Heat & technology
Peka clutched onto the steering wheel with both hands and turned right. Her two little daughters at 3 and 6 years old hadn’t stopped bickering since she had picked them up at school and now with traffic the way it was that day her nerves were on edge and all she wanted was too get home and take a nice long nap and she would too if Rowel and Sira were home. Ever since the vandalism at the lab 4 days ago they had spent their every waking moment cleaning up the mess and helping as much as they could to find the culprit. Something the Tuli still hadn’t figured out and Peka doubted that the investigation would continue much past the end of the week.
Peka pulled the hover car into the garage and turned it off. She reached over and grabbed her purse while at the same time grabbing her keys and opening the door. Then shifting the keys and purse to her to back hands she reached over the top of the car and helped both her daughters out of the car at the same time. “Mommy,” Shanti’s whining voice was really beginning to grate on her nerves.
“What is it now Shanti?”
“Is Leena coming for dinner?”
“Not tonight honey.”
“Then why is her pod here?” Peka looked up in surprise and sure enough her daughter was right Leena’s pod was sitting next to their own family pod.
“I don’t know sweetie I wasn’t expecting her to be here tonight.” Great that’s all I need tonight is company to entertain when all I want is to do is sleep. She grabbed Shanti’s hand and headed into the house.
The first thing Peka noticed when she walked in the door was the amazing smell that was coming from the kitchen as she walked further into the house she saw that the oven timer was on and Linda was no where to be seen.
Linda walked around the corner and saw Peka and the girls a smile lit up her face. “Hi Aunt Peka”, she said in Imaginese “I hope you don’t mind but I decided to make dinner for you.” Linda’s face fell slightly and a frown worked its way between her eyebrows. “Man Aunt Peka, you look tired. Why don’t you go lie down and rest. Dinner won’t be done for about an hour. I’ll keep an eye on the girls.” Relief swept over Peka. What a wonderful niece she had who would make dinner and watch her daughter’s while she took a nap. She smiled at Linda and thanked her. Then slipped into her room for some much needed rest.
Linda led the girls into the living room and sat down on the couch and rested her head in her hands. The two girls sat across from her and copied her position. She laughed and sat up. “All right you too goofballs what can we do that’s quiet while your mom sleeps?” The two sat there for a minute thinking. Then Teesha jumped up.
“Oh I almost forgot I found a brown pill bug come and see.” Teesha grabbed her by the hand and started pulling her toward her bedroom.
“Yes, come and see, come and see,” begged Shanti.
“Ok, ok I’m coming,” said Linda as she followed the girls toward the bedroom.
Once inside Teesha pulled out a small box and opened the cover inside was a little brown, pill shaped, bug. “I wanted to give it to you.” Teesha said pushing the box toward Linda. Linda scrunched up her nose
“I don’t think I want a bug, thanks anyway.” Teesha stuck out her lower lip and a frown creased her forehead as she tried to convince Linda to take the bug
“You don’t understand pill bugs are a very rare bug they aren’t easy to find in fact they were just discovered like at the beginning of the year. It’s amazing that I even found one.”
“Well good for you; then you can keep it.” Linda said pushing the box back into Teesha’s hands.
“But I really want you to have it.” Her lip jutting way out now. Then she got a determined look in her eyes, “just watch what it can do.” She said as she turned back to the door.
She went outside bringing the pill bug with her. Once outside she turned on the hose keeping the water away from the bug. “ Just wondering,” she said, “what is one animal you’ve always wanted.”
“Well I always kind of wanted a monkey. But what does that have anything to do with this pill bug?”
“What? I didn’t hear you, the hose is too loud.”
“A monkey, monkey, monkey,” she repeated again and again to make sure they could here her over the noise of the hose. Right as she said it Teesha sprayed the box with water, soaking the entire thing and definitely drowning the bug. “What did you do that for,” said Linda. But just then there was a small bang and a flash of light and out jumped a little monkey. ”Where did that come from,” asked Linda in surprise as the creature paraded screaming around the yard.
“That’s the pill bug,” said Teesha with a smile “and he’s yours now you couldn’t give him back to us even if you wanted to.”
“And why not?” asked Linda her hands on her hips and a smile playing at the corner of her mouth
“Because everybody knows that whoever calls it keeps it and you called ‘monkey, monkey, monkey’ so he’s yours he won’t go to anyone else.”
