When I woke up, I opened my eyes to see bright and lively thistles staring into my bland and still tired blues. I nearly jumped, and he laughed when I flinched away.
"Hello!" He said childishly, and I settled my hand on my chest, panting from the shock.
"H-hey." I mumbled, and he sat up. The jacket-skirt had come loose during the night and had fallen down to his thighs, along with the sheets. I blushed and turned away, and he raised a curious brow, never letting the smile fall from his lips.
"Why don't we get you some clothes?" I suggested, and he smiled and looked around, then tugged at my pants.
"Clothes?" He asked me, looking up for approval. When I nodded at him, he tossed his hands in the air in triumph, then hopped out of the bed, tugging the jacket-skirt from his legs. I blushed more and covered my face with a hand, shaking my head gently and wondering how he could be so okay running around like that. He started wrapping the blankets around his body as a make-shift dress, and he was giggling the whole way through. I rolled my eyes at him, then got up and went to the closet, digging through the various clothes I had. I tugged out a few shirts and pants and tossed them at the alien, making him yelp and laugh more.
"Clothes." He sighed, dropping the blanket and letting it crumple at his ankles. He glanced between me and the pair of pants he had in his hands, then started slipping them on, shuffling from foot to foot to get them up around his hips. I crossed my arms, watching him pull up the zipper and fumble with the button. When he couldn't button his jeans, he gave me an upset face and pointed down at his crotch. I sighed and went to him, tugging him closer by his hips, then buttoning up his pants. When they were secure, he smiled and hugged me again, keeping eye contact as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
"Warm." He mumbled, pressing his bare chest against my own. He was ridiculously warm, and it felt nice having him against my body. Then he started petting my hair, frowning and narrowing his eyes. He patted his own hair, getting a thoughtful look. He closed his eyes again, and I widened my eyes and gripped his shoulders, making him open his eyes again.
"Hey, don't change your hair! I like my haircut to be original, thank you!" I quickly demanded, making Matthew's brows rise, then a smile come across his face. He wrapped his arms around my neck again, babbling happily.
"So… are you an alien?" I asked, putting my arms around his waist. Hey, it was cold then, like most mornings, and I was shirtless. It was nice having a personal heater rubbing up against you. The alien tilted his head and gave me a concentrated look, his lower lip jutting out slightly.
"Alien…?" He asked softly, and I went into detail.
"You know, UFOs, tentacles, green skin, miniature, from different plants, the works." I tried, but his concentrated face turned into confusion.
"No. From sky." He said, pointing upwards to emphasize where the sky was. I bunched my brows together and I glanced up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, but… where from the sky? I mean, you were glowing, dude." I tried reasoning, and he just shook his head, looking even more confused. "And what was that kiss for, anyway? I mean, it was really uncalled for…"
"Kiss?" He asked, looking interested now and tilting his head. I nodded, then tapped my lips.
"You kissed me. You put your lips against mine." I explained, and he tapped his own lips with his pointer finger, then tapped mine and smiled.
"Kiss!" He exclaimed, and I shook my head, frowning.
"No, that's not a kiss." I said, and his smile turned into an upset frown.
"Kiss?" He asked again, tapping his lips once more. Then, a look of realization came over him, and he smiled and kissed me again. I quickly jerked my head away, making him laugh and hug me tighter.
"Stop kissing me!" I whined, and he just laughed some more.
"But if I did not, I would not learn." He said smoothly, looking much less confused and much happier. I raised my brows again, and he laughed softly and started playing with my hair again.
"Why do you not want my hair to change, eh?" He asked, the 'eh' coming from nowhere. Funny, he sounded a little Canadian. Maybe all aliens sounded Canadian?
"Well, you already stole my face… I don't want a complete replica of me running around my house." I complained, and he nodded in understanding. Then, I felt my brow twitch and I scoffed, "Hey, wait a minute, you're totally avoiding my question, dude! Are you an alien or what?"
"I am not alien." He said, his words still a little strange. But no way in hell was he going to kiss me again. Nuh-uh. My lips were for Earth girls only!
"Then what are you? I know you said you fell from the sky, but that doesn't really explain everything." I pointed out, and he shrugged and thought about it.
"Hmmm… I come from sky, though." He said, as if saying it a second time would make me understand. "I… oh!" He let go of me and went over to the window, looking out to see it was still raining heavily. He went to open the window, but I quickly went to his side and grabbed his wrist.
"Don't do that, it'll get too cold." I instructed, and the alien pouted at me and tried to open it anyway. I sighed and grabbed both of his wrists, spinning us around so I was blocking him from the window. He made an annoyed noise, but stopped fighting against me.
