by Rae Knightly
Ben stepped back, asking with a shaky voice: “Are you a ghost?”
Mesmo’s eyes twinkled as if he found the question funny.
“A ghost is a spirit belonging to someone whose body has died.” He began. “I am not a ghost. My body is not dead. It is just not…. here right now.” He trailed off, before adding: “But my spirit is free to roam.”
Behind them, Susan Pickering, who had emerged from the shed, stopped in her tracks. “What...!” She began, “Who’s that?” Her face was flushed with anger.
Ben held up his hands to calm her down. “It’s ok! He’s a friend!”
She stepped closer to take a better look at the stranger. The fact that a lock of white hair was sticking out from under Mesmo’s fur hat made him look quite out of place.
“He’s a friend.” Ben repeated, trying to sound reassuring. “His name is Mes… er… his name is Jack Anderson. He’s…”
But Susan Pickering interrupted: “I know who he is.” She snorted. She had her hands on her hips now, inspecting the man up and down like he was some kind of curious object. After a while she said sternly: “You’ve caused a lot of harm, Mister. A lot of harm.” She shook her head disapprovingly. “How did you find us anyway?”
Ben cleared his throat to come to the rescue: “Er… He was following us. Didn’t you notice?”
Susan Pickering frowned at him angrily. “Was he now?” Then she sighed, adding: “Well, I don’t want to know. But since you’re here, might as well prove yourself useful. Help me carry this sick lady into the boat, would you?”
Ben and Mesmo shot a glance at each other. The boy ran to Susan’s side, blurting: “I can help!”
Ben and Susan struggled to pull a very weak Laura out of the car, then the three of them stumbled down to the pier while Mesmo watched from a distance. With some difficulty, they managed to place Laura on the longer back seat of the motor boat. Susan went back to her car to drive it into the shed, then closed and locked the door with a padlock.
They all took a seat in the boat. Susan, who saw that Mesmo was not helping her by uncoupling the chord that held the boat to the pier, grumbled “Men!” under her breath, before bringing the motorboat to life. Ben had to bite his lip to stop himself from grinning, while Mesmo stared at him in bewilderment.
They headed off into the inlet, a bright, cold sun chasing away the night. In spite of the low temperature, it was going to be a beautiful day. Susan had provided some thick blankets to keep Laura warm, which Ben struggled to keep in place as the wind tried to blow them away. All the while he couldn’t help gawking at Mesmo.
Jeepers! This guy is some kind of phantom from outer space!
He fought off the urge to laugh crazily and forgot that the sky had been weighing down on his shoulders only moments ago.
They sped past one of the small islands, then approached another one. Ben made sure he was out of earshot before mustering up the courage to sit near the alien, making sure not to touch him. He asked: “What is it like, where you come from?”
Mesmo didn’t seem to mind the question. “It’s not that much different from this place.” He replied as he indicated the calm waters and surrounding mountains. “What I mean is, you’d have to fly at a very low altitude to realize that there was a whole city spread out under the forests, hills and snowy mountains. It is a very beautiful and… balanced… place. We have many laws to maintain this balance, but we grow up with the deepest respect for them. Which is also why we do not have wars or hunger or suffering, because we do not allow ourselves to experience strong, conflicting emotions like people on your planet.”
He stopped, realizing that he was getting too philosophical for a twelve-year old boy. After a pause, he continued: “Our lifespans are longer than Earth humans by about 40 years. We have one sun and four moons. Our days last 32 hours. We have cities on the moons and in the oceans. We live where our skills are most useful. Our skills give us purpose in life.”
Ben was intrigued and wanted to ask more questions but Susan had turned around, gesturing for him to grab onto the rope. They were already slowing down to a stop next to the wooden pier of a tree-filled island in the middle of the inlet.
The chubby woman deftly maneuvered the motorboat next to another rustier one, which also lay docked there. A large patch of grass led to a fringe of tall fir trees. Tucked away between them, Ben could make out the shape of a log cabin. It was quaint and inconspicuous.
