Posts tagged ‘space travel’
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 11
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 11
ELMO’S OFFER IS ACCEPTED
The argument went back and forth between Elmo and Valmid, but Valmid finally succumbed to Elmo’s persistence. “I accept your help my friend. We shall leave when the devices are ready.”
In a few days the six new Freon throwers were ready and tested. Valmid called the five other Rothians to his home. The seven warriors were ready to depart. Elmo noticed that each member of the team carried a pouch in addition to his Freon throwers on their backs. Elmo was also given a pouch.
“We are taking as many time-space machines as we can carry. We have no idea how many women we will be freeing and returning to Roth. I’m afraid there is little hope of rescuing any of the women abducted from Earth, for the abductions ceased there almost sixty years ago, when the Freon level reached intolerable levels for the Gylex monsters.
“Our plan is to journey to Gylex, hopefully arriving at a deserted area. Then we will try to follow the thoughts of the captive women.” All five of the Rothians and Elmo nodded and prepared to leave. Elmo joined Valmid in the center of his machine; the other five occupied two machines facing back-to-back in preparation for a hostile greeting.
In a flash the most dismal landscape imaginable surrounded them, along with four Gylexian monsters. Three were quickly dispatched, surprise being on the side of the Rothians. The fourth began flying away, thanks to the weaker gravity of the planet; Elmo was able to leap high enough to douse the creature and it abruptly fell to the ground.
After the initial excitement, the travelers had a chance to inspect their surroundings. Elmo thought, “If there is a hell, it must look something like this.” The Rothians were unfamiliar with the concept of Elmo’s hell, but they all shuddered at the scene before them. Everything was colored shades of gray and black. The landscape was dotted with miniature volcanoes no more than a few hundred feet high, most in a constant state of eruption that spewed heavy columns of smoke and ash into the air and shed an eerie glow from the magma seeping down their sides. The atmosphere was thick and oppressive. The party had timed their arrival for daytime, but a faint twilight was all that greeted them. The only vegetation visible were huge trees, not unlike those found on Roth. Their trunks disappeared into the unbroken mantle of black clouds that filled the sky; their leaves seeking the life-giving light denied the planet’s surface.
The rescue party could see larger mountains in the distance; their sides honeycombed with openings. Occasionally a winged Gylexian would fly in or out of apertures; these must be their cities.
The six Rothians stood still and quietly concentrated, seeking the thoughts of the women they had come to rescue. It did not take long for them to sense Rothian thoughts and then locate their origin on a distant part of the planet. They set up their time-space machines, again standing back-to-back and ready for an attack. They were sure there must be guards at their destination, and to eliminate them by taking advantage of the element of surprise.
In a flash the seven were standing before a Gylexian hill, somewhat smaller than the hill they first had seen. Perhaps this was the prison where the women were being held. At the same time, they also found themselves standing before five guards armed with weapons resembling crossbows. Before the Rothians could react, one of their parties was shot in the neck and collapsed. Freon spray quickly took care of the guards, but not before they sounded an alarm that brought more guards flying out of the prison, also to fall to the ground as the air filled with Freon. Three of the party, along with Elmo, remained outside to guard against further attacks. Valmid and the remaining member of his group entered the prison to free the women. The sight inside sickened them. Corpses of ten to 15 Rothian women littered the floor of the forbidding structure. As they proceeded farther into the dark, dank hallways they came upon the cells they were seeking. Each cell held two or three women in various stages of pregnancy. As Valmid had anticipated, there were no women from Earth, only women from Roth. Valmid searched wildly from cell to cell looking for his daughter, calling her name, “Rolack, Rolack.” He stopped at the entrance of a cell holding two women, then choked back tears and cried, “Rolack!”
A woman inside stood and cried, “Father!”
Valmid had found his daughter. In short order, the keys to the cells were located and the women released. They made their way out of the prison, the women breathing free air for the first time since their capture. One of the women collapsed by the body of the fallen Rothian, crying for the husband she had not seen for years and who had died trying to rescue her. Valmid ordered everyone to unfurl the time-space machines and, in twos and threes, quickly occupy them. Two Rothians carried the body of their fallen companion to the last machine and gently laid him down. Then Valmid distributed the preset control boxes, and the group disappeared in a series of flashes, bound for Roth.
Once on Roth, the women cried, laughed and even collapsed when united with their families. Those who returned pregnant wanted most to immediately cleanse their bodies of the demon cargo they carried. Valmid, Elmo and Rolack entered their home to find Cal crying out at the sight of her daughter. The three family members hugged and cried while Elmo stood to the side and felt an emptiness he could no longer deny.
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 10
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 10
COMBAT
Upon his return, Valmid called a meeting with a few chemists he knew. He presented to them Elmo’s theory of what was keeping the monsters of Gylex from invading Earth and the chemical formulae necessary to manufacture the gas that repelled them. The Rothians did not communicate verbally, much to Elmo’s relief, because they wanted Elmo’s input. Elmo found the meeting humorous, for there sat four Rothians and Elmo with no sounds being uttered. They just sat there, looking at one another, with their minds working furiously.