"Go put your shirt on, okay?" I said, and he looked back over to the small pile of clothes on the bed. He gave me a confused look, and I couldn't help but laugh. I brought him to the bed and made him sit, taking the red long-sleeve and rolling it up so it'd be easier to put on him.
"Lift your arms, okay?" I ordered, and he nodded and lifted his arms above his head, watching me with interest as I slipped both arms in the sleeves, then tugged the rest of it over his head. He squeaked at first when the shirt tugged on his hair, but when it was snuggly on him, he smiled and rubbed the cloth against himself. The sleeves were a little long, but he didn't mind. I took another one of the shirts and pulled it on, then exchanged my sweats for jeans. He watched me dress, almost a little too closely.
"Hey, so tell me what you are." I said, and he laughed softly and kept rubbing the shirt.
"I am from sky." He said again, and I groaned and rubbed my forehead. This was getting nowhere fast. Plus, I needed to go check on my corn, mostly the huge gaping hole in the middle of my field.
"Come on, alien, you're going to help me." I demanded, and he hopped up onto his feet and stepped beside me. He still wasn't wearing shoes, but I didn't really have anything for him to use. Also, I probably wouldn't be able to get to the town in this weather. Riding a bike down those slippery roads would be like suicide. And my tractor was still running on E. I tried to give him socks, but he didn't want to wear them for some reason.
When I got my water-proof brown jacket on, I pulled on the hood and zipped it up to my neck. I led the alien out the sliding door and into the cornfield. He followed behind me noisily, commented on the corn and the rain and the mud under his feet. I just sighed and brought him to the crater, carefully sliding down the hole. It wasn't as deep as I imagined, but it was a steep incline. The alien watched from the edge of the hole, laying on his stomach in the mud and probably ruining my shirt.
"Dammit, why did you have to blow half my field into the ground, man?" I whined, and the alien tilted his head in confusion. I grumbled to myself and dug around the hole, looking for anything that might tell me where this alien came from. I only found dirt and rocks, though, which made me a little upset. The alien got to his feet, then slid down the side of the crater and stood beside me. I glanced back at him, noticing the mud caked all over his clothes.
"What are you looking for?" He asked kindly, getting down on his knees and digging through the ground. I kept looking too, sighing to myself.
"I'm looking for any clues as to where you came from." I explained, peeling off rocks and digging in the bottom. I didn't make the hole any wider, though, because that would just endanger the rest of my corn.
"Daddy!" The alien cried out, and I looked over at him curiously. He was holding something in his hands, it looked like a necklace, and he was hugging it to his chest and hopping up and down.
"Your dad is a necklace?" I asked, and he laughed at me and shook his head. He held out the necklace so I could look at it. The chain was the same metallic gold as the alien's old skin, and the crystal hanging from it glowed with a forest green colour.
"Dad gave it to me." He explained, and I raised a brow and touched the necklace, holding the crystal in my hand and looking over the flowing colours.
"So you are an alien?" I asked, and he shook his head again, putting the necklace on and tucking it under the mud-caked shirt. When he wore the necklace, he seemed to glow a little. I didn't think about it too much, though, and we climbed out of the ditch.
"Hey, alien or not, why did you come here?" I asked as we walked through the field and towards the house. I didn't want to try filling up the hole when it was raining, in case a small mudslide trapped me down there. I would just have to wait until the mud dried.
"I came because I was alone." He said, wiping the mud off of his shirt, but some of it had already stained the cloth. His feet were dirty, too, but I let him in my house anyway. I made him sit in the kitchen, and I started to wipe his toes clean. He flinched and started laughing, jerking around whenever I got between his toes.
"I thought you had a father?" I asked him when I was done tickling him, and he nodded and wiggled his now clean feet.
"But we only meet once in a few years." He said sadly, and I looked up at him from cleaning the dirtied floor with the rag.
"How many?" I pried, and the alien shrugged and fingered the necklace through the shirt.
"Last time I saw was two-zero-zero-zero years." He mumbled, and I had to write it out in my head to realize he meant 2000 years.
"Two… two thousand?" I exclaimed, and he just nodded with a frown.
"He didn't want me to come here. He said it was dangerous." He told me, and I stood and started tugging the alien's shirt off so I could give him a new one. He just lifted his arms for me so the shirt would slip off easier.
"What's dangerous about Earth?" I snorted sarcastically, and he smiled a little, then laughed softly.
