Chapter Eight (Part Two)

A few hours after her adventure began, it ended.

Melody fell to the ground, face down, with a great big thump, right on her parents' front porch. Of course, her parents were blissfully unaware of anything that had happened. They were busy either sleeping (her father Stephen) or tending to the baby (Wanda). Meanwhile, she lay there perfectly still, almost flat, even, hardly breathing, but calmly trying to comprehend in her mind what had just happened.

Slowly she gathered strength to rise from the asphalt and grass, dusty, disoriented, but otherwise, all in one piece. As she got up, she managed to catch a glance backward at the spaceship that had dropped her off. It seemed to be saying to her, "Farewell, my young human friend, we shall meet again." It still took a long time for Melody to fully comprehend what had just happened. And even then she didn't do so completely.

And if things didn't get any more peculiar, when she went into her bedroom, the two paintings she'd had hanging on her wall seemed to have been zapped out of existence.

In an effort to make some sense out of the matter, Melody went to her computer and began chatting online with her favorite fellow alien-conspiracy believer, UberGieke, who was a physics major at Academie Le Tour.

They'd "met" in an online e-group while they were still students at Sim City High. He was a senior, she was a freshman. They'd never seen or spoken to each other, but both of them were much more comfortable chatting with computers between them than they ever were talking to people in person.

UberGieke, in his dorm room, was stunned to learn that TinkerBell was on the computer at three in the morning. He figured it had to be something important, so he sent her a message: "Hiya, TinkerBell, what's up?"

"UberGieke, you are not going to believe what has happened to me," Melody began. She didn't know why, but she felt that UberGieke was probably the only person she knew who would not only believe her, but wouldn't sell her story to the Sim City Times.

(chat transcript)
UBERGIEKE: Are you serious? You were stargazing after an argument with your mom and you were abducted by aliens?

TINKERBELL: Yep. There was a bright light --

UBERGIEKE: Ooh, I knew it! I just knew it! :D

TINKERBELL: -- and a sharp breeze. I tried to hold on to my telescope but the force field was too strong. I was too weak to fight it and was immediately sucked up.

UBERGIEKE: Tell me, what was it like up there?

TINKERBELL: I don't even remember the ride. It was like I was in another dimension or something. All the aliens were really nice to me, though.

UBERGIEKE: Guess I know what you're painting for the student art show.

TINKERBELL: How did you know that?

UBERGIEKE: You're an open webpage, Tinkerbell. I can figure you out from here. But be prepared for the army of skeptics. You know this is our secret right?

TINKERBELL: Right. ;-)

UBERGIEKE: That is, until you win the student art show. Then the whole town will know how talented you are. :)
(UBERGIEKE signs off.)

The next morning, Melody awoke from what amounted to a catnap, more inspired than ever, especially given Ubergieke's words of encouragement. Having rediscovered her love of the craft, she poured herself into her work. Her family knew that she was in one of her I-want-to-be-alone-to-paint moods, because they all promptly and courteously spent the day at the local park.

She carried the unfinished canvas back to campus, where she continued whenever she had time. "So, Mel," Sarah asked over a game of chess, "have you come up with something for the student art show?"

"Yep," Melody replied, her poker face still evident, "but I'm not saying."

"Oh?"

"I'm not finished working on it yet."

"You're so gonna win, Mel, it ain't even funny," Sarah said before yelling checkmate.

"Dang!"

"Well, you may be the best artist in school, but I still whip your behind in chess."

After the chess game, Melody went outside, alone, to inhale the crisp nighttime air. She went right to her spot, the area where she'd set up her telescope. The hedges behind the dorm provided a little bit of a cover, but she could rise her lens above them for an excellent view of the nighttime sky. She liked to come out here when the nights were clear, crisp, and cool, in order to reflect on her life. Deep down, though, as she continued to gaze at the stars, she wondered if what had happened back at home was a fluke, if she were merely imagining it.