically, Ben could simply have walked right through the alien, but for some reason that seemed inappropriate.

  “Are you coming?” The white-haired man asked Laura, who had suddenly fallen silent.

  “Yes, yes,” she said, waving him on, “I’ll be right there.”

  He nodded, looking at her curiously, then followed Ben to the kitchen.

  Laura stared at the floor, lost in thought. She was no longer smiling.

  ***

  Breakfast lifted their spirits. Laura feasted her eyes on the well laid-out table full of fresh bread, eggs, bacon, waffles, jam and fruit.

  “Thank you, Susan!” She exclaimed. “I don’t know how we can ever repay you!”

  “Sit down and eat a hearty breakfast. You’ll be needing it.” Susan ordered sternly.

  Laura obeyed, then shook her head: “I’m going to have to find a way to work. We can’t go on like this. We’ve run out of money.”

  “Oh!” Ben exclaimed through a mouthful of waffle. “But we still have some money. Well, sort of.” He plunged his hand into his jeans pocket, fishing out something small which he held up in the palm of his hand. Swallowing, he said: “Dad’s ring.”

  Laura startled, turning red. “What? How…?” She began.

  Ben explained: “I found it back home, in the bathroom drawer. I figured if you never wore it, maybe we could sell it.”

  Laura hastily took the engagement ring from him, throwing an embarrassed look at Susan and Mesmo.

  Mesmo pointed at the ring in her hand, asking: “Your… life companion?”

  “I…” She began.

  “Dad gave it to her so they could get married.” Ben interrupted, munching on some grapes. “But he died in a car crash when I was a baby.” An awkward silence fell on the table, though Ben was in too good a mood to notice. “Show me the flower trick again, Mesmo! Please?” He begged, as he helped himself to some more bacon.

  Laura slipped the ring into her own jeans pocket, relieved to change the subject, then filled her plate as she watched Mesmo touch the surface of a jug of water. Immediately the liquid obeyed his command, flowing into an intricate bouquet of delicate, transparent flowers, the stems gently swaying to an invisible breeze, the thin petals turning a glistening silver as they froze.

  Ben gasped in wonder, his eyes twinkling. Laura smiled gratefully at Mesmo, then glanced at Susan to see if she approved. The older woman was staring at her untouched plate with a very pale, sullen face.

  “Susan?” Laura said worriedly. “What’s the matter?”

  The unsmiling woman lifted her eyes, then said darkly: “You are going to have to leave.” She had spoken in a low voice, yet they had all heard her loud and clear.

  Laura coughed up the grape she was trying to swallow. Mesmo lost his concentration, and the watery flowers splashed onto the table. Ben stopped chatting, turning his attention to his mother questioningly. They all stared at their host, wondering if they had heard her correctly. They waited for Susan to admit she was making a distasteful joke. But instead, she glanced at them and insisted: “You heard me. You’re going to have to leave. Today!”

  There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Laura cleared her throat, replying slowly: “Hum. Yes. Of course! We have long outstayed our visit. You have treated us so well, Susan, that we sort of lost track of the fact that we were invading your home and your privacy.”

  Susan rested her forehead in her hand, her elbow on the table. “That’s not it.” She began. She stared at them guiltily, before continuing: “I called both my sons yesterday afternoon, while I was in Deep Cove. I’d been resisting the urge to do so for quite some time now. I think of my sons every single day, but having you around somehow reminded me how much I missed being able to touch them, to hear their voices, to hug them… They are both married now. My youngest had his second baby last month.” She broke down into tears. “I can’t live like this anymore. I need to see them. I need to see them so bad it hurts.” She sobbed.

  Laura hurried to her side to hug her. Susan sniffled before adding: “I’m meeting them in Deep Cove this afternoon.”

  Mesmo warned gently: “They won’t be the only ones meeting you there, Susan.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” She retorted. “Don’t you think I know my son’s phones are bugged? That a hundred prying ears overheard every word we said?” She shook her head as she blew her nose on a napkin. “I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. They can arrest me, jail me, accuse me of god-knows-what. I just want to see my sons.”

  A new silence settled in heavily among them, as each realized the consequences of Susan’s action. Their hiding place was compromised. Danger was looming ever closer to their doorstep with every passing minute.

  “You saved our lives, Susan, we will be forever grateful for that. But you must go and see your sons, no matter what.” Laura said gently. For the first time she dared look into Ben’s wide eyes, then said determinedly: “We will pack our bags now and leave. If you could drop us off somewhere on the mainland, we’ll disappear from your life.”

  Somewhere above the cabin they heard the roaring of an airplane.

