by Mark Tufo
“Mike, I’m thinking that we should actually not do anything together, I’m just not ready for the kind of feelings that come with this kind of relationship.” I could tell by the quiver in her voice that she was near tears. “You know that I still have my boyfriend out in Pennsylvania.”
I had thought about telling her I was willing to share but that was by no means the truth; I wanted her all to myself. Like a large cold Coke on a hot summer day, I wanted to drink her in, alone.
“I understand,” I said, barely audible. One more minute on the phone and I might have cried, that wouldn’t have been good for my image and it would have given Paul fodder to use against me for months. “Alright well, I’ll see you sometime on campus, gotta go.”
“Bye Mike, I’ll miss…”
I hung up; I had no desire to hear those words.
“Fuck!!” I yelled
“What’s up, man?” Paul said with more than a little concern.
“Beth dumped me.”
“Oh man, I’m sorry, but were you ever really going out?”
“No not really, but you sort of get attached to the girl you’re doing.”
“Not me.”
“Well you’re different, you’re a dog.”
“Let’s go get a beer and look at some chicks.”
“The beer sounds good, the chicks can kiss my ass”
“That’s the spirit.”
* * *
“Get up, its Saturday morning, the birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing...”
“Shut the shade,” I moaned. “I still can’t see straight.”
“Too bad, Kelly across the way just got out of the shower and forgot to shut her curtains.”
Fifteen seconds ago I would have told you I couldn’t have moved that fast if someone had set my bed on fire. “Damn she has big tits.”
“Yeah too bad her ass is as big a match,” Paul quipped.
“What are you boys looking at?” Beth said from our open doorway.
“Ah, nothing,” Paul said as he casually released his grip on our shade, plunging the room into near total darkness.
“No, please don’t hit that switch,” I begged. “Hit the one below it. If you turn the strobe light on I won’t make it halfway down the hall.”
“Hey Paul I know this is getting old, but could I please talk to Mike for a minute, I promise that it will only take a minute.”
“Yeah that’s about how long I’ve got to piss for anyway,” Paul said as he brushed on by Beth.
“Eloquent as always,” Beth said with half a smile.
Why did she have to come here, especially with the way I felt and how I looked. I learned you were always supposed to look your best when you ran into any ex so that way they could see that you bounced back fine. And here I was looking like last week’s laundry. Smell included.
“I was wrong,” she blurted out.
“About what?” Hope surged, adrenaline raced, I did my best to portray an even calmness.
“About everything, I think, I’m not sure exactly what is going on here, but I know I’d rather have you around than not.”
“But what about Joe or John or Jock or whatever the hell his name is?”
“I don’t know about him either. I know I love him.”
Oh, that felt like a direct hit to my stomach.
“But I know that I also have very strong feelings for you too. I’m greedy, I want it all,” she half-laughed.
“I’m sorry Beth, I also am greedy and I have no desire to share. I don’t think that I could stand the thought of you in his arms when you go home for the holidays or summer break or whatever, that would tear me apart much worse than this. If you want him, he’s yours and you and me will stay with the status quo. If you somehow decide that you would rather be with me, I’ll give you the time and space to make that decision. But I’ll tell you now that I broke up with my girlfriend back home because I didn’t feel that what I was doing was right, with her or with you or potentially with anyone else.” That seemed to sting her; I guess she didn’t think that I could already be thinking of another girl already, what can I say, I’m a guy. We’re always thinking of another girl. Although in all fairness and truth the only thing that was going to cure my thoughts about her was time, lots and lots of time and maybe some beer. Lots of beer.
“Mike, I understand all of your concerns, but I was hoping we could push all of these issues to the side just for tonight. Can we at least go the concert tonight and be together?”
I really almost said no, but to look into her sea-blue eyes and say no was just something I don’t think any man was strong enough to do. And with my hesitant answer of yes I had forever altered my life beyond any recognizable feature.
We arrived at Red Rocks around six o’clock that night. My watch told me that the year was 1985 but the people around me made me feel as if I had stepped into a time warp. It appeared to me to be somewhere around the 1968 or ‘69 era. The girls and even some of the guys had flowers in their hair, they were tossing Frisbees around, drinking beers, smoking bones and even the occasional trip was being taken. I thought to myself that I could really learn to like this time period. The girls for the most part had on old faded bell bottom jeans or long flowing sun dresses, most wore sandals, some just went bare-foot. The vast majority (much to my approval) had no idea what a bra was. I had been to my share of heavy metal concerts and I knew from experience that this was NOT a heavy metal crowd, the girls that usually attended those were the type that would beat the guy up if he did something wrong. I don’t think that I had ever seen so many gorgeous women at one time, even on campus and I thought that that place was beyond belief. Whether I liked the band or not, the view was sure to be entertaining. Beth must have seen the grin that had unbeknownst to me spread across my face, because suddenly and viciously I was snapped back to reality with a sharp blow to the side of my head. A lesser man might have actually gone down on his knees. I rubbed my head while mumbling my apologies.
“We’re here to see the band, not the women,” Beth said a little indignantly.
“Just exercising my rights as a single man,” I answered, hoping beyond hope that that was actually a falsehood. Her face fell ever so slightly.
