“So I stayed by the window, watching them.” She shuddered. “They were horrible creatures. For a time they stayed out by the star. They seemed to be taking measurements of it. Then they came to the back door by the window. I had locked it, but they pushed it open anyway. When I tried to run they bound me with whips. I can’t describe why, but when they came in the house, darkness and cold came in with them, and despair too. I thought I was lost.”
Donna Tereza shuddered, and pulled her shawl tighter across her shoulders. George could understand just how she felt, and could almost feel the terror that she must have experienced here all alone.
“Then all of a sudden Jose was here,” she said. “Jose is my husband. He disappeared one year ago.”
George and the protector exchanged meaningful looks. First George’s father, then Jiu Na’s father, and now Jose. Each disappeared one year ago.
“He looked so sad,” continued Donna Tereza. “He didn’t say a word, even when I begged him to talk to me. At first I was overjoyed to see him in spite of the terrible creatures. Then it became clear that he was their prisoner.”
“So, he never said anything to you at all?” asked George intently, staring at Donna Tereza.
“Not a word,” she replied. “I think he wanted to, but couldn’t. The horrible creatures didn’t say much either, except threats of how they would hurt me if I tried to escape.”
“Didn’t your husband communicate with you in any way?” asked the protector urgently. “Since you were married to him so many years before he disappeared, you must have been able to pick up some type of message from him.”
“Only that he was very sad, and was their prisoner,” replied Donna Tereza. “He did nothing at all, except take my hand and draw pictures on it. The same as I have dreamed him do over the past year.”
“I’ve had dreams like that too!” exclaimed George. “My father will come in my window during the night and draw or write on my hand. He never says a word.”
“Your father?” asked Donna Tereza, puzzled.
“He disappeared one year ago, just like Jose,” said George.
“Was there nothing else?” interrupted the protector. “Didn’t Jose communicate at all? Was there no sign to you, or anything?”
“No,” replied Donna Tereza. “After a time they all left. I begged my husband to stay but the awful creatures pulled him away from me. They went over the hill too fast for me to follow. When I reached the top they were gone.” She looked at them curiously, with sad eyes. "I only hope that you have good news for me, and can explain what all this means."
“Donna Tereza, why don’t you sit down,” said the protector slowly. “We have quite a story to tell you.”
For the next few minutes the protector told the story of George’s fallen star and the Uth stone he had found, of their trip to China and meeting Jiu Na, and of discovering the Grak’s scheme to stop the earth’s rotation. While listening, Donna Tereza raised her eyebrows and rocked gently back and forth in her chair, but said nothing.
When the protector had finished she rubbed her hands together in worry and frowned. “What are we to do?” she asked sadly. “I am an old woman, and George and this Chinese girl are just children. What can we possibly do to stop such powerful creatures?”
“We’re still trying to figure that out,” replied the protector. “The Ziphon you met told George and Jiu Na that there was something they could do, to stop the world from turning to fire and ice.”
Donna Tereza nodded. “He said the same to me, on his first visit.”
“Then there is hope!” said the protector firmly.
“I suppose so,” said Donna Tereza, “although like I said, I don’t know what we can do. Shouldn’t we tell the authorities?”
“I’m afraid there is little they could do,” said the protector. “When your police came to look at your fallen star, they thought little of it. They would probably just take the Uth stones for examination and force you to move away so they could dig down under the fallen star to see why it is growing a root. That would probably destroy your home.”
“And what of these ‘Uth’ stones?” asked Donna Theresa. “You say that they seem to have strange powers, and have done wonderful things for George and the Chinese girl. Is that what we must use to stop the Grak somehow?”
“We don’t know,” replied the protector meaningfully. “They do indeed appear to have unusual powers, but there seems to be no way to control them. I suspect they were simply used by the Grak to transport the fallen stars to the correct location, and nothing more.”
The four were silent for a time, each lost in his own thoughts. Even Emberly had stopped munching on cookies, having reached her fill at last. George's mind was absorbed by a question he dared not ask, at least not with the Protector present. Had Donna Tereza been told by the Ziphon to watch out for the person she least suspected? If not, then why had he and Jiu Na been given that warning, but not her?
Yet, even as George thought the question, he knew the answer. She hadn't known anything about the existence of the Protector until now! Naturally therefore the Ziphon would not need to warn her to be wary of him. This further confirmed that the Protector must be the one who would betray them.
Finally, the protector took a small ring from his pocket and held it out to Donna Tereza. “Take this,” he said. “It’s a communicator ring. If anything happens, you can put it in your ear like so—“ the protector demonstrated how to slide it into the ear—“then you can call me or George or Jiu Na at any time by simply speaking the person's name you want. The ring they have will tighten on their finger and they can then put it in their own ear and talk to you.”
“Amazing!” said Donna Tereza, looking at the ring in wonder. The protector stood up. “We must go now, since it’s getting dark.”
In surprise, George looked out the window and saw that indeed it was twilight.
Moving toward the door, the protector said to Donna Tereza, “let us know if anything happens, and we’ll do the same. Don’t be afraid to call often.”
