Embedded Files
Back to More Beyond Simple Stories
Old man Barrett was a strange man. Many thought he was eccentric, but from the first time I met him I thought he was just strange.
The small town of Dossier that I lived in was used to strange people and strange things. In fact, the present name of the town had its beginnings due to unusual events. At one time it was known as MacDoo City after the lake that is at the south end of town. But, back in the early part of the nineteenth century, as the story goes, Johann Dossier was hung right where the town square is today. He had been accused and quickly convicted of murdering the honorable Caleb Johnson over the affections of Mrs. Johnson. Dossier had maintained his innocence of killing Caleb, though he readily admitted to lusting after the man’s wife. It was reported he wasn’t the only man in town to be smitten with her beauty and charm. But, when Mrs. Johnson reported to the Sheriff that Caleb had been missing for the better part of a month, all suspicious eyes turned toward Dossier.
The last anyone had seen Caleb alive, outside of his wife, was when he had argued with Johann Dossier. Their meeting was in full view as they quarreled at the town square in front of anyone willing to watch. Witnesses reported it started when Caleb confronted Johann over some suggestive remarks he had made to Mrs. Johnson. The argument became quite heated and blows resulted. Johnson got the best of Dossier and left him sprawled in the street. As he turned to leave, Johann shouted up at him from the ground, “You just wait! I’ll see you pay for this!!” Caleb didn’t respond but kept walking, mounted his horse, and rode out of town. That was the last anyone in town saw of him and when Mrs. Johnson reported him missing, everyone suspected foul play.
No body was found but that didn’t stop the rumors from flying. Eventually, the town’s folk quit thinking of them as rumors and determined they were facts. One eyewitness finally came forward and testified that he had seen Johann dragging a body near the north shore of MacDoo lake. The Sheriff organized a posse, and they searched the lake and surrounding area but never found anything.
Dossier admitted dragging a body but said it was a deer he had killed. He couldn’t prove it as he said he had sold the carcass to a group of traveling fur traders passing through.
This so-called evidence was enough for a jury to convict him of murdering Caleb Johnson. His case wasn’t helped any by the fact that Johnson was a likeable person and Dossier was known as a shady fellow. One juror later said that even if Dossier wasn’t guilty of killing Johnson, he was sure he had done enough wrong in his past to justify being hung. Added to all that was the fact that many of the jury, all of which were men, was glad to see the competition for Mrs. Johnson’s affection reduced by one. Especially was this true now that she evidently was a widow and available to be courted.
The town’s sense of justice caused them to wait a full month before they hung Dossier. Everyone figured if Caleb was not found alive by then he must surely be dead by the doings of Johann. After the waiting period passed, preparations were made for the hanging to be carried out at noon the next day.
When morning arrived for the carrying out of justice, the town’s population swelled with people coming in from all over the county. A hanging was a big event and word had spread quickly of the trial and conviction. Vendors were out in full force working the crowd and selling all kinds of pamphlets and trinkets to commemorate the event. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves except for the condemned.
Just before noon the town preacher walked into the jailhouse and spoke with Dossier. He later reported that Johann had made peace with the Lord and was ready to accept his fate. One of the Sheriff’s deputies told a different story. He said Dossier cursed the preacher and asked what kind of man of the cloth would allow such an atrocity to take place. The preacher just shrugged and then said a prayer asking the Lord to accept Johann’s soul.
The Sheriff and three other men led Dossier out of the jail and to the gallows. His feet were shackled, and his hands were tied behind his back. Since he could only take small steps at a time, it took him a while to make his way through the crowd and to the steps of the platform. People jeered at him, especially the men, and a young boy threw a rock at his head that only missed by inches. Some of the deputies tried to catch the boy but the crowd was too thick, and he made a fast getaway.
A cheer arose from the gathering as Johann climbed the steps to the waiting hangman. When he reached the top he took a step forward and then turned to face those who were clamoring for his execution. The Sheriff cleared his throat and then raised his voice for all to hear, “Johann Dossier, you have been accused and convicted by a jury of your peers for the murder of Caleb Johnson. For this crime you are to be hung by the neck until you are dead. Do you have any last words?”
Johann scanned the crowd until he spotted Mrs. Johnson standing toward the back wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. With a clear and crisp voice he shouted, “Alma, that is, Mrs. Johnson, I did not kill your husband! As for the rest of you...” His voice faded off as he shook his head and then turned to the Sheriff. “Get it over with,” he demanded.
The designated deputy pulled a black hood over Johann’s head after which he lowered the rope over him until it was around his neck. He pulled it tight, checked to make sure the prisoner was standing squarely on the trap door, and then nodded toward the Sheriff. The preacher started reciting the Lord’s Prayer as the Sheriff gave a wave of his hand and the trap door was sprung. The crowd gasped as Johann’s fall was stopped by the rope snapping his neck. A loud pop could easily be heard as the neck muscles and bones in his spine were stretched far beyond what they were created for. His legs twitched for a few moments and then he was still.
Alma Johnson could not bear to watch the final results and buried her face in her handkerchief. So, she didn’t see the man walk up to her from behind. He whispered, “Alma, what’s going on?” She immediately recognized the voice and twirled around to find her husband looking at her.
“Caleb?!?” was all she could say before she fainted.
A group of a dozen or more turned to see Caleb Johnson holding his unconscious wife. Someone screamed. The Sheriff seeing all the commotion rushed down the gallows’ steps and pushed his way to the back of the crowd. When he saw Caleb, he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Caleb?!?” he mouthed more than said.
“Sheriff, what’s going on?” Caleb asked as he lowered his wife gently to the ground and started fanning her to help her gain her senses. “Who’d you hang?”
The crowd fell silent as people dealt with the shocking turn of events and from wanting to hear what was being said. Someone shouted out, “They hung Johann Dossier!”
Still fanning his wife as she started to moan, Caleb exclaimed, “Wow! I’d never thought that. What’d he do?”
“Uh...” the Sheriff scratched his beard as he searched for the right words to say. “We thought he had killed you.”
“I ain’t dead, Sheriff,” Caleb declared.
“Well, we can see that,” the Sheriff muttered. “Where were you? You’ve been missing for a month, and we all thought you were dead.”
The town’s doctor broke through the crowd and started working on Alma. Caleb rose to his feet and replied, “I’ve been hunting up in the Bad Lands. It was so good I stayed longer than I meant to.”
“You ain’t never gone up there by yourself,” the Sheriff exclaimed. “How were we to know that was where you were?”
“I wasn’t alone,” Caleb offered. “I joined Big John’s hunting party.”
“You went with the Apache?” the Sheriff asked with a surprise look on his face. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Yeah, I did,” Caleb answered. “They wanted to use my ammunition, and I needed their tracking. It worked out really good.”
The doctor helped Alma to her feet, and she hugged her husband while crying profusely. He kissed her and asked the Sheriff, “You hung Dossier because you thought he killed me? How could you do that?”
“Well, a jury found him guilty,” the Sheriff replied as he swallowed hard. “We waited and you didn’t return and all, so yeah...”
“You had a body?”
“No, we couldn’t find one,” the Sheriff muttered. “But, the evidence pointed to Dossier killing you. It’s not our fault!”
“Really?” Caleb smirked. “You want to explain that to Johann? Go ahead; he’s hanging right over there.”
It has been told that everyone involved played the blame game and no one was punished or even reprimanded for the execution of an innocent man. Eventually, the leading citizens of the town gathered in a special meeting to determine what action should be taken. It was quickly agreed that what had been done could not be changed and it was no direct fault of anyone in town. The meeting was about to adjourn when Caleb Johnson stepped through the door and into the room. An eerie silence fell upon those gathered.
Caleb slowly looked around at the men and women in attendance. Some of them met his gaze but most bowed their heads so as to not look directly at him.
Finally, he heaved a huge sigh and declared, “Alma and I are leaving.”
No one dared answer him as his mere presence brought the guilt of what they had done home to them. From the front of the room the Mayor simply nodded his head.
Caleb bit his lower lip and continued, “We can’t live here anymore. When we moved here five years ago we had high hopes of starting a family and spending our lives here. But, with what has happened, we can no longer stay.”
The Sheriff stood and turned to face him, “We did what we thought was right. If you had been here under different circumstances, I think you would’ve done the same.”
Caleb shook his head and gently replied, “Sheriff, you know me not at all.”
With that said he turned to leave but paused at the door. Without turning around he stated, “The least you could do is rename the town after Johann. Then maybe it’ll be a reminder to never make such a foolish and hasty decision again.” He opened the door and left.
So, the town members took a vote and, more out of shame than anything else, MacDoo City became the town of Dossier.
The twentieth century wasn’t very old when another strange and twisted event happened. Dossier had grown over the last hundred years but was still considered a small town. Everyone pretty well knew each other and the few that a person might not personally know was known by someone else. MacDoo Lake was a popular place for a family gathering or just to make contact with others in the community. On Sundays it buzzed with children laughing and playing, adults gossiping, and picnics galore. Life was normal until the day Sophia Alexander came to town.
Sophie was a beautiful woman, and she rode in on the midday train. No one was there to meet her when she stepped onto the platform. She looked around and finally asked the conductor for her bags. He willingly obliged and handed them from the train down to her. She thanked him and then turned her attention to the layout of the town. After determining the location of the Sheriff’s office, she headed directly toward it.
Upon arriving at the office, she opened the door and stepped in. No one was in sight. The office was quite tidy with a large clock on the wall ticking off the seconds louder than necessary. Surveying the scene she yelled out, “Hello! Is anyone here?”
No one responded but she did hear a rustling sound in the back and out of sight. It sounded as if someone was caught off guard and was hurriedly placing things in order. She gave a knowing smile at the sounds she was hearing and before long a middle-aged woman appeared to come from the back of the office. Her appearance was somewhat disheveled, and she brushed a loose strand of hair back into place.
Sophie studied the lady and said, “Hello, Mrs. Ward.” This startled the lady, and she asked, “Do I know you?”
Ignoring her question, Sophie inquired, “Is Sheriff Benson in today?”
“Dennis, uh, Sheriff Benson is in the back,” the lady quickly responded. “We were, uh, we were...”
“We were looking over the files of an old case that Mrs. Ward was kind enough to help me with,” the Sheriff interjected as he emerged from the rear of the office. Half of his shirttail was hanging out of his pants.
“I’m sure she was,” Sophie smirked. Then more to the point she said, “Sheriff, I need your help, or rather your advice.”
The Sheriff gazed at the young woman standing before him. She was quite attractive with a command about her that would lead one to think she was older than her appearance would dictate. He felt an immediate attraction to the stranger and eagerly asked, “How may I help you?”
Before Sophie could answer, Mrs. Ward stuck her hand out to the Sheriff and said, “It was good to see you again, Sheriff.”
He smiled and shook her hand. “Thank you for coming by, Olivia. Please give my regards to Richard.”
“I will,” she promised before leaving.
“Please have a seat,” he offered Sophie as he took a moment to tuck his shirt back into his pants.