"He says people hurt us." He continued, and I nodded silently while unbuttoning his pants and lowering the zipper. Oh, but I had forgotten to give him boxers earlier. I took his hands and pulled him up to his feet, leading him upstairs and he kept talking, "He tell me 'Matthew, you do not go down there, it is no fun. People are scary. People are bad.' I just got curious-er, though."
"You have a name?" I interrupted him, and he smiled and nodded.
"Matthew. You have name too, eh?" He asked in return, and I nodded and brought him back to the bedroom.
"Alfred." I replied, and he smiled happily. I pulled out some boxers and a new pair of clothes for him, then I told him to take his pants off, which he did obediently.
"Well, keep telling me the story, dude." I said, tossing the boxers at him. He caught them at first, but his grip was too loose, and he had to flail his arms to keep the boxers from falling onto the floor.
"What are these?" He asked, looking at the underwear in curiosity.
"Boxers. They hold your…. Er… lower regions comfortably." I tried explaining, and he shrugged and slipped them on. When I was now able to actually look at him without feeling mind-raped, he continued his story while still dressing.
"Well, I got curious-er, and I was really alone. I thought to self, 'Daddy will not know' and so I come here. It hurt when landing, though." He finished, rubbing his shoulder before tugging on his shirt. He really did learn quickly.
"Are you the last of your kind?" I asked carefully, and he gave me a surprised look.
"No! My kind live forever!" He claimed, putting a finger to his necklace again, then glancing at the window. "Daddy tells me that from Earth, you see everyone, but everyone still no see you." I glanced out the window too, but it was still storming out, and the sky wasn't visible because of the thick clouds.
"I guess we'll have to wait to see everyone until after the storm." I mumbled, and he nodded silently. After a few seconds of watching the rain fall, my stomach growled, making Matthew jump.
"What is that?" He asked quickly, looking down at my stomach when it groaned again.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't have breakfast yet. I'm just hungry." I explained, and Matthew calmed down. He looked a little confused, but still very interested.
"You need food?" He asked, and I nodded and pulled off my still wet jacket.
"Are you hungry, too? I can make eggs." I suggested, but Matthew shook his head no.
"We do not get hungry." He admitted, and I looked at him in surprise.
"Really? That's… kind of cool." I gasped, and Matthew laughed and nodded. I led him down into the kitchen anyway, making scrambled eggs and bacon. Matthew was interested in the smell more than the food, and I tried to get him to taste it, but whenever he put some food in his mouth, he spat it back out with a disgusted expression.
"I don't get it, though. Food is energy, dude! How can you live without energy?" I interrogated him, deeply interested in this alien creature.
"We make our own energy. It is why we glow." He explained, but it only confused me further. I kept comparing him to plants, and he kept laughing at me, like I was the stupid foreigner here. I kept interrogating him about not eating and making 'his own energy', but whenever he answered a question, it just confused me further.
"What kind of alien are you?" I exclaimed, and he laughed more.
"I am not alien!" He countered, and I scoffed at his claim.
"You came from the sky! That makes you an alien!" I explained, wolfing down my eggs.
"You come from sky too! All come from sky." Matthew said, his smile still plastered on his face as he held out his arms like some sort of shaman.
"Pssh, I came from some lady's womb, I didn't come from a sky!" I snorted out, and Matthew frowned and gave me a concerned look.
"We all are from sky." He tried to persuade me, but I stuck to science and what I learned in school.
"Nope. I came from a woman." I said stubbornly, finishing off my bacon, then cleaning my dishes. Matthew just watched me with his head tilted to the side.
"Alfred." Matthew called out, and hearing my name in his voice made me shiver in delight. I frowned at the sensation, but I pushed it to the back of my mind and I turned to look at him.
"Yes?" I asked, and Matthew continued giving me that worried look like before.
"You are from sky." He insisted, and I was seriously curious as to why he was pushing this so much. I just stared at him blankly, though, and he crossed his arms slowly and kept his gaze, as if he were scolding a small child.
"Say it!" He demanded, and I frowned more and repeated him.
"I'm from the sky. Okay." I said, holding up both of my hands, along with an eyebrow, "Is everything from the sky? Animals too?"
"No." He said, smiling again, "Animals are Earth. Animals are here." I nodded to show I understood, but I really didn't. I still believed I'm from my mother's womb. After I had finished doing the house chores (vacuuming, mopping, dusting, etc.), Matthew started begging me to take him to go see the townsfolk. I told him no, but he kept begging anyway.
