Ben Archer

by Rae Knightly

  On one occasion he found himself staring outside again while his companions were resolutely listening to the teacher when he noticed Tike standing still as stone, ears alert, one paw off the ground, like a hunting dog sensing its prey. Then slowly his tail lowered between his legs, indicating fear as if the prey had turned out to be a predator. Ben sat up, feeling alert for the first time that day. He followed the direction of Tike’s gaze, immediately spotting what had caught the dog’s attention.

  A bald man was posted by the gates at the end of the playground, observing the school. Ben could not make out his features from this far, yet he broke into a cold sweat. He glanced around the classroom to see if anyone else sensed danger, but the other students were placidly working on their assignments. By the time he looked back, Tike was sitting again, though straight and alert, and the man was gone.

  If he had not been able to concentrate before, it was now near to impossible. Earlier he had been in a sad, dreamy state, now he was alert and nervous, checking on Tike every two minutes. Ben was so focused on what was happening outside that he jumped when someone knocked on the classroom door. An assistant from the school reception came in. She whispered something to the teacher before turning to find Ben.

  “Benjamin?” she said. “Could you come with me, please? And, bring your backpack with you.”

  Ben stood so fast his chair almost fell over. He crammed his books into his backpack, asking, as he followed her out, “What’s going on?”

  “There’s a phone call for you. You can take it in the Principal’s office,” the woman said as she led him to the reception area.

  The Principal’s assistant glanced up as she spoke over the phone. “Yes, Ms. Archer, he’s here. Please accept my condolences for the loss of your father.” She nodded into the receiver before adding, “Yes, goodbye.” She handed the receiver to Ben, saying, “It’s your mother.”

  Ben took it from her, relieved. “Mom?”

  His mother answered hurriedly on the other end. “Ben, I’m here to pick you up. Can you come right away? I’m on the side street to the right of the school.”

  “Ok. Hold on,” he replied, eyeing the stern assistant. “My mom is here to pick me up. Is it ok if…” he began.

  The assistant said, “Yes, yes, she told me.”

  “I’ll be right there, Mom,” Ben said into the receiver before hanging up. “Thank you,” he said to the assistant, who ushered him out with a wave of her hand. “Make sure to let us know when you’ll be back at school, Benjamin.”

  Ben nodded, already halfway out the door. He ran outside with his backpack thumping at his side. He whistled to Tike who joined him with his tongue lolling and tail wagging. Suddenly, Ben stopped in his tracks.

  My suitcase!

  He had forgotten his suitcase with his clothes and toothbrush upstairs. He wondered briefly whether he should go back for it, but rapidly decided against it. He wanted to see his Mom.

  I wonder why she’s in such a hurry to pick me up?

  He sped along the school wall, then out the side gate into the short street he had taken not so long ago to escape the two bullies. He walked at a fast pace, searching for his mother’s car, then jumped when he passed a chain link fence. He had completely forgotten about the three guard dogs who prowled up and down the yard as if they had been waiting for him all afternoon. He tried not to pay attention to them but couldn’t avoid feeling their large, black eyes fixated on his every step. So much so, that he did not notice the bald man heading across the street straight towards him. It was only because Tike bounced back into him with his tail between his legs that he suddenly realized what was happening.

  The man was almost on top of him, reaching out to grab him.

  “Wha…?” Ben exclaimed, stepping back in fright. He didn’t have time to finish his sentence, as he lost his balance and fell backwards into the sloping parking entrance next to the guard dogs’ house.

  The three beasts barked ferociously, throwing themselves at the fence.

  Ben’s breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground. Fortunately, his backpack broke most of the impact, though he scraped his elbows.

  Already the man reached out for him again. Tike tugged at the assailant’s pants, but the man kicked him aside nonchalantly.

  Ben blinked the stars from his eyes and rolled over swiftly. He dropped his backpack and slid further down into the dark, public parking structure. He ran down to the second and last level, splashing through the large rain puddle that had trickled down the ramp and accumulated at the bottom. Only a couple of cars were parked there with no one in sight who could help. Ben ran to the end of the parking lot, knowing full well it was useless, for there was no other way out.

