The Messenger

by Eugene Wilson

David feels that being at the carnival is a welcomed respite from the various problems that continually plague him. The emotional ups and downs he experiences at times makes him feel as if his life is a three-ring circus. As he walks pass various vendor stands, he enjoys taking in various food aromas. The smell of fresh hot buttered popcorn, pretzels and hotdogs is making him hungry again.

  A few screaming children, holding on to their cotton candy cones, run past him. His final year at Anonwood Central High School will start in a little more than four weeks. He had almost forgotten that the Rollen Brothers’ Summer Carnival would be in Anonwood City Park for the three-day weekend. For many students and teachers, along with the general public, the Rollen Brothers’ Summer Carnival is the final entertainment event before classes start September. As he continues moving among the crowds, he takes note of various lighted rides filled with screaming people enjoying themselves.

  He stops to watch a carousel filled with more happy people. Momentarily, he is listening intently to Over the Waves, an outrageously popular carousel music theme being played from a Katy Lou Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ. As he is listening to the music and watching the people whirl by, he begins feeling much better. He also begins feeling that his problems do not seem as bad as he may have imagined. The cool breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean feels refreshing as opposed to the hot August heat. Unknown to him, three young women are observing him as they are finishing off their double-scoop vanilla ice cream cones. Deborah Cherry, one of the women, turns to another one standing beside her. “Hey look! There’s your boyfriend!”

  “He is not my boyfriend,” the other woman protests mildly. “He and my brother had it out earlier today. The whole thing was really ugly.”

  “So why don’t you go over and cheer him up. I’m sure that he’d like that,” Benita suggests. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, the other woman replies sarcastically. “And how would I do that? Give him a hug?”

  “Hey! Not a bad idea!” Benita replies laughing.

  “Are we having fun yet?” She asks after walking up behind him. David perks up as he recognizes the young woman behind that voice. Often, he has found her distinct accent an interesting, yet amusing peculiarity.

  He gasps audibly as he turns around and sees her standing there. “I am now,” he tells her with a noticeable smile. He finds her eyes visually appealing. Her white velvet blouse shimmers in the ambient night light. A pair of light blue Levi’s accents her form just right. From his view, the bangs in her hair make her stand out. In essence, he finds her absolutely lovely to look upon. Her brilliant smile only adds to her physical beauty. Sylvia makes no effort to hide her enjoyment of the attention that he is giving her. “So what have you been up to since you last fought with Tyrone?”

  David’s smile vanishes as quickly as it had appeared. “Oh! Okay, so you’re just asking about Tyrone,” he balks. Still, he craves her attention.

  Sylvia can discern the lingering anger in him. “Well, not really. I just want to know what happened after you and Nathan had left this morning. When I saw Tyrone and you again, you all were at each other’s throat.”

  After thinking about his conversation with Harold Tanner, David sighs before answering. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about that.”

  “Well, I think you need to get this off your chest,” she insists. Besides, I’d like to finish our discussion from earlier this morning.”

  David mentally agrees. “Yeah, I guess so. Has Tyrone said anything to you about the situation since this afternoon?”

  “Yeah,” Sylvia begins with a short joking laugh, “he told me to stay away from you from now on.”

  “Oh really? And your response?” David asks mildly indignant.

  “Will you quit looking like that? Tyrone doesn’t tell me what to do.”

  Again, David pauses to think before answering her and briefly looks away. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m…just fed up.”

  “She changes the subject “That’s a nice dashiki you’re wearing. Where did you buy it?”

  “I bought it at Fines Men’s Shop. About five years ago, Mr. Holloman, my sixth grade electronics teacher, showed the class a film called The Blue Dashiki.”

  “Oh yeah?” She replies. “My Physical Ed coach had showed us that same film sometime later.”

  “So,” he continues, “I finally broke down and bought one. I usually wear it on special occasions or when I’m out with some friends. And right now, I’m thinking that this is a very special occasion.”

  Sylvia admires his dark-blue, embroidered Dashiki and black bell-bottomed pants. His medium Afro is trimmed with sideburns extending two inches past his ears. Yet, David welcomes her inquiry.

  “If you prefer, we could spend the rest of the evening beginning with a casual walk,” he suggests eagerly. Much to his surprise and utter delight, Sylvia agrees. David is beginning to feel his anger diminish further. Both begin walking among the crowds.

  Sylvia begins listening closely to The Sidewalks of New York, another carnival tune that is being played from the Wurlitzer 153 Band Organ. She clearly remembers this tune from when her parents took the family to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. After a few minutes of walking beside him, she feels more comfortable. Despite her initial views, she finds this side of him pleasurable. His conversation is warmer. “Just maybe…I really could like this guy,” she thinks to herself. A side vendor arrests David’s attention. Knocking down a stack of three metal bottles can win a person any one of a variety of stuffed animals. David motions Sylvia to accompany him over to the vendor. After he pays the money, the vendor gives him three softballs. However, to his embarrassment, the first two balls he throws miss the metal bottles entirely. Lowering her head slightly, Sylvia breaks out in a laugh. David is determined to save face.