She settled into a seat across from his desk and watched with amusement as he adjusted his cloths before plopping down into his chair.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever made your acquaintance,” the Sheriff surmised.
“That’s right, we’ve never met,” she offered. “My name is Sophia Alexander. Folks just call me Sophie. And you’re Sheriff Dennis Benson.”
“Yes, I am,” he agreed. “So, where is your home?”
“I live in another state, out in the country,” she replied. “I don’t go to towns very often. I like the open air and the freedom it allows.”
“Well, let me welcome you to Dossier,” he offered. “We’re a small community but we’re friendly.”
She smiled at the thought of the Sheriff being friendly. He had said it in such a way as to have several different meanings. She could easily see which one he mostly had in mind.
“Are you married, Sheriff?” she quickly asked. His smug attitude faded, and he replied, “Yes. Judith and I have been together for twenty-one years.”
“I’m sure you have a rock solid marriage,” she interjected. This turn in the conversation was making him somewhat uncomfortable, so he smirked, “Yes, absolutely.”
“I, too, seek marriage,” Sophie asserted. “I thought you might know some who would be good suitors.”
“I don’t see how I can help you with that,” he offered. “My work is in law enforcement and not match making.”
“Well, I just thought you pretty well knew everyone in town,” she declared. “So, if you could just give me the names of some unattached young men, I would be grateful.”
The Sheriff leaned back in his chair and pondered for a moment. Finally, he offered, “Miss Alexander, this is quite an unusual request. It’s not the normal way for young men and women to meet each other.”
“I know, Sheriff,” she agreed. “But, I like to consider myself not exactly normal. You’ll find I’m very direct. It saves a lot of time since the same results are achieved without so much time spent dealing with a lot of fluff.”
“I do find you quite forward, Miss Alexander,” he offered with a glint in his eyes. “I’ll check with some in our community and see if there’s anyone we can suggest to you.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” she said as she rose to leave. As she reached the door she turned and offered, “Why don’t you check first with Mrs. Ward and her husband? It appears they’re quite forward in their thinking, too, especially the missus.”
The Sheriff felt his face blush as Sophie closed the door behind her. He had to admit she seemed to be a remarkable woman. She was direct, but she was discreet. He had no doubt she was fully aware of what was going on in the back of his office when she first came in, and yet, she avoided using it to embarrass him or Olivia. But, he did have a nagging doubt as to whether she had been completely honest with him. His law instincts told him she must have an ulterior motive in what she was doing.
Later in the week as Sophie was about to leave her hotel, the desk manager handed her a note. It was from Judith Benson. The note was an invitation to a picnic at MacDoo Lake on Sunday after church. She would be dining with them and the Wards. Also, one of Dossier’s finest young bachelors would be present and joining them. The note suggested this would give her an opportunity to meet him and any others who just might be present at the lake with the intent that a courtship could begin if all were agreeable. Sophie quickly scribbled her acceptance and asked the desk manager to see that it was delivered to the Benson family.
She couldn’t help but smile at the turn of events. Things were progressing faster than she had thought they would.
Before long Sunday came and everyone gathered at the lake. The day was warm, and Sophie wore a comfortable dress that revealed a little more than most ladies of the day would. She didn’t care as she wanted to stay cool and, besides, if it drew attention then it made it even more intriguing.
Upon her arrival, the Sheriff properly introduced her to Judith, and Olivia Ward introduced her to Richard, her husband. They all exchanged pleasantries before the women busied themselves setting an area for their picnic. The men packed tobacco into their pipes and then lit them as they chatted and surveyed the people gathering to the lake for games, fun, and something to eat.
It wasn’t long before they were joined by a dapper young man. His black hair was heavily greased and combed straight back giving it a very slick look. He appeared very much to be a scholarly type of individual and was slightly taller than Sophie.
“Ah, Gerald, you decided to join us,” Judith beamed. “I believe you know everyone but Sophia.”
He smiled at Sophie and declared, “Yes, I do. It is my indelible pleasure to meet you Miss Sophia. Or, would you prefer I address you by your last name?”
She returned the smile and replied, “It’s Sophia Alexander, but please call me Sophie.”
He closed his eyes and then offered, “Ah, I would never be so presumptive, Miss Alexander. My name is Gerald Howard, and it is my pleasure to meet you.”
“So, must I call you, Mr. Howard, or may I call you Jerry?” Sophie asked.
“Oh, no one calls me Jerry,” he declared. “Gerald will be perfectly fine.”
“That’s very charming of you, Mr. Howard,” she smirked.
“Gerald moved here a couple of years ago,” Olivia interjected in an attempt to ease the tension. “He practices law and would be quite the lady’s catch.”
“You shall make me blush, Mrs. Ward,” Gerald teased. She giggled with delight at his attention. Sophie fought hard not to roll her eyes with disgust at such shenanigans.
The Sheriff and Richard Ward concluded their discussion and joined the group. They both greeted Gerald and then the Sheriff declared, “Let’s eat. I’m getting a little empty.”
They all settled onto the blankets spread on the grass. Sophie couldn’t help but notice that Olivia actually sat closer to Sheriff Benson than his own wife did. In fact, she caught an interesting glance between Judith Benson and Richard Ward. It was quick, but it was enough to make her wonder what they had been up to. She quickly concluded that evidently, Sheriff Benson and Richard Ward’s favorite game was wife swapping.
Gerald held his hand out to Sophie and helped her take her seat after which he joined her. She thanked him and the Sheriff gave a blessing over the meal. After making sure everyone’s plate was full, Olivia offered, “Gerald is planning on running for Superior Judge next year.”
Sophie nodded at the news while Gerald beamed, “I believe it would be the natural thing for me to do.”
“Well, I’m almost certain the job’s yours,” Sheriff Benson declared. “You have a lot of important people in this community willing to support your bid.”
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
“And I’m one of them,” Richard added. “I think you’ll make a good judge.”
“If I could vote, I’d vote for you,” Olivia added with dreamy eyes.
“Now, Olivia, there’s no need to bring up that women’s suffrage garbage again,” Richard declared with a snort. “That’s all this country needs is a bunch of emotional women thinking their view will make a difference.”
“You don’t think we can make intelligent choices in the voting booths?” Sophie asked with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, you probably can most of the time,” the Sheriff replied. “But, without discussing the birds and the bees, we all know that there are certain times of the month when you women are not in your right mind.”
“That’s right,” agreed Richard. “It’s no telling what could happen if women were allowed to vote at those delicate times.”
“All I know is it would be a disaster!” Gerald declared. “A woman’s place is in the home raising children, making her husband happy, and not worrying their pretty little heads about things men worry about.”
A silence settled on the group as each gathered their own thoughts. The answers the men gave didn’t surprise Sophie at all. She was hoping the women would take a stronger stand for women’s rights, but that was all but dashed when Judith declared, “Well, I for one wouldn’t have the slightest notion as to who to vote for.”
“That’s why it’s best left to the men folk,” the Sheriff surmised.
Sophie ignored the rest of the conversation until she looked up and saw a young man in the distance. He looked to be in his early twenties.
“Who is that man over there?” she asked Olivia.
“Where?”
“Over there handing out what looks like cake,” she answered.
Olivia followed where Sophie was pointing and then laughed, “Oh, that’s Josiah Banks. I don’t know why they let him and the other Negroes come to the lake. It’s just not natural.”
“Now, dear they provide a good service and make a little money in return,” her husband declared. “They’re not hurting anyone.”
“But, they’re Negroes,” she protested. “They have their place, but it’s not here with us white folks.”
“They scare me,” Judith declared.
“There’s no need to be afraid of them, especially with me being Sheriff,” the Sheriff offered. “I know enough good citizens who know how to keep them in their place if need be.”
“Like the Klan?” Richard snorted.
“Whatever it takes,” the Sheriff said with a hearty laugh.
Sophie ignored most of what was being said and muttered to herself, “So, his name is Josiah.”
Olivia studied her face and then declared, “You seem to be overly interested in that Negro.”
Sophie stood and politely said “Excuse me” before walking over to the small group of blacks that were going around offering pound cakes for sale. She marched right up to Josiah and started a conversation.
“Well, that was rather rude,” Judith declared.
“I think she’s being too friendly with those people,” Olivia added.
“I was afraid she was trouble from the moment I laid eyes on her,” the Sheriff offered. He stood and declared, “I’ll put a stop to this right now.”
He approached Sophie and Josiah as they were laughing over something one of them had said. Sophie touched Josiah’s arm and beamed a smile at him. The Sheriff was almost taken aback at her brazen attitude but quickly gathered himself and declared, “Miss Alexander, you need to return to your dinner party.”
“I will, Sheriff,” she answered. “I just had to meet Josiah. Did you know a handsome man like him is not married?”
“Yes, I know.”
She turned back toward Josiah and with a gleam in her eye said, “I’m not married, either.”
The Sheriff’s face grew cold. With a growl he sternly said, “Josiah, you gather your Negro women, and you get out of here.”
“Yes, sir,” the young man humbly replied.
“There’s no need to make them leave,” Sophie objected. “I came to this town to be courted, and Josiah is a fine young man.”
“He’s a Negro,” the Sheriff grumbled. “It’s not allowed.”
When the Sheriff noticed Sophie had actually taken Josiah’s hand, he lost his temper. “Josiah, I told you to leave. Are you deaf, boy?”
“No, sir.”
“Then you’d better leave right now!!” he yelled. “And don’t you even give a thought of trying to court Miss Alexander here. If you do I’ll see you lynched!! Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” Josiah replied as he turned and motioned the girls who were with him to leave. He followed but quickly glanced back at Sophie as he walked away. She smiled at him again.
Sophie crossed her arms in disgust and declared, “That was totally unnecessary.”
“Young lady, you’re new here and that’s the only reason I haven’t taken you over my knee and given you the spanking you deserve,” he coldly said. “Now, you forget this foolishness and go join our dinner party before I change my mind.”
She studied his face for a moment, and when she was convinced he was serious she turned and headed back to the picnic spread. The Sheriff followed and they took their seats as a heavy silence settled on the group.
Finally, Judith couldn’t contain her emotions and blurted out, “How could you flirt with a Negro?!?”
Sophie shrugged and replied, “He’s nice and, besides, he’s a good-looking man.”
Olivia gasped, “Well, I’ve never.”
Gerald jumped to his feet and bowed toward the ladies. “I’m afraid I must leave.”
“There’s no need for you to go,” Olivia protested.
“I’m sorry but there is,” he declared. “If I remain any longer, I’m afraid my honor will suffer irreparable damage.”
With that said he turned and walked away.
Judith fought back tears and blubbered, “Well, this has been just awful!”
Sophie narrowed her eyes and declared, “I don’t see what all the fuss is about.”
“You don’t see?” cried Olivia. “You don’t see?!?”
“Now, dear don’t work yourself into a frenzy,” Richard cautioned. “Remember what the doctor said about getting upset with your fragile heart condition.”
The Sheriff cleared his throat and declared, “The problem you’ve created is trying to fraternize with a Negro.”
“So?” Sophie barked back. “He was friendly. I’d much rather marry someone like Josiah than that pompous blowhard Gerald!”