A plan was formulated. They would test Elmo’s theory about Freon and its effect on the Gylexians. Pipes would be fitted around the roofs of houses in areas frequently invaded. Connected to the pipes there would be a tank of Freon and the whole system would be under pressure. Valves in the pipes would be activated by sound. When the dingo plants detected the presence of one of the demons, the screams of the plants would open the valves and release a cloud of Freon. If this worked, all the planet’s houses would be equipped with similar systems. There would be an initial release of Freon into the atmosphere of Roth, but if the gas destroyed the monsters, future invasions would be unlikely. Later, the presence of the Freon systems would act solely as a deterrent, protecting the Rothian atmosphere from any ill effects.
The chemists prepared the Freon. Selected houses were equipped with the new plumbing needed for the protective system and sound-sensitive valves installed on the borders and apex of the roofs. The newly manufactured Freon was added and the system charged.
Now the waiting began. The wait did not last long. One night, dingo plants surrounding one of the test houses screamed their alarm. The iron shields over doors and windows slammed into place. Anyone unfortunate enough to be outside at this time would have also heard a hissing sound coming from the roof, then seen the creatures gliding over the house with expressions of surprise, then shock and finally terror as they began to wobble and plunge to the ground withering in agony. After all movement ceased the monsters rapidly decomposed into pools of putrid matter, bits of leathery wing and black hair floating amongst the polluted mess. The scenario was repeated time and again around the planet. Within weeks the invasions became less frequent, then ceased. The monsters of Gylex had learned their lesson. At night, Rothians carried cans of Freon under pressure just in case a wayward Gylexian came their way.
Valmid and Elmo monitored the results with great joy. Valmid’s planet was now free of the plague of attacks and Elmo saw his theory validated: Freon was the component of Earth’s atmosphere that repelled these creatures. He soon realized, though, that with Roth no longer a hunting ground these monsters might return to Earth and find the levels of Freon in the atmosphere there were again tolerable.
Weeks had gone by since Elmo had visited Mildred. He longed to be with her again. Valmid sensed this but needed Elmo’s help for one more project. One night, as Elmo, Cal and Valmid were finishing dinner, Valmid pushed away from the table and said to Elmo, “I know you long to return to Earth, but there is one more favor I must ask of you before you depart. You have helped rid Roth of its Gylexian invasion. I feel the planet is safe again, but there is still one more mission I must perform. I must go to Gylex and free the women kidnapped from Roth.” This revelation brought both fear and joy to Cal. She feared that Valmid would be putting himself in great danger since no one from Roth had ever willingly traveled to Gylex. But she felt elation too, for if Valmid succeeded it might mean the return of their daughter.
Valmid continued, “I need your help in designing a device I could use when I travel to Gylex to combat its individuals.”
Elmo did not have to sleep on the problem, for the solution immediately popped into his mind. “On Earth, we have a device called a flame thrower. A tank is carried on one’s back filled with a flammable liquid under pressure. We can use this design and fill the tanks with Freon, then have the nozzle of the device regulated to disperse a fine mist or stream.”
Valmid nodded with approval, “Tomorrow we will start construction.”
A shop near Valmid’s home had no trouble manufacturing a prototype of the Freon thrower. Meanwhile, Valmid recruited five other Rothians whose wives and daughters had been kidnapped. The Freon thrower was tested and worked wonderfully. Valmid was happy with the results. They returned to the shop to order five more of the devices. Just as Valmid was about to place the order, Elmo said, “Make that six.”
Valmid turned to Elmo shaking his head, for he knew what Elmo’s intentions were. “No, my friend. You have done enough for Roth without risking your life on this adventure.”
Without hesitation, Elmo replied, “Your family had done so much for me and I may ask for more in the future. You’ve become a friend, Valmid, I want to help.”
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 8
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 8
ELMO’S BREAKTHROUGH
Elmo and Valmid sat in the living room as Elmo explained his theory about what could be destroying the demons from Gylex.
“You see Valmid, I racked my brain trying to discover what property of Earth’s atmosphere has changed in the manner you described and yet has gone unnoticed by the population and scientists – something that increased then decreased yet had no effect on life on my planet. I first considered elements of the atmosphere that have changed over the time period you indicated. My planet has seen increases in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, but these gases have increased steadily with our increase in population and industry. I next considered another source of gases that periodically enter our atmosphere – volcanoes. Massive amounts of gases composed of sulfur and other elements ring the earth when large eruptions occur. However, volcanic events would cause a random spike rather than a steady increase, and major eruptions have occurred since the earth was an infant.
“Valmid, you describe something, that until eighty years ago did not exist. Then the monsters from Gylex began to die when venturing to Earth. Whatever it was, it reached a plateau and began to disappear. I could not think of any event that impacted our atmosphere under those conditions and with that time frame. I was nearly in a panic, then decided to relax and just let my mind wander and I may have found the explanation.
