CHAPTER 8
Kerr
The first sun’s rays break the dark sky as I look out the palace window. I get up each day to watch the suns rise. Capitol city looks very much the same as it has since I was a boy.
The streets still glow and the gardens still grow. Our lives marked the big change in this planet’s history. All our children have grown up and left the palace to seek their own lives out.
Kataline and I are back to being just us. The years have our hair turned white and our skin has wrinkled, but our love is just as strong as the day we first laid eyes on one another.
We’ve had ups and we’ve had downs, but we’ve managed to work all things out together. By watching my parents, many learned you can get through just about anything in a marriage.
I turn to find my wife standing behind me. “Sneaky little thing,” I say as I turn and pick her up in my arms and kiss her.
“I told you to wake me to watch the sunrise with you, Kerr.”
“You looked so sweet sleeping, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” I kiss her cheek and she giggles.
Her giggle still hits me straight in my heart.
My parents passed in their beloved tree house a few years ago. We found them lying hand in hand in their bed. The report said they died in their sleep of natural causes.
I’m just glad they went together. Those two have always been halves of one whole soul. I’ll never understand why all the bad things happened, but who am I to know such things?
All I know for sure is the woman I’m holding in my arms as I watch the first sun come up over the horizon is the love of my life and I could never have found a better person to share my life with.
“Look, a shooting star is making its way through what’s left of the dark sky. Make a wish, Kerr.”
I kiss the top of her head and wish this moment could last forever.
The twilight, the cool air coming in through the open balcony doors, and my wife in my arms.
It doesn’t get any better than this.
“Kerr, how will our story end, do you think?” Kataline asks me.
I turn her in my arms and kiss her sweet lips then say, “Just like this, Baby. And they all lived happily ever after.”
And we all did!
The End
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Alien Cursed Souls
The Complete Box Set
CHAPTER 1
Candice
‘We’re so sorry for your loss, Candice.” Mrs. Carmichael said, holding a tissue up to her eye.
“Thank you,” I replied. What else was I supposed to say? Death and grieving were a strange part of life that no one knew how to respond to. Since no behavior was particularly appropriate, I decided to just be quiet.
“What a tragedy. Your parents would be so proud of how you’re handling it.” Mr. Dunbar said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Thank you,” I said again as if I were echoing the same phrase again and again. I wanted to scream and wail, drop to the floor and have a fit like a 2-year-old child, but on the outside, I remained composed. The truth was that I felt numb.
The funeral was well-attended because my parents were loved in their small community of Sun Valley, Arizona. I remembered some faces from growing up here, but I hadn’t been back in a while. My move to Seattle seemed like a good choice at the time. I found employment as a caregiver, something that I always wanted to do. The cool, rainy climate was a great antidote for all the heat strokes I suffered from while growing up.
I had only been in Seattle for 5 years before this tragedy struck - more specifically, the drunk driver who hit my parent’s car when they were coming home from the movies at night. Being a caregiver taught me a lot about death and dying, but I was wondering if I would ever be able to care for a sick person again, let alone be able to care for myself.
“You look so beautiful, Candice. All grown up.” Jacky Clausen said with a sad smile on her face. “I remember when you were only this high.” She added, indicating about three feet with her hand.
“Thank you,” I said again.
I knew people had always found me pretty, but in an unassuming way. Now that I was 25, I felt like I was just starting to be comfortable in my own skin. After going through numerous phases of hair-dying and eyebrow-plucking, I was finally just starting to let myself be. I had straight brown hair, and I preferred to keep it shoulder length. I was told my green eyes changed colors with the seasons, turning from emerald to a leafy green depending on the light outside. Basically, I knew that people liked my face, but I thought it was kind of boring.
“A little bird has told me that you might be moving back to us,” Jacky added. “You’re always welcome to the flower shop.” Jacky Clausen owned a flower shop right in the middle of town, and it was a marvel that she stayed in business, considering how challenging it was to keep flowers alive out in the middle of the desert.
“I think I’m going to look after the house for a while,” I replied. In reality, my parent’s little house would get eaten up by the desert in no time if no one was there to care for it, and since the house officially belonged to me now, it seemed like a good idea to stay there, and maybe start over.
As much as an excellent caregiver I was, I had to admit I was not good at caring for myself. I deteriorated in Seattle, mostly from late nights, lack of sleep, poor choices, and a little bit of self-destructive behavior. I was beginning to wonder if it was my way of compensating for seeing death and sadness all day.
I was relieved when the funeral was done. The services had been beautiful, and so many people had lovely things to say about my parents, but I felt exhausted, and couldn’t repeat ‘Thank you’ one more time.