  Calling his knowledge of physics to mind, he mentally computes the distance, along with the proper trajectory and initial force necessary for an optimum hit. With a look of determination, he throws the third ball. The ball speeds from his hand and follows a nearly straight trajectory toward the center of the two bottom metal bottles. The ball impacts the bottles knocking them to the ground. After looking among the myriad of prizes, he motions Sylvia to pick her prize.

  “A red teddy bear? You’re a real kitty cat at heart. Aren’t you?” He has the brightest smile on his face.

  Sylvia is mildly defensive. “Yeah. Besides, red is my favorite color. You should become more in tune with what a woman likes.” She tucks the stuffed animal under her left arm.

  David returns a serious look. “I’m already in tune with a woman, you.” Being alongside her again has calmed him greatly. He is determined to be more direct with her than he was earlier. He is certain that his feelings for her are becoming deeper than he had initially realized. Both turn and walk farther along the row of vendor booths. Still, a nagging doubt begins to surface in his mind as to whether she is being real with him. Thoughts about what Gareth had told him two hours earlier begin to haunt him.

  “How did you get here?”

  “Benita Cherry drove me here, but she wanted to leave early. Do you think I can get a ride with you back home?”

  “Definitely.”

  “That sounds good.” In her mind, she already felt that he would.

  His feelings are pushing him. “Look. I have to be honest with you about something.”

  “I can’t think of any better way to be,” she responds.

  David finds the softness and sincerity of her voice soothing, as well as reassuring.

  As he feels his throat tightening, he decides that it is now or never. “As impulsive as this may sound, I think you’re a wonderful person to be with. Up until this moment, I didn’t have the courage to tell you how I really felt about you.”

  Sylvia rebounds with a surprised look. “Well! How sweet of you! Now what finally brought this on after all these years?”

  David nods in agreement. Looking to right, he briefly focuses his attention on various laughing pe
ople as they are enjoying themselves on the revolving carousel some distance away. “That’s a good question,” he answers reluctantly. “As I was trying to explain earlier this morning, I found it difficult to approach you on much earlier occasions.”

  “So instead, you decide to slip love notes into my locker. It took me a while before I realized that you were the one doing it.”

  David breaks out in a short laugh. “I just wanted to see how you would react at first.”

  “Yeah. But later on, you denied doing it after I confronted you. Why?” Sylvia eagerly awaits his forthcoming answer.

  “I was afraid. I’m not Jim Brown, ya’ know.”

  “Are you serious? So you’re saying that real men are guys like John Shaft, Superfly or that other pimp called Willie Dynamite. From what I’ve seen, many women prefer a man who is considerate and respectful.”

  David smiles in acknowledgment to her conclusion. “Is that what she thinks of me?” He worries within himself. “But then, you were probably annoyed with me for not saying much when I would pass you in the hallway at times?”

  One seeming eternal moment passes as he awaits her answer. “Well, now that you’ve mentioned it” she continues, I thought at the time that, maybe, you were sort of…”

  “Weird? Right?” He responds laughing mildly.

  Sylvia desperately tries to keep a straight face.

  “You can go and laugh. I’m used to it.”

  She lowers her head again and breaks out a quick laugh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

  It does not matter to him, as he is becoming increasingly drawn to her. Her laugh and demeanor, everything about her is, from his perspective, simply delightful. As a gesture of sincerity, Sylvia places her right hand on his shoulder.

  “I admit that for quite some time,” David continues, “I couldn’t bring myself to say anything to you.”

  “Why? I don’t understand,” she asks him after a brief giggle.

  David finds her question difficult to answer. Up until this moment, he had often found it a challenge to convey his true feelings for her. “It was hard for me to express myself. Plus, I was going through serious problems at home.”

  “Probably with your parents, am I right?”

  “That, along with a few other things that left me feeling kind of bitter,” he continues. “Then one day, I saw you in the hallway talking with several other girls. You were looking awesome. I wanted so much to know who you were. But, maybe, I shouldn’t be saying this though.” Yet, it was too late as he realizes that he cannot take back his earnest confession.

  Suddenly finding herself in a somewhat awkward position, Sylvia turns away briefly. She wants to give David a meaningful response. “Yeah, I know. I saw you looking at me. Still, that was just over three years ago. I was only thirteen.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” he continues with a smile. “I found myself in love with a girl whom I saw for the first time in my life. I guess you can call it first impressions.” David is thrilled to tell her this. Sylvia steps back with a look of perplexity.

  She discerns the seriousness and determination in his voice. She is pleased and surprised that David is pouring his heart out to her. “Often, first impressions are misleading.”

  “Well, I know,” he acknowledges, “but, sometimes first impressions lead to more serious relationships.”

  “Were there any other girls whom you liked?”

  “Other girls?” David is mildly dismayed. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, for starters, there’s that cute girl who lives across the street from you. I’ve seen her and you talking a lot during and after school.”

