by Max Jager
"All set, ready to go?"
Just as soon as we get all this crap aboard," said Matt. Both his parents helped carry bags up the ramp for their first look inside the ship.
"It's not much," said Matt, "But its home." He hugged his parents one more time as his mother kissed him, she even gave Kaitlyn a hug as well.
"We'll take care of your mother's marker," said Mrs. Grainger to Kaitlyn, "Don't worry about a thing." By now, people were starting to come out of the nearby houses wondering what was making all that noise. Matt's parents went back down the ramp as Tiag brought it up. Matt then went up to see Slavek.
"You two have a good time?" He asked. Slavek turned around and grinned,
"The best."
"Well we've got one more place to stop before heading back to Ireland, its back out in Nevada."
"I'm hungry," exclaimed Slavek, we've been too busy to eat; I hope where we are going has pizza Tiag and I are still talking about it."
"Well just as long as your stomachs aren't reminding you," chuckled Matt, I didn't especially care for it."
He showed Slavek how to get to Nevada, then using a road atlas he had bought located Rachel and gave his friend the general direction. About forty-five minutes later, they were on the general track. He had Slavek drop down to just under five hundred feet and more or less follow the contour of the land. Before long they spotted the beacon doctor Frick had promised.
"Oh fuck!" he gasped, look at all those damn cars, for a little place like that they sure seem to have a lot of steady customers…"
"So what do we do?" Asked Slavek.
"Fuck! I don't know, land I guess, land out by that beacon. You might as well shut off the cloaking device everyone knows we are here."
Actually there was only about twenty or twenty-five people including Doctor Frick. After the ramp lowered, Kaitlyn went out and passed out translators to Frick and his two friends.
"Make sure he gives them back when we leave," called out Matt. Kaitlyn then invited the three men aboard, to meet the Ruddorians who were now standing together, in the middle of the cargo bay. Kaitlyn introduced everyone as Doctor Frick and his colleagues shook hands with Slavek and Tiag.
The three men acted as though they were meeting God or something, Matt's friends were eating it up.
"No pictures please," he announced, you can take them of the ship, but not inside." This didn't seem to bother the UFO experts very much; they were too caught up in the fact that each was experiencing a life-long dream of actually meeting honest-to-god aliens. They were bombarding the Ruddorians with a million questions when Slavek held up his hand.
"My sister and I are hungry, Matt says there's food in that place, we can talk while we eat." In no time a regular procession began with Slavek and Tiag in the lead heading for the Little A'Le Inn. You could have heard a pin drop when the Ruddorians entered. The owner, not missing a beat immediately asked,
"I'm guessing you two are hungry and in a hurry, what's it going to be?" She quickly ran down the menu suggesting their famous "alien" burger along with a root beer float with lime ice cream. The conversation with Doctor Frick continued while their food was being prepared. All the while, the people who were lucky enough to be here when the owner announced that she was expecting "visitors" simply watched transfixed as the "impossible" played out right in front of their eyes. During this time, one of the braver souls took several pictures of Slavek and his sister posing with Doctor Frick and the inn's owner. A group shot was taken as well.
Doctor Frick and his friends were astonished as Slavek casually described the Loridian trading company and how large its empire extended, as well as a quick description of some of the major races out there.
Nobody made any attempt to leave as the Ruddorians laughed and even signed a few autographs, behaving just like anyone else. All too soon it was time to go. Both Matt and Kaitlyn anted up what cash they had left over from the spending spree to buy tee-shirts, hats and coffee mugs for the Slykhor's. As they were walking back to the ship and waving goodbye, Matt caught out of the corner of his eye a tiny blue and red flashing light.
"Gotta be a good three miles off yet, we've got time," he thought.
"One thing Doctor Frick," said Matt as they were starting up the ramp.
"I've run into a number of people, some from different races who tell me they have visited here. Nobody really found anything they were interested in so they just moved on."
"That is simply incredible Matt," he replied,
"So we have been visited a number of times, amazing."
Kaitlyn promised Frick that she'd try and get more information to him probably the same way Matt would get stuff to his folks. The flashing lights were now a whole lot closer as Matt said to Slavek,
"Heat's on! Time to go." Tiag raised the ramp just as the state police car pulled into the parking area, moments later they lifted off. As they were climbing into the sky, Kaitlyn asked Slavek.
"Would it be possible for you to do a long slow roll over area 51 which is just south of us. Doctor Frick said if it wasn't too much trouble." Slavek grinned,
"Oh absolutely."
And so all the hardy souls crawling around in the desert that night watching for whatever might fly out of the secret government test area as well as those working there were rewarded with a real treat that night.
As a sort of one last "Up yours!" they streaked across the desert three hundred feet off the ground until they were well over Death Valley, then shooting straight up towards a high orbit in space.
