THE STORY OF MOTHER

By KindarSpirit@starmen.net

Chapter 1

"George! Dinner is ready and I won't call you again!" Maria yelled firmly, staring down the basement stairs. Smiling, she rolled her eyes and decided to call again shortly. George was deep down in the basement, working on more of his projects that caused him to loose sleep every night and Maria head aches every time he began to talk about them.

However, George trudged up the stairs, for his growling stomach had gotten the better of him. Papers and book in hand and wiping his glasses on his pants with the other, George almost tripped as he realized Champ the dog was laying across the top step. Champ moved grudgingly out of the way and yelped in dismay over loosing his favorite place to lay.

George let his papers and books crash on the table, which caused Maria to whip around from the stove. "George! Not at the table, please? Just one meal with normal, you know, family discussion?" George sighed and started digging into his potatoes, with his mouth full he replied "Darling, I think I may have this whole time travel thing figured out. See the slower you walk down the street, the less distance you travel and the more time goes by. Speed up, then you travel a further distance in a less amount of time. If you could go so fast, faster, and faster, you would beat time and therefore send it backwards," he said confidently and shoveled more potatoes into his mouth. "Watch the flower garden before you go running about anywhere." Maria sighed.

They talked about Tippi, Maria’s best friend whom seemed to have a never ending problem of loosing her valuables in the river. George loved hearing about Tippi and her clumsy nature. Tippi was a pretty but clumsy lady who always had the knack of bad luck.

George talked about the business at Drucker’s General Store where he worked, down in Podunk. Drucker was an old man who was grumpier than the penny magazines he sold for the elderly. George had always found ways to get on Drucker’s last nerve, like the time he removed all the nails from the bulletin board and dropped them. George claimed he was testing his theory about Chaos, that it could not be predicted which direction the nails would go once they bounced from the floor. Drucker said he’d predicted the nails would somehow find their way down George’s throat unless he put them all back.

They then talked about the family down the street that had just moved in, with a single son. Maria's heart would drop every time she thought about having her own child. While she had been to every doctor in Merrysville, they all said it was just not possible. It wasn't uncommon, but it also put her in the minority of people who had no children. Forever she had dreamed of the first step, the first bike ride, the first words... parties and such. George had even bought Champ, to ease her void, but she felt still empty.

They sat the dinner table silent, both knowing why they had gone quiet. Maria began to gather the plates and put them in the sink. George was helping himself to apple pie, and then he broke the silence. "Maria… how would you like to go on a trip?" he asked. Maria clunked the dishes around, scrubbing and scraping. "Where to? Besides, George, you've already used all your days off from Drucker's General Store. If you told him you were planning a vacation he'd spit nails at you." Maria discouraged.

George scratched his head, and took another bite of his apple pie. "Well, I have this strange calling, hon. I can't explain it... but something is calling me." George whispered. Maria looked at him hard then chuckled, "George! Honestly, you of all people, so skeptical. Your the last person I'd imagine following emotions without reason." George appeared to be thinking, because it was a while before he answered. "I have to go, I know it's strange, but I must. Will you come? I couldn't

bare to go without you," he cautiously asked. "Where? I'd like to know exactly where I'm going before I start packing my bags," Maria joked. George grabbed the book from the table, with no title - only stars and what appeared to be funny moons. He flipped to some sort of astronomical chart, and showed it to Maria. Maria stared, confused. "What does this mean?" she asked.

George looked at her, in the eye. "This plot in the sky, I want to observe it. See, on Mount Itoi..." he trailed off. "Mount Itoi! Are you crazy? Really George! You have a brand new telescope that's put us in debt... go in the yard and view it from the porch!" Maria scolded.

"No, Maria. You see, this plot is only viewable from a high altitude, Mount Itoi being the highest point in the world." George tried to reason. Maria frowned. "I can't leave my life to live in the mountains. You know how dangerous that could be? We'd have to bring rations, if one of us got sick.. it would take days to get to or bring a doctor up the mountain.. and that brings up the point of the journey. How would we get up there?" Maria frowned harder. The little line between her eyebrows thickened, as it did whenever she was worried.

"My dear, I've already talked to some fine young men in Ellay by post. They've agreed to escort us by carriage and construct pulley systems. They'd check in with us weekly for supplies. They put an ad out last month for any extra odd jobs needed. Very reasonable, very cheap. Maria, please. I won't leave you, but I feel my purpose it on Mount Itoi," he pleaded, smoothing her worried line with his finger.

Maria sat down next to him, held his hand and stared into space, then looked him in the eye. "George, you know I'd do anything for you. To be without you is not a life worth living. I'll do it. When do we leave?" Maria smiled. George slammed his fist on the table and lept up. "Maria! You won't regret this, I promise. You'll see, we're on the brink of some discovery, I feel it in my bones!" he yelled. "Well George," Maria yawned, "Discover tomorrow, because it's only a few minutes away and I need to get up early to pack our things."

With that, they retired to bed and slept a last peaceful night.

Chapter 2

Maria paced about frantically emptying drawers while filling the demands of Champ needing attention during the moving frenzy, which had left him restless. "I can't find our good sheets. Just because we're going to become wild people of the mountains doesn't mean we can't sleep like civilized people!" Maria stormed. George yawned and quietly packed only a few suits, his entire library of hand written charts, books and papers. "Really George, do have some sense. You'll need a toothbrush, soap… and dear me that's not enough clothes to last you a week!" Maria continued on. The frenzy continued, up until the last moment when the men from Ellay rapped hard on the door. Before they knew it,

the small family with the dog hopped into the Carriage and were off. One stop at Drucker's General Store left them free of any unfinished business in Podunk (and a few vulgar scream from Drucker himself.)

Four days had passed, and finally they had reached Ellay where they stopped for supplies and stayed the night in the hotel. Maria had began to become mysteriously fatigued and an extra day was needed.

"I feel anxious somehow, like something is waiting for us," Maria whispered. George took her hand and pulled the covers up to her chin and sat next to her. "There won't be much up there besides us, a few animals, which Champ can scare off the big ones... and the stars," George reassured. "I really doubt anything could harm us. Besides, these fine men will take care of us, they are eager honest people." George sat quietly, then said, "Maria, if at anytime you want to go home, just say the word and we'll leave the second you say it." Maria smiled a weak smile, which drained the color from her face. "Don't be silly, I believe."

Later on that night, George had a good conversation with the Ellay men about the journey, had a few laughs and then the tone changed.

"Watcha lookin' for up there on Itoi?" said Charles, one of the men. George smiled, "I study the stars, time travel... the like." Charles and the gang chuckled. "The summit is no place for you though. I reckon if you just hang out by that lake... that lake still up their Hank?" Charles asked. "Yep, last time we camped up there it was. Actually it looked bigger," replied Hank. "The lake is where you should be and no further. You really have no need to go any higher any

who." Charles reasoned.

