Love Falls From the Sky Page 3

  He complied and touched several items that were not in the sealed boxes. Soon, Webby came to a conclusion.

  “Food can be safely ingested. But you will have to avoid some of them because they have a large amount of unnecessary artificial substances. Probably to conserve food and improve the taste. I have references that this was our ancestor's way hundreds of years ago.”

  He finally chose a sandwich that was already there on one of the refrigerator shelves. Hmm! A strange but completely satisfying taste, Dannar thought after biting into it.

  “What does it contain?” he asked Annabeth.

  “Rye bread, cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, and ham. I had prepared this for the snack I take every morning at 10 am, but I can make some more if you want.”

  “No, that's enough,” Dannar said.

  “Good decision,” Webby said. “You have to gradually expose yourself to indigenous food.”

  After Dannar finished eating the sandwich, which he then washed down with two glasses of water, they left the cottage and took off on Annabeth's car.

  CHAPTER 3

  Wellinghton was a typical American town. From the city limits, you entered directly onto the main street where you can find the main shops. From this street, the others branched. Like on any relatively new settlement, the streets had a perfectly aligned structure, as much as it was allowed by the mountainous relief.

  During their drive to town, Annabeth was wondering why she felt so eager to help this man. Because he looked nice and at least, at first sight, didn't seem like an abusive individual? Or was she so fed up with the local guys so she was allured now by the exoticism of someone coming from another continent?

  “I know a used clothing store where we can find cool stuff for you,” Annabeth said, stopping in front of a long, two-story building that had shops lined up one next to each other. “Plus, given that my finances are a little thin, this store is great for us.”

  They entered the store, and as expected, Dannar was like a child lost at the mall. He gave an uncertain look at the rows of clothes of all kinds, whether for women, men, or children.

  “Do you see something you like?” asked Annabeth.

  “I think you'd better recommend something to me. You are more familiar with the local fashion style.”

  “I didn't know that in Denmark they wear different clothes ... Or did you just live secluded in the mountains?”

  “Watch it!” Webby spoke. “You are on shifting ground. Tell her you lived in an extremely religious and isolated community and now you have decided to explore the world to see other ways of living.”

  Dannar complied and presented that addition to his story. Annabeth did not comment on anything afterward and suggested he should try on some jeans with classic tailoring and some plaid shirts, but also several t-shirts. In the meantime, she also bought him some boxer shorts and socks (these were, of course, new, even though the store was mainly second-hand). For his big feet, they chose some sneakers but also some boots more suitable for hiking on the mountain. Neither pair of shoes was too worn.

  “Do your pants and shirts fit?” Annabeth asked Dannar after he had been in the changing booth for some time. He opened the door so she could see that the jeans were still tight enough on his muscular body, but his shirt fit nicely. Only its collar was still risen and crooked. Annabeth approached him and leveled the collar.

  Dannar had a small shock. It was the first time they were so close, and he could smell her scent. It was intoxicating, and he couldn't define what exactly it was.

  “I detect artificial chemicals and plant extracts as well as hormonal emissions specific to human females,” Webby came into play.

  With painful sadness, Dannar remembered Alaina's gentle scent as he held her in his arms. She also used perfume extracted from the plants on Haronia. Annabeth's approach seemed to generate heat; the air around them suddenly seemed to wave, like in the middle of the desert. She may have felt this as well, as she withdrew as soon as she arranged his shirt collar.

  At her suggestion, Dannar put on one of those items of clothing called "underwear," as well a pair of socks, and then remained dressed in the newly acquired jeans and plaid shirt. He put on his boots and had to admit that he now looked more normal, according to Earth standards, and no longer stuck out like a sore thumb.

  The next stop was at the supermarket where they bought more food. Annabeth said she would cook something when they got back to the cottage. On the way back, they stopped at a gas station to fill the car.

  “Stay in the car,” Annabeth said to Dannar, seeing that he wanted to follow her out. “I can handle it.”

