“Yes, yes,” said Mark. “My brother is sick and we need a doctor,” he repeated.
“Can I help you?” repeated the being.
“Nita, help me out here, he doesn’t understand.”
“Don’t touch the water,” said the being who had turned slightly toward the lake. “You’ll wake it and you don’t want to wake it. It doesn’t like intruders.”
“Oh, okay. My name is Nita. You asked if you could help, are you a doctor?”
“Yes, I am a doctor, my name is Goshwam,” he replied.
“Goshwam, my friend Blackie is sick; he’s in our transport over there,” Nita pointed at the Nomad. “Could you look at him?”
“Yes, yes,” he replied, “I will look.” Goshwam retrieved a bag and slung it over his back, picked up his walking stick and started toward the car at such a pace Mark and Nita could barely keep up.
“Look at his feet,” whispered Nita, “they look like speed fins or like they’re for walking in sand.” Mark glanced at Goshwam’s broad flat feet and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Don’t stare,” whispered Nita.
Goshwam smiled and continued his march toward the car. He was much faster in the sand than Mark and Nita and reached the Nomad while they were still thirty yards away. Goshwam approached the passenger side back door and opened it without hesitating. Joules didn’t see Mark and Nita when the door swung open and she immediately reacted to protect Blackie and Amelia. The slight glow that always accompanied her began to intensify in her hands. She remembered the fight at the museum and how she wanted to protect her friends. Goshwam seemed curious about the searing white light now radiating from Joules’ hands but he didn’t appear to be afraid; that could have been a fatal mistake.
“Joules, wait, he’s a doctor,” said Mark trying to catch his breath as he reached the car. “Running through sand is nothing like running on a ball court,” he thought.
Nita who trailed Mark through the sand approached the car slowly, “Joules, he’s a doctor.”
Joules made eye contact with Mark and repeated, “He’s a doctor?” A shield of gyroscoping light was beginning to envelope her. “He’s a doctor, he’s here to help?” she asked as she studied Goshwam and the light intensified and swirled around her and Blackie like a shield.
“Yes, yes, he’s a doctor, he’s here to help Blackie,” said Mark holding her gaze and hoping she believed him and backed down. Slowly the light shield began to fade, her white-hot hands returned to their normal beautiful glow and the shield disappeared.
“You have the gift,” said Goshwam, as he peered into the Nomad.
“That’s Blackie there,” said Nita pointing at Blackie when she realized Goshwam probably didn’t know it was a man’s name. Amelia got out of the car and Goshwam climbed in. He put his hand on Blackie’s chest, then listened to him breathe. Then, as Blackie drew a breath and exhaled Goshwam leaned close and smelled the expelled air.
“He has soot in his lungs,” said Goshwam who began rummaging around in the bag he pulled from his shoulder, “and he is very sick.”
“Yeah, we know that,” said Wayne impatiently. “Can you help him?”
“I can help,” replied Goshwam matter-of-factly.
“Mark, is this a doctor?” asked Amelia.
“He said he is.”
“How do we know he knows what he’s doing?” asked Amelia.
“We don’t know, but what choice do we have?” replied Mark with a strained look on his face.
Goshwam smiled, looked at Amelia and repeated, “I can help,” and before they knew what was happening he withdrew his hand from his bag and threw a fist full of green powder in Blackie’s face. Blackie was surprised and inhaled suddenly, drawing the powder into his nose and mouth. The effect was immediate and horrific. He began to breathe heavily like he was struggling to inhale or expel air. His face was turning red and Mark didn’t like the looks of it.
“What the blazes did you do?” screamed Mark losing control.
“It will help,” replied Goshwam whose matter-of-fact responses were wearing thin on Mark’s patience.
Mark made for the car but Wayne grabbed his arm, “Wait, Mark; don’t interfere. Like you said we don’t have a choice.” Blackie shuddered so violently it shook Joules who was holding him in her arms.