“My mind wandered from something naturally occurring either through our geology or increase in the Earth’s population, to something man made and occurring during a limited time span. What harmless substance could man have begun manufacturing nearly one hundred years ago, and then suddenly stopped producing? The key, my friend, was that it was not harmless. It was harmless in itself, but reacted with the ozone in our atmosphere increasing the ability of ultraviolet rays to reach the Earth’s surface and cause harm to the population. Valmid, I think the component of Earth’s atmosphere that can destroy these monsters is chlorofluorocarbons.”
Valmid’s brow wrinkled, for he was unfamiliar with this class of chemicals. Elmo explained that these chemicals were used as refrigerants and propellants to disperse material from spray cans.
“Everyone thought these chemicals were harmless but eventually discovered that they were reacting in the upper atmosphere and destroying the Earth’s protective layer of ozone. After this was discovered, chlorofluorocarbons were replaced with other chemicals that are inert, which would explain the decline of this mysterious substance in our atmosphere.” Elmo guessed that there must be something in the makeup of the Gylexian lung that makes breathing chlorofluorocarbons fatal.
Valmid became extremely excited at the prospect of ridding his planet of its plague. “We must produce this chemical immediately!” he said.
“I’m a physicist, not a chemist,” Elmo countered. “The only way I had this information about chlorofluorocarbons was the fact it was common knowledge on Earth due to the ozone layer. I have no idea how to make the stuff.”
“We must obtain the information,” Vlamid responded.
“But where can such information be found on Roth?” Elmo wondered. But before he could complete the thought he had another: “I’m going home.”
“Yes my friend, you’re going home. I’m sure, in time, our chemists could reproduce this chemical, but I am impatient to gain the knowledge needed to formulate these compounds.”
Suddenly Valmid detected that Elmo had some uneasiness about returning to Earth. Valmid quickly added, “We will not use the same wormhole you used to travel to Roth. The wormhole we shall use will have little impact on your age.”
Elmo was relieved to hear his age would not be altered. In fact, he feared that upon his return to Earth his age would revert to that of an old man. He enjoyed being young once again. He thought of all the things he still wanted to do and all that he still wanted to learn.
“You know Elmo, you would have returned to Earth in a day or so if you had been unable to help Roth with its problem. When you first arrived, I intended to keep you here until our problem on Roth was solved. We grew to be friends, and I found that not only were our chemistries similar, but our emotions as well.”
With that, Valmid left the living room and returned with a small plastic case. From the package, he extracted what appeared to be a large piece of black colored foil and spread the foil on the living room floor. It was circular, and about six feet in diameter. Upon close inspection, Elmo could see circuits incorporated in the perimeter of the foil. Valmid smiled, “Elmo, this is my time-space machine. We shall journey to earth and the device will be transported with us, unlike your machine. With this type of device, we can travel to many different destinations in one outing. And because it is so compact, we carry several along in case of an unexpected occurrence. I will use the coordinates for the place from which you left and that is where we shall arrive.” Valmid then left the room.
Elmo was alone with his thoughts. He had experienced so much in so little time, traveled to another planet, and contacted a race of intelligent beings. He studied his surroundings, his thoughts immersed in the unreal aspect of this adventure.
Valmid returned attired in his most regal garments. “Are you ready Elmo?”
Elmo could not believe he was going home. The question that haunted him, which he was unable to answer, was a simple one: Would he stay on Earth? His love for Mildred was strong, but he was now in his thirties and she in her seventies. And after his brief stay on Roth, would he ever be satisfied spending the rest of his life on Earth and never again exploring a distant planet. These complex issues filled Elmo’s brain as he stepped into the foil circle with Valmid, who was holding a small control device for his machine. He entered the proper coordinates, pushed a button and Elmo’s world went blank.
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 7
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 7
ATTACK FROM GYLEX
The scene outside the house was peaceful and remained peaceful until the dingo plants began their shrill alarm, joined moments later by the sound of flapping wings. The camera recorded a sight, illuminated by the outside lights that sent a chill through Elmo; it was a vision from hell. What it showed was a creature at least eight feet tall with arms and legs like that of a human. But there the resemblance ceased. It flew. Its wings appeared like that of a bat, leathery and veined, colored blood red, like the rest of its body. The torso was covered with thickly matted black hair, but the head was its most frightening aspect. It resembled the head of a wolf, with an elongated snout exposing a vicious set of teeth. The ears were long and pointed, also like a bat’s. The creature hovered before the camera, snarled at the dingo’s alarm, then flew off.
Valmid paused a few moments for Elmo’s nerves to settle down then said, “These creatures are a menace to the planet Roth, and someday soon they will again menace Earth. We know a great deal about these creatures, although no Rothian has ever set foot on their planet. These creatures do not know of our ability to read their thoughts. Because of their actions, we never attempted to communicate with them. Elmo, when you arrived, you stood in wonderment and amazement at all you witnessed. But when these creatures from Gylex first arrived, they had one thing in mind: to do us harm. The first attack occurred one night many years ago at a remote location and was not discovered for days. A worker making a delivery discovered a man and his son, dead and partially devoured. The wife and the daughter were missing. Later, other attacks were made in more populated areas, and the reality of these monsters became known.
