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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Science Fiction
- Subject: Science / Science Fiction
- Published: 06/04/2022
Star Travel
Born 1980, M, from Exeter, United Kingdom.jpeg)
On the day of my job interview, I was standing in my bedroom in front of my full-length mirror putting the finishing to my outfit: a brown jacket over a white blouse and dark trousers, when there was a knock on the door. My family rushed in excitedly and dad said: “We are so proud of you for getting this interview!” Mum nodded her head in agreement and said: “You will be an asset to the company darling.” My sister hugged me from behind: “So proud of you sis! But do you have to go and work for the corporate machine?” “Don’t worry, if I get the job I will undermine them from the inside for you.” “Thank you!” she laughed. Mum added: “When you’re ready come downstairs! I’ve made your favourite: pancakes!” “Yes! The breakfast of champions!” I shouted. After putting on my red beanie and tucking a stray blonde hair underneath it, I told my reflection for the third time that morning that I could do this. I hurried downstairs. When I finished, I grabbed my shoulder bag and put it on: “Bye everyone!” They chorused: “Good luck!” I left the house with the address of Star Travel on yellow paper.
After taking some wrong turns, I arrived at my interview with a few minutes to spare. I looked up at the glass four storey building, which was shaped like a star, and walked through the sliding doors into a large, light and airy space. It was tastefully decorated, with light green walls and black floor tiles. There was music playing softly. Opposite the entrance, a bright-eyed receptionist swivelled her chair from side to side. I walked up to her: “Hello, my name is Nancy Thomas. I am here for the interview.” “One moment please,” she said, picking up a white phone and talking softly. When the call finished she turned her attention back to me. “Ms. Reed will be with you in a moment, please take a seat.” I sat on a comfy green chair. While waiting I tried to calm my nerves by listening to the music. It was a pop song ‘Ooh baby let's not fight, take me out tonight’ seemed to be the only lyrics. Eventually I heard the clack of high heels and a woman's voice saying: “Nancy Thomas?” I stood up and shook the woman's outstretched hand. “Rachel Reed, lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming in. Follow me please.” Rachel’s friendly manner put me at ease immediately. “Ms. Reed, it's a pleasure to meet you.” “Please call me Rachel.” As we walked, Rachel said: “Have you been waiting long?” “ I just arrived. I got lost several times, my sense of direction is not the best.” To my relief, Rachel laughed at my joke. Changing the subject, I exclaimed: “I love the décor!” “Yes! Isn’t it darling! My sister did the interior design.” We stopped at her office door, Rachel led the way inside. It was a small room with two metal framed office chairs on either side of a wooden desk. Rachel sat behind the desk and I took the chair opposite her. “May I offer you a drink?” “Yes, please. Water would be lovely.” Rachel left the room, returning a few minutes later with a jug and two glasses. She sat and said: “So, let me begin with our mission statement. Here at Star Travel we want to be an affordable alternative in interplanetary travel, to show people this amazing opportunity is not just for the rich! I see you are interested in our multimedia position?” “Yes, that's right. I think I will be a valuable asset to the team.” “Have you any experience in this field?” “I do, although this would be my first job. I recently graduated from Red Eye college with a Higher National Diploma at Merit level. I have experience in advertising and editing.” We continued the interview. It felt like I’ve known her for years. “Well,” said Rachel, “I must say you are well qualified to join our team of two people. There is me and Sally. You met her at reception, she is my younger sister. How did you hear about us, Nancy?” “Online, this position appealed to me because Star Travel has been founded by a woman, which is a refreshing change in this male dominated industry.” “Ah, such flattery! Well, thank you very much for coming in, I have other candidates to see later today but we will let you know by the end of the week. We have your contact details from your application form.” She got up, shook my hand and said: “It was a pleasure to meet you!” “Likewise Rachel,” I replied. We walked back out to reception together. I left feeling optimistic. I didn’t know why I had been so nervous, they were so nice.
