WEP - CLOSE ENCOUNTER

Photo by Alexander Jawfox on Unsplash

STRANGE BLUE LIGHTS

Sarah listened to the wind, but the howl she heard was more animal than weather related. She wanted to ask Chet but didn't want to wake him. Shivering despite the warmth of her down-filled parka and the extra blankets, Sarah felt the breeze on her face. She covered all but her eyes and finally succumbed to the call of dreamland.

Chet also listened to the winds whipping around the mountaintop and their tiny shelter. His worries grew with each gale as he recognized the distinct cry of the wolf. But exhaustion took hold despite his concern, and he also yielded to the sandman.

Sarah was awake three hours later. Her broken leg was causing severe discomfort. She wanted to shift position, but any movement of her body worsened the pain. Then she felt a deep vibration like a deep-ground earthquake. It lasted less than a minute, but an odd, eerie blue light immediately appeared outside the plane's ice-covered windows. It grew brighter as it moved closer. So bright she had to squint. She wanted badly to sit up, but that was when she noticed a tall man standing over her. She tried to scream but couldn't.

How could she warn Chet? She was mute and frozen in place. The alien's eyes locked on hers. Large and diamond-shaped with a cobalt blue pupil, the iris was that same brilliant azure color of the light surrounding him. Even the sclera was a pale blue, or was it just a reflection? While he held her gaze, she noted his height as seven feet or eight. It was hard to tell as she was so low to the floor. And his skin, a dark gray, almost black. Was he wearing a body suit? If so, it was skintight and showed well-defined muscles and washboard abs. But like a Ken doll, he had no genitalia, and his legs were just as muscular as his upper torso. No hair, no nose or mouth. Long fingers, ten digits, but not human, clearly not human, she thought.

But his eyes held her, large, probing, hypnotic. Is this a dream? I'm awake? Is he a rescuer? Why can't I move? Panic rose as Sarah watched the tall, perfectly formed creature walk away. No! Please don't leave!

Once the creature was gone, Chet stirred and immediately jumped to his feet, grabbed the shotgun, and shouted, "Wait," as he disappeared into the blue light.

Sarah could finally move, but immobile, she felt helpless and frightened beyond words. She placed her hand on her womb, "It's all right, little one. It's going to be all right. I promise."

Outside, Chet stood uncomprehending what was happening. He saw no one, not even tracks, in the fresh snowfall. But he did hear a loud whoosh as the air and snow around him flew straight up from the ground, covering the area in a white fog. Then it grew quiet. No sound, not even wind. Chet looked to the sky, and a flash of lights ascended into the clouds. Was it real?

He rushed back inside. Seeing the fear in Sarah's eyes told him it was, but it also calmed his nerves. He switched on the LED lamps and stirred the fire. "It's a good thing Steve had all the furniture crafted of burnable material and ordered fire logs as part of your safety equipment. Still, in these storms, we'll go through it fast. It's critical that we get below the tree line where we'll have ample firewood for these cold nights. "Sorry, I don't mean to ramble. What do you say, since we're both awake? A cup of cocoa?" he asked in a surprisingly cheerful voice.

"Yes, please," Sarah whispered. Watching him closely, she wondered why he didn't mention the strange man and the blue lights.

After melting snow in a pot over the fire, she watched him prepare the concoction, adding the powdery cocoa mixture and marshmallows to each cup.

"It's hard to believe we're stranded on a mountaintop, but we have marshmallows for hot chocolate," he said as he handed her a mug.

"Amazing that we have cocoa," she said, still shocked by his response to what had just happened. She watched the white mellows melt, blew on the concoction, and took a small sip. "Perfect. Thank you," she said, her eyes full of questions.

He sat down on the floor beside her. "I'm sorry I woke you. I just wanted to check the storm."

"You saw him, right?" She barely whispered as she clutched her hot chocolate in both hands—"the blue lights. I thought we were rescued, but I couldn't move. Not until he quit looking at me?"

Chet forced a smile. "A dream. A shame too. Rescue would be wonderful. But now I'm doubly sorry you woke up that way." He lied because he knew better. He saw the man, the blue lights, and those haunting eyes, and he, too, couldn't move until the gaze was broken. But denying it as a nightmare was the only way for the unexplainable to remain unspoken. He preferred it to be a shared nightmare rather than reality because they already had too many worries.

"You're shivering. I might be able to find another parka," Chet said.

"No, I'm fine. The chocolate will warm me up from the inside," Sarah said and tried to give him her best smile, but on the inside, she was screaming. Who was that? It wasn't human. Oh, God, it wasn't human.

They drank their cocoa in silence and despite the necessity of conserving battery life. Chet left the LED lanterns on all night.

~~*~~

936 Words

Yolanda Renée © 2023

Tagline: Even witnessed phenomenon is not proof.

This is an excerpt from the 7^th book of my Alaskan Series, Murder on Mount Fairweather, coming out December 2023. The first night after their plane crashes, this encounter occurs. At this point, I've not decided whether it makes the book, but it was fun to write.

XXX