He shuddered again and Goshwam smiled, “You will see; it will help,” he said, and just as he finished speaking a stream of putrid gray vapor poured out of Blackie’s nose and mouth. Joules fanned the air to disperse the vile odor. He shuddered again and Joules held him tighter fanning the air viciously. Again, gray vapor belched out of his nose and mouth like smoke filled with ashes.
“You have been to Volcanon?” inquired Goshwam as he looked at the repugnant fumes trailing from Blackie’s mouth. “It is not safe there,” he said, frowning for the first time since they encountered him. “Volcanon is covered with poisoned ash and smoke and soot. Why did you go there? It is not safe.” Blackie shuddered again and a blast of fumes shot from his nose and mouth, and then his entire body went limp, as if every muscle had lost its vitality.
“Blackie, can you hear me?” Joules said as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
“What happened?” he responded weakly.
Mark wiped his eyes before Wayne could see him and said, “You saved us from being killed on that mountain road on Gafcon-49, launched us off the side of the mountain into a mixing zone, got us pulled into a gorge on Volcanon, got us to jump here, and almost killed yourself in the process, you dweeb.”
At that Goshwam smiled again, “Don’t go back to Volcanon,” he said to Blackie patting him on the arm, “too dangerous for you.”
“Thanks for waiting,” croaked Blackie.
Goshwam packed his belongings back in his bag, stepped outside the car and started to walk away. “Wait,” said Mark loudly, “where are you going?”
“I have to check the lake, it is not acting so good,” said Goshwam.
“Can we give you a ride to somewhere?” asked Mark.
“No,” came the reply, “I have to check the lake, it’s not good.”
“Nita, could you help me please?” asked Mark.
“I think what Mark is trying to say is, thank you, and could we wait until you’re finished and take you somewhere?”
“You are welcome,” said Goshwam turning toward Mark and Nita, “but no, I must stay.”
“Is there any way we can help, or can we pay you for treating my brother?” asked Mark, who looked at Nita as if to ask if he had communicated correctly.
“No, no pay,” said Goshwam, turning and launching into his determined stride back toward the lake.
“Then could we take you home after you’re through?” asked Wayne who was standing next to the Nomad.
Goshwam stopped and turned to look at Wayne then smiled broadly, “This is my home,” he said motioning to the plain and mountains and lake, “this is where I live.”
“Here?” said Mark, “you’re a doctor and you live here?
“Yes, here and there,” he pointed to the mountains, “and there,” he pointed his walking stick at the plains. “I have all I need and want,” he said, “tell Blackie to come see me when he has recovered completely; we will talk.” And with that he smiled again and broke into a swift stride toward the lake.
“Goodbye,” yelled Blackie from inside the car. Goshwam waved his free hand high in the air as he walked away, but he didn’t turn around.
“Does it get any weirder than this?” asked Wayne shaking his head.
“Oh man, we forgot to ask him which way to go to town,” said Joules.
“He said go the same direction we were headed,” said Blackie, who looked better and better with each passing moment.
“When did he say that?” asked Wayne.
“Just now when he waved goodbye,” said Blackie.
“Your hearing voices, bro,” said Mark.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” came Blackie’s retort.
“Before we leave let me have a look at the brakes,” said Wayne and he climbed under the car and found the bleeder valves had been opened. “Lucky for us I keep tools in the spare tire compartment and, viola, a can of brake fluid.” With Mark pumping the brakes Wayne bled air from the system, tightened the bleeder valves, and the brakes were back to normal.
“What are the odds we’ll be able to pick up some more brake fluid in town?” asked Wayne.
“Odds, really?” replied Mark remembering Wayne’s outburst when they were deposited on Alphus Nebulum after having been caught in their first mixing zone on Terra Bulga.
“Sorry about that,” Wayne offered; he seemed to know what Mark was thinking.
“What’s crazier, hearing alien voices or reading someone else’s mind?” piped up Blackie who was now standing outside the Nomad taking in some sunshine. “It’s nice and warm out here.”
“Let’s go to town,” said Joules.