It was Thursday afternoon and I was in the lounge watching television with Kelly, although I could not focus on the plot. My mind was distracted. Why hadn’t the phone rang yet? When it eventually did, I jumped up from the sofa and answered: “Hello?” “Hello, this is Sally at Star Travel.” I looked at Kelly, who immediately lowered the volume. Sally continued: “How’s your week going?” “Nerve wracking!” I admitted. “Well, maybe I can do something about that!” she paused, eventually saying: “Rachel was impressed with your interview the other day, so impressed in fact that we would like to offer you the job if you’re still interested.” I tried to control my rising excitement and replied: “Yes, I would be very interested!” “Then the job is yours Nancy. See you on Monday at nine o’clock sharp!” I thanked her and put down the phone. The job at Star Travel was the first one I had applied for since graduating. I didn’t think I would actually get it. I took a deep breath, then totally lost control and danced around the lounge screaming: “I got it! I got it! I got it!” Kelly looked at me wide-eyed, jumped up and joined in. “I’m so proud of you!” she hugged me, “That’s amazing, you’re the best!” “You too, Kelly!” I said. Mum and dad came rushing in. “What’s all the racket about?” said dad. “Oh nothing…Nancy just got the job!” Dad came over and squeezed me tight. “Well done, I knew you could do it!” Mum said: “We are so proud of you. You are going to change the world, little girl.” We all started to cry. I couldn’t wait for Monday to come, but time had other ideas: it dragged.
When Monday finally arrived, I was so eager to prove myself to my employer that I was there half an hour early. I walked in with a big smile on my face: “Good Morning Sally!” She got up and hugged me warmly. “Welcome to the tourist space race!” she said dramatically, “I am so pleased my sister hired you. Sally picked up the phone and soon Rachel came to join us. “I’m glad to see you and Sally are getting along so well! I want us to be like your second family.” Rachel gave me a tour of the building, which was bigger than it appeared from the outside. As I was shown around, she gave me more details about my role: “We haven’t started promoting ourselves yet, so everything will be up to you.” “That sounds great, where do I start?” I said excitedly. “At your desk down the hall,” Rachel replied smiling. When I got to my modestly sized office I sat in my leather desk chair and smiled. “Let's get to work!”
Weeks passed, during which time I came up with an advertising slogan ‘Get onboard with Star Travel: it’s going to be wait-less’. I also created a series of television adverts. One of them featured a family of tourists being welcomed by an alien family bearing cakes. The tagline read: ‘Come and join Star Travel for a journey that will be out of this world.’ I put out press releases and created a website for bookings. One day Rachel came to my office and said excitedly: “This is actually going to work! People are booking so much that the website is actually crashing. I knew that Star Travel would be successful, but this is beyond my wildest dreams!” “The website crashing does not bode well for an interstellar travel company,” I teased. Rachel put on a mock expression of hurt: “How could you, I hire you, give you an office and this is how you repay me?” she laughed. “We need to celebrate! Can you come to the Smiling Waitress after work?” “Yes, I'd love to. I just need to call my parents and let them know that I won't be home for dinner. Can Sally come too?” “Absolutely,” Rachel replied.
When the office closed, we headed to the bar and toasted to our success. Despite having told my parents that I would be home at a reasonable hour it was gone midnight when I returned. Mum was waiting for me in the hall. She admonished: “I’m glad you are making friends, they sound like such nice women. But try to be home earlier next time.” “Sorry mum, I lost track of time.”
That night, I had the strangest dream that quickly descended into a nightmare. I was standing in an empty white room with a grey metallic door. I heard footsteps approaching. They echoed as they got closer and closer. The door opened. A grey alien entered. It had empty black eyes that seemed to stare into my soul. I woke up startled and drenched in sweat. At first I put the dream down to my subconscious playing tricks on me. I was, after all, a big fan of sci-fi films. However, over the next few weeks the nightmare continued. Each morning I woke up with an increasing feeling of unease and dread.
At Star Travel things were moving at an accelerated pace. This particular day, we stood watching a delivery of sleek white spaceships, our logo on the sides; an alien’s head and our company name. They were being manoeuvred into a warehouse, which we were using as a storage facility. Rachel said: “Great work on the logo! It’s really effective. It has enhanced the décor at the office too.” “Thank you, it came out better than I could have ever imagined,” I replied. “How did you manage to source these spaceships so quickly?” I asked in curiosity. Rachel replied: “I’m a trust fund baby. My father donated these to my business. He even designed our office building.” She turned serious: “Knowing this information, do you still want to work for us? You are a multimedia whizz, Nancy. We’d hate to lose you.” “I am not going anywhere! I’m just surprised this hasn’t come up before.” “Ahh,” Rachel tapped the side of her nose: “I am a dark horse. We are getting closer to taking actual passengers up into space, isn’t that exciting?” “It's so cool,” I replied, “I am so glad that I am a part of this.”
