SKY WOMAN OF GROOM LAKE

by Charlie Peart

The two couples followed the craft’s progress through the night sky, watching, mesmerized, until the energy field from the craft grew fainter and harder to see, as Sky Woman flew toward her home.

  Chapter 29

  None of the crew of “Free Running” slept that night. When the first rays of dawn colored the dark sky, they left the beach and returned to the boat, each one recounting, over and over, their harrowing ordeal during the landing of the space craft, Amie’s rescue, and the craft’s eventual departure. Everyone realized that they had experienced, that night, a phenomenon that would remain vividly etched in their memories for a lifetime.

  Doug maneuvered his boat back to Grand Cays in the early morning light, and the crew ate breakfast at Rosy’s once again. It was obvious, as the four sat at the same table they had occupied the previous day, that their thoughts were totally consumed by the adventure they had just experienced with the alien being that had been with them only a few hours before. Now Amie was probably millions of miles away from them in the recesses of the galaxy.

  There was discussion at breakfast about what to do with the rest of the day, because Doug felt too tired to pilot the boat back to Florida. The others were also exhausted, and readily agreed to spend another day and night on the island. That night, Doug and Terri finally got their Cuba Libre drinks at Jollys, and all spent the remainder of the evening in real beds at the rustic cabins owned by Rosy. They headed back home early the next morning and left Amie’s wig behind as a gift for one of the maids.

  “Running Free” encountered no more squalls on the return home, but the Coast Guard intercepted their boat about 20 nautical miles off the Florida coastline. A rigid inflatable boat was launched from the rear of the large cutter and four men, armed with semi-automatic rifles, came alongside and boarded Doug’s boat.

  Doug, Terri, Tom, and Laura feigned surprise at this interception. Doug even dared to become a bit indignant, wondering loudly why they should treat him as if he was hauling in a boatload of weed. Laura pretended to act terrified, whimpering softly as she was subjected to a body search and hoping Amie’s medallion, which she was wearing under her t-shirt, would not attract attention.

  After a thorough search of Doug’s small, 25-foot boat, the Coast Guard officials could find nothing to interest them except Doug’s registered Glock 17 handgun. Boaters heading to the Islands commonly carried onboard a weapon of this type, for protection against pirates, so this was not regarded as unusual.

  Eventually, the officials became satisfied that the missing subject, named Amie, was not hiding on board and none of the crew met the odd description of being a very short, gray-looking, skinny, bald female. The law enforcement officers departed, with curt apologies for any inconvenience.

  ‘Tracer’ and ‘Gunner’ had been notified of the Coast Guard interception and were waiting at Doug’s dock in the late afternoon for the boat’s return. A serious interrogation ensued in Doug’s home, but all four had already formulated a story about their three-day outing in advance, and none offered anything more than a pleasant tale about fishing, swimming, and drinking. It was the usual Bahama Islands boat excursion that many made from the Port St. Lucie Inlet to Grand Bahama Island and its surrounding little cays.

  There was one question that kept the agents hammering away at Doug and for which he had no plausible excuse. Irrefutable evidence revealed that the missing subject had been living in a property owned by the Peytons. However, Doug and Terri never admitted to renting their house out to anyone. They claimed they had not done enough repair work on the newly acquired place and would never have considered putting it up for rent while in such disrepair. Doug helpfully theorized that someone must have broken in and used his property without his knowledge.

  After the lengthy interrogation session, ‘Tracer’, as lead agent, sourly thanked the four for their cooperation. Since there was no real evidence of wrongdoing, the government agents left Florida that evening and rendered their final report to command. The topic of an escaped extraterrestrial being became buried deeply in confidential government files as an unsolved and potentially closed case.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later……

  It was the first day in November and Florida was experiencing its usual mild autumn temperatures in the low eighties, with partially sunny skies. The group had gathered in the seclusion of Doug’s back deck overlooking the canal around sunset, to begin a tradition that would last for many years. One by one, each would be given a chance to speak and recount the story of the E.T. adventure as they had experienced it. Because it had left such a powerful impression on everyone’s life, including the harrowing brush with the powerful authorities of the government, they had agreed they all needed to retell the story as “a kind of catharsis”.

  Here they would always gather on this day, they vowed, and reminisce about how they helped Nick and rescued the strange female alien. The discussion would open in Doug’s family room looking at the pictures saved on the SD camera card Nick had placed in the “mysterious box”. They would huddle around the TV, recounting the sheer audacity of Amie’s plan to escape and the courage Nick showed in helping her. Then, drinks in hand, they would move to the back deck where Nick would begin the discussion by recalling his first encounter with Amie at work and how they became friends. He still questioned, he would say, whether he “voluntarily” helped her or she had “drafted him into her service through mind control”. He tended to lean towards the latter as time went by. Laura wondered the same thing about her relationship with Amie, but said nothing to the group.

  When Amie had presented the medallion to Laura, with instructions to deliver it to Nick, Laura had immediately begun wearing it around her neck. She was amazed at the sense of peace and assurance she felt while wearing the jewelry, and actually felt reluctant to part with it. But after the Coast Guard vessel departed, Laura realized she would have to hide the jewelry in case government people were waiting for them when they reached Doug’s dock and decided to physically search them, as the Coast Guard officials had done.

  Laura hid the medallion in her bag of soiled laundry, and was relieved that no one did search her or her things when they disembarked in Port St. Lucie. However, she debated when it might be safe to present the medallion to Nick. She decided she would present it to him as a Christmas gift later that year.

  After Amie’s escape in the spacecraft, Nick had reported back to work three weeks later, but there was little for him to do and little incentive on the part of management to involve him in projects. Nick’s clearance in question, his boss eventually helped him negotiate an early retirement.