“Oh, I think I’m going to faint,” Judith wailed.
“Young lady, you listen to me, and you listen good,” the Sheriff said as menacing as he could. “We have an anti-miscegenation law in this state. If you try to marry that boy in my county, then I’ll lock you up and throw away the key. Then you can pass your time looking out your cell window and watching Josiah Banks swinging back and forth on the nearest oak tree!!”
Sophie bit her lower lip as she fought to control her rising anger. “You would do all that just because a white girl married a black man?”
“We have to,” Richard interjected. “It’s not natural for white folks and Negroes to mix. The Lord doesn’t want His superior white race diluted with the mixing in of Negro blood. The Heavens above would rupture with calamities galore as God would remove his favor from us if we allowed such sinning.”
Sophie couldn’t restrain herself anymore and almost yelled, “Well, He seems to have ignored all the other sinning going on in this town!!”
“What are you talking about?!?” Olivia yelled back trying to appear as innocent as possible.
“You know very well what I’m saying,” Sophie continued. “Since we’re being so outspoken here, why don’t you tell us all what you and the Sheriff was doing in the back of his office the other day when I came in?”
“Well, I’ve never!!” Olivia cried in shock.
“Oh, I’d be willing to bet you have,” Sophie sneered. “You two come out from the back with your dress all wrinkled up and the Sheriff pushing his shirt back into his pants! It’s okay for you two to have an adulterous affair but it’s against the law and a sin against God for me to want to date Josiah?!? How hypocritical can you get?!?”
“That’s enough out of you!!” The Sheriff barked.
“What she says is not true, is it Dennis?” Judith humbly asked.
“Oh, don’t try to act so innocent, Mrs. Benson,” Sophie’s voice rose in desperation. “You know it is. Those two spending time together gives you and Richard plenty of opportunities to carry on your own little undercover meetings.”
“That is a lie!!” Judith shouted.
“Oh, really?!?” Sophie smirked. “Then explain to me why Richard smells like the perfume you wear? Or, maybe Richard, you like wearing women’s perfume. Which is it?”
Judith jumped to her feet and started gathering up her dishes and baskets. “I refuse to stay here and be insulted by a Negro-loving harlot!!”
“Richard, help me gather our things,” Olivia ordered. “We’re leaving!”
The three of them quickly packed everything and walked away while the Sheriff and Sophie stared each other down.
Eventually, Sheriff Benson spoke, “I don’t know what you think you were going to accomplish here, Miss Alexander, but you have stirred up a hornet’s nest.”
“That’s what you get for trying to live like an insect,” Sophie smirked.
Ignoring her remark, he crossed his arms and declared, “I want you out of here. I want you on the first train in the morning and I never want to see you in my county again.”
“If that’s what you want, then I’ll take my leave,” she asserted. “And don’t worry, Sheriff. You will never see me again.”
True to her word, the next morning Sophie was on the first train out of town. The Sheriff was at the station to make sure she didn’t change her mind. A couple of weeks later, Gerald Howard surprised everyone when he announced that he had accepted a lucrative job with a law firm in New York City. He moved there before the end of the month, and shortly thereafter, Josiah Banks was found to be missing. The family he had been staying with reported it to the Sheriff, but he showed no interest in searching for him.
There have been other strange events to take place in Dossier, but those two rank at the top. So, even though it was odd that Mr. Barrett would call for me to come and see him, I was used to either seeing weird things or hearing about them. Besides, he said he had a job for me, and at the time, I was unemployed and looking for work.
I had never met him until the day I went to see him. People would talk about him behind his back, especially when he made a rare trip to town. They told me his clothes were always wrinkled and his hair a mess. One little girl twitched her nose and declared, “He smells funny.” But I didn’t care what people said or thought as I only had a couple weeks of unemployment checks left and I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity so long as it appeared to be safe.
I drove my 1997 Chevy Cavalier over to his house and pulled into the driveway which was a little over a football field in length. My little car was eight years old but it was still going strong. As I turned the engine off I couldn’t help but notice how untidy the yard was. Even with the grass needing mowing and trash thrown about, in a weird way it all still matched the dilapidated look of the house.
Trying to avoid stepping on anything that could hurt, I worked my way to the front door where I rang the doorbell. It didn’t work. So, I banged on the door. No one came so I knocked again. The door opened slightly due to my knocking, and I stepped inside even though I didn’t see anyone.
The inside wasn’t much better than the outside. Everything looked as if a stiff wind had blown through. Not seeing anyone, I yelled, “Hello!! Mr. Barrett, are you home?”
There was a rustling sound in the back of the house and before long an elderly man came out from one of the back rooms. I figured it had to be Mr. Barrett as he looked to be well into his sixties, his hair was uncombed and pushed up to the point he resembled a mad scientist. He was wearing Bib Overalls, and they appeared to be clean, but it was evident they had never been pressed or seen the inside of a dryer.
“Yes, yes, who is it?” he said as he briskly walked toward me.
“Mr. Barrett, it’s me, Jeff McKay,” I replied. “You asked for me to come and see you.”
“Oh, yes. Yes, indeed,” he chuckled as he approached and held out his hand. I shook it and he invited me into what appeared to be his living room.
“I’m glad you responded so quickly to my request for you to come and help me,” he declared as he moved some papers from his sofa so I could have a seat. I sat down and offered, “You said it was a job and I sure need one.”
“Yes, yes,” he said as he scratched his chin and looked around the room as if he had misplaced something. “Ah, yes, there it is.”
He walked over to the fireplace mantle and took down a metal cookie box. Sitting down beside me on the couch he handed me the box. “I think there’s some money in there.”
I pried the top off and he was right, the box was stuffed full of money. “You can have what’s in there,” he declared.
“Uh, there’s a lot of money in here,” I stammered.
“Yes, well, I haven’t counted it,” he declared. “I hope it’s enough for you.”
I fumbled through the wad, and it was all twenties and hundreds. “There’s several thousands of dollars in here.”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine,” he said. “It’s yours.”
I was stunned. This was far more than I had expected. My surprised turned to suspicion and I asked, “Just what kind of job are you wanting me to do?”
He chortled, “Oh, it’s not much. There’ll be some expenses, but you should have more than enough there to do the work and then you can have what’s left.”
“So, what’s the job?” I asked again.
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of what he was about to tell me. “I’ll tell you, but first there are some conditions.”
“Like what?”
“Well, first of all, you must carry out my instructions to the letter,” he declared. “There can be no deviation whatsoever.”
“Is it legal?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” he replied with a hint of surprise in his voice.
“In that case, I can do it,” I offered.
“Now, Mr. Jeff McKay, I cannot overemphasize this,” he continued. “You must strictly follow my instructions no matter what happens, no matter who opposes you, no matter how tempted you are to not do so or even if you personally disagree with what you have to do.”
I thought about it for a few moments. He was asking me to blindly agree to something I would not be able to change if I found out I had made a mistake. It was a lot of money involved, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick my neck out without knowing some details of what was being asked of me.
“This sounds very interesting, Mr. Barrett, but I don’t make it a habit to agree to things when I don’t know what I’m agreeing to,” I declared. “You’ll have to tell me a little of what this is all about for me to make a decision.”
“Yes, yes, you’re a wise young man,” he said. “I don’t want to reveal too much until we have an agreement, but I can tell you, it simply requires some landscaping on my property. Once that is done, you simply have to maintain the yard for a while.”
I immediately thought of his unkempt front yard. This had the potential to be quite a bit of work if it involved straightening that mess out. “I’m to do all the work myself?” I asked.
“Oh no, not at all,” he answered. “That is if you don’t want to. You can do as little or as much as you desire. I have no problem with you contracting the work out so long as you supervise it and make sure everything is done to my liking.”
It seemed okay, so I said, “That sounds good. I can agree to that.”
“Good, good,” he declared as he clapped his hands together in delight. “Now, the other condition is that you cannot tell anyone what you are doing and why you are doing it.”
“Won’t your neighbors see me working and have questions?” I asked.
“Of course, they will,” he agreed. “That’s why it’s imperative you not reveal anything to them. My reasons for doing this have to be kept a secret.”
“That should be easy,” I smiled. “I don’t have a clue as to what you’re doing much less as to why. So, they could ask all they want, and I wouldn’t know what to tell them.”
He returned the smile and then soberly asked, “What if it goes further than that? What if someone threatens you?”
I hadn’t thought of that. “This is going to be dangerous?” I asked with an appreciable amount of trepidation.
He smiled again and answered, “Well, Mr. McKay, everything we do in life is dangerous. It just comes in different degrees. You could face some danger, but you’ll have my full backing. I won’t let anyone, or anything harm you.”
For some reason I found his words reassuring. He said them in a way that had a considerable calming effect on me. So much so that I agreed to his terms.
“Good,” he declared. “Now, we can get down to planning the work.”
He had me follow him to his dining room where he had a blueprint spread across his dinner table. I studied the paper and could easily make out the house, but besides that, it looked as if a rectangle was drawn in the front yard with nothing in it but a dot in the middle.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to explain this to me,” I offered.
He laughed and said, “Yes, of course. It’s quite simple. I want my front yard to be cleared. You can see the dimensions are to be eighty meters by thirty. No more, no less.”
“Okay.”
“The space is to be smooth and leveled,” he continued. “No vegetation is to be allowed to grow.”
“That could be a full time job within itself,” I surmised.
“Yes, yes, it can be,” he agreed. “But, I have plenty of dirt in the back yard that you can spread over it to help. It’s a special mixture that will help hinder any growth.”
“That will help.”
“Of course, it will still require you to look after it on a daily basis,” he offered.
“That’s no problem for me.”
“Good,” he said with a smile. “Now, like I said earlier, you can hire whoever you want to do the work for you, but I’m expecting you to make sure this goes as planned and that it’s kept that way.”
“I understand,” I declared. “How long will I need to maintain it?”
He squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. Finally, he replied, “I’d say no more than six weeks. It probably will be less, but I can guarantee it’ll be no more than that.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Mr. Barrett, you’re paying me a lot of money to do this simple job.”
He smiled again and offered, “We’ll talk about that when this is over with. You may have a different view then.”
That was a perplexing comment, but I was caught up in the excitement of the job and making a considerable amount of money for very little work to give it much thought. Besides, I was busy doing some calculations in my head as I surveyed the blueprint. Then I noticed the dot in the middle again. “What’s the spot for?” I asked.
“Oh that!” he excitedly declared. “That’s the best part!!”
“So, what is it?”
“I’ll show you,” he said. He stepped toward the doorway and yelled, “Oh, Bonnie, will you please come here and bring the package with you?”
It wasn’t long before we were joined by a very attractive lady who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She was carrying a small box with her and strolled up to the table. I must admit I was somewhat dazzled by her looks, and when she smiled, I almost forgot what we had been discussing. Her blonde hair was cut in a short jagged casual look that gave her a girlish look, but her blues eyes revealed a determined woman who evidently knew what she wanted and didn’t hesitate to act when necessary. She wore a sheer white tank top and black Khaki shorts which made it difficult to concentrate on the business at hand.