It was a couple weeks before the first flight to outer space. “I cannot believe we’ve done it!” I said to Rachel. “All thanks to you. We could never have dreamed of putting together such a brilliant advertising campaign. I mean the aliens welcoming people with cake! That's a stroke of genius! Not to mention all the social media posts.” “Oh you would’ve got somebody else to do that!” I said modestly.
That night I laid awake feeling happy. This job was going better than I could have ever imagined. Rachel really liked my work and thanks to her encouragement, I had grown in confidence, even my nightmare could not dampen my spirits. I dozed off feeling calm. Later that night I was awoken by a barking dog. I looked at my digital alarm clock, it read half past four. Outside the dog continued to bark. I pulled the duvet up over my head in an attempt to block out the sound. “Oh please be quiet, some of us are trying to sleep!” The dog did not stop. Why was it so loud?! Then I remembered my window was open. I got up and shut it. On my way back to bed my entire room began to shake, ornaments fell to the carpeted floor and my collection of stuffed animals took a nosedive. I got under my dressing table as I had read it was safer to be under furniture and down low during an earthquake. Suddenly there was a blinding light and I lost consciousness.
I woke up in the white room from my nightmares. How did I get here? Was I asleep? How was this possible? The door opened slowly. I turned to face my fears. In walked the alien. I was calm and did not react. When it looked at me I held its gaze. It was wearing a black business suit. For several seconds we just stared at each other and I was just wondering what to do next, when the creature spoke in accented English: “Firstly, let me apologise to you Nancy for the way you have been brought here. My race is fond of what I believe you call theatrics!” “Who are you?” I asked in astonishment. The alien inclined its head: “I am Gerard, Interspecies Relations.” “Is this a dream?” I asked. “No, this is real.” “I have had nightmares about this place,” I said. “Apologies, my superiors wanted to ease you into meeting me, by making the experience pleasant for you. But we seem to have scared you instead. There's nothing to be afraid of I assure you, we simply want to talk, before it is too late.” I frowned. “What do you mean?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around this strange encounter.
Gerard explained: “Tell me Nancy, what does a human do when they encounter a new species?” I had no idea what to answer, so I just paraphrased an expert I had once heard on the radio: “We explore, catalogue the species and move on…” “No! You capture it, dissect it and kill it.” “Only if the species is hostile,” I replied. It continued: “Wouldn’t you expect a bit of hostility? Considering your species is invading our home uninvited. Do you really believe we will welcome you with open arms?” “We do not do things like that, we are peaceful,” I said defensively. Gerard let out a high pitched sound, akin to a laugh: “Peaceful?! Have you ever read a history book? Humans by their very nature take what they want and kill any resistance. You have a planet, you can’t take ours. We have lives of our own and families. We don’t trust you.”
The more he talked the more I began to see his point of view: “So why are you telling me?” “The company you work for, has grown exponentially. You are about to offer paid tourist trips to other planets. We can’t allow that to happen. More are sure to follow your lead. We are about to send a fleet of ships down to earth, to offer you a simple choice. We have the technology to reverse all the problems on earth, such as stabilising your changing climate. If you accept our offer, in return we ask that you enjoy the beauty of your own planet and leave ours alone.” “And what happens if we decline?” “I’m afraid that is not an option,” said Gerard, ominously. He walked over to an intercom and spoke into it. “Execute plan delta.” “What’s plan delta?” I asked. He pointed to a white wall, which gradually became transparent. I realised I was in space. It was all real! I stood together with Gerard, as we watched the smaller crafts descending towards Earth. I silently prayed that this peaceful diplomatic delegation would be received as such.
In the morning, I wake up with a gap in my memory. The last thing I remember is that irritating dog barking, then nothing. I get dressed and leave my room. On the landing I hear noises coming from downstairs. I follow the sound and find mum on the sofa sobbing, with my dad and sister doing their best to console her: “Oh mum, don’t cry. I am sure the police will find a clue soon,” Kelly is saying. From the doorway, I ask: “Mum, what's wrong?” At the sound of my voice they look up, stare wide-eyed for a second before embracing me and all bursting into tears. “Nancy?! Is it really you? Where have you been? You have scared us to death!” they ask in unison. I have no idea what they're talking about so I answer: “It's alright, I'm here now.” Later, dad calls the police and says: “Our girl is home!” I am really confused. I decide to go out for a walk and clear my head. “Kelly could come with you if you want…” says mum. “No, I'm fine,” I reply. As I walk, I check my phone. I am puzzled by the date. “It can’t be,” I whisper. I have several texts for my family and Rachel. I read Rachel's ones: “Where are you? Please reply! I am really worried.” The dates on the text don't make sense. I answer: “Sorry for the late response, the battery must have died. Meet me at the local café for breakfast.” Closing the lid on my flip phone, I head to the café.