“We learned that the invasion was from the planet Gylex, which had been wracked by a strange illness, a virus that destroyed most of the female population. It was finally controlled, but not until ninety percent of the females were dead. You now know Elmo, that our biochemistry is very similar – almost identical. The Gylexans share this similarity. The sexual chemistry of us all is also similar. The hormones and mating rituals are almost identical. Only the gestation periods vary slightly. The primary purpose of the invasion of Roth was to abduct females to sustain their population. Once captured, the females were implanted with embryos created with eggs harvested from Gylexian females before the females died.”
Elmo shivered at the thought of being touched by one of these monsters, let alone carried to their planet.
“We are a peaceful civilization, unable to defend ourselves from these monsters. We found that the dingo plants, with their extended nocturnal strands, would warn of an invasion. The Gylexans came only at night, for their planet had an odious and polluted atmosphere allowing very little light to penetrate. They cannot bear the life-giving light of our days.”
Valmid paused for a moment and his eyes filled with tears. “One day,” he said, “our daughter was visiting friends. The dingo plants of the house had not yet surrounded the dwelling with their strands, allowing the fiends to strike and abduct our girl. Those are her clothes you are wearing now.”
Elmo’s heart sank at this knowledge. “But Valmid, you said Earth was also in danger and had been invaded in the past. We have had no invasions by these beasts.”
“Ah Elmo,” Valmid replied, “but you have. From the Gylexian thoughts we found that Earth had been invaded, your females captured and returned to Gylex. These monsters kept a low profile on Earth because of your weapons, and the ease with which your society uses them without hesitation. Earth abductions continued for some time, until an invasion team became deathly ill. One day, a group of them died; dropped to the ground and instantly decayed. A lone survivor, near death, returned to Gylex and reported this development. Gylex then ceased its Earth invasions. They had not consumed anything on your planet, so they assumed something in your atmosphere was killing them. But these monsters are persistent. They continued to send parties for short periods of time – always returning to Gylex close to death. That is until recently. They still cannot remain on your planet for long, but the time they can tolerate visits is lengthening. I fear soon the invasion of Earth will begin again.”
Elmo thought for a moment. He did recall remembering a series of unexplained disappearances of women early in the twentieth century.
“I’ve been to your planet Elmo, so have others from Roth. But because of the strict rules of our people, we are not allowed to interfere with your civilization. Imagine the hysteria that would ensue if I were to appear. Knowing your love for weaponry, I doubt if I would have existed long enough to tell my story. You cannot imagine the joy, the relief all my brothers and I felt when you came to us. We hope to learn of this component contained in your atmosphere and banish this plague from our planet.”
Elmo’s mind was overwhelmed by this awesome assignment. “I am a physicist, not a chemist,” he protested. But his mind began to consider the evidence. Something in the Earth’s atmosphere sickened these beasts. The concentration of whatever it was continued to climb until it began killing them. Now, it is decreasing, yet this mysterious component of Earth’s atmosphere remains unknown. Elmo considered, “The only component of the atmosphere that is changing is carbon dioxide – producing the supposed greenhouse effect. But that gas continues to increase as the population and industry of our planet grows.”
Valmid stood and said, “It is nearly dawn, we should all get some rest.” He extended his hand to Cal and, as Elmo bounced along behind, they went upstairs.
Elmo went to bed but not to sleep. He pondered what he had just been told. Finally, he fell asleep with his mind still in torment. Blinding light entered through the unshielded window, awakening Elmo as his mind once again filled with the mystery he was asked to solve. He lay there thinking and testing theory after theory. There was nothing he could think of that had increased in the Earth’s atmosphere, then decreased without being detected. Elmo decided he must rest more. He cleared his mind and suddenly it came to him – crystal clear. He sat upright in bed and struck his forehead with his hand. “Of course, that has to be it!”
Valmid was aware of Elmo’s thoughts all morning. He now entered Elmo’s bedroom with a smile on his face “Come my friend,” he said, “we have much to plan and work to do.”
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 5
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 5
A LESSON IN SPACE AND TIME TRAVEL
Valmid and Cal led Elmo up the stairs to the guest bedroom. His bed for the night was enormous but welcoming. It had been a long, eventful day.
Cal found some pajamas and other clothes from their child’s younger days that fit Elmo perfectly. Elmo bid Cal and Valmid good night, slipped beneath the covers, and was soon asleep. His dreams were filled with screaming plants and foreign lands and Mildred. When he awoke, his first thought was of Mildred, and he was filled with sorrow and longing. It had been many years since he had awoken without her next to him.
