by Peter Ponzo
I decided that I'd just stay at the cottage and keep in touch by TV and Earthnet and I wouldn't answer my phone. I had paid for Earthnet access for the summer so I turned on my laptop, set it to google news and placed it on the kitchen table. The screen was filled with Godship articles, mostly old stuff: their initial identification, their positioning about the planet, our attempts at communication, our attempts to destroy the craft, the study of gravity abeyance, the global message, the days of heat, the slow movement to neighboring sites (mostly over water) and now, the phenomenon of starlight blanking. When I was in the city, I figured I couldn't see the blocked starlight because of the city lights, but it was apparently something quite recent. How did they do that, block the light from space? The best minds on the planet were stymied. It seemed clear, however, that starlight blocking was somehow associated with the start of inter-craft communication or at least with the movement of the vessels. Global guessing became a popular pastime.
Artists had a field day. Very clever paintings, hilarious cartoons and comic book heroes appeared almost everywhere on Earthnet. Hollywood now had three Godship movies, all big box office hits. The aliens themselves were portrayed as little green men or lanky lizards or wormlike creatures. I couldn't understand how a worm without hands or similar appendages could build a spaceship let alone operate it. That didn't seem to bother the viewing public. There were long lineups at theaters. Kids and grandparents alike. All movies had one thing in common; the shape of the alien vessels. They weren't the regulation saucer shape, they were cigar shaped. Everyone had seen a Godship and knew their geometry. Hollywood couldn't mess with that.
The Godship seemed to generate a lot of religious fervor. Perhaps that's what happens when there's some unknown and little understood presence. Be scared, be belligerent, be curious then be reverent. On TV, there was a video of an evangelist in the Painted Desert, Arizona, surrounded by hundreds of adoring fans. You could see the outline of a Godship on the horizon. That was curious because I understood that the Godships liked to be near water. The TV announcer was saying that hundreds from Phoenix had followed the evangelist and the spacecraft to the desert and set up camp. There was widespread fear that the world was coming to an end and the only salvation was to be in constant contact with the aliens. To this end, the crowds practiced a mini version of global consciousness communication. There was little to show for their efforts; the craft just hovered, stationary and silent. After several days the crowds had became rowdy and sexual encounters became common. In fact, the evangelist encouraged the practice. If these were the last days, then all cultural norms could and should be discarded. Within hours of the TV broadcast, the number of people joining the desert cult doubled. A cult that encouraged rampant sexual activity? Why not?
Near the Neolithic columns at Stonehenge, a dozen people were arrested for indecent behavior. Their excuse was always the same: 'The Godship made me do it'. In Saudi Arabia, Islamic law was reinterpreted and the desert cults flourished with husbands sharing and exchanging wives. In Thailand, the old laws which permitted polygamy were reconstituted. In India, prostitution diminished and rape became common. Sex on a global scale, all out of respect for the Godship presence.
I didn't understand why the consensus seemed to be that the world was coming to an end. Just because the space ships had moved a few hundred kilometers? Because of the black halo where the stars weren't visible? Because they manipulated gravity? Why? Most people are just plain dumb.
It wasn't until late, during the evening news, that I understood the worldwide feeling of doom. Although most of the ship-to-ship communication was encoded and incomprehensible, some of the audio was played on the TV. It sounded like gurgling laughter. I recognized it immediately. It was the laugh of David Granger, the old guy who had photos of Burlington, taken from the position of our Godship, the guy who vanished, perhaps abducted. That ominous laugh needed no translation. In every country, in every language, it sounded perilous, foreboding, menacing. The aliens were about to annihilate life on planet Earth. I understood the global anxiety. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Alas, if it weren't so sad it'd be hilarious. Old David was getting his revenge.
I looked at my watch. Susan's Grill would be closing soon. I called Susan. She answered on the first ring.
"Hello, Susan here," she said.
I began to cackle, trying to imitate the laugh of David Granger.
"Hi Gordon," she said. "You heard it too, eh?"