  Behind him the man followed more slowly, knowing he had Ben cornered. The guard dogs’ hysterical barking echoed into the parking lot.

  Tike hid behind Ben’s legs. Ben had his back against the concrete wall, facing the man in the grey suit. It was the same man he had spotted from his classroom window that afternoon.

  “Leave me alone!” Ben shouted at him.

  The man continued to approach until he was a couple of strides away. He gazed, bemused, at the terrier who bared his teeth in an attempt to protect Ben, though not a bark or growl left his throat.

  Ben thought it was a trick of the light, but he was sure he had just seen the man’s eyes turn from green to honey-brown. He caught his breath.

  Twisted eyes!

  Then, to Ben’s horror, the being’s whole face began to tremble at an alarming speed, as if two identities were struggling to take control of his features. When the unnatural shaking stopped, instead of the bald man with green eyes who had been there before, there now stood a taller man with spiky, white hair and honey-brown eyes. The being clenched his teeth, as if he were angry with his own transformation.

  Ben yelled urgently, “Mom! Mom!”

  The being turned his face away, a smile on the corner of his mouth, and Ben heard his mother say, “I’m right here, honey!” Then the being looked at Ben again as his mother’s voice left his lips, “I told you I’d pick you up.”

  Ben’s heart dropped like a stone, his skin crawling as if a hundred tiny spiders were skittering up and down his body. He stared at the abnormal man with dread. The being had spoken with Laura Archer’s voice, the same one that he had heard in the receiver in the school office.

  “Where…where’s my mother? What did you do to her?” Ben’s voice was thick with fear.

  The being didn’t seem amused anymore. “I’m not here to talk about your mother, Benjamin Archer.”

  How does he know my name?

  He stared intently at the boy, then said, “I’m here to talk about Mesmo.”

  Ben caught his breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he croaked, his voice sounding weak and unconvincing.

  The being was unsmiling. “Of course you do. You see, your grandfather and I talked about you four days ago.”

  Ben’s eyes widened, his mind whirling back as something clicked in his memory. He had bumped into this man in the hospital after visiting Grampa that night, though back then he had been wearing a doctor’s coat.

  The night Grampa passed away…

  Ben stared at the unnatural man with new fear in his eyes.

  “Who are you?” he breathed. Somewhere far away, the guard dogs barked incessantly.

  “I am Bordock, also known as the Shapeshifter. That is my skill,” the being said enigmatically. “I have been playing a hide-and-seek game with Mesmo for almost two months, and my patience is running out.” His dark eyes bored into Ben’s. “You spoke to Mesmo yesterday, in the graveyard, during the funeral. Why?”

  Ben swallowed hard.

  How can he know that?

  He felt he was becoming smaller and smaller while Bordock loomed ever larger over him. Ben unconsciously reached for Grampa’s watch, silently praying it would magically make him disappear.

  “I don’t understand what
you want,” Ben said helplessly. “Leave me alone!”

  The Shapeshifter grabbed him by the shirt, glaring down at him. His eyes were deep, brown pools that stirred another memory in Ben’s mind, one that was terrifying: something that had triggered many nightmares and which he had tucked far away into his unconscious.

  “I want Mesmo,” the Shapeshifter said menacingly. “And you’re going to tell me where he is!”

  “I’m right here, Bordock,” a voice boomed from behind them in the parking lot.

  Ben peeked from behind the Shapeshifter’s shoulder as he turned around slowly.

  Mesmo stood at the bottom of the ramp, his tall body reflected in the large puddle of rain.

  The Shapeshifter let go of Ben’s shirt, then placed himself before him, so that Ben had to stretch his neck to see what was going on.

  The two men glared at each other with palpable hate.

  “Finally!” Bordock said. “What took you so long?”

  “Leave the boy alone, Bordock,” Mesmo said. “He has nothing to do with this.”

