Writing for Fun
August 2017
A Day Can Make All the Difference - Jan Norman
Jake was seventeen, self absorbed and bored. It was week five of the summer holidays and although he would never have admitted it to anyone he was missing the discipline of academic life and the thrill of challenging study.
Still he smiled to himself; in another week he would be back at Tamworth Sixth Form College finishing his last year before university. Taking mathematics and the sciences he would have no time to be bored or languish over his failure of winning the heart of Amanda – the girl in the dreams of all the boys in his year. The only thing troubling him was that, although he loved the subjects he was taking, he could not see his ultimate future and this bothered him.
He decided that the only way out of the doldrums was exercise. He switched off Netflix, threw down the remote onto the sofa and headed out of the back door, snatching an apple on the way. Mum had gone to visit Gran and would not be back for a couple or more hours and this would have to do him for lunch.
Worthington the family Labrador, sensing an adventure, shot up from his resting place under the old apple tree, and, barking in delight, ran several rings around Jake.
‘You’re bored too? Come on then,’ said Jake laughing, ‘Let’s head for the brook and find some dragons to slay.’
He opened the gate at the bottom of the garden. Together with the dog he made his way down the long, steep slope of rough meadowland to the tiny bubbling brook that had enchanted him in his early years and was now a place of sanctuary to a boy on the brink of manhood.
Absentmindedly, Jake cut a switch from one of the few straggly bushes along the way and swished it through the long grass.
Worthington, sensing a game, hunkered down and fixing Jake with bright eyes and, with tail wagging furiously, barked excitedly. Taking his cue Jake threw the stick as hard as he could. It landed in the brook. The dog flew like a comet and jumped on his prize with a splash.
Out of breath Jake caught him up and threw himself down onto the riverbank. Worthington did not disappoint. He dropped the dripping stick onto Jake’s lap and looked enquiringly at him.
Half an hour later both dog and master lay exhausted at the water’s edge. Later, propping himself up on one elbow, Jake looked hard at the water. He had never seen the brook so low. It was only a couple of inches deep, sluggishly tumbling over sand, weed and pebbles. He sat up and began mindlessly poking at the river bed with his stick. The wood hit something hard. Intrigued and not a little excited he jumped into the shallow water and, dropping to his knees, started scraping away the sand. Sure enough with every sweep of his hands more and more of what seemed like a metallic manhole cover came into sight. Strange hieroglyphics adorned its surface. Not really knowing why he gripped one of the embossings and twisted it to the right. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, just upriver to this object, he realised that silently an invisible barrier was damming the river course. As the water around his feet slid on down the river he was left high and dry on the cover.
Suddenly Worthington, who had been just as inquisitive as he, backed away hackles rising and growling, a low menacing sound from deep in his throat. Jake had no time to ponder why because he realised, with a sickening lurch of his stomach that the metal disk he was kneeling on was sinking fast into the ground. Leaping to his feet he grabbed for the walls. His hands found no purchase on the smooth slightly moist surface. Light faded fast as he plummeted down.
As suddenly as it started the disk stopped. Jake, now truly terrified, was on his knees with eyes shut. Feeling no movement he risked opening his eyes. Stretching to the left only was a glistening tunnel lit only by an eerie glow emanating from its jelly like surface. Getting to his feet he took a deep breath. If he wanted to escape he would have to go on.
With every step he could feel the floor give a little. Putting his right hand onto the wall and sliding it along as he walked gave him some comfort. Then he realised that the harder he pressed the lighter the wall became. He stopped and pressed with both hands. Amazingly the jelly dented under pressure and became more and more transparent until he could see what seemed to him to be another room. He gasped and let go of the wall as if electrocuted. Heart beating fit to burst he stood stunned. He had just seen humanoid creatures moving about inside.
Where the hell was he? Had he stumbled across some secret government bunker? Was he witnessing scientifically engineered beings? Engineered for what purpose? Or what was even less likely had he gained access to an alien ship? Either way he reckoned if or rather when he was discovered he would not be allowed to live.
Sadness turned to grim determination. If that was the case he might as well go for broke. At least he would know the truth before he died. Fascination overcoming fear he pressed with both hands against the wall. Glistening but recognisable human like beings appeared as before in the room, busy studying holographic displays and directing changes by touching coloured lights on clear desktops.
In his excitement he pressed even harder against the jelly. Suddenly it gave and he was in the room with the beings.
All turned to stare at him. He froze. What had he done?
Then this, his worst nightmare, turned into his wildest dream. A being, of a decidedly alluring, albeit glossy, female form, whom he imagined was about his own age, turned from her work station and stared straight into his eyes. Shock turned to wide eyed wonder as she approached him. He heard words that she did not speak echo in his head and feelings were exchanged that he had no control over.
They met in the middle of the room. She reached out and touched his forearm. An electric shock coursed through his body. She seemed to smile at him then she stiffened and turned her head. Heading towards him was a robot like creature carrying a small metal object. Jake found he was unable to move. Up close the robot grasped his arm and pressed it against the metal object. Feeling a sting Jake felt a thrill of great fear. He glanced over at the girl. Her eyes seemed sad but her expression was unfathomable. Now completely paralysed and with his senses swimming he finally succumbed – to what, sleep or death? As he slid down into the unknown his last sight was of her face. Was she blowing him a kiss? He awoke lying next to the stream with Worthington licking his face and whining. It was close to the exact spot where his adventure had begun but the sun was now low in the sky and he could hear distant shouts and see torches bobbing along the hill top. They must be searching for him.
He knew it would not be long before he was found as Worthington, finding his master alive and well was now racing back towards the rescue party barking excitedly.
Jake had to think fast. He knew he could not tell anyone the truth. If he did he would be considered a crackpot and his future life would be blighted. In any case there would be no evidence of the aliens as they were now light years away nearing their home planet. This he knew for a fact as the mind link forged earlier between himself and the alien girl was open and he knew would never be closed.
He rubbed the spot on his arm where the girl had touched him and felt raised dots depicting the star system of Proxima Centauri and the exact location of their planet, Proxima B. Jake then touched his temple and rejoiced that she had implanted into his brain all the knowledge necessary to create a space craft capable of travelling at thirty percent of the speed of light – the speed that would be necessary for him to reach her planet in less than ten years – and all the navigational skills to make it so.
With his childhood banished in a day Jake vowed there and then that he would work long and hard to realise his destiny. His career path he now knew. Excited voices punctured the quietness of the twilight.
On the hilltop his mother, with relief evident in her voice, called to the other searchers.
‘He must be near. Worthington is back. He has come back to lead us to him.’ Jake mind worked furiously. What excuse for his long absence would be plausible? That’s it!
With daylight nearly gone he rushed down to the water’s edge and ran along the bank until he spotted what he remembered seeing earlier. He bent and fished out four empty beer cans from a pile of rubbish.
Racing back to the spot where Worthington had found him he lay down with the cans scattered around and closed his eyes.
He would have to endure the consequences and his Mother’s hurt in finding her son so callow. He smiled. He had the rest of his life to make her proud of him.