“What’s his name?” asked Shanti from down on the ground where the monkey was playing with her hair.
“I think I’ll call him Tidwit because you two are little tricksters.” Linda said referring to the Imaginese word for a trick. Laughing she gave Teesha a playful nudge and ruffled her yellow hair.
A couple hours later Sira and Rowel came home. They were very tired from a long day helping out at the lab but when they saw that Linda was there they became very excited. And for the rest of the afternoon told her all about the vandalism at the lab and how the Tuli were at a loss on what happened
Later that night after dinner Rowel found Linda outside in Sira’s garden with Tidwit. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“What do you mean,” she said looking up at him.
“I mean you haven’t been yourself ever since you got here. Some thing’s wrong.”
“You’re right, the whole reason I came here was because of Brenda Keegan.”
“Whose that?” Rowel asked
“Only the prettiest girl at school.” She ruffled Tidwit’s hair and sighed, “She took my necklace.”
“You mean the necklace you’re dad gave you?”
“That’s the one.”
There was silence for a moment then Rowel spoke “I’m sorry about your necklace Linda but what do you want us to do about it. We are a peaceful people we only fight in dire need we never initiate the attack.”
“Then what am I supposed to do.”
“I don’t know but I’m sure you’ll figure something out you’re a smart girl.”
“But I came all this way to get help.” She was looking up at him now with pleading eyes but Rowel just shook his head.
“Linda we can’t come running to your aid every time something goes wrong. Sometimes you need to take care of things by yourself.”
“But Rowel this is my necklace.”
“I’m well aware of that Linda. And I know what that necklace means to you. But we can’t risk it just to get a necklace back. It’s not right.” Linda sighed and stood up cradling Tidwit in her arms. His arms wrapped tightly around her neck.
“I thought you cared Rowel. I guess I was wrong.”
“Geez Linda,” He was standing now, “It’s just a necklace.”
“It’s not just a necklace Rowel it’s all I have left of my parents. You don’t know what it’s like to not remember your parents. To not even have distant memories of when you were young and they would hold you. I don’t even have that.” Then she turned away from him and walked toward the house.
“You’re wrong Linda.” He shouted after her. “I do know how you feel. I loved them too. And now their gone that necklace…it’s the only memory.”
“Then why won’t you help me.” He didn’t say anything. “All I have is that necklace, Rowel. And Brenda won’t even let me have that.” She paused before continuing. “And neither are you.”
Rowel stood there watching her as she disappeared inside the house. It wasn’t like he didn’t understand he missed his aunt and uncle too. But that didn’t mean he was going to go traipsing down to earth to get the one and only thing that would remind him of them, no matter what Linda would say to try to convince him. But he was wrong of course there was something else besides that necklace that reminded him of them.
Her name was Leena Elopee.
Linda stormed out of the house, across the yard and toward the shed. Tidwit swooped down out of the tree where he had been sitting and landed softly on her back. Linda caught the monkey and balanced him on her back arm then set him on the ground. “Not today Tidwit I’m not in the mood.” She paused as she heard the front door open and scowled then looked back at her chimp one last time as she ran in the direction of the shed. “Be good for Teesha and Shanti.” She called over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her.
She climbed into her pod she could hear Rowel calling for her now and his voice was getting closer to the shed but she ignored it as she fumbled with the key and started the engine.
She didn’t feel like talking to Rowel right now. She had been on this stupid planet for a week now and Rowel still refused to come back with her and get her necklace she had tried every tactic she could think of and still he refused but after today enough was enough. They had started off by fighting about the necklace but things had gone off topic and in the process he had hurt her.
“Linda?” Rowel’s voice was just outside the door now. The ceiling of the shed opened above her and she directed her pod out and in the direction of earth. She looked back behind her and could just barely make out Rowel’s surprised face. She thought she saw just a small bit of terror there as well but she ignored it
“Good-bye Rowel.” She whispered angrily “It was fun while it lasted”
Rowel was certainly surprised when he saw Linda’s pod lift out of the shed and speed away but not for the reason Linda thought he was surprised.
“Rowel?” Sira stuck her head out the door and called out to him. When she saw his stunned face she looked up at the sky as well. Horror fell across her face. “Mom!” She screamed into the house. Her mother came running out of the house.
“What is it Sira?” Her mother asked the two little girls coming up behind her. Sira pointed a shaky finger up at the sky unable to speak and never for a moment moving her eyes.
