Are aliens from another world prepared for the human oddities they are about to discover in the paradise we call Florida?
About twenty light years from Earth is a planet called Septura. Septura consists of thousands of small islands covered in lush vegetation amidst a sea of warm, clear waters. Scientists on Septura have discovered TV signals emanating from Earth. Children of these scientists, born in space, become the first aliens to set foot on our planet. Are aliens from another world prepared for the oddities of human nature they are about to discover in the paradise we call Florida?
Excerpt
Once inside the car, the men relax a bit and become a little less threatening. Maggie is relieved.
“Tell us about the plane.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I guess we'll start with how it took off.”
“I don't know.”
“Well it didn't roll down a runway, did it?”
“I guess not. I mean, there's no runway out there.”
“So how did it take off?”
“Like a helicopter.”
“Like a helicopter. But no big blades and no wind force.”
“If you know all this, why are you asking me? I don't know anything about airplanes, or helicopters for that matter. This is the first one I've ever seen close up.”
“What kind of noise did it make? Do you remember that?”
“Not really.”
“No kidding? You see, our good friend from the FAA painted a pretty good picture of what it sounded like. And there's nothing like it anywhere we've ever heard. And we know airplanes, Maggie. We really know airplanes. We want you to think hard about where you'd like to spend the next few nights. At home dreaming of your new boyfriend, or in a cold, damp holding cell until we get the information we need.”
“I told you everything I know.”
“You went for a ride. A long ride. Where did they take you? Remember, Maggie, the truth. This is an issue of national security.”
“Alright. I'll tell you everything. We went to Mars. On the way back to Earth, I fell in love with an alien boy. We landed on the moon for our first kiss and got stuck. Only I wasn't really in much of a sight seeing mood as I was in the romance of it all. I mean, no other man ever took me to Mars and then handed me the moon.”
“Mars? The moon? Really? These guys aren't from Mars.”
“So all the other stuff I told you, you don't believe me. When I concoct a crazy story like this, you do?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We tracked that “airplane”, Maggie. It went out of our atmosphere. And that 300 foot spacecraft up there? The one you never mentioned? You think it just slipped into orbit unnoticed?”
“OK, now you know everything I know. Can I go now?”
“Not so quick. You've done something no one else has ever done. Sure, many have said they've been abducted, but this is the first case with real hard evidence. And a credible witness.”
“I wasn't abducted. They asked me if I wanted to go.”
“Really? With all the crazy things men do to women, you just hop on a spaceship with aliens you don't know, and whoosh, it's off to Mars for a weekend of romance.”
“It was the chance of a life time for a country girl like me. Wouldn't you have done the same?”
“Not on your life. You don't know what he might have done to you. You hardly know him.”
“He's been here longer than you think.”
“How long?”
“Long enough for us to fall in love.”
“So you think he's in love with you? OK, if that's true, where is he?”
“You goons scared him away. I don't know where he is. I miss him.”
“Did you ever consider he might have some sort of virus or contagion humans might not be immune to? This could have caused a worldwide epidemic. But don't worry. You'd have gotten it already if he had anything. You lucked out. But for now, you're gonna have to come with us.”
“Why? I told you all you needed to know.”
“We need you to help us document what you saw.”
“If you'll leave me alone here, I can do better than that.”
“What are you talkin' about?”
“The SD card in my phone. It has all the pictures and videos of the trip to Mars and back. And the moon with pictures of the Apollo stuff right there.”
“You gotta be kiddin' me?”
“I'll let you borrow it if you promise me in writing you won't hunt him down and hurt him.”
“You're not afraid to give this up?”
“I have all the videos backed up somewhere safe. Anyway, no one will ever believe they're real. But I want the chip back when you're done. With all the pictures intact.”
“A week, and you're in love with an alien. Maggie, it's the rush of excitement you're in love with. You think that guy came light years across the galaxy to go out on a date?”
“I think he had no idea until he got here. And then he discovered what love is.”
“Grow up, Maggie. He's not even a real guy. He's from – well-who even knows where he's from, or what he is?”
“I can tell you where he's from. And what he is. He's the most well mannered man I've ever met. He wouldn't hurt a mouse if it bit him in the behind. No deal on the SD card unless you give me your word you're not gonna hurt him.”
“You have our word.”
“In writing. On government letterhead. Videoed in front of a witness.”
“You don't get to make the rules, Maggie.”
“I also have pictures of their planet. Their towns, their cars, their homes. The inside of their mother ship. I answered your questions. I told you the truth. Unless I get what I ask for, I'm not giving you anything. You want this, that's the deal. This may be a job to you, but Simbo's the love of my life.”
“This poor alien has no idea what he's in for.”
A female assassin, known as Raven and hailing from both human and alien backgrounds, shares her story with Security Chief Salina Craddock of the Earth Conglomerate Space Security Agency (ECSSA) after being captured.
Chaos on Earth began with an evil snake in the garden, peace can be restored by a Divine snake from the light of the small chandelier that has no power source. Can Jenny and Joseph get help from the planet Jupiter, in time?
Snake Eyes and Boxcars, Part II is a collection of 14 sci-fi/paranormal stories and is author Jay Dubya's 13th story collection and is also his 33rd hardcover book.
