The Marilians

by Beth Worsdell

  “You’re going to fit into our family very well, Nalik,” Anthony told him with a big grin.

  They were still laughing as we left the craft, and the elders were smiling at them lovingly. The elders had taken a shine to the kids and appeared amused by their humor.

  “Are your children always this funny?” Lindaz asked with bright eyes.

  “Oh, yes!” I told her, “My mom always told me that there are two things that can make any situation better, love and laughter.”

  “I believe you are right, Mel,” Christik said as she glided towards me.

  There were only four angels waiting for us this time in the cleaning we’d landed in. We dipped our heads at the angels before taking in the new surroundings. The air felt cooler and crisper on our skin, and a slight breeze made goosebumps appear on my bare arms. We seemed to be in a forest clearing and somewhere close by was a river or waterfall, as I could hear the water rushing against a riverbed or large stones.

  It was a beautiful forest with different flowering bushes and trees; all mingled with patches of bamboo. When I saw the bamboo, it brought a smile to my face as I remembered James having an ongoing battle with the plant when we first moved into our house. The previous owners had planted some in the garden, and it spread around the garden like wildfire. It had taken three full years for James to finally get rid of it all and as the memories went over in my mind, I turned to look at James, who had his eyes rolling in his head.

  “Is the bamboo bringing back pleasant memories, husband of mine?” I asked while trying to keep a straight face.

  “Not nice memories, no!” He answered with pursed lips that had me chuckling.

  The kids were all looking at us in confusion.

  “Bamboo is not your dad's favorite plant,” I told them with a smirk, “I’ll explain another time,” I added.

  “Can we see what the water noise is?” Abigail asked the elders with hope in her voice.

  “Of course, Abigail,” Lindaz told her warmly.

  “The animals will follow your mother and baby sister to wherever they go.”

  “Awesome, let’s go,” Abigail said as she pointed in the direction of the water noise.

  As Abigail led the way with April, Christine and Holly, we all followed behind. We could hear the leaves rustling as the cool light breeze blew through. The flowering bushes smelled fantastic as we brushed past them, and I have to be honest, I could have happily plonked my arse down on the ground and read a book right there with the water rushing in the background. It was the kind of place where you could forget all your worries and just relax.

  “We had only recently started to release animals here,” Christik said as we walked close to the water. “That is why there are only four here,” she added.

  “I must admit I was wondering why there was so few,” I told her.

  “We are lucky to be in the early stages of the healing process,” Nalik said with a serious tone, “It would have been an impossible task if it had been at a later stage.”

  “And it’s a bloody good job that you’re now an animal magnet, Mom,” Abigail added with a smile.

  Nalik and Abigail were spot on with their comments. I dreaded to think what would have happened to all the animals if the situation had been different. It would have been so heartbreaking for all of us women to have helped save the animals, only to see them killed. It made me shudder just to think about it.

  It was a lovely walk through the Chinese forest we’d landed in, and we were all admiring the beautiful trees and bushes. The forest was so dense that nothing could be seen other than leaves and the sky above. We could hear the water sounds getting closer with each step. Abigail and April were walking faster than everyone else, their excitement getting the better of them. One second, the girls were there and in another second, they were gone, disappearing behind a thick patch of bamboo.

  “Woah!” Abigail said over the rushing water, barely loud enough for us to hear her.

  The rest of us sped up to catch up with them, and as we walked around the bamboo patch, we all stopped. The scene before us was breathtaking in every way. We walked out onto a wide riverbank, and we were suddenly standing on pebbles instead of wild grass. Not only was the rushing river very wide but it also traveled downwards, and through the massive clearing it had created; we could see a stunning mountain capped with snow.

  “This is so beautiful,” I told James breathlessly as he slipped his hand in mine, “I never thought we would ever get to see places like this.”

  “Neither did I, Mel,” he agreed, “With four kids, I didn’t think we’d ever be able to afford to travel the world. Now we are getting to share these places and moments with our kids. We are really lucky,” James added with a smile.

  Lindaz and Evest glided next to James and me, and like us, they were holding hands, which was lovely to see.

  “You live on a beautiful planet,” Lindaz told us. “We have not been to many planets that have such natural beauty,” she added, “we have always felt a deep connection to your world.”

  “I wish you could have told our ancestors how important it was to protect all this,” April told the elders.

  Her lovely face showed the sadness she felt. Evest let go of Lindaz’s hand, and he glided over to April. Dipping his upper body towards her small frame, he took one of April’s hands in his, and he looked deeply into her wide eyes.

  “April, we did tell your ancestors,” he told her, “We told them, and we showed them how important it was to keep everything in balance with your Earth.

  “Unfortunately, we could not stay here permanently, April,” Lindaz added, “Every time we left your planet, your ancestors would develop quickly, which is not a bad thing. However, your race would not sustain and protect your planet while evolving.

  “It is always the way that the few greatly affect the many,” Evest said solemnly. “Vanity, greed and pride are the things which were destroying your world, April.

  April bowed her head to Evest.