"Yeah, so I guess ol' man David is on that Godship after all."
There was a long pause. I waited. Susan hesitated.
"David was here, three days ago," she said, almost in a whisper.
"What! In your Grill? You kidding?"
"I know, I'm always kidding, but this time I'm not. He looked rather spiffy. Well shaven, clean clothes, hair combed, neat and pristine."
"Did you talk to him? What did he say? Was he on the space ship? Did he..."
"I only said hello. I don't really know the guy and he just came in to buy a pack of cigarettes then he left. But I recognized him from his pictures in the Burlington Times."
"I wonder if he's back in his apartment. I'd like to talk to him," I said.
"No. The Times said he disappeared again, yesterday, I think."
"Just in time to get back on the ship...and laugh," I groaned.
After talking to Susan I didn't know whether I should head back into town. If I did, then Harry would definitely get me to arrange council meetings, print agendas, write and distribute minutes. I decided to stay at the cottage for a while longer. It was past my bedtime so I turned off the TV, shut down the laptop and headed to bed. I lay there for over an hour thinking of Susan. Why was she the first person I thought of calling? She was a great gal. Although she had a degree in English Lit, she quit her job as a high school teacher and took over the store when her father became too old and was admitted to a retirement home; she changed the name and has been flipping burgers for several years. I think her father would have been proud of the way she took over. Her burgers were clearly the best in town. In fact, they were the only pork burgers in town.
I really liked Susan. Like a sister, maybe. Or something more serious, maybe. I wasn't thinking sex. Come to think of it, I almost never think of sex. I guess that's unusual, but Susan was just somebody nice to talk to. She was clever in her way though ignorant of most things technical, she was fascinating to watch, the way she moved her lips, the dimples, the flashing eyes. Maybe my interest was something more serious.
I must have fallen into a deep sleep because I didn't hear the loud knocks on the door. The next morning, when I awoke, Sophie showed up with bacon, eggs Benedict, hash brown potatoes, sausage links, English muffins, marmalade and a huge pot of coffee.
"I was here last night," she said. "I knocked but I guess you was sleeping, but thought you might be hungry this morning." She was holding a large tray scattered with the breakfast victuals. "I've already eaten but I had some leftovers and thought you may be hungry. There's lots to eat, so you can just dig in. I've already eaten. Did I say that already?"
"Come on in," I said.
I was actually looking forward to eating her preparations. We walked to the kitchen table and I hunkered down to eat directly from the tray. She ate nothing, she just watched, radiant, an ear to ear smile, her chin resting on her knuckles. After two cups of coffee I sat back and burped. It was completely involuntary, but Sophie seemed glad to hear it.
"Did you hear the laugh," I said.
"Laugh? What laugh? I didn't hear nothin'. Was it last night? Was it our neighbor, the guy with the limp? I sometimes hear him talking, he talks so loud. Or it may be my radio. I know I have the volume turned up when I'm on the porch. Sometimes..."
"No, I mean the laugh recorded from the space ships."
"Ooh, no, I didn't hear that. Are they laughing at us, them alien guys?"
I explained my theory about old man David, his abduction and his curious laugh. Sophie became ne
rvous.
"If he's angry, this old guy, maybe he'll get the aliens to do something bad, don't you think? If he's upset with people, then he's sure to make them aliens upset, don't you think? Maybe the bad guys..."
"I don't know," I said. "I doubt if they'd listen to that old fella. Besides, I have reason to believe that David has turned a new leaf. He's clean and decent. Maybe it's good that we have a fellow human on board the Godship."
We chatted for perhaps an hour, then I said I'd have to go into town for some important business. Sophie didn't ask and I didn't say, but my important business was to buy another case of beer. She left with empty plates and coffee pot and jars of jam and I waved goodbye. She was a sweet gal, though sometimes tiring. I couldn't imagine a husband listening to her all day. I also couldn’t imagine why I sometimes found her so distasteful.