George stared at them hard. "Why's that? I'd like to get as high as possible," he inquired. The moods in the room dropped from carefree to concerned. "You know we all like you mister, but there are some things that are better left alone. I'd hate to think we're taking you to some isolated mountain where you'll be hiking areas that haven't been mapped or charted. This isn't just some

mountain sir, it's got something." Charles gravely said. Hank eyes Charles, and gave him the look that more had to be said.

"George, what Charles is trying to say... people say some weird things have happened there." Hank said.

George looked at their serious faces and began to laugh. "Really! Big grown men like you taking some pool hall myths seriously. I do not mean to injure your character, but if I may be so bold to imply that superstitions and myths are a waste of time," George chuckled. "What of these stories have you heard that hold any truth in them?"

Hank looked withdrawn. "Well, honestly sir no one has said much."

George seemed satisfied, and informed the men he would not venture to the summit should he find his view reasonably clear lower down near the lake. The night went on a few more hours of socializing and laughing, until George finally retired to bed.

"It's beautiful, like something out of a dream! Look, it's so huge!" Maria exclaimed. The carriage rounded down the path, past the buildings that had blocked their view of the gigantic mountain. George stared up at it with a feeling of accomplishment. So few, if any but he and a maybe a few

ancients, had done what he was to do. 'Silly,' George though to himself. 'That mean should be deterred from finding the truth because a mere myth was thrown to scare them away.'

Even though the mountain was in clear view, the distance to the foot of it was still a journey in itself. Maria stared at it intently the whole time, and for the first time the whole trip, George felt reassured that Maria may actually enjoy spending time here.

"Okay! That's it sir. We'll help you get up to the lake, since my guys have already fixed up the rope and baskets for us, then we'll set you up a camp and your set!" The voice came from an elder with blue eyes, who held the reigns to one of the horses. Maria stepped out with George (who happened to be covered in that afternoon's lunch), and gazed upwards. "Maria laughed. "I can't see an end to it standing so close to the bottom like this." George squeezed her hand and smiled.

"Say, watcha gonna do with your dog?" Charles asked. He had taken quite a liking to Champ, who obviously returned the affection. "Itoi ain't no place for a dog like this. He needs to be down here with grass, birds... cats. Ya know." Charles said. Maria immediately gave no argument. "The

more I think of it, it may be better. I worry about him not liking it. I spent most of the night thinking about it. I don't know what to expect and it's not fair to drag him away from the outdoors," Maria said.

"I'd be honored to take 'im'! If I could, of course it was just be like dog sitting. Maria and George agreed, and left Champ behind, whimpering.

The loading of the supplies were put in the baskets, along with Maria and George. The pulley system was unique, and would come in use should they need to go up and down the mountain as they pleased. Reaching the lake took as long as reaching the foot of the mountain from Ellay. Maria tired easy and they occasionally had to stop, to let Champ drink and Maria catch her breath. It didn't feel like it had been long though, when they reached the lake. "Would you look at that..." Maria gasped.

The water in the lake shone clear and blue. Although it was deep, the bottom could be seen clearly and the lake lapped waves as though it were constantly disturbed. George felt a lurch in his stomach. "No fish in the lake?" he said, shocked. Hank smiled. "Nope, so you has to make your supplies

last. Of course we'll be up here all the time bringing you what you need. The boys and I used to spend a lot of time here before, but lately we haven't. Would be nice to start again."

George scolded himself for allowing himself to get carried away. However, something about the lake made George uneasy. For the first time, he had his fears.

Chapter 3

The men set up camp, which wasn't quite what they expected. It appears a cabin had already been built south of the lake, which was in excellent condition. When the men meant setting up camp, they meant unloading supplies,

storing shelves, cupboards and choosing a food preparation area.

"Ain't too shabby I suppose, I'm sure your used to better but

I hope it'll do. Not easy to find skilled workers who'd want to work up here," Hank laughed. "Your offer has shocked me! I could not even come close to believe we'd be as well provided for as this. I expected to be sleeping outdoors for a while until we constructed something ourselves." George smiled. Maria shot

him a look of horror. "The cabin is perfect! Thank you guys," Maria hurriedly interrupted should George decide to decline.

Around the evening time, the team of men headed down the mountain to get home to their families, before it was dark. George and Maria had a great time, it had reminded them of when they had first met. They sat around a fire

near the lake, laughing and skipping stones, roasting meat and making sandwiches. They were loud when they retold stories they hadn't told since they were school age. "George! This is so perfect. I can't believe it.

It is like a dream," Maria laughed. George smiled. He got up and skimmed his cup across the fishless water, filling it and then dousing the fire. "Time to get back, hon. You should sleep, make up for all that stressing and fussin'

you did. Catch up, you know," George said. Maria looked at him suspiciously, and then said. "So, I go to sleep, and you sneak off like a little boy skipping chores. George, please, the stars will be here tomorrow. Come on, let's go to bed. I don't want to be alone. Please?" George sighed and smiled. "You know me well," he giggled.

He really had wanted to start tonight, since it was a night only thing. During the day he planned on reviewing his work and progress. He had wanted to have something new tonight, to brood over all day tomorrow. He came to an agreement with himself that tomorrow he would organize the cabin with Maria instead, then later in the night start his work.

They were about half way back, when a bright light flashed across the sky. "George! Look!" Maria screamed. George shot his head up and they watched the light. It flew across the sky like lightning, going over the top of Mount

Itoi, or at least looking like it did. Even from their point, the top of the mountain was nowhere near visible. "A shooting star..." Maria said dreamily. George laughed, not at his wife, but his unexplained jumpiness and

unease when he saw the light. The moment the light flashed his mind jumped back to the fishless lake. In a mere few seconds he had already jumped to the conclusion that they were linked. He made himself believe it was a

shooting star.

"Well, since you saw it first, make a wish!" George cheered. He did his best to sound as carefree as possible. Maria closed her eyes, for a few seconds, then turned and started walking again. George looked at her in

surprise. "Surely there is nothing more that you wish for that you don't already have? You seemed to be dead set in that wish! You needed no time whatsoever," George laughed. "What was it?" Maria stopped and looked

him in the eye sadly. "I can't say, for it won't come true. But from how things have been, I don't think it ever will. I think you know," she said sadly.

George put his arm around her, and they walked back to the cabin in silence and fell asleep.

"I had this weird dream this morning, George." Maria said, as she drew pictures in the loose sand. "I was... just happy. I hadn't a care in the world." She began to doodle, however George hadn't paid attention. George was scarfing down sausages. "Sounds like a good dream to me. Hopefully you do have some cares

though," George said. Maria smiled, and kept doodling. George stared at her finger, as it traced a strange symbol, XX. George thought no more about it and began to lift some of his books into the cabin to organize.

The night drew, and George sat outside the cabin, gazing at the stars. He charted his findings, plotting the stars, naming them and correlating them to other findings in his vast assortment in books. Satisfied with his work, he noticed something startling. The points of the stars, when connected made an XX. George laughed it off, out loud. Strange coincidence he thought. The night after, he had overcome the shock, and so each night that continued after, was peaceful. The joy of being with Maria, on Mount Itoi, made all his

dreams come true.