"Dude, come on, in the middle of a heavy storm? I'm even nervous going out to tend to my corn, man! There's no way in hell I'm going out on the road!" I tried to make him understand, but he just snorted at me and pouted again. God, I can't believe how much of a sucker I am for his pouts…
"Why don't we go tomorrow?" I suggested, and his pout gave way for a smile. He nodded excitedly, then turned back to playing with the television. It was all static, since I didn't have cable and the rain knocked out the signal, but he was interested nonetheless.
When it was a little after four, Matthew and I were sitting on the couch, me reading and Matthew was playing with the pillows.
"Alfred?" He called out, and I couldn't keep back the feeling of happiness of hearing my name being called. I pushed the thought away again, though, and I looked at him over the book.
"What's up?" I asked, and he looked at me with a worried look. He was holding onto the pillow tightly and it kind of looked like he was about to cry.
"If… bad people come… you will protect me?" He asked, and I quirked a brow, then closed the book I was reading. It was actually one of Arthur's, and I usually never enjoy his books, but I feel like if I read them, I would still be close to him when he came back.
"Why would bad people come after you? What would they do?" I asked, feeling my hero-complex starting to break through. I try my hardest to keep it hidden, but whenever someone might be in trouble, even if I don't like them, I always feel the need to throw myself in the middle and protect them. I usually just get into trouble, though.
Matthew shrugged at the question, looking down at the pillow instead and fingering the cloth, "Dad says people are greedy. He says that they will hurt me. He did not say why. He says that... on Earth… I can die." My eyes widened considerably, and I leaned towards him.
"Die? Like… die die?" I asked, hoping he was just kidding around. He had told me his kind lived forever, and I still wonder what makes it different up there than from down here. Matthew nodded silently, and I shook my head and sat right beside him, wrapping my arms around his arms and hugging him tightly.
"I'll protect you! I'm the hero, after all!" I proclaimed, and Matthew gave me a relieved smile. He hugged me back and sighed into my shoulder, his rippling hair brushing against my cheek again.
"Thank you, Alfred. I will depend on you. I trust." He whispered, and I smiled softly and patted his back. Then, he gasped and got up, pulling away from my embrace and running towards the window, kneeling jutted out section that pillows and books decorated. He pressed his hands against the cold window, fogging the area around his palms, and he stared up at the sky.
"Alfred! Alfred, look! I see them!" He said happily, turning back to look at me and waving a hand at me. I raised a curious brow and went to his side, looking out the window to see the clouds dispersing and the stars beginning to shine through. Matthew begun laughing and he pointed at the twinkling lights in the sky, babbling again like an infant.
It took me a minute to realize he was actually talking about the stars. My eyes widened and I looked at him, seeing the patterns of the stars reflecting in his violet eyes and a few tears in the corners of his eyes glittering. He began crying, but it was a happy cry. He brought a hand to his face, covering his mouth and nose as he sobbed.
"Alfred… Alfred they are so beautiful…." He sobbed, beginning to shake, "They are so perfect!"
I was still staring at him, my Papa's words echoing throughout my head, over and over again.
"Don't believe everything you're told, Alfred. Stars are beautiful and magnificent creatures."
"They are…" I whispered, completely captivated by Matthews glowing pale skin and his illuminated, rippling hair. Even the tears that spilled from his eyes sparkled and shined.
"They're glorious…" I breathed, and Matthew turned to look at me, still crying. He tried wiping his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. He threw his arms around my neck again, hugging me tightly as he sobbed.
"They are all together, Alfred! They are all happy!" He sniffed, his tears wetting the sleeve of my shirt, "I am happy too, seeing them together. I am happy!"
I nodded silently, stroking his hair and feeling his energy excite the nerves in my palm. Matthew was shaking like a leaf, but he felt so warm against me. I hugged him tighter and continued stroking his hair, enjoying every minute I was in contact with him.
When he pulled away, he wiped his eyes again and looked back up at the sky, smiling beautifully, "I am happy, Alfred. It is so beautiful. It is what I needed."
I smiled more and nodded, still staring at his face. Then, he frowned and looked down, then looked at me.
"But… Alfred, I still feel… I still feel incomplete." Matthew whimpered, looking back up at the stars, at his people, and wearing the most pitiful and heart breaking expression. An expression of loneliness and longing. An expression that really got to my hero complex. I took his hand, making him look at me, and I gave him my most serious and stern expression.
"Don't worry about it, Matthew, I'll take care of you. I'll find what you're missing." I promised him, and he gave me a hopeful smile and nodded.
"I trust." He whispered, then leaned in and hugged me again, sighing a soft, slow sigh. I smiled more, my heart hammering against my chest.
'My Papa was right!' I thought, 'He was really, really right! Stars are living things!'
