aaron_the fall of america_chapter_30

Chapter 30

It was nearing dark in the centre of nowhere when we pulled up to Richard's small house. He assured me that we weren't far from Halifax and that nowhere in Nova Scotia where you far from the water. It was the continued poverty of the province that helped to protect some of its young wilderness. The Irving boys were busy cutting down New Brunswick and Main, where there were a few trees of size left. Not many.

The road we came in on the last several kilometres was seldom used in winter and never ploughed. Richard's neighbours were summer residents. After a few feet of snow it was unlikely to have any visitors.

"This is a different living style for someone raised in a city."

"I like it better here," Richard said. "No entertainment can beat simple beauty."

"It is very beautiful," answered Karna.

"I wouldn't trade this piece of land in for a condo in Palm Springs," Richard went on. "It's beautiful all year round, even in the fog, rain and snow, I'd rather be here."

"What's that?"

"A rabbit," Richard said. "There's many in these woods. That's why there's also owls and hawks."

"What's that sound?"

"A woodpecker, there."

"Why does it bang its head against the tree?"

"It wants the bugs to come out to see what's up. When they do, they are his food," I explained.

"We have a bird feeder on the patio. We can watch them through the window while we sit in the kitchen."

"You two wait out here for a minute so I can go surprise Ashley. I'll pretend I'm canvassing for Green Peace."

"I think she'll recognise you little brother."

"Little brother?" I demanded. "I was born first."

I went to the front door alone. The front door opened onto a patio that over looked a small lake a hundred meters away. I knocked on the door, likely something that seldom occurred. I heard a little boy's voice say there was a man at the door. In a few seconds the door opened and Ashley jumped on me, knocking us both to the snow covered patio.

"It's so good to see you," she said and kissed me.

"Did you miss me?"

"I kept having nightmares that you were lost in space."

"I've often been accused of that."

We exchanged exaggerated compliments for a few minutes before Ashley introduced me to her handsome son.

"This is your uncle Aaron."

"Hi," he said.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Fine."

"You look fine."

"Who's with Dad?"

We looked toward the lake to see Richard pointing in different directions, obviously boasting a little about his country to Karna.

"Richard doesn't often bring young women here, at least that I know about."

"No, she's my friend."

"You told me that I was the only women in your life."

"Well, I lied."

"Oh, well."

"I still adore you, you know?"

"I believe you. Come inside and I'll make you some hot cider."

I followed her and Stewart into the kitchen. Stewart sat at the table and worked on a drawing. Ashley put a pot on the wood stove then sat down."

"So, how was your trip?"

"Out of this world."

I told her a few of the highlights and about the human-like creatures I had visited. Stewart had ceased drawing so that he could give full attention to the story.

"It's amazing to see you here after all that."

"I'm quite amazed when ever I can believe it."

"Richard must be so envious."

"Maybe, but I'm sure he doesn’t regret his choice."

"You’re sweat, Aaron."

"No man in his right mind would leave the one he loves for nearly eight years for a two month trip."

"Eight years. That means Richard has been alive longer than you."

"But I was still born first."

Richard and Karna came in and joined us at the table.

"I smell apple cider," Richard said. "That will warm you up, Karna."

"What do you think of this part of the world?"

"It is beautiful."

"This is Ashley and our son Stewart."

"Hello," Karna said.

"Are you the alien?" Stewart asked.

"Let's keep that a secret, Chief," I said.

Stewart went over to Karna for closer inspection. We kept still while the inspection proceeded. I thought of old science fiction films where heads pop off and large toothed monsters burst out of the remaining blood and guts to devour their prey. Fortunately, nothing like that happened; we were confined to the bonds of physical probabilities.

"You don't look like an alien."

"Why not?"

"You're too pretty."

"Thank you.

"Did you know that when I was on Karna's planet, I was an alien?"

Stewart looked at me and thought about the possibility for a minute.

"But I thought aliens were supposed to be green and ugly. Does your skin come off?"

"Not easily."

"You don't have a tail, or a funny tongue?"

"No."

"Why do aliens supposed to be green, Stewart," Ashley asked.

"My friend Jimmy said aliens were green, ugly monsters that eat people and crawl inside them."

"Jimmy might watch too much television," Richard said.

Richard got up to serve the apple cider. We listened to Stewart ask a few questions about Karna's home. while they talked about their worlds, I took a self-guided tour of the house with intentions to find the bathroom. One of the first things I discovered was a large head looking at me.

"Are you a dog or a wolf?"

The beast got up from where it had been sleeping and padded over to where I stood. It appeared that not only was it interested in smelling me but that it also wanted its head scratched. I complied.

"Was anyone aware that there is a wolf in the living room?"

"Oh no," Ashley said on her way into the room. "Richard must had left the back door opened again."

"Have you named it. It seems friendly as beasts go."

"What's your name?" Ashley asked.

"Wolf," was the canines reply.

"There you have it. His name is Wolf."

"Pleased to meet you Wolf, I hope we can be friends."

"He's very friendly."

"Where do I go for a quick shower?"

"Up the stairs to the left."

After I had my shower, I joined the gathering in the living room. A few more stories were told before Stewart went to bed. Karna was curious about the books on the wall. After reading the titles of several of them, she selected one titled, "A Concise History of the World." Richard and Ashley talked about leaving Florida and losing Susan while in Toronto and the various ways they had tried to get her out of America.

Eventually, Richard needed another explanation about the jumps in space.

"Indescribable," I started.

"Give it a try."

"As the rate of acceleration accelerates, real space time starts to deform relatively. I thought things might be the way they should be, but perception is aided by few clues in space. It feels as though everything becomes compressed, like putty pushing through hot lead and everything becoming infinitely heavy and it takes nearly forever for things to happen but no time passes. That's what I thought as the velocity of the craft increased. Well that's how I explain how I thought; I wasn't thinking much at all then. I can hardly imagine it even though I was there. I wouldn't want to do it in a sailboat with Einstein pointing out the relative unlikelyness of ever coming back near the right time. It's hard to describe 'cause our physical reality that we have learned is so unlike it. It's no longer a simple three dimensional space in time kind of event that is perceivable with our senses, therefore it becomes a temporary way of being without perceiving, as if the you is temporarily on hold until it can find a perceivable universe again. The final snap into whatever it is beyond light speed is something more vacant to the senses than nothing but more dense than any imaginable matter of density. And deceleration was like being pulled back in. The putty pulled out of hot lead into a near vacuum, stretching beyond relative limits, the real time and relative time pulling the craft to distortion."

"That must have been phenomenal," Richard mused.

"It was at least that and that's why I took the liberty of visiting a planet before doing the whole thing again."

"The most insane thing you're ever done."

"It's all relative."

"No shit, Einstein."

"Though I don't remember, I'm sure I made every attempt to verify the safety of the environment."

"That craft doesn't have all the equipment to test for all the dangers. I'm still worried what you may have left there and what you may have brought back here."

"Don't worry. I made many tests and they tested me as well."

"Test's for things you know about. What we know about is little compared to what we don't know about," Richard clarified.

"What you don't know, can't hurt you," I regurgitated.

"What you don't know, may kill you," Richard corrected me."

Before going to bed, we talked some more about the alien city and why the inhabitants might have lost interest in it. Eventually we talked about how he had tried to free Susan and how he couldn’t risk going to America. I could see he was preparing me to volunteer for the next adventure.



read on. book_02 chapter_31



by Joanne B. Washington

© 2001 | the jose wombat project