Elmo was learning to cope with the oversized house and furniture. The weaker gravity of Roth enabled him to jump greater distances than he could on Earth. He found he could hop up and down the stairs and jump into bed with little effort. After dropping down from the bed, Elmo entered the bathroom, took a shower, then carefully made his way down the stairs. Valmid and Cal were already eating breakfast and invited Elmo to join them.
Valmid detected Elmo’s reluctance to eat their food, so he reassured him, “Elmo, although we’re very different on the outside, on the inside we are the same. Not only are our organs identical but the biochemistry that governs them is also similar. What is edible for us is also edible for you. The food may appear different, our plants and animals may not resemble the plants and animals you are fond of consuming, but our food will fulfill your requirements.” During breakfast, Elmo experienced new flavors and textures, both good and not so good, and hoped Valmid was right.
With breakfast finished, Valmid commented, “Your species discovered the existence of worm holes, but only you, Elmo, uncovered the secret of time-space travel. I can only imagine how crude the device was that you contrived, being the first of its kind on your planet. I was playing with Zytex when he suddenly vanished, transported by your machine. You came very close to transporting me, instead of my faithful pet. Our two planets are not the only ones that have made the discovery. There are other civilizations on other planets that have developed this method of travel.”
Valmid sat back and began to explain the more intricate principles and mechanisms of time-space travel to Elmo. “Elmo, you’ve shown great insight in discovering the use of wormholes for travel, and you were lucky to survive your first attempt. First, let me explain the change in how old you were when you left Earth to your age now on Roth. You know that nothing can exceed the speed of light, and you know the whole universe is in motion. Whole galaxies are propelled with untold speed, some towards and some away from each other. Therefore, if you are on a planet hurtling toward another planet you wish to visit and their combined relative closing speed is greater than the speed of light, the differences in speed results in a change in your age. Luckily for you, Roth is moving toward Earth. If the planets had been moving apart at the same speeds, you would have arrived a very old man.”
Valmid continued, “You are lucky in another sense in relation to time-space travel. You see, my friend, space is crisscrossed with an infinite number of wormholes. There are, in fact, many that connect Earth and Roth, but they differ in the direction of their routes. You happened to select one whose path was not the most direct. If you had, the outcome would have been quite disastrous. You see your age would have decreased by more years than you have been alive. So somewhere along your journey, you would have ceased to exist.”
As Elmo listened to Valmid he realized just how lucky he had been in choosing Roth as a destination. At the same time, he was intrigued by the complexity of time-space travel. He thought a wormhole was a wormhole was a wormhole. He was also pleased with the fact that life exists on other planets which circle other stars under conditions similar to those of Earth and its sun, thereby verifying a theory he had considered for many years but was careful not to discuss with his colleagues at Los Alamos. Elmo was afraid he would have found himself conducting research at Roswell if his theories had been known.
“Another item I must discuss with you,” Valmid continued, “is our method of communication. You know that I can read all your thoughts, but you are only reading those thoughts of mine that I want you to know. We all need privacy, and when we have a visitor from another planet we like to give him the ability to think without being intruded upon. You remember when we first met how I could not communicate with you because your thoughts were coming fast and overlapped with one another. What I’m about to teach you may be difficult at first, but I’m sure you will be able to do it quite easily. Try humming in your mind.”
Elmo hummed a tune he particularly enjoyed.
“Now try to hum and have a thought simultaneously.”
Elmo did this with some difficulty.
“I have no idea what you just thought. You see Elmo; the humming sets up white noise through which your thoughts cannot be discerned. With a little practice, you will be able to have some privacy during your stay with us.”
With great sadness, Elmo wondered how long that stay would be. He missed Mildred a great deal and felt so alone on Roth. He had planned a brief visit – not an extended journey. At the same time, he found the whole experience fantastic.
Valmid sensed Elmo’s sadness but knew he would not let his friend return to Earth until he had helped solve a problem that was decimating Roth and profoundly altered Valmid’s life. Elmo would not be leaving until the dilemma was solved, no matter how long it took.
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 4
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 4
ELMO MEETS CAL
“Yes, my wife has breasts,” Valmid communicated. Elmo had momentarily forgotten that his mind was an open book. The thoughts he had as he gazed at the female walking towards his new youthful body were not meant for a husband to know. As Valmid’s wife approached, Elmo could not help but be aroused by the voluptuous figure, barely concealed under a tight red jumpsuit. Eight feet tall with a gray skinned hairless head or not, the body beneath the jumpsuit could easily be featured in any planet’s version of Playboy.
By now Valmid knew Elmo’s name, so he communicated, “Elmo, this is my wife Cal. Cal, this is Elmo.” As Cal stood next to Valmid, Elmo realized he had underestimated her height. She was well over eight feet tall.
Sensing Elmo’s mind about going into overdrive again, and not wanting to experience discomfort once more, Valmid began a lengthy discussion designed to answer some of Elmo’s questions.
