Chapter: 5

Play-At-Ease

Crabapple Farm was usually a happy, lively place, right up until bedtime. But tonight, the atmosphere inside the house was more solemn and tense. Of course, everyone was drained after such a long and exciting day. But the heavy mood wasn't due to everyday exhaustion, and it didn't help that the family was a bit at odds.

Moms and Daddy had heard all they wanted to hear about the U.F.O. Trixie's parents were sure their children had just seen an airplane or drone of some kind. But Trixie, Bobby, and Mart knew better. And after their initial quietness, they'd been ready to talk about their otherworldly experience.

And at first, their parents had listened patiently with open ears. But when the tale started to repeat and spin wildly out of control, the exasperated couple had hushed the youngsters and sent them upstairs to get ready for bed.

At that point, there'd been little else for Trixie to do anyway - other than making sure Bobby was safely tucked in between the sheets. Just because she'd seen a spaceship and was looking at the universe with a new pair of eyes, it didn't mean life had come to a stop. Things really weren't any different than they had been the night before. The tired girl's chores would still be waiting for her in the morning, and she needed a good night's sleep.

Thankfully, getting her little brother to brush his teeth and put on his pajamas turned out to be an easy task. Bobby was chatty but seemed to be more excited about the lightning bugs flashing in the jar on his nightstand than he was about seeing the U.F.O. He'd been anxious to crawl into bed - and had even rushed his big sister into turning out the lamp so he could enjoy his blinking nightlight. In the morning, before it got too light, the brother-sister pair would release the fireflies back into the woods. Until then, though, the two said their final goodnights.

Or so Trixie thought. After taking a cool shower, she headed to her room but was restless and unable to nod off once she'd slipped under the covers. Brian wasn't back from town yet, and that worried her. She hoped her brother and Jim were safe and that nothing had happened to Tom.

Trixie was also concerned about Honey, out there on the edges of the woods in that tiny trailer with Celia. There'd been a time when her friend would've been too frightened even to consider such a thing. It was true that Honey had become much braver since knowing Trixie. But her more adventurous companion knew that Honey's true courage stemmed from her selflessness. Only Trixie was also aware that the caring girl had to be mighty scared - especially after the Lynch twins' spine-chilling prediction that the spacecraft would be returning.

Finally giving up on falling asleep, Trixie gathered up her own nerve, and crawled out of bed, and pulled back the window curtains. She'd drawn them to feel safer. But it'd been silly to think that something as simple as two pieces of floral chintz might keep aliens at bay. Only the draperies had kept her from thinking every blinking airplane was another U.F.O.

Staring up at the night sky, the musing young lady tried to convince herself that perhaps Brian and Spider were right. Maybe the only thing the Bob-Whites had observed was an advanced military craft of some sort.

The twinkling stars overhead certainly seemed unthreatening. And the crickets, hidden in the bushes below the teen's window, chirped their relaxing serenade, just as they had every other summer night. "Yes," Trixie assured herself, "I've got nothing to fear."

Only this didn't stop her from jumping when she heard a series of light raps on the opposite side of her bedroom door.

"Hey, Trixie," came a low whisper from the hallway. "Are yous awake? I needs to talk to you. And Moms'll gets mad if she sees me out here."

Bobby's big sister let out a little laugh and told her baby brother to come in.

"Thanks," he said, after shutting the door and plopping down on her mussed-up bed. "I cames to tell you not to be scared. Your not scared, ares you, Trixie? You looked kinda scared when you kissed me ga'night. They only camed to say 'hi', you knows."

"Again with the 'They'?" his sister thought ominously, feeling sorry for the pint-sized guy. When Bobby was frightened, he usually slept in her room. So despite his brave front, Trixie assumed he'd come to spend the night.

"Oh, I see," his sister replied, trying to give the tot a reassuring smile. "That does make me feel better. Did big brother Mart tell you this?" she added, assuming Mart had.

"Naw," the serious tyke said. "I just knows it. And Larry and Terry knows it too."

