“Just down to the beach. It looks like rain. Bummer, huh?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I kind of like a cozy day inside to sip hot tea and read a good book. I hope you brought something to read. Me, I never go anywhere without half a dozen books.”
“Yeah, I brought a couple books.” Annie sighed. “But I’m too restless to read, and at the same time I’m tired, too. I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“Hmm, wonder why.”
“Yeah…”
Annie spent the greater part of the day putting together a large, intricate jigsaw puzzle selected from the many boxes her grandparents kept on a high shelf in the living room. It was a picture of an exotic whale-like creature swimming beneath a very blue, very unusual sea. Not true to nature, someone’s exaggerated idea of life underwater. It intrigued Annie—almost to the point of obsession.
After a dinner of frozen lasagna, crusty French bread, and a packaged green salad, Annie washed the dishes, dried them, and put them away, allowing Mrs. Pratt the luxury of retiring to her favorite chair to work on the knitting she’d brought along.
Annie worked on the puzzle for another half an hour and then, yawning wide, told the housekeeper she was going to bed and read.
Mrs. Pratt nodded. “That’s a good idea, honey. You’ve got dark circles under your eyes. I’m so glad they don’t have a television out here. I’m getting real fond of the peace and quiet.”
“Yeah…there’s not much on TV in the summer, anyway. G’night, Mrs. Pratt.”
“God bless. Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
“You, too.”
Minutes later, Annie crawled into her narrow bed in the dormer room and pulled the covers up to her chin. Nestled on two plump pillows, she reached for her book, fumbled with the Peanuts bookmark, and started chapter three of To Kill A Mockingbird. Less than half an hour later her eyelids drooped, and she found herself re-reading the same paragraph twice.
Okay, girl…time to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow’s another day…and maybe…you’ll get…some…answers… The book slipped out of her hands and landed with a dull thud on the braided rug beside the bed.
NINE
Music. Soft. Mesmerizing. Titillating. Music. Melodic music. Drifting in and out of her unconsciousness. Beckoning. Beguiling…like the tide…like the sea…
Annie awoke with a start and sat up. Rubbing her eyes with two fists, she blinked in the inky nothingness of the upstairs room. Straining to pierce the black cloak of night, she clutched the sheet and blanket against her chest and waited. Something had awakened her, but she didn’t know what.
For the next two hours, she lay flat on her back, rigid, waiting for the Something to return. It didn’t. The last time she looked at the small alarm clock by the bed it read 3:09. When she looked at it again, it was 10:16. She’d fallen asleep and nothing had happened.
Slipping into jeans and a T-shirt with a leaping dolphin on the front, she clomped downstairs and into the kitchen where she found Mrs. Pratt whipping up a chocolate cake.
“Well, good morning, Miss Queen for a Day. I thought you were never coming down. Sleep well?”
“Pretty well,” Annie hedged. “I’ll fix a quick bowl of cereal and then do any chores you want me to do.”
“Fine, but I can’t think of a thing. You have breakfast then go outside and explore. Just don’t be climbing any of those rocks, please. They scare me to death.”
“I won’t. Climbing rocks is not my thing.”
Annie downed a bowl of Cheerios, rinsed out her dish, and then went outside. Another overcast day, but at least it wasn’t raining and not too cool. She headed for the beach again, careful to watch where she hiked. The tide was out, and it made her happy to have a lot of the beach to poke around on. She stooped to examine various rocks, and picked over several before slipping some into a pocket. She loved rocks and collected ones she thought worth polishing. She had quite a nice collection at home.
The second day went by without incident. She and Mrs. Pratt played several hands of Canasta, she worked some more on the jigsaw puzzle, and ate three pieces of the chocolate cake—in spite of the housekeeper’s loud protestations. For dinner, they had leftover lasagna. Then, early to bed for both of them.
For some reason—one she couldn’t decipher and didn’t want to, even if she could—tonight she was reluctant to get into bed. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Annie remained dressed in her jeans and T-shirt and sat cross-legged on top of the bed. The lights were off and it was quite dark, but she didn’t care. The velvety blackness covered her like a soft voluminous robe and, in a strange way, was comforting. Comforting? Wasn’t she the one who hated the dark? With a sigh, she closed her eyes, visualized playing her violin, and swayed to the imagined melody.
