6 February 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2639 (Part 8) | Prompt: a nice illusion

Part 7

The air in Nathan's living room was thick with distrust as he shot a quick glance toward Ophelia before cautiously inching closer to Herman, all the while eying the sackcloth. Nathan noticed Herman's gaze and quickly jerked his hand behind his back.

"How did you know?" Nathan queried, his voice shaky.

"That you were hiding the female?" Herman replied quickly and assuredly, then paused as if deciding whether to divulge all. Moments later, he continued. "The sickly-sweet odor leading to your farm. Then, the faint glow from your window. Same as the one I got, but the species resembles a male. It may sound inhumane, but she's got to go to the cellar or risk discovery until we can figure out the meaning of all this."

Without another word, Herman brought his hand around and moved in closer, almost touching Nathan's chest. "Here, take this sack. She'll need its contents," he uttered in a matter-of-fact tone. He spied Ophelia, a sneer at the corner of his lip.

He was about to continue when Nathan broke in, "How long have you had yours?" A worried frown spread over his forehead. And how did you know what to feed it?"

Herman hesitated, then thought it best to divulge all he knew.

"Seven months. Discovered him digging up soil on my property. Covered in dirt as if he'd been underground. On closer inspection, this bag of gems was buried under a clump of rocks nearby. Digging away like a madman with those deformed hands. The instant I gave him the gem, he swallowed it, then glowed like a lit up Christmas tree."

Ophelia cleared her throat. Both men turned to find a scowl on her face. "I wouldn't say they're deformed. Perhaps to us," she trailed off.

A long second elapsed while all three stared at each other, now fully understanding that both the children were not of their country, nor any other on the planet.

"That's irrelevant," Herman retorted. "After the discovery, I placed one of the seed pods in a heavy duty small container and took it to that strange place in town called the Museum of Odd Things. Wouldn't you know it, a photo of it was there, and the item given a peculiar name was listed on that list registry named Directory of Lost Things. I didn't dare say anything."

Silence. Their eyes grew wide as the possibility of other worldly knowledge dawned on them.

The three adults listened as an eerie scratching sound and screeching noise erupted from behind the bedroom door. Immediately, as if sensing a change in her circumstance, Olivia burst through the bedroom door. So powerful was the child's entrance that the door caught afire. Nathan bolted toward the kitchen to retrieve the fire extinguisher. Ophelia hid behind Herman's recliner while he extinguished the blaze.

What he witnessed next he couldn't have expected. There was Herman nodding, then extending his hand and opening his fist as if presenting a treat to a pet. Olivia's eyes glowed as she lunged toward Herman, but stopped short of attacking him. With one swipe, she ripped the bag open with her long claw, caught the seed pods before they reached the floor, then thrust one of them into her mouth. It wasn't a second later that she jerked her head back and stared at the ceiling. She fell to the floor, then curled up in a fetal position surrounding by a purple glow.

"Leave her be!" Herman shouted. "She's recharging."

Nathan and Ophelia just stood there, with Ophelia slightly behind peering over his shoulder at the unexpected discovery. Within moments, Olivia stood up and stared at the three adults.

"Well, food problem solved," Ophelia quipped in a somewhat shaky, but upbeat tone. She paused. "But what do we do next? We can't keep them as pets. And you seem to know quite a bit in seven months."

"No. We can't. But keeping them is as ridiculous as allowing them to leave and risk discovery by others who don't understand. And I have a feeling that we've discovered something none of us in this world is prepared to encounter or consider the alternative.

All the while Nathan just stared blankly at Olivia. His foolish notion that she could remain with him was now dashed. "Do you think they know each other? I mean, Olivia and the male child in your possession?"" he stammered a bit embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.

"I'd bet my life on it," Hermann offered in his all-knowing tone. "And, only one way to find out!" Herman exclaimed.

Ophelia wrapped Olivia in the blanket while Herman gathered up the remaining seed pods and returned them to the sackcloth. Then, all four headed out the door.

Into Nathan's truck they squeezed, then set out on their way back to Herman's farm. An eerie quiet hovered over the landscape as they made their way down the dirt road. As headlights flashed along the road, all three wondered whether other farmers had discovered the odd beings hidden in their fields. Someone must have. Else, how did those images get included in the Directory of Lost Things in the Museum of Odd Things.

The moment Herman unlocked his front door and stepped inside, a bright light flashed through the cracks in the basement floor, despite an oblong rug covering the area.

Olivia pedaled over to the spot in the floor and fell face forward, her head searching the cracks in the floorboard. She rose and grabbed the rug, exposing the light. The next instance, the trap door flung open. She reached down and pulled the male up without assistance. Above the cellar, both children faced each other, glowing in unison as if responding to a melodic sequence.

Ophelia, Nathan, and Herman watched in numbed terror at the power both children displayed as Olivia and the male hovered over the cellar as if levitating.

