The squirrel disappeared from sight, and Peter stood looking out his dirty window. He realized that in order to gain a little peace and quiet, Orb was still forbidden from hearing him or talking to him through his mind. He pushed his mouth against the dirty screen and screamed out, “Orb! You have permission to hear my thoughts and send me yours. Tell me where you are!”
Immediately Orb’s voice was present in his head. “Thank you, Peter! Please hurry. I believe we are headed toward what you call the tributary.”
Peter dashed out of his room, sped through the kitchen—slipping around a little in his socks—and burst through the back door. He did not bother putting on his mud boots but paused long enough to rip off one, then both socks.
“Orb,” he thought as he ran toward the dry river bed, “where are you?”
Had it been a few hours later, Peter could have probably tracked Orb just by following the bouncing red light. As it was it was still too light out for Orb’s red pulses to act like a beacon, but he did immediately reply. “You must hurry, Peter! We just crossed the river bed and are now heading into the woods on the other bank. I shall attempt to make myself brighter to help you track us.”
Peter continued to run flat-out, his hard feet ignoring the branches and small rocks he trod upon, when he saw an explosion of red light so bright even in the daylight that he had to shield his eyes. As the pulse faded, Peter saw that the squirrel had stopped atop the trunk of a fallen tree at the edge of the woods. The squirrel was not moving and seemed blinded by the pulse of light.
Peter continued to run. He saw the rocky, dry river bed in front of him and knew that he would have to slow down or risk breaking his ankle, or his neck. There was no way he was going to catch something as fast as a squirrel.
He leapt into the dry river bed and, in one motion, bent down, picked up a small, round stone, and threw it side-arm with all his might. Peter had spent a lot of time throwing and skipping rocks. He was by far the best rock-thrower in the family. Better than Big Ed, who knew his way around a rock, and far better than Eli, who generally left rocks where they lay and went to do something else.
Still, the throw Peter completed as he fell sideways to the river bed was the best throw of his life—almost impossibly perfect. He lost sight of it as he fell but knew that he had thrown it true. The rock crossed the thirty yards between him and the fat squirrel straight as an arrow, just as the squirrel had recovered from the blinding light and was poised to leap away.
Peter heard a loud thunk, followed immediately by an animal’s cry of pain. Peter winced at the sound. He did not like hurting animals, and he was actually quite fond of squirrels.
“You did it!” screamed Orb. “You saved me! Please come quickly before something else arrives!”
Peter picked himself up and hopped his way across the rocks, his dirty toes grabbing the edges. As he approached Orb, who now sat beside the tree trunk in some wavy grass, he saw the squirrel pulling itself into some tall brush just ahead. The squirrel’s back legs trailed uselessly behind it. Peter felt another pang of regret.
I didn’t mean to hurt it, he thought. I was only trying to save Orb.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Peter. The forces against me will stop at nothing.”
Peter bent down and picked up Orb, who pulsed happily. “Forces? That sounds awfully dramatic.”
“For me it is quite dramatic, Peter. If those against me succeed I will never reunite with the others. I could be forced to spend another millennium trapped against my will, or even be destroyed.”
Peter thought about that for a moment and looked again at the brush where the squirrel had disappeared. “I want to know more about your enemies, Orb, and how they can use animals like squirrels to attack you.”
Orb pulsed. “Absolutely, Peter. I will gladly tell you all about those who oppose me.”
Peter nodded, then added, “And Orb, can you go back to where you don’t read my mind? I let you in so I could try and save you, but I don’t really like—”
Orb cut in. “Of course, Peter. I will never again enter unless you give me permission. We will be able to communicate with each other but I will have no access to your thoughts.”
Peter stared at Orb, who sat pulsing in his open hand. Taking one last look at the brush for any sign of the injured squirrel, Peter turned, carefully tucked Orb in his pocket, and began walking back to his house. The shadows began to lengthen as the sun dipped in the sky, and Peter began to understand just how tired he was.
“I don’t think I understand who it is that wants to hurt you, Orb.”
Peter again picked his way across the dry river bed as Orb spoke to him. “Your species has evolved very strong opinions about good and evil. About order and chaos.”
Peter nodded and hopped up onto the river bank. “Yes. That’s true.” Big Ed was himself a big believer in always doing what was right and always being truthful, regardless of how difficult that might be.
“When I first came to your planet, I was revered by early humans as a source of good and order. As the human population grew in both number and knowledge, many began to wonder what was so wrong with evil and chaos.”
Peter stared at the house, trying to make sure that Eli had not yet made it back. Seeing no signs of life, he plopped down on an old tree trunk and pulled Orb back out of his pocket. For some reason he felt better speaking to Orb when he could see him. He felt a little crazy talking to himself—though having a conversation with a glowing orb was probably not all that sane either.
“So bad people turned good people against you?”
“That was part of it,” Orb replied, “but the people themselves were not bad. They were controlled by another powerful entity that came to visit your planet. It was this entity that ultimately had me broken into seven pieces.”