Mr. Barrett broke the spell and introduced her as his daughter. She held out her hand and I shook it. At the time I was mesmerized by her looks and almost overwhelmed by the events of the day that I barely noticed the tingling feeling when I touched her hand.
She handed the box to Mr. Barrett, and he broke it open. With a big grin on his face, he pulled the contents out and held it up for all to see.
“It’s a rock?!?” I mumbled.
“Yes, indeed,” he replied with amazement on his face. I was amazed, too, but it was from expecting something more grandeur than a simple rounded ivory looking rock that easily fit in his palm.
“This is the dot,” he declared as if that was some sort of explanation. It was at this point that I noticed Bonnie was staring at me. I smiled at her but she only stared. So, I turned my attention back to Mr. Barrett and his rock.
He gently placed the rock in the middle of the blueprint directly on top of the dot.
“This is where it goes,” he directed. “You are to put it exactly in the middle of the field. Lengthwise it is to have forty meters on each side and be fifteen meters from the edges.”
“Okay.”
“Measure it very carefully, Mr. McKay,” he cautioned. “It must be exact.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bonnie spoke and said, “Once you have it in place, it is not to be moved.”
“Okay.”
“Jeff, we are trusting you with quite a bit here,” she exclaimed. “I hope you are the man for the job.”
“He is,” Mr. Barrett answered before I could.
I couldn’t help myself and declared, “Well, you know if you look at this from my angle, all you see is a cleared field with a rock in the middle of it. I’m afraid I’m not feeling the excitement you two are.”
Mr. Barrett glanced at Bonnie, smiled and then said, “Of course, not. We don’t expect that from you.”
“Good,” I quickly added as I had no intention of offending them. It was just hard for me to understand what was happening and I had agreed to not ask unnecessary questions.
“So, do I need to make a daily report to you?” I asked.
“Well, I won’t be available for a while,” Mr. Barrett answered. “Bonnie will be your point of contact if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
“If you have any problems or need more money, then let me know,” she declared. Then sizing me up, she added, “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I almost blushed and quickly asked, “So, is there anything else I need to know?”
“No, you have everything you need,” Mr. Barrett declared. “When can you start?”
“Right now,” I replied. “I’ll go make some phone calls and line up a contractor who does landscaping. It shouldn’t take long to get this done.”
Mr. Barrett bid me farewell and Bonnie walked me to the front door. “We’re grateful, Jeff, to have your assistance on this.”
“It’s my pleasure to do business with you, Bonnie,” I said with a smile.
She returned the smile, touched my arm, and offered, “You know how to reach me.” Her touch sent another strange tingle up my arm, which I readily noticed this time, but I can’t say I really minded it that much.
I drove back to my apartment on the south side of town and immediately got busy working on Mr. Barrett’s project. It wasn’t long before I had searched online and spoke to some of my neighbors about who they would recommend that I started calling different landscaping contractors. By the next afternoon I had narrowed my search down to the company I thought would do the best job at the best price.
The next day I met the contractor, Randy Price, at Mr. Barrett’s place. I showed him a diagram of what was needed and he surveyed the area while jotting some notes down on a legal pad. Finally, when I had answered all his questions he stepped back and took a long look at the yard. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he calculated what he needed to do.
“Well, I think it’s doable,” he finally declared. “It seems to me it’s a fairly simple job.”
“Good,” I said. “When can you start and how long do you think it’ll take to finish?”
He scratched an itch on his head and replied, “I can have a crew here first thing Monday morning. I’d say we’ll be through by midweek.”
“And the price is firm?”
“Yeah, I’ll guarantee it for what I quoted,” he answered.
“That sounds good,” I declared. “You draw up the agreement and I’ll come by your office and sign it.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “Now, you said there is some special soil we’re to put down once the field is cleared and leveled?”
“Yeah, it’s in back of the house,” I replied.
“Can I see it?”
“Sure.”
We walked around to the back of the house and there were three large mounds of gray dirt. Randy went over and picked a handful up. He rubbed it with his hand and then let it fall to the ground.
“I’ve never seen dirt like this,” he declared. “What’s it called?”
“I haven’t a clue,” I answered. “Mr. Barrett said it was special but he didn’t say what it is or where it came from.”
“It has a grainy texture to it and yet it almost feels liquid,” he surmised. “It’s really strange.”
“Between you and me, this whole project is pretty weird,” I almost whispered.
“So, why are you doing it?”
“I need the job,” I replied. “Besides, it appears to be a harmless fantasy of an eccentric old man. Six weeks from now it’ll be over and I’ll make enough money to last me the rest of the year.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re throwing some my way,” he laughed. “So, unless there’s something else, I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning.”
“Sounds good.”
Monday came and true to his word, Randy had a sizable crew working on the job. By early afternoon they had cleaned all the junk and trash out of Mr. Barrett’s front yard and started on felling the trees that needed removal. My job was to stay out of the way and make sure the work followed Mr. Barrett’s instructions.
On Tuesday, the tree stump removal was well under way, followed by the front loaders that started digging out the field. Trucks filled one after the other with dirt and debris and hauled it all off to be deposited in a landfill. They worked quickly and efficiently as they leveled and lowered the 80x30 meter area by about four centimeters. By the close of the day the area looked totally different than just a few days earlier. Now, it was flat and barren of any living vegetation. It was a strange sight especially considering I had absolutely no idea as to the purpose of it all.
The better part of Wednesday was spent moving the special soil from the back of the house and depositing it into the open field. The front loaders were now used to load the dirt onto the trucks which would bring it around to the front and dump it in a pile. From there, Randy’s men used a high-powered blower with a long hose to pull the dirt from the pile and spread it across the field.
The job was completed about an hour before dusk, and Randy and I stood watching the final touches being made.
“Well, that’s pretty much it,” he observed. “We’ve lightly packed the dirt down so we can make sure it’s as level as we can get it.”
“It looks good,” I offered. “Or, it looks like the plans Mr. Barrett had for it. Let me get you your check for the work.”
“Thanks.”
I stood observing the field as Randy and his men drove away. I had to admit, it was a pretty awesome sight, a flat large barren field with strange looking gray dirt. There was no doubt it would become the talk of the neighborhood, if not the town.
My concentration was interrupted by Bonnie and Mr. Barrett coming out on the front porch. The old man clapped his hands and shrilled with delight. Bonnie was staring and smiling at me while she held the metal box.
“Come on, let’s finish it!” Mr. Barrett declared as they stepped down and walked toward me.
“I hope it’s to your liking,” I said.
“It is, it is,” he chuckled. “It’s exactly what I wanted. You’ve down an excellent job, Mr. McKay!”
“Thank you.”
Bonnie opened the box and Mr. Barrett asked, “Will you do the honor please, Mr. McKay?”
“Sure,” I replied as I took the rock out of the box. It was much lighter than its appearance would have you believe.
“I’ve placed a penny on the exact spot where the rock is to go so I would get it right,” I revealed. “We measured it and double checked to make sure it’s the central point of the field.”
“Excellent!” Mr. Barrett exclaimed.
They walked with me to the spot and watched as I gingerly laid the rock on the ground and removed the penny from under it. I stepped back and we just stared at the rock laying in the middle of the barren field. Mr. Barrett and Bonnie almost looked awestruck over the whole matter. It was quite evident I didn’t see the significance of what had been accomplished as much as they did. All I could see was a small white rock in the middle of a cleared field covered with gray dirt. I remember I did think that if you looked at it from high in the sky it would look like some weird eye staring at you.
Finally, Mr. Barrett spoke, “This is great, Mr. McKay. Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome and thank you for giving me the job,” I offered.
“Now, you must maintain this field just as we see it now,” he reiterated. “I would suggest you come by once in the morning and then again in the afternoon every day for the next few weeks to check on it.”
“I can do that.”
“And please remember, that you must immediately remove any vegetation or trash that you find,” he ordered. “This field must look exactly as it does now for the duration of your employment.”
“I’ll see to it.”
He continued, “Bonnie will be your contact. You can see her for anything you need to keep this field the way I want it.”
She touched my arm again, smiled and offered, “He will.”
So, the next few days I dutifully came back in the mornings and afternoons to check on the field. Each time everything looked normal as I couldn’t even find a single weed that needed removing. A few times someone in the neighborhood would see me checking the field and come over to ask me what it was all about. I never told them much out of respect for the trust Mr. Barrett placed in me and mostly because I knew the reason behind the building of the field about as much as they did.
On the afternoon of the fourth day one of the neighbors approached me as I was looking over the field. He greeted me and introduced himself as Don Long and said he lived about a block away.
“I heard the earth movers and all, but I didn’t know what was going on,” he declared. “Then my next door neighbor, Alice, said I ought to come over and see what Barrett had done to his front yard.”
“Yeah, this is what he wanted,” I revealed.
“I bet you don’t have a clue as to what it’s for, do you?” he asked with a chuckle.
“No, I don’t,” I agreed.
“That’s the way he works,” he observed. “When his first moved in here I tried to reach out and make friends with him.”
“How did that go?”
“Oh, he was friendly all right,” he laughed again. “But, he was so secretive and all that he made it difficult to get to know him. He was always interested in me and the town, but when it came to him revealing something about himself or his relatives he was as tight lipped as they come. So, I eventually lost any interest in trying to get to know him.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“But none of this really matters,” he continued. “I mean with the Amalgamated Malaise Center coming in and taking over.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t tell you?” he asked with a perplexed look. “That’s awful strange even for Barrett.”
“What do you mean by the Amalgamated Malaise Center coming in?” I asked.
“Oh, they’re going to build a plant right here on this spot,” he declared.
“What?!?”
“Yeah, it’s scheduled to start construction at the first of the month,” he said. “They’ve had one of their top guys coming in here every week or so for the past three months to get everything organized. If I remember right, his name’s Luke Davidson. He’s related to Arthur Davidson, the founder of Amalgamated. He’s been pushing hard to finalize the deal and get construction started. As far as I can tell, he’s got everything ready but this last piece of land. If they can get Barrett to sign over the land his men will start right away.”
“You think he will?”
“I doubt it,” he answered. “He’s a cantankerous old soul. So, the Mayor is taking no chances and has called for a special council meeting this morning. They’re gonna invoke eminent domain powers and take the land and sell it to the Amalgamated folks.”
“They can’t do that, can they?” I asked as I was totally confounded at this turn of events.
“Oh, yes they can and they will,” he replied. “Amalgamated is promising to create five hundred jobs and the city’s not going to lose that over the whims of some old coot like Barrett.”
I was stunned. We spoke some more and then Mr. Long bid me farewell and left me to my thoughts. Suddenly, this easy job had become a lot harder. Then it dawned on me what I had agreed to and it sent a cold chill down my spine. Mr. Barrett had asked me if I would be loyal to him even if it became dangerous. He knew what he was doing and I blindly fell right in step. The thought of my new predicament almost made me sick to my stomach. But, I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and then reviewed my options. I had none. I had promised to look after the field and keep it exactly as is and so, I determined that was the only course of action I could follow. But, first, I had to see if Mr. Barrett would allow any wiggle room in the negotiations with the town.