When Rachel arrives and sees me sitting at a table with my hot chocolate, she has the same reaction as my family: walking over to me, hugging me and crying. “Nancy, you are alright!” We take a seat. After a while a server comes over and enquiries: “What can I get you today?” We both ordered a full English breakfast and two glasses of orange juice. We make small talk until the food arrives then, in between mouthfuls, I ask the question that has been bothering me: “Rachel what is going on?” She looks up from her plate: “What do you mean?” “You and my family are acting like you haven't seen me in days.” “We haven't!” She replies. At my bewildered expression, Rachel puts down her knife and fork and clarifies: “Nancy, are you kidding? You have been missing for three weeks.” “What!?” I exclaim. Rachel nods: “Your parents were frantic and kept phoning to ask if we were together. The police got involved. I was so worried, but you're back now. It is so good to see you. You really don't remember where you were?” I shake my head.
There is a radio playing softly. We listen in silence as the news reader recaps the headlines. ‘The government ban on interplanetary travel continues with no signs of being lifted. Companies are under pressure to give refunds to angry customers. Also scientists are at a loss to explain the sudden lowering of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.’ At the mention of the ban my friend's cheerful mood turns gloomy. “What am I going to do now Nancy? My business is ruined.” “Don't worry, you will think of something.” I answer, trying to reassure her. “Whatever you do next, I would like to be part of it.” “Of course. Everyone needs a media nerd by their side,” she replies, brightening visibly. “Come on, let's get out of here!” I declare. We left emerging into the cool morning air. Rachel breathes deeply: “What a lovely day, my parents tell me this is the sort of weather they remember from their youth.” For some mysterious reason, I find myself smiling.
Star Travel(Christopher Long)
On the day of my job interview, I was standing in my bedroom in front of my full-length mirror putting the finishing to my outfit: a brown jacket over a white blouse and dark trousers, when there was a knock on the door. My family rushed in excitedly and dad said: “We are so proud of you for getting this interview!” Mum nodded her head in agreement and said: “You will be an asset to the company darling.” My sister hugged me from behind: “So proud of you sis! But do you have to go and work for the corporate machine?” “Don’t worry, if I get the job I will undermine them from the inside for you.” “Thank you!” she laughed. Mum added: “When you’re ready come downstairs! I’ve made your favourite: pancakes!” “Yes! The breakfast of champions!” I shouted. After putting on my red beanie and tucking a stray blonde hair underneath it, I told my reflection for the third time that morning that I could do this. I hurried downstairs. When I finished, I grabbed my shoulder bag and put it on: “Bye everyone!” They chorused: “Good luck!” I left the house with the address of Star Travel on yellow paper.
