The Staff of Ira

by Carl Sheffield

  She looked at Jay while opening it. She said, “Jay, please come with me.”

  Jay replied, “I’m sorry Betty, I can’t.” We ordered breakfast. Betty sat, looking out of the window.

  Jay said to her, “I’m part of this, my mother told me that. Betty, what do you see when you look at me?”

  Betty thought for a moment. “I see a man, my husband I love and respect. Jay, please come with me.”

  “Is that all you see, Betty? Can you see the alien in me?”

  Betty said, “What?”

  “Betty, something I’ve never told you, I’m a descendant of the planet. I’m going home.”

  Betty jumped up with a loud voice. She said, “I’m going home too, Jay. All this talk of aliens, spaceships, I’ve had enough.” A tall, thin man sitting across from us caught the conversation. Jay had calmed Betty. She had started crying again.

  The man came to the table. He said, “My name is Doctor Jones.” He looked straight at Betty. “Is there something I can do to help you?”

  Betty said, “I just want to go back to New Jersey. I want to go home.”

  “What home would that be, madam? New Jersey or Boldlygo?” June almost got strangled.

  All were in shock. John said, “Doctor Jones, you say?”

  “Yes, that’s right. I have a beautiful home just outside of Carlsbad.”

  Betty had drawn attention to us. That was not good. I looked at the man that stood before us. “You said Carlsbad, sir?”

  Doctor Jones replied, “Yes, that’s right. I was the chief doctor there until they started showing up.”

  I asked, “Doctor Jones, will you join us?” He sat down at the table. I was still skeptical. How could I be sure he was who he said he was?

  I said, “Until they started showing up?”

  “Oh yes, state patrol brought one into the hospital. Of course, he was dead. They’re everywhere. They’re in Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad, I’m not sure why they choose there. As I was saying, I met a young man. He told me all about them; they’re called Palatonians, from a planet called Plano. He helped with the autopsy. He showed me the difference between human and them. They look just like humans: hair, skin, something different about the blood.

  Tyler showed me how to do just that. I’m intelligent, just don’t have the technology to go that far. I would have said he died of natural causes. I would have said he was a John Doe if not for Tyler.” My heart raced, June’s eyes watered.

  Doctor Jones said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset anyone.”

  “You didn’t, sir. You see, Tyler is our son,” I said.

  “Oh,” Doctor Jones said, “I do remember him writing a letter. I believe he told you if he wasn’t there, go to the local police, his name is Henery. There’s a couple of U.S. Marshall with him, or at least they drop in on him from time to time. For me, I’m getting the hell out, they’re after me.”

  I asked Doctor Jones, “Why didn’t you wait for the ship?” Doctor Jones told me the Palatonians were all over his house.

  “I needed to leave. Tyler left, came to my house, then the army got involved. Mr. Sams is from Boldlygo, lives in Roswell. He’s ready to go back also. He said he wanted to start a trade with the queen.”

  I asked Doctor Jones, “Are you coming back?”

  Doctor Jones said, “I’m not sure, maybe I will come back.”

  Betty spoke for the first time. “Is there a nice hotel in Carlsbad?”

  Doctor Jones said, “No.” Placing his hand in his pocket, he gave me a set of keys. “Take them, these are the keys to my house. Stay if you want. Tell Henery I said to take you there. It’s a nice three-bedroom house, make yourself at home. Mr. Willard, when you see Tyler and Henery, tell them I’m fine. Take care of my dog, I may return, I’m not sure.”

  “Doctor Jones, Tyler said late August or early September. You sure you don’t mind us staying there?”

  Doctor Jones replied, “Stay as long as you like. Watch for the Palatonian and the Centaurians. Tyler said they were friends with them once, now they were at war with them. Dorn rebel against them. If not for the five girls, they would have been destroyed long ago.”

  I asked, “The five girls?”

  “Tyler said, Leah, Ellie, Candance, April, and Marie. They have special powers. Tyler also said the queen and king set store by them.” We talked for over an hour. I told the doc it had been twelve years since we had seen them.

