by Maeve Alpin
“It keeps the food cold. This is woch, ground meat from a bird we eat a lot of here in In. It’s the only meat we eat. I hope it taste like the cheeseburgers you’re used to.”
He set the plate under a little hood above the counter and clicked a switch. In under a minute, the food looked completely cooked, though it had a grayish tint to it. He hit a button on the cabinet and six pieces of what looked like bread came out. He pulled a spoon out of a drawer and spooned the woch onto three slices of bread, then put another slice on top.
“Just like an earth sandwich. But what does it taste like?” Kristy asked.
“Try it.” He smiled.
She took a small bite. ”Not quite hamburger, but it will do.” She turned to her son. “Here, try this.” She handed him a plate.
Cody bit into it. “It’s good, but I wanted blue worms.”
“What?” Nick asked.
“Nothing.” Kristy shrugged. “Don’t mind him.”
He moved his head closer to Kristy so he couldn’t be overheard by anyone but her, in case his suspicions were true. “On Earth, do you have a form of entertainment that broadcasts into electronic devices in your home?”
“You mean television.” Her face scrunched up into a puzzled expression.
“That may be what you call it.” He nodded. “You don’t have one in this house. I think you may be on what we call a reality program.”
“Are you kidding me? Reality TV?”
He hushed her, cautioning her to keep her voice down. “I have a device in my pocket. We can check.”
He pulled out a gadget smaller than a cell phone and clicked on something on the bottom. Suddenly a 3D image emerged like a hologram in front of her. It was her and Cody and Nick in the kitchen.
“No. No,” she yelled. “Not a reality TV show.”
* * * * *
Nick kept jostling her shoulder, or was that Cody? Why didn’t they stop? Kristy opened her eyes. A man’s face loomed but a breath span away, totally human, though large and square, featuring a kind smile and dark eyes. From his wrinkles and the patch of gray on his balding head, she guessed his age at mid-sixties. He had sun-baked brown skin, rather than blue. She’d never seen him before, yet there was something vaguely familiar about his face. He nudged her to wake up.
“Good morning,” the man greeted her in a booming voice.
Startled, she jerked her head off the steering wheel. “I must have dozed off.” She glanced at the blue sky. No green hue, no double moon. “Cody.” She whipped her head toward the backseat where he lay, stretched out, sleeping.
Through the grogginess of her mind, she breathed one word, “In.”
With a twinge of disappointment and relief, Kristy realized it must have been a dream. She’d awakened when it started to become a nightmare as she realized she was part of a reality TV show.
She swerved back to the man. “What happened?”
He let out a hardy laugh. “It looks like you ran out of gas. Your gauge is on empty.”
“I remember that.” Kristy’s voice held a hoarse, frog-like sound from sleep. She cleared her throat.
“I’ve got a gas can in my trunk. That’ll give you two gallons to get you back to town.” He sauntered over to his faded red sedan.
“Thank you.” She stepped out her the car and blinked her eyes to clear the daze of the dream. It had seemed so real. As she yanked on the handle of the back door, Cody opened his eyes.
“Mommy, where are we?” He clutched his sword.
“On the highway where we saw the lights.” She glanced over at the white-haired Good Samaritan as he pulled a red jug with a long sprout out of his trunk and walked over to her car.
“Oh, did you see them?” He poured the contents of the gas can into her tank.
“Yes, I did.” Cody leapt out of the car with sword in hand. “Mommy and I went to In. Blue people with square heads live there.”
“What?” Kristy squatted down, eye-level with Cody. “Did you dream that too?”
“No, Mommy. It wasn’t a dream. I pinched you, remember?”
“Kids say the darndest things.” The old man winked as he pulled the long spout out of her tank. “You’ll be able to get back to Marfa now, but you’ll have to put in more gas to go anywhere else.”
Still baffled, she stood and turned to the man. “Thank you. We drove into town last night and I forgot to check the gauge. I was so excited about seeing the lights.” She didn’t know him well enough to come clean about her money problems.