“I know of your planet Elmo,” he said, “I’ve been there twice. I know that your society, although primitive, is rapidly progressing. Your species produce rare individuals that jump ahead of the pack when it comes to science. You are one of those individuals. I know the theory you developed about other planets – how they might harbor life if their stars and suns had the same traits as yours. We are the third planet from our sun, just as your planet is. There are basic similarities between us. Yet there are many differences, although they are mostly cosmetic. While our appearances vary strikingly, if you were to compare scans of our internal organs, your best medical personnel could not tell them apart. Another difference in our appearance, other than the obvious dissimilarities of skin color and hair, is that our females tend to be taller than the males.
“We have mastered the art of thought transference to enable us to communicate with beings from other planets. We do not, however, use such communication with each other. We are able to shield our thoughts so that they are hidden from our own species. If you are to stay here for any length of time, we will also teach you this ability.”
Elmo reflected on Valmid’s offer, but had no idea how long his stay would be.
Elmo’s mind revealed his confusion. As Valmid finished speaking, Cal desired to address Elmo. “Elmo,” she communicated, “you must wonder how we knew of your arrival. It was the dingo plants you tread upon that alerted us. Your planet uses burglar alarms to protect their properties and loved ones. We use dingo plants. We plant them around our house, and when disturbed, they cry out. They also produce flowers every morning that emit a rich soothing scent.
“With these plants around our house for protection, we feel totally safe. If you had arrived after dark, we still would have been aware of your presence even if you had not trodden upon the plants directly. For as night comes, the plants produce filaments, crossing the walkways and climbing up the walls and covering the roof of the house. If you come in contact with these filaments, the plants emit the cries you already heard, alerting the residents within. Through genetic engineering, we have produced a strain of dingo plants with the longest filaments, long enough to protect the roofs of our tallest structures, the most vulnerable part of our buildings.”
As Cal completed this last statement, Valmid gave her a stare that said, “Enough, more than enough,” and Cal’s mind abruptly ceased communication, leaving Elmo puzzling at the information he just heard.
“Why would you use such a seemingly primitive method of protecting your homes when you have such an advanced technology?” thought Elmo.
The sky had darkened further, with only a thin rim of emerald, green on the horizon. Both Valmid and Cal looked to the sky as Valmid suggested, “Let us go to our home and let the dingo plants do their nighttime work.” They walked the path to the house, and Elmo observed the plant’s filaments crossing the path behind them. His companions seemed relieved to enter the threshold of their home. Elmo entered the house, and was amazed how everything looked the same, yet different from the houses on earth. The chairs, of course, were too large for Elmo’s five-foot ten-inch frame. While Valmid and Cal reclined, Elmo felt like a small child climbing up onto an adult chair. He finally sat down with his feet dangling. The walls of the house, made of a composite that Elmo could not identify, glowed a soft bluish white light. Elmo’s attention was drawn to frames mounted on the walls as images within the frames continued to change from paintings to photos of aliens.
Valmid observed Elmo’s interest and told him, “You seem to be taken with our pictures. The frames contain very thin video screens and a wireless connection to our computer; practically the whole house is a computer. Stored pictures are beamed to the screen. We simply choose a series of pictures and the cycle time, then enjoy the display.”
Despite the modern technology of the house, Elmo noticed that the floors and stairs leading to the second floor were constructed of highly polished wood. The stairs, of course, he would need to take one at a time. Zytex squatted near Elmo’s chair as Elmo studied the first floor of the dwelling more closely. The kitchen was adjacent to the living room, with cupboards and a futuristic device resembling a stove.
It was night as Elmo sat with his new friends. With sunset the light emitted from the walls intensified, maintaining a steady level of illumination. All was quiet as the trio communicated; the only sound was the occasional scream of the dingo plants.
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 3
My previous post was mislabeled. It actually was Chapter 2. Sorry about the confusion.
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 3
ELMO ARRIVES ON ROTH
When Elmo awoke, he had no idea where he was. His eyes beheld a landscape both strange and beautiful, a rolling countryside of vegetation and a nearby dwelling, but unlike any he had ever seen. Then, he recalled entering his time-space machine with his newfound friend. As he ran his fingers through his thick black hair, he wondered where he was. His body felt youthful. He must be forty years younger. He contemplated the shift in time and enjoyed his renewed youth.
Waiting to be transported back to his basement, Elmo had no way of knowing his adventure had caused the greatest blackout in history. He was hesitant to move and change the coordinates he had entered into the time-space machine sitting in his basement. Eventually curiosity won out and he began to explore his surroundings. At the same time, he felt a growing fear. He wondered if this journey was a good idea and if he would ever see Mildred again.
