by Kurt Winans
Jessica listened intently to Ross as he whispered that he had encountered an alien life form while on the Moon, and she cupped a hand over her mouth in order to muffle her initial response. She composed herself before asking Ross to continue, but was still in awe of the information she was hearing. There was an alien species that had visited and charted over a thousand planetary systems throughout this part of the galaxy, and had been monitoring the development, or lack thereof, of life on this planet for more than two of our centuries. Ross occasionally needed to reach over to push her chin back up while he continued to tell the story. He couldn’t really blame Jessica for having her mouth fall agape at the news, but once again demanded her secrecy.
Ross then informed her there was more to the story, as he pulled the necklace out from under his shirt collar. Asking Jessica if she remembered the item that once belonged to their grandpa; she nodded and whispered, “You received it from our father when grandpa died.” A return nod from Ross preceded the next level of bombshell news, as he informed Jessica that the emblem belonged to the alien species they had been discussing, and he had found one just like it on the Moon.
For the first time that Ross could ever remember, his sister then made a ridiculously stupid statement by saying, “Are you trying to tell me that Grandpa Hank was actually an alien?” It was all he could do to keep from laughing out loud at the absurdity of her remark, but the expression on his face told Jessica all she needed to know. Ross calmly whispered, “You are far too intelligent to believe such a thing, and if you are going to be an idiot I will stop telling you the story right now!” Jessica knew her question had been ridiculous from the moment it came out of her mouth, but then again during this particular philosophical discussion about life altering events she wondered what, if anything, would be considered a stupid question?
She was then informed by Ross that their grandpa had received the emblem from his father when he was a young boy. Their great-grandfather had passed away long before either Ross or Jessica had been born, but the story was that he had retrieved the emblem from a crash site in 1897. He then gave it to his four year-old son as a present, and Grandpa Hank had held onto it for the next sixty-four years until passing it on to Ross. Grandpa had talked to Ross many times about the possibility of extra-terrestrial life when they would go fishing, and now Ross knew where his grandpa had formulated such an idea. Ross informed Jessica that their father would get mad at grandpa when he would discuss such matters with Ross, and that he definitely wasn’t supposed to mention it around her. Jessica was only six when their grandpa had passed away, so it made sense to Ross why the discussions could never be had in her presence. She was just too young to understand, but now there might be added significance to keeping her in the dark.
With plenty of available time at his disposal, Ross had been thinking about their great-grandfather and grandpa at length on the way back from the Moon. His encounter with the aliens had helped him fit some pieces together, but what his father Robert had said recently added to the intrigue.
In a superior moment of clarity to counterbalance her earlier ridiculous notion, Jessica drew in a deep breath and now understood why Ross had said that their father’s claims had made sense. The two of them had been able to read each other very well from the time they were kids in Rumley, and Ross instantly knew that Jessica was now also putting some things together. Ross said that he thought all of the events were somehow connected, but that didn’t mean that their mother was still alive someplace else. He felt it would be ridiculous to entertain such a notion, and Jessica agreed. Ross did however know that it was an absolute fact that aliens were visiting and studying Earth, and it was also quite obvious that their father, grandfather, and perhaps even great-grandfather held a similar belief.
In what could not have been a more inappropriate moment, a knock on the door informed them that their father’s current unstable life signs had triggered an alarm at the nurses’ station, and he needed immediate attention. Ross loudly agreed to allow the medical team to enter, and then whispered to Jessica that they should continue their discussion at a later time.
THE MEDICAL TEAM at Fort Hood had done their best, but Robert didn’t survive until Thanksgiving Day. Ross and Jessica had hoped that he wouldn’t die on that specific day, and in that regard their wish was granted. During the late afternoon of Wednesday, Robert fell asleep for the final time. There had been a really close call the previous day when Ross and Jessica were having their private conversation in his room, but the Doctors had managed to keep him alive.
The next twenty-four hours had been difficult, as most of that time Robert was unconscious with extremely close monitoring. In the brief moments when he was awake, Ross or Jessica would tend to his needs while asking if there was anything else he wished to tell them. The questions themselves were unnecessary, but it seemed the appropriate thing to do. Both Ross and Jessica could tell by the look in their father’s eyes that he had entered a quiet peacefulness by having said what he needed to say the previous day, and there was nothing more to add. Robert was tired of fighting the disease that now owned his body almost completely, and told his two children that he loved them both more than he had ever led them to believe. He smiled before closing his eyes, and soon after that the vital signs on the bedside monitor showed nothing but flat lines.
On the following Monday morning, a funeral service was held for Lieutenant Colonel Robert Martin on the base at Fort Hood, Texas. The event included all the pomp and circumstance associated with most military funerals, but wasn’t attended by many people who were not stationed at the base. In truth Robert had more than earned both aspects of his final sendoff because he had served slightly more than thirty-one years in the Army before retiring in the winter of 1973, but had also become an abrupt and difficult man to get close to for more than the last quarter of a century.