The perfect hiding place!
“Where are we?” Ben asked.
“Home.” Susan replied simply.
“Oh…” Ben nodded, understanding now why it had taken her so long to pick them up from The Bearded Bear diner.
With some effort, Susan and Ben managed to help Laura out of the boat. They dragged her to the cabin, with Susan muttering under her breath the whole way because Mesmo was deliberately lagging behind. Ben had to suppress a nervous giggle again. If this woman found out that Mesmo wasn’t really there, but was some sort of illusion or projected image, she would kick them into the inlet in a heartbeat!
The cabin was surprisingly cozy. On the left was a small, functional kitchen with a white, countertop island, while on the right, a snug living room with an open fireplace. The walls and roof were made of logs, while the floor was planked with wooden boards. Some sustaining logs crisscrossed the ceiling. Practically everything Ben laid his eyes on was made of wood, which gave the whole place a warm, camping-out-in-the-forest sort of feeling.
Further in, Ben glimpsed a wooden dining table with 4 chairs, as Susan directed him through a door at the end of the living room which led to a bedroom with a large, thick mattress on an old bedframe. They placed Susan on top of it and she moaned as she sank into the soft, plush duvet.
No sooner was this done than Susan shooed Ben out of the room, ordering him to get the rest of the things from the boat. She did, however, allow Tike to stay quietly on the bed next to Laura. Ben did as he was told, then found he had nothing more to do but sit restlessly in the living room with Mesmo. An old cuckoo clock ticked away the minutes while they waited.
Ben was glad to get another chance to interrogate the alien. “Where did you go last night?” He asked.
Mesmo did not reply right away, as if pondering how much he should say. “Spirit travelling takes a lot of energy and concentration. Sometimes it is necessary for me to return to my physical body to regain strength.”
Ben could tell that there was more to it than that, but since he offered no further explanation, he asked: “But what about what you did with the rain puddle in the parking lot? And the boiling water? And the ice spikes on the rock? Those were real!” Ben insisted.
Mesmo nodded: “My skill is not connected to my body. It is connected to my spirit. I take my skill with me when my spirit travels. ”
“You keep on talking about your skill. And last night you said ‘She gave you her skill’. What did you mean by that?” Ben asked.
Mesmo stared at him intently, trying to judge the effect his words would have on the boy.
“My skill is water.” He began carefully. “I can manipulate it in any way I choose. It’s a very useful tool on this planet and one of the reasons I was chosen for this mission. Bordock’s skill is shapeshifting. He can take on the shape of any being, though at a great cost in energy. Kaia – my daughter – her skill was… how would you say…” He searched for the word. “My daughter’s skill was translation. I was against her coming, but she knew how important she was to the mission. She would not back down.” His voice trailed off as he remembered.
“Translation…?” Ben asked carefully, eager for an explanation.
Mesmo ignored him and continued: “Bordock’s mission was to exterminate us, along with our skills, so we would not be able to complete our mission.” He stopped, before adding: “I don’t think he counted on my daughter leaving her skill with you.”
Ben felt a chill run down his spine.
I don’t want to talk about Bordock!
He asked again: “Wait a minute. You said your daughter’s skill was translation. What does that mean?”
Mesmo searched for his words again: “Well, it’s when you understand different languages and can pass on a meaning from one language to another, so that different beings can communicate with each other.”
Now Ben was completely perplexed. “That doesn’t make sense at all. I don’t speak French or understand Japanese or anything like that.”
Mesmo looked at him, amused, before answering: “Maybe not human languages. But languages from different species.”
Ben continued to stare at him, confused.
Mesmo added: “Those dogs who attacked Bordock in the parking lot – they understood you, didn’t they?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Spirit Portal
BEN WAS SITTING OPPOSITE MESMO IN SUSAN Pickering’s living room, his mind bubbling with questions. Unfortunately he did not get a chance to interrogate the alien further, as Susan appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. She glanced at them before busying herself in the kitchen. Within minutes she produced a peanut-butter sandwich, which Ben accepted gratefully, although at this point he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
“How is she?” Mesmo asked. Through a yawn, Ben still couldn’t understand how the alien could look so real.