Without warning, a peculiar sensation crept over her—one she knew she’d experienced before—ten long years ago. She was levitating. Inexplicable as it was, an invisible force lifted her off the bed. Up, up, up, she drifted, like a feather caught in a breeze, like a lone bubble bobbing on a current of invisible air. It was like floating in water, but without getting wet. An amazing sensation—impossible, yes, but real, nonetheless.
Just when she was sure she’d bump her head on the ceiling, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. Several heartbeats later she opened her eyes and found herself huddled on a cool, metallic floor. Circling her were several pairs of long legs, clad in a dark forest green. She raised her head and looked up at the beings standing mutely around her.
She screamed. She screamed from the very depths of her soul.
One of them—a female—rushed over to her and thrust something cold and hard against her neck. The same sleepy euphoria enveloped her like a warm blanket.
TEN
This time when Annie opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a cot in a very small, very dim room. A thin, lightweight material, soft to the touch, covered her. A girl, who appeared to be about her own age, sat on a low stool, observing her in thoughtful silence. Annie, stifling the urge to scream again, stared up at the girl.
The girl stared back for a full minute then, smiling tentatively, rose. “So, you are awake. This is good. We were afraid that the doctor had given you too high a dosage. How do you feel?”
Annie couldn’t manage even a squeak in reply. She could only stare at the girl standing beside her. A slender girl, taller than she, with the strangest hair Annie had ever seen—even in a punk rock magazine. The girl’s hair was light blue, straight, and fell below her hips. Her skin tone was a light cream with a hint of blueness in the cheeks. Her facial features were similar to Annie’s except that her forehead was higher and her bright, brown eyes rounder. She wore a one-piece iridescent suit that glistened—even in the dim light. She was very pretty, but in an ethereal sort of way—not quite real.
“How do you feel?” the girl repeated.
Annie rose up on one elbow, cleared her throat, and found her voice. “H-how do I feel? How do I feel? How do you expect me to feel? W-who are you?”
“I? My name is Haelee, Haelee Draehl. My father is the captain of the-uh, let me think…oh, yes, the space ship, Spectrum. We…”
“Space ship. You’re kidding, right? Space ship? Like in aliens? Little gray men with huge black eyes?”
The girl laughed—a rippling, melodic sound. “Little gray men? Do I look like a ‘little gray man’? You Earthers are a strange lot. Do not let my brother, Halig, hear you say things like that. He is not fond of Earthers.”
“Earthers? You mean people from Earth?”
Again the rippling laugh. “Of course. What else should I call you? Your planet is called Earth, is it not? At least, in the language you call In-glish.”
Annie was prevented from making any further comments by the unexpected entrance of a tall man. He had broad shoulders and sported a one-piece uniform of dark forest green. His thick, dark blue hair, combed back from his high forehead, fell just below his ears. His skin tone matched
that of the girl, but had a duskier blue tinge to it. Their eyes were a similar peat-brown color. He smiled at Annie, who had again lost her voice.
“Hello, Little One. I am glad to see you are awake with no apparent complications.” He glanced at the other girl. “And I see you have already met my daughter, Haelee. I am Craddohk Draehl, captain of this humble vessel.”
“Father, she is still quite frightened. Can you explain a little of the, uh, situation to her? I think she will understand,” Haelee said, pulling on her father’s sleeve.
The man pulled up a stool from the opposite corner and sat down close to Annie. His smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle. “Please do not be alarmed, Little One. We mean you no harm whatsoever. In fact, we had hoped that this very thing would never happen. You were not supposed to remember.”
“R-remember?” Annie croaked.
“Yes.” He released a long breath. “I will try to explain, but I must make it brief. Ten years ago we were made aware of the…how do I say it…the disharmony emanating from the little house by the sea…”
“My grandparents’ cabin in Maine?”