After Robert had died, Ross put the wheels in motion with the appropriate personnel on the base for the upcoming service, and then needed to return to Houston for a few days of dealing with NASA and all the issues associated with the Moon mission. There would soon be a service for Dennis Strickland that the President, Secretary of the Navy, and other dignitaries would be attending, so Ross had to meet with his superiors to iron out some of the details and content of the impending eulogy. Jessica decided to take the road trip with her brother because there were a few things she needed to take care of back in Houston as well, and they would return to Rumley on Sunday evening. The time alone without interruption would also give the two of them a chance to further discuss the now increased alien influence upon the history of their family.
On Monday morning the entire family ventured over to Fort Hood for the funeral, and Ross became displeased that there were a few members of the media in attendance. As the honor guard moved Robert’s coffin from the base chapel to the actual grave site, Ross had another flashback to the days of Grandpa Hank. He remembered the day of that funeral twenty-four years prior as if it were yesterday, and now he was seated between the same two people for another solemn event.
Now a man of thirty-five, he had a family of his own, and was very happy with all aspects of his life. He and his sister were both successful with their chosen path in life, his wife had given him the gift of two beautiful daughters, and he was one of only fourteen humans to set foot on the surface of the Moon.
Ross remembered when his father Robert had presented him with the flag from Grandpa Hank’s coffin, and had requested that Ross perform a similar act with Robert’s flag when the time came. Like it or not that time was now upon him, and he stood to salute the Army officer before accepting the flag presented to him on behalf of a grateful nation. His oldest daughter Aurora would need to remain strong for another moment or two, and that would be the most difficult aspect of the task. She was about three years younger than Ross had been when he received Grandpa Hank’s flag, and she did not have the same closeness to her grandfather that Ross had enjoyed with his.
Ross stood in front of Aurora with the American flag tucked under his arm. In accordance with strictest military tradition the flag had been folded into a triangle shape with only the white stars on the blue background visible, and such a flag should always be treated with the upmost respect. Aurora liked the way her daddy looked in his dress white Navy uniform, with a few medals, ribbons, and the three gold stripes signifying his rank of Commander on each shoulder board. He had told her before that the gold pattern on the brim of his cap was another way of identifying his rank, but she could refer to them as scrambled eggs because that was what most other people called them.
He smiled and winked at Aurora as he motioned for her to stand up, while her grandmother Elizabeth prodded her with a little encouraging nudge. Earlier that morning Ross had showed Aurora how to salute before receiving the flag, and they had practiced just enough to make sure she had mastered it without the task becoming boring. She performed her duty perfectly without shedding a tear, which was more than could be said for her mother, grandmother, or aunt, and Ross leaned over to tell her what a great job she had done while also asking her to keep the flag safe. She verbally agreed to do so and placed the flag safely in her lap as she sat back down.
With that Ross let out a sigh of relief at knowing that the promise to his father of many years ago had been fulfilled, and he could now turn his attention to the upcoming funeral of his old friend Dennis.
LESS THAN THREE hours after the completion of his father’s funeral, Ross caught a flight from Fort Hood to Cape Canaveral to attend the service for his fellow astronaut Dennis Strickland. It had already been a long and tiring day, but he had a few last minute details to go over with his superiors and the secret service for the event that was scheduled to take place the following morning. Tuesday would indeed be a busy day, as NASA would put on their best show in a salute to one of their fallen heroes for what would probably be a world audience, and then place the body on a plane bound for Colorado.
In spite of an offer by NASA and the Navy to bury Dennis at Arlington National Cemetery with a view of the National Mall, the Strickland family had decided to have Dennis rest within the family plot back in his home town of Woodland Park, Colorado. Many generations of their family had been buried there, and they wanted their brightest star to join them. The service was scheduled for Wednesday morning, and Ross felt sorrow for the Strickland family and the town who would most assuredly have their peace and quiet disrespected by the media.
It was a beautiful day along the Florida coastline as the large crowd of dignitaries gathered in honor of Navy Lieutenant Dennis Strickland, and the world media was predictably there in mass. Ross had a significantly larger role in these proceedings than those at his father’s service the previous day, as he would be introducing and shaking the hands of some major power brokers. The crowd rose to its feet and applauded as Ross introduced the President of the United States, and then settled back into their seats for the ensuing speech. Ross followed that by introducing the Secretary of the Navy for a shorter speech, and then the senior NASA administrator so he could also have a turn. In each case the large bank of cameras hummed as he fired off a salute before receiving a firm handshake.
Ross concluded the speeches with a tribute of fond memories he and Dennis had enjoyed together from their early days at the Naval Academy, up through the events of the Moon mission. A twenty-one gun salute was followed by a formation of fighter planes that flew low overhead. As they passed overhead one of them peeled up and away from the formation to signify the loss of Dennis, and Ross once again snapped to attention. The American flag from the coffin was folded perfectly as in other military services, but this time Ross had to present it on behalf of a grateful nation to a grieving mother.