“It happens a lot around here. You know, since you’re sightseeing and what not, you should check out our courthouse. It’s quite a sight.” He stowed the empty can in the trunk. “Go ahead and start it up.”
She sat at the wheel and turned the key. The engine purred. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Yes ma’am.” He opened his car door and sat at the wheel. “By the way, my name is Joe Azat, call me Joe. If you need anything, just ask for me.” He waved as he drove off.
Cody climbed into the back seat. “Mommy, he looks like the blue man, who showed us to the lady, who gave us necklaces with blue rocks.” He grabbed his neck. “Where is it?”
“Gone. We’re back on Earth now.” Images of In spun through her mind. “You’re right, Cody, Mr. Azat does look like Yog, just less blue, with a rounder, smaller head.” She raked her teeth against her upper lip. “This is so weird.”
Chapter Six
“You know, they both wanted us to go to a government office,” Kristy said as she drove into Marfa. She reflected on the lights and her visit to the land of In. “You know, Cody, there we had our lucky turquoise, but I’ve always believed you make your own luck in life, and I have a better idea of how to do that now.”
“How, Mommy?” He whacked the plastic blade against the car seat.
“In the dream, I had confidence. I didn’t think, ‘I’m not good enough to live in a mansion or to have a good job.’ Instead, I felt important. Usually, I act as if I don’t matter at all. So Cody, I’m going to change the way I think about myself.”
She turned off Highway 90 onto Highland Street. “Another thing is I took advice from strangers. They weren’t even human, but I let them help me. I usually try to do everything by myself.”
She pulled into the parking lot of the elegant peach-toned county courthouse and gazed up at the shiny gray dome where a statue of the goddess of justice stood, watching over Marfa.
“I’m going to try the changes I made in my dream and see how they work for me here.” As Cody unbuckled his seat belt, Kristy stepped out of the car. “Come on, punkin.”
They scampered up the steps and inside, holding hands. She sauntered to the first counter.
Kristy tried to remember what she’d said to the blue woman. “I’m new here and I need a job and a place to say.”
“Wrong office, hun.” The lady behind the counter pointed to her left. “Down the hall and take a right. That’ll bring you to Mr. Fife’s office. He’s the one interviewing for the file clerk position.”
“I have a lot of experience as a file clerk.” Kristy knew she was on the right track. “Thank you.” She grabbed Cody’s hand, and as soon as she entered Mr. Fife’s office, her breath stopped. “Nick.”
* * * * *
Kristy’s gaze devoured the man’s thick crop of black hair and the muscles rippling beneath the teal fabric of his polo shirt.
“Yes, do I know you?” From behind a desk cluttered with paper and manila file folders, he stood to his full height “How did you know my name?”
Shocked at seeing him, Kristy took a deep breath to get her bearings. “No, no, you just look like someone I knew once, his name was Nick, too.”
Nick shifted his brawny shoulders into a shrug. “It’s a common name. Are you here for the job?” His blue gaze swept over her and then he flashed a smile at Cody.
“Yes. I worked as file clerk for two years for an insurance company in San Antonio.”
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br /> “Sounds perfect. Go ahead and fill this out.”
She took the application from him and as she sat, Cody plopped down in a chair beside her. She wrote as fast as she could and handed the paperwork back to Nick. She knew she must be blushing. She kept staring at his lips. She felt hot and had to battle this yearning to press her lips against his. Just as she had on In.
Now seated in the captain-style chair at his desk, he glanced over her application. “So how did you hear about the job?” Nick leaned back.
“Mr. Azat . . . Joe . . . told me I should stop by.”
“If Joe recommended you, that‘s good enough for me. You do need to pass a drug test and background check. If that won’t be a problem, you have the job.” He laid the application on his desk. “Can you start tomorrow? I know it’s short notice.”
