“So,” said the rock with an air of determination. “Today, we’re off to Portugal. Are you ready?”
“I guess so,” said George, walking alongside the rock while looking furtively in all directions to make sure no one was watching them. He felt a bit embarrassed at walking down the sidewalk with a waddling rock.
“Aren’t you a bit worried about being seen?” he asked the protector, just as he had done the day before when the protector was a flower.
“Nonsense,” replied the protector. “Anyone who saw us would just think I’m yours. Haven’t you ever heard of a pet rock before?”
“But rocks don’t walk around on this planet,” said George.
“True enough,” laughed the protector. “Don’t worry, though. I’m too low to the ground for anyone to notice me. I once attended one of your football games in a 30,000 seat stadium this way and no one noticed me at all. People don’t look down expecting to see rocks walking around, you know.”
They had rounded the corner and George could see the protector’s car with Ant Number 4 seated silently in the driver’s seat. Suddenly the protector said, “I got a disappointing report from the intergalactic police. They searched the Grak ship and found no sign of a power source that could possibly stop the earth’s rotation. In fact, they searched through your entire solar system and found no such energy source hidden anywhere. It’s a complete mystery how the Grak could hide something that big and powerful, but somehow they have.”
“Did they find my father?” asked George hopefully, although he already knew what the answer would be.
“I’m afraid not,” said the protector. “There was no sign of him or Jiu Na’s father. In fact, since they found no evidence and their search warrant has expired, they had to pull off and leave the Grak alone for now, since there’s nothing to show they’re doing anything wrong.”
George wondered if this was true. Had the intergalactic police really been notified and searched the Grak ship? If so, had they really failed to find his father? How could they search and find no evidence?
“We’ll go to the same spot as last time and set up the transporter,” said the protector as they approached the car.
“Are you sure it’s safe to go back there and set it up?” asked George, relieved to change the subject. “What about the Grak?”
“I don’t think they’ll bother us again,” said the protector. “Like I said before, I don’t think they expected us that day. We caught them by surprise.”
George scratched his head, wondering again if that were really so, and if there was some hidden reason the protector wanted to set up the transporter at the same spot again. Then he frowned and wiped his hand across his brow. He had to watch himself today. He couldn’t let the protector think he was suspicious of him. He tried to force a smile, even though he didn’t feel like smiling. Suspicion was certainly a heavy burden. Suspecting the protector was wearing him out.
They had reached the car, and to George’s surprise, the protector leaped off the ground and through the open window onto the passenger’s seat. “Corelian rock creatures have very impressive jumping abilities,” the protector said shyly. Then the protector hopped toward the floor and instantly shrunk to a tiny pebble.
“Hop into the back seat,” came the barely audible voice from the pebble. “I’ve already told Ant Number 4 where to go, so we’ll start right away. I’m just going to go in and transform and I’ll be right back.” Then the pebble disappeared through the tiny door.
George got in the back seat, swinging the car door shut behind him. Ant Number 4 immediately put the car in gear and started moving forward. In no time they were on the outskirts of town, approaching the field where the fallen star was located. The thick bushes that the Grak had brought with them were still all over the place, greatly changing the appearance of the open field that had existed before.
George was so busy looking out the window that he didn’t notice when the protector came back out and appeared on the front seat. “Looks like we’re almost there,” said the protector. When George glanced at him, his eyes opened wide in surprise. A swarthy man sat in the front seat of the car. He sported a black mustache and had olive colored skin. “Today, I am a Portuguese gentleman,” said the man. “I’ll rig the transporter to not only take us to Portugal but also to transform you and Ant Number 4 and Emberly into a Portuguese appearance as well, when we go through. It’s still best to not arouse any suspicion.”
The protector pulled something from his pocket. “Here,” he said, handing a stick of gum to George. “It’s Portuguese. Tastes just like rice and beans.”
George took the gum silently. What was he to do with it? He didn’t dare chew it, for fear it might be something like a happy memory pill, and make him forget things, or alter his mind in some way. But if he didn’t chew it, he wouldn’t understand what the people in Portugal were saying.
The car pulled to a stop. Still worrying about what to do about the gum, George followed the protector out of the car. He stood silently watching while the protector set up the transporter door with its surrounding cloud of gauze-like substance. George could see small areas where the gauze looked like it had been patched, apparently to fix the rips caused by the bramble bushes they had run into after their trip to China.
Suddenly, George was hit hard in the back of his legs, so that his knees buckled. “Got you by surprise, didn’t I?” came a girl’s voice behind him.
Looking around, George saw Emberly standing there, a mischievous look on her face. She pointed at his knees. “Your legs bend in a funny way.” She laughed. “They only bend backwards.”
“Now, Emberly, don’t be rude,” said the protector. “That’s the way all human legs bend.”
“Not mine,” said Emberly happily. “I would never let my legs bend backwards. I think its better if they bend in all directions!”
“Is that so?” replied the protector, with a wink at George. “Let’s see you bend your leg forward then.”