When Ross had first met Dennis during their Naval Academy days, he learned that his friend was born and raised in Colorado. As their friendship developed, it had been mentioned several times that Ross should someday visit Dennis’ hometown at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Ross was saddened by the fact that through sixteen years of friendship with Dennis, and having met his parents on a few occasions, the timing had never seemed quite right for him to make that visit to Colorado. Now he was faced with visiting Woodland Park for the first time, and it was to bury his best friend.
As the plane transporting Dennis landed at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Ross caught his first glimpse of the surrounding landscape. He turned to Mr. & Mrs. Strickland on the opposite side of the aisle to see how they were doing, while offering an opinion of how beautiful the area was. It had indeed been a long day for the Strickland’s, and the next day wouldn’t be any easier. The motorcade moved through Colorado Springs and then northwest along Highway 24 to Woodland Park. With the aid of a police escort the distance was covered quickly, and something else about Dennis now became clear to Ross. He had inquired many years before why Dennis hadn’t attended the Air Force Academy instead of Annapolis, but had been told it was because he wanted to spread his wings. Now that made perfect sense to Ross, as the town of Woodland Park couldn’t have been much more than twenty miles away from the Air Force Academy grounds.
The following morning Ross sat next to the Strickland family just as he had done for the larger service back at Cape Canaveral. Along with a large group of family members, many friends and members of the local community had come to the service to pay their respects for Dennis, but the Governor of Colorado had been denied access. Ross understood their decision, and now their political influence. The Strickland family had been through enough of the pomp, and the Governor probably just wanted to get some free publicity.
The service was quiet, and Ross was impressed that the small contingent of media in attendance was fairly respectful. A few of them did manage to get close to Ross after the service for some questions about the Strickland family, but he handled the situation calmly by saying “They, and the nation, had lost a bright and dedicated talent at far too young of an age!”
ON THE EVENING of Wednesday December 4th, Ross returned to Houston and the much needed awaiting arms of Patty and the girls after what had been a circus of a week. Since his return to Earth nine days earlier, Ross had been in seemingly constant motion for the sake of three services that represented funerals for two people who had been a significant influence in his life. In terms of distance, the multiple flights and road trips paled in comparison to his recent journey to the Moon and back, but in many ways it had been much more exhausting.
During a significant portion of the aforementioned time, Ross had been in some sort of spotlight with the media for a variety of reasons. They had painted him as a hero of the first manned mission to the Moon in over a decade, the grieving son of a dying military father who had “somehow held on” until Ross’ triumphant return, and then the grieving commanding officer and friend of a fallen astronaut. Ross couldn’t believe how easily the world media had turned his life into a daytime television drama in such a short time.
NASA had been incredible in their support of Ross during the entire process, and had held off on some of the mission debriefing until the proverbial dust had settled. They did however want to speak with him at length the following morning, but promised him that after the full debriefing he could have thirty days leave. Ross knew he would be able to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays with his family before returning to the office, but it would also give him time to keep his promise to Aurora. His now eight year-old daughter had been very patient with him since his return from the Moon, and she had shown her maturity when dealing with the wishes of her grandfather at the funeral. She and Ross had a handshake deal to go anywhere she wanted because he was on the Moon for her birthday, and Ross was fully committed to keeping that promise.
Just over a week later, Aurora got her birthday wish when she and her dad were joined by her mother and little sister for three days of fun at the beach on nearby Galveston Island. Ross wasn’t really sure if it was a present for Aurora or for him, as three days
alone with his family away from the still lingering media was fantastic. It was just what he needed to clear his mind from all the recent events, as the four of them had a wonderful long weekend on the beach. They built big sandcastles and splashed about in the water by day, and looked intently at the Moon while stargazing at night.
One night while the four of them sat on the beach together little Rachel sat in her daddy’s lap and stared at his necklace. She pointed at the emblem and asked what the little markings on it meant, but Ross couldn’t provide her with a good answer. All he could do was shrug his shoulders and tell his youngest daughter that he, or his Grandpa Hank, had kept the emblem for almost ninety years, but neither one of them could ever figure out what the strange markings on it meant.
Rachel continued her inquisitive path of questions by asking her daddy if he knew how many stars there were in the sky, so Ross put her down and turned himself around to face Patty and the girls. He scooped up a handful of sand and began to tell a story that had them all wide eyed with anticipation. He said to them that his handful of sand was like all the stars they could see in the sky at that moment, and then asked them all to look around at how much sand there was on the beach. When they finished and looked back at him in unison, he asked Rachel if she remembered the beach they all went to visit in Florida, and she nodded with a big smile. Then he told her that there were more stars than all the grains of sand on all the beaches around the world. Ross then had Rachel choose any one grain of sand from his hand that she wanted, and said that was like our sun that she saw during the daytime.