  He said, “I know, Tyler told me. Look, tell Tyler not to wait for me. If I change my mind, I’ll come back.” Doctor Jones walked out the door. I could not believe the stories he told of my son and daughter.

  Betty said, “Looks like your children have become very important.”

  June said, “Yes, it does.”

  The bus driver called. Time to go. Loading for Clovis, New Mexico then to Roswell, then to Carlsbad. Coming to Roswell, it was nothing as I expected. I thought it would be a bigger town. I told June as we got off the bus, I’m not used to this weather. It was quite hot.

  Betty agreed, “It’s not like Phillipsburg either, Mr. Willard.”

  Jay said to Betty, “I see you’re still with me.”

  Betty answered, “I will stay with you until you get on that ridiculous ship of yours, if there is one, which I doubt.”

  Betty asked Jay, “If you do not leave as planned, will you go home with me?”

  “Betty, if you will give me until the end of September, then yes, I’ll go home. You’ll never hear me say anything again of this.” The driver said the bus to Roswell is coming about twenty minutes. It wasn’t long; we were on a bus heading to Roswell, New Mexico. The four of us become quite friendly. I told my wife, one more day and we’ll be there.

  In Roswell, we found a motel by the university. The four of us checked in to our rooms. It was so hot; the air was thin. I wondered how people could live here. I also wondered how and why this is the place the other planets come to. I opened the window for a breeze to come in. I left the door open so I could cause a breezeway. Damn it, guess what I smelled? that’s right, cows.

  My wife said, “I’m hungry, John.”

  “Really?” I said. Walking to the front desk, I asked for a dinner.

  The clerk smiled. “You from back east? Everyone there calls them dinner. No dinner here, sir. Down the street, there’s a good Mexican place, Torres taco.”

  “What is that?” I asked.

  “Mexican food,” the desk clerk said, “Try the burrito grande, I love it.”

  Going back to the room, I asked June, “Have you had Mexican food before?”

  She said no. “What is it?”

  “Burrito Grande is what I was told.” We knocked on Jay’s door. “Just a minute” was the reply.

  Betty came to the door. I said, “We’re going for Mexican food. Have you ever had it?”

  Betty said, “Yes, I love it. We went to New York city once, the Mexican food was great.” We went to Torres taco. I must admit it smelled great. Jay and Betty joined us later. June, for the first time, was having a margarita made with tequila. I had a champagne velvet, it was a kind of beer. It was nothing like the ale I was used to in England. It was cold and wet, that’s what I was looking for.

  We ordered our food not knowing what it was. I did as the clerk said; I ordered the burrito grande. It was wonderful, I hope to have this again. I never had food so filling.

  June ordered her food. She said it was great. We ordered more drinks. June had got silly; she was drunk. For the first time in her life, she was being herself. For some reason, Jay placed his hands in his pocket, took out some keys when the coin his mother gave him fell to the floor.

  A tall man sitting at a table reached down and picked it up. Taking the coin in his hand, study it, then looked at Jay. “Well, sir, I do believe this belongs to you,” the man said.

 
Jay reached for the coin and said, “Thank you, sir.”

  “Tell me sir, I buy old coins. Where did you get this one?” I touched Jay with my foot.

  Speaking, “I found it somewhere.”

  The man asked Jay, “You want to sell it?” Jay told him no.

  “That’s too bad,” the man said, “if I could buy it, I would have a pair.” Reaching into his pocket, he took another coin out.

  “See?” he said, placing it on the table. Jay placed his coin next to the other. Well, I placed mine out there too.

  “Gentleman and ladies, let me introduce myself. My name is Scot Sams. Everyone calls me Mr. Sams. I have a store here in Roswell. Let me guess, you’re on your way to Carlsbad.”

  “Why would you think that?” I asked.

  Sams said, “I suppose you have a word someone is coming. Let me tell you, someone is already there. The one you seek is Tyler. I know him very well.”

  “Yes, Mr. Sams, I’m sure you do,” I said.

  “You see sir, I’m his father, this is his mother, this couple is friends.”

  Mr. Sams said, “Tyler has spoken of you often. He wondered if you would make it.”