  So he stayed there watching her carefully as she took the pump hose and connected it to the car tank and then, after carefully watching the numbers on the pump’s display, she disconnected it. She then went to the station’s minimarket where there was just one employee, a young man with a curious look. She was only going to pay cash because she was afraid that if she paid with the card, it could be tracked.

  Dannar put to work his improved sense of hearing to hear what Annabeth was talking about to the gas station employee.

  “Nice seeing you again, miss. Always alone. Wouldn't it be nice to see each other and do something about this loneliness tonight?”

  Annabeth glanced toward the car and said, “I don't think so. I'm no longer alone, as you can see.”

  “Ah, you just say so. I know better. For about a week, I kept seeing you alone here. Probably the guy in the car is just a hitchhiker you picked up. Tonight you’ll be alone there in that forest cabin.”

  “Sir, I don’t know you and don’t want to know you. Stop these unwanted advances!” Annabeth took the change and left the gas station. She sat behind the wheel of the Subaru, still nervous.

  “Did something happen?”

  “Nothing. Don't worry, just an idiot who thinks himself a macho man.”

  And then she said nothing more on the way to the cabin. Once they got there, Dannar helped Annabeth with the supplies in the car, and she kept her word and prepared a somewhat late lunch.

  The evening was approaching, and Annabeth was beginning to have doubts about her earlier decisions. Was it normal to live here in the loneliness of the mountains with this foreign man she had met in such a weird situation? Especially since this man was telling a story that was a bit unbelievable? He did not seem threatening in his gestures or voice ... In fact, he didn’t speak much. But what could she do? Throw him out the door?

  And there was that wild appearance again, that impression of a quiet force!

  No, she'd help. Maybe she'll sleep with one eye open that night, but she'd let him hang around for a few days until he recovered his papers and money. And obviously, she would get back the money he owed her.

  The sun had crossed the horizon, and the shadows of twilight began to creep around the cottage when the two heard the sound of a vehicle approaching up the gravel road. Dannar looked questioningly at Annabeth, but she shrugged. She didn't expect any guests.

  It was a gray pickup truck from which Annabeth's old "friend," the gas station guy, descended.

  “I said I was going to keep you company, and I kept my word,” he said with a shameless smile. “I didn't know you made an Indian friend.” He pointed to Dannar. It is true that he could have been taken as a Native American with light tan skin and that shiny, black hair that fell to his shoulders.

  “As I told you, your advances are not welcome!” said Annabeth.

  “I won't let this guy deter me. Maybe he can take a little walk while we have some drinks in there?” He waved a bottle of whiskey he had with him.

  Annabeth was already red with anger because of this guy's obnoxious nerve. She looked helplessly at Dannar. He understood that he had to act.

  “This woman doesn't want to mate with you. You better move away.”

  Annabeth's face became even redder as she heard these abrupt words. You would say it's all about sex when men speak.

  “Hey
, Arnold, stay back. This is between me and young missy here.”

  Sparks, who until that moment stayed quiet at Annabeth's feet, started to bark at the intruder sensing a rapidly escalating conflict. The insolent young man did not miss a beat with that one. He made a few steps toward Dannar with a threatening attitude. Then tried a left-handed uppercut. Dannar intercepted his fist with his right hand and caught it in a mean vice. His other hand pushed back on his chest as if to remove him, and in the next second the guy’s body flew a few steps back and landed motionless on the ground.

  “I hope this electric shock didn't end him for good,” Webby said.

  “Yes, I hope so too. We don’t need problems with the local law,” came Dannar’s assessment of the situation.

  “Dear God! What happened? Is he dead?” Annabeth's voice was now high pitched and frightened. Even Sparks was silent. Dannar approached the fallen body and took its pulse at the carotid artery.

  “He's not dead. He'll wake up sooner or later.”

  “What are we going to do with him? Are we calling an ambulance?”