The house was silent after the reception. Friends left me with so many trays and containers of food that I was sure that I wouldn’t have to go grocery shopping for a month, or even more. I found the silence eerie at first, but then I was comforted by it. I walked down the halls, looking at old pictures on the walls. There was a great shot of my parents on their honeymoon, beaming at one another. A picture of me playing in a sprinkler when I was 7. I could remember that day vividly because the sunburn I got, made my skin blister and peel. I had never learned about sunscreen until I was at least 15.
I tried to occupy myself, by reading books and watching movies. I went for walks in the desert in the evening when it was cool. My parents’ little house was surrounded by a lot of farmlands, and the nearest house was at least a five-minute walk away. I tried redecorating and getting rid of old things that had piled up over the years. I even picked up an old knitting project, and that was when I realized I had too much time on my hands.
Walking down Main Street, I peered into the shops. Although the town was pretty quiet, Main Street was where all the action happened, and it was also where people met and socialized. Across the street, I saw the Southwest Diner, a place where I used to love eating pancakes while growing up. Feeling a little hungry, I crossed the street to see if there might be a seat at the counter.
I looked through the window and saw that the diner was completely packed, which was no surprise for a Sunday morning, but then my eye caught a piece of paper in the window.
‘Now Hiring - Friendly Waitress’
The timing was perfect. I needed a job and mostly craved some distraction. I stepped into the diner and the hostess greeted me.
“May I help you?” She asked.
“Yes, is that job still available?” I replied.
“Wait, are you Candice Salt?” The girl asked.
As it turned out, we had gone to high school together. I had never been great friends with Iris Smith, but it was nice seeing someone that I knew from the past. Needless to say, I landed the j
ob that very day, and in no time, I was waiting tables like a pro.
Working at the diner turned out to be the best thing imaginable for me. It kept me busy, and I was free to take as many shifts as I wanted. When I was having a hard time dealing with the silence at home, I simply called in to the diner and saw if they needed an extra hand.
They served traditional diner fare, but the quality was actually really good. Winston, the big, barreling cook behind the counter had been at it since I was a child, and he was good at what he did. The omelets were never over-cooked or runny, the pancakes were always fluffy, the burgers always cooked to the customer’s tastes, and the fries were perfectly crispy. I found that for the first time in a while, I was almost happy.
“Looks like the circus has come to town,” Iris said late one afternoon, peering out the window at the cavalcade coming down Main Street.
“What the hell?” Winston said while wiping his hands on his apron. Sure enough, a parade of wagons and trucks was coming down the street, with various banners, streamers, and colorful lights. It did look like a traveling circus, and instantly I realized I was smiling.
“I used to love the circus as a kid. But it never came to Sun Valley. We had to go to Tucson.” I remembered. In truth, our town was too small and funky for any kind of Carnival to come through it. Some even believed that our town was prone to the ‘desert spirits', creatures that were said to create the weird phenomenon that only happened amid a sea of sand and cactus. I remembered weird lights in the sky at night, dust storms that were mysterious and terrifying, as well as funny creatures that seemed unreal and alien-like. But as a kid growing up in the desert, those things were more exciting than they were scary. The kids in Tucson never had that much fun, I thought.
There was an empty lot on the far end of town, and that was where it seemed that the trucks and vans were going. The lot was really only ever used for the Fourth of July barbecues and small concerts, put on by the nearby high school.
“Okay, we have one more hour to go. Look alive.” Winston said, moving the girls away from the window. The Diner closed every day promptly at 5 pm. It wasn’t like the people of Sun Valley to go out much for dinner, so there was no sense in keeping the diner open.
We went back to work, tending to the handful of diners that were still at the counter. After serving a piping-hot bowl of chili, I looked up at the clock to check the time. It was 4:45 pm, and just then the front door of the diner opened, and a crowd of people began to pour in. I knew that Winston was going to be angry, but I didn’t mind so much, because this was an interesting looking crowd to say the least.
The people coming in were no doubt from those trucks that we had seen on Main Street.
They don’t look like they are from Sun Valley, that’s for sure. Let alone anywhere in Arizona.
“Do you have enough room?” I heard someone ask at the hostess stand.
“Um…” Iris replied. “We are just getting ready to close.” She explained.
“Please, we’re starved and stranded here for the night. Dust storm is coming.” The short, round man with the deep voice explained.
“Are you all from the circus?” Winston asked brusquely, stepping out from behind the counter.
“Carnival.” The man said.
“What’s it called?” Winston asked.