Trixie suddenly felt a terrible chill. "Is that right," she said cautiously. "Is there anything else you just know, Bobby?"

Bobby picked up his sister's pillow and tucked it under his head as he lay back and thought real hard. "Wells…," he began, slowly, chewing his lip, "I knows they lives someplace called Play-At-Ease with their seven sisters. Larry and I are gonna go visit 'em when we'res astronauts. They also gots a cow. But it's a boy, cow."

Trixie had to try hard not to laugh. "Goodness," she replied. "This Play-At-Ease sounds like a mighty nice place to live."

Bobby's blue eyes rounded, and he sat up. "Yeah," he said, "but I don't plans on movin' there. I already gots one sister tellin' me what to dos all the time. I don't need seven sisters doin' it."

Oh, what an imagination the little boy had! "Seven sisters are quite a few," Trixie agreed, giggling.

Then, as Bobby was concurring, he got up and joined her at the window. Pointing at the sky above the garage, he said, "Play-At-Ease" is up theres. You can't sees it now. But when it's snowy, you can sees it. Theres are seven stars. And that's where their sisters and cow are at. Yous'll knows it cause it looks kinda like a lille bear."

Trixie looked in the area her brother had indicated, but she didn't see anything that remotely resembled a bear. But then, of course, Bobby had said you couldn't see it, so she wasn't sure why she was trying. Besides, planets looked like round balls, not furry animals of all things.

But before Bob's sister could comment, the young man let out a big yawn. "I'm gettin' awful tired," he admitted. "Sos if your not scared anymore, I'm goin' back to my room."

Trixie brushed Bobby's bushy mop of hair out of his eyes. "You're welcome to stay here with me?" she offered him sweetly. "We can bring your lighting bugs in here too if you'd like?"

Bobby shook his head, returning his hair to its messy natural state. "Naw," he said. "You snore, and I needs my sleep. Sos I'm gonna go. Luvs you, Trixie."

"I love you too, Bobby," she said.

And as the young man slipped out the door, Trixie heard the sound of tires on the gravel driveway outside. Brian was home, and as he made his way toward the front door, his sister could hear him whistling a merry sea shanty. Obviously, all was well, so maybe now she could relax.

Resuming her gaze into the night, a flashing streak of light whizzed across the heavens. Only this time, Trixie had no doubt. It was simply a shooting star, and so she made a wish.

The following day, before the sun had even popped its shining head above the horizon, Trixie already had the garden watered and Bobby's lightning bugs freed. Next on her agenda was to freshen up a bit before meeting Honey at the stables. The girls' weekly ride into Mr. Lytell's for the newspapers had become a tradition. And they liked being at the country store when the shopkeeper opened his door.

On Sundays, Mr. Belden enjoyed reading the sports section over a leisure cup of coffee. And on days like today, when the mercury was expected to push past ninety, Regan preferred the horses be exercised early. Besides, on this particular Sunday, Moms had also penciled in a full day of canning on her daughter's list. And Trixie needed to be finished by five. At five-thirty, the Bob-Whites were to join up at the boathouse on the Wheeler's lake for a quick swim and light dinner before their club meeting.

But running up the stairs, en route to the bathroom, Trixie was assaulted by the screaming whine of electric guitars pouring out from Mart's room. And while she did enjoy a good blowout from time to time, heavy metal, at seven o'clock am, was a little much. Especially after the late, restless night the family had had.

So coming to a stop in front of her brother's door, the agitated girl pounded on it and yelled, "Hey! Turn that down a notch. Are you trying to make us all go deaf?"

But when Trixie didn't get a reply, and the radio volume remained at its earsplitting level, she gave up. It was likely the silly goon had already lost his hearing, and it was useless to keep nagging him. Besides, the rushed girl was wasting time.

Finally reaching the bathroom, Trixie found another closed door. Already in a state of exasperation, she again made a fist and began banging as loudly as she could. "Time's up," she yelled at Brian inside, hoping he was able to hear her over the blaring music. "I'm on the schedule between seven and seven-fifteen, and it's already five past. So finish up whatever you're doing in there and get yourself out! And I mean pronto!"