  “Thank you for being so honest with me, Evest,” April told him sincerely.

  “Always April, we will never tell you untruths,” he told her.

  We all stood admiring the beautiful scenery for a few more minutes before the girls decided to play toss the stone while waiting for the animals to find us. The boys were quite happy to watch the girls throw the pebbles as hard as they could, and Holly’s technique was most impressive.

  Before too long, all the kids and Nalik were playing, and Nalik was the only male who didn’t appear upset that Holly was winning. She had a very good arm on her, and her stones were definitely traveling the furthest, with Christine coming a close second. The rest of us watched with smiles as the kids tried to outdo each other.

  While we stood watching, a distant noise of breaking branches and rustling leaves caught my hearing.

  “Something is coming, and it sounds like they’re in a rush,” I said to James, who was still holding my hand, “Kids, they are coming,” I called out.

  The kids quickly stopped their game, and the boys, whose turn it was to throw, dropped the pebbles they were holding. We could hear the noise of the animals getting louder and louder. Just as the kids walked over to the angels and us, two creatures burst out from the bushes next to us, making me jump.

  There was no way of telling what they were at first as the two creatures tumbled over each other’s bodies. There were squeals from both, but it didn’t sound like it was aggressive. The seemed to be playing, and as they rolled and tried to detangle themselves; all we make out was thick brown fur and almost black legs.

  Christik glided towards the two animals and outstretched her hand towards them with her palm glowing. She looked bemused at the creatures as she let her power flow from her hands.

  “There is no time for play right now,” Christik told them.

  As her calming power hit them, they both comically stopped play fighting and flopped on their backs with their paws splayed out; with faces t
hat almost looked like they were smiling. It was as if they’d been given happy gas and were now happily chilling.

  Once they were still, I took that as my cue to retrieve them. They looked like raccoons, especially their faces, with the black patches on their eyes and the markings on their faces and bodies. However, the shape of them was more canine.

  I scooped the first one into my arms, and as soon as I held it, it started to nuzzle against my neck.

  “Are these a kind of raccoon?” I asked Christik as she held the other within her power.

  “They are Tanuki,” she answered, “I believe your people would call them raccoon dogs.”

  “They look a lot like raccoons, but then their proportions aren’t the same,” James said as he helped me place the one I held inside the first container.

  “These Tanuki are closer genetically to your dogs than your raccoons,” Evest told James, “As you can see, the Tanuki cubs are very playful.”

  “I think they are so cute,” April added, “Can I get the other one for you, Mel?” She asked with a pleading look on her face.

  “Yes, of course, you can,” I told her.

  I straightened up after closing the box, nodding to the angel before he vanished, and I turned around to face April as she walked over to Christik. The Tanuki was still lying on its back with its legs in the air, looking at Christik as if she were the best thing since sliced bread. As soon as April scooped up the Tanuki, Christik reigned in her calming power. The animal suddenly wasn’t chilled as Christik’s power stopped, and it desperately looked around for its little partner in crime.

  April tried in vain to keep hold of it, while James and I rushed over to help her. Between the three of us, we just about managed to get the Tanuki into the next container. When the angel vanished, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

  “If you believe that the Tanuki were a handful, then you should prepare yourselves,” Christik told us.

  “Why? “What animals are we waiting for next?” I asked with my eyebrows raised questioningly.

  Christik’s resounding smile had me smiling back in return.

  “Two panda cubs,” she said. “If I remember correctly, they were more playful than the Tanuki.”

  Something caught my eye, and when I looked up, the two waiting green-headed angels were both nodding their heads in agreement and were both smiling.

  “Were you the angels who brought the pandas here?” I asked.

  “Yes, we were,” one of the angels answered.

  “It took us quite a while to remove the panda cubs from our legs, as they didn't want to leave us,” the other angel told us.

  “They were clinging to your legs?” Holly asked through her giggles.

  “Yes, they were,” the first angel said with a smirk.

  “Now that would have been very funny to see!” Christine told them warmly.

  “Well, while we’re waiting for these little rascals, why don’t we have some refreshments?” Christik said.

  She then turned her gaze to Nalik.

  “Nalik, if you could retrieve the drinks and food, please,” she asked.

  Nalik dipped his head and vanished back to the craft, and while we waited for him to return, we all walked back to the grass and sat down. I was pleased to take a rest as our baby girl was starting her somersaults again.

  “Is the baby moving?” April asked as she sat down next to James and me.

  “She sure is,” I told her, smiling as I looked into her wide eyes.

  “Can I feel her move please?” April asked with hope in her voice; “I've never felt a baby move before.”

  “Of course, you can,” I told her.

  Yet again, my heart felt heavy with the knowledge that April had missed out on so much normal family life. She inched herself forward and gingerly placed her hand on my swollen baby bump, just as Nalik reappeared with the food and drinks. While Nalik placed everything on the floor between us all, April sat in amazement as she felt her new sister moving around under her hand.

  “She’s very strong isn’t she,” April stated, as I felt the baby pushing her feet against the side of my stomach to push her butt out.

