“I’m sorry,” Rob said, as I felt the anger building inside of me and the tears simultaneously flowing down my cheeks. I hated what was being done to them and the fact that there was nothing I could do to stop it. The guilt I harbored was overwhelming and I desperately wanted to run down there and fight as hard as I could to save my family, like any of them would’ve done for me if I was in that exact, same situation. I was a failure as a son and a brother.
We continued watching as all the families they came for were driven away, one bus behind the other, and we had no idea where they were taking them.
Sam placed her hand in mine. “Hewey, I’m really very sorry,” she said. “I wish there was something we could do…”
I shook my head and sat on the bench. “I won’t let them get away with this. Mark my word. I’m gonna find out where they’re taking them and I’m bringing them back home.”
Rob sat down next to me. “I’m with you, buddy. We’ll find a way to fix this just like you said.”
Sam nodded. “When they hurt one of us, they hurt all.”
I sat alone while Sam and Rob got a quick bite to eat before Jeffreys was due to show up. I didn’t have much of an appetite—at least, not for food.
Around 9:50, we heard the back door open and Rob hurriedly went over to the stair rail to see if it was who we were expecting.
“It’s him!” Rob whispered.
“We’re up here!” He told Jeffreys, seconds later.
Jeffreys walked in with his Doberman Pinscher and we all panicked the moment we spotted the dog. Rob had not mentioned it was with him and I wondered if he’d even seen it.
“Don’t worry,” Jeffreys said, noticing our apprehension. “Hugo’s no threat.”
Baffled, the guys and I glanced at each other.
“Do you mind if I take a seat?” Hugo asked.
Startled, although I shouldn’t have been, I answered, “No. Go right ahead.”
Jeffreys smiled, albeit slightly and took a seat on a chair on the side of the wall while Hugo sat on the floor nearby.
“I think you all had better sit down for this,” Jeffreys said.
The three of us sat on the bench at once.
Jeffreys crossed his legs. “Spader, I can tell from the look on your face that you know they’ve taken your family away and I’m very sorry about that.”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“I believe we know where they’ve taken them, but I can’t be sure until later on,” he returned. “But before we get into that, I think I ought to let you know what happened to me. Do you mind if I smoke?” He pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocket without awaiting a reply, reminding me of the reason why we found it so easy to egg his house over and repeatedly. The man acted obnoxious, but right then, I couldn’t care less about his flaws. I wanted to hear what he knew.
“We don’t mind,” I said anyway.
“Well, I’ll have you know that I was no different from everyone else around here after some aircraft hovered over this town.” He lit his cigarette. “Whatever it emitted apparently put all of us in a daze and, in turn, enhanced the minds of dogs to match our intellect. That’s why you see people and dogs acting the way they do.”
“So, it definitely was a UFO?” Sam sought clarification.
“If you can call it that.” He nodded. “It came here to accomplish a strategic mission which has to do with setting things quote unquote right as far as canines, in particular, are concerned.”
“But why?” Rob interjected.
“May I answer that?” Hugo asked Jeffreys.
“Sure, Hugo. Be my guest.” Jeffreys gestured with an outstretched arm.
“The reason for all of this has to do with the handling of dogs in this town over the course of time, where we were grossly mistreated, unappreciated and taken advantage of,” Hugo started. “The opportunity, long-awaited, finally came for us to settle the score by placing humans in a subservient state and for the first time, allowing dogs to rule. Does that explain your question in a nutshell?” he asked Rob.
Rob quickly nodded.
“But how is the UFO connected to all dogs here in Eppington and how did you escape from their hypnotic grip, Mr. Jeffreys?” I asked.
Jeffreys looked at Hugo and smiled. “It’s because of Hugo here,” he revealed. “He saved me.”
“I couldn’t bear to see him the way that he was,” Hugo chimed in. “To me, he wasn’t my master or my friend anymore and having control over him that I never asked for didn’t sit well with me. I wanted the old him back and I opted to take the risk.”
I was amazed at how well he spoke—actually, by how well they all spoke, even Dillinger.
“So, I did what I knew I could to relieve him of the so-called spell,” Hugo continued.
“And how did you do that?” Sam asked, eagerly.
“I’m not quite sure, to be honest. I just know I started to reflect on all the good times we had since he first brought me into his home and how much I loved him and he loved me. Instinctively, I inwardly relinquished my powers and professed that Mark here was my master. That’s simply what I did—all it took.”
“Yes, he told me the same thing,” Jeffreys affirmed. “All I knew was that I was back to myself, but Hugo and I both had to continue the act if we were going to be safe.”
“Interesting…” Sam said.
“So, that means the power to release everyone is in the hands of their pet dogs?” I asked.
“You’re absolutely right!” Hugo responded.
“What about people who don’t have dogs?” Sam noted.
“The leader has the power to relinquish that hold on them,” Hugo answered.