As the tarnished brass doorknob rotated counterclockwise and a crack of light split the darkened hallway, Trixie's senses were again overpowered -this time by the drifting odor of spicy men's aftershave.

"Ewe!" she cried as Brian stepped out, vacating the sot after room. "What'd you do? Take a bath in that stuff? The deer flies are going to eat you alive on that golf course today."

Brian, who'd been shaving since he was fourteen, was always impeccably groomed. He never left a whisker untouched or had a hair out of place. However, it wasn't until the teen started working at the country club that he'd begun wearing the heady cologne. It'd been a gift from his Aunt Alicia at Christmastime, but he'd been a bit shy about wearing it.

Only now, it seemed to Trixie, that her oldest brother had suddenly gotten over his fear - and in a big way.

"You stink," she flat-out told him.

Brian gave her an unbothered grimace and then pushed the girl out of his way. "You just don't have any taste," he told her lightly. "Last night, when I took Honey home, she said I smelled as fresh as an ocean breeze."

Trixie grinned. Now she knew the reason Brian had gone overboard with the shave lotion -and also why he'd been whistling Drunken Sailor when he'd gotten in.

"Are you sure she didn't say you smelled like rotten fish?" the entertained girl giggled. "I'd be careful if I were you today, Brain. Someone's apt to toss you in the cuppers and turn the hosepipe on you!"

Paying the teasing young lady no mind, Brain headed off, and Trixie dashed into the bathroom before someone beat her to it.

Arriving at the Wheeler's stables a short time later, Trixie called out for Honey but got no reply. Doing so again, she drew Regan out of Starlight's stall, quieting her.

"Keep it down," the tall, red-headed groom said, "Honey's not here. She's waiting for you up at the garage. You'll have to bike into Lytell's today. Something spooked the horses last night, and I'm afraid they're still skittish. That means in flight mode, and the smallest thing could set them off. I don't want to risk one of you girls getting thrown and hurt."

"Do you know what scared them?" Trixie asked. She was afraid she already knew the answer, but the dark look on Regan's face neither confirmed nor denied it.

Stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his tan jodhpurs, the pensive man stared down at his shiny riding boots, appearing to be bothered by a scuff on one of the toes. If the Wheeler's groom had seen the U.F.O., he wasn't letting on.

"I don't know for sure," he replied, dodging the question. "But I was up in my room, in the middle of an action flick, when I heard a big ruckus coming from below. Rushing down, I found Jupe trying to buck his way out of his stall, and the other horses backed into the corners of theirs, all wild-eyed and trembling."

Trixie was instantly worried about Susie. The frisky sable mare was technically Miss Trask's horse, but everyone knew that Mr. Wheeler had actually purchased her for Trixie. And Trixie loved the beautiful creature as if she were her own.

Oh, Regan, is Susie OK?" she asked, in a voice just above a whisper. "May I go see her? Please may I?"

Regan smiled and admitted that a visit from the horse's favorite person would likely do it some good. "Go on," he said. "Just keep it low-key, and be sure to stay in front of her. If Sue's nostrils begin to flare, keep talking to her gently as you slowly back away. Then come and get me. Understand?"

Trixie nodded and promised Regan she'd stay alert, though she figured the protective groom was simply overreacting.

Only entering Susie's tidy stall, Trixie found the normally friendly young mare behaving shyly. Usually, the lovely horse would rush to her and nuzzle Trixie's shoulder in greeting. But today, Susie looked at her with eyes wide, seeming to say, "help me."

Reaching out to her hooved friend, the worried girl stroked the beast's great diamonded nose and cooed, "It's OK, Susie, there's nothing to fear. Bobby said, They only came to say 'hi'.

From behind the pair came a gentle laugh. Glancing back, Trixie found Jim Frayne, still dressed in the clothes he'd been wearing the day before. The young man had heavy circles under his eyes and looked as tired as Trixie felt.

"Good morning," she told him as she continued to stroke the shaken horse. "Long night?"