Without any more thought, I walked up to the house and knocked on the door. No one came so I knocked louder and longer. Finally, the door opened, and Bonnie came out on the front porch.
“Hi, Jeff,” she sweetly said. Normally that would’ve been enough to almost make me swoon, but not this time.
“I need to speak to Mr. Barrett,” I demanded.
“What’s wrong?”
“May I speak to him, please?” I asked with my patience starting to run thin.
“He’s not here,” she replied. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Yeah, he didn’t tell me that a big company is planning to come in and take his land, including the field I just had made for him,” I blurted out.
“Is that a problem?”
“You bet it is!” I exclaimed. “He had me promise to look after the field and make sure it stays exactly the way it is for at least six weeks. Now, I learn that it’s to be torn up at the first of the month. What am I supposed to do?”
“It’s simple,” she smiled. “You do what you agreed to do.”
“I can’t!” I almost shouted. “I mean, how can I? How can I fight a large company like that, not to mention the town who wants them here?”
“Hmm,” she said with a glint in her eyes. “I believe, Jeff, you are about to earn the generous wages my father gave you.”
“This is not fair, Bonnie, and you know it,” I sputtered.
She moved close to me and put her arms around my neck. Looking me in the eyes, only inches away, she calmly said, “Nothing in life is fair, but, it’s still life and we have nothing else to replace it with. So, we do what we can with what we have.”
I wanted to kiss her. She was so close and so alluring that I was quickly forgetting why I was upset. My hands moved on their own and came to rest on her sides at her waist.
“You can make a stand against all the wrong they represent,” she continued as her eyes fixed on my lips. “I’ll be there with you whenever you need me.”
I fought against it, but I couldn’t help it, and my right hand moved up her side and came around to rest on her breast. Even through her bra it felt wonderful. She didn’t bat an eye but focused her attention on my eyes.
“Your hand is on my breast,” she matter-of-factually said.
“I know,” I agreed as I returned her stare.
“Please remove it,” she requested.
“You can always step back,” I offered as I allowed my index and middle fingers to gently massage her quickly hardening nipple.
Continuing to stare at me, she took two steps back. I let my hand drop to my side. She slightly shook her head and then lunged at me. Our bodies became entwined as we kissed and held each other tight. My whole body tingled at her touch. We kissed and caressed each other as passion took control. “Let’s go inside,” I suggested.
She took my hand, and we moved toward the door when lightning came from the sky and struck a tree just to the side of the field. The tree split in two and part of it fell right into the middle of the cleared field.
Bonnie immediately dropped my hand and covered her mouth with her own hand. I could tell she was startled at the lightning strike and so was I. Taking her hand I declared, “I’ll clean it up later.”
Jerking her hand away she quickly said, “No, we can’t do this!”
“Why not?” I just as quickly asked.
“We just can’t!” she replied. “Uh, you’ve got to clean that tree out of the field.”
“Yeah, but...”
“There’s no ‘but’ about it,” she almost yelled. “That is what you agreed to do and we expect you to do it.”
“What about us?” I asked as any hope I had of making love faded.
“There is no us,” she bitterly said. “They’re can never be anything between us.”
“Look, I’ll do my job,” I declared as I felt my disappointment turning to anger. “Even if it means taking on the whole town, I’ll do it. But, don’t you try to tell me there wasn’t anything between us a minute ago.”
“There wasn’t,” she lied.
“Who are you trying to convince, you or me?” I bitterly asked. She just stared at me, so, I turned and walked back to the field.
I busied myself in cleaning up the fallen tree. It wasn’t long until I had removed the debris and smoothed the dirt back to its original state. All was back to normal so I allowed myself to glance at the house. Bonnie was no longer on the porch and was nowhere in sight. My emotions were running the whole gamut as I felt anger, bitterness, disappointment, and eventually sadness that she had said there could never be anything between us. None of it made any sense, and I needed it to as I was as frustrated as I could be.
My thoughts were interrupted as a limousine pulled into the driveway. I watched it come to a stop and the chauffeur hopped out and opened the back door. A tall, well-dressed man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties emerged followed by a shorter but slender older man who I recognized as Boris Craven, the mayor of Dossier. He waved at me, and I waved back.
“Hello, Mayor Craven,” I said as they approached. I could tell he didn’t know me, but I hadn’t expected him to.
“Well hello, there,” he bellowed as he examined my face in an attempt to remember who I was. “I recognize the face, but I apologize, I can’t recall your name.”
“I’m Jeff McKay,” I offered as he pretended to know me. At that point I was glad I hadn’t voted for him in the last election.
“Well, Jeff, let me introduce to you the man who’s going to bring hundreds of needed jobs to this community,” he proudly proclaimed. “This is Luke Davidson, one of the owners of Amalgamated Malaise Corporation.”
I shook his hand and noted his grip was a little too firm. Either he didn’t know his own strength, or he was using it as a tool to try and show his dominance over anyone he met. He seemed a little too slick, but it was inconsequential to me.
“Well, it looks as if Mr. Barrett has built some sort of shrine here,” he observed as the two men looked over the field.
“This is what he wanted,” I explained. “He drew up the plans and hired me to have it built.”
“Built?!?” choked the Mayor. “There’s nothing here! It’s just an empty field, with a...what is that white looking thing over there?”
“It’s a rock,” I replied.
“What does it do?” Luke asked.
“I have no idea,” I answered. “All I know is it looks and feels like a normal rock.”
“Well, this is ridiculous!” the Mayor roared. “He knew Mr. Davidson wanted to buy this land and he goes ahead and does something like this!!”
“Mayor, do you know what Mr. Barrett has done, because I don’t?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s obvious,” he declared. “He’s trying to up the value of this land so that when the city takes it, we’ll have to pay him more money.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “Sounds like some pretty smart business,” I surmised. “What do you think, Luke?”
He quickly glanced at me as if my question caught him off guard. “From what I know of him, Mr. Barrett can be a cunning and devious man.”
“Someone you can admire?” I sarcastically asked.
He was about to say something when the Mayor interrupted, “Well, this is just preposterous! This empty field with a stupid old rock in the middle of it has no real value. It’s a waste, a total waste!!”
With that he clenched his fist and marched over to the rock. “We’ll end this now!” he cried. As he bent over to pick up the rock, I yelled at him, “Leave that alone!!” He stopped and turned toward me.
“You’re telling me what to do?” he smirked.
“Yes, I am,” I sternly replied. “This is private property, and you keep your hands off of that rock.”
He studied me long and hard to see if there would be any break in my resolve. He found none, so he held up his hands and waved them in the air as if he was surrendering and bellowed, “Who am I to mess with your private property?”
With that he gave the rock a good swift kick with his foot, or he tried to. When his foot hit the rock, it looked as if he had tried to kick a boulder. The rock didn’t move a millimeter, but the Mayor’s big toe made a loud cracking noise, and he fell to the ground writhing in pain. He was yelling and trying to hold his foot and I almost laughed at him, but I was raised to not make light of other people’s pain. So, I simply said, “I told you to leave it alone.”
Luke and I helped the Mayor to his feet as he kept yelling and cursing. Finally, he gained some composure and declared, “None of this matters. We’re on our way to Town Hall and the council and I are prepared to invoke eminent domain and take this property for the betterment of the town of Dossier. Nothing you or old man Barrett can do will stop us from selling it to Mr. Davidson so he can build his call center here! So, my boy, you just tell him he’d better start packing because this is going to happen!!”
I didn’t reply so he started hobbling toward the limousine. We watched him try to walk and it was evident he had broken his toe, if not his foot, too. I turned and said, “Well, Luke, it was nice meeting you.” He looked at me, nodded his head, and then marched off to help the Mayor to the limo.
After watching them pull out of the driveway, I looked down at the rock to make sure it was still in the same place. It was. It hadn’t moved at all. Of course, I was astonished that it was still there. The Mayor had tried to kick it with all his might and it hadn’t budged. I knew it wasn’t heavy as I was the one who had carried it and place it in the spot it was in. But something was going on here and all I knew was that it was out of the norm. In spite of all that, I was starting to like the rock.
I walked back toward the house and before I could reach the steps, Bonnie came out on the porch. She looked anxious and we stood there for a while watching each other. Finally, I shuffled my feet and offered, “Uh, that was kinda awkward a while ago.”
She nodded her head and said, “Yes, and I’m so sorry I let it happen.”
“Well, I let it happen, too,” I surmised.
She sat down on the steps, and I joined her. Taking a deep breath, she revealed, “I’ve watched you for some time. My father wanted to pick the right person for this job, and he asked me to make the selection. So, I watched you without you knowing it.”
“Well, I guess it makes sense to check out who you’re going to hire,” I said more as small talk than anything else.
“I have to admit, the more I watched, the more I liked what I saw,” she confessed. “I’ve had companions in the past, but seeing you made me know that I’ve never experienced love. I mean, I’m not saying I’m in love with you.”
“That would’ve been okay,” I pouted.
She laughed. “What I mean is: I could fall in love with someone like you,” she continued. “I don’t know if I would, but it would be exciting to find out.”
“Well, since we’re confessing here, I have something to admit,” I offered.
“What?”
“Last week when I first met you, I was immediately hooked,” I revealed. “The way you look, the way you talk, started me falling fast. Then as I got to know you more...I guess I was watching you, too...it just confirmed what I knew at the beginning. I’d been waiting all my life for someone like you. That’s why when you put your arms around my neck, I reacted the way I did.”
We sat in silence for a bit and then she confessed, “I liked kissing you.”
I laughed and declared, “I really liked kissing you!” She laughed, too. “So, are you married or something? Is that it?”
“No, I’m not married,” she grinned.
“Well, you’ve been watching me, so you know I’m not married,” I surmised. “So, Bonnie Barrett, can you tell me why you stopped me from making love to you?”
She sighed and replied, “No, I can’t. It’s complicated with reasons that have to be kept secret. That’s all I can say without...well, that’s all I can say.”
“I see.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, not at all,” I quickly answered. “I might be a little disappointed.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I grinned. “Look, I haven’t known you that long, but what I have seen makes me want to trust you.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you think things will change in the future?” I hopefully asked.
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll change,” she replied. “The future always brings change.”
“I meant between us,” I explained. “Do you think we’ll have a future together?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I really don’t know.”
“So, there’s no chance, then,” I declared as I found my hopes quickly fading.
She looked at me, smiled and said, “There’s always a chance, Jeff.”
I smiled back at her and asserted, “Good. So long as there’s a chance, I’d be willing to wait a lifetime if necessary.”
She laughed again as I stood to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“The good mayor of Dossier just informed me that they are conducting a special meeting of the town council so they can take this land away from your father,” I explained. “So, I thought I’d attend and see if I can convince them of the folly of their ways.”
“Good luck,” she offered.
“Thanks.”
I drove into town and parked my car near Town Hall. A small crowd had gathered inside, and they looked surprised to see me walk in. I recognized most of them as being a number of local business owners and some of the others as stalwarts of the community. It was quite evident that group of people was not going to be on my side of the argument.