After taking some wrong turns, I arrived at my interview with a few minutes to spare. I looked up at the glass four storey building, which was shaped like a star, and walked through the sliding doors into a large, light and airy space. It was tastefully decorated, with light green walls and black floor tiles. There was music playing softly. Opposite the entrance, a bright-eyed receptionist swivelled her chair from side to side. I walked up to her: “Hello, my name is Nancy Thomas. I am here for the interview.” “One moment please,” she said, picking up a white phone and talking softly. When the call finished she turned her attention back to me. “Ms. Reed will be with you in a moment, please take a seat.” I sat on a comfy green chair. While waiting I tried to calm my nerves by listening to the music. It was a pop song ‘Ooh baby let's not fight, take me out tonight’ seemed to be the only lyrics. Eventually I heard the clack of high heels and a woman's voice saying: “Nancy Thomas?” I stood up and shook the woman's outstretched hand. “Rachel Reed, lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming in. Follow me please.” Rachel’s friendly manner put me at ease immediately. “Ms. Reed, it's a pleasure to meet you.” “Please call me Rachel.” As we walked, Rachel said: “Have you been waiting long?” “ I just arrived. I got lost several times, my sense of direction is not the best.” To my relief, Rachel laughed at my joke. Changing the subject, I exclaimed: “I love the décor!” “Yes! Isn’t it darling! My sister did the interior design.” We stopped at her office door, Rachel led the way inside. It was a small room with two metal framed office chairs on either side of a wooden desk. Rachel sat behind the desk and I took the chair opposite her. “May I offer you a drink?” “Yes, please. Water would be lovely.” Rachel left the room, returning a few minutes later with a jug and two glasses. She sat and said: “So, let me begin with our mission statement. Here at Star Travel we want to be an affordable alternative in interplanetary travel, to show people this amazing opportunity is not just for the rich! I see you are interested in our multimedia position?” “Yes, that's right. I think I will be a valuable asset to the team.” “Have you any experience in this field?” “I do, although this would be my first job. I recently graduated from Red Eye college with a Higher National Diploma at Merit level. I have experience in advertising and editing.” We continued the interview. It felt like I’ve known her for years. “Well,” said Rachel, “I must say you are well qualified to join our team of two people. There is me and Sally. You met her at reception, she is my younger sister. How did you hear about us, Nancy?” “Online, this position appealed to me because Star Travel has been founded by a woman, which is a refreshing change in this male dominated industry.” “Ah, such flattery! Well, thank you very much for coming in, I have other candidates to see later today but we will let you know by the end of the week. We have your contact details from your application form.” She got up, shook my hand and said: “It was a pleasure to meet you!” “Likewise Rachel,” I replied. We walked back out to reception together. I left feeling optimistic. I didn’t know why I had been so nervous, they were so nice.
It was Thursday afternoon and I was in the lounge watching television with Kelly, although I could not focus on the plot. My mind was distracted. Why hadn’t the phone rang yet? When it eventually did, I jumped up from the sofa and answered: “Hello?” “Hello, this is Sally at Star Travel.” I looked at Kelly, who immediately lowered the volume. Sally continued: “How’s your week going?” “Nerve wracking!” I admitted. “Well, maybe I can do something about that!” she paused, eventually saying: “Rachel was impressed with your interview the other day, so impressed in fact that we would like to offer you the job if you’re still interested.” I tried to control my rising excitement and replied: “Yes, I would be very interested!” “Then the job is yours Nancy. See you on Monday at nine o’clock sharp!” I thanked her and put down the phone. The job at Star Travel was the first one I had applied for since graduating. I didn’t think I would actually get it. I took a deep breath, then totally lost control and danced around the lounge screaming: “I got it! I got it! I got it!” Kelly looked at me wide-eyed, jumped up and joined in. “I’m so proud of you!” she hugged me, “That’s amazing, you’re the best!” “You too, Kelly!” I said. Mum and dad came rushing in. “What’s all the racket about?” said dad. “Oh nothing…Nancy just got the job!” Dad came over and squeezed me tight. “Well done, I knew you could do it!” Mum said: “We are so proud of you. You are going to change the world, little girl.” We all started to cry. I couldn’t wait for Monday to come, but time had other ideas: it dragged.
When Monday finally arrived, I was so eager to prove myself to my employer that I was there half an hour early. I walked in with a big smile on my face: “Good Morning Sally!” She got up and hugged me warmly. “Welcome to the tourist space race!” she said dramatically, “I am so pleased my sister hired you. Sally picked up the phone and soon Rachel came to join us. “I’m glad to see you and Sally are getting along so well! I want us to be like your second family.” Rachel gave me a tour of the building, which was bigger than it appeared from the outside. As I was shown around, she gave me more details about my role: “We haven’t started promoting ourselves yet, so everything will be up to you.” “That sounds great, where do I start?” I said excitedly. “At your desk down the hall,” Rachel replied smiling. When I got to my modestly sized office I sat in my leather desk chair and smiled. “Let's get to work!”
Weeks passed, during which time I came up with an advertising slogan ‘Get onboard with Star Travel: it’s going to be wait-less’. I also created a series of television adverts. One of them featured a family of tourists being welcomed by an alien family bearing cakes. The tagline read: ‘Come and join Star Travel for a journey that will be out of this world.’ I put out press releases and created a website for bookings. One day Rachel came to my office and said excitedly: “This is actually going to work! People are booking so much that the website is actually crashing. I knew that Star Travel would be successful, but this is beyond my wildest dreams!” “The website crashing does not bode well for an interstellar travel company,” I teased. Rachel put on a mock expression of hurt: “How could you, I hire you, give you an office and this is how you repay me?” she laughed. “We need to celebrate! Can you come to the Smiling Waitress after work?” “Yes, I'd love to. I just need to call my parents and let them know that I won't be home for dinner. Can Sally come too?” “Absolutely,” Rachel replied.
