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 7th 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
