Chapter Four: The Encounter

Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

The figure abruptly moved a few paces back at the same time as my numbed brain realized that this was probably a companion of the person I had seen only moments before across the meadow. I stopped screaming.
“Uh, hello there! You really scared me, popping out of nowhere like that.” I said, my breath coming in ragged gasps. “Do you live around here?”
The figure walked a little closer, and stopped, planting their feet solidly. The light was barely good enough to allow me to see that the person was a man. He stood with his arms crossed, scrutinizing me with a bemused expression on his face.
“Is something wrong?” I asked warily, uncomfortable with his continued staring. He looked at me gravely and politely said
“Sorell seel toljen nu.”
And he gestured towards where the shadow-figure had been.
“I guess you don’t speak English. Well then!” I said, trying to be friendly. “I’m Natalie. What’s your name?” I asked, pointing in exaggerated gestures at me and then at him.
“Kurt.” he said, pointing to himself. “Natalie,” as he pointed at me, “Sulansta.” And he pointed again across the meadow. His meaning was fairly clear. He and I were taking a little walk together. I sighed, shrugged, and began walking—or rather plodding—across the meadow in the direction he had pointed. He fell easily into step beside me, walking with a cat-like grace.
“Kantha nu ben.” he announced, coming to a stop next to a tree. I stifled a shriek when a figure melted out of a shadow and strode to meet us.
“Kurt?” he said. Kurt replied, and the two had a short conversation. I could not understand them, but from their facial expressions they found my presence confusing, to say the least.
“Ffttt!” the man hissed under his breath at the end of the dialogue. I stood between the two men, looking back and forth between them during the strange conversation and realizing for the first time why my father had tried to teach me languages other than English. Wait...
“Hey, I know!” I said excitedly. The men turned to look at me in puzzlement. I fumbled in my pocket before pulling out the translator.
“Let’s see...” I murmured, experimentally pushing a few buttons. I looked up. The men were still staring at me, the picture of utter confusion.
“Well, say something!” I said impatiently. Kurt opened his mouth.
“Hsss slsithe ssjesstel?” he said. I could almost see the words slithering out of his mouth, snake-like. I shook my head and pressed a few more buttons, while his companion responded with a noise that sounded suspiciously similar to a dog’s bark. I tried again, hoping that this time it would work.
“What on Khnack do you think you’re doing?!” Kurt growled, his voice going ominously deep.
“Yes! It worked!” I cried, grinning at Kurt, in spite of his excellent imitation of a thundercloud.
“What did you do?” the other man asked, watching me warily.
“I’m wondering that too.” Kurt said, folding his arms and giving me a hard look.
“It’s no secret,” I retorted, his tone irritating me, “But I’m hungry, and my story will be better told after I’ve eaten.” The men looked at each other for a moment, before Kurt gave a brief nod.
“Of course. My apologies. This way.” The three of us began to walk together, and Kurt asked “Do you live around here?”
“Seeing as I don’t know where ‘here’ is, I can’t say.” I said tartly. “Do you? Live around here, I mean.”
“No, we live in Thrare. It’s about a day’s journey from here.” the other man replied. I glanced over at him.
“Thrare? Is that this planet?” I asked.
“This planet?” the man echoed, giving me a strange look. “No, it’s a city. Just where are you from?”
“Food first.” I said firmly. The conversation lapsed into silence. We had been walking for perhaps 10 minutes before reaching a lump in a small clearing. When we walked closer, I saw a structure resembling the antique pioneer wagons of Earth centuries before. Aside from the fact that it had six wheels and a stretchy leather covering over the top, the similarity was striking. It even appeared that the vehicle—for such I assumed it was—was pulled by animals, although I did not see them.
“Welcome.” Kurt told me formally. He walked over to the back of the vehicle, and stood to one side. The other man stood at my other side, and both waited, looking at me expectantly.