  Susan sniffled again, then said: “That won’t be necessary.”

  ***

  Tike scampered outside, followed closely by Ben. They rushed out onto the grass to watch the small hydroplane as it descended onto the inlet. It broke through the last clinging mist as it landed, then headed straight for the island.

  Laura and Mesmo caught up with them, anxiously trying to make out who was inside the plane. The motor spluttered as the pilot slowly maneuvered the craft next to the pier before coming to a final stop. The plane bobbed up and down gently. They could see the pilot moving about inside as he prepared to exit.

  Susan stepped out of her wooden cabin. Smiling, she said: “Don’t worry, he’s a friend.”

  Laura relaxed visibly while Ben ran after his dog, excited to study a hydroplane from up close. Susan followed the boy towards the pier where a black man with a very thick, knee-length, winter jacket, stepped out of the plane. Immediately, he proceeded to remove the cumbersome piece of clothing.

  Susan and Mesmo watched from afar as their host greeted the middle-aged man who was now wearing jeans and a black sweater. He hugged her, then they talked for a moment before the man turned his attention to Ben and Tike. He shook the boy’s hand, then patted the small Terrier, whose tongue was lolling.

  Ben sprinted back to his mother. Grinning, he said: “I know who he is!” But instead of explaining further, he ran into the house, leaving Laura and Mesmo clueless.

  Susan and the newcomer walked slowly over to them, still chatting somberly, until they all came face to face. Susan introduced them: “This is Thomas Nombeko, originally from Chilliwack. Thomas, this is Laura Archer - Ryan Archer’s daughter. And this is…er… Jack Anderson.”

  Thomas Nombeko shook Laura’s hand while he eyed Mesmo with a touch of fear in his eyes. Nervously, he held out his hand to greet Mesmo the same way, but Susan gently pulled it down, indicating he shouldn’t insist.

  Ben came rushing out again. Breathless, he said: “He’s on Grampa’s list!”

  He proudly held out the small, brown envelope which he handed to his mother, who frowned as she peered inside, then took out the crumpled notebook page containing the list of 5 people in Grampa’s handwriting.

  “See?” Ben said, pointing to Susan’s name: “This is how I contacted Susan. And here’s Thomas Nombeko. They were all Grampa’s contacts.”

  Laura recognized all the names on the list: Ben Archer was her father, Susan Pickering was their host, Wayne McGuillen was the homeless man from Chilliwack and Thomas Nombeko was standing before them. “You are all witnesses!” She exclaimed, suddenly connecting the dots.

>   Thomas Nombeko nodded: “Yes. I used to be a mailman in Chilliwack. I lived not too far from your father’s house. I even saw your father and Ben on the night of The Cosmic Fall. I was cycling home that night and spotted them out on the field.” He said. Then addressing Ben, he added: “You probably don’t remember that.”

  Ben looked down at his feet.

  I remember.

  Not wanting to linger on the memory, he pointed to the last name on the list. “This Bob M. must be another witness.”

  Susan and Thomas both stared at the last name on the list, then shook their heads, confused.

  “I’ve never heard of him.” Susan pondered. “But come, let’s go inside. There isn’t much time: you must get packing. Thomas here has offered to take you to a safe place.”

  “Really?” Ben said excitedly. “Where are we going? Are we flying?” Ben had already taken on a liking to the fifty-something man, who had a soft demeanor and a contagious laugh as he answered back: “We are flying, yes!”

  “Whoa!” Susan interrupted, “You promised, Thomas, not a word about where you’re going. I don’t want to know.”

  They stepped into the house, chatting happily.

  Laura stayed behind. Her face had become very pale as she continued to stare blankly at the names on the notebook page. She jumped when she realized Mesmo was standing silently behind her. Guiltily, she folded the notebook page three times so it would fit in her back pocket. “I’d better hang on to this.” She said in a shaky voice. “Might come in handy.” She smiled nervously without meeting his eyes, then headed inside.

  ***

  Soon they were all packed and ready to go. Ben, Mesmo and Tike were already headed to the hydroplane with Thomas, who was diligently explaining how the craft functioned.

  Laura checked the log cabin one last time to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything, though they were travelling very light as they had become stranded without any belongings. Susan had managed to buy them some emergency clothing and toiletries, but that was about all they had.

  Laura approached Susan, who was waiting by the doorway. “Will you be all right?” She asked gently.

  The woman had become somber, but she gazed at Laura with determined eyes: “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a survivor. Nothing could be worse than what I’ve already been through. But this time I’ll have my sons near me. I know they will defend me in any way they can.” She paused before adding: “And anyway, it’s not me they want…”

  Laura said carefully, “Susan, if they catch you I want you to tell them everything you know.”

