aaron_the fall of america_chapter_18

Chapter 18

I woke up determined to do exactly as I set out to do. No mental distractions, no paranoid disturbances, would block the way. I had a large supply of orange berries in a bag I had made out of giant leaves and a purple fruit in case I found none on the way. I also had a supply of potato-peanuts. I included the stream in my hike so that I could have a camel load of water in my belly.

Except for the vegetation, the journey was uneventful. My concentration was for maintaining a straight path. I knew from childhood boy's club training that it was easy to walk in a big circle if you did not concentrate on your goal.

When their sun was about mid sky, I rested and consumed my lunch. I complimented my rest by dozing off and having wild dreams, most of them with brilliant colours. Creatures and people were telling me nonsense about various nothings while laughing at my confused concern. When I understood that they were mocking me, I destroyed them by waking.

After giving my head a rub, I climbed the nearest tree to re-establish my direction. With my limited familiarity of the surroundings, I guessed that I had been travelling the right path.

I cautiously descended the tree then continued on my way. I kept my mind as clear as I could so that I could concentrate on the simple task of keeping a straight path.

That remained my concern for a little while until I found some edible berries. After having had several, I decided it would be in my best interest to have one more tiny rest.

It must have been Sunday for me. Oral Roberts was in my head. "Something good is going to happen to you today," he always said as a prelude to where to send all your money. If he didn't get eighty million dollars by next Thursday, his god, in this instance, not cash, would take him away and everyone would be forced to listen to farm reports on Sundays. Away to where? I think he was referring to a place called heaven, and not one of the rock clubs found in every second city. His earthly reward for his unwavering faith and brilliant speaking voice was a fair size city empire. And it was legal. I couldn't get him out of my head.

When I finally opened my eyes, they focused on a young woman with long light blond hair. I didn't want to blink for fear the apparition would leave me. I only closed one eye at a time. She seemed to find that peculiar. Eventually, I had to close my eyes and open them after a minute of reasoning. She was still there. I was troubled about weather I was awake or dreaming but I decided to participate in the event regardless. She appeared human and that was too unlikely so far from Earth.

"Did Oral finally come through on his word or am I creating you in my desperation?"

She smiled and held out her hand to help me up. I discerned that I had not created the dream, if it was a dream, because when I stood up I noticed three more of the creatures, these ones men. Two were as human looking as the young woman. They appeared older but equally as beautiful. The other looked different enough that I suspected him to be another species. It was hard to understand so much at once. Mostly, I couldn't understand their lack of excitement at finding an alien in their woods.

They all had blond or lighter hair. The one I held tentatively in question had much more body hair. That wasn't enough to make him a different species but there was something about him. Something that wasn't visible but still there. He also was a little bigger than the others who were a little smaller than me.

I felt extremely exposed.

There appeared to be an understanding of silence. I decided I wouldn't try to prove that I was an idiot without a request for it. I started racing various thoughts through my head about weather or not they might be thousands of years ahead or behind me, weather or no they would eat me, would they do experiments on me, was their atmosphere thicker and why didn't they wear shoes?

When we arrived at their village after a fair hike, they took me into a simple looking laboratory or doctor's office to examine me. An old man made me lie on my stomach. He pushed on a few spots and I felt as though I had been granted a new spine. Someone else shot something into my arm. I couldn't notice a puncture spot but I was certain I had felt something go in. I had no way of knowing it was drugs, vitamins, vaccines or a deadly virus they wanted me to carry home.

I remained on my stomach for a long time trying to make myself believe the things I was sensing. It was a struggle against ingrained convictions to keep from going mad. I imagined that none of the trip was real. It was a billion-dollar scam. Those in charge fabricated everything so I would believe I had actually taken off in a spacecraft, jumped out of space-time and landed on a far away planet. I was curious as to why they would go to such trouble when they could just bury the space craft and me, say I was lost in space and get a few more billion to figure out what could have possibly gone wrong.

No, they wanted the whole charade. They had likely brainwashed Richard to think he wasn't going to land on a planet out in space but once in the mission, he would have an irresistible urge to do so. He would believe he had found life, make his make believe return flight to Earth and tell the world what was out there. The space program could suck billions of dollars out of the poor people's taxes for further virtual exploration of the universe. They could continue to brainwash people to think they were astronauts going boldly into the great unknown and upon return to the hungry public they would be heroes. Nobody would see beyond the glamour. Nobody would suspect their government of fraud.