Jim smiled weakly and joined the two in the horse stall.

"You could say that," he admitted softly. "After Brian dropped me off, I came down to check on Regan, and it's lucky for him that I did. When I got here, Jupiter had Regan pinned against his side window grate and was this close to crushing the man's ribs." Jim held out his thumb and forefinger, indicating less than an inch of space. "Never did get back up to the house. Too bad you weren't here then, to tell Jupe, that They only came to say 'hi'. Whatever it was we witnessed last night; it certainly did a number on the poor fellow."

Trixie shuddered. Jupiter was a massive black stallion who was wild and stormy as his planetary namesake and as commanding and all-ruling as the Roman God for which sphere had been christened. Few had the strength and will to control the thundering giant, but Jim did. It was almost as if the two shared some deep-seated understanding of the need to feel free while still maintaining an air of stoic dignity.

"Somehow, I think Jupe would have been telling me 'goodbye' if I'd tried," Trixie replied with a small laugh. "But don't you find it odd, Jim, that he and the other horses got spooked by our 'friendly' party crasher when the dogs didn't? Could it have something to do with seeing the ship? I mean the dogs were right there. But the horses must have only sensed it from inside the stables."

Jim had to think about his reply, and he scratched at the back of his head as he did. "Horses look for things to be scared of," he finally said. "It's ingrained in their makeup. And they are hardwired to run when they find them. Dogs are different. They are descended from wolves, which are predators and bolder. But I certainly can't discount what you're saying, Trix."

Giving Susie a calming rub down her side, the serious boy hesitated, then added, "Want to hear something else odd?" he asked.

Trixie was all ears. She couldn't imagine how things could get much stranger. But this spaceship stuff was as fascinating as it was exciting - even if it was a little scary.

"Well," Jim began. "I think we experienced a time anomaly of some sort last night. How long would you guess it was between when you first spotted the U.F.O. and when Spider showed up?"

Trixie grimaced and shrugged her shoulders. "It all happened pretty fast. Fifteen minutes maybe?" she replied.

Jim raised his eyebrows and looked the pretty girl directly in the eyes. "That's what I thought, too," he said soberly. "But what if I told you it was actually closer to an hour and fifteen minutes? Didn't you wonder how Spider got from Sleepyside to the farm so quickly? Especially, given he'd talked to Mr. Lytell and a few others before swinging by to see us?"

Trixie hadn't stopped to consider that. But now that she did, it did seem mighty weird. "Gleeps," she breathed. "How did we lose track of all that time? That's almost as crazy as some of the things Bobby was telling me!"

The teenage girl then proceeded to tell her friend about the conversation she'd had with her youngest brother.

"Play-At-Ease!" Jim hooted. "I've always suspected that family blonde hair came with a good imagination. Now I've got proof." He reached to tug on a curl popping out from underneath Trixie's go-to ball cap but then suddenly grabbed her right arm instead. "Did you say 'seven sisters and a boy cow'?" he gasped.

"You heard me correctly," Trixie giggled, "Isn't that the silliest thing? Bobby and Larry Lynch plan to visit 'Them' in a rocket like the Sky Sleuth one day."

Only Jim no longer found it so comical. He told Trixie to finish telling Susie goodbye and then to meet him in Regan's office. There was something the young man wanted to show her on the P.C.

A few minutes later, Trixie found herself staring over Jim's shoulder at the display on the groom's desktop. Her friend had pulled up an astronomy website and was busy typing in the Belden's address.

"Do you have any idea what time it was when Bob pointed out the area over the garage where the stars would be?" he asked her absorbedly.

"It had to be close to midnight," Trixie replied. "We were all up terribly late."

Jim nodded and entered the data at the prompt. Then, as the screen filled with a sky chart, he rotated the map using the curser of Regan's mouse. Finally satisfied with the view, the intent boy used his finger and pointed at one of the constellations.