“Come on girl, let’s go check out this band,” I said as I grabbed her by the waist. Her heavenly face looked up at me and something deep within my soul stirred. I had never been to Red Rocks but it was a sight to behold, it is or I should say was an outdoor amphitheater. The place was full of natural beauty. It was dominated by brilliantly colored giant sandstone formations. It was unbelievable to be nestled between two 400’ high formations. The theater held roughly nine thousand people and was probably one of the most intimate settings for a concert that I have ever or will ever attend. Even when not watching the band the panoramic view of the plains was almost breathtaking, that and the fact that I was about six thousand feet above sea level. The band was awesome. I’d never had so much fun at a concert in my entire life. We got stoned off communal bowls and drank all the beer we could handle. It’s the only concert I’ve ever been to where you never sat down, the music was just that good, you just stand and dance the whole show away. It was right after the first intermission that I began to get a buzzing in my head. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I was buzzed, but I was getting a buzzing sensation, almost as if a mosquito was around my ear, only this was bigger than a mosquito and it was a lot further seated back in my head than my ear. Others must have felt it too because on occasion I would notice some of my fellow concert-goers turning their heads over their shoulder to look up to the back of the amphitheater. At first glance I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but upon further review I noticed an object up in the sky roughly the size of a quarter, it glowed a translucent greenish color; I thought it was the moon. I figured that Beth should see this; I had never seen the moon with that color hue.
“Hey Beth, you should see the moon tonight it’s unreal!” I shouted over the chorus of One Ar
m Steve.
“What’s so special about it, it’s not even full!” she shouted as she pointed to a spot directly over the stage.
“If that’s the moon, what the hell is….?” I screamed. I’m sort of ashamed about that fact but I can guarantee you I wasn’t the only one. Whatever it was, it was huge and it was directly over Red Rocks. The whole amphitheater was covered up like a large Tupperware bowl, but this lid was far larger, it extended well over into the parking lots all around the theater. The last thing I cognitively remember was the green light that came out from the bottom of the ship. And I can tell you from the way people fled towards the exits they felt the same thing I did: terror, mind numbing terror.
CHAPTER 16
Sir, we have a situation,” the lieutenant said with a start, he had almost begun to get used to the invisible ship orbiting around Venus. He wasn’t necessarily comfortable with that fact but he had like everybody else in the “rock” sort of imbedded it into his everyday life.
“What is it Lieutenant, has the ship rematerialized?” The captain dreaded that occurrence above all, there would be rioting. Not only would they have to contend with the visitors but also a scared populace.
“No sir, three smaller ships have left the main ship and are heading this way.”
“Lieutenant, get me the President,” the captain said, visibly shaken. “Lieutenant, what’s the ETA.”
“Sir, at their present speed, less than two hours.”
“Yes Mr. President, we have just confirmed that three alien vessels have departed the main ship.”
(Pause)
“Sir, yes sir, we estimate their size to be roughly that of one of our aircraft carriers.”
(Pause)
“No sir, we still have heard nothing from them.”
(Pause)
“Yes sir, I will scramble all available fighters.”
(Pause)
“Sir, I will notify all the governments around the world but they are watching the same Hubble feed that we are so I would imagine they are taking their own steps to avert this tragedy.”
(Pause)
“Yes sir, I will notify you the moment anything changes.”
CHAPTER 17 – Journal Entry 14
My cell, that sounds so weird. “My cell,” I said aloud. I’ve never broken a big enough law in my life (and got caught) to warrant a cell. What the hell was I doing in a cell? Did I get caught with a big fattie at the concert? Naw, I would’ve remembered that. Wait a second, this doesn’t look like a cell that a town like Morrison would possess. Then it hit with the full force of a cascading waterfall, this wasn’t Kansas anymore. I was on some sort of ship, and not only that, but I was being held prisoner on said ship. My cell was about ten feet by ten feet by, how original, ten feet. Although I have no idea what unit of measurement aliens use. Aliens, that sounds even more ridiculous than my being in a cell. I’m now convinced they are aliens because all of the conspiracy theorists in the world couldn’t have thought that the government was capable of making that ship that hovered over Red Rocks. Oh my God, I thought to myself, Red Rocks, the concert, Beth!!! “Beth where are you?” I screamed vainly. The only articles that broke up the monotony in this cell were a chair and a hole in the floor, which I imagine was for refuse by the smell of it. The bus depot had nothing over this place. The front of the holding pen had no visible door but appeared to be made out of some clear sort of glass but I can attest to the fact that this “glass” was solid. I kicked it as hard as I could. I thought that I had shattered the lower part of my leg. The gate didn’t even shudder, so much for getting some satisfaction out of breaking something.
“Do not do that again, hu-man.”
