Eddie on the Edge of Everything

4: A Most Mysterious Thing

"Edwina, child!" cooed my aunts. "Where are you, child? Yoohoo!"

It was the beckoning call of two bald-headed vultures. Bingo night was one night I both hated and welcomed. My aunts would galavant out from the house on their misadventure to win big. Sometimes they snagged a giftcard or another useless blender, one that found its way into the stockpile below the stairs. I had to help them get ready, a struggle that was often met with a long list of things to do while they were away. The part of the night I welcomed was the peace and quiet, a home all to myself.

"Coming down," I cried hopping down the stairs from my attic room.

"Took you long enough," snapped Aunt Vera. "Help, Vicky, with her coat. The Bingo hall is always freezing."

I reached over and pulled my aunt's large arms into the sleeves of her fluffy fur coat.

"Careful, child, I am delicate."

Aunt Vera searched her purse for her lipstick.

"You will be happy to know that tonight is a special night. It is the fifteenth anniversary of the bingo hall and we are having a little jamboree. So don't expect us for a few hours or possibly most of the night." I watched Aunt Vera slap makeup on her face. "As you know, we expect certain things to be done. The dishes need cleaning, the trash needs to be hauled to the road, and the toilet in our bathroom needs scrubbing."

"We know how you are, Edwina," said Aunt Vicky fighting the zipper on her coat. "You dillydally too much. No excuses this time." Aunt Vicky shook a stiff fat finger at me. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear," I responded.

"Excellent," said Aunt Vicky putting on purple lipstick to match her purple hair. She smacked her lips and smiled in the hall mirror.

"How does my hair look, Vicky?" asked Aunt Vera patting her new blue highlights.

"Divine, darling. Our new look will be the talk of the event. I bet it will bring us luck like that stylist said."

"Indeed so." Aunt Vera dug her claw-like toes into a pair of bright blue heels. "Alright, Edwina, lock up and get to work. No dawdling." The two ladies trotted out of the home and down the steps. A taxi was waiting for them.

"Goodbye Aunties!" I waved watching the vehicle sink from their weight. "Enjoy your night." I lowered my head and whispered. "I know I will."

Most bingo nights I made popcorn and watched some late night Alfred Hitchcock films or Ray Harryhausen animations to inspire my next claymation model, but tonight I would be productive. I was going to work on that movie scene Gilbert wrote and set my alarm to watch the meteor shower.

I dashed up the stairs and immediately got to work building my alien model. It did not take me long with the clay and wire to form the green alien. He had long arms and big black eyes. I moved him to the dollhouse and positioned him just outside the window of the attic room. Turning on the lamps and adjusting my camera, I was ready to begin the magic of stop motion animation.

The lamplight glowed into the dollhouse's little rooms. A clay girl with red hair lay fast asleep in her bed not knowing of the alien just outside of her window. After each picture I moved the alien a tiny bit. When all the pictures were played in fast motion it would give the illusion that the alien was entering the room.

My walkie talkie began to buzz.

"Hey, Eddie!" came the static voice of Gilbert. "Do you read me? Over."

"Copy that," I responded into the walkie talkie. "What's up? Over."

"How's the animation going? You liking the scene?"

"It's going great. I love the idea of the alien sneaking into the house and eating the girl's food. Over."

"Just wait until we are done. We can upload it online and get famous! We will have movie producers calling us from all over the country."

"You certainly dream big, Gilbert."

"So should you," he said. "No harm came from big dreams."

I looked outside my window at the stars and thought of my parents. They had big dreams, dreams of space. Now they are gone.

"Yeah," I said somberly. "Big dreams alright."

"Well I got to go. They are about to cut my grandmother's cake. Don't forget about the meteor shower."

"10-4."

"Goodnight, Eddie. Over and out."

I placed the walkie talkie back on my cluttered desk. My alarm started to beep. It was a few minutes to eleven o'clock. I moved all the clay, paper, and wire to a neat little pile and grabbed the photo of my parents off my nightstand. I placed it on the desk, smiled at their joyous faces, and after I had a clear picture of them in my mind, I switched off the lamps.

I sat there in the darkness staring out at the night sky waiting for the show to begin. My wristwatch beeped the most anticipated time of every day: 11:11. Shooting stars filled the night sky. Their bright tails vanishing in moments over the dark outline of trees. My eyes scoured the sky looking for the perfect star, and there it was, a bright star bigger than all the others shown on the horizon. I had never seen one so big and bright before. It almost seemed to be growing with each second. I was running out of time, so I made my wish with all my might on that bright star.

"Oh please come true," I whispered. "Oh please come true."

That's when something strange happened.

The star turned into a large flaming orb. It lit up the sky and soared through the treetops, splintering limbs and charring wood. It was coming straight at me. I screeched and quickly ducked under my desk, throwing my arms over my head. In a flash, my round window shattered. A bright object zipped passed my curtains, knocking over my chair. It bounced off the wall and gently rolled on the floor before stopping in a heap of dirty laundry.

I was frightened. Who wouldn't be after a bright burning object burst into your room. I slowly crawled out from under my desk. The object lay on my old white jacket now singed black from the heat. I grabbed the ruler from off my desk and poked at the mysterious thing. It started to glow a swirl of blue and red light. I jumped back.

"Woah!" I gasped. "What are you?" Deciding it was no longer a threat, I walked over and lifted the glowing orb in the jacket. It felt strangely cool for having just been on fire. I turned it over in my hands. It was a rock, dented on one side, and heavy. I brought it close to my face and suddenly once again it glowed bright and beautiful. "Normal rocks do not glow." I said out loud.

My shoes crunched the glass on the floor as I carried it to my bed. "Are you a meteorite? Did you come from that meteor shower?" The rock pulsated and hummed as if it was understanding my questions.

Before I could do more, another bright light filled the sky outside my broken window and a loud crack like thunder split the night. I shoved the rock under my pillow and hurried to the window. A strange man dressed in a large black cloak stood on the lawn. Smoke lifted off of his shoulders and twirled in the moonlight. The ring of burning grass encircled the man's feet. He turned to look at me with eyes of bright yellow. Then in a flash he sprinted towards the front door.