“Of course,” she replied softly.
“Thank you for the cookies, Donna Tereza,” said Emberly. The protector looked at her in surprise and smiled. “That’s very good, Emberly. I’m glad to see you remembered your manners.”
“I don’t know anything about manners, but I know good cookies when I eat them," replied Emberly. " And I know enough to say thank you.”
“You are very welcome,” said Donna Tereza with a broad smile. “You are welcome to come any time and have more.”
After saying their good-byes, the three silently ascended the hill toward the car. George was deep in thought about what Donna Tereza had told them. Finally he said to the protector, “the Uth stone did nothing for her like it did for me and Jiu Na. And she never had the vision of the spaceship like Jiu Na and I had.”
“That’s probably only because she left it on a shelf,” replied the protector.
“And the Grak when they came to her, didn’t hurt her,” continued George. “But they brought her husband with them.”
“Her story is a bit different than yours and that of Jiu Na,” agreed the protector. “Perhaps it is because she is elderly, and you two are young. At any rate, her story is not too far different when you think about it. It definitely confirms the Grak are up to something that involves you three, and also her husband and your fathers. I assume the Grak are holding the three men prisoner for some reason, although it’s hard to imagine why the men would be important to their plan.”
They had reached the car. Quickly they got inside and Ant Number 4 began to move forward toward the transporter door. George was silent. He felt a significant amount of confusion and worry. He wanted so badly to ask the protector more questions, to try to probe and figure out what the Grak were up to. Indeed, he yearned to trust the protector again, to be able to believe him, and for him to be on their side.
But he could not ignore the Ziphon’s warning, a warning that had co
me only to him and Jiu Na, and not to Donna Tereza. He had thought coming along with the protector might give him a clue as to how the protector was working for the Grak, and what he and Jiu Na could do to stop them, but there had been nothing. It still was all a mass of confusion in his mind, and made little sense.
There was a flash of color, a brief vision of music and sound, and then they were through the transporter and back in the rich, California sunshine near the fallen star. This time, thankfully, there were no bushes or Grak waiting for them.
CHAPTER 24: Ice Cream
“You seem worried,” said the protector as they drove toward town. George looked up to see the protector staring at him in the rear view mirror.
He cleared his throat, trying to force himself to act casual. “I guess I am a bit,” he said.
“Well, I guess I can’t blame you,” replied the protector. “It all seems strange and confusing. The Ziphon said there was something you and the others could do to help, but we have no clue what it is. Meanwhile your father is still a prisoner of the Grak, and you’re powerless to help him. I’d be worried too if I were you.”
George didn’t respond. He wished that was all he had to worry about. Naturally, he couldn’t tell the protector that he was also worried about his own suspicions of him.
Rounding a corner, Emberly suddenly pointed and said, “what’s that?” They saw an ice cream truck parked up the street, with a group of children gathered around it.
“That’s an ice cream truck,” replied the protector. “Do you want some?”
“Why would I want a truck?” answered Emberly. “I can’t drive.”
The protector laughed. “Not the truck. The ice cream. It’s a food that tastes good. Here, we’ll stop and try some.”
The protector instructed Ant Number 4 to pull over. As they got out, the protector asked George, “do you think you have time? Has your mother tried to call?”
George quickly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “No,” he said in surprise. “There are no messages. Ever since she had the happy memory pill she hasn’t been as protective.”
“That’s the after affect of the pill,” said the protector. “It leaves a happy residue for awhile that makes the person more friendly toward you.”
They had arrived at the truck. Emberly was looking with fascination at the various ice creams the driver sold.
“They sell bombs!” she exclaimed in wonder. “Won’t they explode?”
George laughed. “Those are bomb pops,” he said. “They’re popsicles, not real bombs.”
“And look at the funny people,” said Emberly, pointing at the cartoon character ice creams. “Is it o.k. to eat people? I’m not sure that’s polite.”
“It’s just ice cream shaped like people,” the protector said with a smile. “Here, I’ll get us all some bomb pops.”
The protector paid the money and gave them their bomb pops. Emberly stared at hers for a moment, as if she expected it to blow up in her face.
George unwrapped his popsicle, and stuck the end in his mouth. “Try it,” he said to Emberly. “It’s good.”
Emberly unwrapped her bomb pop and took a bite. Her face suddenly screwed up in horror and she threw it on the ground.
“It’s cold!” she cried. “It’s freezing my mouth.”
George wasn’t sure whether to laugh, or look the other way. The ice cream vender was staring at them curiously.
Gently the protector picked up the bomb pop. “It’s just a frozen food,” he said. “It’s supposed to be cold. But it’s still good to eat.”
“But the Grak are cold,” Emberly said simply. But after a moment a smile came across her face. “Give it here,” she demanded, taking her bomb pop from the protector.
“That one fell on the ground, and isn’t clean,” said the protector. “Let me buy you another one.” However, before he could do anything, Emberly took the bomb pop over to a tree and smashed it into the tree trunk.
