Voices could be heard, people were approaching the house. The door opened and Caryell’s two uncles came in with his aunts and cousin, Miigal. Miigal was his only cousin still living at home. She was twenty years old, and the youngest child of his uncle Toreen—the youngest of Aspiria’s brothers. Caryell had always been fond of Miigal. She was the closest person to a sibling that he had ever known. She was very fond of Caryell, also, he being the ‘baby brother’ that she had always wanted. Caryell loved being with his father, aunts, and uncles, but was very happy to have the company of someone closer to his age.
Miigal was pretty and petite—wearing a grey skirt and a black sweater. Her hair was long, brown, straight, and, tonight, featuring a red bow. Caryell had never noticed the resemblance before, but she reminded him, momentarily, of his mother. Her face did contain some of his mother’s features, but it was more her countenance and expressions that triggered the resemblance. Miigal smiled at Caryell, and made her way towards him as he arose to meet her. Ordinarily he would have gone up to his uncles and aunts and greeted them; but they were so caught up in the reason for the visit, that they had already begun to gather and speak.
“Let’s go out back,” suggested Miigal.
Uncle Piori and Aunt Kaytil had a lovely manicured garden out back with a swinging bench. It was already dark outside, but not a bit chilly. Caryell and Miigal swung together on the bench, while they laughed and talked. Caryell had been so weighed down for the past month that he had not laughed once. The laughter came forth as a burst, and at times overcame him. Miigal was in a very good mood this evening, and she, too, was laughing heartily. Eventually the conversation and laughter died down, and the two just swung and gazed at the stars.
“Caryell, I think that I shall be engaged very soon. Jeriyal and I have been seeing each other a lot lately; that is, when he is not working. He is setting aside his money, and told me that he may be able to buy a home this year. I am so excited.”
“Wow, I’m going to be the only kid left in the family.”
“Are you saying that I’m still a kid?”
“Yes.”
She tickled him, and he giggled, but not quite as boisterously as he had a few moments before. “How have you been doing? I haven’t seen you this week.”
“I’m fair. I miss my mother terribly. Father is having a really hard time. He is doing a little better today. He has some ideas about my mother.”
“That is what Aunt Kaytil was saying. She said something about visitors from another world taking her. I don’t really understand that.”
“My father saw something in the sky. He thinks that they are up there,” he pointed upward to the dark and star speckled sky, “and that they came down and took her, and then went back up there again. He says that they are still up there with her.”
“I don’t understand why they would do that. Are you keeping up with school?”
He looked at her with a questioning expression. Then he sat back and didn’t answer. “You know, you remind me a little of my mother. I noticed it when you walked in. You look like her—a little anyway. You kind of walk like her, and, well, you sounded just like her when you just asked me that.”
“That’s a perfect complement! Aunt Aspiria is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Any girl would love to resemble her.” She looked at him with a serious expression, “So, how is school going?”
“Fine; I did get behind some, but the teachers are letting me make it up. Sometimes I get so distracted, and I can’t concentrate, but I’m doing better now.”
“Are you going to stay in Arkasia, or come here to Plensen when you are out of school? I think that you would like it in the city.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to leave my father. When we get my mother back, I don’t think that I would ever want to leave her. But the city would be nice. Maybe we will all live in the city someday.”
“Tomorrow night Jeriyal and I are going to the theater; do you want to come?”
“Won’t I be in the way? I don’t want to see you two kissing or anything.” She tickled him again.
“He’d better kiss me. It won’t be too long before you won’t mind kissing. Seriously, do you want to go? You’ll be here tomorrow night I’m sure. Won’t you be here for a few days at least?”
“I think so. I’ll go, if you two behave. I don’t know how long we will be here. We are going to see if anyone else has seen the shooting star.”
“What do you mean?—seen the shooting star?” she asked as she locked her knees so that the swing stopped abruptly and she turned to look at him.
“That’s what my father saw; he saw a shooting star last night, but it wasn’t really a shooting star. It was the vessel that has my mother in it. He said that it lasted too long in the sky to be a real shooting star. He saw it once before, a few nights before my mother was taken. He said that that is where the visitors from the other world are.”
“Caryell! I saw a shooting star! It was just like that. Jeriyal and I saw it. We both said that it was the most amazing shooting star that we had ever seen. It seemed to last for a really long time.”
Caryell’s eyes widened as he stared at Miigal. “Let’s go tell my father!”
The room was ablaze with a hearty fire under the hearth. The air was warm, as was the lighting. The seven adults were deep in serious conversation and did not notice Caryell and Miigal enter.
“It simply does not make sense that they are here,” said Zilnir. “I can’t think of any reason for those of one world to travel to other worlds. What could they want?”
“Father.” Caryell did not command the attention of the group. “Father!”
“In a moment, Caryell,” said Roloff without looking up.
“Miigal has seen the star, Father!”
All eyes turned to Caryell, and then to Miigal. “Yes, I saw a shooting star. It was as Caryell described. It was in the sky for a long time, not a brief moment, as would be ordinary. I and Jeriyal saw it together. We both commented on its singular characteristics.”
“When, my dear?” asked Toreen. “Was it last night as Roloff has seen it?”
“No; it was several days ago—perhaps five evenings ago. Jeriyal had made a pick-nick dinner, and we ate it at the park. As it got to be dusk, and we lay on the blanket, we gazed at the stars beginning to light up the sky. Jeriyal saw it first, and pointed to it. We watched it for some time—in awe. It was not a quick flash and then gone; it seemed to be traveling across the sky. It did disappear, though; it did not carry on.”
“Five days!” interrupted Priori. “That gives us much to go on. We now have three separate sightings. That is no coincidence. We may be able to find other sightings as well, but for now this gives us much to go on.”
“Is Aunt Aspiria in the star?” questioned Miigal.
“We believe so,” Priori nodded. “It is no star—no meteor. It is something that is flying around the planet. We call it orbiting. We have been studying the possibility of an object orbiting our world. This is what would happen: gravity would pull it towards our world, but if it was traveling fast enough, the gravity would simply keep it circling our world. The speed of escape would equal the force of gravity. It could keep circling forever. We don’t have the ability to send something up to do this—not yet, anyway. It would have to come from another world; Roloff is right about this. If we have visitors from another world, and indeed it seems that we do, then it is reasonable to link them to Aspiria’s disappearance. Roloff’s thought about them coming down to that rock clearing, and then returning to orbit with her makes sense. I don’t know how they could do this, but they are here; they must possess many abilities that we do not have.”
“Don’t we need to answer the question of why they are here?” asked Zilnir.
“We may not be able to do that. But I see no other possible explanation—other than that they are here. I do think that they
must have Aspiria.” Priori interlocked his fingers, calculating a plan of action. “Roloff, you know Mayor Tinron. We must arrange a meeting with him for you. I will begin talking with my colleagues tomorrow. Miigal, please make sure of what day it was that you saw the vessel. We know that it was seen last night. We will need to find the exact dates of as many sightings as possible. I think that we can calculate the orbit, once we know more.”
“What will we do? Once we know when the object can be sighted, what will we do then?” said Pashlor, the second born in Aspiria’s family.
No immediate answer followed. It was his wife, Veerantin, who broke the silence. “We will seek inspiration from above, and help from those here, my dear.”
Chapter 33