  I said, “We almost didn’t, sir. I’ve got an inspector on my trail. He should be here in two or three days. You can call me John. This is my wife, June. The couple is Jay and Betty.”

  “Charmed Madam, if you’re waiting for the morning bus, it should be here around eleven, two-hour rides to Carlsbad. The driver will let you off on his way to El Paso Texas. The country store where the bus stops is a friend of mine. If you like, you may stay at my home tonight.”

  “We have made arrangements,” I said.

  Mr. Sams said, “Of course, you have.”

  “John, it would be a pleasure if you would let me drive you to Carlsbad. I have a truck going there to the bus stop. The old man that runs the store is a friend of mine as I’ve said. His name is Mac. Several of the items on the truck belongs to Tyler. Tyler will be taking it all back with him. I will be leaving around six a.m. I need to talk to Tyler. As I’ve said, most of the things belong to him. I need to see where he would like to store them. I need to talk to Dorn also.”

  I asked Mr. Sams, “Do you know Dorn?”

  Mr. Sams said, “I do know him, I was born on Boldlygo. Trust me, Mr. Willard, I know the queen and king. I want to start a trade with them if I can. Tyler told me it won’t happen. I want to go home to talk to them. You see, Dorn hates coming here. If not for Tyler, Dorn would not come here, that’s what Tyler said.”

  “Mr. Sams,” I said, “I’m sure someone would come.”

  “That’s what Tyler said, Mr. Willard.”

  “You see Mr. Sams, Tyler is not only my son; Marie is my daughter. She would have come. Marie sits on the council, as Tyler said in his letter.”

  “Tyler has said that,” Mr. Sams said.

  “Mr. Sams, I would love to take you up on the ride so will the others.”

  Mr. Sams said, “Good, I’ll be here at six. Jay, you and your wife will, of course, accompany us.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Jay said.

  “Well then, until morning.” Mr. Sams left. I looked at Betty. She just sat there.

  Betty announced, “Oh my God! Everything you have said is true.” Tears filled her eyes. “Jay, I want to go home. Jay, please take me home.”

  “Sweetheart, you still have the money. I’ll sell the coin to Mr. Sams, that will give you a lot of money.” Looking out the window, Jay said, “I’ll be right back.” He ran to the door, called to Mr. Sams. Mr. Sams and Jay stood outside for a while. Jay returned to Betty. I had two more beers.

  The owner said, “It was time to close.”

  “Sensors, if you wish, maybe you can come back tomorrow.”

  I stated, “We’re leaving early with Mr. Sams.”

  “Yes, he is ok, this Mr. Sams.” Walking back to our rooms, Jay told me about the talk with Mr. Sams.

  Jay said, “Mr. Sams offered me twenty thousand dollars for the coin.”

  I said, “Jay, you won’t need money where you’re going, I promise you that. I would say what time you have left here; one hundred dollars is all you need. Since you already have a place to stay, give your wife the money and let her go back to New Jersey. I’m sure that’s what she wants.”

  Jay said, “I’ll go talk to her.” Later, Jay told me that’s what she wants to do; she wants to go home. Jay told her there was no need to go any further. The morning came as the darkness left the sky.

  Mr. Sams was waiting outside when we left the room. He had a bank draft for the money and a train ticket to New York. Betty took the money and the ticket, kissed Jay goodbye. Betty tried one last time to ask Jay to come home with her.

  Jay said, “Betty, I am going home.”

  Betty got in the car, kissed Jay for the last time. The driver left, it would be the last time Jay would ever see her. Jay watched her go, then turned to the car of Mr. Sams. We went to Carlsbad. Mr. Sams stopped at atresia to talk to his driver. We got out of the car, leaving his driver to continue to Carlsbad.

  I asked, “Jay, old chap, what is your plans now? You hardly have said a word since we left Roswell.”

  “Well, I’m still going.”

  “You know John, she never did want to go.”

  “For over two years, I’ve known of this. My mother and father told me, my grandmother and grandfather both were born there. This man Dorn you speak of, I’ve heard them talk of him. They came here a long time ago, got married, had my mother. My mother got married, had me. My lifelong, they have told me of them. I tried to tell her, she never did believe me.”