It wasn’t long before the council assembled and the Mayor called the meeting to order. He made a few opening comments about the history of Dossier and how it had the potential of becoming a prominent location in the county if not the state. That all depended on whether we choose to move ahead with the times or try to hold on to the past which was becoming more and more outdated with each passing day. Of course, everyone knew what he was referring to.
With his slanted opening remarks out of the way he read the proposal to invoke eminent domain over Mr. Barrett’s property. One council member moved to have the proposal adopted and another one second the motion.
“Is there any discussion?” the Mayor quickly said. “If not, then...”
“Uh, Mr. Mayor, I would like to discuss it,” I just as quickly interjected.
“Let’s see, it’s Jeff McKay, if I remember right,” he asserted.
“That’s correct, sir,” I stated. “I’m Mr. Barrett’s appointed caretaker for the recently built field he has in his front yard.”
“Recently built?!?” the Mayor smirked. “Why it’s nothing more than a desolate piece of land with a small rock in the middle!”
Snickering filled the hall as the Mayor chuckled at his own cleverness. “It may appear that way to you and others present here, but it’s important to Mr. Barrett,” I declared. “He’s spent a lot of money and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time to make sure his wishes are kept.”
“The only thing Mr. Barrett is wishing for is to raise the value of his property so the town will have to fork out more money when we purchase it from him,” the Mayor contended. “That’s the only value that field has to him.”
“Well, I don’t know whether what you say is true or not, it may be, but, how is that any different from what you’re trying to do?” I countered. “Mr. Barrett is trying to better himself if what you say is true, and you’re trying to better the town so it will become a shining example to the rest of the state.”
“I’m trying to bring jobs to this community, young man,” the Mayor declared with irritation.
“Yes, I agree, the jobs are definitely needed,” I agreed. “I know because I was looking for work when Mr. Barrett hired me. But, there are several other places where Amalgamated could build their call center. Those other places have owners who are willing to sell. Why go to all the trouble of taking a person’s property against their will when there’s no need?”
“It’s quite simple, Mr. McKay,” the Mayor tersely replied. “That is where Mr. Davidson wanted to build. His engineers would not approve any other land in this area. It’s either Mr. Barrett’s land or they look somewhere else in another county.”
“So, why didn’t he go directly to Mr. Barrett and ask to buy the property?” I inquired. “Why didn’t he do that instead of bypassing him and coming directly to the town board? That doesn’t seem right, Mr. Mayor!”
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” the Mayor declared. “Mr. Davidson has been nothing but topnotch in his dealings with us. He has earned this board’s respect and admiration and we’re willing to allow him some latitude in his judgments.”
“Well, Mr. Mayor, it seems his judgment is to take what he wants, when he wants it, and to have the good citizens of Dossier to do his dirty work for him,” I boldly asserted.
A murmur swept through the crowd, and I could easily tell it was not in my favor. I was about to speak again when the Mayor interrupted me, “Mr. McKay, we usually only allow three minutes for each public discussion. We’ve given you more time due to the nature of this business, but your time is now up.”
“Just one more thing, Mayor, if I may?” I requested.
“Make it quick.”
“If the town proceeds with taking Mr. Barrett’s land against his will, what is to stop them from doing it again in the future with someone else?” I asked. “How can anyone really call their property their own? Mr. Mayor, you represent all the people in Dossier. What can you say that will reassure them this is a one-time-only event?”
“This is the people’s business,” the Mayor retorted. “The citizens of this town know that their elected leaders are out to harm no one and will always act on their behalf for the betterment of the community.”
“It’s quite apparent you’ve spearheaded this movement to take Mr. Barrett’s property from him and hand it over to Mr. Davidson,” I quickly interjected. “Has your efforts been all for the ‘betterment of the community,’ or are you hoping it will be the catapult to launch your political career to bigger and better things?”
“How dare you question my motives!!” he shouted at me. “Who are you to ask such a thing of anyone on this board?”
“I’m a citizen of this town and I’m a voter,” I calmly replied. “And because of that, I’ll ask any damn question I want to ask of you or any other elected official!”
“Your time is up!!” he yelled. I shrugged and took my seat.
The vote was unanimous. I at first thought I had wasted my time, but at least I stated what I thought needed to be said. Even though they had voted to take Mr. Barrett’s land and compensate him the fair market value, I felt at ease that at least I had tried to make a case against them doing so.
The town’s attorney told the board he would draw up the legal documents and the town could take possession of the land at the first of the next week. With that the board adjourned and everyone filed out of the hall. I sat in my chair and simply stared at the Mayor’s empty chair. What could I do now? What options did I have? Mr. Barrett had entrusted me with the job to look after his field and I had failed to protect it. They say you can’t fight City Hall, but I wasn’t through yet. There had to be something else I could do. Then it dawned on me. It was a long shot, but I didn’t have much choice.
The next morning when I went to check on the field, I told Bonnie about the town meeting and what had been decided. She said she wasn’t surprised and wanted to know what I was going to do about it. I told her I was exploring my options but didn’t tell her what they were. It felt good to have a few secrets of my own for a change.
I left the Barrett place and drove just under two hours to the home office of Amalgamated Malaise Corporation. The building was larger than I had imagined, and it seemed there was a hundred cars in the parking lot. I found a “visitor” space and pulled in.
At the security desk I said I wanted to see the owner, Mr. Arthur Davidson. The security officer looked me up and down and asked, “Do you have an appointment?”
“No, I don’t,” I replied. “But I want to talk to him about the center Luke Davidson is trying to build in Dossier, which is my hometown.”
He looked startled and inquired, “You said Luke Davidson, right?”
“Yes,” I answered. “He’s trying to bully his way into building a call center where it’s not wanted.”
He looked me up and down again and stated, “Wait right here.” With that he turned and made a phone call. After hanging up the phone he said, “Mr. Davidson will see you now.”
On my drive back home, I thought long and hard about the conversation I had with Arthur Davidson. It was very interesting and informative. The only Luke Davidson he knew was his son who was killed in a car accident some fifteen years earlier. At first, he thought I was some sick individual trying to play an awful trick on him, but he recognized my sincerity and listened intently to what I had to say. I hadn’t expected this turn of events and was totally shocked. What kind of scam was the man pretending to be Luke trying to pull? Was he acting alone or were there others involved? What about the Mayor and the Town Council? How deep were they involved in this? I had all the questions. What I needed was some answers.
It was mid-afternoon when I pulled off the highway and drove into town. I decided to go by and check on the field as I usually did each afternoon. When I pulled into Mr. Barrett’s driveway, I was met by a crowd of about twenty to thirty people. They saw me and starting shouting at me. I knew then that it was more than just a crowd, it was a mob.
They quieted down when I stepped out of my car and glared at them. The Mayor was standing in the back of a pickup truck beside a large earth mover. It was obvious he was the leader.
“What’s going on here?” I asked loud enough for all to hear.
“We’ve come to remove this atrocity so Amalgamated can start working bright and early Monday morning,” the Mayor yelled back at me. “We’re going to show you and old man Barrett that this town will not allow you to hinder its progress! We’re going to show you that we are prepared to do what is necessary to bring new jobs here!!”
“You have no legal right to do this!” I protested.
“Oh, yes we do!” the Mayor insisted. “Our town attorney has okayed this and we’re going ahead. I suggest you step out of the way.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to get hurt,” someone in the crowd shouted.
I ignored the threat and declared, “This is wrong! You’re making a big mistake, Mayor!”
“The only mistake we’ve made is letting this drag on as long as it has,” he shot back.
“No, seriously, you’ve fallen for a scam,” I explained. “The man who says he’s Luke Davidson is a con artist.”
This got everyone’s attention. A murmur spread through the group and was only quieted when the Mayor yelled, “Don’t believe him! He’s the one trying to con everyone so he can keep his pitiful job! He’s the one taking Barrett’s money and doing very little, if anything at all, to earn it.”
“How do these good people know you’re not part of the con with Davidson?” I bitterly asked.
Even from a distance I could see the Mayor’s face turn bright red with anger. “You’re a liar!! Get out of the way McKay! Don’t make us run you over!!”
He jumped down from the back of the truck and started limping toward me. Evidently, his big toe was still bothering him. I didn’t know if he was going to try and rush me or not, but I balled my fist up just in case. He stopped at the rock and turn back to the crowd. “I have it from a reliable source that McKay’s only job is to keep this rock in this exact spot.” The people started laughing and I bit my lip to help keep my calm.
“McKay, your job here is through,” he declared as he bent down to pick up the rock. It wouldn’t move. He strained as hard as he could, and it wouldn’t budge. Finally, he yelled, “Craig! Come over here and help me.”
A big husky guy who I didn’t recognize came over and stooped to get a firm grip on the rock. He tugged and tugged and still the rock would not move. Taking deep breaths he rubbed his hands together and grabbed the rock with both of them. As he struggled to pick up the rock his face turned red, the veins in his neck stood out, and beads of sweat formed on his brow. The rock would not move. I was becoming more and more impressed with that rock.
Eventually, he gave up trying and catching his breath, he gasped, “I can’t move it, Mayor.”
The Mayor nodded his head and ordered, “Bring the earth mover over here!” A lanky fellow jumped up on the seat and the big diesel engine roared to life.
The noise brought Bonnie out of the house, and she joined me.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
I gave a sigh and replied, “They’re gonna move the rock out of the way and destroy the field.”
“Oh.”
As the big machine lumbered toward the rock, Bonnie and I moved off the field of dirt and onto the grass to watch. It came to the rock and lowered its shovel. The shovel dug into the dirt beneath the rock in preparation of scooping it all up. The diesel revved up as the shovel started to rise only to come to a complete stop because the rock refused to move.
“Keep trying!” the Mayor yelled above the roar. The operator shouted back “Okay” and pushed the throttle open a little more. There were some loud creaking sounds as the machine struggled to lift the shovel with the rock in it. It still would not budge. The frustration on the face of the man running the earth mover was apparent. Evidently, he had never had this much trouble in moving a small rock. He gave the engine more fuel and the sound was almost deafening. A bolt on the shovel snapped and sheared off. This time there was movement. The strain on the front of the mover caused the rear tires to rise off the ground and stick up in the air, but the rock didn’t move. It looked as if the man operating the mover was yelling and cursing, but it was too noisy for me to be sure. Eventually, the diesel engine started sputtering, spewed a huge black cloud of burnt fuel, and hacked and coughed until it stopped running. Then I could clearly hear the operator yelling and cursing. The rock had not moved. I was astounded.
The silence hung heavy as the crowd stared at the big broken machine that couldn’t move a small white rock. I was about to laugh when the Mayor snarled, “It’s McKay’s fault! He’s done something to cause this!! Grab him! He’s going to jail for this!!”
Before I could think, the big husky man started my way. I started to back away and glanced at Bonnie. She was staring at the rock and the iris of both her eyes had turned from a soft blue to a bright light green color. Even though the man was getting closer, I stopped in my tracks. I looked back at the rock and it was changing colors to match her eyes. Once it did, a stream of pale green light spread from the rock out and covered the top of the dirt in the field. I heard someone yell and when I looked closer the soil had turned to mud and everyone and everything in the field was sinking. That is, everything but the rock.