One night, Maria fell asleep rather earlier, tired from the cleaning. George set out and laid his books on the other side of the lake, far from it. Somehow he felt scared, sitting next to the lake. He endlessly felt shame for such a childish fear. When the sun had finally set, George realized he had no light. He had to run back and get wood and matches. He sighed and left his books, for carrying them back and forth would just be more work. It was a good trip back, taking his time especially due to the unexpected turns in the path, and rocks that stuck out

sharp as knifes on either side of him. It would take time, he thought, to get familar with the mountain.

George walked into the cabin, checked on Maria and grabbed some matches and a few good chunks of a dead tree. George shivered at the thought of a dead tree. Making his way back fast this time by the light reflecting off the water

by the moon, George couldn't see his books. Assuming he left them further up the lake, he continued. His stomach had dropped, when the possibilty entered his mind that someone else was on the mountain.. and had stole them.

Once again, George felt shame for letting his mind run wild. However, George reached the north of the lake, and there was no way possible that he could have reached the lake this far north. He looked ahead and saw a small

path, blocked by moveable rocks, that led steeply up further to the mountain. There were a couple of ropes hanging higher,

nowhere near the summit, and then he could see the mountain was no longer climable, without rope or good climbing skills. Obviously, where the ropes ended, was the furthest anyone had been as far as climbing Mount Itoi.

George walked over slowly to the path. He looked up, and actually could see the summit! Not as far as I though orignally, he thought. George found himself moving the rocks blocking the path, and his heart was pounding. I can't

believe I'm doing this, thought George, panicking. He moved several rocks, so it was now possible to climb over and start proceeding up the path. As George felt the urge to go, something inside his brain allowed him to turn around and

go back to the cabin. Breaking almost into a run, George made it back to the cabin and blocked the door. Laying in bed he wondered if he was loosing his sanity. He fell asleep, having far from a peaceful sleep.

Chapter 4

The days went by fast, for each minute with Maria during the day was fun and happy. The cabin had started to have a personal home look, and George felt at peace. When the night came, that was when George started to feel uneasy. Every night, he would sit by fishless lake and stare into the sky. His mind had started to wonder from his work, as he would gaze at the top of the mountain, leaving his charts and papers to almost blow away.

One night he had been sitting calmly, and was actually getting rather into his work. Something had made sense, and the state of realization kept him deep in the trance of sketching and flipping for references in his book. He yawned, placed his papers and book down and stretched. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next.

Up, at the very top of Mount Itoi, two glowing eyes looked down on him. The moment he made eye contact with them, they disappeared in a flash. His stomach lurched and the fear of shock left him numb. He sat for a short while, trembling, then when he had regained his senses, grabbed his papers and ran back to the cabin.

George wasn’t the only one being disturbed by some unseen ailment, for as he entered the cabin Maria began crying and screaming from her sleep. George dropped everything to the floor and rushed by her side. He firmly shook her for a good minute until she snapped out of it. Sweat poured from her face, as she wiped it to open her eyes. "I had this dream George. Everything was gone. The animals, plants, man… the earth… it was all gone, everything. Drifting endlessly into space, in fragments… and you and I weren’t together. I didn’t know where you were." Maria wept. George held her tight.

George just held her and felt the fear resting in his stomach. For the first time, he had regrets. "Maria, let’s leave, this isn’t healthy for you. Tomorrow morning, we can pack and go home… on the ground," he whispered. While it was partly true, he couldn’t think of a better reason that wouldn’t scare her. Or maybe she would scoff at his childish visions. Glowing eyes staring down at him from the top of the mountain, even he was having trouble with that one. Maria wiped her eyes and stared out the window toward the great lake. "I don’t want to go back down there, anymore. I’m happy here." Maria said, almost trance like. "I’ll be just fine." George stared at her in surprise. Feeling spooked and exhausted, George walked into the small kitchen and sat at the table drinking some warm milk. Staring out the window, he strained his eyes to see the top of the mountain, which he had run from what seemed like hours ago, which was really no more than five minutes. He checked the door, locked it and fell into a deep sleep a few moments after his head hit the pillow.

"Hallo? My you folks sleep in late!"

"Maybe they are out by the lake."

"I doubt it. Probably been up all night."

George heard the calls and looked over at Maria, who wasn’t in her bed. George panicked and jumped up. Running through the house she wasn’t in any room and as he threw open the front door instead of greeting his new friends, Hank, Charles and the boys, he sprinted to the lake. Hank and Charles soon followed pursuit, closely following George. Sure enough, Maria was sitting by the lake, staring blankly at the mountain, where only George was last night. "Maria, come home. Let’s eat a good breakfast." George smiled. Maria kept her cold stare at the mountain, turned around and smiled at George. "Sounds great, sausages and eggs?" she chirped. George smiled back, but only to mask his feelings of fear for the change in Maria.

The dishes once again clunked in the sink as Maria began washing the plates as fast as she could hand them out. George and the men sat around the table and laughed about the silly antics of the politicians in the election coming up, the incident of a child holding up a bank with a banana and other crazy antics. "Ellay sounds quite noisy and fun," laughed George. Hank sipped his coffee and laughed, "Never a dull moment, never ever a dull moment." They ate their eggs and sausage, several times over. "How ‘bout we take a walk and work off all this food?" said Julius, a young boy who must have been a spitting image of Charles.

George felt infinitely better. The men, Hank, Charles, Julius and Stan all bought him fish. They said it was like a housewarming gift, now George could put them in the lake and bring life to the mountain. George felt somehow relieved, though he knew fish were the least of his problems. They dropped about a hundred fish into the water, fish of all brightly different colors. George felt instantly relaxed. "Got ‘em from the Fisherman at the harbor," Hank smiled. "More like I got them!" Charles responded. "I sat there for a good half a day listening to the guy, it wasn’t until he was asleep I could use his pole." George laughed and stared lovingly at the fish.

They walked silently around the lake, lapping it, until Hank broke the silence. "How you been getting on up here George?" he inquired. George thought long and careful about his reply, but his mind kept going to the same lines. "Fine. I worry about Maria and I fear we are not a lone on the mountain." He blurted. Inside his head he could hear his conscious begin to wake up, to scold him for his silly paranoia. Hank’s eyes shot wide open and stared long and hard at George. "Let’s sit down, let’s talk about this." Hank said. He pulled a cigarette from his shirt pocket. Offering everyone in the group one, George declined. Hank took a few moments to relax, as it seems George caught them off guard. "What exactly do you mean, by not alone? What have you seen?" Hank cautiously asked. George wanted so bad to tell them all the strange happenings, but something kept telling him in his ear, it wasn’t the right time. "I just get this feeling, nothing out of the ordinary, just weird feelings. I think Maria is adapting, which may take some time." George lied. Hank smiled and continued smoking silently.