  “It would not be prudent to have a confrontation with the law enforcement given my situation. I understand it's not nice if you don't have documents here.”

  “Ah, yes. You may be arrested immediately and then deported. What do we do then?”

  “I would suggest driving him away from here with his car and letting him come to his senses there. I can leave him near the gas station where I saw him today.”

  Because Annabeth nodded tacitly, Dannar picked up the uninvited guest and effortlessly put him in the bed of the pickup truck. He then sat behind the wheel and started the engine because fortunately the keys had been left in contact. Webby guided him with the motions needed to operate the vehicle and soon disappeared on the path that descended from the cottage to the regional road.

  Annabeth stared after the car that disappeared through the trees. Her whole body trembled due to the stress. And if she thought about what would have happened if her Danish guest hadn't been here, she was drowning in terrible dread. Her anxious nature projected into her mind the darkest of scenarios. Which all ended with her body violated and left breathless on the floor of the cottage. What was on her mind when she came here alone? But how could she have anticipated the presence of an obsessed bastard like the one at the gas station? Hmm. As if there aren’t such people on all roads?

  She decided to stay here at the cottage for as long as Dannar would stay in the area. It seemed strange that she now had more confidence in this stranger whom she had met under very mysterious conditions. She entered the cottage, drank a glass of water, and then turned on the TV to calm her nerves.

  That's how Dannar found her when he returned. Silent as he was, he just sat on the sofa next to Annabeth and watched the TV screen where a documentary about animals in the northern forests was playing.

  “Is everything okay?” Annabeth finally asked.

  “Of course. I left him where I said. The lack of light helped to go unnoticed when I left the vehicle and returned here.”

  What a manner of speaking! Couldn't he say "darkness" instead of that pretentious “lack of light?” Anyway, Annabeth didn't want to dissect her guest's weirdness anymore, so she told him, “I'm going to bed now. You can sleep on the sofa. But you may not have much room. I also have a sleeping bag around here, and you could sleep on the floor.”

  “Webby, why can't I sleep with her on the bed?” asked a puzzled Dannar.

  “Because on this planet, if a man and a woman share the same bed, they are supposed to have an intimate association, do you understand what I'm saying? So if you're going to stay with her on the bed, she'll assume you want to mate with her.”

  The explanation made little sense to Dannar, but he had to respect local customs, no doubt, even though they seemed strange to him. And the thought of mating with another woman seemed to him a betrayal to Alaina's beautiful memory.

  Annabeth went to the bathroom and changed into a white T-shirt and blue shorts printed with spring flowers. Dannar's gaze was instinctively drawn by her beautifully contoured and lightly tan, long legs. He couldn't admire them for too long because Annabeth went straight to bed, covered herself with the blanket, then tried to sleep. As for Dannar, he swallowed another sandwich and then prepared to lie down on the sleeping bag that he laid on the floor.

  “I think you should undress,” Webby warned him. “At least get rid of the pants and shirt. You will still be clad in underwear—boxer shorts, as they are called—so you will spare the sensibilities of the human woman.”

  Accepting the suggestion, Dannar took off his boots, pants, and shirt, remaining dressed only in those shorts and a black undershirt. Annabeth couldn't help but notice the process, thinking, If someone had told me I'd see a nice man undressing in my room and nothing more happening after that, I wouldn't have believed it.

  However, she wondered if she should invite Dannar to sleep on the bed with her.

  No, if I do that, he might see it as an invitation for more.

  It’s true that this man had been protective of her, but he was still a stranger. And there was, and perhaps, a deeper mistrust of the opposite sex she had gained because of abusive individuals like her ex-boyfriend, Steve.

