Source...
The moment Nathan opened the door, an intense, sickly sweet odor rushed up his nostrils, forcing him to grab hold of the couch nearby where he plopped down. The odor permeated the room. Not in all these months did the smell from Olivia cause such a severe reaction, except now there were two children. He jerked his head in the direction of the opposite wall. The calendar stared back reminding him that June 20th was only five days away.
Hundreds of alternate scenarios raced through his thoughts. Olivia. What would happen if I relinquished control? The male child wasn't mine to protect, but for some reason Olivia was his protector.
He hurriedly prepared himself a late-night snack. Chewing fervently, a thought occurred. Did the answer lie in the pasture? If I return one and retrace my steps? Tomorrow won't be soon enough.
The date was June 16. The morning dawned without incident. Nathan rose. Armed with his rifle, he roused the children. Slowly, he opened the cellar, and they emerged. Was it his imagination or did the children float upward and walk toward the front door as if instinctively they knew the intent and the part they would play.
The suffocating heat was already covering the landscape. Cicadas hissed in unison in the trees. Nathan breathed in deeply the arid air. A drought is headed our way, he predicted as the land was already dry and cracked. How the children bore the holes so easily he wondered.
Nathan's pulsed raced as he drove toward the left side of his farm. Only two days remained. What if I don't discover anything valuable for the group to prevent them from relinquishing the children to authorities was the pressing question.
Once there, instructions were unnecessary.
Nathan watched in awe as Olivia and the male dug furiously. What seemed like it would take hours to bore through the soil only took a matter of minutes. Eight feet deep the holes reached until each child quickly descended. He rushed to the edge of the hole, but as quickly as they descended, they re-emerged with a horde of crystals in their hands, many attached to their faces. Ash covered their bodies where the crystals were embedded.
Sequentially, each child pressed them to their breasts. Immediately, the sky lit up. Olivia pointed westward. On the far edge of Nathan's field and into his neighbors, dirt bubbles erupted from beneath the surface of their pasture, followed by what resembled long claws pulling the landscape into the holes. Nathan could only compare it to animals emerging after being subdued for ages.
But these were no animals. And obtaining fresh air was not their purpose.
Suddenly, the male child paused, then jerked his head around. His eyes rotated as if to search for an imminent threat. His ears pricked back as he glanced around Nathan's back from behind the large tree. Shots rang out in the distance headed toward him and the children.
A tall, thin man that Nathan didn't recognize wearing a cap and tactical gear rose up from the bushes. He ran toward Nathan at lightning speed. Nathan grabbed Olivia and the male close, then hid behind the tree. The hunter moved in closer while firing several rounds at them.
Without hesitation, the male child eased Nathan's hands from his shoulders and moved from behind the tree. His eyes turned red as he leaped into the air and landed on the hunter with precision.
Horrified, Nathan slowly retreated, staring wide-eyed at the scene developing. The male child was no longer a helpless youth. He transformed into an adult-sized being, standing over eight foot tall. Within minutes, the hunter's body lay lifeless, nearly devoured as if a wild bear had ripped it apart.
For the first time since discovering Olivia did he feel vulnerable and afraid. A vicious monster now stood before him that could have easily killed him, Ophelia, Herman, and the rest of their group months ago. The man child looked around helplessly at Nathan. Slowly, his size returned to his former self resembling a child.
What just happened was inexplicable. No time to think. he grabbed the children and headed back toward his house, returning them to the cellar. Grabbing a drink from his refrigerator, he stood staring out the window, rubbing his chin several times. The hunter on his property. From what direction the man came puzzled him. Who else knows of the children and what danger they pose?
But it wasn't the children who were in danger. It was mankind, he surmised, if all the children here on Earth were provoked. Perhaps that's the reason the beings who left them here weren't worried about their survival.
No one else in our group knows about the children's capabilities, he guessed. I must warn them not to relinquish control to the authorities. He grabbed his hat, locked his front door, then jumped into his truck and headed toward Ophelia's farm. Before he reached the edge of his property, objects lit up the skyline resembling helicopters as if patrolling for miscreants.
Immediately, he turned around. Once home, he switched on the television and stood in the middle of the living room watching what he knew would be the outcome if the children were exposed. He'd have to warn Ophelia in the morning. But she probably already knew. There in front of his eyes he watched as the city rocked from explosions. The news report revealed little information.
"Authorities know nothing at this time, but is investigating" was the controlled message the broadcasters delivered. They continued in the vein of "you'll know when we know. In the meantime, keep calm. No need to panic. We'll need a united front. Other countries are aware of the situation and stand ready to assist."
The cryptic messages did little to calm citizens. What situation? Why a united front?
Nathan scratched his head as he saw no need to panic. But if another country was attacking the United States, why would other countries need to provide a united front? As quickly as the explosions began, they ceased. And the sky and everything around Nathan fell radio silent. The television scene revealed sheer panic as citizens gathered in the streets attempting to discover causes for the explosions.