George felt incredibly curious all of a sudden. These people more than probably most people did about the mountain. When he told him he had been seeing something, it scared them. What exactly could make grown mountain hikers like these jumpy? George felt nervous to ask, but his curiosity finally overcame him. "Out of curiosity, what are these myths and rumors about the mountain?" George asked. Everyone in the group stared at him in surprise. Charles laughed, "Finally coming to your senses! See there’s good things and bad things to listen to. You just got to sort them out yourself in your head. Decide what’s right for you. Ignore them both, and it can be dangerous." George thought about that for a minute, and it made sense. "Ignorance is not bliss," he said out loud.

"Mount Itoi has been here in records ever since there was written pictures or words. Them caves lying all over the world filled with paintings, show Mount Itoi in almost every single one. The ancient’s pictures can be found as close as Ellay all the way down to Reindeer. It’s incredible. All of them are similar." Hank said. "The only shame is, they are tearing down most of them for that new rail road I hear they are putting in." George listened, hoping not to miss a word. "What exactly is drawn about Mount Itoi?" George asked. "In all my time I’ve never heard anything strange about it."

"You see, George, silence is a virtue about this mountain to some people. It’s like the more they deny it, the less it will effect them. You think they’d like to know everything about it in order to know exactly how to defend themselves from whatever they are scared of. People are weird mister." Hank laughed. George felt Hank was beating around the bush. "What is painted abomut Mount Itoi?" George asked again. Hank lit another cigarette, and began to speak in a quieter tone. Maria was outside hanging laundry and she waved at the group. George waved back with a wide grin, feeling ashamed for the first time in his life having to lie about how he felt.

"Mount Itoi, is in every single one of the paintings, as I was saying. You see, in older times, Mount Itoi was believed to reach to the heavens. People actually worshipped it like some entity. How long it took them to realize otherwise. In these pictures, it shows people holding hands and circling around the mountain, as in rejoice. Maybe people attempted to climb to the top, for they felt the first to reach the top would be filled with eternal life and knowledge. However, none of which was true." Hank said, smoking.

"Did anyone ever make it to the top?" George asked, feeling like at any moment he would hear something he would rather hide from. "Well, a few people did, I’m sure. However, in the caves you’ll find many writings and passages. It shows the ruins of the pyramids, the sinking of the great continent, the breaking of land… it seems to blame Mount Itoi for all of our major mishaps. However, in some of the pictures, it doesn’t blame Mount Itoi at all. As a matter of fact, there is some written word that says otherwise. It blames it on something else." Hank said, starting to get a chill. George felt that familiar lurch in his stomach. "Written on a passage, it says: ‘the men from the stars bring devastation upon our land. They come in sailing ships from the cosmos, ruling the earth from Mount Itoi.’ It then goes on to say how the men destroyed their homes, monuments… pretty scary stuff. Basically, people from space." Hank said.

George’s stomach felt as though it were trying to break free. Then George chuckled. "About month ago I wouldn’t have stood for this. Now, I feel I might believe anything." He looked the fish and zoned off. Hank put his hand on George’s shoulder and reassured, "Hank, the moment you want to go home we’ll help you. The moment you’re finished with this mountain." George smiled and shook his hand. "That time may come, maybe soon. I will finish my business here and leave. It will be best for Maria as well. To be around her old friends and to have Champ back." George smiled. "Champ is great mister, great dog. Though I reckon he misses you two like crazy. I could bring him up to visit sometime if you like?" Charles offered. George shook his head. "No, keep him safe." They all shook hands and the men began to descend the mountain. "We’ll be back in a few days, check up on you and the like." Yelled Julius. "I’ll be here!" George yelled back.

George walked into the cabin where Maria was sitting at the kitchen table knitting. "Hey hon, thanks for breakfast. Delicious!" George said, trying to sound as light hearted as possible. Maria smiled, and said nothing. George grabbed a glass of milk and sat at the table across from her. "So, how you liking it?" George asked. Maria kept her eyes on her fingers, as they moved like quick and nimble instruments in between the knitting needles and stitches. "Fine. It’s really fine. I’d rather here than anywhere else in the world." She said with monotony.

George kept staring at her and to his horror he realized what she was knitting, a baby’s one-piece suit. "Maria… are you?" he asked cautiously. A child on the mountains! George knew instantly they must go home. It had happened, it was a miracle! Maria would have a child, THEY would have a child. Maria looked at him puzzled. "Am I what?" she asked. "You know… the one-piece?" he replied. Maria looked at him confidentially. "I’m not pregnant George, no. But I will have a baby. I dream about it." She said. George smiled. "Well I hope your dreams aren’t prophetic Maria! That would be doom for Earth wouldn’t it? You know that dream you had about everything floating out into space," he laughed. Maria however didn’t find it funny. A silent tear fell from her eyes and landed on the table. "Oh… I dropped a stitch," she cried. "Hon, I didn’t mean it like that. We’ll have our baby one day." He comforted. Maria didn’t say a word, but squeezed his hand and left for the bedroom. George knew she needed to lay down and have a moment alone.

George walked over to the lake and watched the fish. They were relaxing him greatly. He had brought some bread and threw a few crumbs. George looked at the mountain, where the eyes had been staring back at him just last night. ‘No, maybe they weren’t’, he argued in his head. ‘I could be dreaming it…’ and then ‘George, don’t deny anything. Denial is weakness.’ The mountain seemed undisturbed, almost as if it was purposely calling him a liar. The wind was picking up, and as it made a chill down George’s back, he decided to skip work that night. An early bedtime and long rest might be what he needed.

George woke up in a sweat. Realizing the wind was picking up as loud as ever, it was what had woken him up. He turned over and laid back down with his eyes closed. Instantly, aware of the surroundings he opened them to find Maria’s bed was once more empty. George felt the similar fear, however this was worse, it was consuming him.

"Maria!" yelled George, walking through the house once more, finding Maria in neither room. "The middle of the night! Where could she have gone?! And in this wind?" he yelled out loud. He wasn’t angry, just scared. He knew his fear, which was like having a sharp blade pressed against his chest. It never quite pierced the skin, but sat there threatening bluntly on the skin. George grabbed his overcoat, for some reason he felt this wouldn’t be a quick search.

Walking by the lake, George once again began calling for Maria, as the wind howled. He looked all over the flat land that the lake dominated. She was nowhere in sight. George felt a new fear as he wondered if she had gone swimming. ‘Don’t be stupid!’ he screamed at himself inside his head. ‘She wouldn’t be swimming… she’d be..’ George’s heart dropped as he looked in the lake. There was no Maria, but every single fish had risen to the top, lifelessly being thrown with the waves from the wind. George fell to the floor in shock. What was going on?

Then he saw her. Looking up at the mountain, George saw a small person, blonde hair blowing in the wind, climbing a rope to the top of Mount Itoi. "Maria!" he screamed, and kept screaming. The wind was just too loud, and no matter how loud he yelled she couldn’t hear him. Adrenaline pumped into veins as he instinctively started up the passage that had been previously blocked with rocks. The rocks had been removed so it could permit one person to pass. George made his way up the steep hill, and then grabbed onto the rope. Climbing it as fast as he could, when he got to the top of the long climb, he laid for a few minutes to catch his breathe. Thinking of Maria, George broke into a run on the flat land towards the next rope. Climbing once more, this time the climb was much longer. As he got up next the level, he appeared above him, watching Maria climbing slowly. He feared she might reach the top soon. George hadn’t prepared himself for what may happen if she or he had reached the top. Alone or together, he feared it could make no different in the amount of horror that could lie ahead.