Back into orbit Matt confessed to Slavek and Tiag.
"I'm sorry for volunteering you two like that, I had no right." Both just smiled,
"Matt that was probably the most fun we had in all the time we've been here. Not to denigrate the people from your town everyone was very nice. But those people back there really made us feel welcome. We sensed many things, sadness, joy, relief, even vindication. Should we ever return, that will be one of our first stops."
"Well I think they would be happy to hear that," replied Matt, "So what did you two do while we spent time with my folks?"
"Marveling at how your world has so many varied features. Mountains, vast bodies of water, great deserts and incredible forests. We had never experienced what you call your polar regions. There are a few planets we can think of that are made up entirely of ice and snow, and while we wouldn't wish to live there, the experience was certainly refreshing."
Tiag then added,
"We landed on an island completely surrounded by water, not a soul around just the sound of the water lapping against the shore. You might have guessed I was certainly surprised to discover the water is un-drinkable tasting of salt. Still it was refreshing to lie on the beach."
"People on this planet pay a lot of money to do that very thing," replied Kaitlyn, many also travel long distances to do it too."
"So what is your planet like?" Asked Matt.
"Oh it is very beautiful the colors of nature are much different, we don't have the mountains you do, still there are some interesting places. Tell you what, once we finish our business returning those fairy folk back to Denedra, Tiag and I would like you to return home with us and meet our parents." Matt looked at Kaitlyn, then shrugged,
"That's fine with us, we look forward to it."
Chapter 55
Titan Stand Chapter 55
They remained in orbit over the earth for roughly one whole day catching up on sleep and discussing their next move.
Tapping into another communication satellite Matt and Kaitlyn learned that they had gotten out of "Dodge" just in time, not only did a new wave of media latecomers descend into town, but the government was looking for them as well. One of the things Matt insisted that his dad buy was a cheapie "throw-away" phone that would only be used to communicate with each other in case the regular landline phone was turned off, or his parents suspected of being tapped. His father answered when Matt tapped in the number.
"Hey dad can y
ou hear me?" said Matt.
"Yeah son, you're a little faint, but I can hear you. Where are you?"
"Orbiting over earth, we're tapped into a communication satellite.
How are things down there, we see on the news that more reporters have come into town, and now the government is sticking their nose into things."
"Well actually, when you folks left most of the media did too. When you landed in Nevada, that sent a bunch of them running out there, which is not to say there aren't a number of them still hanging around town. We had some people from the air force, as well as NASA asking all sorts of questions but you are the ones they really want to talk to."
"Are we in trouble?"
"Ahh they won't really say," replied Mr. Grainger, "I think there are a lot of hurt feelings though. Listen, your mother and I are taking a week off to visit Dale up in Colorado Springs."
"Well you and mom be careful It will probably be a good while before we show up again, but don't hold me to it, anything can happen. See ya later dad."
"Goodbye son."
"Well let's go pick up Tansy and the others," said Kaitlyn. Before coming down in the clearing, Tiag made double sure there were no readings indicating animal life below them. It was close to midnight when they landed, and all were mildly surprised to find no one was waiting for them. After ten minutes had passed Kaitlyn began to wonder aloud if something might be wrong until Tiag pointed off to the left.
"Wait, what's that over there?" A tiny bright light slowly floated through the trees towards them then Kaitlyn who had been watching the trees around them announced,
"We are being watched, don't look now, but I think our friends are here."
Quietly the grove around them filled with fairy folk as the tiny light grew into the figure of Aine. Next to her appeared Bria, Fergus, and Tansy.
"Welcome back," exclaimed Aine, in her soft-spoken voice. "I trust your journey was fruitful."
"I believe it was," replied Slavek, We are ready to leave whenever your guests are."
"There is no rush," said Aine, please let us sit and enjoy each other's company for a time." Slavek looked at Matt and Kaitlyn,
"Fine with us," they said.
"Excellent," exclaimed Aine, "please follow me." She and her followers then moved towards one end of the clearing where the trees just seemed to open revealing a small clearing where there were two long tables with benches. The tables were filled with small kegs, and piled with all types of food.
"Please join us in our repast, find yourselves a seat and enjoy." She then drifted towards one edge of the clearing where she took a seat in what appeared to be some sort of chair made from intertwined branches. As Matt and Kaitlyn were looking for a place to sit, Bria, along with another dwarf came up to them.
"Matt, Kaitlyn, I would like you to meet my betrothed, Caedmon of Gayn." The dwarf was the same height as Bria, a short, seemingly trimmed beard and rather handsome. His handshake was strong, and he wore an infectious smile.
"Does this mean you are staying here?" Asked Kaitlyn.