To get around the problem of losing time approaching light speed, they would have to deep freeze the astronaut for those years. It was a great scam that Richard was likely programmed not to notice. Maybe I would forget after the next four-year freeze.

What were they using the billions of dollars for? That was a most frightening potentiality. I may be the only one that can find out. I am the only one that suspects them. I better be extremely careful not to let them suspect that I've discovered their hideous plot. They have to believe I'm still Richard. If they learn that I'm me, they may have to kill me. Or something worse.

Another frightening possibility is that they brainwashed Richard to brainwash me because I was a perfect subject to manipulate. I had few previous convictions. I would be simple to mould to whatever they wanted. If they already know I'm Aaron I'm certain not to get myself back.

I heard a voice.

I turned my head to see the young woman sitting beside me. Other than my own, hers was the first voice I had heard since I left Earth, if indeed I had left earth. I could make the computer talk to me but there was something creepy about its sound.

"Am I supposed to believe that I'm half way across the universe in a room talking to a woman unbelievably human in appearance?"

"Am I to in appearance?" she experimented with some sounds.

Was she supposed to find out if I knew something? I had better lead her to think I have no suspicions.

"Perhaps I've fallen out of another tree, smashed my head and am unconscious having one last fantasy before I kick the bucket."

"Kick bucket."

"What?"

"What?" she repeated.

"Do you understand me?"

"Do you understand me?"

"I don't think so."

She was puzzled at my expression. I would have to try a different approach.

"Sprecken Sie Deutsch?"

"Deutsch?"

"Parley vous a la mode?"

No response

"Espaniol?"

She smiled at my concern.

"No. Well what do you want me to do? I don't know if I have time to teach you my language unless you are a fast learner."

"Fast learner," she repeated.

"Do you understand me at all?"

She looked at me without an answer and stood up. She waited for me to stand up. When I managed, we left the room and we were outside in the warm sun. It was a very small building that we had been in. Looking around, I saw only a few other small buildings, almost more like huts.

After a walk through a sparse forest, we came to a clearing where, in the middle, sat my spacecraft. I ran around it to see if it looked fine. It seemed flawless. I had to admit that it was as pretty as a car from the fifty's or sixties.

When I had finished inspecting and admiring the outside, I entered my craft. I was surprised to find two men, they might have been the two that I had walked back with, at the computer terminal. They didn't get up when I came in.

"What are you doing?"

"What doing," they repeated in turn only looking at each other.

"It's not a good idea to fuck with one of the most expensive computers of the United States government. In fact, while I'm in charge here, you are fucking with my computer."

"Fucking with my computer."

"No. My computer."

"No. My computer," said the second man.

"Look, I'm going to get very pissed off if you bastards don't stop looking at me like an idiot."

"Look I'm going bastards."

"Don't stop looking like idiot."

I wasn't certain if they were experimenting with my language or my head. Somehow, when I noticed the young woman standing close beside me, I felt there was no need for me to be angry at them.

Seeing that I had resigned myself to a more pleasant disposition, they pointed at my computer screen. I read for them and they repeated. Every day, for many days, I read, they watched and repeated. Soon they were reading and making coherent sentences. I questioned them on their speed of learning and they told me that they had calculated most of the meanings of the words while I was walking in the woods. They had studied the computer's programs and worked out the most probable meanings to most words. I suspected that what they meant to say is that they where somewhat more intelligent than the creators of such a language. For them, it was not a great task.

Soon the two men had satisfied their appetite for the understanding of my language. I was left with the young woman who took a little more interest in me rather than my language.

She questioned me on the schizophrenic nature of my language. She questioned my tendency toward wild aggression and irrationality. She questioned my lack of trust in her.

"You can see all of that in my speaking?"

"In your language that you speak and the language that you show."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I can read your movements and expressions better than I can understand your language."

"Is you communication very different?"

"Our people developed differently. I believe we have been civilised much longer. You will not find so much fear and aggression in our people."

"You think we are still animals."

"You offend easy. I was only suggesting we had a different environment and our survival has not depended on fear and aggression. I am not suggesting we are better, only that we are different."

She sat with an appalling patience. It didn't seem as though she had to get up to do anything in the next six years. Part of me wanted to hate her for being so self-assured. Another part of me, possibly the mating instinct division, was becoming quickly enamoured. Her undivided attention was easily winning me as her adorer.

