Close Encounters

Against The Wind

Moonlight bathed Ina and the strange woman from the stars sprawled out before her on the sandy shores of her secret nook. There, in that place where Ina came to run away from that world, the space woman appeared and smiled at her.

Confusion, curiosity and fear played at Ina's heart strings in equal measure. Her flight-or-fight response kicked in like the switchboards of the supercomputers of Kennedy Space Center running calculations for the space program. And yet, when the otherworldly woman smiled at her and glanced at her with shimmering, starry eyes, Ina's curiosity won a tenuous majority.

Barely.

But it was enough for her to decide to not run away.

"A-are you... alright?" Ina asked, cautiously approaching the woman.

The woman didn't answer. Instead, Ina saw the woman tilting her head almost innocently at her.

"Do you not understand me?" Ina thought out loud.

Again, no reply. Just the woman's curious, albeit reassuring stare.

The stalemate continued. Ocean breeze blew into the nook, combing the hair of Ina and the woman under the moonlight.

Then, the woman rose.

A curtain of sand cascaded from her strange, flowing dress and from her tanned arms and thighs, captivating Ina. She raised up her hand, urging Ina to stay put - to be not afraid. Ina took a deep breath and held her ground.

The tall, tan woman approached Ina. Her bare feet crunched the sand beneath her until she towered over Ina. Then, the woman slouched forward and pressed her forehead against Ina's.

"Wah...!?" Ina gasped.

However, the tall woman held Ina's shoulders and kept her in place.

Before Ina could say anything else, her purple eyes widened. In her mind, she felt the presence of the woman peering through the synapses of her mind. It was almost as if some sort of neural link had been established between them, centered on their joined foreheads.

After a short while, the woman pulled away. Ina felt the residual warmth of the woman's forehead on hers and started to blush.

Then, the woman finally spoke with a sweet, lively voice.

"You, NASA." She pointed to Ina, and then to herself, "Me, Sana!"

"Sana..." Ina repeated the name, savoring it, "What a strange name."

It rolled off her tongue and somehow tasted sweet. Ina had to shake her head and clear her throat to get back on track.

"So, you can understand me after all." Ina tested.

Sana placed her hand on her forehead and smiled.

"Sana learn from NASA."

"Is that so...?" Ina blinked nervously, stealing glances at the space woman, "Actually. I'm not NASA. I work there... I mean, used to work there."

Sana tilted her head again. The concept of employment probably didn't register with her yet. Ina heaved a sigh and laid a hand over her heart.

"My name is Ina'nis Ninomae, but you can just call me Ina."

"Ina." Sana said her name. Then, she started repeating it fondly, "Ina, Ina!"

Childlike innocence like that was hard to fake. Everything that Sana did seemed to come straight from the heart.

Everything about her was genuine.

Unlike Ina.

Suddenly, Sana piped up.