"For a time anyway," replied Bria. "Look, I know what both of you are thinking, that it's been only a week and here I am all ready to get married."
"Well that did kinda cross our minds," replied Kaitlyn.
"I don't quite know how to describe it," explained Bria, "But we dwarves have this…"Sense," for lack of a better word. It's the ability to look into another's eyes and know if you have found true love."
"Well we humans think we have that ability as well," said Kaitlyn, "So you're saying that just looking into Caedmon's eyes you know right away he's the one for you?"
Caedmon laughed,
"Well there's a little more to it than that," but something in our brains screams out,
"She or he is it. We start building these ideas of what we want our life's mate to be. Some come from our mother and father, we see things in them we like, or it could be someone notable in our clan, someone we admire. Over time we develop these traits we would like our mate to have. In reality, you're lucky if you can find someone who can match half of them, so you compromise. In our case we hit on all of them."
"So you're not returning back home at all?" Asked Matt.
"I didn't say that," said Bria, "Here's the thing, Aine has allowed Tansy and I to study their ancient tomes. It's very hard going, even Tansy who has truly studied them is having problems, but eventually we will prevail. She is remaining here as well, although Fergus and another leprechaun, along with a gnome will be returning with you, Aine will tell you more."
"What do we tell your parents?" Asked Matt,
"Nothing," replied Bria, I'll be sending along a letter that will explain everything. You two may not have been aware of it, but they were hoping something like this would happen at some point along the way. I'm sure they weren't expecting me to travel to your world, but everything is working out quite nicely."
"So you two will eventually head back to Doradus," Asked Kaitlyn.
"Oh certainly, Caedmon is quite eager to come to Doradus, as a sort of ambassador, Fergus's friend will be performing the same function on Denedra."
Then Caedmon said,
"I understand you two are from the states, so what do you think of Ereland?"
"It's beautiful," replied Matt, "Very pretty, how do you know about that?" Caedmon gave him a puzzled look then replied.
'Wait! Do you think we fairy folk sit here totally blind to the human world? We'd most certainly be long dead if we didn't. Just because the lepreehun stands out and is the one of the national symbols doesn't mean the rest of us don't count as well. Admittedly, we are few in numbers, but we are here, and we are real." Tansy then approached, to tell Kaitlyn.
"Aine wishes to speak to you, Matt. Have a seat up there; this feast is partially in your honor." As he was looking for a place to sit, something kicked his leg,
"Oww! What the…" Looking down, he saw Sunflower glaring at him.
"Why did you do that?"
"Because it's the only way I could get your attention, if you're looking for a place to sit, there's a place over there where Puck is standing." Taking his seat, Matt greeted Puck who sat down next to him holding a mug tailored to his size. On the table were platters of cheese, nuts, loaves of dark bread and fruit. There were also small kegs which Puck said contained beer. Matt grabbed one filling it from the keg next to him.
"Hey, this stuff is pretty good," he announced.
"Well it better be replied Puck and Sunflower in unison,
"It's our own brew, and it will stand up to Smithwick's or Guiness any day young fellow," announced Puck.
"Well it's pretty good," said Matt, who then said to Sunflower.
"While we were gone, I had a chance to read up a little on you gnomes and pixies. The article said you guys were supposed to be nasty little creatures, who liked playing pranks on humans, stealing children, and stealing stuff."
Puck looked at Sunflower with both chuckling.
"We've been known to pull a prank or two," said Sunflower,
"Mostly when we are bored," added Puck, who then beckoned Matt to lean over. Puck then whispered into his ear.
"We tend to get all sorts of humans wandering around these parts. Most are respectful and well behaved; some of the older ones will actually leave food out for us. Well by the time we might happen to wander by its usually gone bad, but it's the thought that counts mind you. Anyway, some of the younger ones will find a secluded spot, and thinking they are all alone will…Well you know…"
Matt realized what he was talking about and started laughing.
"Well most times the lass is quite willing, but their situation offers so many opportunities for mischief it's hard to pass up. However our best pranks befall those who toss trash or relieve themselves in our glades and places of contemplation." Sunflower then laughed asking Puck to tell Matt about the foreign tourists that really caught their wrath. Puck took a long sip of ale, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and began.
&nb
sp; "I think it was three years ago, about this time really. I think he was a Yank. Anyway, he kept tossing his trash around which was bad enough, but then he decided to relieve himself under me best friend's favorite tree. It happened to be a very special place for him, and this fellow despoils it. Well we couldn't let that stand, so Comfrey and me made sure this Cretin tripped over every root and rock on his way back out, he was a crying and a crawlin' by the time we were done with him. Now ya talk about "stealing" well that's just a matter of opinion, we are who we are."
"So how come you haven't played any tricks on us?" Asked Matt, Puck grinned,