Chapter 27 Children of the Moon

Chapter 27

Children of the Moon

  “Captain,” Alexander murmured easing down beside of Kia.

  The Captain pushed his body up as if it weighed a thousand tons. “Who speaks,” His voice was weak but they still heard anger in it.

 Lifting his head and seeing them clearly, he drew back, “Who are you? I don’t know you!”

  Kia was squatting on a knotty narrow oak root, she slipped as she drew near, but the Captain caught her. He suddenly sucked in a deep breathe, as though someone had snatched him out of the water. He jerked again, finally catching his breathe. “Kia? What, what is this, I don’t know you, how can you know me. I don’t even know myself.” He turned his face away, hiding it in his hands.  You touched me girl, you touched my heart, don’t ever do that again. I can’t bear it.” He whimpered again, “don’t even sound like myself?”

  “They changed you Captain,” Alex interjected, “but it’s all right.”

  “All right,” the Captain swung around glaring at Alexander, “nothing is right. Who are you to say otherwise?”

  “I’m Alexander Captain.”

  “Alexander, you’ve no feathers, no wings you’re no Chimeran and I’m no Captain, never call me that again! There is no Captain, no ship, no crew! They took it all.” He reared back and looked at them long and hard. “They took you too, changed you just like they changed me!”

  “No, sir,” Kia said quietly, “they did not take us. We found a chamber in Older’s Bed, it changed us, we chose this, sort of chose it anyway. I think we can help you. Please let us try.”

  “Kian’s lost,” Marks said, he sighed each word as though they were his last, “he upset them- The Karkins. They came took their revenge then plucked us like grapes. They mean to set things right!”

  “Karkins?” Kia looked at Alexander completely at a loss. “We don’t know them,” she said.

  “You will strange one, you will. They came from beyond the black-Aliens ancient angry and responsible for all this. We owe them. They came back to collect…” 

   Kian sat perfectly comfortable even as pulsating beams of light shot through his pupils, invaded his mind filling it with cunningly complex artificial dreams.

  Suddenly he was outside himself even as he watched himself pull Kia into his arms. They stood on the Common watching the sunset. It was all quite disconcerting. But he had to play along.

  Words suddenly boomed in his ears, “Not today but maybe tomorrow welcome to Chimera, The Alien Threat.”

   Loud beautiful orchestra music reverberated through his head.  A brilliant sunset spread across the sea. Stars popped out of the purple sky as a giant gleaming moon turned the sliding waves into milky sheets of diamond dust. The sun was gone, hidden behind the sea. Stars danced across the sky chasing the Moon marking time until…

   A golden glow burned the western sky. Another day in Chimera was just beginning. 

  A tiny blob of golden light darted into view. It was as if a tiny piece of the sun had broken off and was flying free. It was Tinka (Kress). Even through the forced dream, Kian could hear Kress gasp with delight. Somehow, she said nothing.

  Kian felt a bit dizzy for a moment. Clearly one was to keep their mind focused on the manufactured dream and not let the outside world creep in. They would have to eat their popcorn later, maybe during intermission. 

   The sea was suddenly racing beneath him. Clearly this was supposed be from Tinka’s point of view. Captain’s Marks ship poked up from the horizon. Tinka raced toward it but not fast enough. A large gray cloud suddenly dissipated exposing a silver bowl. It hovered upside down right over the ship.   

  The sea started to churn agitated by a beam of blinding white light shining from the bowl. The Captain’s ship began to rock much like a tooth clamped in plier jaws. Tinka shot ahead just as the beam lifted the great vessel from the water. Then it sucked Tinka up, as white blinding light washed out the entire scene.

  Kian could feel a collective gasp through the audience. For an instant they were all one mind, one surge of emotion, then it slowly flattened. Gray light filtered in. Black unfocused shapes resembling hooded men slowly came into view. They were all around her bending down. An arm raised, something glinted its long boney fingers-a blade, coming down. A red cloud exploded in the air, a millisecond of fire coal pain sliced through Kian’s chest struck a rib then cold numbness snatched him away from the agony.

   White walls clouded with shuffling shadows, cool crisp sheets beneath and above. Warm air caressed Kian’s skin. Tinka was waking up.

  “Where am I?” she asked.

  A shadow slipped from the wall, soft footsteps grew louder. A giant green bug face suddenly slammed into view. Tinka screamed. “You are home, Tinka, welcome home.” It said, through its’ boney mandibles. “It’s time to wipe Chimera clean.  Change is life. You do want to live do you not?”

  The story continued. The Karkins, Alien world builders from deep space reunited Tinka with Tara her mermaid friend, but only after making them human. Their efforts to humanize the Captain and his crew drove him insane and killed them.

    After dumping the mad Captain on Olders Island Kian and Kia searching for Tinka found him and brought him back to Wayferra. Once there they all came together to try and find a way to rid Chimera of the Karkins.

  Suddenly the lights came up. Part 1 was over. They would have to buy another ticket to see what happened next.

  “Well” Kian asked, “What do you think?”

  “It was scary, but I liked it.” Kress said.

 “So the Karkins are Aliens,” Penny said, “That’s silly, but fun.”

  “Fun,” Kian said, not bothering to hide his disappointment.

  “It’s alright James,” Kress said as she munched on her popcorn, “We know you don’t approve, but you will.”

  Kian started to say more, but an Emmy house was not the place for honesty.

  On the way back home, he wondered and worried about Kia and Captain Marks. There was no way to know just how much of that pathetic fabrication was true. Of course that was a moot point. He was on the Moon, helpless and utterly detached from Kia and Chimera. No good would come from dwelling on it. It was time to play Daddy. After stopping by a local burger place for a quick late supper he drove the girls home. Tomorrow was a school day and he was tired.

   A short time later comfortably settled in his nice soft bed he drifted off to sleep, Kia was waiting for him. It was going to be a wonderful dream, how could he know it was not just a dream…