Passion And Parsecs

Chapter One

Chapter One

Krista Roberts sat on the porch of her newly purchased Arkansas cabin, staring out into the summer night. The wine slid smoothly down her throat as she gazed at the dark woods all around her. Crickets chirped together in symphony, while an owl called in the distance. A gentle breeze sifted through her hair.

And she knew she’d go crazy at any minute.

Finishing the rest of the wine in three gulps, she set the glass down on the porch and got to her feet, needing to move around. If she wasn’t so afraid of encountering who-knew-what out in the forest, she’d go for a long jog right about now to release some of this tension.

The tranquilizers in her suitcase under the bed tempted her, but she resisted. She had promised herself there would be nothing artificial in her life from the moment she crossed the threshold of this place. For the past decade her days and nights had been filled with artificial friends and lovers, and ways to make one feel better. The modeling world was that damn plastic at times, and she vowed no more. If she couldn’t relax on her own, then she would just wait for exhaustion to creep up on her. It wouldn’t be the first time.

She noticed that here in the mountains every noise was amplified a thousand times as the aged wood of the old porch creaked and groaned with every footfall. Krista pursed her lips as the symphony of crickets soon turned into a jarring sound that grated on her nerves.

“Would you guys keep it down!” she yelled in the direction of a particularly loud group. Placing three fingers at either side of her head, she rubbed her temples. Lord, she really was a mess. Here she was, shouting at a bunch of insects? Maybe it was the seclusion. Didn’t people often act strange when separated from the rest of society? And this place was indeed secluded. She couldn’t recall seeing a single person, other than Bobbie, in the three months she had been in the Ozarks. Only on her biweekly trips into the city below to restock her cupboards did she encounter another living soul, aside from squirrels and birds and the occasional deer.

Unfailingly, Bobbie would come up to check on her once a week or so to see if she needed anything. Krista smiled as her mind conjured up the redheaded cabin-sitter and self-proclaimed surrogate mother to any man, woman, child, or animal that seemed the least bit wounded.

As thoughts weaved in and out of her mind, she heard a loud roar that felt as if it vibrated from the earth itself and shot up into her feet. She let out a shriek and covered her ears as the noise grew, echoing in her chest and stomach.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she looked around, trying to find the cause of the noise. Her frightened gaze finally landed on the tarry, diamond-scattered sky above. There she saw a throbbing flame against the black velvet. Bluish and orange in color, it descended to the ground like a fiery comet, no more than a mile from where she stood.

Less than a heartbeat later there was a tremendous clap of noise, like thunder, and the air became strangely static; the fine hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end. Then all was quiet.

What had it been? A small plane that had caught fire and crashed to the earth? A meteor? Should she investigate? Maybe not, since she was alone. It could be dangerous. But what if it was a plane and the passengers were still alive? She had to help if she could.

Running inside, she grabbed her cell phone off the counter separating the living room from the kitchen, but the screen was dark. “Damn!” She had forgotten to charge it yet again. Should she walk over to the site and check it out? See if there were any casualties and bring the people or person back to her cabin and call an ambulance if needed or drive them down in her Jeep?

Her decision made, she ran into the hallway and opened the closet door. Retrieving a flashlight and her meager first-aid kit, she was back outside in less than two minutes. Running in the direction she had seen the craft crash land, her beam of light led the way like a guide dog on a harness, out into the darkness.

As her feet pounded into the leaf-and-needle-embedded ground, her blood pulsed quickly through her veins; her only thought was of rescuing any potential survivors. She had basic knowledge of first aid, but hoped it would be enough until she got the victims to the city.

The trees were thick here; she never would have been able to maneuver her Jeep through the closely spaced trunks. Though she usually ran a couple of miles each morning before breakfast and never became winded, she found herself gasping for much-needed oxygen as she wove in and out of the trees, dodging low-hanging limbs. One branch escaped her attention and slapped her in the face as she raced by. It scratched her cheek deeply, yet she barely noticed as she streaked along.

During the day, if she ventured into this particularly overgrown area of the woods, she walked gingerly, carefully picking where she would place her foot next, afraid of encountering any snakes; but right now, her mind was focused only on her mission.

No fire burned in the distance. She hoped that was a good sign. But she had indeed seen the craft glow a bright blue-orange. Had the fire burned itself out already? Was she too late? Hadn’t anyone else seen it crashing to the ground or heard the noise? Most likely not. Her nearest neighbors were miles away in either direction, and she wasn’t even sure if those cabins were occupied.

Dear God, don’t let me be too late.

Her breath came in short, rough patches as her lungs filled with the sharp tang of pine and decaying leaves. Never had she felt this frantic, and, as morbid as it sounded, this alive.

Krista at last came to the clearing where she thought the craft had come down. Pushing some branches out of the way, she stopped. Her eyes opened wide, her gasp swallowed by the night. There before her, no more than twenty yards away, was a spaceship.