Fear and Aggression (34 page)

“
I am told that the
meeting with our Mayor and Uncle Roloff went well today. Uncle
Roloff was worried about everyone thinking that he was crazy, but
really we are all crazy for not being aware of this craft that
everyone has been seeing.”

“
We’re going to get your
mom back. Your Uncle Priori, my dad, and all the men at the
institute are really smart. Now that we know where she is, we can
make a plan.”

“
Thanks, Jeriyal. I really
miss her,” said Caryell with some emotion.

Miigal put her arm around Caryell again, and
this time he didn’t flinch, but seemed to appreciate it. The night
was already dark, and, consciously or not, all three of them looked
up regularly at the night sky. It was a clear and somewhat crisp
evening, and the sky was full of stars—but no shooting stars
tonight.

The walk to the theater was long, and as the
threesome left the subdivision and entered more major city streets,
the walking traffic increased precipitously. Most were dressed in
rather fine attire, and were anticipating the various attractions
of city nightlife. Caryell had not experienced this scene before.
He had been with his parents into the city for daytime activities,
which had left quite an impression on the boy used only to a rural
life. Night life was a bit different. There were not many youth or
children out at all. Other than himself, the youngest that he had
seen, so far, were Miigal and Jeriyal’s age. Many of the couples,
or groups, were middle aged, and, not a few, were quite older.

Caryell had not experienced grandparents,
and so he looked on at the elderly couples with curiosity and
admiration. His attention focused in particular on a couple that
was walking on the same side of the roadway, but in the opposite
direction. The man was heavyset, mostly bald with his few strands
of hair combed awkwardly over his scalp, and in a dark grey suit.
He was hunched over and carried a cane. He was probably in some
pain as he walked, as he moved at a significant, deliberate, and
slow pace. His wife walked erectly with her arm, in his arm that
did not carry the cane. It was the man’s duty to escort her, but
she was clearly carrying some of his weight. In form, he was
escorting her, but in substance, she was escorting him. She wore a
cream dress with a rich red overcoat. Her silver hair looked like
she had spent hours preparing every strand. At first Caryell
thought that she must be a daughter, but as they approached closer,
he could see that she was equally aged, but that she hid it
cleverly with her make-up; and her general condition displayed a
greater degree of vibrancy. The hunched over man looked at Caryell
as they passed and gave him a generous wink. Caryell was beginning
to feel more comfortable already.

The next people to catch his attention were
a middle aged couple. The man was tall with dark hair, and slender.
He was talking, rather loudly, to his companion, likely his wife,
who was pretty with dirty blond hair. She appeared to be straining
to keep her attention focused on the conversation. She certainly
was not being given an opportunity to join in. The man, oblivious
to her difficulties, continued on unabated. Caryell found it
particularly entertaining to watch the man gesticulate as he spoke.
Whatever he was talking about, he obviously felt very passionate
about, and seemed to think that what he had to say was of supreme
importance. She, on the other hand, wore the look of a person just
trying not to nod off. She had apparently given up on even nodding,
or even saying, “uh huh.” He was just going on, and on, and on. As
they passed, Caryell tried to smile at them, but they were both
oblivious to him.

Miigal and Jeriyal exchanged a look as this
couple passed by. Up ahead there was a group of young ladies making
their way, jovially, towards them. Four of the five young ladies
seemed to be thoroughly engaged in a lively conversation, mingled
with giggles. The fifth lady was younger than the rest, perhaps
sixteen years old. She was slightly out of the inner circle. As she
tried to engage herself with the group, her efforts were ignored.
She was likely a younger sister of one of the other young ladies.
She wore a white knee length dress with blue flowers. She had a
nice figure, with long blond hair, and a particularly pretty face.
She had the complexion of an angel, and a countenance the same.
Caryell had been enjoying people watching tonight, but his pleasure
increased when once his attention met this girl. As they
approached, the young lady had stopped trying to fit into the
group, and was simply looking ahead. Caryell was not conscious of
the fact that he was staring at her. He felt nearly invisible in
this big city, with so many people who all seemed to be in their
own worlds. Before he realized it, she was staring back at him. She
was walking directly toward him now, only a few feet away.