A group of birds flew overhead, so close that Peter could hear the sound of their wingtips pushing against the wind. Whir, whir, whir… Peter looked back down at Orb, sitting in the center of his dirty palm, and tried to understand what he was being told. In the span of a day, he had gone from his normal, simple life to one that involved age-old battles between alien forces that sought domination of his planet. Some of these ideas were so big that Peter was not sure they would fit in his head.
Peter could not figure out where to start with his questions, so he started with the obvious. “Is that other alien still here? Is that why there are so many problems in the world?”
“The entity, you would likely call ‘Cube’ based on its appearance, seeds planets with its evil and leaves behind a team of guardians to enforce its will. These guardians can also control simple creatures, such as the squirrel. And, yes, it is because of Cube that your species, your planet, suffers.”
“So Cube will keep sending guardians to try and take you?”
“Yes. It is not safe for any of us now. The next guardian sent will likely be something significantly stronger than a squirrel, which is only an emissary—a scout—in Cube’s army.”
Peter bit his lip, thinking, and saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Eli biking down the road from the front gate, the setting sun behind him, and his backpack stuffed with goods from the other farm. Peter quickly got up and stuffed Orb back in his pocket, dangling his right-hand hang in front of his pocket to block at least some of the red light.
“Peter, I cannot stress enough that we cannot stay here! We need to leave as soon as possible so that I can rejoin the others.”
Peter continued to walk toward the house and saw where he had shucked off his dirty socks. Normally he would have kept walking, but for some reason he felt a little guilty about that idea. He headed toward the first sock and muttered, “I don’t know what you expect me to do. I don’t have a car, and even if I did I can’t drive. And I can’t walk 200 miles each way to take you somewhere.”
As Peter bent down and picked up the first sock, he saw Eli throw his bike down on the back porch. Eli struggled under the weight of his bac
kpack to open the door and go in.
“I have formulated a plan, Peter. We can hitchhike.”
Peter had to fight the impulse to stop, take Orb out of his pocket, and yell at him for suggesting something so dangerous. Hitchhiking?
“I don’t know about that, Orb,” he whispered.
“It will be perfectly safe. I can screen the minds of the drivers and make sure that we are using only those who will do us no harm.”
Peter grimaced. He did not know much about hitchhiking, but he knew that it was not something a thirteen-year-old should do.
“I can’t be gone for two days. Eli will call the cops!”
They neared the back door, stepped around the bike, and Orb added happily. “I am bringing you good news that will solve all these problems.”
“What good news?” Peter pulled open the door just in time to hear the phone ring.
Eli was already standing next to the wall-mounted, rotary phone unloading his backpack. Eli wedged the phone between his shoulder and his chin to keep his hands free. “Hello?”
Peter, still barefoot, strode into the kitchen and hustled over to Eli. Peter wanted to overhear who was calling, but as he leaned in he immediately had to leap back when Eli dropped the blocks of cheese he was holding and grabbed the phone with both hands, shouting, “Dad!”
CHAPTER FIVE: Delivery
“You sure you’re going to be okay?”
Peter smiled reassuringly at Eli. “I’ll be fine. Dad needs you and, besides, it’s less than two days.”
Eli adjusted the strap on his backpack, eyed the back door, and stared intently at Peter.
“You can do a lot of stupid stuff in two days. I don’t know why Dad trusts you.”
Peter smiled. “Someone has to watch over the place, and I can always go over to the Nelsons’.”
He felt a momentary surge of pride. “And if Dad trusts me, maybe you should too.”
The Nelsons’ place was where Eli’s old friend, Matt, lived. Matt, who now had time for nothing but his girlfriend, Irene. Eli frowned, but it was unclear if he was unhappy about Matt or about the fact that their father actually trusted Peter.
“I don’t like it,” Eli finally muttered. He started toward the back door before spinning back around. “And stay out of my room, Peter!”
Peter just smiled in return. There was not really much in Eli’s room worth taking. The art pencils, of course. There was also the old Minecraft poster in all of its square glory. No, Eli would immediately take it all back once he came home, and Big Ed would not appreciate Peter creating conflict where none was needed.
He didn’t really get why Big Ed was allowing him to stay alone either. He understood that Big Ed wanted Eli to see firsthand what the protests were about—and he needed Eli to bring the small bit of cash hidden in their house to help him make bail. Peter was not sure he understood why his dad wanted to get out of jail if he was trying to draw attention to the protests, but he figured he must have his reasons.
Big Ed had never understood Eli’s lack of interest in the farm and the community. This was probably one of his last chances to get through to Eli. Peter, though lazy, was much like Big Ed in regard to his love of the country life and needed no prodding to protect their farm.
Eli relented. “Just stay out of trouble, okay? I’ll be back Monday night at the latest. Mrs. Nelson will be home if you need anything.”
Peter nodded. “You be careful too. Don’t get arrested.”
Eli opened the door, then turned back and smiled. “I don’t think we need another one of us in jail. I’m going there to try to get Dad out.”
Eli closed the door behind him. Peter looked at the framed family photo hanging on the wall next to the door. As he stared at the young version of himself he wondered how everything could change so quickly. Where there had once been four smiling faces there were now three: one in jail, another headed to bail the first one out and the third home alone. Unless Orb counts, Peter thought.