Now, Part 8:

During the commotion, Ophelia's eye patch dislodged. She rushed to adjust it in time to spot Nathan extend his hand toward Herman, who dropped one of the pods from his hand.

Biting her lip, she watched intently as Nathan hurried to the table.

What did the seed pods activate for Olivia to behave in such a manner? he wondered as he haphazardly flipped through the pages searching for a picture or mention of the pods. Unsuccessful, he slammed the book shut, then rejoined Ophelia and Herman.

All the while, the children continued as if the adults ceased to exist, so engrossed they were in each other. In humans, the interaction could have been interpreted as playtime between family or friends.

Spying Olivia, Herman studied her body. Refreshed is all he could describe her look and countenance as she failed to return their stares, instead looking downward at the sackcloth.

For the first time, Olivia opened her mouth wide. What could resemble a smile wasn't lost on the adults. Instantly, Nathan shuddered as a grandfather clock struck eleven o'clock in the background.

"It's best we get back home. Those two are drawing attention to us, lighting up the sky like a firecracker," Nathan urged.

He strolled over to Olivia and attempted to cup her hand. She withdrew violently, causing Nathan to retreat.

"Seems like she doesn't want to part with the boy," Herman interjected, not wanting to upset either child. He sensed their separate power. Together, they could perhaps obliterate all the adult and anyone else that accosted them.

"What if there are more of them, and others in our area are facing the same dilemma not wanting to report them to the authorities? Just like we didn't out of fear and not knowing what we're dealing with," Ophelia interrupted.

"Common sense should have warned us to hand them over immediately to the government," Nathan seemed to propose.

"What were we to do? Advertise in the local paper that we have two alien children living with us. It's too late for that. We didn't. Now, we'll be jailed for conspiracy, aiding, and abetting," Nathan warned.

"Conspiracy! to what? These children have committed no crimes we know of," Herman corrected harshly.

"Just being on our planet is illegal." Ophelia replied, her tone somber.

"We can go rounds, and it won't solve our predicaments. I recommend we turn them over now to the authorities first thing tomorrow morning, It's the right thing to do. Rid ourselves of the problem. It's beyond our experience and knowledge." Herman boldly suggested.

"Many in my circle already know there's a conspiracy. Too many odd items have been discovered. They probably already know about these children. And God knows what else. Maybe they're in possession of their parents." Ophelia's tone switched to all knowledgeable when speaking on behalf of her group.

"Perhaps," Herman interjected, rolling his eyes. "But we don't have time to stand here and speculate. If the government knew, then why haven't they exposed this to the public?"

"Come on now, Herman. You know exactly why. Mass hysteria on a scale we've never seen. And we've got science fiction to thank for that!" Ophelia countered, glancing between them.

Turning their attention to the children, Ophelia offered, "Since Olivia refuses to be separated from the boy, why not allow them to remain together?"

Nathan and Herman both frowned.

Nathan hesitated. "I can barely take care of one, let alone two beings. But if no other choice, so be it. I have a feeling they were self-sufficient before we discovered them. We just added to their problems."

"Who said they had a problem. Also, I have a feeling their being here was no accident. Someone knows they are here. And sooner or later, they'll come for them. That's the problem we'll have when the time comes." Ophelia stated matter-of-fact.

Nathan and Ophelia exchanged knowing glances, as Ophelia nodded in agreement. She knew the day would come when all the information in her books the group collected would come together and unravel the mysterious it held.

Nathan extended both hands to Olivia and the boy.

He'd overlooked the sickly-sweet odor emitted from her since she'd lived with him. Now, the smell engulfed him. It wasn't a sickening smell, but a mellow flavor as one would notice in a bakery good establishment. A sweet-smelling non-human. Nathan shook off the thought.

To his surprise, both children looked first at each other, then at Nathan as though they understood they wouldn't be separated. They moved closer to him, with Olivia holding the boy's hand.

On first glance, the boy's appearance seemed to equal that Olivia. Now, Nathan could see that his shape and form was not as developed, as though younger in development. His claw-like hands were small, as was his other features like Olivia's.

Nathan smiled at the thought that Olivia was a protector.

"Wait! I have more seed pods. They'll need them," Herman offered. He was more than happy to be relieved of the male child. He worried though of the consequences to come given the information Ophelia divulged from her group.

Ophelia noticed Herman's worried expression as he wiped his forehead. She attempted to relieve some of his angst. "Herman, tomorrow, stop by. I have some texts you may want to see. We all need to be armed as best we can."

Slowly, Herman nodded, not knowing whether he actually wanted to solve the mystery. But now he was involved as he watched Nathan and Ophelia guide the children outside.

On his front porch he stood gazing in trepidation of what his discovery and encounter would mean for him and his wife's safety. He hadn't thought of the consequences of his actions after discovering the male child. Both he and his wife welcomed the child into their home not understanding entirely the risks.

As the tail lights of Nathan's pickup faded into the night, Ophelia, Olivia and the male child rode off down the dirt road back to Nathan's farm.

[to be continued]