Theme 6 -Who are They?
Anu FactorAnu looked different. The jersey and shorts were gone, too. She was dressed in a clean white but well-worn blouse and a faded blue skirt worn by women three decades earlier.
"I'm okay but I see everything different again. Even you are different." In a low voice he described everything. They were in the same room but it looked ancient. Rows upon rows of books were covered in dust. In the shadows above the one light bulb spider webs hung everywhere. The place smelt damp and he could hear the drip, drip, drip of water. "Are there any people around?" "None." "And me?" "I can see your blouse and skirt but they look old fashioned, like those of my mother's generation and…" "My clothes are brand new, Talbot," Anu gasped. Talbot ran a hand over his face. "I've got a beard yet I shaved this morning and my clothes are all tatty and need to be cleaned." "Hang on, Talbot." Anu reached out and touched his neck. He heard a click, found his eyes shut and opened them again to find everything back as it was. "I think you saw the real world, Talbot. The one we see now is the fake one. That's why you and I see different things." "You were there, Anu. So was this room but it seemed to be hundreds of years old." "We're real, the room is here but everything else is an delusion. Perhaps our whole lives are an illusion. Your life and mine could be entirely different." Smashwords |
Alien HybridThe bus driver as he swore when the bus suddenly stopped on the roadside.
Jade who was by the window, glanced out and saw a huge flat circular object hovering over the tussock about a hundred metres away. There was no noise when it settled down on the ground. A floodlight flicked from the top of the object and lit up the whole area. At the same time, she felt a strange numbing sensation and found she could not move her limbs. Everyone else was the same for panic set in. Yells, screams and cries filled the air as everyone attempted to move. Jade struggled but it was as if her legs were bound with tape and her arms bound to her body. The bus door opened and a man stood there. He was dressed in a white bodysuit and black boots. Except for having no hair, not even eyebrows he could be a normal man about a metre eighty in height and of slim build. He held his hand up and Jan found her lips numb and she could not open them. Also her own scream was cut, as were everyone else's. Only the twisting heads and terrified eyes showed that the other girls were as petrified as she was. "You are to listen and obey," the man said in English. "I am the captain of this landing craft," the man said and nodded at the craft behind them. " You will all disrobe down to your undergarments and change into the gowns being issued to you. You can call me Zero 5 ." Jade shivered in both cold and fear as she undressed down to her underwear and waited. When Zero 5 arrived before her, he touched her arms and cheek and ran his fingers through her hair. He nodded and without a word, handed her a gown with a number that ended in 89 and moved on to Petra beside her. Jade slipped the garment on that tightened around her body. Even though the material was thin. After being much too large for he it contracted around her body to fit perfectly. The boots issued to her were the same. Smashwords |
ArmletThe jeep came to another tight bend and Kolina saw a girl! standing in the middle of the road andscreeched to a stop to avoid hitting her. The girl was little more than a child and wore a long tatty dress. Her face was covered in perspiration and tearstains made dirty lines down a sunburned face. The eyes were like saucers and showed apprehension, if not terror.
"See the bruises on her arm?" Sofia whispered. "We can't just leave her, Kolina." "Just keep an eye up and down the road. It could be a set up. Suppose there are men hiding somewhere ready to jump out and hijack the jeep. Wars bring the worse out of people." "Okay," Sofia replied. She looked around in all directions. "I can't see anybody," she said. Kolina watched the girl who just stood in the middle of the road with her head down. Long unkempt hair covered her face. It was as if all the strength had gone from the slim body. Kolins drove the jeep a few metres until she was beside her. Her right arm stretched out to hold the top of the steering wheel. She only wore her tank top and the armlet shone on her bare arm. "Hello there," she said. "Do you need help?" The girl looked up with new tears dripping off her cheeks. She moved her eyes and saw Kolina's armlet. "Lily was right," she gasped. "She said you would be coming along in this strange car. I wanted to believe her but after all this time..." Her body shuddered and words turned to sobs. Sofia jumped out and ran around to the girl. She placed an arm around her and jerked back in surprise. "What is it?" Kolina's senses were on full alert. Sofia kept one arm around the girl, looked up and grinned. "She's wearing an armlet just like ours." Smashwords |
Transmigration - The 4th in our January theme.