When the office closed, we headed to the bar and toasted to our success. Despite having told my parents that I would be home at a reasonable hour it was gone midnight when I returned. Mum was waiting for me in the hall. She admonished: “I’m glad you are making friends, they sound like such nice women. But try to be home earlier next time.” “Sorry mum, I lost track of time.”
That night, I had the strangest dream that quickly descended into a nightmare. I was standing in an empty white room with a grey metallic door. I heard footsteps approaching. They echoed as they got closer and closer. The door opened. A grey alien entered. It had empty black eyes that seemed to stare into my soul. I woke up startled and drenched in sweat. At first I put the dream down to my subconscious playing tricks on me. I was, after all, a big fan of sci-fi films. However, over the next few weeks the nightmare continued. Each morning I woke up with an increasing feeling of unease and dread.
At Star Travel things were moving at an accelerated pace. This particular day, we stood watching a delivery of sleek white spaceships, our logo on the sides; an alien’s head and our company name. They were being manoeuvred into a warehouse, which we were using as a storage facility. Rachel said: “Great work on the logo! It’s really effective. It has enhanced the décor at the office too.” “Thank you, it came out better than I could have ever imagined,” I replied. “How did you manage to source these spaceships so quickly?” I asked in curiosity. Rachel replied: “I’m a trust fund baby. My father donated these to my business. He even designed our office building.” She turned serious: “Knowing this information, do you still want to work for us? You are a multimedia whizz, Nancy. We’d hate to lose you.” “I am not going anywhere! I’m just surprised this hasn’t come up before.” “Ahh,” Rachel tapped the side of her nose: “I am a dark horse. We are getting closer to taking actual passengers up into space, isn’t that exciting?” “It's so cool,” I replied, “I am so glad that I am a part of this.”
It was a couple weeks before the first flight to outer space. “I cannot believe we’ve done it!” I said to Rachel. “All thanks to you. We could never have dreamed of putting together such a brilliant advertising campaign. I mean the aliens welcoming people with cake! That's a stroke of genius! Not to mention all the social media posts.” “Oh you would’ve got somebody else to do that!” I said modestly.
That night I laid awake feeling happy. This job was going better than I could have ever imagined. Rachel really liked my work and thanks to her encouragement, I had grown in confidence, even my nightmare could not dampen my spirits. I dozed off feeling calm. Later that night I was awoken by a barking dog. I looked at my digital alarm clock, it read half past four. Outside the dog continued to bark. I pulled the duvet up over my head in an attempt to block out the sound. “Oh please be quiet, some of us are trying to sleep!” The dog did not stop. Why was it so loud?! Then I remembered my window was open. I got up and shut it. On my way back to bed my entire room began to shake, ornaments fell to the carpeted floor and my collection of stuffed animals took a nosedive. I got under my dressing table as I had read it was safer to be under furniture and down low during an earthquake. Suddenly there was a blinding light and I lost consciousness.
I woke up in the white room from my nightmares. How did I get here? Was I asleep? How was this possible? The door opened slowly. I turned to face my fears. In walked the alien. I was calm and did not react. When it looked at me I held its gaze. It was wearing a black business suit. For several seconds we just stared at each other and I was just wondering what to do next, when the creature spoke in accented English: “Firstly, let me apologise to you Nancy for the way you have been brought here. My race is fond of what I believe you call theatrics!” “Who are you?” I asked in astonishment. The alien inclined its head: “I am Gerard, Interspecies Relations.” “Is this a dream?” I asked. “No, this is real.” “I have had nightmares about this place,” I said. “Apologies, my superiors wanted to ease you into meeting me, by making the experience pleasant for you. But we seem to have scared you instead. There's nothing to be afraid of I assure you, we simply want to talk, before it is too late.” I frowned. “What do you mean?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around this strange encounter.