“Tomorrow is great.”
“Good.” Nick leaned forward. “I’ve had some trouble finding people because of the hours, but since I see him," he nodded at Cody, "I know it’s perfect for you. It’s part-time, 8:00 – 3:00, so you can put him on the bus in the morning and be home when he gets back from school.”
“No babysitters,” she said aloud.
“Mom, that’s like In.” Cody’s brown eyes gleamed.
“That is if you live close by. Where are you staying?”
Kristy’s gaze rested on Nick’s questioning eyes. “Good question.” It reminded her she’d be sleeping in the car for a while. “I’m new in town and I haven’t settled in a place yet.”
“Really?” His brows arched. “This may be out of hand, but since my mother’s death, I’ve moved out of the garage apartment and into the main house.” Nick leaned forward. “I really need to rent the place. I can take an early break and show it to you. It’s a ten-minute walk from here.”
“Please.” A bubbly sensation surged through her.
All three of them stood at the same time. Nick held the office door open for her and Cody. From the back of the courthouse, they strolled down the street to a red brick home. He led her across the yard, behind the house, to the white wooden garage apartment.
Chapter Seven
“It comes furnished.” Nick unlocked the door and showed her through the parlor to the first bedroom.
Against the sidewall stood a twin bed draped with a colorful quilt, although Kristy could only see half of it. The end of the bed was cluttered with open boxes, brimming with toys. She spotted He-man, Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Transformer figures. In the middle of the floor lay an old Nintendo system with a stack of games beside it. A stuffed Count Dracula and Kermit the frog rested on a white rocking chair in the corner. A basketball and a baseball bat stuck out of a large open box, shoved against the back window. Next to it, a lava lamp and a plastic sword topped a tall wooden dresser.
“Oh, yeah, I haven’t finished cleaning the place. My mom never threw out my old toys. You’re welcome to them.”
“Yes, I want them,” Cody piped up.
Kristy jumped aside as her son dashed by her and into his bedroom. He pulled the Transformers out of the box.
“I haven’t cleaned out the fridge or the pantry, either. You’ll find some pots, pans, silverware, and plenty of canned food. They might come in handy. Since you’re starting work tomorrow, I know you won’t have time to shop.”
"Thank you.” Kristy pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“I don’t know if I mentioned it, but the first month’s rent is free and no deposit is needed, since we’re working together. The background check for the job will more than clear you to rent. So I don’t need to run a credit check.” Nick’s mouth quirked with humor. “After all, I know where you work and how much you make.”
Kristy giggled softly at his banter. She schooled her emotions, and asked the all-important probing question. “Are you sure your wife doesn’t want to meet me first?” She held her breath, waiting for his response.
He shook his head. “Oh, I’m not married.”
“I’ll take it.” She tried to steady her racing heart. “I know Cody and I will love Marfa.”
Cody darted out of his new bedroom and ran up to Nick. “Do you eat blue worms?”
He rolled his vibrant eyes at Kristy. “Is my tongue blue, something like that?”
“No, he has blue worms on his brain.”
“Are you sure?” Nick’s brows arched. “How did he know?”
Kristy shrugged. “Know what?”
“It’s my only vice. I’ve loved them since I was a kid.” Nick dug into his pocket and retrieved a plastic baggy full of gummy worms. “I only like the blue ones.” He held the bag out to Cody. “Have one.”
“Thank you.” Cody stuck one end of a candy worm in his mouth.
Half a blue gummy worm dangled between Cody’s lips, as he made a yummm, yummm, yummm sound.
Kristy and Nick burst into full-hearted laugher together.
* * * * *
Nick took a deep breath. He felt so happy around this woman and her son. He’d just met her, but he felt like he knew her. He kind of did, though it made no sense. She looked so much like the woman in his dream last night. He’d had another dream of those blue people, but this was the weirdest: he was on a reality TV show on another planet. He’d need to stop watching TV late at night.
