Page 21 of The Space Traveller's Lover

A sprightly figure is standing in front of him. His heart jolts as if nearly coming out of his chest, and his jaw drops in disbelief.

There, in front of him, is the sweet welcoming smile of his dear friend Erin. He can discern the shape of her body as it softly glows against the darkened walls.

“Are you real?” he mouths very slowly.

“Yes, Sam. It’s me, Erin.” She puts her hands on her chest while smiling even wider.

“Oh Erin!” He jumps off the bed and runs towards her.

But as he extends his arms to touch her, he cannot feel her, his fingers sliding down an invisible barrier .

“I cannot even touch you. I cannot feel you. But I can feel this subtle energy coming from you. What is this barrier stopping me?”

“It is my body-shield,” she starts explaining as she gently pushes him onto his bed and makes him sit down next to her.

“At least I can sense your presence … so I guess you’re real,” he says hesitantly, his eyes fixated on her.

“My biomagnetic shield …” she pauses, trying to find the right words to explain. “It protects me from this atmosphere.”

From Sam’s puzzled expression, she can tell it will be quite challenging to make him understand everything she wants to say to him.

“I’ve come to get you out of here. And there was no need for that,” she scolds, pointing at his bruised neck as she grabs the rope’s remnants and burns them with her gloved hands.

“I thought you were dead.” He moans. “I felt so helpless, so inadequate.”

“I understand.” She looks sympathetically at him. “But now you see I have returned. You’re not a liar. It did happen. What you saw—it was real.”

“You certainly came at the right time. What took you so long?”

“I was learning to use my new body. Training to be a true Rom-Ghenshar.”

“A what?”

“I am one of them, Sam, a Rom-Ghenshar, as it happens … they created me.”

“Ha! they created you …” Sam frowns at her in distrust. “How do I know you’re Erin, anyway? You look similar, but you’re not the same. Your hair is white. Your pupils glow too brightly. You even look taller.”

“Ask me a question only you and I would know the answer to,” she dares him.

“What did you tell me when I tried to kiss you?” he asks her, trying as hard as he can to conceal his anxiety.

“I didn’t have time to respond. The currents dragged the boat away.”

“Answer me now, Erin,” Sam pleads. “I’ve been waiting for your answer since then.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” she whispers, turning her face away from him and looking down. “I’m not the same girl you used to know.”

“In what way?” he asks her in dismay .

“I mean …” She hesitates, looking poignantly at him. “It will never work.”

“Yeah. So he took you, changed you, Erin. Now he owns you—”

“But you’ll always be my best friend, that’s for sure!” She cheerfully says, but Sam’s face is only getting gloomier.

“What has he done to you? Who are these aliens?” he grumbles, standing up and leaning against the wall with his head down, his arms folded as if in complete denial.

“Remember that late afternoon when we both saw a bright sphere briefly appear over the sea?” she says while standing in front of him and lifting his chin, making him look back at her.

As she speaks to him, Sam starts to realise that she must be, indeed, Erin. He can no longer ignore the unmistakable tone of her voice, her subtle gestures and mannerisms.

She keeps talking as if she hasn’t noticed his trembling lips, his paler complexion, or his drifting gaze.

“You asked me never to tell anyone, to keep it a secret, didn’t you? It was nearly dusk, and the Sun was setting—”

“Enough, Erin, enough! Why did he take you?” He bursts out.

“Calm down. I can explain, but it will take time for you to understand.”

Sam exhales a long, deep resigned breath as he stares at her in utter abdication. “I give up,” he relents, walking sombrely around the room. “Do whatever you want, Erin. Explain everything. I suppose we have all night, so you can tell me all about it. But first, tell me, how did you find me?”

“We can find anyone anywhere on the planet. I followed you closely. I was planning to come to the hearing tomorrow. But I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“How did you get in here?” Sam gulps, his confusion growing by the second.

“Well, I asked them to give me all the security codes and … they duly obliged. The guards will do anything I ask them to,” she replies, a smug grin flashing through her face.