As he stood near his traveling companion, he saw the creature’s funnel shaped mouth form a grin, happy to be home. The soil was the color of the soil back home with green vegetation, but vegetation that defied what he knew of plant life. There were trees in the distance, but they towered like mountains over the landscape. The giant redwoods he recalled from his vacations would reach only a third the way up the trunks of these behemoths. He stood in a tiny bare spot of ground. Stepping upon a green field, he heard tiny screams and immediately retreated. Vegetation was obviously advanced on this planet, felt pain, and could utter distress. There were trails leading everywhere so that one could avoid walking on the plant life. He must remember to tread lightly on this planet. His eyes left the landscape and gazed at a brilliant lavender sky studded with crimson clouds although it was not yet dusk. Crimson must be the normal color of clouds in this world. Elmo also found that here a small hop would carry him far. His companion, too, was much more active in gravity one-fourth than of earth.
This newly youthful Elmo sat down with his traveling companion at his side and studied the landscape for a very long time and thought of his journey. He noted that although his age had noticeably changed, the appearance of the creature next to him had not. This must indicate a longer lifespan. Then he smiled, realizing that if the journey had been made with a Galapagos tortoise, the effect would have been the same. Elmo considered the implications, both scientific and personal if his theory about age was correct. The personal consequences made his eyes run with tears. His companion seemed to understand his grief, and its tiny arm hugged his shoulder. Elmo once again gazed at the sky and drank in the glory of another world. Dusk approached, and the sky held three moons of varying diameters. As the sun set, the crimson clouds held hints of green, becoming a deep emerald as darkness approached.
Night fell. Lights began to dot the landscape. In the darkness, the door to the nearby structure opened and a tall, gray-skinned figure approached Elmo and his eye-roving friend. Elmo’s first reaction was to run. But where would he go? He knew nothing of his surroundings, and, after all, this adventure was meant to learn about alien life. The approaching creature was clad in a flowing, blue robe-like garment. As it came closer, Elmo’s traveling companion began to execute flips and emit sounds similar to the purring of a cat. Suddenly Elmo realized what he thought was the dominant life form was actually a pet. As the strange being approached, Elmo appreciated its height, which was well over seven feet, and its regal bearing. The head of the creature was very large, larger than his seven-foot plus height would require, and completely hairless. Its ears were mere holes in the sides of the
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 2
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 2
ELMO’S ADVENTURE BEGINS
As Mildred returned her thoughts to the present, she wondered if the lights dimming had anything to do with Elmo’s shouting. What she didn’t know was that the lights had also dimmed in most of that region of New York and most of eastern Canada. The electrical company had never experienced a power drain like this before and was struggling to get things under control.
Now, as she opened the basement door, Mildred wondered if perhaps all those years Elmo worked in the basement unsupervised was really a good idea. She peered down the stairs He began jumping like a little boy, not the seventy-five-year-old man that he was. “I don’t have a problem. I did it! I did it!” he shouted over and over.
“I completed my first experiment,” Elmo answered and pointed to the Plexiglas chamber. Through the mist Mildred began to detect a shape. At first she thought it was a large fire hydrant but then it began to move. The fire hydrant was mottled red and green with skinny arms ending in suction-cupped fingers. Its tiny legs also ended in suction cups. The creature’s mouth resembled a funnel, which constantly opened and closed. It was breathing.
The most peculiar aspect of this creature was its eye. It had only one and it blinked constantly. As Elmo and Mildred talked, the eye followed their conversation, traveling from one to the other, as the eye physically moved around the perimeter of its head. Mildred watched as the eye moved from one side of the thing’s head to the other. She giggled as she imagined a stadium full of these creatures following a tennis match but soon got control of herself. Actually, the single eye wandering all over the alien’s head was starting to give her the creeps.
“You can’t keep it,” she said.
Elmo responded, “I don’t want to keep it. I want to go back with it.”
“You’re kidding Elmo, and where did it come from anyway?” asked Mildred.
Elmo explained, “You see my dear, you and I and all living beings in the universe are a series of chemical reactions. The cosmos is one huge chemistry set. I thought that if there was a star, similar in size to our sun, and if there was a planet with a distance similar from that star as the earth is from the sun, that life might exist there. These days, astronomers are always discovering new planets revolving around distant stars. So, I just waited until one was discovered with the right conditions and aimed my time-space machine at that planet and the results are in the chamber. But notice how our friend can barely move his arms or legs. The gravity on his planet must be much less than it is on earth. I need to go back with him and see what it’s like.”
Mildred shook her head. But she knew arguing with Elmo was useless.
“I’ll show you how to run the machine, but first get our camera,” Elmo said.
By the time Mildred found the camera and returned to the basement, Elmo had entered the chamber and had his arm around the visitor. Mildred took a picture, then another for insurance. Then Elmo exited the chamber to demonstrate the workings of the machine to his anxious wife.
“Okay dear, first you turn the machine on with this switch. Next, you turn this rheostat. To get him here, I had to set the rheostat to half maximum. To get us back, you’ll need to turn it to full. Give me about ten minutes and then bring me back.”
“I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” muttered Mildred.
“Don’t worry Mildred, I’ll be back before you’re done cooking dinner.”
Elmo entered the chamber and Mildred followed his instructions. As soon as the rheostat reached max, there was a blinding flash, the chamber filled with a milk-white fog, and Elmo and the creature were gone. Shortly after they disappeared the lights in the basement went out.
