This choice: Laura stops again, "No, I can't do this." • Go Back...Chapter #6Laura stops again, "No, I can't do this... by: Bikerider   The small dots of light gathered into a bunch and followed Steven and Laura, but they stayed close to the ground as they moved, sliding beneath downed trees and old scrub bushes. Up ahead, Steven and Laura were unaware of what was going on behind them, as the lights slowly undulated in a language only they understood. It was when Laura turned around that she saw something that stopped her cold.
"Steven," Laura said, looking back over her shoulder. "I think we should g..." Her eyes widened as her words trailed off into silence. Steven frowned and followed Laura's gaze but saw nothing.
"What do you think you see now," he said, his voice filled with impatience.
"Steven," Laura replied testily. "I don't think I see something, I know I saw something." She pointed into the now dark woods.
Steven let out a long exhale and turned, his eyes searching the darkness as he spoke. "Where? I don't see anything."
"They were there, I saw them," Laura said as her gaze scanned the darkness. "That is," she said thoughtfully, "until they went out."
"Went out," Steven said. "What are you talking about. Who went out?" Steven turned back to Laura. "What does the even mean?"
Laura's eyes continued to scan the dark woods, and her voice sounded like she was thinking of something else as she spoke. "When I turned around I saw these little greenish dots of light, several of them." She turned to Steven as if seeing him for the first time. "Steven, I know what I saw. When they knew I could see them they blinked out."
"So let me see if I have this right?" Steven said. He put his forefinger and thumb together and used his thumb to each finger as he ticked off the list. "One, you thought you saw something, or, no, wait, you thought you felt the presence of someone. Two, we move on and the little niggling voice in your head says, 'hey, there's something out there.' And three, and most important because I think you still want to turn around and you know I don't want to. And four, and this is a goodie, you say you turned around and saw, what was it you said? Several little green lights? And they're following us, I suppose."
As Steven talked, he watched Laura's eyes slowly widen and focus over his shoulder. Slowly a greenish glow began to reflect in Laura's eyes. Steven's eyes now began to widen, and then he slowly turned around, fearful of what he might see.
The light emitted a slow hum, as Steven's eyes fell upon it. It hovered at eye level with Steven, its glow reflecting from Steven's eyes and staining his skin with an unearthly greenish glow.
"What the heck?" Steven said.
Laura stepped behind Steven, hiding herself from view. Steven could feel her trembling behind him.
Steven stared at the light. Funny, he told himself. I'm staring right into the bright light but yet it's not hurting my eyes. His private reverie was interrupted by Laura who was cowering behind him.
"Steven?" she said slowly. "Now do you believe me? Can we just go back now?"
Steven didn't answer, he just stared into the light hovering just out of reach in front of him. Slowly, a smile began to stretch his lips. He tilted his head and reached out, forefinger pointing, and tried to touch the light, but the light back even more out of reach.
"Steven!" Laura said as her head peeked around Steven's shoulder. "Don't antagonize it. It might be dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Steven chuckled. "If it wanted to hurt us we'd already be.... well, we'd already be hurt."
"Maybe it wants to take us captive," Laura said as she tucked herself behind Steven again. "What if it wants to take us up to his space ship." She gasped. "Oh, my God. What if it takes us up there and they do all these crazy experiments on us. Poking and prodding, sticking needles and things in us?" She paused and her eyes widened even more. "Steven, oh my God. What other things might they to us, to me?"
By now several more things had come out of hiding and were hovering in front of Steven. Steven couldn't have explained it even if his life depended on it, but he suddenly felt safe. Somehow he knew he did not need to fear these lights. It was then he remembered the old folk tale. "Only, as it turns out, it's not a folk tale," he mumbled.
"Did you just curse, Steven!" Laura said quickly. "Just because we're lost out here in the woods about to be eaten alive or taken to some alien space ship, that you can start using dirty words."
"I said folk tales, f o l k. And we're not going to be eaten alive or taken anywhere, least of all to some space ship that you just conjured up in your imagination." His shoulders sagged with relaxation. "They're friendly, and I think I know who they are. If I'm right then we have nothing to fear. They might even help us get out of here."
"Now who's imagination is conjuring things, Steven," Laura said as she took another peek at the lights hovering off the ground in front of Steven. "And how do you know they're friendly?"
"Think about it Laura," Steven said, his voice light and friendly. "Don't you think that if they intended us harm that they would already have done something to us?" He turned back to the lights. "No, they're friendly, and I think they are that bunch of people that came to live in the woods but one day just vanished."
"Vanished?" Laura said. "You mean like one day they were here and the next they were gone?"
"Yes, vanished, just like I said." Steven stared at the lights in front of him.
"So one morning they got up, packed up their stuff and walked away," Laura said. "People do it all the time."
"Yes, of course I know that," Steven said. "But they didn't pack their stuff. They left it just as if they had intended to come back. Bed rolls were still stretched out near where they kept a camp fire burning. Pot and pans were lined up near what had been their small, outdoor kitchen, some with food still in them. Their clothes were still here, piles of clothes where I heard anyone of them could select anything they wanted to wear." Steven turned to Laura. "Don't you see, they vanished. There never was an explanation. The village people had been coming up here and bringing them food, clothing, things like that. The campers and the village people got along very well, some even became friends." Steven turned back toward the light and spoke, his voice thoughtful and his words slow. "No, this is them, I just know it. Something happened to those people, something we just don't understand. Something turned those people into what we are now looking at.
The lights began to move up and down with a definite rhythm, their humming increased. A feeling of friendship rolled over Steven, something he couldn't explain.
"Steven, I think you've lost your mind." Laura peeked again around Steven's shoulder. "Let's just turn around and walk away. Maybe if they know we are just looking for a way out and not here to stay they won't bother us."
"You mean, tell them were not taking their land, we're just passing through," Steven's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Just like the blue coats did with the Indians? Is that what you mean?"
"No, Steven, that's not what I mean." Laura stepped out from behind Steven. She stood with her hands on her hips, her legs wide apart, her posture aggressive, a scowl on her face. "Shoo, go away," she said to the lights. The lights just moved to the side so they could see Laura better. She moved back behind Steven and tucked herself behind him for protection again.
"I'm sure of it, Laura," Steven said, his voice sounded far away. "It's them, those people from so long ago."
"S t e v e nnnn, Laura said.
"No, really, let me tell you about them."
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