“Uh…yes, the cabin in Maine. Frankly, it hurt our ears…and our hearts and minds. The clamor was deafening—fortissimo, if you will, and…”
“Fortissimo is a musical term. How do you know that?”
“That I will explain later. Or, maybe, Haelee can. She will be with you at all times so you need not be overly frightened.” He patted his daughter’s hand then resumed. “Suffice it to say, we were intrigued. Of course, we had seen generations of your people spending their terribly brief life spans in conflict and turmoil rather than in counterpoint, but you, uh…you were somehow special so, on a whim, we brought you on board. Our physician examined you, and she did so most earnestly and thoroughly. In an attempt to calm you—you were sobbing—I carried you over to a port—a window—and showed you the stars. The spectacular view quieted you immediately.”
“I…remembered. I saw a movie with a friend and…and I…I suddenly remembered everything. I’ve had nightmares ever since I was four and never knew why.”
“I am so sorry, Little One. That was not our intention. You were given something that should have blocked that memory from your mind…forever. Your remembering has greatly concerned us. We were finalizing a decision whether to retrieve you from your home in the city of Atlanta when you, so unexpectedly, came back to the location—the, uh, cabin in Maine. I cannot tell you how relieved—and surprised—we were. Far easier to retrieve you from this isolated spot than in a bustling city the size of Atlanta.”
“I didn’t want to—come to Maine, I mean. Since that trip when I was four, I’ve hated going back there. But then—when I remembered—well, I had to. No matter what it took, I had to get to the cabin.” Annie swallowed the chunk of emotion lodged in her throat. “Are-are you…are you going to k-keep me? Wh-what are you g-going to do now? Are you-are you going to kill me?” She could feel the tears overflowing and wiped her face with the back of a trembling hand.
The girl spoke up. “Oh, no. Do not be afraid. My father—we—would never hurt you.”
“No, Little One, we are not going to hurt you, nor are we going to keep you. That is, not for very long. We must, however, take you to our home world and let our physicians check you over thoroughly. We must be certain that you will not have any lasting negative effects from what we did so carelessly ten Earth-years ago. We will then return you to your bedroom in the cabin in Maine. You will be fine.”
“B-but what about our housekeeper, Mrs. Pratt? She will be frantic when she finds me missing? She…”
“Hosh, little one, hosh. Your Mrs. Pratt will be none the wiser. She has been, shall we say, put in a state of unconsciousness that…”
“You knocked her out. You didn’t hurt her, did you? Sh-she’s old. Sh…”
“No, no, little one. Animato. Hosh. You should not let yourself get so upset. Mrs. Pratt will awaken when you are returned. She will think only that she has slept comfortably and will feel quite refreshed. She and you will have lost a few of your Earth days, I am afraid, but there is no getting around that. Both of you will keep that secret in your own way. We cannot help you there. I am sorry.”
“How-how long will this take? You said your home world? Where is that? How will we get there?” The walls seemed to be closing in on her. “This room is awfully cramped.”
The captain chuckled. “No, not in this vessel. We will join my ship, Spectrum, in one of your Earth hours. I think you will find Spectrum a most accommodating place on which to sail through the Great Infinity. Our home world is in a triple star system in what you call the Milky Way Galaxy. Our sun is called Alpha Centauri A, by Earthers. It is very similar to your sun, Sol. Our home world—our planet—is the second planet in the system and is called Ahrmoira. We have three moons orbiting our planet.”
Annie pulled the thin covering higher around her. She felt very cold. Her brain neared over-load and couldn’t take in any more of this incredible information. Craddohk Draehl observed this and stood up, making him appear a giant in the tiny room.
“Little One, I will leave you now. I must be at the helm when we dock with Spectrum. Haelee will stay with you and answer any more questions you may have. I know this seems beyond sane reasoning to you, but please. Trust me. The journey to Ahrmoira will not take long. You will be quite comfortable and safe. You will be considered part of my family and given deference.” He smiled, turned on his heel, and left the room in one fluid motion.