With a smile on her face, Emberly held out her leg, with her foot pointed up to the sky. She swiveled it around in the air for a minute. The smile slowly disappeared from her face while she stared at her leg. Straining, she tried to bend it forward, then sideways, then forward again. Finally, she bent it backwards. As she did so, she screamed.
“It only bends backward!” She cried. “It’s just like his! I’m deformed!”
“There’s nothing to be worried about,” said the protector calmly. “Human legs work just fine by only bending backwards.”
A look of horror covered Emberly’s face. “I’m deformed!” she cried again. Then she quickly hopped in the car and covered her face with her hands.
In a low voice, the protector said, “Praetorians don’t have legs, you know, since they just roll everywhere like a ball. It’s taking her awhile to get used to human appearances. Next time she’ll be making fun of your arms or your feet or your head.”
Before George had a chance to say anything in reply, the protector announced, “We’re all set. Hop in, and we’re off to Portugal!”
As the protector and George got into the car, he noticed that Emberly pulled as far away from him as she could, her face still covered by her hands. She didn’t move as Ant Number 4 began to drive forward toward the transporter door.
As they went through the transporter door, George again had the strange sensation of flashing color and visible sound. And then they were on the other side.
The sun was still shining, although it had shifted position so that it was on the western horizon, and looked like it would soon set for the night. They were on a dirt lane in the countryside, among gently rolling hills dotted with small cottages and occasional trees. No one was in sight. Emberly was sitting up straight, looking curiously around at the countryside, having apparently forgotten about the way human legs bend.
“Here we are!” announced the protector. “I don’t see a fallen star anywhere, but I didn’t expect we would. I set the coordina
tes so that we would come through within a mile of where it should have landed. We’ll just have a look around, and I’m sure we’ll run into it. It’s got to be here someplace.”
Ant Number 4 pulled the car slowly forward along the lane. They were approaching the crest of a small hill when the protector told him to stop. “I don’t want to draw too much attention to ourselves,” he said. “In the country like this there are few travelers, so the people will notice us. It’s not like China, where the crowds shielded us.”
“Wait here,” he commanded, as he got out of the car. “I’ll walk to the crest of the hill and see what I can see.” George noticed that he was carrying a pair of binoculars.
They watched as the protector walked up the hill ahead of them. Suddenly Emberly pulled on George’s hair.
“Your fur doesn’t feel very soft,” she said in a loud voice. “And it’s hard to pull out.”
“It’s not fur, its hair,” said George grumpily. “And you’re not supposed to pull it out. It hurts when you pull it.”
Emberly paid no attention. She suddenly got out of the car.
“I’m bored,” she announced to no one in particular. “I’m going to take a look around.” She suddenly started to walk across the field next to the road.
George hopped out. “Wait!” he cried. “The protector said to wait here. You might get lost.”
Emberly paid no attention, and kept walking. George looked furtively at Ant Number 4, but he just sat silently, staring straight ahead as always. The protector had disappeared over the crest of the hill.
George wasn’t sure what to do. He knew it was probably safest to stay at the car, but he couldn’t just let Emberly wander off. And he hadn’t forgotten his resolve to stay close by her, for protection from the Grak. “Come back!” he yelled after her.
She paid no attention. She had crossed over the crest of the hill on their left, and was walking down the other side. She would soon be out of sight. Suddenly George cried “Hold on!” and started to run after her. “Wait for me.”
Emberly turned. Seeing him coming, she started to run. She had a mischievous smile on her face, and quickly disappeared over the hill.
George followed as rapidly as he could, still trying to look inconspicuous and keep his eyes open for anything unusual. Since the last encounter he and Emberly had had with the Grak he felt a bit uneasy, wondering if they might run into trouble again.
Crossing over the crest of the hill, George saw a small cottage in a clearing below. Emberly was standing in front of it, talking to an old lady. George hesitated, not sure whether to go down to them or not. After a moment, the lady took Emberly’s hand and took her in the cottage door.
“Wait!” cried George, running down the hill as fast as he could. When he reached the cottage door he knocked rapidly, then stood panting on the doorstep. It was an old cottage, with a dirty stucco surface, and what looked like hand carved wooden window borders and a tile roof. There were chickens pecking their way across the yard nearby.
The door opened. The old lady’s wrinkled eyes seemed to smile down at George. “Gostaria de entrar e ter uns biscoitos com sua amiga?” she asked.
In panic, George remembered that he hadn’t used the protector’s Portuguese chewing gum. He pulled it out rapidly, then stopped. What if it were drugged? If the protector was not on their side, there was no telling what he might do. George looked back at the lady, not knowing how to respond.
“Tenha uma problema?” she said with a worried look in her eye. George could only nod.
Suddenly Emberly appeared in the doorway and held out half a stick of gum to him. She had apparently ripped her Portuguese gum in half. In relief, George took it and popped it into his mouth, certain that the protector would not give Emberly drugged gum since there would be no need to do so.
“Is there a problem?” the lady repeated.
“No,” George replied quickly, knowing that what sounded to him like English was in fact now Portuguese. “I just came to see where my friend was.”