Part 1.6
At week's end I closed up the cottage and drove home. There was a note from Susan on my door when I arrived. It said: 'drop by', so I did, without unpacking. Susan's Grill was full of the lunch crowd. Susan was in the corner talking to the cook, her two hired girls were running about with trays of food, customers were raising their hands to get attention and the whole place smelled of frying oil. When she saw me she waved the cook off and beckoned. I couldn't find an empty table, but she pointed to a back room. She had flour on her nose and I wiped it off. She actually looked delicious.
"That old guy David what's-his-name? He was in again this morning," she said. "I asked if he'd like a complimentary burger and he nodded vigorously and sat at your favorite table. I brought him a burger and a Coke and sat down to watch him. He looked fabulous, all cleaned up, but it was as though he hadn't eaten in days. I complimented him on his tie and said the Godship must have blessed him. He stopped eating and just stared at me."
Susan paused and looked pensive. I was eager to hear more, so I grunted. She understood and continued.
"He said that he'd been in the Godship and it was empty. I asked him how he got in and he said he just woke up inside. I asked about its being empty and he said there was no sign of any life, but there were lots of flashing lights and colored pads–very smooth walls and ceiling and electronic panels. I asked him if he could communicate with the aliens and he nodded energetically. He talked and they could hear him, somehow. He didn't know where they were, but he was sure they could hear him. One time he was on board for several days and a table showed up, much like the one he had in his apartment, and food kept appearing on the table: nothing hot, just fruit and nuts. I was about to ask if it was his voice we heard on TV, but he looked at his watch and hurried off. He shouted a 'thank you' as he left, then he stopped and laughed that gurgling laugh."
"So it was him," I said. "I knew it! If he comes in again, I'd like to talk to him. I have an idea."
"Sure, if he comes again," Susan said. "How about you? Want a burger and fries?"
I said no and left. No exercise, no excess food.
In my apartment I turned on the computer and the TV. The announcer was excited:
"The Godships are moving again!" He was shouting. "They're coming together somewhere over the Pacific. It's not clear where, but...wait, I'm just getting something...all spacecraft are descending to the surface of the water...one is still high above the...wait, there's new video...hundreds of vessels are now in the water, they're disappearing below the surface, but one is still at about a thousand meters...I'm now being told that the vessels are over the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world's oceans..."
It didn't make sense. All ships had stayed for years over large cities, yet they were always near water. Then moved a few hundred kilometers to nearby lakes and now, the Pacific Ocean. Why? There were so many unanswered questions and the only person who might answer them was a strange old man who apparently spends time inside a Godship.
It was a couple of days later that Susan called. She was excited to tell me that David had just entered the Grill. She'd feed him, gratis, and try to keep him there until I arrived. It took me about five minutes to run down the stairs and next door to the Grill. Susan saw me enter and pointed to the table by the window, my usual table. I rushed over and sat down, puffing and wheezing from the run. David looked up, surprised.
"I got me this table," he snorted.
"Yes, I know. You're the fella who's been on the Godship, right?"
"Damn! I told her to shut her trap and..."
"Who? Susan?" I asked.
"Who's Susan?" he said. "Oh, that Susan over there. No. I mean the reporter for the Times. If I told her my story and she said she'd print it, but until I told her it was okay to print she'd shut up about it."
"What's she paying you?" I asked.
"Thet ain't none of your damn business," he grunted, then continued attacking his fries. He paused just long enough to say, "I got me some new clothes, though." A short smile, a giggle then back to the fries. He did look rather spiffy in his new clothes.
"I have a proposition for you. One that'll make you a few bucks." I sounded earnest.
He wiped the mustard from his mouth. His fries were buried in the yellow stuff. He looked up and stared. "How much?" he said.
It didn't take much to convince the old guy. I figured that, if he got excited about a new jacket and tie, then a hundred bucks would sound good to him. It was a simple scheme. Even this old guy couldn't get it wrong. However, it depended upon David being taken into a Godship, again. That didn't happen that often, but I guess there wasn't any rush. It has been almost five years since they arrived, so a few more weeks would do no harm–unless the coming together over the Pacific was somehow the beginning of a new phase. It also depended upon an old friend from college days, Jim Wilson.