The way she kept looking at his lips was driving him crazy, though he probably imagined it. Still, she’d even licked her full lips as her eyes held a glint of desire. Maybe that was just what he wanted to see. She stood so close to him, he could feel the heat of her body. He wanted to reach out and grab her and suddenly she was standing right next to him, leaning her head up to his. His breath caught in his throat. Nick’s heart hammered.
He knew it was inappropriate. He would be this woman’s boss and her landlord, but she gazed at him with a wide-eyed, dreamy look in her eyes.
Silently, their eyes melted into each other’s as they found themselves lost in each other’s gaze. Their lips slowly drew closer. He merely brushed his lips across hers, but his mouth burned from the touch. A shiver of heat coursed through his body. His nerve endings tingled. The muscles in his lower abdomen drew tight with need.
He caught himself just in time before he grabbed her and crushed his mouth against hers as he longed to. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t meant to—“
“No.” Kristy cut him off. “I think it was I who kissed you.”
“Really.” He cleared his throat, now muted with lust. So he hadn’t imagined it. She liked him. “This is your fist night. You have too much to do to cook or anything. You should celebrate your new job and your new place.” He flashed what he hoped was his most devastating smile. “Let me take you and Cody out to dinner.”
“I’d like that. Thank you.”
“I’ll pick you up around 8 pm. I’ll take you to Jett’s Grill. It’s in the El Paisano hotel.” He shrugged. “It’s named after James Dean’s character in Giant.”
“I know.” Her entire face beamed as she smiled. “I’d love to go.”
“So at eight then.” He placed one hand of each of her shoulders. “Welcome to Marfa.” He hugged her to him, breathing in her soft, floral scent.
When he released her, she cocked her head and met his gaze. A throbbing warmth filled him.
“Thank you,” Kristy said. “I think I’ll like it here in Marfa.” She pressed her lips together as if in thought. "I'm not sure about the lights, though."
"Yeah, I should warn you about them. I had a strange encounter with one several weeks ago.”
“Did it seem to watch you?" She rubbed her teeth against her lip. “Chase you?”
“You, too?”
“Why would a light watch us?” Her brows arched
“A light or something that controls the light.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. Something about us must interest them.”
She let out a giggle. “It’s so silly. Lights chasing us. I must have just been tired and half imagined it. Probably just stressed about running o
ut of gas on the road at night like that. ”
“Could be. The lights are strange, though, and no one knows what causes them.”
At that moment, he saw a flash, a small wink of a light by the mirror on the wall. It reminded him of a camera for some reason. He blinked his eyes, but it was gone. I must be imagining things also, he thought. Nick fixed his gaze back on her. “It did bother me though. In fact, I had bad dreams ever since it chased me, until last night." He smiled at Kristy, but he didn’t want to tell her he'd dreamed about her and scare her off.
"Really?”
Something about the glint in her eyes made him suspect that she already knew. “Yes. Very interesting dreams. One day I’ll tell you about them.”
About the Author:
Maeve Alpin, who also writes under the name of Cornelia Amiri, is the author of 19 published books. Drawing on her love of a happy ending, she writes Celtic and Steampunk romances. Maeve is inspired by her muse, Severus the Cat, who always lounges beside or (when Cornelia’s not looking) on top of her laptop.
Keep reading for a sneak peek of Conquistadors in Outer Space!
Maeve welcomes comments from readers.
Her website is http://MaeveAlpin.com
Her facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/MaeveAlpin
Her twitter is @MaeveAlpin
Her email is [email protected]
She is a Lolita for Steamed and you can catch her bi-weekly post at
http://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/
If you liked this quirky story of the planet of In in an alternate dimension, you’re sure to enjoy Maeve Alpin’s Steampunk/Romance, Conquistadors In Outer Space.
For ages 18 and up
Here is the first two and a half chapters:
Conquistadors in Outer Space
By Maeve Alpin
Chapter One
