Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend

John H. Carroll

Published by John H. Carroll at Smashwords

Copyright 2009 John H. Carroll

This story is dedicated to my wife who accuses me of having a blue haired alien girlfriend.

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***

Lisa was watching the last of three tapes for orientation, her chin propped in hands with elbows on knees. Her blue eyes were glassy and she was popping the hundredth bubble in a heavily chewed piece of gum.

“And that is how you make the perfect blue-cheese bass burger here at Fish Burgers.” The dork in the TV waved about his perfectly made fish-burger with obvious and embarrassing pride. Lisa pushed the eject button on the VCR, amazed that anyone still used such an archaic device.

Standing up, she brushed off her brown and teal uniform while looking at herself in the break-room mirror. Her hair was up in a hat that the seventies must have puked up. Lisa liked her green eyes, which seemed brighter than most people’s. The rest of the effect was something she had every intention of ignoring.

She left the break-room to go to the manager’s office. “Here you go,” she said as she handed the tape back.

Second-Assistant Manager Joshua Collin didn’t seem like most fast food managers. He gave her an absent minded sort of a smile. “I hope you survived with your sanity intact.” The smile made Lisa’s knees go a little week. It wasn’t that he was extremely handsome, but he had really nice eyes and a quiet demeanor.

“It was pretty bad, but I survived,” she replied with a nervous giggle. Lisa hoped he didn’t think her too much of a fool. She took a deep breath, straightened her hat and asked, “So what do I do now, Sir?”

Joshua frowned, his dark eyebrows lowering. “Please don’t call me sir,” he said, running a hand through his curly black hair. “I’ll show you how to work the boards and make some burgers. They won’t look perfect like the ones in the video, but I think they use plastic for those,” he told her with a wink.

“Boards?” Lisa asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Joshua shrugged. “That’s what they call the area where we put the burgers together. I don’t know why.” He frowned in contemplation. Lisa absently thought that he must be about six feet tall and in his early twenties. He continued, “I think maybe it comes from the saying ‘room and board’ like they used to say at inns in the old days or something.” Lisa gently bit her lip as she studied his nibbleable ears . . . was that even a word? Whatever. Joshua agreed with his own conclusion. “Yeah, boards have to do with food or something.”

For the next hour, Joshua showed Lisa how to make fish burgers. She enjoyed being close to him. He smelled like broiler smoke, but in a nice way. After the hour was done, he gave her lunch, which was free for all employees. Lunch was supposed to be made by someone else, but he let her make her own as he went to work with one of the cashiers.

Caitlyn, the drive through cashier, had an attitude. The girl really knew what she was doing. After all, she had been there for three and a half months. She jerked her head over for Lisa to sit with her. Caitlyn’s blonde hair was tied back in a pony tail and her hat was tilted to the side. Employees weren’t supposed to wear nose rings at Fish Burgers, but when Joshua was the manager they could get away with it. Caitlyn’s nose ring was in the shape of a skull and she wore matching skull earrings, bandana and charm bracelet. She must be really into skulls or something, Lisa thought to herself.

Lisa sat across from the veteran cashier and took a sip of the chocolate shake that wasn’t supposed to be part of the free lunch. “So, new girl huh?” Caitlyn asked, all cool like and stuff.

“Yeah, first day,” Lisa responded, not really knowing what else to say.

The drive through cashier leaned forward conspiratorially. “Just watch out for Bob, the head manager.”

Lisa became worried, leaning forward as well. “Why? What’s wrong with him?”

Caitlyn answered in a low voice, “He like, checks all the girls out and asks if you want to see his big bass meat and stuff.” She leaned back. “It’s all gross and stuff.”

“That sucks,” Lisa responded eloquently. She turned and looked at Joshua who was working behind the counter. “What about him? He seems cool.”

“Caitlyn shrugged. “Yeah, he’s okay. Just don’t tell him you’re bored or he’ll make you clean stuff,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Lisa watched the manager as he worked. He seemed so quiet, polite even, but not really saying more than he absolutely had to. Most of the time, it was like he was somewhere else in his mind while going through the motions of reality.

“Oh no, no, no,” Caitlyn said, startling Lisa out of her thoughts. “You’re not crushin on Joshua, are you?” she asked with a sly grin.

“What? He’s kinda okay, you know?” Lisa said, a light blush warming her cheeks.

“Uh . . . He’s like, gay and stuff . . .” the Caitlyn told her as though it was obvious.

No, he couldn’t be . . . Lisa’s gaydar couldn’t be that far off. “No, he’s not gay . . . is he?” she asked in disbelief.

“Uh, yeah. He like, never comes in here with a girl or ever talks about girls or anything.” Caitlyn said with attitude.

Lisa looked back at Caitlyn as though she were stupid. “That doesn’t mean he’s gay.”

Caitlyn looked back as though Lisa were the stupid one. “Yeah . . . it does.” She continued as though teaching the ignorant, emphasizing points by pushing her finger on the table with each one. “He never says anything, like, harassing or anything, you know? He always walks home alone. He’s so gay. Duh,” she finished, leaning back, spreading her hands out and bobbing her head.

Liselle’s first day at work didn’t seem so great anymore. The cute, nice manager was gay . . . they always were. The rest of the shift went by pretty quickly. It wasn’t busy and Joshua went into the office to do paperwork, only coming out during a couple of minor rushes. At the end of her shift, Lisa sat down to eat some fries before going home. She watched through the window as Joshua walked off. He was wearing a long black trench coat, listening to his mp3. As if she needed any further proof that he was gay, he never even said goodbye to her.

***

The weather was nice, with crisp evening air. Joshua took a moment to glance at reality, looking up at the sky. There were some clouds, but it had only rained for a couple of minutes, just enough to wash away any dust and give the air a really nice rainy smell. The second assistant manager of the local Fish Burgers had already forgotten about work. Work was a part of reality, which just didn’t interest him. He looked at the sliver of moon visible above the mountain range to the west. The sight actually made Joshua pause. The moon was so beautiful in the sky and he wondered what it would be like to be an explorer on an uninhabited world looking at a completely different moon. Perhaps the world would even have two or three moons, which would cause extra earthquakes . . . or other-planet-quakes. Joshua sighed and went back to walking. His head was down, looking not so much at the ground in front of him, but at the worlds and universes swirling around in his mind.

After grabbing a cup of coffee at Moondollars, Joshua went for a walk along the river in the park where it was always peaceful. The sun had set and there was a glow in the sky over the mountains. The only sound he heard was that of the music coming from his mp3. He had listened to the song that was playing a thousand times, but didn’t really know the words. Sometimes words weren’t important; just the sound providing background music for his imagination.

A man walked past without looking up. No one ever messed with Joshua. He was just a guy in a black duster, walking along listening to his music. There was not real gain in bothering him and most people never even saw him, which was how Joshua liked it. He was largely invisible and preferred to keep it that way. The alternative was to talk to people; alright as a concept, but not so much in practice. Joshua thought about going home to the garage he rented from a friend, but didn’t really want to. It was too nice to go home and he liked to walk the long path along the river for hours.

There was a girl sitting on the bench who seemed a bit unusual. He noticed her from a distance. Joshua noticed everyone from a distance to make sure they weren’t a threat. He didn’t really care about people for the most part, but it was important to know they were there in order to properly avoid them.

This girl was different though. Her hair was blue, which wasn’t unusual in and of itself; two of the employees at Fish Burgers and the barista at Moondollars had blue hair. It was unusual because she was unusual. She was also staring directly at him. People weren’t supposed to notice Joshua, let alone stare at him.

Joshua stopped right in front of the girl. They just stared at each other, losing track of time. “Hello,” she finally said in a voice that was silky, rippling over his body with the single utterance. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

He sat down next to the girl, and responded, “Hi.” It seemed deep; not just a word, but so much more. It was as though Joshua was saying ‘hi’ with everything he was instead of speaking a casual greeting. At that moment, hello and hi seemed like the most important and significant concepts that existed in the universe.

She appeared puzzled. “Nobody should be able to see me . . . why are you able to?” Her voice didn’t just enter his ears as she asked the question, but filled his entire soul. It was surreal.

“Yeah. I’m kinda like that too. No one really sees me, which is the way I like it,” he told her in response.

She frowned at his words. Joshua noticed that her eyebrows were blue too; not dyed, but blue all the way to the roots. He leaned in to study it. She leaned in as well, gazing deep into his eyes. Joshua noticed that her eyes were violet and faceted like a gem. It was nice being so close to the girl. She smelled . . . different . . . nice. The scent wasn’t a perfume, but nice . . . like her voice.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m invisible, as in: people can’t see me. You shouldn’t be able to see me either,” she explained, mystified. She had a perfect face with smooth, perfect skin. Joshua had an urge to run his hand along her cheek.

“What do you mean? I don’t think I understand,” Joshua replied. Speaking in full sentences was hard because he just wanted to stare at her. The girl’s lips twisted a bit. Joshua noticed that they seemed to have a touch of blue as well.

“What I mean is; I have a device that makes me invisible.” She tapped a round device attached to her utility belt. It had little lights blinking on and off slowly.

Joshua did a double take. He hadn’t noticed the utility belt at first, being too lost in her eyes. He looked at the rest of her. She was dressed in a simple burgundy tunic and a long black skirt. Around her waste was the silver utility belt with devices attached. Many of them had flashy lights like the invisibility device. “Ahh, you’re a Trekkie or something then,” he said with a nod.

Her brow furrowed again. Joshua loved staring at her eyebrows. They were the most amazing eyebrows he had ever seen in his life.

“I am not a Trekkie, whatever that is.” She took a deep breath, which was enjoyable to watch whether she was a Trekkie or not. “I’m not even supposed to be here. I just . . .” she trailed off, looking toward the silhouette of the mountains. The girl seemed worried.

“Are you okay?” Joshua asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. He tried to concentrate on what he was going on with her and at the same time, pay attention to how nice her shoulder felt under his hand. He succeeded at neither, his mind exploding in a mixture of sensations.

The touch of his hand seemed to shock her, as though she wasn’t expecting it. She turned back toward him, gently biting her pretty lower lip. Shrugging, she said, “I ran away. I couldn’t take it anymore.” Joshua kept his hand on her shoulder as she spoke, doing his best to ignore the heart trying to pound a hole in his chest. “My life isn’t like what you have here on Earth. It’s not exactly horrifying . . . there is no war or anything like you have, but . . .”

Joshua’s mind was cycling over the error in her words; the one where she implied that she wasn’t from Earth. He squeezed her shoulder comfortingly as he listened. It felt super nice.

“My life has been decided for me,” she continued. “I know what I will do for work, marriage, how many children I will have . . . even when I will die. I have no say in anything.” Sadness washed over her face and a tear rolled down one cheek, making his pounding heart stop for a beat.

Suddenly, he noticed that he was hugging her, which was not something he normally did with complete strangers. She froze for a moment then hugged him back fiercely, as though trying to hold on for her life. It was the best feeling he had ever felt.

“My name is Mariella,” she told him as they pulled back just a bit. Her voice caressed his ears gently as she spoke. “I’m from a world called Hersiallimith.” She looked into his eyes to see how he would react to the information. Their legs were touching and he had one hand on her thigh and the other was still on her shoulder. Mariella had one of her hands on his thigh as well.

At this point, Joshua didn’t really care where she said she was from. It was just so nice to be touching someone. Plus, it would be like . . . the best thing ever if she really was. All that aside, Joshua actually believed her. He didn’t know why, he just did. “They plan out your whole life for you? That sucks,” he stated.

Her cute blue eyebrows furrowed once more. “You act as though you meet people not of your world all the time, Joshua. I know your people have not had official contact with anyone.” How did you see me? It’s almost impossible to see past the invisibility device . . . and what do you mean; ‘that sucks’?”

He answered the last question first. “It means ‘bad’ or something. Other than that, I don’t know how I saw you. I just walking along and I felt you there, just like I do with everyone else,” he explained.

Mariella tilted her head, blue locks falling over one of her eyes. She had to be an alien; her beauty was so exotic and breathtaking. “You said you felt me. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, interrupting his train of thought.

It was a good question actually. “Umm . . . I don’t know. I just kinda sense people before I see them. I don’t really look for them.” That didn’t really describe how he did it, but it was the best he could come up with.

“Ahh, you must have noticed me with peripheral vision instead of looking directly at me. You have to glance a little bit sideways to see past invisibility, like you would with a small star.” Mariella nodded her head, satisfied with that explanation.

She began to tell him about the world she came from and how it was part of a large federation of planets and peoples. They controlled all that went on with individuals and told them how their lives would go and even had set limits on how long one was allowed to live. She had run away in the hopes of finding freedom, but knew it wouldn’t be long before they found her to take her back.

It was all said with such inevitability that Joshua felt even more sympathy for her. He held her hand as Mariella talked throughout the night. The stars in the sky made her blue hair glow with a gentle radiance. During pauses, they would sit and listen to the sounds of the night. Crickets chirped in the bushes while the breeze gently whispered through nearby trees. The river poured over the rocks nearby on its way to other lands. Her head rested on his shoulder and one of her legs draped over his lap. Joshua sat with this woman from another world and things felt right. He said very little, for nothing in his life seemed quite as important as what she had to say and he could tell that she desperately needed to talk to someone. After awhile, any doubt left in his mind that she was from a different world faded.

Before either of them knew it the sky was beginning to light up again. They had been talking the entire night. Now it was silent and Joshua didn’t know what to do. He was very aware that he didn’t want to stop holding her. “I’m living in a friend’s garage,” he told her. “It’s not much, but I don’t know where else you can go.”

She gave him a trusting look and a small shrug. “I like being with you. I don’t really have anywhere else to go until they recover me.”

Joshua frowned at that. “Can we hide you from them?”

Mariella gave him a sad smile. “No. They have ways of tracking that I can’t hide from. I just don’t know when they’ll be here.” She rested her head on his shoulder again and he wrapped his arm around her.

“That’s really messed up.” He thought for a moment. “What about your ship?” he asked.

Mariella looked at him with amusement. “What ship?” The sun was beginning to shine and she looked beautiful in the morning light.

“Umm . . . you came here on a spaceship, didn’t you?” he asked.

Her gentle laughter was even more wonderful than her voice. It washed over him like the nearby river washed over the rocks. “No silly. I live in a completely different arm of the galaxy. It would take lifetimes to get here by spaceship.” Mariella’s eyes twinkled. “I don’t really know how to describe it. You take a path and end up where you want to go . . . although this world is very, very illegal to travel to.” She was very serious about that point.

“Why is it illegal? Because we’re not advanced enough or something?” Joshua asked.

He watched the blue hair dance around Mariella’s shoulders as she shook her head. “No, I don’t have any idea why, but it’s really bad. I’ll be in big trouble when they find me.” She shrugged. “It’s okay. They’ll just send me to be re-educated on how my life is to be lived and my visit here will seem like a dream.” Mariella stood up and took his hand. “I want to see your garage.”

Joshua stood up as well. “Yeah, you bet.” He looked at her with a frown. “Umm, how old are you and stuff?” he asked.

She looked at him in surprise and though about it for a moment. “Don’t worry. I’m old enough,” she said with a smirk then laughed at his blush.

They spent that day and the next night in the detached garage he rented. It was the most enjoyable time either of them had ever experienced. They fooled around a bit. It turned out that humans and aliens were compatible in certain ways, but mostly they just touched and talked. Mariella told him more about the galaxy and the different beings that existed.

As his blue haired alien girlfriend lay against his body, Joshua listened intently and imagined the worlds that she mentioned. The details of the government and the absolute control it had over the people terrified him. Mariella didn’t like having her life mapped out, but seemed to accept it nonetheless. That seemed more horrible to Joshua than the rest of it. The concept that a person had no control over what they did with their life was as alien as his new girlfriend.

He asked her why no one had ever come to visit Earth. It turned out that they had. However; Earth was forbidden for some reason and the only individuals to visit were special agents of the federation. Another problem was that Earth was in an arm of the galaxy that wasn’t heavily populated and there was little reason to visit a small, insignificant world even if it hadn’t been forbidden.

The next day, Joshua had to go back to work. It was payday, so he didn’t want to skip, though he loathed leaving Mariella. She laughed and hugged him before telling him to go. She would be there when he got back. It would be awhile before the people would find her to take her away.

***

Albert was a 35 year old man with two children through marriage. That was not what he wanted out of life. He was looking for something different, but it just hadn’t worked out for him. Now he sat in his car like he did most nights, trying to get up the courage to act on his feelings. There was a bar nearby that Albert had gone to a couple of times. Meeting a few new people and trying new experiences had never turned out the way he had hoped.

The young man, who Albert was watching, walked most nights along the same set of roads while listening to his mp3. He wore a black trench coat open with the belt straps hanging down almost to the ground. His hair was black and curly, and he wore a tie that was loosened after working at Fish Burgers. Most importantly, he was gay. Albert knew this because the young man was never with a woman. Also, he always smiled pleasantly at Albert whenever taking his order. The other proof was that Albert had never seen the young man flirt with any of the girls working for him.

Rain had fallen short while ago and the gutters were full of run-off, but it was clear now and that robbed Albert of an excuse to give the guy a ride. It wouldn’t stop him from trying though. He had already put it off for too long.

Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, he put the car in drive and slowly pulled up next to the young man. Albert rolled down the passenger window and slowly kept pace while trying to get his attention. The young man was listening to his mp3 and looked as though his mind was off in space somewhere. “Hey, guy. You want a ride?” Albert asked.

The young man jumped in surprise. He pulled off his earphones and paused for a moment. In a guarded tone, he said, “Excuse me?”

Albert asked once more. “I said: would you like a ride? It’s pretty late out here.” He realized how stupid that sounded as soon as it came out of his mouth. The young man realized it as well and looked back warily. “Uhh, no. Thanks though.” With that, he put his headphones back in his ears and continued walking.

Albert kicked himself mentally as he drove off. The kid was attractive and could have been interesting.

***

Joshua walked on, glancing out of the corner of his eye to make sure the guy didn’t go psycho on him. The car drove by and turned down the next street. The entire incident had been weird. Normally, Joshua didn’t miss it when someone approached him like that, but he was thinking about Mariella, hoping she hadn’t disappeared. As far as her being an alien went, he had given that a lot of thought and really didn’t care. She was the most wonderful woman with the most beautiful blue hair on this world or any other.

The barista at Moondollars ran a finger through his ratty, dyed blue hair as Joshua walked up and gave his order. “I’d like a mocha spice caramel latte please.”

The barista replied, “Sure, how’s things at Fish Burgers, dude?”

Why did people always ask how he was doing? It took Joshua a few seconds to think about how his day was each time they did. He never wanted to say that he was doing well, just in case the universe heard him and decided to change it. “Uh . . . yeah. I’m doing good.” He even said that with some confidence, which was unusual.

“Cool. Hey, I’ll give you this drink on the house if you give me a meal next time I’m in.” The barista put the drink down in front of him. It looked like the guy had started making it when Joshua walked in. He’d have to order something else one of these times, just to throw the bastard off.

“Yeah. Right on. Come in and I’ll even U.S. size it for you,” Joshua replied.

U.S. size was the current campaign by Fish Burgers. “We take the U and one of the S’s out of Fish Burgers and it becomes the U.S. The U.S. is big, so U.S. size all your meals!” The commercials were considered some of the lamest ever made.

The barista handed him his coffee. “Sweet, dude. I’ll see you tomorrow before my shift then. Joshua walked out, already having forgotten about the barista’s existence.

He felt a surge of panic when he realized that Mariella wasn’t on the park bench as she said she would be. They must have come back and taken her. That sucked! Joshua sat down on the bench, trying to think of how to rescue her. He felt something touch his leg and about jumped out of his skin.

Then he heard her laughter. It was still the most wonderful sound ever. The noise of the river intermingled with it, bringing a symphony of bliss to his ears. “Where are you, Mariella? I can’t see you anywhere.

She laughed again before suddenly appearing right next to him, her hand sliding up his thigh. “You can’t look at me directly when the invisibility device is on. You have to look at me out of the corner of your eye like you do with stars, remember?”

Her smile was radiant and he instantly knew the perfect thing to say. “You are brighter than any star in the universe, Mariella and your light has shown me the way to happiness.” It was cheesy, but sincere and he knew he had hit a home run when she threw her arms around him.

They watched the sunset together, holding hands and talking of his childhood. Joshua told her that things had been pretty normal and while he never really made any friends, he hadn’t made any enemies either. Mariella listened as he told her that he didn’t know what to do with his existence. Life was something he was going through as quietly as possible and kinda seeing what happened. He had hoped to fall in love someday, but didn’t really know how to make it happen until he had met her.

Joshua didn’t notice the sad look that flickered across her face as he talked about that. The two of them got up and walked along the river path for hours, talking even more. Joshua had said more to this beautiful alien in the short time he had known her than he had ever said to anyone in his entire life.

“What will you do when they take me back, Joshua?” she asked, looking at the stars as they walked along holding hands.

It wasn’t something he wanted to think about. It couldn’t be real. “There’s got to be a way we can hide you from them,” he said resolutely.

Mariella gave him a sad smile and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Joshua. They will take me back soon. There simply isn’t a way for me to hide from them. She took a deep breath before continuing. “The technology is beyond what you or I understand. Most people can’t trick the system long enough to run away and wouldn’t even consider it if they could.”

He felt her squeeze his hand, trying to comfort him when he should be comforting her. “How can you just accept it like that? It’s wrong!” He didn’t get mad very often as it just wasn’t worth it usually, but he was angry now. “What if I talk to them? I can convince them that you should stay with me.”

That startled her. “You won’t even see them, Joshua.” She furrowed those beautiful blue eyebrows again. “They wouldn’t let me stay even if you did talk to them.” Mariella turned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I love you too, Joshua and I’m so sorry about the way things are going to turn out.”

Mariella put both hands on his cheeks and looked deep into his eyes. “My time with you will always be the most wonderful part of my life. I want you to remember it as a good thing too. Please promise me that much, Joshua.”

Joshua could not resist her deep violet eyes, which held his soul in a blanket of warmth. He had to try one last argument. “I’ll come after you and rescue you and take you someplace where they’ll never find us!”

Mariella turned around and started walking off, exasperated. “I would love that! I really would, but it’s just not possible, Joshua.” She turned back around, pleading with him. “I’m so sorry, please understand.”

He didn’t understand and said so. “I’m sorry, but . . . I just don’t understand. It seems like there should always be a way to make things right. Mariella’s hands were on her hips and her head was down. He continued, “I will always remember you, Mariella and you are the very best thing that will ever happen to me in my entire life.” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes and he went on. “In my entire existence, I have never experienced anyone or anything as wonderful as you. You make my world rock, Mariella.” Even though the last part was seriously lame, she leapt back into his arms and just held on.

***

They spent the rest of that night in his garage, and he called in sick the next two days as well. Joshua went out the third morning to grab some breakfast. When he came back, all traces of her were gone. Tears welled up in his eyes as cruel realization sunk in. He had never felt more helpless in his entire life. Somehow, someway, he had to be able to rescue Mariella from her terrible fate.

Joshua fell to his knees and sobbed unlike he had ever done before. The love, sensations that had never existed for him in this world, and feelings he had only dreamed of in his vivid imagination, were all gone now. In their place was a powerful sadness and ache. It wasn’t fair that something so wonderful could be taken away.

***

Gregg watched Joshua making black beans and rice on the stove. He was even more quiet than usual. Something was wrong with the young man lately and Gregg couldn’t figure out what it was. Joshua had holed up in his garage for the last week, calling in sick every day. He looked like crap. “Hey, man; I got some quality stuff here. Come take a few puffs, man.” Gregg invited.

Joshua turned around in surprise. “Huh? Umm . . . thanks, but no. I really appreciate it though.” Then he turned back to his cooking.

Gregg grunted. He didn’t offer the kid a hit from the bong very often because it was always turned down. Joshua didn’t have a problem with Gregg lighting up, but he didn’t smoke.

It was a small house, only two bedrooms and a detached garage, which Joshua rented. Gregg was the classic hippie who had relocated from Berkeley. He had dreads, a scraggly beard, John Lennon glasses and a rainbow beanie. There were usually a few other people hanging around too. Joshua liked them because they were the most laid back people in the world. Gregg owned the home and was the only one who lived there besides Joshua. The rest just hung out whenever. Elise was Gregg’s girlfriend, but wasn’t there at the moment. It was only eleven-thirty in the morning, so most of their friends were probably still asleep.

“Hey, man. Thanks for the rent money yesterday. You’re the only one who’s rented the garage and actually paid the rent, man. I really appreciate that, man,” he said, raising his bong pipe in salute then exhaling the last puff he had taken.

“Yeah, you bet, Gregg. I really appreciate you letting me stay here. Sorry I don’t smoke and stuff,” Joshua replied, gesturing toward the bong and feeling guilty for not wanting to get high.

Gregg shook his head and waved off the apology. “Nah, nah, man. Don’t worry about it, man. It’s all good . . . Hey, you okay, man?” Gregg asked him worriedly.

Joshua thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. I’m just trying to figure things out.” He put the black beans and rice on a plate with some buttered oat-nut bread and cleaned up his mess before walking out to the garage.

Gregg watched him step through the glass patio door as he took another puff from the bong. Joshua seemed like a good guy, but he was too quiet. The guy needed to relax a little and smoke some weed; probably needed to get laid too. Gregg was happy that Joshua had never made a pass at him. He didn’t have a problem with Joshua being gay, but Gregg didn’t smoke that kind of pipe.

***

Joshua finished another shift at work. He really liked Lisa. She had been there for two months now and always smiled at him. Perhaps he would ask her out one of these nights. The air was fresh from another afternoon thunderstorm that had gone through a short time ago.

As he walked along the path next to the river, holding his Moondollar’s coffee, Joshua made it a point to look sideways at the bench as one would a star in the sky. Mariella wasn’t there and he just couldn’t figure out a way to find and rescue her. He didn’t have a clue as to where he would even begin looking.

Taking a sip of his mocha spice caramel latte, he sat down on the bench. The moon was just a sliver over the mountains and the river babbled as rivers do. The time spent with his blue haired alien girlfriend had been the most wonderful experience of his life and his heart still ached whenever he thought of her.

Joshua sat there for an hour, listening to the river and watching the sunset. Then he stood up and walked on, lost in his thoughts.

The End

###

An excerpt from the fantasy novel, “Rojuun” by John H. Carroll:

Chapter 1

Tathan was a tall man of twenty nine years with short, curly black hair framing a face tanned by travel. His hand was on the hilt of a thin, slightly curved sword sheathed at his waist and his intense grey eyes studied the peaceful valley where he had been raised. Throughout his journeys, he always remembered the sights and scents of this valley. Tathan closed his eyes and felt the breeze caress his cheek as it had in his childhood. It brought the sounds of bees finding the first blossoms of the year. Other insects buzzed through the valley hoping the birds would be too busy singing their songs to feast upon them.

The sun had risen just an hour ago. Tathan knew it would take a full day and night’s travel to make it to the eastern side of the valley where he used to live, so he adjusted his travel pack on his shoulders and continued on. There was no path or road; his parent’s house being the only dwelling in the valley. Snowcapped mountains surrounded wild grasses which were dotted with groves of trees and crossed by small streams. The sky was deep blue with wisps of clouds that would likely become afternoon thunderstorms. It was early spring and flowers were beginning to bloom, mingling their scents with that of fresh grass.

Growing up, few people had come through to visit. It was a safe, remote place free of the wars, thievery, politics and various ills of civilization that prevailed throughout the rest of the world. The only religion Tathan had grown up with was a simple spirituality and knowledge of the ways of nature. Just being back in this valley was almost enough to bring a smile to his face, but he hadn’t smiled in quite a while.

Tathan abruptly jumped at a noise from his right, rapidly drawing his sword. He moved low to the ground in the direction he thought the sound had come from, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then he scrutinized the small mountain trail behind him for danger, finding nothing. The breeze ruffled his hair as he scanned the rest of the valley and the sun glistened off of a small, opal tipped piercing in his eyebrow and the golden earrings which hung from his ears. An unseen danger whispered on that breeze. Tathan stayed in a defensive position for a few moments, waiting for something to materialize. When nothing did, he sheathed his sword and continued the journey home, his senses remaining alert. He must remember not to be so jumpy when he returned home.

Tathan loped across the valley at a good pace. He wore dark leather clothing over his thin frame and moved much like a panther gliding over the grass. Some had underestimated his strength in the past for he was not built as a brawler, his true abilities being speed and stealth. Hours passed before he eventually slowed to a walk.

It was good to be able to run again. A person could not run through city streets without attracting stares. The mountain pass he had just come through was not made for running either, being too steep. Tathan reached into his pack to grab sustenance as he looked around once more. Sheep roamed freely to the north of him, staying together to protect themselves from the occasional predator. Tathan remembered having to round them up for wool and meat when he was younger. It was a simpler life then.

The rest of the day passed without incident. Flowers were in bloom while bees and insects went merrily about their business. It amused Tathan to think of insects as merry, but it was the way of things here. The thought of camping for the night crossed his mind, but he had been traveling for months and his sleep had been disturbed by dark dreams.

As the sun began to touch the western mountains, Tathan stopped to rest for a bit and cook a warm meal of rabbit he had caught along the way. It took a few minutes to set a fire pit and gather some sticks from a grove of trees nearby and water from a small stream. The clouds hadn’t delivered upon their promise of afternoon rain so the wood was dry. A gesture and a word sent a swirl of flame from his fingertips to light the campfire. Tathan prepared the rabbit then warmed roots he had dug out of the ground earlier. It was a good meal. He leaned against his travel pack to relax for a bit while eating.

All of a sudden, Tathan rolled to the left and jumped into the air before landing on his toes. His sword slashed through the air, then again, and once more. Tathan jumped aside looking for the next person to fight. There was no one, no one at all. In the dim light of the moons and the lingering coals of the campfire, Tathan saw that the only thing he had wounded was thin air. He was certain the air would recover. After a quick search of the area; he extinguished the fire completely, grabbed his travel pack and continued on toward home.

The world of Ryallon was vast. Many scholars believed it would take a lifetime to go from one end to the other; some said it couldn’t be done in a lifetime. Two moons lit the night sky for him to travel by. Siahray, the closest, was blue and green. It was three quarters full in the southern sky. Piohray was small and far from the world. Red and orange colors swirled around the surface though this was hard to tell unless one stared at it for a while. It was half full near the eastern horizon. Shortly after midnight, Tathan thought he saw a dragon cross the sky in front of Siahray. A few minutes later he saw a burst of brilliant white to the north. The thought of dragons playing in the sky pleased him. It was not a sight one saw in the cities.

It was morning when Tathan saw the smoke of a fireplace rising in the distance. He would make it in time for breakfast and his stomach growled hungrily at the thought. Before long he was close enough to smell cooking food. The sun peeked over the mountains ahead as he approached the house, an old place built by his great, great, a few more greats, great grandfather or something. It was made of grey stone with a thatched roof and faced the southern mountains. He had been told as a child that the stone was bound by magic, making it strong. Two other houses had been built when the family expanded at some point in the past. They stood empty, used only for storage. Only Tathan, his parents and his older sister, Mariah, had lived there in his youth. The large barn behind the house was stone as well. A brook he had played in as a child babbled merrily nearby. On the other side of the brook were the woods where he used to explore.

The sun’s amber light had just reached the chimney top of the house when Tathan stopped, taking in the scene before him. The thing he remembered most about his childhood was wanting to leave. Every chance he got, Tathan would run off to explore the woods, climbing up trees to hide from his parents so that he wouldn’t have to do chores or go to bed. He explored further with every year he aged, going beyond the woods to the base of the mountains, trying to find roads out of the valley. At first his father beat him for running off, but eventually gave up when he realized that his son would just run farther and hide better the next time.

“Mother! Mother!” A young woman had just come around from the back of the house and spotted him, breaking his reverie. She ran to the front porch and with a look over her shoulder, dashed in the door. Tathan stared at the door for a moment. There hadn’t been anyone younger living here when he was growing up. His sister would be much older now. It had been fourteen years since last he was home. This was his home wasn’t it? This was the valley he grew up in wasn’t it? . . . Yes . . . It had to be.

A tall, attractive woman of middle age walked out, wiping her hands on an apron that protected her yellow dress from stains. “Hello, traveler! We don’t get many people visiting in this valley,” she said in a strong and cheerful voice with a welcoming smile. Her black hair was beginning to go grey, the same color as her eyes. The same color as Tathan’s eyes. “Traveler? Are you well? Do you need aid?” The woman spoke to Tathan again with a worried expression.

He shook his head to clear it. “Hmm? Yes. I’m alright. Pardon me, but I don’t recognize you.” Tathan said in a quiet voice.

The woman paused and looked closely at Tathan. “I don’t recognize you either. Should I?”

“I was raised here. My name is Tathan.”

There was dawning realization on her face then a smile as she spoke. “Tathan? . . . I know that name. You’re Ellin’s son, left some fourteen years ago. Welcome home nephew.” The young woman who had rushed inside came back out to stand timidly next to her mother. The older woman made introductions. “My name is Sherrie and this is my daughter, Liselle. Will you join us for breakfast?”

“Yes, thank you. Are my mother and father home, and Mariah, my sister?” Tathan saw the two women look at each other in silence. He knew immediately that something had happened to his family.

“Your mother is here, but. . .” She continued after a brief pause. “Your father left his body to the ground some ten years ago. His body gave out,” she explained. “Seven years ago, your sister Mariah felt pain in her side for some days before she also died. I am so very sorry.” There were tears in the eyes of both women as they looked at him sympathetically. Tathan felt tears in his own eyes as well.

Sherrie came forward with arms outstretched to give him a hug and share his grief. Tathan jumped back, his sword instantly drawn and aimed at the woman. There was fear in his aunt’s eyes as she gaped at the dark blade. She dashed back to her daughter, both of them holding each other, staring at the young man who had suddenly become dangerous and threatening. Tathan bit his lip to hold back his tears. His body had moved instinctively as it always did these days. Too many people rushed at him in hostility. He put back his sword as quickly as he could, shamed by his reaction.

“I’m so sorry. . . I didn’t mean. . . Please, forgive me.” Tathan stood there, tears flowing down his eyes as the loss registered. It was terrible to think that he would never see them again. He closed his eyes, remembering them in his mind. He could still see them smiling at him. Though he had known it would be a possibility, the knowledge they were gone brought great pain to his heart. A deep breath brought Tathan back to present time once more. He wiped his eyes and refocused on his aunt and cousin only to see two men moving up to them. One had a pitchfork and the other wielded a thick piece of wood.

The man with the pitchfork moved forward. His voice was gruff. “Here now, stranger we won’t be asking for trouble nor will we be expecting any.”

Sherrie stopped him with an arm in front of his chest. “He’s family, Scott. He’s also fast with that sword and I wouldn’t like to see you bleed, Husband.”

Scott turned to Sherrie, giving her a dark look for doubting his ability to protect her. “Well now, family then?” Scott looked at Tathan more closely, then at Sherrie, then Liselle. “He has the same eyes as you. I’ll believe he’s family.”

“My mother is here you said? And is she well? . . .” Tathan trailed off, ignoring what Scott believed.

Sherrie responded quickly. “Oh yes. She’s inside! Ellin!” she hollered back toward the house. “Ellin, you must come out. Tathan has returned home to us.” Tathan wanted to move closer, but could not bring himself to do so. He just stood there waiting. A moment later his mother came out. She was much older than when he left, which was to be expected he supposed.

“Tathan? Tathan, is that you?” she asked in a high toned voice. There was a resemblance to Sherrie and he could see the women were definitely sisters. His mother’s hair had gone completely grey though. “Tathan? Is it really you?” She moved close to him. “Your eyes, they are the same but . . . so . . . haunted. . .” Luckily Tathan didn’t draw his sword this time. It wouldn’t do to scare his mother.

“Hello, Mother. I’m so sorry about father and Mariah.” The sobs broke from him now. Ellin came in and held her son in a strong embrace. After a few moments, they separated. Tathan dried his eyes with his sleeves while his mother dried hers on her apron. “I’m sorry mother. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’m sorry I. . .” Tathan trailed off.

She patted his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Tathan, my son. Don’t worry yourself over what has gone before. They thought well of you. They missed you, but we all knew you were a traveling spirit. How are you, Son?” Ellin reached up to run fingers through his short curly hair. “You’re different, Tathan. Your eyes. . . What have they seen? Why are they so haunted my son?” It was as though she wanted to ask a hundred questions without giving him the time to answer any of them.

“I . . .” Tathan didn’t really know what tell her about his time away. So much had happened to him. “So . . . this is my Aunt Sherrie and Cousin Liselle?” he deflected lamely.

His mother stared at him for a moment then turned to make introductions. “Yes, and this is Scott, Sherrie’s husband. Laremy is Scott’s brother. They arrived shortly after your father’s death.” Scott and Laremy came over to shake Tathan’s hand. They were both strong men with blond hair and blue eyes. Laremy looked to be the older brother. Tathan shook their hands and nodded to them each in greeting, saying nothing.

He turned to his mother, taking in her grey hair and the wrinkles aging her face. “Aunt Sherrie mentioned breakfast? I’ve traveled a ways without a good meal.”

Ellin smiled at her son. “But of course, Tathan. Come inside. Sit with us and tell us of your journeys.”

As they walked inside, Tathan looked around to see that everything was still as he remembered. Well-used rugs were scattered over the stone floor of the large living room. Chairs and a few small tables were spread around, most directed toward the fireplace, which held a warm morning fire. The ceiling was made of wood braced by thick beams stained dark brown. Old tapestries hung on stone walls, made by grandparents and great grandparents. The quality was as fine as any owned by nobles whose houses he had wandered through while they slept. This was where the family had gathered since the house had been built.

“Come to the dining room, Tathan. The food is ready.” His mother gestured to the room on the left where they ate all of their meals. Aromas of cooking meat, eggs and fresh bread filled the house. He went through the opening and into the large dining room. The wooden floor, which had seen generations of feet, was swept and clean. More tapestries lined the walls in here as well. Tathan ran his fingers down the large wood table, wondering how many meals had been set upon it over the generations.

His Aunt Sherrie gestured to a chair on the near side of the table. “Won’t you sit here?” He took the offered seat as the other men sat down in their places. The women brought the food in wooden dishes then sat down as well, his mother taking the seat to his right. Tathan’s plate was filled with food quickly. There were places where he had eaten amazing meals in his travels, but nothing ever seemed as good as home. Every bite was savored and he closed his eyes here and there, smiling at the flavors that burst through his mouth.

“I’d guess you like the food by the smile on your face, Cousin,” Liselle, on his left, said in a melodious voice. She had long, black wavy hair and was wearing a dark blue dress suitable for doing chores in. Her eyes were grey, much like his, but gentler. Tathan found his gaze drawn to a flower in her hair. It was bluish-purple in color and he got the distinct impression it was watching him as much as everyone else was.

Liselle was a pretty young woman, the kind who would find an unpleasant life in many of the cities Tathan had traveled through. The thought made him look back down to the food on his plate. In doing this he missed the worried looks his family exchanged with each other.

“You worry me, son. I’ve said it twice and I say it again. You look haunted.” His mother’s face was filled with concern for him. Everyone else at the table had gone quiet. “Tathan, what happened in your time away?”

It was a difficult question to answer. “Well. . .” Tathan tried to decide what to say. He sighed. “I. . . don’t know. A lot of things have happened. I’ve seen . . . things.” He looked around the room for a way to escape the conversation. There was nothing of help. “The world isn’t peaceful like it is here. Please, Mother, what matters is that I’m here.”

Ellin smiled sadly at her son. “Of course, my dear Tathan. You’re here and that truly is what matters.” She smiled and reached for his hand, taking hold of it with her own calloused hands, gripping firmly to comfort him. “You are here. It’s so good to see you. I’ve worried so much since you left.” Tathan returned both her smile and her grip.

“How long are you here, Tathan? For good or just visiting?” Laremy had a deep voice, warm and welcoming. His smile was welcoming as well. Both men had quickly gotten over the confrontation outside.

“I don’t know honestly. I didn’t even realize I was coming home until I saw the trail through the mountains. There it was, and I was traveling on it.” Tathan gave them a wry smile. He had been escaping from troubles in the south and hadn’t realized he was near the trail until coming to a small village at the base of the mountains.

Scott nodded toward the sword on Tathan’s hip. “You seem to know how to wield that thing. I probably wouldn’t be much of a challenge for you with my pitchfork would I?”

“I’m sorry, Scott, but no. I . . . am dangerous when a sword is in my hand,” Tathan said. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially not his family. “You may have noticed that I. . .” He found himself pausing a lot. He didn’t like talking about himself. “I’ll be very careful not to hurt you. I promise.” Instead of reassuring his family, his words made their eyes widen in worry. Tears of sadness flowed down his mother’s cheeks again. “Here now, mother. Don’t cry for me. I’m alright, really,” he said.

She responded, “Oh I know, dear. I just worry.” Ellin fanned herself with her hand, controlling her tears. “I can see you’ve grown, but I also see that peace eludes you.”

Tathan gave a short laugh. “True, but I found the adventure I wanted.” He took her hands into his and held them to his forehead, then hugged her tightly. “I love you, mother.”

Ellin sobbed into her son’s shoulder for a few moments. Sherrie and Liselle dabbed at tears that formed in their eyes at the emotional moment.

After finishing breakfast, they moved to the living room and talked for a bit about life in the valley. The weather was an important subject. Winter had been mild and spring had started strong, giving the men hope for good crops and gardens. Hunting and gathering supplemented small crops of vegetables and grains. The sheep that roamed were used for food as well. Life was good, if simple.

Tathan avoided talking about his travels when asked, preferring to listen to his family. He felt his eyes beginning to droop before long.

“Laremy and I were going hunting for deer today. We should get going if we want to be back before nightfall. Would you like to go with us, Tathan?” Scott asked as he pulled a bow and quiver off of the wall. Laremy grabbed his as well.

“No. . . Thank you. I haven’t had sleep in a couple of days, so I wouldn’t be much use to you,” Tathan responded. He really did feel tired, but it was a relaxed tired. It was good to feel warm and safe for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

“Liselle, get your cousin set up in the east bedroom. He’ll be comfortable there, I’m sure,” Sherrie said.

“Yes, mother,” Liselle responded and then turned to Tathan. “You probably know the way, but I’ll show you anyway.” She beamed a smile at him.

“Thank you. I’m really tired, so there’s a good chance I’d get lost,” he jested. Tathan knew every inch of the house, but he was road weary. It was nice to have someone show him the way.

Once in the room, she turned down the covers and closed the shutters. Liselle looked to be a couple of inches shorter than his six feet of height. “There, it should be nice and dark for you to sleep,” she said. Her voice was like a soft stream running through the forest. “I’d love to hear about the places you visited. They must be wonderful.” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands in excitement.

“They’re exciting . . . but not always wonderful. The idea of seeing them may sound fun now, but were you to visit those places . . .” his words trailed off ominously. Shaking himself of the dark thoughts, he continued, “I’m sorry. It’s not good for me to come in here to scare you like that.”

She chuckled. “It’s alright. My father and uncle try to scare me all the time. I want to see the world. I know it’s dangerous, but I don’t care.” Determination showed in her eyes.

“I see,” he responded quietly. “That’s understandable. I felt the same way after leaving and would probably do the same thing again.” Tathan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “This is home, but it’s not exciting. There’s no adventure.”

“Then you think I should be allowed to explore the world?” Liselle looked hopeful at the thought of an ally.

“No. It’s a bad place and most people die quickly in it,” he said. Tathan realized that was an overly harsh view of the world, but it was how he had come to feel.

“Oh.” Her face was crestfallen. “Of course. Well, I should get to chores now. Mother will be wanting my help.”

Tathan placed a gentle hand on her upper arm. “If you wish to explore the world, then you can always go. There comes a point where your life is yours to live even though it may hurt others.” He looked into her eyes with sincerity.

“Really?” Liselle bit her lower lip in thought. “I don’t know what to do honestly. Mother wants to take me to Rothton to find a husband.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“That’s where my mother is from, which means Aunt Sherrie is from there too, right?” he asked.

“Yes. But I don’t want to get married. I want to explore the world, have adventures and find a handsome prince!” Liselle twirled with her arms in the air.

Tathan chuckled at his cousin. “I understand. That’s exactly how I felt when I left . . . well, minus the part about the handsome prince.” He grinned at her.

“Oh, but you would make such a lovely bride for a handsome prince,” she said with a laugh. Her laughter was bright and innocent. Then she sat down on the bed with a wistful sigh. “I really don’t want to go to Rothton to find a husband. What am I to do, Tathan?” she asked.

Why was she asking him? He didn’t know what she should do. “I’m not sure what would be best,” he shrugged. “It seems like women are always supposed to get married; men too I suppose.” His cousin turned to listen to him as he sat next to her. “My parents wanted me to go to Rothton to find a wife. Father was upset when I refused.”

“I didn’t know that,” she responded.

He nodded, “He didn’t hold on to his anger. Father realized I was going to leave. He sat with me and told me what little he knew of the world. Then he let me know that he loved me.” Tathan finished with a smile.

“That’s really nice, but I don’t think my father will be quite so understanding.” Liselle twisted her lips wryly. She stood up from the bed and said, “Well, I need to do my chores. Get some rest. I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.” With that she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Tathan sat on the bed a little longer. He felt relaxed for the first time in a long time. After a bit, he went to the window and opened the shutters to look outside. It was a beautiful day. Birds were singing their lovely songs in the trees. Flowers were in bloom and their fragrance filled the air. There were a lot more flowers than he ever remembered seeing. Tathan took a deep breath then exhaled, letting some of the tension flow from his body. It was so nice to relax for the first time in ages.

He stayed at the window for a time, then went to bed for some rest. The covers were soft, cool and smelled of spring air. Tathan drew his sword and lay it down next to him as usual, but couldn’t sleep. Getting up, he sheathed his sword and leaned it against the nightstand instead. A moment later, he was resting peacefully.

If you would like to read more, go here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31154

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About the Author

John H. Carroll was the youngest of seven children and was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1970 where he was kept in a dresser drawer with the clean socks. Luckily he wasn’t kept with the dirty socks or else he might have grown up to become slightly warped.

As a child, John spent most of his time wandering through the Mojave Desert in an attempt to avoid people. He would stare at the sky, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. One of his favorite memories is watching his dad build the fuselage of Evil Kneivel’s skycycle in their garage. One of his least favorite moments was watching that skycycle fall into the Snake River. (Not his dad’s fault and he has documentation to prove it, so nyah)

As a teenager, John spent most of his time driving wherever he could in an attempt to avoid people. He would stare at the road, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. He was the captain of the chess team and lettered in golf and band while in high school and wasn’t beaten up anywhere near as much as one might imagine.

As an adult, John spent most of his time staring at a computer screen in an attempt to avoid people. He stares at the monitor for hours, imagining what it would be like to explore different worlds. He has been married to his wonderful wife for 14 years and they have three obnoxio . . . wonderful children who always behave . . . when they’re asleep.

Rojuun is the first book of a series that will continue for a while. He writes in the evenings and weekends whenever possible. Regrettably, the family mentioned in the previous paragraph desires food and shelter, requiring the author to possess a full time job until such time as his writing makes him rich.

John Carroll’s author page at smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/johnhcarroll

His book, “Rojuun” is here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31154

Follow him on twitter at http://twitter.com/kookoo88 if you like insane ramblings and random comments.

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