“Her fever is high.” Susan stated, as she poured water into a kettle, then placed it on the stove. “I’ve given her something to bring down the temperature, but right now all we can do is make her comfortable and wait for her immune system to kick in. Could be a couple of days.”
“What about her asthma?” Ben blurted, his brain functioning in a haze.
Susan glanced at him hastily: “Asthma?” When he nodded, she said: “What are you talking about, son?”
“Last night,” He began, searching his memory, “She was looking for her asthma pump, but she couldn’t find it.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Ben caught the worried look that crossed Susan’s face.
“What?” He asked worriedly, “We can get another one from the pharmacy, right?”
Susan answered carefully: “We’ll see what we can do… Right now, young man, you’re going to take a hot shower and give me those smelly clothes so I can give them a good wash.” She indicated for Ben to follow her up the stairs, where there was another big bedroom and bathroom across the narrow hall.
“But,” Ben objected, following her, “I don’t have anything else to wear.”
“Here.” She said, throwing a large, light blue shirt at him. It was obviously hers, so Ben blushed. Susan saw the look on his face, then scolded: “Come now, there’s no-one else here. You think he cares?” She gestured down at Mesmo who was still in the kitchen observing the boiling water in the kettle. “Towels are in the bathroom.” She added, heading down again.
“Wait!” Ben called after her. She stopped midstride, then turned around. “I still don’t know who you are! I mean, why are you helping us?” He asked, puzzled.
She glanced at him and answered: “I’m a witness, like you.” She stared at Ben meaningfully. “I used to have a small cabin in the woods in Chilliwack, not far from your grandfather’s land. Used to go there whenever I could, to clear my mind. I was a nurse at the Children’s Hospital in Burnaby, you see. Tough place.” She paused, then continued: “I was in my cabin, on the night of The Cosmic Fall. I heard the explosions in the forest, called 911, then ran with my first aid kit to see if anyone was injured.” She looked down at Mesmo: “That’s when I saw you, your… ‘companions’… and the spaceships… I knew immediately I wasn’t supposed to be there. Ran back to my cabin as though the hounds of hell were after me! I was terrified, I don’t mind saying. Didn’t take long for the helicopters and police to arrive. Then later the military. The area turned into a war zone! They brought me in for questioning, along with other witnesses, including your grandfather.”
She stayed lost in thought for a while. “I guess they thought we might have been in collusion with the aliens, or infected with some extraterrestrial disease, or, worse still, that we were actually little green men in disguise…” Her voice raised in anger as she spoke, so she sucked in air to calm down, then added: “Let’s just say your grandfather was a very resourceful man: he managed to contact the Human Rights Commission and suddenly we were released, a full three weeks later, when the news had finally died down! We thought we were free, but the police watched our every move like hawks, they bugged all our phones, I even found hidden cameras in my elder son’s home. They were so afraid we would talk. It was because of the Chinese and the Americans, you see. They’re all involved in this, they all want to know the truth…”
She glared down at Mesmo. “Anyway, to make a long story short, Ryan Archer - your grandfather - offered me a chance to slip away and lay low for a while, away from all those prying eyes. So I took it, even though it meant not seeing my adult sons again.” After a silence, she finished. “I’ve been living here ever since.”
She headed down the stairs: “I know you were there too, Ben. Fortunately for you they never found out. Your grandfather made sure of that. But he made me promise, if you were ever in trouble, to help you out. So that’s what I’m doing now.”
***
Ben couldn’t remember falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes, he was snug in bed in the upstairs room. After listening for sounds and not hearing anything, he quietly went downstairs. He checked in on his mother, finding her fast asleep, with Tike stretched out next to her, guarding her. The dog opened a sleepy eye, then hopped off the bed excitedly. He rolled on the living-room floor happily, expecting a tummy rub, which Ben obliged to. Tike then pulled at Susan’s large t-shirt playfully.