"I can't believe how beautiful you are."

"I am not so special. I am young and ready for breeding. For you that is very attractive."

"I see only beauty."

"You might want to see me without judging me."

"I can't so easily."

"If you can witness me without judgement, you may see another side of me."

"Now that you mention it, we had talked about that sort of thing in Science class. Things are what they are and beauty is only a subjective classification we can put on a thing if for some reason we are swayed by our emotions. But I believe Aristotle, or one of his colleges, said it the other way. Beauty is the way for a thing to attain itself to."

"I don't know Aristotle."

"I don't know much about him either. He was important for science and philosophy for his time. He had great influence."

"His influence did not reach us."

"I suppose not."

She was hard to look at without seeing beauty. Did she know I would be uncontrollable attracted to her? How much could she read of me? Maybe she knew everything in my head. Do you? Can you hear me? Say something. Hello Blondie. She didn't flinch. She must have known, you must know I would go mad knowing you could read every thought. But maybe she couldn't.

"What do you do here?"

"Do?"

"What sort of activities, such as working at the factory, going shopping, driving your car to the beach on the weekend?

"I don't believe, if I understand you, we have those kinds of things."

"Do you do anything?"

"Some things happen but not often."

"Has it always been like that?"

"Generations ago there were more people and more activities."

"Why not now?"

"Now there are few people and nobody quite remembers what all the activity was or what it was for."

"Things change."

"Sometimes, some things," she said.

She changed her expression slightly. I suspected that the relaxed atmosphere I had witnessed wasn't only an indication of a people advanced of my own but a indication of something not quite right. I suddenly could see why a young inhabitant might find a little welcome distraction in the company of an alien.

"Was there a reason for you to come to our planet?"

"Not a particular reason for choosing this part of space except that there is much more of it here than there is in other areas of the universe which have nearly as much anyway but we wanted to play it as safe as possible. When I found myself in this area, I chose a planet that would be similar to my own, at least in atmospheric elements. It was by chance, I suppose, that I'm exactly here at your village. My whole life is by chance. If you aren't put off by my religious predilection, I'd like to think that fate has brought me to your village."

"Fate is?"

"Maybe it's like beauty. Something that exist only because we want it to or need it to."

"You are attracted to me."

"I'm trying real hard not to show it."

"I am not offended."

"Thank you."

I wasn't certain if she meant she was happy I was attracted to her or if it was understandable in my condition of fear and aggression and she was good enough to put up with my shortcomings.

"How far away is your home?"

"I'm originally from Canada and that's a little farther away. The craft comes from America and most Americans would say that they are the centre of the universe."

If they had thought I was Richard, I had just made a huge mistake. She didn't seem to want to encourage my paranoia though; therefore she would either pretend not to notice and deal with that problem later or she already knew or I might be forced to take things at face value, as much as I didn't imagine I could.

"Where's that?"

"On Earth."

"Where is Earth?"

"It's the third planet from a small star, I'm not sure how many light years in what direction. I have to figure that out with the computer after I map out my new position in the stars."

"You will show me then?"

"Where you thinking of coming to visit?"

"We don't have such technology."

"Did you before, when things were busier?"

"I don't think we did. My father would know more about that; he has studied what can be found of our history."

"I could ask him about that?"

"You can. I'd have to translate for you."

"Um. What do you think they are going to do with me?"

"Nothing, unless you need some help. They aren't interested in finding out any more about you. My father might be a little curious to talk to you."

"No one is interested in an alien?"

"We were curious where you had gone. We wanted to find you to make sure you were in good health. We wanted to learn your language so we could make your stay easier. Beyond that, there isn't anything anyone wants from you."

"If an alien came to Earth, the place would be hysterical."

"We do not have hysterics."

"Not for anything"?

"There is not anything we care to get excited about. Most of my people just wait to see when it will end."

"Everyone is waiting around to die?"

"I would call it contentment. Events are of no interest. It is enough to be."

"I'm inclined to agree most of the time but a little excitement makes life more of an adventure."

"You may be right."

"They won't mind if I stay a while and look around?"

"Nobody will bother you."

"That's friendly enough."

"Was there any reason for you leaving your planet?"

"The universe was there, so we wanted to see if we could see it. It's in our nature."

"It's good to have a young spirit."



read on. book_01 chapter_19



by Joanne B. Washington

© 2001 | the jose wombat project