Right after their mother’s death Big Ed had taken the photo down for about a week, the somewhat cleaner square of wallpaper left behind staring back at all of them in place of their smiling mother. Then, with no announcement or fanfare, Big Ed had put the photo back up and now routinely nodded to the photo as he left the house.
Peter shifted his gaze to the window panes in the door and watched Eli walk slowly toward their gate. He would soon be picked up by the wives and kids from families of the other jailed protesters. Little Rock was only two hours away, but the few times that Peter had been there it had felt more like the other side of the planet. Traffic, crowds, pavement…
As Eli disappeared from view, Peter felt just a slight twinge of nerves. For the first time in his life he was going to be alone for a couple of days. It was exciting, and frightening. He looked around the kitchen trying to figure out what he should do next before he remembered that he was not really alone.
He walked back to his room, opened the door, and walked over to his bed. He bent down and pulled out a small metal chest he kept underneath the bed. He put the chest on top of his bed and used his right index finger to move the three tiny wheels and scroll the combination. He then opened the lid and the otherwise dark room was awash in red light.
“You must gather your things so we can leave at first light.”
Peter stared at Orb. He then thought about the odd call with his father. He had tried to rationalize it, but it made no sense that Big Ed wanted to get out of jail. It also seemed more than a little odd that Eli had to leave but that Peter was allowed to stay home. Alone. All of this fit a bit too perfectly with Orb’s desire to leave immediately to rejoin his other receptacles.
“You did this, didn’t you?”
Orb pulsed, then replied, “Yes. It’s not safe for me or you to stay here. I must rejoin the others immediately.”
Peter stared at Orb, pulsing in the small metal box. “I thought you said that you wouldn’t have any power to help my family until you were whole? How did you make my dad change his mind about jail and convince him that I could stay home alone?”
“My other receptacles used their combined power to help push your father to these decisions. I did not do any harm. I will fix the river when I rejoin the others. I do not wish to see harm befall your family when my enemy returns to take me.”
I guess that makes sense, Peter thought. Orb said he could fix everything once he found the others. He also said that whatever it was that was out to get him would be back soon in the form of something much stronger.
There is one thing, though, that isn’t right.
“Orb, I want you to promise me that you will not enter the minds of anyone in my family. As long as you are my secret, you can still talk to me, but you have to stay away from everyone else.”
Orb pulsed. “It will be as you say. I will not enter the minds of anyone in your family. My word is my bond.”
***
The next morning, Sunday, Peter found himself at the side of the main highway. He leaned forward slightly to compensate for the weight of his backpack, which was stuffed with snacks and books. Orb, wrapped in a thick scrap of jeans to cover his light, was shoved inside his right front pocket.
Between his fear of another creature coming in through his window and his nervousness about hitchhiking across the state, Peter had barely slept. Orb, locked in the small metal box under Peter’s bed, had not helped matters by constantly talking about how great things would be once he was reunited with the others.
At 4:00 am. Peter had given up trying to sleep. He prowled the kitchen looking for something to eat but found they were out of all of his favorite foods: Rice Krispies, peanut butter and bananas. He gave up on the idea of eating and soon began his two-mile walk to get to the main highway. It was 5:00 a.m. He quickly discovered that 5:00 on a Sunday morning was not the best time to hitch a ride, as there were very few cars on the road.
Seeing the glimmer of headlights approaching in the distance, Peter asked, “Orb, w
hat about this one?”
“I will scan.”
A few seconds later, Orb blared in his head, “Get away from the road! Hide!”
Peter was startled by the urgency in Orb’s plea. Orb had already made him run behind a nearby tree when a state trooper came by, but this time it appeared whoever—or whatever—was coming was more frightening than being captured by the police. Peter hustled to get behind that same tree, but Orb broke in again, “Farther! You must hide deeper in the woods!”
Scrambling among the brush, Peter pushed his way farther into the woods just as the round headlights from the car began to light up the area.
“Duck!” Orb screamed.
Peter crouched down, getting jabbed in the stomach by a branch for his troubles. As he crouched, breathing heavily, he noticed that the car had not passed, but was instead crawling by on the shoulder. Peter listened to the sound of the tires crunching on the gravel shoulder.
“Hey! Are you okay? Do you need some help?”
The voice came from the open passenger window of the car, which had stopped and was idling on the shoulder.
“Do not reply. Do not make any noise—but do be prepared to run.” The serious tone Orb used made Peter that much more nervous.
Peter squinted through the tree limbs and leaves in front of him, the murky light showing only a dark car. The red taillights reflected off the smoke and vapor coming from the exhaust and cast an eerie light.
“Kid?” the voice called out again. “You can come out. I won’t hurt you. I just want to help.”
The light from red taillights grew dimmer, and there was a sound that reminded Peter of the sound Big Ed’s truck made when it was shifted into gear or park. The engine turned off, and the driver’s side door creaked open. A figure emerged on the driver’s side of the car, and Peter squinted even further, trying without success to make out a face in the darkness.
A line of cold sweat drizzled down Peter’s back. Peter began to squirm at the odd sensation when Orb again blared at him, “Do not move!”
The Promise of the Orb Page 3