Annie sat motionless, still hugging the blanket as though it were a life preserver. Haelee didn’t make a sound. After several minutes of complete silence, save the occasional sniff from Annie, Haelee finally spoke.
“Father calls you ‘Little One’ but I know you have a name. It’s Ah-nee, isn’t it?”
Annie wiped her eyes once more, glanced at the girl, then lowered her eyes. “No, not Ah-nee. It’s Annie…A like in apple. Annie. My full name is Anne Veronica Wren. What’s yours again?”
“Haelee. Haelee Draehl. I am fifteen of your Earth years, and I have a twin brother named Halig. He is annoying most of the time, but we really are great pals. We have a little sister named Adorie. My mother’s name is Aeldorah and she and Adorie are back home on Ahrmoira. This is only the second time that Father has allowed Halig and me to accompany him and his crew on one of their missions to your world.”
Annie shook her head in sheer disbelief and utter bewilderment. “This is another dream. It has to be. This can’t be happening.”
Haelee reached out and touched Annie’s shoulder. “But it is. I know it must seem like a dream. After all, you Earthers do not believe in sentient life on other worlds. This must be such a shock to you. I know I would be hysterical if it happened to me.”
Annie hunched over, buried her face in the soft folds of the blanket, and moaned. Then, with a new resolve, she tossed the blanket aside and stood up. Stretching her arms high above her head, she tried to loosen stiffening muscles. Haelee watched in relief laced with quiet amusement.
“You know…” Annie began, “this is so wild—so crazy—that I’m just going to buy into it. I feel numb, so numb you could probably hit me with a board and I wouldn’t feel it.” She looked at the taller girl and shrugged. “I guess I give up.”
“Please, do not ‘give up’ as you say. I want this trip to be enjoyable for you. I cannot wait to introduce you to my mother and little sister, my friends—my world. You will love Ahrmoira. Our world is made up of a vast wahshhahi—I mean, ocean—but we have no large continents like Earth. Instead, there are several islands; bridges connect some while with others one must take a boat or hoverlight. Our largest island is about the size of your Australia.”
Annie continued to stare at the girl, arms folded across her chest. Then her forehead puckered. “There’s just one thing I really don’t understand. Beyond the space travel and the space ships and the aliens and the other worlds, that is. How in heaven’s na
me do you know my language? You even called it ‘In-glish’. How come, if you’re from another planet, you can speak English?”
Haelee laughed. “Oh, that is quite simple to explain. I do not mean to sound superior, but…”
“But?”
“Well, we are a bit more advanced than you are, and, well, we learn differently than you do.”
“You do? How?”
“Well, I am not sure I can explain it to you, but we use electrical impulses—like the kind found in the human brain—and-and…”
“And?”
“Well, all we have to do to learn something as simple as a language is to sit under a ceohl ceihlidh and receive the electrical stimuli programmed into it. It takes anywhere from two to ten hours, which, of course, is not undertaken all at once. Sometimes it takes more than twenty sessions. I know three of your Earth’s languages—two dialects of one: A-mer-i-can In-glish and Euro-In-glish. And I speak fluent Spah-nish, and Man-dah-rin,” she finished, her round eyes dancing.
“I got the first three, but what’s Man-dah-rin?”
Haelee wrinkled her brow in consternation. “Uh…I believe it is a language from the largest of your continents. A place called Ch-eye-nah.”
“China? Oh, Mandarin Chinese. I get it. Wow. You can speak all those Earth languages? That’s incredible.”
“Not, really. My father can speak seventeen of your languages. Halig can speak five plus three dialects of In-glish, and he is forever reminding me of this.”
“Will I be able to see this machine? Could I put it on and maybe learn Spanish?”
“Perhaps, but I do not think so. I do not think your brain is capable of conforming or accepting the stimuli. Father will have to explain it to you. I am not sure I can do a creditable job. I have always just taken it for granted.”
Annie let out a long, drawn-out sigh and collapsed back onto the cot. “That is so tight. Wouldn’t that come in handy for math class?” She whistled through closed teeth. “Okay. Now what? Do I have to stay in this little room until we get there?”
Centauri Serenade Page 6