He ran to the next rope, climbing a steeper hill, then jumping onto the rope. George was just two ropes from the top, and Maria had already disappeared. George felt strangely suspicious. There had never been rope this high before, not that he could see. It had only been up to the levels he had climbed from long ago. He looked down, but regret it as soon as he did. The lake was the size of a good swimming pool from the distance. George knew how big the lake was, maybe ten or so swimming pools if not more, which gave him an immediate idea how high he was.

Climbing up the last rope, George feared what he may see at the top. He clambered over and looked around him. There was nothing out of the ordinary that he couldn’t see. "Maria!" George yelled once more. It’s not good, he thought, she’d never hear me. I have to find her, the wind’s just too loud. He realized there was yet one more rope that led up about twenty feet to a small ledge. Climbing to the top, there was nothing ahead, but a dark passage. George now had been wishing he had brought supplies, but obviously he realized going back was impossible. Stepping forward, whatever fear he might have felt, it was nothing compared to the love he had for Maria. He would die for her, protecting her as best he could.

The tunnel was dark and rather long. As he walked, there was some sort of light at the end, but not a normal light. It neither looked like candle light, moonlight, artificial light or fire. It was an eerie glow. George thought of the eyes. Instantly, he refused to let himself be scared and kept trudging ahead. He became aware that the cave had pictures, which he could not see. He felt the outlines of faces and thought of Hank. If something happened to he or Maria, how would anyone know?

George approached the end of the tunnel, but still his sight had improved little. As he exit the tunnel, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw ahead. Maria was nowhere in site. All that lay ahead of him was a huge cliff, that must fall straight down, that is if there wasn’t already a giant ship in the way.

George stood in shock as he looked at the great ship. The light, the fish, it all made sense. Whatever these strange happenings were, it all came back to this ship. "The men from the stars…" he said out loud trailing off.

Voices could be heard in the distance.

"Shall we keep him?" one said.

"We have to! He is the last one needed, "another said.

"He’s not trustworthy. He has distrust, unlike the woman."

"It is not his trust we need."

As if someone had sent a painful poison into his blood, George felt himself loose consciousness, and being taken to the ship by unseen hands.

Chapter 5

George woke up unrestrained, on a surgical table, in a surgical steel room. The thought of it put images into his head that he’d rather not think about, making him jump to the floor. He stood up and looked around him. Nothing else, just a surgical steel room with a door, which he pulled open with ease. The hallway was long and also made out of stainless steel. He followed the passage that held many more steel doors, however George was not even thinking about trying them. All he could think about was where he could be, Maria’s well being and the mountain.

The passage began to get wider and soon it opened onto some sort of elaborate dining hall, which was inhabited. Staring, there was nothing different from the rest of the ship that he’d seen so far. The table, chairs and walls were steel. No pictures or windows, but around the ceiling were lights occasionally blinking and flashing, with advanced looking circuitry. George stared for a long time and actually found himself marveling the work.

As George got after his fascination, he began to walk down another passage, until a slimy hand pulled him around and stared piercingly into his eyes. The creature was perhaps no taller than he, yet it was slender and pale, giving it the illusion that it was taller. The eyes were sad and hollow yet possessed some sort of blue color. There was no hair at all, just smooth white, shiny skin. The fingers were long and somewhat bony, and the feet were just like a human’s, the shape and posture… but no toes. The creature was not exposed to the same air George was breathing, it seemed to be in somewhat of a bubble, from head to toe… or foot. It was a clear bubble that you could hardly see unless you looked rather hard. What George could see, was the liquid pulsating inside.

The creature took its hand off George and then paused, as if it were thinking. "You must be scared," It said. "Come, let’s call the rest and let them know your up. You must be hungry." George didn’t reply, but he was starving. He refused to show this creature his vulnerabilities. Instead, he blurted out "Where’s Maria?" The creature seemed to be concentrating, as it placed its hands to its head. George had the strangest feeling this is how it was communicating with the others. The creature stopped, then looked at George. "Your wife is fine. She is tired. She won’t be coming." He said firmly, then walked away, leaving George in the dining room alone, but not for long.

They filed in the hall silently, but George was starting to become suspicious that they were speaking amongst themselves in their heads. Evaluating him, he expected. Sizing him down. There were only about fifteen of them, but George was sure that there had to be more. But he awoke just fine, no tubes or needle like that scarier urban legends tell. They could have hurt him then. Why not now? He began to form the plan in his head that he could run to Maria, wherever she was. These creatures couldn’t be a match for him. He’d grab her hand and they’d sprint out the door, back down Mount Itoi and never come back. Or maybe it would be smarter for him to escape first, and then get Hank and the boys to help him.

"You’ll find no exit and no friends to help. As for Maria, she’s resting. It would be extremely selfish of you to wake her up for your personal satisfaction." A tall one said. His eyes were narrower then the rest. George stared in disbelief, but somehow he had known all a long they could read his mind. "Sit," The same one said. "Eat with us. There is much to discuss." George looked at them all, the same, yet different in certain aspects. One had narrower eyes, one’s head was much larger, and few even had different colors in the hollow sad eyes. Much like humans, George thought, all alike, with small differences.

"Where am I"? George asked, still standing. "Sit," they all said in unison. George was purposely refusing to sit, until he felt his body being pulled toward a chair. "What’s going on?" he shouted. He looked at all their faces and noticed one had their hands to their head, as if it were concentrating… concentrating on him. It was pulling him to the chair somehow, and it sat him down. George sat in shock, looking at the table, trying not to make eye contact. "We understand this must be hard for you," one said with a purple color in their eyes. "To be taken from your planet and made to journey across the universe." George couldn’t believe what they were saying. "The universe? Impossible!" he exclaimed. The one that just spoke, began to talk again. "Nothing is impossible. Your kind has just not reached the technological advances to make it possible."

George stared at the creature long and hard. "You see, it was I who stole your books. When you left, I used my powers to lift them up to me. I had to know what you were trying to figure out. See, I thought maybe you knew about us. I couldn’t have you going back to your people and telling them lies about us. When I saw they were constellations and star charts, I laughed at my paranoia." George listened in disbelief. "What powers?" George asked. The look at each other, probably speaking amongst themselves again, George thought.

"The time will come when you will be enlightened. It is a sad, long tale. One that must be told delicately, for if you interpret any of it in such a way that is not intended, you could get the wrong idea." George had no desire to hear the tale. "I just want my wife, I want to her now. Please, I will cooperate in anyway. Just let me know she is alright," he pleaded. George knew he sounded small and helpless, but he didn’t care. He just wanted his Maria.