“The Carnival of Cursed Souls.” The man replied with an ironic laugh.
“That sounds pretty dark. What are you doing in Sun Valley?” Winston continued.
“We gotta stay here because of the big sand storm coming in. It could damage our trucks.”
Winston paused for a moment to look at the motley group, then turned to Iris. “Go ahead and set them up with some tables and menus.”
“Thanks for your hospitality.” The man said as they were being shown to their tables.
“Can I get you all something to drink?” I asked with a pencil and pad of paper in hand.
“Coke.” An incredibly tiny woman with spectacles said.
“Coffee.” A man with a bright red face replied.
“You got anything stronger?” A voice at the end of the table asked. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with a black tank top, and the character of the man seemed to be just as mysterious as his appearance.
“Beer is the strongest we have,” I replied.
“Then I’ll take a beer.” The man said.
After everyone had ordered and the food came out, I observed the table of the traveling carnies. They were a rambunctious group, chatting, carrying on, telling stories and laughing. I could tell they were hearty souls - except for that silent figure at the end of the table. He didn’t talk much, and he didn’t eat much food, but quietly sipped his beer.
I thought I even caught him looking at me from time to time, and whenever his icy blue eyes met mine, I quickly looked away. His ashy blonde hair looked like it hadn’t been cut in a while, and it hung haphazardly in his eyes. There was a clear definition in his arms and shoulders, and he had large, rough hands. It made me wonder whether or not he was a mechanic or a handyman that worked on the carnival rides, or perhaps he set up the booths. He couldn’t be older than 30.
I was clearing the plates as the group started to break up and leave. The leader of the bunch paid the bill, and it looked like they were off to go and sleep in their vans. I felt sorry for them. They seemed like very nice people, just…..odd.
The mysterious man in black lingered, staring into his beer. Then he looked up at me again, and for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Luke
“Can I get you anything else?” The waitress asked me. I was hoping she would come back.
I tilted my head up and then looked directly into her pretty green eyes. I hoped I wasn’t intimidating her, because I frequently scared people. People often told me I had a past which was pretty apparent.
“No, I’m fine.” I got up from the table, in no hurry. “What’s your name?” I asked. I had been staring at her this whole time, imagining what her name might be. Maybe it was Angel.
“Candice.” She replied. “What’s yours?”
“Luke. Luke Skywalker.” I said. I was trying to make her laugh, of course.
She smiled. I won.
“What a name.” She replied.
“Okay, I was joking about the Skywalker part. But my name is Luke.” I said. It was not a total lie, but it would do for now. Her smile made me smile.
Damn, she’s pretty.
“It was nice to meet you, Luke.” She said, extending her hand. “Feel free to come back for breakfast tomorrow.”
“And you feel free to come visit our carnival,” I replied. Our hands lingered in one another’s for perhaps more time than normal. But I just didn’t want to let go. In fact, I wanted to pull her towards me.
“I just might. Should I worry about the ‘cursed souls’?” Candice asked lightheartedly.
I thought about that question for a moment.
“Some of them,” I replied.
At least the semi-human ones.
CHAPTER 2
Candice
The following day, I closed the dinner later than usual. The Carnival of Cursed Souls had been up and running all day, and the success of it was clear. Although it had started out slow, while the residents of Sun Valley tried to figure out what the heck had come into their midst, by the time the evening was descending word had gotten around, and people from nearby towns were starting to join in on the fun.
The diner had been packed all day with people who were on their way to the carnival. By 6 pm, I finally moved the last customer out the door and wiped down the tables and countertops. Once that was done, I filled the ketchup bottles and did some last-minute straightening.
Locking the entrance door and stepping out into the warm night air, I looked down the street to where the carnival was now coming to life in the night. I heard the music, laughter, and screams, and saw the twinkle and pulsing of lights. Children walked down the street with bal
loons in their hands, and temper tantrums were in full swing from sugar highs and lows. The aroma of hot dogs and corn on the cob made my mouth water.
This was when I realized that I was standing at a crossroad. To my right, I could walk home and enjoy a quiet evening with my book after a long, grueling day at the diner. To my left, there was the Carnival of the Cursed Souls, which felt like the Treasure Island that Pinocchio was drawn to. To my right was the sensible choice, and to my left was the temptation.
And then I thought about that guy, Luke. Those icy blue eyes and the broad shoulders.
Shit.
I looked up at the stars and realized that it was a beautiful night. Not too hot and not too cold. I couldn’t help myself, I chose temptation.
Alien Romance Box Set: Alien Former: Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Books 1-5) Page 104