I was so excited. I was so happy, I actually got to find and meet a star! Even after years of doubting him, years of calling him a liar, spitting his name in curses, I met a star!
And that was when the guilt settled in. As I sat there, holding Matthew in my arms and rubbing his arms and back which tingled and singed my fingers with an energetic delight, I realized the most terrible thing. Because of my lack of trust in him, because of those stupid teachers, my Papa died!
I dropped my hands from Matthew, horror written on my face. Matthew looked at me with curiosity and worry. He cradled my face in his hands and stared into my eyes, his violets shimmering and sparkling as I reflected on what I had done.
"Alfred, what is mattering?" Matthew asked, glancing between both eyes and tucking his bangs behind his left ear, but they flowed back into place as graceful as hair could flow.
"It's…. It's nothing." I told him, not wanting to come apart at the seams in front of such a magnificent creature or bore him with the details of my not too pleasant life. "I just… I'm so amazed." I lied, forcing a smile and pressing a hand against his cheek, "I've been told so many things about stars, so many amazing and wonderful stories, but I thought… I didn't know…"
Matthew smiled again and put a hand over mine, staring into my eyes as we sat on the seat by imbedded in the wall beside the window, "Stories? I want to hear stories."
I smiled at this child-like behavior and I nodded, standing up and drawing the curtains. He watched me closely, waiting until I motioned for him to follow. He hopped up onto his feet and followed right behind me, into the kitchen. I began cooking myself some dinner, smiling more when Matthew began whining to hear the stories.
"Alright, alright. Let's see…. He told me a lot, dude. Which do you wanna hear first?" I asked, flipping the burger patties I had on the pan, inhaling their delicious scent. The thought of Papa's death had to be pushed back since I had to keep a happy face to keep Matthew from worrying. The last thing I wanted was to worry a star.
"What is there to choose from?" He asked me, and I sighed as I sifted through the stories in my mind.
"Let's see… He told me where they came from, why they're there, their culture, their families and how they communicate… but you know, he always tried to describe their beauty. I always thought he was just exaggerating, but…" I stopped and looked at Matthew, who smiled and blushed, looking down and playing with his rippling hair.
"Tell me your favourite!" He begged, and I laughed and begun the story of how stars were made. It really was my favourite story. I'll write it down anyway. Let's see, I think Papa would begin it with…
The very first star was made even before time began. He, or she, was the one who created the universe, and was the one who created us. Why do I say 'he or she', you ask? Well, to be honest, no one knows what gender this first star was. Not even the oldest and wisest stars out there. I'll get to that in a minute, though, so be patient.
Anyway, this star held our universe close to their hearts, cherishing the child it had created and nourishing it with their life and very energy. However, this star had accidentally given too much power to one of her creations, and the universe they cared so deeply about shook and shivered, then burst with power and life and that was when time began. The original star had exuded too much energy within a particular spot in the universe, creating a second star. This star was grateful to their creator, much like the humans were grateful for the Earth they were blessed with.
The original star was wary of this second star, worried that this star may try and take power over the humans. Their worries were vanquished, however, when this second star sacrificed itself to live with one of the humans. The original star felt moved, crying sparkling, delicate tears that fell to the Earth and blessed Her with the power to evolve on Her own, raising animals and foliage and always shaking and melting and creating.
The original star wanted to see more, they wanted to spread more of this magnificence, and so they sacrificed their self to give birth to a multitude of stars, shattering their very own soul and energy in order to create these creatures. However, because of this awesome and powerful sacrifice, it rid the humans of the knowledge of their origin. The Earth grieved over the loss of Her creator and cursed the very grounds it wore, damning any star that lived on the ground, unable to bear the weight of these beautiful beings without the touch of Her God.
And that was how stars were made, and why they age and die when they come to Earth.
After dinner and the story, it became late, and I led Matthew upstairs and to the bedroom, tucking him in nice and tight. He smiled at me comfortable and wiggled to the left, pulling the sheets back for me to lay down. I laughed and asked if he was sure he didn't want the room to himself. He told me no and pulled me in, cuddling up against my side and sighing softly.
"Thank you, Alfred. I trust. Thank you." Matthew whispered as he fell asleep, snuggling into my side and breathing a soft breath that told me he was dreaming of something else.
When I knew he was in a deep sleep, I let out a slow sigh and fell back into my sorrow, reflecting and churning in the self-hate. I had killed my Papa. Because of me, he had a heart attack and died. He couldn't bear the idea of me hating him, and he died. I should've believed him in the first place. I really should've.
But then again, it could just be coincidence. He could've been making it all up.
I'm so confused right now.
Alfred F. Jones