The two groups were large, and they would
have to make some adjustments so that both groups could pass by
each other. The young lady, who was being ignored by her
companions, slowed down so as to maneuver behind the other girls.
Caryell moved a little closer to Miigal, but did not take his eyes
off the young lady, and neither did she take her eyes off of him.
As the groups prepared to pass, the young lady, with bright blue
eyes, dark long lashes, and bright ruby lips—that stood out
particularly against her porcelain white skin—turned, to keep eye
contact with Caryell, and smiled beautifully. Caryell felt his
heart race and his face flush. He returned the smile out of pure
pleasure. As they passed, their arms and shoulders touched and
grazed past each other. The smell of the ultra-sweet fragrance of
her perfume was almost intoxicating. Their touch ignited an
electrical shock within him. He had never experienced these
sensations before. He had never felt attraction to the opposite sex
before. His heart was still beating quickly, and the vision of her
angelic face continued to shine before his mind’s eye.

Miigal and Jeriyal began to converse, but
Caryell was completely distracted. The atmosphere and mood of
fashionable people walking, the city street lit up, and the lit up
buildings, mingled with the hum of conversations and footsteps,
provided a surreal background to his mental experience. He felt a
joy that he had never experienced before. He could not feel his
footsteps; he walked mechanically, yet he felt an energy burst,
that increased as he walked along.

Time no longer behaved itself as before, and
so, as the theater came into view, he did not know how long he had
been walking. “Are you excited, Caryell?” asked Miigal with a
smile.

“
Oh, yes,” he answered
emphatically without even thinking. Jeriyal pulled three tickets
from his coat pocket, and the group entered the theater. The lobby
was half filled, but was noisy with conversation. A large fireplace
was lit with a roaring fire. The lighting in the lobby was candles,
and not electrical lighting. It provided an ambience that brought
Caryell back to a time, not too long ago, before his home had
electrical lighting.

“
I’ll get some
refreshments,” said Jeriyal.

Miigal began to talk to Caryell about the
show. Caryell tried to listen at first, but soon her words were a
blur, amidst the various conversations, and his dreamy vision of
the young beauty that was still on his mind. All he could take in
was Miigal’s beautiful and excited face. She smiled and talked, as
he looked up at her and smiled as well. Soon Jeriyal came up, and
handed them both a drink. Caryell held it, and it felt cold in his
hand. He may have been thirsty, but the idea of taking a sip did
not cross his mind. Miigal switched her attention back to Jeriyal,
and they continued to talk. Caryell looked up at both of them while
they talked, but he still was in his own world; before he knew it
Jeriyal was leading them into the theater. The theater was lit on
the sides by candlelight, but it was not exclusively non-electric.
The ceiling had a dim illumination by electrical bulbs. The dark
maroon curtain was lit by some spotlights.

They did not have great seats—towards the
back and on the right side. Caryell was still holding his drink in
the right hand, and began to feel some pain from the ice cold cup.
He switched hands, and for the first time thought to take a sip. It
did not take long for the musical play to begin. The lights went
down, so that only the side candles could be seen. The pit
orchestra began, and the music perfectly complimented his
infatuation. In fact, as the music went on, her face lit up his
mind’s eye with even greater clarity, and his heart began to race
again. The bright lights lit the stage, and the curtain was already
up. Dancing and singing filled the stage, and his mood was
elevated. The theme of the play was a love story, and for the first
time in his life he sympathized with this theme. The musical was so
bright, so pleasant, and so encapsulating, that his mental picture
of the smiling beauty moved to the back burner, and he enjoyed the
play. His mood was enhanced, and he enjoyed every moment of the
experience.