All the blood had drained from her face and it took her a few minutes to be able to speak. “I’m going to call you father.” With that she grabbed Teesha and Shanti’s hands and disappeared inside the house.
Linda couldn’t see Rowel anymore and she turned back to the window in front of her. Panic griped her and she had barely enough time to grab the wheel and spin her pod out of the way as a small pod flew past her. She looked up again just in time to avoid 5 more of them all headed in the direction of Imaginess. She looked in the direction of where earth should have been and her heart dropped into her shoes, for blocking her view were two enormous motherships. There were two different symbols on them and Linda knew enough to know that that meant it was two different planets but she had no idea which planets. But she did know one thing for sure if she didn’t get out of her quickly one of those ships might blow her to smithereens her only choice was to go back to Imaginess.
Rowel was still standing outside when the first of the ships landed it was getting hotter and hotter with every passing second as the ships got closer and closer. Everyone was inside the house else was in the house now staying safely away from the heat and aliens.
One of the ships landed in the street about 30 yards away from the house. He took a step back toward the house. The heat that had been building up all day could only mean one thing Mercury was attacking. He was just getting ready to turn back to the house when the symbol on the side of the ship caught his eye it was a metal claw. Venusians. The ship was opening up and some of the aliens were jumping out and landing softly on the ground. The aliens didn’t come much above his knee and they were super scrawny but they had a tendency to hide in electronics and use them to do their fighting.
Rowel had started to run toward the house when a shout from behind him stopped him he turned to see a couple of the little aliens walk up to a man across the street. One of them had picked up the electric screwdriver he had been using to fix his door. Before Rowel could even blink the creature had disappeared into the screwdriver it hummed and took on a life of its own as the rest of the aliens disappeared into the bushes to find someone else to terrorize. The man dove for the ground as the screwdriver lounged for him. Rowel wasted no time and was across the street and taking hold of the machine in 5 seconds flat. The machine fought him for a moment until he slammed it down as hard as he could on a rock. It sputtered and then died. Rowel fell back onto the grass it was getting hotter and he was starting to feel a little dizzy. He stood up rather shakily and looked over to where the man had been before. He was still stretched out on the ground and Rowel realized that he probably had passed out from fear and dehydration. He stumbled over to the man and did his best to prop him up on his shoulders. He worked his way across the street toward the house he fumbled with the door handle and for one dreadful minute he was afraid he would pass out before he got inside. The door flung open and his sister pulled him inside and barely caught him before he slumped to the floor.
The next thing he knew Sira was pressing a cold cloth to his head and telling him to drink some water. He downed the whole cup in three gulps and gave her the cup back for more. She came back a second later with a huge jug of water and he downed that too before he felt strong enough to sit up.
The man Rowel had saved was lying on the other couch a wet cloth pressed to his forehead as well. As Rowel watched the man sleep he remembered Linda the first time he had brought her home how she had laid on that exact couch fast asleep. He wished he could tell her he was sorry and that he hadn’t meant what he said and he shot a quick prayer to Kohath that she would be ok.
“The temperatures going down slightly” It was his mother and she sat with a newscreen in front of her.
“They’ve landed!”
“Who?” The question was his sisters
“Mercury,” He stood up on wobbly legs and his sister tried to push him back down but he brushed her back off.
“Your too weak sit back down.”
“We can’t just stay here waiting for them to attack us.” He waited until the room stopped spinning and he was balanced enough to walk before he walked across the room and grabbed two guns off a display case. He tossed one to his sister. They were old fashioned and heavy but the good ones were in the basement and there was no way he was leaving this room without some kind of a weapon.
“What are the guns for?” Sira asked as the caught the gun with two hands and balanced it with four. “It’s just Mercury their big and their stupid and they wear big heavy suits in order to survive. We don’t need the guns.” She lifted the gun to put it back on the display but Rowel grabbed her hand to stop her she looked at him surprised and saw a horrible fear in his eyes and knew there was something he wasn’t telling her. He glanced over at his mother and sisters to make sure they weren’t listening before whispering. “Venus is here too.” Sira’s heart dropped at the words and for the second time that day the blood drained from her face. She looked down at the gun in her hand skeptically.
“There’s no way this gun will work”
“I know that’s why we have to go get the others.”
“But what if they’re already in the house.” He sighed and she saw fear in his eyes.
“That’s a chance we’re going to have to take.”
No comments:
Post a Comment