  CHAPTER 4

  The next morning after she opened her eyes, Annabeth had yet another surprise. She noticed immediately that her guest was working in front of the easel left in the corner by Meryl. She got up from the bed and carefully approached Dannar. When she got near him, she saw that he was just finishing a painting. It showed amazing care for detail, depicting a beautiful woman with red hair holding the hand of a little girl who resembled her, down to her aquiline nose. And most of all, they had the same weird shaped ears, visible because their hair was trapped back in a complex braid. But these ears had a non-Earthly design, pointy at both ends like pumpkin seeds.

  The scenery behind them was also strange. The purple sky and the elegantly twisting flowers seemed to be a backdrop from a Sci-Fi movie.

  Dannar left the paintbrush on the stand next to the paints and looked at Annabeth, somewhat embarrassed. She looked at him questioningly.

  “My wife Alaina and my daughter Aniris,” he said briefly.

  “Where are they now? Back there, in Denmark?”

  “No. They were killed.” And involuntarily, Dannar gritted his teeth, feeling the old rage trying to surface.

  “Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. How terrible!”

  Annabeth knew that whatever she said could not alleviate the pain she was reading in his eyes. Suffering she was certain to be present whenever he thought of the two loved ones who were taken away from him.

  Maybe that's why he went away and wandered the world, Annabeth thought. He runs away from these painful memories, hoping he will lose them somewhere along the way. Maybe this pain didn't even let him sleep, because he must have spent a good part of the night painting. A man with many talents, this Dannar!

  Annabeth then did her morning routine and dressed casually as usual, with a dark red top and jeans. Her guest was already dressed in yesterday’s clothes. She didn’t know if he had taken a shower, but she didn’t smell any unpleasant odor around him.

  In fact, Dannar had used the bathroom facilities, even though they seemed somewhat primitive to him. But what was the alternative? To use some watercourse around the cottage?

  For breakfast, Annabeth prepared something she knew would come out nicely: an omelet with cheese, onion, and bacon. As they sat next to each other at the long table in the kitchen area and ate quietly, Annabeth felt she had to clarify something.

  “I have a question, though. Why did you paint the ears of your wife and daughter in that weird shape?”

  “You’re in trouble,” Webby told Dannar. “You had to express yourself artistically! You, who don’t have an artistic bone in you!”

  The truth is that Webby was the one behind the picture that Annabeth had just seen. He had extracted from Dannar's memo
ry, at his request, the image of Alaina and Aniris. He had also guided his hand to reconstruct these images using the materials found in Meryl's kit. And that's because Dannar insisted on having a physical image of the two loved ones. When he was on his ship, Allegiant, he had a holographic projection of them on his desk all the time. Holograms weren't too common on Earth, but painting could help, he thought.

  It was also Webby's task now to find an explanation for that visible anatomical difference between the Haronians and the humans. And of course, he created one based on the information in his database and on the internet. Now he had adapted and could directly access the cottage router and connect non-stop to the humans’ network. He had already arranged a Danish identity for Dannar and the new documents would arrive in a few days. Soon he would also have the cards with which he could access the money, the local credits.

  “My wife, Alaina, was suffering from a genetic mutation specific to the Nordic population, hence that ear shape that my daughter had inherited too.”

  Dannar could only hope that Annabeth would accept this explanation. But no, the gears in her mind were turning now. She realized that because of his long hair she hadn't seen his ears yet. Would they be the same?

  In a bold impulse, Annabeth reached out to pull his hair back and convince herself. When only several inches to the target, her hand was intercepted by Dannar's, which tightly gripped the woman's fragile fingers.

  “Ouch, it hurts!” she cried.

  He immediately let go.

  “Excuse me, I didn't want to hurt you. It's just that I'm not used to being touched.”

  “Touched by foreign women, you mean?” Annabeth asked.

  He confirmed with a brief nod, and she did not insist. It looks like she'd have to see his ears some other time.

  The rest of the day passed without other strange moments. They found things to do around the cottage. Annabeth showed Dannar the electric generator that provided electricity when needed to replace the energy provided by the photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof of the cottage. The generator was mounted in a built-in annex attached to the rear of the cabin.