The lady broke into a broad smile. “Come in, come in,” she gestured. “Have some cookies with your friend.”
George entered a small room that doubled as a living room and kitchen. It had an old television on a shelf opposite a lumpy old couch. A worn kitchen table stood in the middle of the room. On the opposite wall was a small sink and range for cooking. The room was very small, and the crowded furniture made it seem even smaller.
“Sit down, sit down,” said the woman. “Would you like some goat’s milk?” she asked.
George stared at her blankly. Suddenly Emberly laughed. “I tried some and it tastes terrible,” she said smiling brightly. “Go ahead and try it.”
The old lady didn’t seem troubled at all by Emberly’s rudeness, but still stood smiling at George. “No thank you,” he said. He picked up a cookie and bit into it while holding his gum in his cheek. The cookie dissolved in his mouth with a delicious flavor. “Wow,” he said without thinking. “These are good.”
“I think so too,” said Emberly gulping a cookie whole. “Donna Tereza made them herself.”
“They are my mother’s recipe,” said the old lady. “And my grandmother’s before that. Have more.” She pushed the plate full of cookies under George’s nose.
He didn’t need much encouragement and picked up another. Emberly wasn’t as polite, and grabbed several at once. After gulping down another one, she suddenly said, “Donna Tereza has a fallen star in her back yard just like the one by your house.”
George froze in mid chew. “You told her about the fallen star?” he asked Emberly.
“Sure,” replied Emberly casually. “Why not? That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? So we can find it?”
“Well, yes” said George hesitating. “But I don’t know if we should tell everyone about it.”
“Why not?” asked Emberly curiously.
“It is not a secret,” said Donna Tereza suddenly. “When it fell a week ago I called the police, and they came to look at it. But they were not impressed, and they never came again. No one has shown any interest in it, except for you and the terrible dog-like creatures that came the other night.”
George nearly gagged on his cookie. In a rough voice he said, “dog-like creatures? You say they came here?”
“Yes,” replied Donna Tereza. “And my lost husband too, who has been gone for a year.”
CHAPTER 23: The Attack
George stared at her in shock. The Grak had come here! And they had apparently brought her husband, who must have disappeared about the same time as George’s father and Jiu Na’s father! Before George could ask any of the hundreds of questions that were flooding through his mind, there was a knock at the door.
“My goodness!” said Donna Tereza, bustling over to open it. “I’m certainly having a lot of visitors today.” As she swung the door open, George could see the protector standing on the threshold.
“Good afternoon,” he said politely, removing his hat. Seeing George and Emberly inside he added, “I see I’ve come to the right place.”
“Are these your children?” asked Donna Tereza. Without waiting for an answer, she stepped aside and said, “Please come in and have a cookie.”
“These are not actually my children, but we are traveling together,” the protector replied, as he entered the room and took a seat at the small table. “Well,” he said with a smile to George and Emberly, “it looks like you two wandered off to the right place. I suppose you know already the third fallen star is in the back yard. I saw it from the hilltop, and have already taken my pictures and measurements of it.”
“Yes,” answered Emberly, her mouth full of cookie. “This is Donna Tereza.” She pointed rudely at the old lady. “She makes the best cookies in the world. But don’t try the goat’s milk.”
The protector laughed. Donna Tereza filled another plate with cookies and pushed it under the protector’s nose. “Now you are complete,” she said. “He told me three would come,
although I didn’t expect you so soon.”
“Someone told you we were coming?” blurted George.
“The same Ziphon that has visited you and Jiu Na, no doubt,” said the protector. “I presume he came last night?”
“Yes,” said Donna Tereza. “He was a funny little thing, with a rough voice.” Her face clouded. “He came the first time right after I found the clear rock by the fallen star, and said something about fire and ice, and about my helping protect the earth, of all things. When he came last night, he just said you would come, and that you would have important things to tell me, especially about the dog-like creatures that came here two nights ago and nearly killed me!”
Only Emberly seemed unmoved by this sudden statement by Donna Tereza. She continued to munch on cookies as if there were no cares in the world.
“Could you show us the clear rock you found?” asked the protector. Donna Tereza reached to a small shelf over the sink and took down a tiny box. Inside they could all see another Uth stone, exactly like the ones of George and Jiu Na, sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight which was flowing through the window. “I put it in this box and have left it above my sink since I found it. It is a very strange rock, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” said George. His voice sounded distant, as if it were coming from someone else. “Has it done anything strange, or helped you in some way?”
“No,” said Donna Tereza, with a curious look at George. “Of course I haven’t taken it out of the box since I found it. Was it supposed to do something?”
George shrugged, not knowing what to say.
“Please, tell us what happened when the dog-like creatures came the other night,” said the protector. “Then we will explain why we are here, and what’s going on.”
“Well,” said Donna Tereza uncomfortably, “it isn’t very pleasant. They came just as it was getting dark. There were five of them. I saw them through my window and was frightened, but knew I couldn’t try to escape or they would capture me. I’m not very fast on my feet anymore, you know.”
George Brown and the Protector Page 13