  “Yes, she is,” I agreed, “I believe she is enjoying you stroking her back because she’s pushing to get to your hand,” I told her.

  I took April’s free hand in mine and placed it near her other hand.

  “Can you feel the little bump?” I asked her.

  “Yes,” she replied, with even wider eyes.

  “That's her butt pushing out, and you are stroking her back,” I explained, “I think she’s going to like back tickles, just like Abigail,” I said with a smile.

  At the mention of her name, Abigail quickly looked around to us.

  “I still love having my back tickles,” Abigail said with a grin. “I would happily pay someone to be my own personal back tickler,” she added with a giggle.

  “You are so much like your mom,” James told her warmly.

  “Thank you for letting me feel the baby,” April said with a big smile.

  “You are so welcome, honey,” I told her, “it won’t be long before you’ll be able to hold her.”

  Her resounding smile lightened my heart, and I knew she was going to be a wonderful big sister.

  Nalik and Holly finished handing out the food, and we all started to eat, drink and chat between ourselves. Although it was a beautiful place; it did seem strange not to hear birds singing. All that could be heard was the water rushing alongside us. I did know that the pandas were close, though because the baby was still moving around, and it almost felt as if she was using my bladder as a trampoline.

  Just as I decided to stand up and move around, the first panda quickly padded out from the trees. It stopped and looked at each of us in turn as if it was trying to decide who was friendly. James and the kids all oooo’ed and ahhhh’ed at the panda cub while it looked around, and then the panda locked eyes with me. It was as if he or she was thinking ‘Ahh there you are.’

  I decided to kneel instead of standing up, so I was level with the panda. I knew there was no way that I’d be able to lift it. Even though it was young, it was still a chunky little thing. It seemed quite excited as it came my way, and every now and then, it would look one way then the other, possibly checking to see if anyone was going to stop it.

  The panda cub had almost reached me when the other panda cub ran out from the trees. It was running straight for the first panda like it had been trying to catch up to it. The little panda abruptly realized that the first panda wasn’t alone. Its head whipped around wildly as its eyes looked from angels to humans; the poor little thing couldn’t slow down its momentum even though its little legs tried to brake.

  I looked from the second panda whose eyes were wide with shock to the first panda whose little expression said, ‘?’ And suddenly the two pandas were a bundle of rolling white and black fur, rolling across the grass and then pebbles, heading for the water. In seconds, we were all on our feet and trying to catch the rolling fluff bundle that was going to get soaked.

  The kids were all giggling as they tried to stop the pandas, but it was too late. With a splash, the little cubs rolled straight into the cold rushing river, and the moment they hit the water, they fell apart. Both wet cubs were lying on their backs with their little legs waving in the air. The shock of the cold water and the water washing over their faces made them panic.

  “Quickly, get them out!” I shouted as the poor little cubs began to squeal with distress.

  James and the kids were quickly following the cubs, aiming to retrieve them, but the angels were quicker. Lindaz and Evest quickly raised glowing hands towards the panicking pandas, and as their power shot forward encasing the cubs, James and the kids backed off. We all watched as the elders started to raise the cubs out of the water. They looked like they were inside glowing bubbles, and they seemed so confused, and I’m sure relieved too.

  As the cubs were lifted into the air, the water ran off them and
out of the bubbles. It was quite funny to see them trying to shake themselves inside the bubbles, failing miserably as they kept losing their balance. Lindaz and Evest began to use their power to dry the cubs while floating the cubs over to Anthony and Harrison whose eyes were lighting up.

  “The panda cubs are heavy,” Evest told them, “are you ready to hold them?” He asked.

  “Yes,” Anthony said.

  “I’m ready,” Harrison told him.

  Both the boys held out their arms ready to take the cubs, and the elders aim was precise. The cubs landed softly into Anthony and Harrison’s waiting and steady arms, and I think the pandas were relieved to be safe, even though they were in the arms of strangers. The girls walked straight over, desperate to check the cubs over.

  “Are you ok, little guy?” Abigail asked the cub Harrison was holding.

  Its little eyes looked up at her as it rubbed its little black nose against her hand. April and Holly were both rubbing behind the ears of the cub Anthony was holding, while Christine stroked down its fluffy back.

  “Oh my god, they are so cute,” April said.

  “Did you have a scare, little one?” Holly asked it as it turned its head sideways so she could scratch where it wanted her to scratch.

  It was comical to watch the pandas enjoying all the attention, and neither of them seemed to want the attention to stop. As much as I wanted the kids to enjoy themselves, time was getting on, and we still had one more place to go.

  “Let’s get them in their containers, so the angels can make them safe kids,” I said.

  The looks of disappointment were clear to see on the kids’ faces, and I hated to be the bad guy. Reluctantly, the boys with the girls’ help managed to get both of the pandas into the containers. I was relieved when it was done and relieved that our baby girl had settled down once again. As soon as the angels left with the cubs, we all helped to clear up the food and drinks and walked back towards the craft. I was starting to look forward to getting to bed, so I was pretty sure the kids were feeling worn out too.