He starred mindlessly at the television, watching in numbed horror, rooted to the living room floor. Outside, the rumblings grew louder. He flinched as the sound from explosions grew near. Or was it the storm approaching to break the drought? He lowered the volume on the television and gulped huge breaths in an effort to remain quiet so as not alert the children. His inner voice churned through the scenario of events beyond his front door.
I must get word to Ophelia and Herman, he reasoned. But they weren't answering their telephones. They have no idea the power of these beings they're dealing with. If they turn them over to the authorities, it'll be hell on Earth if the children feel threatened. He reconciled himself to sleep, but it didn't come easy. I'll try again tomorrow to reach them, he promised.
The next morning, he reached for the telephone. No service.
Heading out again down the road toward Ophelia's farm, this time he reached her home. No answer. It was unlike Ophelia not to respond, so he returned home. A spasm of worry crossed his face. He shook it off and readied himself. With no information on what was happening in the cities and no plan as to what he was doing, he gathered Olivia and the male, then retreated into the lowest part of the mountain behind his farm. Matilda's prepping supplies were a Godsend.
There he stayed for five days.
Part 13:
During the time Nathan hid out in the lower part of the mountain, news on his emergency radio reached him that the city was in turmoil. Possessed by the chaos, residents fled from the cities and towns, retreating to safety newscasters finally broadcasted. The reasons weren't disclosed. He'd had no contact with Ophelia or any of the others in their group. But then, telephone service was disrupted. For some unknown reason, sirens discontinued their warnings.
The date was now past June 20th, with the time Olivia and the male were to be handed over to the authorities.
Even worse, emergency preparedness instructions were issued three days ago for low-lying areas, including Nathan and his neighbors' farms and the surrounding landscape due to forecast of torrential flooding. I'd think drought conditions would absorb any rising waters, he thought. Besides, an extreme flood of any significant magnitude hadn't occurred in ten years.
But the waters did rise.
However, his current problem with the children far outweighed any damage that might be inflicted from the flood. Thankful he was now on high ground, he checked his battery supplies. Enough to last several days. One item he didn't have to worry -- food for the children.
The end of the five days approached. Cautiously, Nathan left the mountain to check on his farm. Standing at a distance, he could see that his farm suffered extensive damage. However, the farmhouse remained partially intact.
Broken trees with limbs scattered about carved a path through his farm. His favorite shade tree rested squarely in the middle of his house. He noticed the indentions in the ground where the rushing water twisted, then dragged farm equipment and other items in its path and settled farther down from his farm. He prayed his other animals had survived since no sounds could be heard. Surveying nearby farms, debris and devastation lay as far as his binoculars could see.
His thoughts turned to Matilda as he contemplated his future. We've probably lost everything we worked for these past thirty years. My attention was elsewhere and not protecting our farm.
But then a voice returned, quieting this worries. "We don't need lots of material things. They're just more clutter I have to keep track of," Matilda reminded him as she often scolded when he returned from town with a small gift. "And I would have attempted to secure the children as you have tried if you weren't with me."
He glanced up to check the fading skyline. A dark cloud quickly rolled past, leaving a few drop of rain that landed on his beard. It's starting again, he assessed. But it wasn't the only thing dark.
Remembering Matilda's words brought about a loneliness that attacked that he hadn't experienced since she died. His shoulders heaved, then thoughts returned to the two alien children in the cave. She's right. My only concern now is to protect them from society. In doing so, I may be able to protect society from them, he reasoned, shaking his head slowly as if an awakening stood in front of him.
Beyond the devastation, the skyline presented a foreboding figure that stretched the breadth of the sky. Nathan cocked his weapon and aimed. No sense, the image was too far away. As he studied its outline, what appeared ballooned as though a parachute had been activated. Or perhaps a figure paragliding. A knowledge dawned as the figure emitted a yellow glow that filled the edge of the skyline. And it wasn't a fiery sunset.
It was the image of the male child fully grown when provoked. But this figure was at least three times as large and looming in the atmosphere.
Am I finally losing it? Nathan thought, shaking his head in disbelief.
A strange hush settled over the area as he scoured the landscape. But what he couldn't explain was the sickly sweet odor that filled the entire outdoors.
Sensing all wasn't aligning in its order of the planet as it should, with wide eyes, he drew a sharp breath, then turned and scurried back up the mountain and returned to the cave.
There he plopped down and placed his head in his hands. He cried for his plight. He cried for what he must do. And he cried for the consequence of the world.
And all because of that fateful day when he discovered the unusual-looking female child in his pasture. Now, his adopted daughter, Olivia.
Nathan sat in a curled position for over an hour. But his next move was already fixed. He couldn't remain in the mountain indefinitely. See for himself what was happening in his city was the only option left.
Under the cover of the moonlight, he eased down the mountain with Olivia and the male in tow. He stopped short of heading toward the front of his property. The dilapidated barn beyond the point of repair provided the perfect cover for surveillance.