"This star cluster here is called the Seven Sisters," he explained. "It makes up the shoulder of the constellation Taurus the Bull. I think we've identified Bob's "boy cow". In December, right around twelve am, it'd be right where he indicated it'd be."

Trixie gasped, "Gleeps, you are a space detective, Jim! This is all too eerie. At least I don't see anything here that looks like a little bear," she added with a nervous laugh.

"Oh no?" Jim replied. "Take a closer look at the Seven Sisters. What constellation do they look like to you?"

Trixie placed her hands on the back of the young man's chair and leaned in a bit closer. "Well, I suppose they do resemble a mini Little Dipper…" she started. Then, it clicked. "Also called the Little Bear!" she finished excitedly.

"That's right," Jim said. "And get this, Trix. The Seven Sisters are better known as the Pleiades. Play-At-Ease would be an easy stretch for a young mind."

"Heavens, how would Bobby know all this?!" Trixie exclaimed. "Unless…"

Jim pushed Regan's chair back a bit and studied the entire star chart wondering if he'd missed anything. He wasn't yet convinced that the little boy had been in communication with aliens.

"I think it's logical to assume Bob picked up the information from one of his big brothers. Or maybe from some documentary on T.V.," the sensible boy said. "In fact, I saw a show just recently which focused on ancient cultures and their legends about the Pleiades. The Greeks, Aborigines, and even Native Americans have stories about the Seven Sisters. And the wildest part about it is, they all talk of there being seven stars, when only six can easily be seen with the naked eye. Mart and I were discussing the episode just the other day."

"Boy, I wish I'd seen it," Trixie replied, chewing on her thumbnail. "I never knew stories like that existed. Bobby said there were seven stars too. But he swore Mart wasn't the one who told him -that he 'just knows' about all this stuff."

Jim reached to shut down the computer. "Well, there's something I 'just knows' too," he said with a chuckle. "And that is, if you don't get up to the garage pretty quick, my sweet sister is going to think that you've been abducted by aliens. So come on. I'll adjust the seat on my ten-speed for you. It'll save you a trip home for your bike."

As Trixie and Jim came up the drive, Honey called out, "There you are! I was about to come looking for you. I thought we were supposed to get an early start?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Trixie replied. "But Jim took me on a little trip across the galaxy to a place called Play-At-Ease. It seems that's where our alien friends live. They said to tell you, 'Hi".

Honey's frown instantly disappeared. Wheeling her bike into the sun, she greeted the grinning pair.

"Well, isn't that nice?" she laughed. "Don't tell me. Last night, when they were here, they invited you over for a game of tennis this morning?"

Trixie let out a pretend sniff. "Don't be silly," she said. "Girls like me, who wear baseball caps, are much too much of an embarrassment to be allowed on the courts on Play-At-Ease. The aliens did, however, text Di for a match. Only that mean old brother of yours told her she'd have to wait until she got home to confirm the date."

As Jim grabbed the bill of the snarky girl's hat and pulled it over her eyes, Honey cried, "Trixie Belden, why must you be so terrible?! You shouldn't be talking about your friend behind her back! Jim, tell her I'm right."

Jim let out a sigh and pushed Trixie toward the garage. The sooner he got that bike seat adjusted, the better. His sister was, of course, correct. But in light of how Di had been acting at the Belden's picnic, he couldn't really blame Trixie for the jab.

"Look, girls," he told them honestly. "I don't have time for this. I still need to take a shower and get dressed before Brian picks me up for work. I'm apt to get fired if I show up smelling like a horse barn."

Trixie snorted. "Shower or no shower, there's little chance of that happening," she told him. "Brian put on enough cologne this morning for the both of you. I'm sure by the time you reach the country club you'll be smelling as 'fresh as an ocean breeze'.

Jim may have been tired, but his eyes sparkled back to life as Honey's face reddened. Taking on a pirate's brogue, he snarled, "Well then me lovelies, seems ole cap'n Brian won't be the only salty cur fightin' off the proud beauties today."

Trixie's jaw dropped to the pavement, and she glanced over her at her equally startled friend. For some reason, neither girl liked the sound of that.