“You think I look funny, huh?” Ben teased, chasing after the dog. He headed to the kitchen, grabbed an apple and was taking a bite when he saw the note:
“Getting groceries. Your clothes are in the dryer. Susan.”
Ben peeked outside, realizing it was still light. Still munching on the apple, he found the dryer with his and his mother’s clothes all clean and warm inside. He pulled on his jeans, the apple caught between his teeth, then folded his mother’s clothes as best he could before placing them neatly on her bed. He stood by her side for a while, noticing that sweat was pearling her front and that her breathing was short. He wiped her front gently with a cold, wet cloth, then stroked her hand. She did not wake up. He roamed in and out of the house looking for Mesmo, Tike at his heels. But Mesmo was nowhere to be seen.
Susan came back around 4pm, the motorboat full of groceries. She put him to work immediately, carrying bags, putting away food in the fridge, boiling water in the kettle, making tea, cutting vegetables and setting the table. Although the woman was bossy, Ben was happy for the distraction.
Soon the house smelled of hot vegetable soup and oven-baked chicken with mushrooms. Ben’s stomach rumbled. Susan made a tray with fresh bread, soup, some chicken and tea, which she brought to Laura’s side. With difficulty, they managed to prop up Laura’s head on a couple of pillows so that she could take a couple of sips. But she was so frail she could not handle the bread or chicken. She tried to give Ben a reassuring smile, but the dark circles around her eyes told another story.
Susan and Ben sat down for supper silently. Digging hungrily into his food, Ben asked: “Were you able to get her inhaler? I couldn’t find it in the grocery bags.”
Susan glanced at him, replying: “No, son. Asthma inhalers require a doctor’s prescription, which we can’t get right now.”
Ben’s shoulders drooped as he stared at his soup.
“She’ll be fine.” Susan said sternly. “Let her fight this. She’s strong enough.” She gestured towards his plate: “Now eat! It won’t do her any good if you fall sick too.”
Her words stuck in his mind, so he forced himself to eat, even though his throat was tight.
He noted that she did not ask about Mesmo or why he wasn’t around anymore.
On the third day, Laura’s fever still had not broken. By now, her skin was whiter than the bedsheets. Susan watched over her until deep into the night. Ben then took over during the day while Susan tried to catch up on sleep, but the truth was Ben was not sleeping much either. He was beside himself with worry: he had already tried to convince Susan several times to take his mother to the doctor. Susan had refused, reminding him that Laura would be sent to a hospital. Who knew what would happen to them then?
Ben sulked off to the edge of the water where he sat down, staring dismally at his feet as they dangled from the pier. He touched his watch unconsciously.
Grampa, I wish you were here…
He was so deep in thought that he did not notice Mesmo poised on the lawn, gazing out at the sea, his face turned towards the sunshine, like a flower that had been placed in the shadow for too long. Tike came to greet him, inviting him down to the pier. The tall man followed the dog, then bent down next to Ben. The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes as he turned away. Then he said angrily: “Where have you been?”
Mesmo rested his arms on his knees. “I told you,” he began carefully, “I cannot be away from my physical body for too long.”
“Well, why don’t you bring your body over here next time?” Ben snapped.
“It’s not that simple.” Mesmo said gently.
“I don’t get it.” Ben insisted, “Why are you here sometimes, and sometimes you’re not?”
Mesmo replied softly: “That kind of depends on you.”
Ben stared at him, confused, then saw that Mesmo was pointing at his wrist-watch. “Do you remember when Kaia gave this to you?” Mesmo asked, indicating the tiny, glittering gem at the center of the watch. “I guess your grandfather had it placed in this watch for you. You used it unknowingly for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was in South America then. I felt it call me. I thought it was Kaia! I immediately boarded a plane to Toronto by using the identity of Jack Anderson.” He paused, gazing into the distance. “I had hoped that, somehow, Kaia had survived, and was calling to me. That was the only logical explanation. But then I reached your grandfather’s funeral, and found out it was you, all along…”