Beyond Earth

Encounters of the Fourth Kind

Placing the small creature in the enclosure I pulled the latch shut behind me.

"Another successful rescue, nice work Laverdier." My senior officer spoke up.

"I wouldn't exactly call retrieving a weasel from a group of fifth graders a rescue Janie, but thank you." I grinned back at the old women.

"Those kids were worse then any animal we've ever brought into the sanctuary." She shook her head. "I'm going to have to spend the next hour and a half washing all the windows in this place."

"I can stay and help if you want?" I offered, throwing some stuffed animals into the toy bin.

"It's alright. You've had to be with those kids all day. I can finish up here." Janie smiled.

Fishing to my pocket I retrieved my keys and a handful of paper slips.

"What are all of those?" The older women scowled as I tossed them in the garbage.

"Phone numbers."

"Phone numbers? All of those? Boy, what kind of game you playing?" She chuckled.

"No game. All the mothers saw me with their kids and just had to give me their numbers. You know, the whole good father cliché." I shrugged.

"Maybe you should keep them." Janie scrubbed at a smudged hand print.

"I'll pass, but thanks anyway hun." I waved. "See you tomorrow."

On the drive home the dark Nevada sky was filled with stars, a sight that had always comforted me since my childhood. My dusty old Jeep rattled down the road, the rough earth having it's own charm as I followed the path with ease. Perhaps Janie had some truth to her words. She never butted into others personal lives, especially when it came to romance, but I knew she meant well. With all the years between us she had the right to question, after all, she had never seen me with another person, male or female, nor had I ever mentioned being in any sort of relationship. I wasn't into one to mention anyway, I've never really been in one at all, which to some may seem really sad or pathetic, but I never really felt the need or desire. As I watched the stars I was always reminded of the reason I had never settled down, there where billions of stars, billions of seconds left in my life to do whatever I wished with them, a billion different possibilities my life could lead to, why follow the crowd? Buy a house? Get married? Have two or three kids? Die old and grey? I was doing so much good saving the animals, protecting and rescuing the sick, rare, and injured. I could pick up and leave at any moment and there would be no reason to stay, no reason why I couldn't jump on the next plane to Tibet and spend a week with monks, or natives in Alaska, maybe a tavern in Ireland. I enjoyed knowing I had the freedom, I enjoyed the possibilities. I can't say that I never thought of it, eventually, when the time is right, when the person is right, when my inner tramps feet have grown weary, I just may settle down.

My tires came to a halt in my drive way, the engine dying as I removed the keys. Atleast I had a place to call home, a place were my currently exhausted self could call it a night.

3:00 AM

My eyes cracked open and I groaned into the darkness, the urge to pee causing me to sit up in bed, rubbing my face as I did so. Reaching for my water glass I froze in terror at the other set of feet on the floor in front of mine. My eyes slowly followed them up, a pale green figure bathed in moonlight, tall and graceful stood in front of me. It suddenly became harder to breath as the large black orbs looked back at me, its face lit up by the small piece of technology it held in it's hand. It stood perfectly still staring for mere moments before reaching forward startling me, he looked surprised when I jumped back. My heart raced as I dropped the cup, scrambling to the opposite side of the bed. Suddenly he was in front of me as I backed against the wall, raising one of the few devices on its belt he pointed it at my face and it made a small clicking sound and released a cloud of mist. My legs started to grow weak and my head became cloudy, I was falling towards the floor the room going black as the being stood over me, its arms catching me before my head collided with the carpet, the world disappearing.