  “Cute girl? What cute—oh, you mean Charlene?”

  “Yeah…Charlene,” she replies with mild suspicion.

  “Sylvia, Charlene and I are CAST members.”

  “Cast? You mean as in acting?”

  “No. CAST is the Coalition Advancing Science and Technology. Right now, we are nine students. We discuss physics-related business. So, unlike your womanizing brother, I have no interest in her. My interest is in you.”

  Sylvia laughs. “I was just teasing.”

  “No you weren’t,” David thinks to himself. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Besides, I’m not asking you to be like my brother. Tyrone does what works for him. You choose what works for you.”

  David reflects on her statement. “Well then, I choose to have one and only one woman whom I can admire, love and respect.”

  “Whoa! He’s normal after all,” she thinks to herself. “I truly admire you for saying that and I appreciate your honesty.”

  Slowing his pace, David is certain that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Sylvia. He has the broadest smile on his face. “And I believe you mean that.” He stops walking and faces her. She removes her hand from his. As they face each other, David makes a profound admission. “Sylvia, I want you to know something.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I am in love with you. I want you and me to have a serious relationship. I swear to God that you are the most beautiful and exciting young woman that has ever entered my life. I can make it no clearer than that.” He has passed the point of no return. As he is unequivocally in love with Sylvia, David has placed his heart into her hands. Rejection is now his fear. “What is she going to say now?”

  Sylvia, though, is nervous and apprehensive. She begins to feel that, maybe, she has said too much. She now has a serious-minded young man on her hands. Her feelings for him are becoming stronger. What began for her as a search for information has become an emotional issue. She finds herself attracted by his thoughtful speech, considerate actions and pleasing appearance. She also finds the entire situation disturbingly pleasurable. “I appreciate your love for me,” she begins.

  “However,” David interrupts as a feeling of disappointment begins to surface within him. He struggles to hide a rising frustration. Sensing his fear, Sylvia thinks hard about how she wants the situation to continue. She feels compelled to come up with an appropriate response. “You know, you look really pitiful when you do that. Allow me to finish what I want to say.” She steps back.

  “I’m listening.”

  “However and as I was about to say, I would like to know more about a guy before I become romantically involved with him. I mean, in some ways, I still don’t know you. In fact, we still don’t know each other that well. I’m asking you to be patient with me.”

  Breaking out again with a smile, he again faces her. “I understand. Getting to know someone takes time. I can be patient.” For one seemingly eternal moment, each becomes lost in the other’s gaze. David sees an incredible opportunity opening up. Sylvia, however, is experiencing a degree of uncertainty. “And I appreciate your patience.” Both resume their walking. Another individual, standing some distance away, does not like what he sees. He is angry as he sees David walking closely alongside his favorite sister. That is apparent to Nathan and Gabriel as they are walking up to him. “What’s your problem?” Gabriel asks, “You look like you wanna hurt somebody.”

  “I’d say so too,” Nathan agrees.

  Tyrone quickly turns around before the others can see who he was looking at. “It’s nothing! I thought I saw someone I knew. No biggie.”

  Becoming suspicious, Gabriel looks in the direction that Tyrone once focused on. By that time, David and Sylvia had turned a corner. “You’re not fooling anyone. I know that look. It’s me, Gabe! Remember?”

  In light of his cousin’s suspicions, Tyrone forces himself to appear calmer. “No. Really! I thought I saw someone I didn’t like a while ago.”

  Gabriel and Nathan exchange suspicious glances. All continue walking in another direction. Tyrone is wondering why Sylvia would take this much interest in David. It does not matter, he concludes. Now, it will be his turn.

  Aboard The Phesavius

  “Commander, I must agree,” Mobren speaks out. “Given what we have learned so far, I am assuming
that the individual in possession of the auvisuon is most likely a government or military official.”

  “Why would you come to such a conclusion?” Ularik asks.

  “Director Kalic’s implication is that whoever is using the auvisuon is using it in a rather haphazard manner.”

  “As if he is still trying to learn the operation of the auvisuon,” Ularik concludes.

  Mobren nods in agreement. “Commander, that would be the most logical conclusion. In agreement with Quafeira, a military official would most likely be in possession of both devices. Therefore, that we find a way to extract the devices while avoiding any military confrontation becomes even more imperative. This will require considerable planning.”

  “Once we locate the individual,” Mavren Obbin interrupts, “we can set down in a remote area before initiating first contact.”

  “Agreed,” Ularik states. “I want this operation completed as quickly as possible.”

  “Commander, there is something else,” Thanor states. “Since our arrival, no one from that planet has attempted to make contact with us as the Surăvians had done.”

  “Agreed,” Mobren acknowledges. “I surmise that these inhabitants are not as technologically advanced as the Surăvians.”

  “In that case,” Ularik answers, “this makes it even more imperative that we plan this operation carefully before making first contact. Thanor.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “You will pilot the Sagean. Aarath and Sevor will accompany you.”