  Bordock observed Ben curiously for a second, before jeering, “What would you care about an Earthling boy, Mesmo? Have you lost track of your mission?”

  “That’s enough! You’ve done enough harm already!” Mesmo retorted.

  “Not quite enough,” Bordock said darkly, before adding slowly, “You’re still here.” He braced himself as the air filled with static, which was drawn to him like a magnet. An invisible force gathered around the Shapeshifter. His hands and arms began to glow.

  In that instant, a car screeched into the parking entrance before coming to an abrupt stop. The car door opened and a woman stepped out. She bent to pick up Ben’s backpack.

  “Ben?” Laura called.

  “Mom!” Ben cried back frantically.

  The Shapeshifter launched a powerful ball of blue light straight at Mesmo who dropped down, placed his hands in the giant puddle then turned it into a solid, transparent shield that blew into a thousand fragments as it was hit straight on. The air fizzled and cracked, transforming into a fine mixture of mist and smoke.

  Mesmo picked himself up.

  Bordock grinned as he gathered energy; the blue light emanated from his hands and arms again. But he froze suddenly when vicious barking boomed into the parking lot. The three massive dogs from next door dashed down the ramp and emerged out of the mist. They headed straight for Bordock and the boy. In seconds they would be upon Ben. His mother cried out in alarm. Ben put up his arms to protect his face, shouting, “Stop!”

  Incredibly, they did.

  The three beasts froze in their tracks right in front of Bordock, growling at him menacingly, searching for the slightest movement. They circled him, shaking with anticipation, barely containing their urge to pounce.

  Ben remained stuck to the concrete wall, afraid to move an inch for fear they would turn their attention to him.

  The mist dissipated, while everyone waited cautiously, mesmerized by the deep growling creatures circling the being in the grey suit.

  When nothing happened, Bordock let out a hissing breath. He frowned angrily, saying through gritted teeth, “What is this? How is this possible?”

  Mesmo, joined by Laura, seemed equally perplexed.

  “This is not your doing! It cannot be!” Bordock snarled. “And your daughter’s skill died with her! Unless…” he stiffened abruptly. Then, as if a silent message had passed between them, both Bordock and Mesmo turned their attention to Ben at the same time, a look of utter disbelief in their eyes.

  Ben swallowed, shaking his head in confusion.

  Bordock’s eyes narrowed as if he were seeing Ben for the first time; the boy could see his mind was trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.

  “Ben!” his mother called anxiously.

  Her voice came through to him. Carefully, Ben extracted himself from between the wall and the man. He distanced himself from the Shapeshifter slowly, afraid he would lunge. But all he did was glare fiercely.

  The air was static, the few dim lights flickered, as Mesmo urged, “Hurry!”

  Laura grabbed Ben’s shoulders in a kind of urgent hug, then pushed him ahead of her. The three sprinted up the ramp. Ben opened the back door of the car, jumped in, and was closely followed by Mesmo and Tike. Laura pushed their door shut as she got in. In an instant, the motor came to life. The car screeched backwards into the street, leaving Bordock to his fate.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Lighthouse Park

  They drove through the city, making it out before the start of rush hour, then crossed Lion’s Gate Bridge to the north shore, which joined the Sea-to-Sky Highway going west. Laura checked her rear-view mirror constantly to make sure nobody was following them. Instead, she caught Jack Anderson staring intently at Ben.

  When Ben put a hand to his forehead, saying, “Mom, I feel dizzy!” she veered sharply into a driveway leading to the forested coast, which soon turned into a dirt road surrounded by old, majestic red cedars with a sign that read Lighthouse Park. She stopped the car in the visitor parking lot in the middle of a lush forest, which was almost empty of tourists at this time of the season, then got out of the car hurriedly.

  “What are you doing, Mom?” Ben asked.

  She opened the back door, ordering, “You! Get out!” She pointed to Jack. He obeyed. She then closed and locked the doors by clicking on her car keys to keep Ben safe inside.

  “Mom!” he objected, knocking on the window.