  Jay got out of the car. “Look, a diner!” he said, “Let’s go for coffee.”

  I called to Sams. “We’re going for coffee, will you join us?” Entering the diner, we ordered coffee. Later, Mr. Sams came in.

  “Breakfast, anyone? It’s on me.” Mr. Sams said again, “Most of the stuff on the truck was Tyler’s. Chocolate, coffee, among other things. Candy, he said the children never had candy. You see, I believe him, I was born there. I was very little when my parents left. Why they wanted to come here, I’m not sure. I know when they got here, they died when I was fourteen.

  I made my own way, with three stones my father gave me. Where or how he got them, I’m not sure. I never saw another stone of that nature until I met Tyler. A friend of mine brought him to me. I bought the stones. I didn’t give him enough for the stones, that’s why I gave him the things on the truck; he will not be charged for them.

  When we arrive in Carlsbad, we’ll stop by Doctor Jones. I’ll show you his place. Tyler’s house would not be very comfortable. He lives in a small mobile home.”

  “Mr. Sams, you will take us there?”

  “Of course,” Mr. Sams said. The driver went on to unload.

  Mr. Sams said, “Try the ham and eggs. If you never had them, the grits are good. I love them with milk and sugar. Old Ben here has good food.”

  Jay said, “You know several people.”

  Mr. Sams said, “I’ve been here a long time, young man.” Having our breakfast, June was ready to go.

  I said to Mr. Sams, “My wife is ready to go.” I could see her looking at the road.

  Mr. Sams said, “Of course, I’ll get the bill.” Jay told Mr. Sams he thinks for the money for Betty. Jay knew he would never see Betty again. I suppose that was good. They had been together since high school. Faith is a funny thing, you can never tell about destiny, it was coming.

  We left Atresia to Carlsbad. It took one hour to reach, it was smaller than I thought. Mr. Sams made a turn, drove for a few minutes. Turning on to a driveway, I saw a charming house. There were big trees all around, several horses in the back. There was a police car in the yard. I saw two young men coming from the house with a funny looking dog. One of the men was a poli
ceman. I held my wife’s hand.

  She looked at me. “They found us, John. They can’t take us back until we see our children.” Mr. Sams stopped the car as Henery and Tyler walked to the side.

  “Mr. Sams,” Henery said, “Good to see you.” Tyler just looked, I mean twelve years to see your children, they were children. Children grow, they change. Mr. Sams looked at Tyler then at the Willards. They did not know he was their son.

  Mr. Sams said, “Henery, this is Jay, a friend to John and June Willard.” Tyler looked at the man and woman that stood in front of him.

  Tyler said, “Mom, Dad.” The Willards looked at the boy where a man stood.

  June took her son in her arms. “My son, oh God, my son.” They stood holding each other, all had eyes full of tears. There was so much to say, so much to do.

  Tyler said, “Please, let’s go inside.”

  June asked, “How did you know we were coming here?”

  Tyler said, “Mr. Sams, the driver came to Macs store to unload, told Henery what was going on. This one is full of surprising event. He told the driver to pick me up. We came here to help unload.”

  June asked, “What is all that stuff?”

  I said to my mother, “Things I’m taking home if I can get it to the ship.”

  The date was August 22, 1940. Pam and Lori dropped by my mobile, they didn’t know about my mom and dad’s arrival. Old Lee saw the girls drove up. He too came over since Lori was his daughter.

  “Damn it, boy, you got coffee?” I told him on the stove.

  “I’ve got something to tell you, Lee.” The girls were listening.

  Lee asked, “We going to blow something up?”

  I smiled. “What is with you and blowing something up?”

  Lee said, “Hell, I just like to hear the damn boom.” Everyone laughed.

  I said, “Remember I’ve talked about my mom and dad?”

  Everyone said, “Yes, we remember.” Pam and Lori said the same.

  “Well, they arrived yesterday,” I said. “That’s why I wasn’t at home all day. My mom didn’t want to let me go. I wanted to stay with them. Henery brought me back so I could study this.” I took the weapon from the broom closet.