“Yeah,” agreed Mark, “I’m hungry.”
CHAPTER TWO
LINDONIKA CITY
Now that no one was dying, Wayne felt inclined to drive at a more leisurely pace, so they could appreciate the scenery. The stunning difference on each side of the car was not lost on any of them – rich verdant mountains tipped in a bluish haze on the left, not unlike the terpene-drenched Blue Ridge Mountains on Terra Bulga, and pale, tan, sandy plains to the right. They were in no hurry to end the drive but after 30 minutes at 45 miles per hour Wayne drove out of the plains and into the small town of Lindonika City.
“It looks small,” commented Mark.
“Some of the nicest places on Gafcon-49 are small villages,” replied Joules, “we might like it here.” All Wayne could think about was that someone had tried to murder them on Gafcon-49 so he wasn’t enthused about the whole 'quaint small village' idea at that moment. With the exception of Blackie meeting Joules, and being with his friends, he wasn’t sure Gafcon-49 had been anything more than a far away from home place to dodge an untimely demise.
This wasn’t the time to dwell on the morbid, so Wayne dismissed the haunting memory of that small mountain lane and a runaway Nomad whose speedometer read 95 miles per hour when they left the road. Wayne was tough and he wasn’t a 'get even at all costs' kind of guy, but putting his friends in mortal danger had pushed him very close to the edge. Wayne over the edge was dangerous. His friends had never seen it happen and Wayne wasn’t interested in having them as witnesses, but he couldn’t wait to get back to Gafcon-49.
There were all sorts of beings in town but the majority were like Goshwam, short and humanoid with a pleasant disposition. Wayne surmised the ones that weren’t balding were females and it turns out he was right. If your intention was to list all the beings in the Lindone Solar System you could make substantial progress by documenting the ones found on Main Street in Lindonika City, the capital of Lindonika. Mark wasn’t interested in the diversity. Thirty minutes is an eternity when Mark is hungry, so their first stop was the Café Tu-Vant in town square.
The front windows of the café were huge and light poured in like flood waters through a narrow canyon. The high ceilings were hung with fans low enough you could actually feel the air moving. Their friend Leo would approve — he knew all about fans and air conditioners. Tables with cloth coverings were set on shiny black and white checkered floors. Much to their surprise and delight a Cerotodairhin waiter came to their table with menus, glasses of water and suggestions for lunch. Without looking at the menu Mark ordered two sprots of Jinko and four plates of Calca as a starter, much to everyone's surprise. “Well, we enjoyed it at Tugurro’s place,” responded Mark, “I thought it would be a nice starter, plus I’m hungry.”
“Joules, we met a wonderful waiter named Tugurro some time ago and the strangest thing happened,” said Amelia.
Mark, Amelia, Nita, Wayne and Blackie all pitched in to tell the story of Mark’s contraband toast, the business agreement with Tugurro, the venture capitalist and the subsequent restaurant chain endeavor. “It got big a lot faster than any of us ever thought possible,” said Amelia.
Mark reminded Amelia that they needed to send Tugurro a message indicating their restaurants must accept credit cards. When the Cerotodairhin waiter returned, Nita inquired as to whether the café accepted their credit card. The answer was absolutely, and not long after the starters appeared the table was filled with dishes of food – savory and sweet, and almost everything in between. “Mark, do you need anything else?” said Nita stifling a laugh and nodding at the large stack of dishes on Mark’s side of the table. Blackie laughed, then turned red, when he realized his stack was almost as big.
“There’s nothing like surviving being poisoned to rev up your appetite,” said Blackie. Joules laughed and pushed the remainder of the dessert toward him. Blackie smiled and finished it, “It would be a shame to let it go to waste,” he said as he picked up his spoon.
“Maybe we should find a hotel then plan the rest of our afternoon, which at some point needs to include looking for the Jump Starter’s retainer ring,” suggested Wayne.
“Brilliant idea,” responded Mark through a sleepy yawn.