The creatures once more began talking amongst themselves. A few minutes went by before anyone said anything. "We will let you see her later. We must speak with you a lone without influence of your wife or the situation." George stared at the table once more. "What situation is it that you speak about?" he asked, starting to feel scared. The creatures stared at him. "Allow us to tell you our tale, and then perhaps we will tell you our purpose." Without any consent of George, the creature with the narrow eyes began to speak.

"We are Giegue. Not in name, but in species. We have no names. Each of us possesses one single power that makes us different from each other. Names are not necessary. We converse with each other through the mind. Telepathy as you would call it. We thrived and still thrive as the dominant race throughout the universe. Capable of time travel and psychic powers, we go unmet by any other species in the universe."

"Time travel?" George asked, his interests sparked despite the circumstances.

"Time travel, yes. We are from the future. From a future not worth mentioning. You see, our race is dying out. We are the only ones left." The creature paused in case George may ask questions. George stood content and kept listening. The creature continued.

"You see, in the future, we are the last humans. Yes we are human, but not how you think. We are a species of human, as you are. We all originated from one species, but through adaptations and such we went our own genetic ways. As your dogs on your planet are. All came from one creature, but as their skills and need to survive was threatened, they would do whatever necessary to survive. Thus, making us the survival of the fittest."

"On our planet, many medical mishaps wrecked havoc on our immunities. We have diseases that have wiped out most of our population. In contact with your people, we have picked up many strains of disease you would not believe possible. Being that you are immune to them in your surroundings, you would never know they exist. However, they are everywhere."

George listened, with horror. "Why is it you came to our planet in the first place?" he asked. The creatures started twitching and conversing with each other as if George had unleashed a demon. After sometime, the creature finally replied. "We were searching for cures," he said. Then he said no more. George felt that something lied deeper beyond the surface of their words.

"Now, George. Maria is our only hope. Upon Mount Itoi, we are safe. There is little human contamination. We are safe, but to protect ourselves we must wear these special protective shields. We are no longer safe anywhere. Our home planet is a wasteland of infection and the dead. We cannot go home."

"What of Maria?" George asked. "What has she got to do with this?"

The creature seemed to smile, if that was what anyone would have called a smile. "Maria, is our key to survival. On your planet, of all the creatures we respect the most, are your women. Anyone can take life away, but only your women can grant it. You see, mother figures are held with the highest regard in our culture. Everything has a mother. To answer your question, is complicated. I am not sure in your time how far you have advanced as far as your genetic make up."

George felt too anxious and started to feel angry. "What of Maria? You’ve taken her from me because she’s a mother?"

"No, George. Perhaps it’s better to show you," the creature said and rose from the table. George felt himself not being able to speak and dragged forward by the creature. He followed the creature down more stainless steel halls, twisting passages and more doors. It made sense. Their race had once populated this whole ship. Obviously it was more than enough room for a handful of these creatures. George thought, for it was all he could do. His mind haunted him, in reminding him that ancients had not trusted these people, or were they the same people depicted at all? In the caves… that Hank talked about. These people had supposedly destroyed parts of the world. Before his mind could continue, he was rudely shocked by the presence of Maria.

Lying on a medical table, which George himself had woken up, Maria was sleeping peacefully and undisturbed. What shocked him most, was the child she held close to her, which appeared to also be sleeping. But it wasn’t a child, it was another creature, a much younger creature in yet another bubble, a baby, George thought. "What have you done to her?" George yelled in anger, now finding he could speak again. The creature immediately rushed him from the room and took him back to his room in which he had awakened.

The creature forced him onto the table. "I understand you may be confused, that is normal in your species nature. However, I ask instead of you rushing to conclusions, you accept it. It is fate. We did not take Maria, Maria came to us," the creature coldly said.

"Our youngest survivor is new in his instincts. All young Giegue are prone to the weaknesses of need, love and constant companionship. It is normal. However, the different between your race and mine, we allow ourselves to be free to such needless emotions. It has allowed us to evolve. Everyday people in your world die of heartache, we cannot allow such weaknesses in our race, it threatens survival."

George felt a deeper fear that echoed in his body. These creatures could not be reasoned with. Thousands or perhaps millions of years had allowed them to dull their emotions.

"Our youngest, fragile and weak called for his mother. When we found him as a last survivor on our planet, we knew he was childless. His mother had died long ago to the sickness. Why he survived, we do not know. We were overjoyed that someone so young, with fresh DNA was alive. We are all old, soon to reach the end of our lives."

"Our youngest did not adapt well, as we all do not when we are born, Our one true weakness. He sent messages from his mind to any that would listen, calling for his mother. Maria heard his calls, and came. Maria came to us, which to our surprise led us to believe fate was on our side. We could not venture down to earth to find a woman; the results were too risky. Smaller in number and weak to your world, we surely would have died on such a quest. Maria came, and she is the key to our survival. Your wife has taken a great bond with the youngest. Usually we do not allow such, but for the sake of a safe delivery of the child, we have allowed her to bond."

"What of the need for a woman?" George asked, starting to feel he knew the answer.

"Maria will become a mother. She will be due with child. She was implanted with our young Giegue’s DNA. However, we feared that the concoction may become unstable. That is why we needed you. Your DNA was added last, to ensure the stable genetic make-up of the child. Now, you see, our race will live on, stronger than ever before. It will have your immunities and human physicality, but it will have our powers and need for survival."

George dropped his mouth open and stared. "I will not allow this!" screamed George. "How dare you! Using our race as your evolutionary stepping stone. And what of us when you are done? Discard us as if we were trash?"

The creature sensed the hostility and backed away. "I understand you are upset. I know the emotion, however cannot sympathize. You will be returned to your planet, however we will keep the child."

George felt as if he were to faint. As he fell, the creature caught him and laid him on the table. However, as soon as the creature had done this, it seemed to have realized its mistake. It raced out and slammed the door. For some reason, when the creature touched George, he felt the creature’s mind. He had read the creature’s mind. George lay on the table in shock for what he had just learned. The creatures used Maria for the child. Maria’s bond with the young Giegue was unbreakable. That did not concern George as much as the last thing he learned. The creatures never planned on returning them to Earth. They planned to kill them, and invade Earth like a plague, killing mankind and using the world of their own. He had seen their world, it was desolate and dead. Filled with corpses and disease, memories of the past would not allow them to return. It was true, the creatures had wrecked the world in the past, hoping to kill off man and allow them to dominate the universe.

Maria’s dream was coming true.

Chapter 6

"What should we call our child?" Maria chirped, holding her stomach with her hands. Months had passed and Maria was already starting to show her full belly. George dreaded to think what would happen when they ran out of time, as in Maria having her baby. How long would they allow them to stay before they disposed of them as trash? George stared at the youngest creature, which Maria had affectionately named Giegue. The creature stared back, distrustful of George and made rude faces.

"George?" Maria asked again.

"Oh," George smiled. "Um, let’s see… well I don’t know. What’s impacted our lives the most?"