I pissed myself, no I’m not just saying that I was so scared I could have peed, I literally let my bladder explode all over the front of my jeans. What stood before me was something straight out of a horror movie. If this were a movie I would have changed the channel a long time ago. Whatever this thing was it had developed along the reptilian line of species and to me it looked mostly like the crocodile side of that family. This beast looked to be at least two feet taller than myself. It had an elongated snout that ended in a bulbous fashion. It had no ears that I could see but what appeared to be ear holes. Its skin did not have the green, brownish tinge I would have expected from a reptile type of thing. It had more of a reddish glow to it, more on the shade of Red Rocks, but the skin texture looked to be more like our own native crocs. But I had never actually had any desire to touch a crocodile before, and I definitely had no desire to touch whatever the hell that thing was. Its bulk was impressive, in addition to its two feet of height advantage, it also outweighed me by two to three hundred pounds, and this thing reeked of power and menace and intelligence. Its eyes, by far, were the scariest part of it. They were cold and flat, with the pupil in the crescent moon shape. But it was the way it stared at me. For all it was concerned, I could be its lunch. Oh please, don’t let that be the case. Is this its refrigerator? Is this where it keeps its food fresh until it’s ready to eat? Beth, where are you!
“Ssit down and Sshut-up hu-man!” it boomed.
Well, I thought to myself wryly, English must not be its first language. But I understood it enough to do as I was told. Thankfully it moved on. Well, so much for the Steven Spielberg ET type of alien. I think Ridley Scott got a lot closer to the truth. Once the creature passed the relief that flooded through me was near palpable. And then I started to hear voices. Oh great, not only was I stuck in a cell with alien creatures I was also going insane. Wait, maybe I’m already insane and this is the outcome of that insanity. That would be far more agreeable than the truth.
“Pssst buddy.”
“What and who the hell is that?” Boy, I’ll tell you insanity isn’t a fun thing.
“Hey number 1988!”
“What are you talking about!?” I half yelled
“Look above your head, that’s your number, or should I say ranking.”
“Who are you?” I asked
“I’m number 1987, I’m your next door neighbor,” the mystery voice answered back.
“Oh thank God, I thought I was alone on this thing.”
“Quiet down, if you yell too loud those things will come back.”
“Do you know what’s going on? Are we lunch?” I asked, almost hoping he didn’t have an answer. Ignorance can be bliss.
“I’ve got an idea, but you might actually like your lunch theory a little better.”
“What kind of information are you going to give me?”
“Word through the cell-vine is that us men folk are going to be used in a gladiator type spectacle. We are going to be the Progerians’ entertainment and THEN lunch.”
“We have to fight th-th-those things?” I asked incredulously.
“No, it’s much worse than that.”
“Worse than that?”
“We’re battling each other.”
“Who, me and you?”
“No, no, from what I can gather that number on the ceiling is sort of a preliminary ranking, think of the NHL playoffs where No. 1 plays the No. 8 seed, but in this case its No. 1988 versus 2212, to the death.”
“Oh God,” I moaned, the fear was crippling. “When does this happen.”
“I think it already started,” he replied.
“Who are you? I’d at least like to know your name before I die.”
“My name is Bud Adams,” he intoned. I had been hoping for some words of encouragement from him. Maybe something on the order of, ‘you have a chance’ or ‘you’re not dead yet.’ Something that would give me some sense of hope no matter how false. Apparently he had resigned himself to his imminent fate, and had no desire to comfort another human being in distress. Misery loves company. I guess the aliens had good reason to put me this low in the rankings. At 5’9” and 165 pounds I really didn’t cut an imposing figure. Well at least my first opponent, ranking wise, was more pathetic than me. More questions, worries and concerns ran through
my head than was even remotely comprehensible, but it didn’t take long until all of my questions were answered. One moment my cell front was there, the next moment it simply vanished, was it ever really there? I stepped out of my cell before it had the chance to reappear and I got my first real look at the vessel I was on. It was enormous, I was able to see hundreds of cells in each direction before the curve in the ship hindered my view. I turned to look at Bud Adams to see if he had possibly been freed. He was, but he was nowhere in sight. Do I make a run for it, where the hell would I go, do I take my chance with the guard, who am I kidding? So I did nothing, I just stood there like a knot in a piece of wood. An opaque doorway from the other side of the corridor opened up to reveal where my guard or one that looked very similar to him had gone. So now I knew that the holding cells were on an outer ring of the ship and the crews’ quarters or duty stations were on the inside. But a lot of good that did me, knowledge didn’t feel very powerful at the moment. The guard stepped out from the doorway and motioned for me to follow the indicator lights around the ship. He kept a safe distance from me, if I didn’t know better I would think that he was more disgusted by my appearance than I was of his/hers, no clue? I had a fleeting thought to turn and charge it, but I didn’t know if he was armed. By the look of him my charge would be no more effectual than hitting a bear with a fly swatter. So I did what was expected of me, I followed the lights for what seemed like a mile. All of the cells I passed were empty. Apparently those poor souls had met their fate already; I felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter. After passing the cell marked with the No. 1, the corridor opened up into a huge amphitheater. It was filled to standing room only with these creatures, although from where I stood there appeared to be two types of animal/things. There were the reddish ones that I had already met, and there were smaller ones with a slightly brownish tinge to them and a shorter snout. And from the looks of things they were the real ones in control here, because they had all the seats closest to the coliseum floor. The guard forcibly pushed me into a booth on my right that I had not even seen when I approached the theater.