Sam shook her head disappointingly “I guess getting my peeps released is hopeless since the leader’s not about to do them any favors, huh?”
There was a brief lull in the conversation, then Jeffreys said, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that just yet.”
I thought of our dog, Dillinger, and how he had the power to release my family and didn’t. I couldn’t fathom what on earth had made him turn on us like that and I felt betrayed. How he could do this befuddled me.
“Do you remember how it was when you were dazed?” I asked Jeffreys; my curiosity piqued.
“I do.” He nodded. “I heard things, but it took a while before they registered and most times, I don’t think they ever did. Although I knew something was terribly wrong and felt helpless, I was unable to express myself in any way. There was a numbness inside—an emptiness I can’t quite explain and I just couldn’t break out of it no matter how hard I tried.”
I lowered my head momentarily, as I imagined my parents, Carl and Rob’s and Sam’s family experiencing the same thing.
“You’re in a shell and sort of pushed down near the bottom,” Jeffreys continued. “Guess that’s the best way to explain it.”
I looked at both Jeffreys and Hugo. “They’ve got my family and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to rescue them. When will you know where they are?”
Jeffreys uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his chair. “Hugo gets intel about all the latest developments; one of the generals keeps him informed. As soon as we find out where they are, I’ll let you know, but you can’t just go barging in there. You need to have a plan.”
“I hear you.”
“Is there any way we can just grab our folks and get out of this town?” Rob asked. “You’d be able to drive us right out of here, won’t you?”
“There’s no driving out of here nor getting in, Powell,” Jeffreys replied. “Do explain, Hugo.”
Hugo rapidly blinked his eyelids a few times, then answered, “Mark’s right. An invisible barrier now exists between this town and the rest of the world. Cars are unable to find a road that leads into this town and vice-versa. Even planes, once they take off, will fly into nowhere and disappear. This town of Eppington has been hidden behind the barrier.”
“Holy
cow!” Rob exclaimed before looking at Sam and me. “That means if we’d rowed across the lake to Crescent, we wouldn’t have gotten in…”
“Exactly,” Jeffreys replied. “It’s a really disturbing situation.”
Everyone was quiet and obviously in deep contemplation.
“Hugo and I have discussed this in great detail and we believe there may be a way to get us all out of this hot mess.” Jeffreys finally broke the silence. “For just the two of us, it would’ve been quite a hefty challenge, but with all of us, we stand a better chance.”
We were all ears as he explained what must be done.
~ END OF BOOK ONE ~
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PROLOGUE
It was a day and age much like today where every town, generation and household held firmly its secrets—torrid improprieties they would protect to the end of the world. Yet some secrets back then were far too shocking and disturbing to contain—ones entangled with emotions of such intensity that would shock the very life out of 'innocent', reserved folk.
The year was 1861. The town of Mizpah was on the verge of the abolition of slavery. White people with a conscience and black folk alike prayed and fought long and hard for the day when all human beings were considered equal in the eyes of the law.
Cornelius Ferguson, only the wealthiest planter in all of Mizpah, didn't support the views of the Abolitionist Movement in that territory, neither in any other for that matter. Negro labor was highly favorable for his pockets and he could not imagine conducting his plantation affairs by any other means.
June 12th of 1861 was the day his life would forever change. It was the day a colored girl by the name of Karlen Key walked through his door. She was beautiful, literate, well-spoken — a rare breed and long-awaited trade off from another planter across the river. Cornelius had been anticipating her arrival. Germina, a rotund, elderly house slave with a few long strands protruding from her chin, met Karlen at the door and showed her where to put her tattered bag. Cornelius stood thirty feet away in the great room facing the entrance way, highly pleased and mesmerized by the new addition to his household. Karlen's eyes met his for a brief moment before she quickly lowered her head, made a slight bow and greeted her master. The twenty-one-year-old had no idea that her arrival at the Ferguson Plantation would alter the course of her life and those around her in a most uncanny way.
1
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Summer of 1965
"Wade! Mira!" Sara Cullen called her kids from outside the kitchen door. "Time to come inside and get yourselves cleaned up for dinner!"
Fourteen-year-old, Wade and thirteen-year-old, Mira were in the road playing 'bat and ball' in front of their yard with Monique Constantakis and her cousin Philip. Mira had just swung the bat for her turn to run the bases.
"Let's go!" Wade shouted to his sister as she considered one last run before heading inside. "If you don't come now, I'm leaving you and you'll be in big trouble with Dad." On that, he took off up to the driveway of their home and Mira, with a tinge of disappointment, handed the bedraggled, semi-splintered bat to Monique who was standing behind her.
"See you later," Monique said, visibly disappointed that her new friend had to leave.
"Yeah," Mira said before heading up the driveway behind her brother who had disappeared into the house.