“Oh, really?” Sam retorts in a markedly sarcastic tone. “Then, let’s get out of here right now!”

Erin nods enthusiastically. At least something she said has managed to cheer him up. She opens the door, inviting him to follow her .

They exit the cell, walk down the stairs leading to the main hall, and open the double exit doors without anyone making the slightest attempt to stop them, even when Sam makes funny faces at the guards. They both giggle and jump in joy as they finally run out of the court building.

She continues to guide him through the high-security gates, which she promptly opens on their arrival.

Sam suddenly stops at the sight of the large police presence, makeshift campsites, reporters, and onlookers staying outside, waiting for the hearing.

He tries to turn around, but Shaillah holds him firmly by the arm.

“They can’t see you. I’m protecting you,” she assures him.

“How?” Sam looks at her open-mouthed, completely baffled.

“Well … Part of my shield is surrounding you, and I am controlling their minds so they can only see or hear what I want them to …”

“Can I learn that trick? That’s why I requested to stay here. I was tired of being hounded by them,” he grumbles.

“Well, they won’t do that from now on.”

Sam smiles gratefully at her. For the first time in a while, he’s feeling relieved, even uplifted.

“Where are we going now?” he impatiently asks as they reach the edge of town.

“You want to know the truth of what happened, my friend. I will show you.”

She finds an isolated spot amidst the grassy hills and sits on the ground, inviting Sam to sit beside her. He follows her command automatically, not even attempting to imagine what will happen next.

He has never felt so intrigued and so bewildered at the same time as he watches a thick gyrating light column starting to form in mid-air.

He continuously rubs his eyes until the pain stops him. Still, he finds himself in the same place, sitting next to Erin, watching the most unbelievable light spectacle. If this isn’t a dream, it must be a life-changing event , he says to himself.

The luminous column gives way to swirling bands of floating particles, spreading far out and gradually forming a sprawling translucent haze, filling the entire space in front of them.

He can see the images starting to build throughout the fluctuating medium, eventually creating an all-pervading intricate hologram .

“I will show you what happened in this time-slice hologram,” she explains, “so you can understand why I’m here at all.”

Her spirited voice vibrates inside his numbed head, making him jump out of his stupor. “Where is all this coming from?” Sam wonders.

Then he notices the gemstones on her belt’s strap, flashing in a nonstop sequence. It must be coming from her belt , he reckons.

She briefly nods at him, confirming his thoughts, and then points towards the ethereal scenes.

He stares at the shifting shapes constantly swirling in front of him as more defined patterns emerge within the hazy flow. He can’t take his eyes off the hypnotizing spectacle, not even for a second.

Sam starts to discern the edges of a giant translucent bubble floating off the gleaming floor at the centre of a vast white-walled chamber.

He holds his breath when the full view comes into sharp focus in an instant.

The curled body of a girl starts stretching out in mid-air.

As the bubble’s outer layer starts turning more transparent, he immediately recognises Erin’s long white hair floating around her body as she slowly opens her eyes.

Sam is so entranced with the vivid images that he starts to believe they are real.

He impulsively runs towards the bubble, trying to break it with his hands in an attempt to reach Erin.

He aimlessly slices the air around him with his fists, hardly noticing that he’s only in the middle of a light field.

Shaillah patiently allows him to burn all his anger and frustration until he finally drops on the ground, his resolve crushed. She stands up and runs towards him. As she inspects him, he briefly glances at her but soon looks away, unable to contain his embarrassment and disappointment.

“You can’t get into the time-slice,” she calmly explains.

“Arrgh,” he groans, lying flat on the ground and clutching his stomach, trying to stop the sinking feeling invading his tired body. “I’m feeling sick.”

“Sam, please be strong for me,” she pleads while grabbing him from under his arms and helping him stand up.

“So that’s where he took you, did he? Who is he?” he says, twisting his mouth in ridicule.