Maria thought hard and bit her lip. George brushed the hair off her face, as she held Giegue. "How about Hank? It was because of him that we made it here in the first place, that is, if it’s a boy". George laughed. "Well, Hank is a bat they sell you know, he might get teased." George’s stomach churned as he thought that the baby would probably never get to find out what a Hank’s bat was.

"I think it’s perfect. We’ll call him Hank." Maria finalized, and smiled. George stared at Giegue who had never taken his eyes off George. Giegue’s pale thin arms wrapped around Maria’s plump stomach. George began thinking about how they could possibly escape, he had been imagining it over and over in his head…

Giegue screamed his horrendous blood-curdling scream. Giegue still gave George that penetrating stare, with the fierce blue eyes that now began to swell up with tears.

"Awww… now there my dear. George, please leave us alone for sometime, he needs a short nap." Maria firmly said. George hugged Maria, who fussed with Giegue. George left and turned to look back at her and Giegue. Giegue made another rude face, which Maria again ignored.

"Take a melody

Simple as can be

Give it some words

And sweet harmony

Raise your voices

All day long now

Love grows strong now

Sing a melody of love,

oh love"

George heard Maria sing that song as he walked down the hallway. Maria had made that song up a couple days after their arrival. Giegue would quiet down immediately when Maria sang the song, especially after one of his infamous tantrums. George felt Giegue was a violent child, as the other creatures said he would be soon growing out of his affections and need for companionship. However, Maria wouldn’t let Giegue forget what love was, as she sang that song to him all the time. The creatures were uncomfortable with it, George could tell, but they couldn’t do anything to upset Maria while she was carrying child.

For that matter, George had even been reluctant in telling her about the creature’s plans due to the unborn child. The creatures kept a close eye on him, and he would keep his mind carefully clear and blank should they pick up on his plans to escape. At night, he was free in his room to think all he needed to. During the day however, the creatures would come and wake him from his room and walk around the ship with him. They would ask annoying questions about the Earth’s culture, intelligence, technology and animals. George would have to exercise a strong mind in purposely focusing hard on Maria instead of letting his mind slip to his escape plans.

The creatures had grown extremely friendly to Maria, as she acted with no distrust or secrets. George, however, made the creatures nervous and he knew it, for they would purposely avoid him at all costs. They had taken Maria to the control room, where she had seen the view from the ship. "It’s incredible George! We’re deep in the heart of the universe. We’re hovering over their planet at the moment, for a last scan for survivors. How terribly sad George, that they are here to help our people of Earth from the same fate their people experienced." Maria wept. George smiled, but felt disgusted that they fed her such lies. "Their planet was beautiful. It’s so green," she said. "We’ll be back to Earth tomorrow though, to prepare for Hank. They also said I need to get more sunlight, so we’ll get to go back to Mount Itoi for sometime."

George stared at her. "Maria?" George asked. Maria looked at him and nodded while holding Giegue and singing the song to him gently. Giegue had begun to get much older, and now started screaming if Maria even hummed the song. "Oh Giegue, you used to love this song." Maria said sadly.

"Maria… are you happy here?" George loudly said. Maria swung around at him in surprise. "Of course I do, I’d rather be here than anywhere else in the world… or universe! I can say that now I’ve seen it. I feel so at peace. Here with the Giegue, you and our soon to be Hank. It’s wonderful."

George felt the sadness consume him.

George awoke that night, and began to go over his plans in his head. He arose from his medical table, which the creatures had grudgingly now agreed to place blankets and a pillow. Tip-toeing down the hall, George went straight for the control room. It was a walk, as he climbed all the stairs and steep steel hills to the top. Eventually, he strolled into the control room, needing to catch his breathe. Feeling nervous and strained, he ran to the control panel and snapped off a sharp instrument, which George had no idea was for. It didn’t affect the ship’s stability or make a noise, so George pocketed it.

George stared out the control windows, which showed many planets they were passing at great speeds. George’s mouth dropped in shock. He glanced at a chart on the wall, which moved by itself. It showed Earth’s galaxy as a pin, and where the ship was. The ship was many feet away from the small dot, and George realized this was a huge distance. George was seeing things no other human had ever.

He sat on one of the control deck chairs and stared. "Beautiful, isn’t it," a deep growling voice said. George felt his goose bumps burst as he turned around. The creature with the narrow eyes came and sat next to him. George immediately began to force his mind blank, which he was getting rather good at. The creature didn’t seem to be focusing on him for once though, it just stared out at the space with him.

"Of all the planets out there, and all the distance we can travel, the habitable ones are so far away, even with our technology we can’t reach them," the creature sadly said. "Fortunate for us that Earth is somewhat close." George felt surprise as he sensed the creature was genuinely expressing emotion. However, as soon as George thought about it, the creature turned to him coldly. "The time is approaching, when the child shall lead us to our Golden Age. No longer plagued by human disease or competition, we shall exist as the supreme race."

George rolled his eyes. He tired really fast when he listened to their monotonous voices. "Why was Maria not told of your plans?" George asked. The creature kept staring straight ahead. "We cannot risk that Maria should be overcome with such emotions, that would cause her to loose the child, or weaken it." George sighed and leaned back. "And what of Maria? What of her once she’s had her child? Rip it away from her?"

The creature stared at him strangely. "We have no plans of hurting Maria. We like her very much. She is very useful. She tells us things that we desire to know. Once she has her child, nothing will be done. She shall stay with us," the creature said. George knew what this meant. His very life was in danger until she had the child. The creature sensed his hostility growing. "Back to your room, now." And George was again began to feel the same energy moving him against his will, back to his room.

"Take a melody Simple as can be Give it some words And sweet harmony Raise your voices All day long now Love grows strong now Sing a melody of love, oh love," Maria sang.

Giegue began to cry, and clung to Maria. Giegue seemed to know Maria was due with child, as he began to become extremely possessive and jealous. Maria was not allowed to go anywhere without him, for he would scream and shout, until Maria swept him up in her arms and began to sing. Giegue hated it, but he tolerated it only to be with her.

Everything was peaceful that morning, as George lay in his room and began to finalize his plans. But his thoughts were interrupted as he heard Maria yelling and screaming in pain. George didn’t even have to think about it, he already knew. Maria was going into labor. George felt a chill down his spine, as he ran to her. Tonight was the last chance he had of escaping alive.

Chapter 7

Everything seemed like a blur, as George watched Maria happily playing with the new child. Giegue had become insanely jealous, but Maria would sing her song and although he loathed it, he clung to it as if it were a blanket. Maria named the child Hank, and the baby looked exactly like George, except for it’s piercing blue eyes. Giegue had grown even more resentful toward George, and as he had gotten bigger he had began to use some of his signature powers. Now he reached far beyond mind communication, he was able to give George some powerful zaps here and there. George loathed him the same, but Maria loved them all.