Gerard explained: “Tell me Nancy, what does a human do when they encounter a new species?” I had no idea what to answer, so I just paraphrased an expert I had once heard on the radio: “We explore, catalogue the species and move on…” “No! You capture it, dissect it and kill it.” “Only if the species is hostile,” I replied. It continued: “Wouldn’t you expect a bit of hostility? Considering your species is invading our home uninvited. Do you really believe we will welcome you with open arms?” “We do not do things like that, we are peaceful,” I said defensively. Gerard let out a high pitched sound, akin to a laugh: “Peaceful?! Have you ever read a history book? Humans by their very nature take what they want and kill any resistance. You have a planet, you can’t take ours. We have lives of our own and families. We don’t trust you.”
The more he talked the more I began to see his point of view: “So why are you telling me?” “The company you work for, has grown exponentially. You are about to offer paid tourist trips to other planets. We can’t allow that to happen. More are sure to follow your lead. We are about to send a fleet of ships down to earth, to offer you a simple choice. We have the technology to reverse all the problems on earth, such as stabilising your changing climate. If you accept our offer, in return we ask that you enjoy the beauty of your own planet and leave ours alone.” “And what happens if we decline?” “I’m afraid that is not an option,” said Gerard, ominously. He walked over to an intercom and spoke into it. “Execute plan delta.” “What’s plan delta?” I asked. He pointed to a white wall, which gradually became transparent. I realised I was in space. It was all real! I stood together with Gerard, as we watched the smaller crafts descending towards Earth. I silently prayed that this peaceful diplomatic delegation would be received as such.
In the morning, I wake up with a gap in my memory. The last thing I remember is that irritating dog barking, then nothing. I get dressed and leave my room. On the landing I hear noises coming from downstairs. I follow the sound and find mum on the sofa sobbing, with my dad and sister doing their best to console her: “Oh mum, don’t cry. I am sure the police will find a clue soon,” Kelly is saying. From the doorway, I ask: “Mum, what's wrong?” At the sound of my voice they look up, stare wide-eyed for a second before embracing me and all bursting into tears. “Nancy?! Is it really you? Where have you been? You have scared us to death!” they ask in unison. I have no idea what they're talking about so I answer: “It's alright, I'm here now.” Later, dad calls the police and says: “Our girl is home!” I am really confused. I decide to go out for a walk and clear my head. “Kelly could come with you if you want…” says mum. “No, I'm fine,” I reply. As I walk, I check my phone. I am puzzled by the date. “It can’t be,” I whisper. I have several texts for my family and Rachel. I read Rachel's ones: “Where are you? Please reply! I am really worried.” The dates on the text don't make sense. I answer: “Sorry for the late response, the battery must have died. Meet me at the local café for breakfast.” Closing the lid on my flip phone, I head to the café.
When Rachel arrives and sees me sitting at a table with my hot chocolate, she has the same reaction as my family: walking over to me, hugging me and crying. “Nancy, you are alright!” We take a seat. After a while a server comes over and enquiries: “What can I get you today?” We both ordered a full English breakfast and two glasses of orange juice. We make small talk until the food arrives then, in between mouthfuls, I ask the question that has been bothering me: “Rachel what is going on?” She looks up from her plate: “What do you mean?” “You and my family are acting like you haven't seen me in days.” “We haven't!” She replies. At my bewildered expression, Rachel puts down her knife and fork and clarifies: “Nancy, are you kidding? You have been missing for three weeks.” “What!?” I exclaim. Rachel nods: “Your parents were frantic and kept phoning to ask if we were together. The police got involved. I was so worried, but you're back now. It is so good to see you. You really don't remember where you were?” I shake my head.
There is a radio playing softly. We listen in silence as the news reader recaps the headlines. ‘The government ban on interplanetary travel continues with no signs of being lifted. Companies are under pressure to give refunds to angry customers. Also scientists are at a loss to explain the sudden lowering of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.’ At the mention of the ban my friend's cheerful mood turns gloomy. “What am I going to do now Nancy? My business is ruined.” “Don't worry, you will think of something.” I answer, trying to reassure her. “Whatever you do next, I would like to be part of it.” “Of course. Everyone needs a media nerd by their side,” she replies, brightening visibly. “Come on, let's get out of here!” I declare. We left emerging into the cool morning air. Rachel breathes deeply: “What a lovely day, my parents tell me this is the sort of weather they remember from their youth.” For some mysterious reason, I find myself smiling.
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Christopher Long
06/05/2022thank you Gail I try my best with all my stories glad they are well liked
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Andre Michael Pietroschek
06/04/2022Well, I prefer your definition of interplanetary travel to other known ones (hippie women offering LSD). Good minimalism. Thanks for sharing!
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