  Susan stared at her in surprise.

  “Listen to me, Susan,” Laura urged, taking her hand, “Mesmo has many enemies. One in particular is extremely dangerous. He will do anything to get to Mesmo. He will know if you are lying or holding back information. So don’t hold anything back. The main thing is that you don’t know where Thomas Nombeko is taking us, so we will be safe.”

  Susan nodded. She checked to make sure the others were still out of earshot, before saying: “I have something to tell you as well.” She led Laura to the fireplace, where she picked up an envelope off its shelf. She handed it to Laura, saying: “When the government agents released us, your father gave me this letter and asked me to give it to you, were we ever to meet.”

  It was Laura’s turn to stare at Susan as she accepted the envelope.

  Susan held onto Laura’s hands: “Be careful, Laura. We don’t know who this Mesmo is. Not really.” She hesitated before adding gently: “Don’t let him break your heart.” She let go of Laura, then headed out before the other could object.

  Once Susan was gone, Laura tore open the envelope. She carefully read the letter it contained. For a long time she stood in the middle of the living room, holding her father’s letter close to her chest, her cheeks wet with tears. Finally, she dried her eyes, breathed deeply, threw the letter in the dying embers of the fireplace, and waited for it to catch fire. She stepped out of the log cabin, closed the door for the last time, and went to join her son who had boarded the hydroplane with Mesmo, Thomas and Tike.

  Before long they had taken flight, soaring over the tiny island, the shimmering inlet and Susan Pickering who was waving goodbye from the pier. They soared up over the majestic, snow-capped mountain ranges that went on and on for as far as the eye could see, heading towards an unknown destination.

  EPILOGUE

  “My Dearest Honeybee,

  (You are to destroy this letter as soon as you have read it.)

  If you are reading these words, then it means I have failed you.

  I have tried, by all means possible, to protect you and Ben from falling under the radar of some treacherous people, so you could lead a normal life. But if you have met Susan Pickering and she has given you this letter, then it means all my efforts were in vain. It means you and Ben are in grave danger and that, for whatever reason, I can be with you no longer.

  Please understand, my Honeybee, that meeting with you would have meant drawing all kinds of prying eyes your way. I had to avoid that at all costs. No matter what, you must not let anyone lay their hands on Ben. I swear, Laurie, if secret agents catch him they will never let him go. They all want the same thing: they want to know about the aliens that crashed in Chilliwack on the night of

  The Cosmic Fall. They want to know about their technology, their planet, their intentions, their WEAPONS…

  You’d think it would be for scientific reasons and for the advancement of the human race. But no, they are all power-hungry egoists intent on dominating their fellow human beings.

  If you found Susan, then you will have gotten my list. You can trust all the names on that list. I insist: ALL of them. Even the last one. You know who I mean…

  There is also another who you can trust. His name is Mesmo. He crashed in my back yard on the night of The Cosmic Fall and survived. I have spoken to him many times, during his short visits. I know he will protect you, because I saved his life. I pray he will have found his way to you. But beware, Laurie, Mesmo’s mission on Earth is greater than our understanding, and he will crush you if he feels you are standing in his way.

  Yet, I know you, my angel, and even an otherworldly creature could not resist your kindness. You may be our only hope!

  You have already met Mesmo. You met him on that fateful day when you came looking for me in Chilliwack. I was there, Laurie. I was hiding from you. I could not let you in, no matter how much I ached to. But I swear, I was

  holding you in my arms the whole time you were talking to Mesmo on the doorstep, and I never wanted to let you go.

  I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me, because I cannot forgive myself.

  I love you, always,

  Dad

  About the Author

  Rae Knightly is an indie author who invites the young reader to go on a journey into the imagination, where science-fiction and fantasy blend into the real world. Young heroes are taken on gripping adventures full of discovery and story twists.

  Rae Knightly lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. The breathtaking landscapes of British Columbia have inspired her to write The Alien Skill Series.

  To find out about future releases, please refer to:

  Web: http://www.raeknightly.com

  Twitter: @RaeKnightly

  Facebook: Rae Knightly

  Thanks for reading! Your reviews allow me to keep writing the books that you love. Please add a short review on Amazon and let me know what you thought!

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  * * *

  [1] Good day, in Aymara.

  [2] Good morning, in Spanish.

  [3] Thank you, in Spanish.

  ien power - Book 1 in the Alien Skill Series - a gripping sci-fi adventure story for middle graders and teens) (Volume 1)