From what he was hiding he didn't fully know or understand.
He peered through the wooden boards. His stomach growled fiercely alerting him to the fact that he hadn't eaten in two days. The section of the barn remaining untouched held the pantry. Items were scattered about. Several canning products landed on the floor, but survived undamaged. Matilda's foresight as an avid prepper in disaster preparation was now a Godsend.
Nathan waited behind the barn until he could wait no longer.
He stepped around the corner of the barn on the left side. Immediately, voices he didn't recognize spewing words he couldn't decipher grew louder. Wide cracks made spotting the trespassers easier.
He listened as the barn's front door creaked loudly under the slightest pressure. Five of them spread out, their forms undetectable. It was each distinct horrible odor that attacked his nostrils.
He didn't know what he'd encountered, but with a pounding chest, he sprang from behind the boards. His long rifle targeted the gigantic being he spotted in the skyline.
Eyes bloodshot, he screamed, "you'll not take my daughter this night!"
It was hell waiting to die, he thought, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. A prickling sensation shot up spine as a branch in the distance broke, crackling in the dark.
It triggered his otherwise quiet hound. Barking loudly, the canine refused to obey orders to cease. Nathan placed his hand over the dog's mouth. "Quiet, else you'll get us all killed at once."
The dog then made quiet whimper. Blood drained from Nathan's face as the figure approached. He felt imprisoned by fear, but his fear spurred him into action. Instantly, darkness spread open emitting a streak of light that cast long shadows on the ground.
Nathan scoured the distance, then glanced upward.
No time to think. He cocked the hammer, then rushed from the shadows. Underneath, exposed roots entangled his feet. He fell to the ground.
The imposing figure's eye sockets pierced Nathan's face as he drew near. Blisters rose quickly on Nathan's body. He screamed in agony as he fell to the muddy ground.
From out of nowhere, Ophelia appeared in the glow of the moon's light. A long shotgun clasp in her hand and two large hounds at her side barking incessantly, she yelled, "leave them alone, you monsters!"
The shotgun, maybe; but little good the hounds will be in this situation, Nathan thought. But he was extremely happy to see a friendly face.
Instantly, Herman appeared along with several other neighbors bearing weapons. Their indignation evident as though they'd decided to protect their own children and not relinquish them to the authorities. Whatever the case, the noises they made voiced their fury.
Suddenly helicopters materialized on the horizon. Lights flashed and sirens blasted. Was this the attack he'd feared? Nathan and the other adults formed a circle.
"Ophelia, away from the truck. Quick!" Nathan ordered, his hands flailing in an attempt to gain her attention. But she and the male child didn't respond.
As if unafraid, Ophelia instantly stepped in front of the men.
The others rallied around Olivia and the male. But all was to no avail. Their weapons melted like plastic toys being recycled. Except Ophelia, the men threw down their weapons and fled from the farm. They wanted no part in the battle.
Olivia ran from the truck and stood in front of Nathan and Ophelia. The alien figure cast fire in their direction. She raised her hands as if to thwart off the attack. The alien male cocked his head and stared at Olivia, his eyes menacing.
He attempted again to decimate Nathan and Ophelia. Again, he failed.
She extended her hands, exposing the crystals and white powder. The huge apparition backed away and stood silent as though waiting for some event to occur.
Olivia grabbed the male's hand. Instantly, they levitated toward the alien figure. It opened its palm and accepted them.
It didn't matter that Olivia had recently appeared into his life. Although no words were ever spoken between them, he could sense she understood his actions and appreciated the care he extended.
That she needed protecting is a parent's instinct.
They wouldn't take her without a fight.
"Quick, help me up, Ophelia!" Nathan shouted. He staggered to his feet and pulled the trigger of his shotgun.
Olivia turned and captured the bullet in her hand. It disintegrated.
This time, he received an answer as she smiled and waved back as though mimicking his actions these past six months whenever he'd leave to go fetch supplies.
As she disappeared into the bosom of the giant figure, the male followed. Instantly, a craft visualized above. Hundreds of beings were lifted from the pastures of the surrounding farms in a thunderous roar and ascended into the hovering craft.
The sky glowed yellow and white, then settled back to a dreary rainy night on the farm.
Nathan, Ophelia and Herman stared up at the sky.
Olivia understood.
If not, it was a nice illusion.
[to be continued]
For my theme, I was inspired by and utilized the @daily.prompt's publishing of 6 february 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2639: a nice illusion;
30 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2752: split in two
25 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2747: in the fold
23 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2745: global reach
9 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2731: familiar face
28 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2750: a stray bullet;
18 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2740: knowledge
6 May 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2728: don’t relax;
28 february 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2661: directory of lost things; and
25 february 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2658: museum of odd things
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
If translation included, I use DeepL to assist my readers.
Thanks for your patience an understanding.
Si se incluye traducción, uso DeepL para ayudar a mis lectores.
Gracias por su paciencia y comprensión.