Transmigration - Top Scene Excerpt
"I'll talk. You walk up the road," Rachel whispered before she turned to the old man. "Are you sure there's nothing else you'd like from town," she said in a gushy voice. "The latest newspaper or some fresh fruit? We have a new crop of plums, cucumbers and watermelons."
"That is very kind of you, Mrs. Blackwood but I don't go for those fancy foods. Just the basics that Jenny orders will be fine."
Brent ambled sideways as he casually looked out at the mountains. After about fifty meters, he stopped and turned. He gasped. Oh hell! Rachel appeared to be talking to herself. Arnold had disappeared! He tried to stop his pounding heart while he walked slowly back. After several paces, a shimmering version of Arnold appeared in front of Rachel. The shimmer solidified and Arnold appeared normal with Rachel engaging him in conversation
Bottom Scene Excerpt
"We're going into a spiral that takes us beneath the city," Zazzlot, the male alien, said. "At the bottom we continue for a few moments and enter a subway line."
The change came almost immediately. The concrete changed to white tile, marble like in appearance and overhead lights shone down from the ceiling. Another train flashed by but the carriages all appeared to be empty. Brent felt Rachel tap his arm and he turned to look out the right side. The curved tiled walls had a sign attached to it.
"Eerie," Rachel whispered. "That toothpaste advertisement was easy to read. I wonder if they repainted it."
"You read it?' Zazzlot asked in a strange voice.
Rachel turned to him and frowned. "Didn't you see it the girl's face with those shining white teeth. Toughens as it cleans," Rachel quoted. "I never had time to read the smaller writing."
"You read that or just made it up?" Zazzlot said again.
"Read it. Why not?" Rachel retorted.
"That advertisement wasn't in English or our language," Zazzlot said. "It used the alphabet and language of your ancestors. "
"That was another reason we decided to use English for you all. We have had extreme difficulty deciphering this ancient language," Waxlyn said. "It was never included in your memory files when you were cloned."
"But I read it!" Rachel gasped.
"The sight of that advertisement brought it back into your mind." Zazzlot whispered. "You must have remembered the original language that your ancestors spoke. You may have been interested in reading so the memory of the words came to you."
Rachel stared at her alien companion. How could this be possible?
Smashwords
"I'll talk. You walk up the road," Rachel whispered before she turned to the old man. "Are you sure there's nothing else you'd like from town," she said in a gushy voice. "The latest newspaper or some fresh fruit? We have a new crop of plums, cucumbers and watermelons."
"That is very kind of you, Mrs. Blackwood but I don't go for those fancy foods. Just the basics that Jenny orders will be fine."
Brent ambled sideways as he casually looked out at the mountains. After about fifty meters, he stopped and turned. He gasped. Oh hell! Rachel appeared to be talking to herself. Arnold had disappeared! He tried to stop his pounding heart while he walked slowly back. After several paces, a shimmering version of Arnold appeared in front of Rachel. The shimmer solidified and Arnold appeared normal with Rachel engaging him in conversation
Bottom Scene Excerpt
"We're going into a spiral that takes us beneath the city," Zazzlot, the male alien, said. "At the bottom we continue for a few moments and enter a subway line."
The change came almost immediately. The concrete changed to white tile, marble like in appearance and overhead lights shone down from the ceiling. Another train flashed by but the carriages all appeared to be empty. Brent felt Rachel tap his arm and he turned to look out the right side. The curved tiled walls had a sign attached to it.
"Eerie," Rachel whispered. "That toothpaste advertisement was easy to read. I wonder if they repainted it."
"You read it?' Zazzlot asked in a strange voice.
Rachel turned to him and frowned. "Didn't you see it the girl's face with those shining white teeth. Toughens as it cleans," Rachel quoted. "I never had time to read the smaller writing."
"You read that or just made it up?" Zazzlot said again.
"Read it. Why not?" Rachel retorted.
"That advertisement wasn't in English or our language," Zazzlot said. "It used the alphabet and language of your ancestors. "
"That was another reason we decided to use English for you all. We have had extreme difficulty deciphering this ancient language," Waxlyn said. "It was never included in your memory files when you were cloned."
"But I read it!" Rachel gasped.
"The sight of that advertisement brought it back into your mind." Zazzlot whispered. "You must have remembered the original language that your ancestors spoke. You may have been interested in reading so the memory of the words came to you."
Rachel stared at her alien companion. How could this be possible?
Smashwords