By the time that the play was over, Caryell
was mentally back. He had a smile on his face that could not
disappear. His heart felt warm, and he felt happy again, for only
the second time since the disappearance of his mother. He was
feeling the afterglow of his first crush. He would never see that
young lady again, (her life was soon to be cut short), but it
wasn’t really for her that he felt this infatuation. It was an
awakening within him that he was experiencing. He had been so quiet
on the walk to the theater, but on the way back he could not stop
talking. Jeriyal and Miigal exchanged glances several times
throughout, especially as he gushed about the romantic theme.

As the trio arrived at Miigal’s home,
Caryell was still talking. The couple paused at the door and
embraced warmly. Caryell turned towards them just as they kissed.
Instead of turning his head, and getting embarrassed, he watched.
Miigal opened her eyes and saw Caryell staring. He was embarrassed
then, and looked down. “Good night, Jeriyal. Thank you so much.
That was a great musical. What a great night.”

“
Thank you, Jeriyal; that
was the most fun that I have ever had!” expressed
Caryell.

“
I know champ, I’m so glad
that you were able to come,” he said as he reached over and ruffled
Caryell’s hair. He turned back to Miigal and gave her another short
peck on the lips, as she lifted her right foot slightly. “Good
night.”

Miigal and Caryell entered into her home,
and walked into the living room. “What do you think of
Jeriyal?”

“
He’s great! I really like
him.”

“
I’m a lucky girl. He is a
perfect gentleman, you know. When you start taking out the girls,
you have to be the perfect gentleman. Let her take your arm, and
open the doors for her. You need to lead, but don’t be bossy. If
she is a lady, she will let you lead, but she’ll also let you know
what is on her mind. The most important thing, though, is this: you
bring her home in the same condition that you picked her
up.”

Caryell looked at her quizzically. “You are
her knight, and your quest is to protect her virtue. Give her a
hug; if she wants you to, give her a kiss; but don’t take anything
from her that is not yet hers to give. If you love her, then you
show her that love by protecting her. Don’t ever make her have to
defend her own virtue; don’t ever cut it close. Jeriyal is a real
man; I am safe, and protected with him. I can enjoy his touch and
his kiss, because I know that it will not go farther than it
should.”

Caryell nodded and smiled. The vision of the
young beauty entered his mind again. He could not image anything
better than protecting that girl; to be her knight and to return
her in the same condition that he found her, and to hold his head
high was what he wanted to do. Caryell had grown up over this past
month; he was no longer the boy that had last seen his mother.

War of the
Worlds
, seemed so off the mark. First, it
assumed that aliens were in our own solar system—Mars. Then, they
were strange ugly creatures that were nothing like
humans—and
they
were the superior beings. They came here, with a plan to
destroy humans. Earth was in the phase of low technology, minding
its own business, and they came here unannounced and started
killing humans. Mark found it hard to concentrate on a story that
was so far from the realities that were happening at this time.
Still, it was cool discussing it with Tess, and he really wanted to
get into the Space Force. With Steve’s success, if he got the
grades, he might get a chance to be pushed up to Captain much
sooner than just anyone. He was motivated—more motivated than ever
before.

Everything in the world had changed over the
past few weeks, like the carpet had been pulled from under his
feet. People were so weird. The news showed how ridiculous people
could get. It was so cool seeing the video of the alien and the
research girl on Steve’s ship. His brother wouldn’t try to deceive
everyone on earth—he couldn’t understand why so many people said it
was faked. She was definitely pretty, but why did that make it a
fake? If she was ugly, would everyone believe it? Last night, the
talk show, that Gramps was watching, was arguing back and forth
about the beauty of the alien, and whether or not this indicated
the government trying to pull a fast one. One man said that no one
on earth was that pretty, and that if she was from earth, everyone
would have already seen pictures of her. He reasoned that the
government couldn’t have hidden such a pretty woman and then
brought her out with no one knowing who she was, just for this
video. The other man kept explaining that the government was using
the oldest marketing technique in the book—using a beautiful person
to diffuse fears and concerns. They were trying to allay the
growing fears and concerns by simply using a gorgeous model to make
everyone feel comfortable with the alien.