Everybody was screaming and struggling to break free, but they were held fast. In fact, the dirt was acting more like quicksand than simple mud. It wasn’t long before most had sunk to their waists and were still sinking. The earth mover had sunk to where its tires were almost covered. It was incredible because everything was sinking much deeper that the four centimeters deep of dirt we had loaded onto the field.
As they kept sinking some started begging for help. It was evident that if this continued, they all would soon disappear, and no doubt, die as if they had been swallowed by quicksand. I knew they were probably getting what they deserved, but I didn’t feel it was right. It had to stop.
I turned and said, “Bonnie.” She didn’t respond. It was as if she was in some sort of trance. So, I grabbed her arm, which caused a tingle in my hand, and said louder, “Bonnie! You’ve got to stop this!!”
She slowly turned to look at me and her eyes returned to the normal beautiful blue that I was used to. Immediately, the stream of green light emitting from the rock stopped and the rock changed back to its ivory white color. The mud turned back to gray dirt and everyone, including the earth mover, popped back up on top of the ground. All the people lay on the ground giving thanks that they were no longer stuck and sinking to a certain death. They all looked pretty scared, too.
Bonnie touched my shoulder and declared, “Jeff, our work is done here.”
“So, this is what it was all about?” I asked as bewildered as I’d ever been.
She ignored my question and quietly said, “Will you get the rock and bring it with us?”
I wasn’t sure about that. I was to pick up something an earth mover couldn’t move and something that evidently changed dirt to mud. “Are you sure?” I asked as I hesitated.
“Please?”
So, trusting her, I walked over to the rock. The Mayor was still sprawled out on the ground and I grinned at him before reaching down and picking up the rock. It felt as light as it had the first time I held it. I was starting to feel pretty cocky until the rock spoke. It was a deep, growling, and booming voice. “Leave now before I change my mind and make you sink to your deaths!!” The scramble to leave was an impressive sight. Even the Mayor made a hasty retreat, pushing a guy who was moving too slow out of his way. He moved really fast for someone with a broken toe. I was dumbfounded and watched until they all had left.
After all of them were gone, I turned and walked back to Bonnie. Once I stepped out of the field there was a light swooshing sound as if a sudden stiff breeze had blown by. I turned to look and the gray dirt in the field had disappeared. There was no trace of it ever being there.
Still watching the field, I handed the rock to Bonnie.
“Well, Jeff, thank you for what you’ve done for us,” she offered. “We’re leaving so this is goodbye.”
That got my attention. “Wait a minute!” I exclaimed. “I need to see Mr. Barrett. There’s something I need to tell him about Luke Davidson.”
“There’s no need for you to do that,” she asserted. “It’s not important anymore.”
“Well, it’s important to me!” I declared. I wasn’t particularly liking her attitude at that moment.
“No, you’re not to see him,” she testily said.
I was stunned. It was if she had suddenly turned against me for no reason. She said “Goodbye” again and turned toward the house. Her attitude stunk and I was having none of it. So, I reached out and grabbed her arm. I must admit, I was becoming angry and grabbed her harder than I meant. She gave a yell, more out of surprise than pain, and jerked back toward me. What happened next is difficult to put into words. In grabbing her arm as quick and as hard as I did, I actually yanked it. When I did, the skin moved and slid down her arm, like a glove, exposing a light green limb that was similar in color to her eyes when she was staring at the rock. But, it was not the pretty sight that was in her eyes, but instead, it was horrendous. I didn’t look at it long as dread and fear filled my emotions and I became as terrified as I had ever been in my life. I was mortified and tried my best to run as far and as fast as my legs would take me, but I couldn’t move. The sight was horrifying and I was so scared I could hardly breathe. Now, as I said earlier, it’s almost impossible to fully describe the feeling I had at that moment, so it will have to suffice that I was almost scared to death.
She quickly pulled the skin back up her arm and smoothed it into place. I felt some relief at not having to look at it anymore, but I was still shaking and couldn’t speak. It was as if my whole insides were out of sync and everything was short circuited. I did wet my pants though.
Out of concern, she came over to me and kept calling my name. I couldn’t respond. So, she put her arm around me and helped me move slowly to the house. By the time we got inside and to the dining room I had gained some of my senses and could tell where I was. She helped me to a chair, and I gingerly sat down still not able to fully comprehend what was happening around me.
I could tell Bonnie was calling for someone to come and help her, but I couldn’t understand the words. It wasn’t long before Mr. Barrett came into the room followed by Luke Davidson. At the sight of Luke, I was able to barely lift my shaking arm and point my finger at him. I tried to speak but nothing came out and my mouth hung open and I couldn’t close it. Bonnie’s arms were flailing around as she apparently described what was wrong with me. Luke came over to me and placed his right hand on top of my head. I immediately felt my senses returning and it wasn’t long until I was almost back to normal. My neck wanted to twitch every now and then, but other than that, I felt okay.
“Who are you? What are you?!?” I stuttered at Bonnie. Then feebly pointing toward Luke I sputtered, “He’s not Luke Davidson!”
Mr. Barrett came over and laid his hand on my shoulder. “You’re absolutely correct, Jeff. You have been far more resourceful than we anticipated.”
“And all that stuff in the field,” I continued. “That can’t happen! You’re gonna have to tell me what’s going on or I...well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but you’ve got to tell me!”
The three of them looked at each other and Mr. Barrett nodded. He pulled a chair over and sat down beside me.
Looking off into the distance he gathered his thoughts and then declared, “My name is not Barrett.”
“It’s not?”
“No, the closest I can pronounce it in your language is Karuek,” he explained.
“My name is Jhali,” Luke chimed in.
I looked at Bonnie and asked, “And what is yours?”
She smiled weakly and replied, “It’s Shashewienoine. But please call me Shasha, I like that better.”
“So, why all the deception?” I questioned.
“Well, Jeff, we’re not from around here,” Mr. Barrett or Karuek revealed. “We’re explorers from other worlds.”
I can’t say I was totally surprised at this revelation. Even though I had never been a believer in all the UFO hoopla that’s happened over the years, I always figured there had to be other people out there. The universe is way too vast for me to conclude otherwise, but I never expected to actually be faced with aliens from outer space. Normally, I would’ve been skeptical of such claims, but after what I had been through and seen, the idea of extraterrestrial beings at work was quite plausible.
“So, where are you from?” I asked.
“We’re from different worlds in different galaxies,” Luke or Jhali explained. “I come from a water planet. It has very little land but it’s beautiful and I love it there.”
“Mine is a world of energy,” Shasha chimed in. “We have a form which you were mistakenly exposed to, but our essence is electrical plasma.”
“The planet where I come from has many of the same characteristics as Earth,” Karuek revealed. “It’s a beautiful world as most planets are.”
“Our worlds are part of a conglomerate federation of worlds that was formed millenniums ago,” Jhali continued. “In many ways it’s very much like many of your science fiction novels and stories that are so prevalent here.”
“It’s only much bigger and far more powerful than any human has imagined,” Shasha declared. “Its reach is trillions of light years and it’s the instrument our people use to maintain peace and harmony among us all.”
“Your United Nations would be a very simple form of what we’ve created over time,” Jhali added. “Our organization has vastly more power and control.”
“Even with that being true, it doesn’t dictate each planets destiny,” Shasha said. “We make our own laws and customs, but we do it under the auspices of the governing power.”
“This results in equality for all,” Karuek inserted. “There is individual freedom to do as one wants without interference from others so long as we don’t present a threat to the freedom of other individuals.”
“That kinda sounds like our Golden Rule, do unto others as you want them to do unto you,” I surmised.
“Yes, it does,” Karuek agreed. “We have found it takes species thousands of years to fully adopt and implement such a liberating principle, and I dare say, no one has mastered it yet to the fullest, not even us.”
“Some species have never been able to attain the freedom it brings,” Jhali added. “But so long as there is time there is hope.”
“So, with that being said, we are an advance team for our worlds,” Karuek explained.
I thought about what had been told me for a moment and then blurted out, “You’re scouting us out in preparation for an invasion!”
“No, no, not at all,” Karuek quickly said as Jhali and Shasha chuckled. “We don’t invade anyone! We are an advance team to decide if a world is ready for us to make formal contact with them. Then they are presented the opportunity to join our federation or not. It is totally up to them. We make no demands and take nothing.”
“It would be disastrous to show up at a new world without preparing for it,” declared Jhali. “It would do no good for anyone.”
“We’re ready,” I asserted. “A lot of people have been expecting an alien visit for some time. You’ve seen our TV and movies and how we know the day is coming.”
“Yes, we’ve seen many of them,” Karuek said. “I know you and many of your people think you’re ready, but you’re not. Please understand, Jeff, the people on my planet are a peaceful people, full of goodwill and harmony, but, if we made contact with Earth today...I hate to say it...but, we would destroy you.”
“We’re that bad, huh?”
“It’s been a journey to say the least,” Jhali answered. “But, progress has been made, especially in the last few hundred years.”
“We make a clandestine visit every hundred years or so to see how you’ve progressed,” Karuek continued. “And with that visit we throw in little tests here and there to try and determine what your innermost thoughts and feelings are. In other words, what your true nature is.”
“You’ve had visitors throughout human history, but this team just started coming here about two hundred years ago,” Shasha declared. “Back when we first came the town was known as MacDoo City.”
“Yeah, that was the name before it was changed to Dossier,” I agreed.
“Well, we had a hand in the name changing,” Karuek asserted. “You see, in order to do our jobs, we have to do some acting. So, we assume different characters to accomplish our task.”
They went on to relate to me the details of their first visit and the identities they assumed. Of course, Shasha was Alma Johnson, the fair lady who reported her husband missing. Karuek was that husband, Caleb Johnson, and Jhali was the falsely accused murderer, Johann Dossier, who had the town named after him after he was hung.
“If they hung you, then why aren’t you dead?” I asked.
Jhali shrugged and replied with a smile, “All us actors have our hidden talents.”
A hundred years after their first visit they came again. They told me about the incident at MacDoo Lake when Shasha as the alluring Sophia Alexander rejected the advances of Jhali the condescending lawyer, Gerald Howard, and caused quite an uproar by flirting with an African American named Josiah Banks who was actually Karuek.
“And you’ve been an eyewitness to our latest trip here,” Jhali said. “We’ve staged these tests to see human reaction to unusual but realistic events. Just as you saw today, we can judge whether humans have reached the point where they would freely and readily accept a formal visit from us without fear, prejudice, profiteering, or aggression.”
“Until then, your planet is very much like that rock that you placed in the middle of the field,” Karuek asserted. “You’re alone in the middle of barren space. You must remain that way until you have progressed to the point where you present no threat to yourself or anyone else.”
“I hope mankind does a lot better the next time,” I offered. “By the way, how did you get the Mayor to go along with Luke Davidson’s scheme?”
Jhali laughed and replied, “It’s been my experience that it’s quite easy to manipulate corrupt politicians. He was a piece of cake.”