Part 1.7
That fella gave me a hundred bucks to do nothin', really. I jest wait till they suck me up and then I turn on thet tiny camera stickin' on me belt. Then I walk about like they ain't nothin' different happenin' and take a movie picture. I was getting' free burgers at thet grill, so I weren't in no hurry. I even stopped by fer breakfast once and got me pancakes. I reckon it took the best part o' a week afore I got sucked up. I had got drunk and went to bed and was sleepin' then I woke up and I was in the Godship, jest like thet. I walked about, pointin' meself here 'n there. They is a winder which only looks out. Ya cain't look in 'cause the winder's all got a rusty color. I seed thet when I was down below. Now I look out and see lots o' Godships way down below, next to the water, jest sorta sittin' there. That's when I hear a noise and I look up to see some real funny animals comin' right outta the flat walls. They is tall and skinny and kinda gray and they got wee red eyes shinin' and they got long skinny arms and I git kinda scared 'cause thet ain't happened afore and I figure they don't like the picture-takin' so I put me hands over me belt and start a-walkin' to my bed to mebbe crawl under the covers but all the walls come loose with the skinny gray things and they is slidin' to where I is and I rub me eyes 'cause mebbe I is seein' things and...
Part 1.8
I had called Jim about the received camera transmissions. He said it was encrypted so he came by with decoding software and left the decoded video on my hard drive. He was in a hurry and left immediately so I could look it over at my leisure. Jim had made the tiny camera with a radio frequency transmitter which old man David had taken to the Godship. Jim had arranged it so that, without the decryption software, nobody could see the video. He didn't know what I was using it for. I had been eager to watch the decrypted video so I grabbed a beer and sat in front of the monitor.
The previous day, all of the Godships had sunk into the Pacific Ocean–all except one. It was now generally agreed that only one Godship had aliens and the others were just clones, controlled by the head honcho. However, the debate continued for months. It was also generally agreed that all ships contained only automatons or androids and the 'chief' ship just held the main computer control systems. The others were slaves. I went along with that theory, too. However, I think there were as many Godshi
p theories as there were Godships. When I say 'generally agreed', I mean that that was just the current theory–but it seemed to change from day to day.
It was also noted that water levels had decreased at many of the lakes over which the vessels had kept vigil. The Godships had apparently captured water, slowly, from a hundred bodies of water. After a few hours, the Godships that had sunk into the Pacific rose again. The assumption was that they had taken on large quantities of seawater. Water was a scarce commodity in the universe. Our blue planet had plenty, but it seemed preposterous that they stayed around for almost five years just to collect water. They were huge and apparently hollow as I observed on David's video. Lots of room for water.
The main spacecraft had slowly ascended and headed out to space. All the others followed. We haven't seen them since. Well, that's not exactly true. Apparently they had gathered over the Atlantic Ocean for a day or so and some even over the Indian and Arctic Oceans. That was curious.
Our greatest minds have not figured out how they managed to defy gravity, nor has there been an explanation of the blocking of starlight in the immediate neighborhood of the ships. The consensus was that a bevy of travelling aliens just stopped by for a drink of water. It seemed absurd, but I couldn't think of any other more reasonable explanation. In any case, they evidently had a passenger: David.
I've watched David's video at least a hundred times since that last day, almost a year ago. Susan often joined me. I've become quite fond of that gal. We frequently discussed the comings and goings of the Godships. Susan thought that their time was much slower than ours. For us, five years was a long time. For them, maybe not. That seemed reasonable and perhaps explained the length of time they stayed in our neighborhood. I thought that, one day, I might explain special relativity to Susan–as I understood it. Maybe Susan wasn't so dumb after all, when it came to scientific things. Time much slower than ours? She may be right.