The table, as usual, had been beautifully set for dinner. Sara Cullen was a true perfectionist and wanted everything to be just right when her husband of fifteen years, Michael, stepped into the dining room for his meal. She worshipped the dirt the man walked on and kept herself in the finest physical shape she could possibly manage. She was five feet, ten inches tall, and remarkably thin. Her hair was long, black and curly, and her features narrow. Michael Cullen was not the most attractive man in the world, but he carried big, broad shoulders and a six-pack most men would die for. Furthermore, he collected a handsome paycheck at the end of each week, lived in a nice neighborhood, and sported a two-year-old red Jaguar. Nevertheless, Sara—Head Nurse at Freedom Hospital—could not be accused of being with him solely for his money or his executive status at the State-run Gaming Board. They had met fresh out of high school when all they had ahead of them were nothing more than dreams and aspirations.
Mira sat at the table first though Wade had been the first to wash up.
"Wade! Where are you?!" Sara cried, as she hurried around placing the remaining items on the table. The boy showed up moments later.
"Where were you all that time?" Sara asked. "You know I like both of you to be seated before I call your dad out."
"I had to… brush my hair." Wade lowered his head slightly.
"That's a lie!" Mira blurted with a wide smile. "He had to use the toilet!"
"Liar!" Wade rebutted.
"You had to use the toilet! You had to use the toilet!" Mira sang.
"Now stop it - both of you!" Sara barked. "This is no time for games... and wipe that smile off your face Mira; I'm not playing!"
"Yes, Mother," Mira softly replied.
The children composed themselves and waited patiently for their father who emerged a few minutes later from the master bedroom.
"Kids…" Michael hailed straight-faced as he sat down.
Both children responded monotonically, "Hi, Dad."
Sara joined them moments later.
As was customary for the family, they all bowed their heads at the sound of Michael's utterance, "Let us pray" before diving into their meals.
From her chair, Mira watched as her mother talked and talked to her father while he engaged very little in the conversation. It was like that all the time and Mira was beginning to wonder why her mother even tried. What Sara saw in Michael that was so appealing and attractive totally eluded Mira. Michael was a brutally rigid man who, in his daughter's opinion, always seemed to wish he was somewhere else other than at home.
"May I be excused?" Mira asked fifteen minutes later, wanting to escape the drab, depressive atmosphere of the room.
"But you hardly touched your casserole," Sara said, noticing for the first time that her daughter had barely eaten.
"I'm not hungry."
"Are you all right, honey?" Sara asked, as Michael continued his meal supposedly unaffected.
"Yes, Mom. I just feel a bit tired and would like to lie down," Mira replied.
"You may leave," Michael said, not making eye contact.
"Well then…" Sara continued, "I'll cover your plate for you in case you get hungry before bedtime."
"Thanks Mom." Mira backed out from the table and retreated to her bedroom.
Approximately a half hour later, there was a light tap at the bedroom door. The doorknob turned slowly, then Sara walked in. "Are you all right?" She asked Mira who was curled up in bed with a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
"Sure." Mira sat up as her mother proceeded to the side of the bed.
She felt her daughter's forehead with the back of her hand. "No fever. That's good. Are you sure you're okay?" The look she gave was a combination of suspicion and concern.
"Yes. I'm really fine, Mom. I just wasn't hungry; that's all—I guess from all that running around earlier."
"I see." Sara got up. "Well, like I said… if you get hungry later, your food is right there covered in the refrigerator. Wouldn’t want you going to b
ed empty only to wake up all gassy in the morning."
Mira smiled. Her mother reached down and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you, sweet pea."
"I love you too, Mom."
2
_________________
"You wanna go by the canal today?" Wade asked Mira at the kitchen counter. An early riser, he had been up for well over an hour, but she had just gotten out of bed.
"Dad said we can't go back there—you know that," Mira answered, cracking an egg over a bowl.
"He's not here. Mom's not here. They don't have to know," Wade replied. "We can get our fishing rods, some bait, and maybe this time, we'll actually catch something."
"I don't know… the last time we got caught out there we almost got a good whipping. Dad's hand was itching. Luckily, he let us off the hook with a warning. Off the hook… got it?"
"Look! They're both at work. We'll only be gone for a few hours and will be back long before they get here. They'll never know, so we're not risking anything." Wade was adamant.
"I don't know, Wade," Mira said, pouring a little cream into the bowl with her egg.
"Why are you so scared?" Wade asked. "We've been to the canal dozens of times and only got caught that one time when dad pulled up out of nowhere. You think he's gonna drive all the way home from work today on a sneaky suspicion that we're at the canal again and bust us for not listening? Come on, Mira!"
"Okay, okay. We can go after I've had my breakfast. I suppose you've eaten already?" Mira asked.
"Yeah. I'm cool. I'll go pack the gear."
The canal was less than a block away. It usually took the kids a mere four minute walk to get there. Mira, dressed in a yellow and white striped blouse and red shorts walked quickly behind her brother, inwardly hoping and praying that their father would not pull up and surprise them while they were on the way to the 'forbidden place'.
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