“So, now we must go home and make our report and prepare for our next visit which should take place early in the next century,” Karuek declared.
“Wait a minute,” I forcefully said. “Now, I think I understand all this testing and preparing you’re doing. I can see how you can’t just show up and announce you’re from outer space, but you’re leaving the good people of Dossier with false hopes. They’re expecting a call center to be built here and bring a lot of needed jobs. It doesn’t seem right for you to build up their hopes to only have them dashed. That’s not right at all.”
Karuek smiled and declared, “You see, Shasha, you picked the right person for our job here. He has the beginnings of what one day we hope we’ll find in every human. Then our work will be complete.”
“The call center is coming here and bringing all the jobs,” Jhali added.
“It is?”
“Yes, it is,” Karuek restated. “After you met with Arthur Davidson and was on your way home, I met with him.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and he was quite impressed with my proposal of going ahead and building the center here,” he continued. “The property is the town’s and he can proceed to bring the jobs here. He agreed to do so with one stipulation.”
“What is that?”
“Mayor Craven must resign as Mayor,” he revealed. “So, this puts the destiny of the call center and all those jobs right in the lap of the good people of Dossier. They can choose the jobs or a corrupt Mayor. I’m convinced they’ll take the jobs.”
I was deep in thought about what I had been told when Jhali declared, “Well, Jeff, we’re going to leave now.”
It startled me and I asked, “Uh, what about me?”
“You?”
“Yeah, are you going to abduct me and take me with you?” I inquired.
“No, we can’t,” Karuek replied. “As much as I’ve come to like you and the promise you show, you’re still far from being ready to meet what’s out there.”
“I’ll go ahead and get the death ray, and we can get rid of him,” Jhali declared.
“Wait a minute!” I yelled at Karuek. “You told me no harm would come to me!!”
The shocked look on my face must have been something because after a moment they all broke into laughter. Shasha laughed so hard she was shaking.
“I got you,” Jhali snorted between his laughter.
“That wasn’t funny,” I protested.
“Yes, it was,” Karuek declared as he wiped a tear from his eye. “The look on your face was almost worth the trip in itself.”
“Thanks,” I said with a measure of relief.
“Jeff, we’ll leave you here,” Jhali was finally able to say. “People will tell stories of what happened in the field and conspiracies will arise, but they’ll find no evidence of anything out of the ordinary.”
“As time goes by the stories will become embellished to the point that they will hold no credibility whatsoever,” Karuek asserted. “That’s the way it always happens.”
“I guess so,” I agreed. Then as an afterthought I asked, “So, where’s your ship?”
“Ship?”
“Yes, the space ship you came here in,” I explained.
“Oh, those,” Karuek said. “My dear Jeff, in the future Earth will be embarrassed that they ever tried to travel in those tin cans. You can’t really go anywhere in them and they’re a waste of energy. There are so many other ways to travel that are far superior.”
Jhali glanced at Shasha and saw her staring at me. He smiled and then told Karuek, “Come on and help me get things ready to go.”
“Oh, sure.”
Once they had left I stood and moved closer to her. We both glanced at the floor and then each other. Finally, I broke the ice and said, “Shasha, huh?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I like that,” I revealed. “It fits.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I like the name, Jeff, too.”
“So, you want me to call you Jeff?” I teased.
She grinned and replied, “No, Shasha is fine. I like it when you’re silly.”
“Thanks,” I offered. Then I had to ask, “You weren’t going to let those people die in the mud, were you?”
“No, I would never do that,” she replied. “I was about to let them go when you yelled at me. I just wanted to scare them and keep that one man from attacking you.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
We kept staring at each other, so I asked, “Was that the real you I saw a while ago?”
“Yes, it was,” she revealed. “All of us wear what you would consider to be makeup to hide our true appearance.”
“It almost scared me to death,” I asserted.
“I know,” she agreed. “Humans are not prepared to look at my species. It overloads your nervous system. We hope to fix that one day.”
“That would be nice,” I surmised.
“Yes, there shouldn’t be any secrets between us,” she added.
“You’ve been the one with the secrets,” I teased.
“I know,” she humbly admitted. “But, without them, we would’ve never met.”
I nodded, bit my lower lip and reluctantly stated, “Uh, well, I guess this is goodbye.”
“Yes, I guess,” she agreed. Then she blurted, “Jeff, everything I told you about us is true. I really like you...I liked kissing you...and I wish it could’ve been more.”
“Well, at least I understand things better now,” I offered. “I guess you’re not into inter-species mingling and all that.”
She threw her arms around my neck again, and before I could think, we were kissing. I don’t believe I’d ever been kissed that way before and the tingling filled my body again. Slowly, she started pushing me gently away until we separated.
“You’re stopping again,” I complained.
“I didn’t want to,” she asserted. “I told you that my essence is energy. It’s actually more complicated than that, but our being is charged with what you would relate to electricity.”
“Okay.”
“In this world I battle to maintain control and keep my appearance humanoid,” she continued. “When you touched me yesterday, I lost control.” She smiled and said, “You made me lose my composure.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you did,” she laughed. “I was willing to sacrifice all to be with you. I was willing to sacrifice you.”
“Me?”
“You feel a tingle when I touch you, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, I do.”
“It’s only a tingle because I’m able to control it,” she explained. “If we would have continued and made love, my control would’ve vanished and you would have been burnt to a crisp. My existence would’ve simply disappeared.”
“Oh.”
“Jhali saw what was happening and made the lightning strike the tree to shock me back to reality,” she continued. “Due to my nature the charge was far more frightening to me than it was to you. It worked.”
I was disappointed at this revelation and remarked, “So, you and I would always have a platonic relationship.”
“That’s all.”
I smiled and offered, “Well, I would like more, but if that’s what it took to be with you, then so be it.”
She reached over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “You’re sweet,” she said. “But, when I get back home, I’m going to gather my team and we’re going to see if we can figure out how my species can join your species in more intimate situations.”
“Without barbecuing me and vanishing you?”
“That’s right,” she eagerly declared. “Yes, that and how you can look at me without the violent reaction you had earlier. I don’t want to scare you to death, either.”
“I wouldn’t want that either.”
“I’m going to figure this out and then you and I are going to get to know each other a lot better,” she promised.
I didn’t share her excitement. “Well, I hope you’re successful, but that’s really not going to do us any good,” I stated. “You won’t be back for another hundred years. I’ll be dead and gone by then. You’ll just have to find someone else to get to know.”
“I don’t want anybody else.”
“Well, that’s life,” I said. “I believe it was you who said it’s life and we have nothing else to replace it with. So, we do what we can with what we have. Isn’t that what you said?”
“So, you’re trying to use my words against me, huh?” she smirked.
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Is everyone on this planet as pessimistic as you?” she asked with a smile.
“Only those of us who fall in love and have our hearts broken,” I glumly replied.
She reached into her pants pocket and brought out the ivory rock that had been in the field. Handing it to me she said, “Well, here’s something you can keep to remember me by.”
“I don’t need that rock to make me remember you,” I asserted. “I could never forget you.”
“Quit trying to be sweet and take the rock,” she demanded. “Look, keep it near you. Put it on your nightstand and leave it there.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me,” she answered. “My team hasn’t been the only ones watching you. Others have been here for ages.”
“Rocks?” I guessed.
‘They’re durable, but they don’t move easily, and they don’t mingle very well,” she explained. “But they’re excellent observers.”
I was surprised at that revelation, but I easily believed it as what I had seen in the past few days was enough to make me realize life on Earth was more complicated than I had ever imagined. All I could do was nod my head in agreement.
In a blink, she grabbed me again and we kissed. Finally, pushing herself away she rubbed my cheek with her hand and moaned, “Mmm...right now I would love to fry every inch of your body.”
“It must be love,” I said with a smile.
She kissed her finger and placed it on my lips before turning and joining Jhali and Karuek in the living room. They stood in the center of the room and waved goodbye to me. In an instant they were gone. After a moment’s reflection, I headed to the front door to leave. When I opened the door there was a slight sound like rushing air, and when I looked back everything inside the house was gone. There was no trace of furniture, light fixtures, tables, or anything. It was all gone as if it had never been there. I closed the door and walked to my car. After closing the door I stared at the house. It started crumbling until the roof came crashing to the ground. All that was left was a pile of rubble. I started the engine and drove away.
I’m now one hundred twenty-seven years old. Every time I look in the mirror, I’m amazed at what I see. I look and feel as if I’m only twenty-seven. It’s the rock. I don’t know how it does it, but I’ve kept it beside my bed all these years and it’s the only explanation I have for staying young. It’s still ivory colored and hasn’t glowed green again since that day in the field. Thankfully, it hasn’t spoken again, either. I don’t know if I want to have a talking rock around me all the time.
Some years ago, I had a neighbor who had a smart alack kid that was as annoying as he could be. One day he and his son came over. While he and I were talking, the kid snuck into my bedroom. I know he tried to steal the rock because he came back and complained to his father that I had a heavy rock in my room. When I asked how he knew, he told us he tried to pick it up and he couldn’t move it. I simply smiled and told him everything was okay.
Since I’ve lived so long and haven’t aged, I’ve had to be discreet to avoid having to tell the truth about what I know. My friends and acquaintances would eventually notice they were getting older and I wasn’t. I would blame it on simply being young looking as long as I could, but later I did start dyeing white streaks in my hair and used some makeup to put wrinkles on my face. When that no longer worked, I simply moved to another town and started my life over.
The money Karuek had given me was enough for me to invest and has been a nice nest egg that I’ve kept all these years. I’ve never married. I have dated some but it was always superficial. The person I love was far away and I struggled at times with missing her. But, patience is easier when time has little consequence. I told her I’d wait a lifetime for her and my feelings have never wavered.
It’s now early in the twenty-second century. They’re back. I know they’re here, but I don’t know where or what they’re doing. I’m curious as to what test they’re putting some unsuspecting souls through and how they’ll react. I know we humans have progressed even more than the last time they were here, but I seriously doubt we’re ready to join them and the rest of the galactic family. It’s still too early.
I know they’re back because the other day I had a message in my ICR, that is, implanted cranium receiver. It was from Shasha. She excitedly told me her experiments over the past century had proven successful and she couldn’t wait to see me. Some things are still too dangerous for us to try but she said I’d be pleased with what we can do. She also said she had received permission to remain on Earth for an extended period of time after her work was done. Then she ordered me to clear my calendar for several months and get ready to experience things I’ve never imagined. I wonder what she looks like this time. It really doesn’t matter. After all, she’s willing to put up with the way I look, and let’s face facts, I’m far from being a handsome and dashing specimen of a man. Anyways, I’ve loved and missed her for a long time.
After viewing Shasha’s message, I walked into my bedroom to change from my work clothes to my evening attire. To say I was thrilled at the prospect of being with her again goes without saying. I picked up the rock and tossed it up in the air and caught it. When I looked at it, I would swear it smiled at me. I quickly put it back on the nightstand and gingerly walked away.
I like that rock.
THE END
Copyright ©2014 by Jerry W. Crews
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse