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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781544681368 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | CreateSpace Publishing |
| Publication date: | 03/22/2017 |
| Pages: | 182 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.39(d) |
About the Author
Roxanne can be reached at hyperlight@hyperwarp.com.
Publications (Novels):
• Revolutions
• Sacred Trust
• Alien Innkeeper
• Kaiku
• An Alien Perspective
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
I opened my eyes and gagged. I discovered myself face down, with my mouth wide open to the grass beneath me. I lifted my head, rolled my body to the right, and sat up.
Where am I?
An unfamiliar environment greeted me.
To get a better view of my surroundings, I stood and took a couple of stiff and hesitant steps. Then I stopped. A small enclosed compound surrounded me, and I found six or seven other young adults struggling to their feet or moving about. Few words were being spoken. The others appeared as stunned as I.
My head is killing me!
A metal fence enclosed our grass carpeted compound. The sunshine glinted off the six foot high, mesh-like fence. A large box occupied one corner of our prison. To add to my confusion, the sun appeared as strange as the purple-hued grass.
I walked toward where our fence connected to the corner box. I surveyed my surroundings.
What's this?
My mind froze in confusion, and I found myself breathless.
Over the top of the box, I'd spied an adjacent compound inhabited by strange beings. These humanoid aliens had all the same body parts as we did, but that's where any resemblance stopped. Their baldness and large ears complemented their dark mottled skin. They had a tall, slim physique. My appearance had instantly stopped their restless movements.
One being was close to my location. Neither of us moved as we stared intently at each other over the top of the box.
The alien's clothing appeared soft, supple, and camouflaging. Our closeness allowed me to observe that his skin was consistent with his clothing.
Unnerved, the alien similarly undressed me. I felt like I was on display, but I realized the feeling was probably mutual.
"Where are they from?" I mumbled out loud.
"We are from the planet Temma," the alien answered.
Instinctively, I took a big step backward. Then I grunted, after I stumbled and almost landed on my ass. I needed to get a handle on my reactions.
"You speak English?"
"Unlikely. Take a look at what is around your neck." The alien lifted an upper appendage — very similar to a hand — and pointed at me.
In my confusion, I hadn't discovered an object hanging on a cord around my neck. I reached up and grabbed it. A small black metal object with lights, numbers, and letters on its surface filled my clenched fist.
"I believe we have all been given universal translators."
"Who are you?" I blurted. I don't know why those words popped out of my mouth.
"As I said, I am a Temman male, and my name is Stire."
I should respond, I thought.
"Oh, ah, ah, my name is Cyn. Actually, Cyn-Tia Silverthorne, but just call me Cyn. And I am a girl, I mean female, of the human species."
Get a grip, idiot. You sounded really stilted.
"Where are we? What're we doing here? Did you bring us?" I stammered. By this time, the rest of the humans had gathered behind me.
I tried to read Stire's body language and facial expressions, but my overloaded senses failed me.
Unexpectedly, Stire thrust his hand toward me. Startled, I put my hand on the box between us to steady myself.
A harsh beep erupted, and I jumped. The loud sound made both of us take a closer look.
The large closed container was about eight feet on a side, and had no distinguishing marks.
Glancing around, I discovered four fenced compounds surrounded the box. Apparently, one for each of the races — human, Temman, and two unknown, obviously alien, groups.
Stire stood in front of the box where it protruded into his compound. As brave, or as foolish as I, he reached out to touch it himself. A similar sound to the first pinged on our consciousness.
At the second loud beep, the inhabitants of all compounds started walking warily toward the central box. An alien from one of the other two compounds touched the box and the same beep zinged through the air.
Nothing happened, so the three of us just stared at each other.
Enough of this inaction!
"You, touch the box!" I said, pointing at the nearest alien in the remaining compound.
After a pause, an apparently female alien responded.
"Why should I do what you say? We Irandi do not cooperate with strangers."
And I bet we 're very strange!
Before I had a chance to respond, Stire interjected, "Although I do not know what is going on, I do not believe that any of us caused this situation. So we will have to cooperate — at least to the extent of gathering information." He paused, and then said, "At the moment, someone from each of three compounds has touched this box and nothing has happened, except for the beeps. So, I think someone from your compound should also touch the box."
"Maybe the fourth could be anyone?" the Irandi responded.
Stire gestured to another Temman. Nothing happened after the second Temman touched the box.
We turned to the Irandi. After a moment's hesitation, she touched an appendage to the box.
A fourth beep sounded, and a package spewed out onto my feet. From the movements of the other aliens, they'd obviously also received a delivery.
The lizard-like Irandi was the first to pick up its package. Nothing happened, so my fear of a bomb was unfounded; although, thinking back later, my notion wasn't very logical.
My package contained a few pages covered in writing, so I started to read. I'd never been able to resist reading anything put in front of me.
"Cyn, are your notes written in your own language?" Stire asked.
"Yes, they are. And yours?"
"Yes. My notes say to confer with my own people and discuss the contents of the package."
If I could read an alien, Stire appeared confused. The other two held their packages as far in front of themselves as they could, and their actions reeked of uncertainty.
I had no argument. I desperately needed information about our predicament.
"Why don't we each join our own group and discuss what we've found. Meet back here in a little while?" I suggested. I assumed the differing physical gestures made by the aliens showed their agreement because they started to walk away.
I turned around and proceeded toward the far corner of the human compound. As I traveled, I gathered up the other humans. I sat against the fence and looked around — definitely not Earth. In addition to the unusual purple-tinted grass, the air had a faint whiff of a herb. Not close enough to any Earth herb for me to recognize, but pleasant, nonetheless. However, my anxiety intruded, and I needed to stop my examination of my surroundings.
So I picked up my papers and started to read, but voices intruded.
"What's happening? Where are we?"
"What's in the package?"
"What are those other beings? Are they aliens?"
The voices overlapped and a little hysteria rose to the surface.
After I raised my hand, quiet eventually descended upon my group. I counted eight of us, and we all appeared to be older teenagers.
"I have no information yet; let me read these notes. Perhaps the answers are in here." I started to organize the papers on my lap.
"Don't keep anything from us," said a fairly tall, dark skinned guy, shaking his short brown hair.
Irritated, I looked up. "I'm going to read these papers out loud, as I said before."
"My name is Hamza, and you didn't say you were going to read everything to us."
A couple of people hushed him. To diffuse the situation, I decided the time had come to introduce ourselves. Our group consisted of four females and four males, and we appeared to be from different backgrounds. Is this an important fact?
After the introductions, the humans settled down.
"The first note in this package is the instruction to read and discuss all of the following items with everyone else in your group. So that's what I'm doing." I tried not to sound annoyed. "There are ten items. Let me just read all of them out loud, and then we can discuss each item separately."
Then I said, "Listen carefully.
"1. We have brought you here, from your home planet, for a reason, which will not be revealed at this time.
"2. You will be living and working in an integrated village with the other species.
"3. The four people who each received this package will form your Managing Committee. The members of this committee cannot be changed. Their DNA is required to open the supply box.
"4. The Managing Committee will receive instructions and supplies each morning. The Managing Committee will be your government.
"5. Today's instructions and supplies are waiting in the supply box.
"6. Around your neck is a universal translator, which also incorporates a timepiece and a recording device.
"7. There is clothing and footwear for each individual in the supply box. Discard your old items.
"8. Do not attempt to leave. There is nowhere to go.
"9. Discuss your situation for a few moments.
"10. Then the Managing Committee must meet at the supply box."
I dropped the list in my lap and tried to slow my breathing. My confusion escalated — I'd just gained consciousness in a strange location with no clue about my situation, and now I was in charge? From the stunned looks on the faces in front of me, I gathered the others experienced a similar shock.
"This isn't fair. I want to go back to Earth," said the green-eyed girl, Janet Kahn. The force with which she brushed her red, curly hair out of her face said everything. "I never thought abduction by aliens would be part of my life."
Her statement nailed our predicament and forced me, at least temporarily, to ignore my own feelings.
"Janet, it does seem pretty rotten. My major concern is the why of the situation. Why are we here? We don't even know who brought us." I paused for a moment. "I'm guessing it's another type of alien we haven't met." The number of different aliens overwhelmed me — although, on another level, my excitement grew.
Hamza brought me back to earth — actually, my expression didn't quite fit.
"I don't understand why you're on the Managing Committee — I should be. I'm in charge of many programs on Earth," he said.
Although I thought Hamza was exactly the wrong person to be on a committee, I decided on tact. "Perhaps you should be, but I don't see how we can change anything. These instructions are pretty explicit." I pointed to the sheets in my lap.
Hamza pursed his lips.
"There's nothing else in this envelope, so it doesn't look like we're going to receive any more insights at the moment." I'd started to put the instructions back in the envelope when Tommy approached.
"Cyn, I'm a journalism student, and I wondered if I could take those papers. We should start a journal on what's happened to all of us. And since these gadgets are apparently recording devices too, I thought I'd record our instructions."
Tommy had a good idea. If nothing else, he'd help crystallize our thoughts.
"Good. I'll give you the papers a little later; I need them for now. But take this envelope; you can also be our archivist. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe we'll all write our memoirs." I couldn't bring myself to smile.
I continued, "It's time for me to meet the rest of the managing committee."
After that comment, the other seven followed me to the supply box.
CHAPTER 2
The supply box turned out to be a popular spot. The rest of the managing committee waited for me. I positively recognized Stire, but I wasn't sure about the other two aliens.
A few steps back from each member of the managing committee, the remainder of the abductees hovered in groups in their compounds. The humans appeared anxious and upset, and I was sure the aliens were also.
The four managing committee members studied each other.
"Stire, may I look at your instructions? I just want to compare your language with ours," I said, to break the ice.
So Stire and I traded. I flipped through his sheets of paper. Of course, I wasn't even sure if the sheets were made from paper. His written characters gave me an urge to solve a puzzle — not that I was any linguist.
The other two beings silently joined in our exchange.
After a few moments of studying the various versions, Stire said, "We should all introduce ourselves, as it appears we will be working together."
I had to agree. From what I could glean from our instructions, we had a lot to do.
"Okay, I'll start. My name is Cyn-Tia Silverthorne, but please call me Cyn. I'm from a planet called Earth. Parts of Earth are similar to the little I've seen so far of this planet, but I don't think this is Earth. For one thing, the sun and ground cover are slightly different." I took a deep breath. "What else? Oh, yes. I'm a female of my species, and I'm seventeen years old. Seventeen is equivalent to a teenager, or a young adult. I'm studying mathematics and computer science at school." For the time being, they didn't need any more information about me.
Next, Stire held up his hand. "I am Stire. You may call me Stire." I suspected Stire tried a little Temman humor. "I am from a planet called Temma. My age is five, but I believe it is equivalent to Cyn's age. I am male. Most of our planet is very dry, and certainly has less vegetation. I am currently studying chemistry, and I will shortly be moving to study water preservation." He sighed. "I hope."
Silence enveloped the four of us while we thought about our predicament.
Then an alien with mauve skin slightly darker than the others of its species began to speak. While doing so, a large raised band of flesh around its head moved slightly. "My name is Frakis a Kirba. I am from a planet called Reanno. Our planet would be classified as a water planet. Everywhere you look, you see water. Reanno is distinctly unlike Temma and this planet. We have a matriarchal society, and I am female."
Frakis hesitated, and then said, "The Kirba in my name indicates which clan I belong to. We have four clans: Kirba, Camp, Simo, and Brewst. Normally, we call each other by our whole name, but I will make an exception in this situation. You may call me Frakis. I am sixteen, which appears equivalent to everyone else." The band around Frakis's head settled down.
Frakis had certainly provided information to pursue. I wondered what she studied. Perhaps the Reannone didn't have a formal educational system.
The last member of our committee then spoke. The Irandi we'd forced to touch the supply box hesitated. We studied an upright lizard with yellow eyes and twelve fingers. "I am called Tine Jana. Tine is also a clan name — one of many. Only four appear to be represented at this location. Our planet is called Irandis. And, again, it is unlike our current location. Irandis is mostly tropical forest. Calling me Jana is correct. I have thirteen years, and I am female. We consider ourselves young adults at this age." Jana stopped talking and stepped back.
No one said a word, so I decided to babble. "This's so exciting. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine I'd meet real aliens — people that look and act so differently. All the stories I've read never prepared me for this moment!" I sighed. "Of course, I miss my family and friends. Don't take this the wrong way, but I wish I was home on Earth." My smile disappeared.
While talking, I'd noticed Stire looking at me with some speculation. I wondered what his thoughts were, or if I'd even read him accurately.
Stire spoke. "Since we four are the managing committee — through no decision of our own — we must discuss everything. We should have meetings every day because there will be much to plan. For our first action, we must open the supply box — we need to study our new instructions. Perhaps we will find clues as to why we are here. I must reiterate, we Temmans are upset regarding this abduction."
"Join the club," I murmured.
"What does join the club mean?" asked Frakis. "Is not a club used to hit something?"
"You're right. In our language, club does normally mean an instrument for hitting, but it also means a group of people joined together for a specific purpose." I smiled. "These universal translators are apparently not perfect. What I'm trying to say is we all seem to be reacting in the same way."
"Let us open this box," interrupted Stire, clearly impatient.
I studied the portion visible to me. Each quarter of the box top had an indentation. This is new, I thought.
Frakis said, "Put an appendage, or a hand, or whatever you call them, in your respective indent."
"Were these indentations here before? I don't remember them," I asked.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "An Alien Perspective"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Roxanne Barbour.
Excerpted by permission of CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
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