Blackie paid the bill and the group walked down Main Street to a hotel the waiter had suggested. Within minutes Amelia was back with keys. “We have two three-room suites,” she said to the group as she passed out room keys. “There’s a restaurant and small bar inside, and a pool, bar, and restaurant outside.”
“Perfect. By the way we should check our account balance while we’re here and see how Tugurro and the restaurant are getting on,” said Mark.
“I did already and you won’t believe our balance,” responded Amelia, “Tugurro left us another hologram message and said he can’t make toast fast enough. There is a line every day at the restaurant and franchise plans are coming along ahead of schedule. He looked happy but a little tired."
“Yeah, that sweet tired look of a business partner getting absurdly rich,” said Mark. Invigorated by the prospects of being rich, he asked, “Shall we take a walk around town?”
Everyone was up for a walk so they headed to the art district near downtown Lindonika. “Oh look,” exclaimed Joules, “there’s a museum. Let’s go in and have a look.” No one objected, and in short order they were glad they didn’t. The museum of natural history was filled with incredible exhibits including sculptures of creatures in reproductions of their natural settings that were beyond anyone’s imagination. Especially the earthlings — Mark, Blackie, Wayne and Amelia — who were from Terra Bulga (Earth as they kept calling it) and didn’t suspect that the aardvark and the kangaroo weren’t the weirdest creatures in the universe.
The most unforgettable exhibit was in a large room with a vaulted ceiling where the museum staff had created a three-quarter size model of Merculoid disembola. The plaque in front of the exhibit indicated there were three types of Merculoid species; Merculoid diminua, the smallest of the species that averaged about five feet in length; Merculoid collosus, the largest of the species that reaches 60 feet in height and a length of 85 feet, and Merculoid disembola, the medium sized species that reached a height of 30 feet and a length of 45 feet.
Except for size, the Merculoid species had virtually identical features that were described as grotesque in the most unimaginable and frightening ways. The biggest difference seemed to be that Merculoid diminua would have a harder time eating you.
Excerpts from reports of those who survived an encounter indicated Merculoids are so frightening they thought they would die of heart failure if they weren’t eaten first. Merculoids are carnivores. They live in lakes and deep portions of rivers where the flow rate is slow and the water’s surface is still. Although they have gill-like organs allowing them to breathe underwater, Merculoids are also able to breathe on land. In the event of an encounter on water, getting to shore is no guarantee of safety since the f
ew who escaped reported being chased almost 1,500 meters before the creature relented.
Merculoids are covered in dark gray fur that becomes matted with algae and dirt entrained in the water where they live; they are noxious-looking beyond imagination. They spend much of their time in water, and have webbed paw-like feet with three, huge bow-shaped heavy nails protruding from them; the middle nail being about twice the length of the outside nails. Their bodies have small blunt horns on their back and sides that protrude from their ragged skin. They have small ears (like bats on Terra Bulga) and have tails that are thick and heavy.
One survivor reported being hit by a Merculoid disembola’s tail and knocked 25 feet into a thick stand of ferns; the tall cover provided such good camouflage the beast gave up its hunt after 40 minutes and returned to the lake — lucky man, Merculoids rarely go away hungry. The witness said he was so frightened that he wanted to run, but he couldn’t move until the next morning; five broken ribs may have forced him to lie still.
But there is one feature of Merculoids that all people agree is the most shocking. Merculoids have long teeth that protrude from their downturned mouths and if that wasn’t frightening enough, they have one enormous eye in the upper middle portion of their face. Although they only have one eye, they have multiple irises that may or may not be seen depending on which direction they are looking. When looking forward one large silvery pupil is visible on a jet-black iris surrounded by red sclera.
However, if a Merculoid wishes to look to its right, its eye swivels to the left and displays a second iris and pupil on the right side of its singular eyeball, giving the creature two fields of view – one slightly off center to the left and a peripheral view to the right. Survivors reported some victims were so frightened when they saw the Merculoids’ creepy eye movement that they froze in fear. The response of the voracious carnivore was predictable, hence the term victim.
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