“He’s just a soldier,” Shaillah says sharply.

“A soldier … a soldier,” Sam ponders, staring intensely at her as if trying to gauge what she’s thinking. But Shaillah’s emotionless expression keeps adding to his misery .

“How many are there?” he sneers.

“Just three. The others are our supreme commander and our chief scientist.”

“Am I supposed to believe that? A commander with one soldier?”

“The Rom-Ghenshars, we are from another star system, thousands of light-years away … See?” She points back at the images, ignoring his sarcastic tone.

Two diagonal suns hang solemnly on a pink-orange sky. They shine onto a vast multicoloured ocean, its frothy waves pounding off the intricate metallic bases of imposing interwoven sculptures, rising mightily from rocky outcrops and breaking through the high, dense clouds.

“Rom and Ghenshar are the names of our two suns,” she continues, hardly containing her admiration as she points at each star in turn. “The bigger, the yellow one is Rom; the smaller red star is Ghenshar. Rom means power ; Ghenshar means glory .”

The vivid image slowly changes into another, like a three-dimensional slide show, each visual setting unveiling a fascinatingly vibrant alien world.

“Immense deep oceans mostly cover our planet. We build our cities on top of the rocky islands, but we also have vast undersea and underground constructions—all interconnected by space-tunnels.” She enthusiastically describes every scene as Sam watches, awestruck.

Height-defying structures linked by arched hanging bridges spread across the vast interconnected cities. The gem-studded shorelines reflect the twin suns’ rays in a multitude of colours. Over the ocean surface, schools of giant lyshars glide majestically in perfectly choreographed zigzag patterns.

“Our land is rich in diamond and precious minerals,” she continues, trying to break into Sam’s perplexed silence.

“This is all very well, but why did they want you? What do you do?” he blurts out as if all his patience has finally run out.

“Well, let’s say, my dear Sam, I’m their messenger.”

“And what do they want? What’s their message?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

“Erin, you’re making it difficult, aren’t you? Why don’t you tell me right now?” he shouts while kicking hard on the ground with his heels .

“All right, all right, that’s enough for today,” she says apologetically, gently holding his arm and making him walk beside her.

As the images disappear in a flash, Sam seems to calm down.

“I’ve come to help you,” she says in a reassuring tone. “Let’s return to your room now. We have to finish this. I’ll go to the hearing tomorrow.”

Sam nods in resignation as he strolls by her side. Somehow, I feel compelled to do whatever she tells me to. He thinks to himself.

They enter the court building, walking through the aisles without being stopped. Sam is amused as he gives a military salute to the officers, but they do not react in the slightest.

Back in his cell, Shaillah carefully places Sam onto his bed and makes him fall into a deep sleep. As she wraps the bed covers snuggly around his body, she softly pats him on the chest and blows his curly hair gently off his forehead.

“You rest now, my dear friend. Tomorrow will be an interesting day.”

Shaillah closes the heavy cell door and races down the stairs like a fleeting ghost. She exits the outside gates, passing in front of the night guard, who sips unwittingly at his cup of coffee.

Out in the open, she saunters through the fields with her arms fully open while her gleeful eyes stay fixed on the starry sky.

“So far and yet so close,” she says to herself as she glances through the constellations, taking her time to admire the glittering starlit night.

She watches the prominent Orion stars shining over the horizon, then focuses on the less conspicuous Eridani system, waving its dim pearly wreath right off the bright star Rigel.

She watches each faint point of light on its wavy river-like pattern, feeling as if her ancestral home is calling on her, and she is responding.

All the while, she cannot stop thinking about Rothwen.

The approaching scouting-craft interrupts her thoughts. As the craft smoothly brakes to a halt and silently hovers by her side, she swiftly boards it, flying through the opening top cabin.

In an instant, the craft jets off vertically and disappears into the night, leaving behind a bright orange trail that soon dissipates across the sky. The groups of puzzled onlookers calling the police that night will be flatly dismissed and told to stop drinking.