  She took no notice of him as she faced Jack. “You!” she repeated. “Jack…or whatever your name is… You’d better tell me what’s going on or I’m leaving without you this instant!”

  Ben thumped on the car window.

  “Stay right there, Ben, until I’ve sorted this out!” she ordered. She glared at Jack, both angry and afraid at the same time. “I’ve been chased around all morning by the police and now…this! Whatever this was!” She waved her hand in the general direction of the city, shaking her head, then continued without waiting for an answer. “Wayne was right. I’m taking Ben far away from here!”

  “Bordock will look for you,” Jack warned. “He will never stop. Not after what happened in the parking lot.”

  Laura grimaced, “Don’t you dare make this about us! We don’t have anything to do with this Bordock-nor with you for that matter. Both of you leave us alone!” She reached for the car door.

  Jack bent to the ground.

  “What are you doing?” she asked fearfully.

  He touched a small puddle with his index finger. It immediately turned into a beautiful ice crystal with intricate designs, like the ones she had seen at her father’s house after his funeral.

  She stared at the crystal, taken back to that beautiful, golden sunset over the fields, the grass crunching with fresh, delicate ice… She felt a calm wash over her instantly.

  After a silence, she breathed, “Who are you?”

  Ben banged on the door again. “Mom,” his voice sounded muffled. Still staring at the ice crystal, Laura opened the door for him as if in a trance. Ben stepped out before she could change her mind. “Before Grampa died, he told me to find Mesmo if we were ever in trouble.” He pointed up at the tall man, and added, “This is Mesmo.”

  Laura and Ben both stared at the stranger with his out-of-place fur hat until Laura ventured, “Then who is Jack Anderson?”

  Mesmo shook his head sadly. “The real Jack Anderson died in a mountain climbing accident in Bolivia last week. I borrowed his name.” He turned his attention to Ben. “Something happened in the parking lot–something I can’t quite explain.” He paused before continuing, “I’m going to need you to recover your memory about the night of The Cosmic Fall.”

  Ben gasped. “But you said you didn’t want me to.”

  “Today changed everything. Your grandfather wanted you to forget–to protect you–but after what happened today, that is no longer possible. Bordock was after me. Now he is going to go after you, too.”
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  “Hold on a minute!” Laura interjected. “What would you know about The Cosmic Fall?”

  Mesmo held her gaze before answering, “I was the one who crashed that night.”

  Laura pointed a stern finger at him. “Hold it right there, Mister! Don’t come to me with some crazy story about crashed UFO’s. I heard that one already...” She caught her breath as her eyes fell on the ice crystal.

  Mesmo explained. “Bordock shot down our spacecraft. My daughter and two of my companions perished. Somehow I survived. Your father found me and saved me by carrying me to his house. But the police picked him up after he went back to help my companions. I took Ben and escaped.”

  Laura gasped, something clicking in her mind. “Are you saying you carried Ben from my father’s house all the way to Chilliwack that night?”

  “Yes,” Mesmo replied.

  Laura stared at him with a mixture of awe and fear.

  Ben grabbed his mother’s arm and pleaded, “Mom, I need to remember!”

  Laura shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Ben. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to do that. You know we’ve tried.”

  Ben turned to Mesmo. “Can you help me?”

  “Yes.”

  ***

  The three of them sat on a small beach surrounded by boulders topped with fir trees. Way above, the white and red lighthouse illuminated the bay, while in the distance the lights of Vancouver glittered under the night sky.

  Laura had had the presence of mind to check the trunk of her father’s car, which contained two ragged blankets, some camping gear, a first aid kit, some cans of food, and instant coffee. She was amazed at her father’s foresight, thanking him silently for having taught her how to start a fire when she was a girl. She warmed up a can of beans, which she and Ben devoured, though Mesmo would not touch it. They had found a plastic bottle in a garbage bin, then filled it with water from a tap placed at the park entrance for tourists visiting the site. The water was beginning to boil in the bean can. She would mix some instant coffee in it.