“What?” I asked, peering warily into the wagon. By now night had fully fallen, and I could not see anything inside.
“Aren’t you going to enter?” the man asked uncertainly.
“Actually, I would rather eat outside.” I declared. Kurt gave me a strange look.
“In the dark?” he asked.
“Of course.” I said, faking a confidence I didn’t feel. I was realizing the vulnerability of my position. I was not strong, and there were two of them to one of me... But just as I was tensing myself to run, Kurt shrugged and swung himself gracefully into the wagon.
“Hey Jarvis, catch!” he called out. A few seconds later, some objects were thrown out of the back of the wagon, which the other man—Jarvis—easily caught. He walked a few feet, and soon had a fire lit. I sat down cross-legged as close to it as I dared and stared into the flames in fascination. Back on the space station, I had wanted to have a fireplace like the ones on Earth, but it had been too dangerous because of the different chemicals on board. Where was I? What kind of a place had I come to, with wagons and fires and no electronics? As I thought on the question, Jarvis sat down across the fire from me. In a few moments Kurt had joined us, carrying a bundle of food, which he divided equally between the three of us. I could barely see the food that I was eating even with the firelight, but I think it included some coarse bread, fruit, and nuts—none of a kind that I had seen before. When we had finished our quiet meal, Kurt turned to me.
“Now are you ready to share your story?” I nodded.
“Sure. But even I don’t know exactly what happened, so don’t expect me to explain it to you.” I said. I paused a moment to collect my thoughts, and then plunged headlong into my story. I started my story when I first met Toald, and continued from there. Kurt watched me intently the whole time, saying little, while Jarvis frequently jumped in with questions or comments. When I finished there was a short silence.
The fire crackled to itself, and I could hear some kind of night bird singing in the distance. In spite of everything: the emotional day, my foreign companions, and my long distance from home, I found the night invigorating. I could feel a slight breeze sliding silkily against my skin, and smelled the wood smoke of the fire. Small creatures could be heard moving in the undergrowth around us. Altogether the night created a feeling of danger combined with security that was a far cry from the space station. Finally Kurt broke the silence.
"So if I understand you correctly, you visited here using an unfamiliar device, with no particular reason, just for fun?" he asked.
"Well, um... yes, I guess so." I said uncomfortably.
"Hmph." Kurt said finally. I felt my cheeks flame, from both embarassment and anger.
"Well, in any case, that's aside from the point." Jarvis said.
"True." Kurt agreed. "The real problem is what to do with you."
"In my knowledge, an alien has never visited our planet in the manner that Natalie has." Jarvis said, thinking aloud. "The counselors should be informed of the situation."
"Indeed. Their wisdom would certainly be appreciated." Kurt replied.
"And, since you are an alien to our planet, you will need a place to stay?" Jarvis asked me.
"I guess so. I hadn't really thought about it." I said. There was a short silence.
"In that case, we offer you hospitality." Kurt said slowly. "We are returning to our home in Thrare, where the counselors are. We would be pleased with your accompaniment." I considered this for a few moments. I didn't know anything about these guys, but they did know this planet. As I saw it, I didn't really have a choice.
"Okay." I said. "Thank you."
"Good." said Jarvis, standing up in one fluid motion. "I suggest that we get some sleep. We'll be traveling all day tomorrow." I struggled to my feet. There was a long pause.
"You may sleep in the nalen." Kurt said, pointing to the wagon. "Jarvis and I will sleep elsewhere."
"Thanks." I said. After they had grabbed some blankets and left the wagon, I entered through the back. Jarvis had given me a round rock that gave off a faint glow: enough for me to get my own blankets and create a nest of them for the night. The blankets smelled of herbs and spices, exotic and strange. They were rougher than the ones that I was used to, and I thought for a moment of home, with its nighttime clanks and swishes as the cleaning robots did their work. Kurt and Jarvis talked outside, but I couldn't make out the words. I fell asleep to the murmur of their voices.