George felt infinity with the child, but he knew they weren’t out of the clear. His fatherly instincts tried to sidetrack him from the task he knew that was at hand, but he knew tonight was his last night and he’d rather die escaping then just surrender. The creatures watched him suspiciously, as he felt himself blocking his mind better than he ever could. They felt the air around him, and the one Giegue that made the accidental contact a year ago, stayed especially far away. George had stopped eating with the creatures months ago, now he was confined to his tiny room with his exotic meal. He preferred it that way, he had time to go over the plan in his head repetitively to the point where he felt so confident that he grew bored. However, every time he decided to execute his plan that same night, George felt that familiar feeling of fear and guilt.

The night had progressed and it seemed everyone was settled, for the ship was so silent, too silent George thought. He had promised himself he would sleep for a short while before his mission, however he lay on the table sweating. His mind raced at the thought of any mess-ups, any accidents… defeat. But his mind reminded him of freedom, Hank and his men that helped him up to this mountain, Maria and baby Hank, Podunk, Ellay and the life he had before. George sat up quietly and did his last minute thinking. He pulled out the instrument that he stolen from the control panel in the control deck, and had since been sharpening it. He made himself jump off the table and start the beginning of the end.

George had learned that the Giegue slept in an intricate upper chamber of the ship consisting of a mass assortment of the strange bubbles in which they shielded their very existence. In this chamber, his and Maria’s child was kept at night, so it might learn of the Giegue ways, however it wasn’t kept in a bubble. He had learnt this from Maria, for she often complained that they had come to take away her child every night, but she often gave in to the opposition that they knew what they were doing. The child Giegue however, stayed by Maria day and night.

George thought about everything, over and over in his head as he walked up to the chamber and as he reached the door, his heart fell to his stomach. He peered in and saw everything Maria had described. Laying neatly in a row, was every single Giegue, their bubbles hooked up to a strange device that seemed to monitor their vital fluids and distribute a silvery fluid back into them. They were all sleeping, with those melancholy eyes on their monotonous faces. George tried not to feel bad, and without the slightest hesitation, should he have second thoughts, George started from the beginning to the end of the row, taking the sharp instrument which so closely resembled a knife, and slicing not only the lines to the bubbles, but the bubbles themselves. He was fast, accurate and quick and not once did he fumble. As he ran to leave, he noticed Hank, staring intently on him and George felt his emotions and fatherly instincts. The child seemed to have a glow about him and George instinctively ran to him and swept him up in his arms. As they had just gotten to the exit of the chamber, the alarms had begun to sound on their vital machines but as George turned to look at every single one of the silver bodies that laid still - motionless and lifeless.

George held Hank tight and began to charge for the outside of ship. He’d never seen it, he had no idea what he was looking for. All he could do was keep traveling further and further down the ship hunting desperately. George felt despair, even though he was free some familiar force held him tight, reminding him it wasn’t over. The child had begun to tingle, which made George stop in surprise. The child and begun to point in directions, which George followed faithfully. As they passed Maria’s chambers George flew in them to take her home. However, when George entered the room, a fierce howling sounded and George knew before he saw where it had come from. The child Giegue sat in the familiar spot, but without Maria. It had started screaming at the top of its lungs and crying. George was aware of the strange telepathic bond that connecting it and all Giegue, and knew the child Giegue had picked up on something.

George felt a violent shock and as he fell to the ground he grasped onto the child. Gathering himself, he jumped back up and fled from the room and began to further descend the ship. "Maria!" he began to scream. What had the child Giegue done to her? He decided he would take Hank back outside safely and come back for Maria.

At the bottom of ship, appeared to be a door that was different from the rest. George pushed on it, and sure enough it led him back to the mountain. There was a drop of about 10 feet from the ship to the mountain, and George contemplated exactly how to jump without hurting Hank. With a jump, they seemed to float down instead of plummeting. As George ran to the cave to place Hank safely out of danger, he heard a familiar voice.

"George!"

It was Hank and his men, in the cave as if they had been waiting patiently for many days, were sleeping bags and pots and pans. Hank ran to George quickly and without giving him a chance to speak, George handed Hank the child. "Please, take the child and head down to the lake! I’ll meet you there." George screamed in haste. Hank looked puzzled and began to inquire, but George had already sprinted back to the ship.

In the ship, a new sensation had appeared. The melody of Maria’s song had rung throughout the ship and as George screamed her name, the melody grew stronger. Finally, reaching her room, Maria stood clutching Giegue and singing to him. Giegue was howling and big gooey tears fell from the sad eyes. George approached the couple without either knowing he was there. He tapped Maria gently on the shoulder and she spun around. "George!" she cried. "Where’s Hank?" as she asked, she placed Giegue back on the bed. "Someone has hurt all the creatures." she began to sob. George took her hand, and gazed into her hurt eyes. "Hank is on the mountain, safe, in our cabin. He’s waiting for you Maria, let us go home." George smiled gently, growing more and more conscious of the child Giegue perched on the table.

Then, as Maria placed her hands in George’s, she smiled and as he brushed the hair out of her face, George knew it was over. The nightmare was over. They turned to leave when the child Giegue began to shriek and had stunned Maria. George lost grip of Maria and was thrown to the side of the room. The child screamed betrayal, the loss of his mother and now the loss of his mother again. Maria was his mother, and as the shrieking continued, George was filled with the emotions of the child. He felt the child’s pain as the child realized his entire family of Giegue was dead. His mother dead, and the one person who had somewhat filled the void of his mother was now leaving him, with the man who had betrayed them all. George stared at child as he held Maria, but Maria seemed to be disappearing. She looked at George and smiled, unable to clutch his hand a tear fell down her cheek as she began drastically fade and disappear.

She began to sing, and the same song that had once soothed the Giegue, infuriated him. Maria gazed at George, now openly letting her tears fall. "George," she said peacefully. "Go to Hank and be with him. He needs you." George fell to his knees and began to sob. "Maria, he needs you! He needs his mother. Please, fight it Maria don’t let it take you." George shrieked, loosing his voice. But Maria stayed calm. "It’s not over, and my purpose is not complete. Please, take care of Hank. Let him learn the ways of his powers, he will need them. George, I love you. We will be together again, I believe… and you need to too." George looked at her and felt confused. "I love you Maria." And with that Maria began to sing the song, and whole ship filled with the melody louder than before. Giegue shrieked with pain and then seemed to focus on Maria. Maria shattered, but a great purple light sent shock waves through the ship. George felt the purple light enter his body and the melody of Maria’s love engulfed him. For the first time, George knew everything would be all right. Maria filled him with her secret.

The purple light sailed through the ship, away from the screaming venomous child and back to the mountain as it carried George. Maria carried George.

Chapter 8

Casey absorbed the last paragraph and smiled. He closed his Grandfather’s Diary. His father Hank had passed it down to him, after George had died so many years ago. Casey knew George had spent the rest of his life on the mountain, and Hank even spent a majority of his childhood there happily. Casey felt that he shouldn’t read anymore, for the diary wasn’t meant for him. He placed the diary in the basement, and placed the key on King’s collar, the great-great-great-great grandchild of Champ. He came back into the house and gazed at his child. Ninten had a destiny before him, and Casey would be telling him in only several years.