“There!” she said in triumph. “Now the tree has had some cold food, and can make cold shade with its leafs.”
The ice cream vender was staring at them as if they had gone mad.
“Perhaps we’d better go,” the protector said as discretely as he could. Silently the three headed back to the Volkswagen. Emberly kept looking back over her shoulder with a big smile on her face.
“That was polite, wasn’t it?” she said. “Giving food to others is polite, just like Donna Tereza gave us cookies.”
“I suppose so,” replied the protector.
Emberly stopped, looking puzzled. “Then why didn’t the tree say ‘thank you?’”
The protector smiled. “Hop into the car,” he said simply, opening the car door. “We’d better take George home.”
The protector had been right about the after affects of the happy memory pills. George’s mother didn’t seem troubled at all that he hadn’t returned until early afternoon, even though he hadn’t called to say he would be late. Janet was once again beside herself, and tried to talk their mother into punishing him. But their mother just smiled sweetly, and said she didn’t think there was any need for that. Finally, Janet threw her hands up in the air and went to her room to sulk.
After lunch, George called Jiu Na and told her what had happened in Portugal. She greeted the news somberly, especially when she heard of the attack by the Grak on Donna Tereza. “You could be next,” she said in an ominous tone. “It could happen anytime, and anywhere.”
“But it could happen to you too,” replied George simply. “We don’t know what the Grak are up to, but it seems to involve us and our fathers. Anything could happen at any time!”
“I know,” said Jiu Na, her voice sick with worry. “I can’t think of anything else these days, and I’m so jumpy I don’t know what to do.”
Once again she warned him repeatedly to be wary of the protector. She was especially troubled that he had agreed to meet the protector again the next morning so they could plan what to do next. George felt uncomfortable at her warnings, but said little. He knew if he voiced his confusion about whether the protector was for them or against them, Jiu Na would just become more concerned and warn him even more strongly. Finally, having little else to say, they ended the call—after Jiu Na made him promise to call again the next morning, before he met the protector. George knew the reason. She was going to try to talk him out of going with the protector again.
The afternoon passed slowly. A brownish haze seemed to settle in the air, which matched George’s mood. He was restless and uneasy. He fretted in his room for awhile, went outside and fretted some more, then came back to his room. Always in his mind were worries and thoughts of the Grak and what they were up to, of his father and how he was held prisoner, and of the protector and whether he was friend or foe. The Uth stone in his pocket felt so cold it seemed to pierce into George’s leg. He finally left the pouch containing the stone on his dresser.
The evening was no better. Watching TV seemed meaningless, and there was nothing else to do. George’s mother, sensing that something was wrong, threatened again to take him to the doctor. It was the first time George had seen Janet smile in days.
Finally it was time for bed. After slowly changing into his pajamas and turning out the light, George lay staring at his ceiling for a long time.
What did it all mean? What was he to do? Who was he to trust? Why were his father and the other two men being held prisoner by the Grak? What was the protector’s role in all this? What could George possibly do to get out of this mess? And most of all, what did the Uth stone have to do with anything?
With heavy questions such as these preying on his mind, George finally dropped off into a fitful sleep. Because of this, he failed to notice when the pouch containing the Uth stone on his dresser started to glow a short time later.
And then there was a sudden loud ‘pop!’ that woke George with a start. Looking wildly all around, he was alarmed to see the same Ziphon sitting on the edge of his bed.
<
br /> “George Brown,” it said in its voice like gravel, “the time has come. You must decide quickly, or all will be lost!” Then it turned its head slowly toward the dresser, and spoke again. “And you must make the same decision too.”
With another ‘pop!’ the Ziphon was gone.
CHAPTER 25: A Prisoner
George rubbed his eyes, then got out of bed, continuing to stare at the spot where the Ziphon had been a moment before.
Should he call Jiu Na, or Donna Tereza? Had they had a visit from the Ziphon too?
Looking over at his dresser, George was alarmed to see the pouch with the Uth stone glowing brightly. He went over and picked it up. Staring inside, he saw the stone glowing more brilliantly than he had ever seen it. He touched it, and the heat nearly burned his finger.
George suddenly sensed something at his window. Turning, he could see a glowing object on the grass a few feet from his house. Going over to the window, he saw in amazement what appeared to be another Uth stone, exactly like the one he was holding!
George flung open the window, and leaned out to look at it more closely. Incredibly, it was indeed another stone, glowing with a pulsing light that George could sense was matched by his own, which still lay in its pouch in his hand.
George was about to go through the window to the new Uth stone, but suddenly hesitated. Was it a trap? How had the Uth stone got there? Had it come with another fallen star? But there was no star in sight.
Had the stone been brought by someone? Yet the protector had said the Grak couldn’t touch the Uth stone. Surely they couldn’t have brought it. George’s heart was pounding in his throat. None of this made any sense!
Still unsure what to do, he slipped the ring from his finger and put it in his ear. “Calling Jiu Na,” he said firmly. There was no answer. “Calling Jiu Na!” he said again with greater urgency. Why didn’t she answer? She had always responded quickly before.
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