Mildred sighed. “Oh Elmo, you may be gone a little longer than you expected,” she muttered and climbed the stairs to fix dinner.
What Mildred didn’t yet know was her town, the entire state of New York, along with most of the northeast, a good portion of the Midwest and a large part of Canada were also without power. Fifty million people were plunged into darkness. Elmo’s experiment had precipitated the largest blackout in history. He was going to be very very late for dinner.
ELMO’S SOJOURN, CHAPTER 1
ELMO’S SOJOURN
CHAPTER 1
CELLAR SCIENCE
“I have a problem! I have a big problem!” Elmo shouted from his cellar laboratory. Mildred shook her head, wiped her hands on her apron and headed for the basement door. After fifty years of marriage, Elmo never ceased to amaze her at the trouble he could get into.
“Could he garden like other men his age? Oh no, he has to do physics experiments,” Mildred muttered as she walked down the cellar stairs.
* * *
They had moved into this rural house in Upstate New York ten years ago, right after Elmo had retired from his job at Los Alamo Laboratory. He was a physicist at the laboratory, part of a think-tank that planned experiments. But Elmo enjoyed the lab work too. He had accumulated a lot of ideas and discarded equipment. Mildred gazed out the window of her country home. Nearby, tall electrical towers obstructed some of the bucolic scenery, but Mildred liked the house just fine. Elmo brought along the junk he had accumulated over the years, mostly discarded apparatus from failed experiments, equipment useless to everyone except Elmo. The items included large magnets and four six-foot-tall Tesla coils, specialized high voltage transformers three feet in diameter and wrapped with miles of thin copper wire. They resembled giant candles, coming to a point with electrical connections at the apex. Elmo transported all this equipment into the basement and fiddled with it for years. He then had a large Plexiglas chamber built, which set them back a bundle. He stood the Tesla coils in each corner, then mounted the magnets in the floor.
The next step in the construction of Elmo’s experiment Mildred found most undesirable. Elmo told Mildred, “I’ll need a great deal of power for my research. Soon I’ll need your help making the electrical connections for the project I’ve been working on.”
A few days ago, a truck had delivered a huge spool of heavy insulated wire, another great expense, and now Mildred was getting a bad feeling. Once it was dark, Elmo emerged from the basement wearing rubber boots and heavy rubber gloves. “Get your coat Mildred, we’re going out.” The spool of wire was in the bed of Elmo’s pickup. They drove to the base of the nearest electrical tower and parked.
“What are you going to do Elmo?” Mildred asked in a voice full of apprehension and a touch of impatience.
“I’m going to climb the tower and connect this wire which you’re going to feed out,” came his reply. Mildred shook her head and wished Elmo would act his age.
After that illegal task was accomplished, Elmo spent most of his time in the basement tinkering with his invention. He called it his Time – Space Chamber, and when Mildred asked just what he was doing Elmo explained, “I’ve always thought that if I could create an electrical field, then move those electrons in a magnetic field to approach the speed of light, I could create a wormhole to a distant time and place. I could aim at the wormhole and transport matter. The secret is the size of the magnetic field. It must be small, not like the giant cyclotrons they construct in the desert.
All Mildred could say was, “If it makes you happy dear.” It kept Elmo out of her hair for years.
ELMO IS COMING
ELMO IS COMING
Elmo is soon arriving for your reading enjoyment. He is the main character in my two novellas, Elmo’s Invention and Elmo’s Sojourn.
In Elmo’s Sojourn, written first, he is a retired Los Alamos scientist but has never strayed from his love of science. He has a theory that it is possible to travel through space through wormholes. He builds a device, and it works! However, Elmo goes nowhere, but a creature appears in his cellar lab. Elmo being Elmo, decides to return with the creature to its home. Thus, the adventure for Elmo, in a strange world begins.
Elmo’s Sojourn has a long history. The novella was first published online by Bewildering Stories in 2006. Later, it was published by Mélange Books as an eBook and in a print anthology, Curious Hearts, in 2010. Then, purely by accident, I discovered the first two chapters of the eight-chapter novella were published in China in an English-language science fiction publication in 2008.
Elmo’s Invention, written as a prequel to Elmo’s Sojourn, has only been published on my blog. In this novella Elmo is working as a scientist in Los Alamos and has the idea to build a time machine.
He builds it, and it works, but not in the way he intended. His discovery is made public and causes an uproar for Elmo and his wife in their community, and beyond.
After things die down and Elmo is using his machine to raise chickens it ceases to work. In the process of repairing it, he stumbles upon the reason why it was not working as intended. But as a true time machine, more problems lurk in the future.
I had a great deal of fun writing these two novellas and I hope you have as much fun reading them.
I will begin publishing Elmo’s Invention a chapter at a time every three days on by blog. When completed, Elmo’s Sojourn will make its appearance.
Walttriznastories's Blog 