  A gathering of co-workers from Nick’s Maryland office, unwitting of the suspicion surrounding their colleague, wished him a happy retirement, and Nick was given the usual plaques and testimonials, followed by the obligatory retirement cake and party. Nick gathered up the few remaining possessions in his office, and walked out the door. Looking back on his years working on the mysterious projects at Area 51, Nick had few regrets.

  Government agents, according to Nick, probably continued to monitor him, Doug, and Tom for the next six months. But how could anyone be charged for aiding the escape of someone who, technically, never really existed? When it became apparent that nothing new was developing with the case, the harassment stopped.

  Soon after his retirement party, when Nick moved to Florida permanently, he had his home swept by a private investigator. Several listening devices were found strategically placed in the bedroom and living room of his new Palm City home. A tracking device was also found attached to his car. To be certain that his friends were not being spied upon, Nick paid to have the Peyton home cleared as well.

  At Dom’s invitation, Nick experienced many good days fishing from Dom’s boat and they became close friends. As Nick’s enthusiasm for cruising the river, the Intercoastal, and the Atlantic Ocean grew, he eventually purchased his own 30-foot sport fishing boat and named it “The Salty Turtle”.

  Dom’s wi
fe, Marie, introduced Nick to Anna, one of her “nice Italian girl” friends. Anna, a retiree originally from New Jersey, was three years younger than Nick. It turned out they were a good match. They began seeing each other on a regular basis, enjoying many of the same retirement activities. Nick thought they might even be ready to live together, however he wanted to give it just a little more time.

  Christmas that year was exceptional. Tom and Laura drove down to Florida for a weeklong holiday celebration. Nick’s new girlfriend, Anna, joined them for a Christmas celebration. During the gift exchange, Nick was absolutely stunned when he opened Laura’s gift and discovered Amie’s medallion. He hadn’t told Anna about Amie, of course, and she grew very inquisitive about the piece of jewelry that apparently held so much meaning for Nick that, upon seeing it, his eyes welled with tears. Laura’s quick thinking rescued Nick as she recounted a fib.

  “It’s a memento to remind Nick of his trip across the country in our Honda Civic last year. I found it in a gift shop. I’m told that it’s a Zuni Indian medallion.”

  Nick became a grandfather on a Tuesday evening in August, about ten months after Amie had departed on the spacecraft that would carry her home. When Nick learned that Laura was pregnant, he was ecstatic, not as much for himself, as he was for the couple. He knew they had yearned for a baby for so long. Laura never admitted it to anyone, but she knew Amie was responsible for the miracle that had occurred in her life.

  “Meet Amy, Granddad,” Laura had said to Nick. She cradled the healthy newborn in her arms, as Nick entered her hospital room soon after she had given birth.

  “Great name,” Nick beamed at the tiny baby girl. He knew he was happier now than he had been in a long time.

  Tom and Laura so enjoyed the Treasure Coast area of Florida that they moved there in the late spring, finding a great deal on a foreclosed property. In August, just before the baby was born, Tom was notified that he had been selected for a job teaching special education students in a private school near West Palm Beach. Laura readily found part-time work at a nearby call center, until her baby arrived, and she was able to become a stay-at-home mom, the job she had dreamed about for years.

  Shortly after his granddaughter’s birth, Nick was relaxing one evening in his comfortable living room recliner and having a glass of his favorite merlot, when he picked up Amie’s medallion and held it in his hands. He stared at the unusual necklace for a long time, while recalling their cross-country trip together. Nick had been keeping this special necklace in the center of his cocktail table, as a sort of decoration, beside a bowl of seashells and sea glass, which he had garnered from the local beaches.

  To Nick’s surprise, as he held the medallion in his hands, he began to notice it becoming quite hot. When it became almost uncomfortable to the touch, he noticed the blue jewel in the center of the medallion suddenly began to glow, bathing the darkened living room in an intense blue light.

  Nick was so shocked that he almost dropped the necklace from his hands. But, because it was a short energy pulse, after a few seconds, the light diminished, the heat receded, and the medallion returned to normal.

  A few days later, Nick once again picked up the medallion, turning it over in his hands and puzzling as to the meaning of what he had experienced with it before. He suddenly remembered Tom’s rendition of the events at Grand Cays and mention of an intense blue light shooting into the night sky from the stone in the center of the necklace.

  While Nick held the piece of jewelry in his hand, he thought again about Amie, as he had many times in the past year. He had warm thoughts for her, and wished her well. He wondered if she was happy, and hoped it had been worth it for her to return to her planet.

  As Nick held the medallion, it seemed to pulsate, once again, and become very hot in his hands. Like before, the center jewel began to glow brightly, lighting every corner of the living room.

  This time, Nick was not shocked or frightened, but instead felt a strong feeling of comfort surrounding him as he sat alone in his recliner. A vision slowly began to form in Nick’s thoughts. It took a while to form, while his mind seemed to fill with clouds and stars and hazy light. Then, quite suddenly, Nick felt sure he could dimly see Amie, almost as if she was standing in the room with him. He could tell that she was content, with her little mouth turned up in a smile. As the vision formed more clearly, it appeared that others of her race surrounded Amie also.

  Nick realized that Amie was trying to communicate something to him. As he concentrated on her image, pressing the heated medallion to his forehead, she seemed to speak to him telepathically, once again. She was letting him know, from across the galaxy, that she was now happy. “Thanks Nick for all of your help. Don’t worry about me. I made it back home. I am here with my family once again. I am at peace.”

  THE END