Five

   

Part Five: Pine cone goes home

   Morris walked pulling his wheeled suitcase behind him to the bus stop. He rode the bus to the downtown area and got off near the train station. Moonbeam and Betsy lived about 3 hours from there. Morris boarded the train, found a seat and sat holding his backpack with his arms through the straps.

  He was jolted awake when the train stopped. He had been dreaming that he lost the backpack but it was still there in his arms when he awoke. One more stop and he would be at his destination. Morris fixed his hair and clothing, he wanted to look presentable. He had finally achieved what he had come here for and he wanted the others to be proud of him.

    “Sup, bro?” Moonbeam said to Morris as they met and he went in for a hug at the train station.

    “Moonbeam! Betsy, darling!” Morris squealed and hugged them both. “I’ve missed you both!”

    “Do you have it? Is it yours?” Moonbeam asked right away, his face was solemn with seriousness. Morris’s smile slowly widen across his face. He swung his backpack around to the front and patted it.

    “Well, duh! Yes, of course I have it or I wouldn’t be here!” Morris said as the three of them began to walk to Moonbeam’s van.

     “Good, then we can begin tonight.” Betsy said as she hopped around and hugged Morris again. “We’re going home.” The three of them climbed into the van and headed into the hills. If you didn’t know where you were going you would probably get lost. A lot of the street signs had gone missing or never existed this far into the hills. Moonbeam knew the way, just as they all did.

       “Is everyone here yet?” Morris asked.

     “We are waiting on Ivan and Sumadera. Elise is already here. She is waiting for us.” Betsy told Morris. “Ivan should be here at first light in the morning and Sumadera will be here soon.” Moonbeam turned right and drove up the long winding driveway to the hilltop house.

     “Can I see the machine?” Morris asked when they arrived. Moonbeam and Betsy took him to the large flat grassy yard behind the house. Moonbeam opened the shed that was to the south side and Betsy opened the one on the north side. Morris checked over each of the components. He could see that Moonbeam and Betsy worked hard on keeping it operational all these years. He held his hands out and used the rings he wore to test a few parts, all working smoothly, it only needed the thing Ivan was bringing.

     Elise joined them in the yard. Morris and her hugged, they had not seen each other since the day they had arrived many years ago on this planet.

     “Did you find it?” She asked Morris. He smiled at her and nodded his head.

    “Yes. In a box addressed to me. It is mine. We can go home now.” Morris was happy to tell Elise this good news. This meant they would be able to spend some time together. He missed her, he missed all five of them. Their mission was complete. Earth was not destroyed. Sumadera was there not long after and Ivan arrived just when he said he would. They had sat up all night awaiting him as the fog rolled it.

   At first daylight there was a flash of bright light in the field. Ivan was standing there. The other’s walked out to greet him him. He had what Moonbeam needed to complete the circuit. Moonbeam stood holding the glowing nuclear rod in his hands for a few moments.

   “Go! Fix it! Let’s go home!” Ivan said to him with a laugh.

  “Sorry, it’s just been so long we have waited for this day.” Moonbeam went to the north shed and began to work. They others gathered there things in circle that was painted in the grass halfway between each shed. Morris double checked that he had the pine cone and the purse in his backpack. They were there. Safe and sound, just as he had packed them.

    Moonbeam joined them in the circle.

    “It’s ready to go. We just have to send a signal and then wait.” Moonbeam told them as he gave the control module to Ivan and Sumadera. They knew how to send the signal properly and both used the module to switch on the machines in both sheds. The metal material that made up the sheds folded away and the contraptions inside lit up with lights. They both started to vibrate and glow, a beam of light flowed between them, across the field and circle painted in the grass, bathing them in it completely.

   Morris held Elise and Betsy’s hands. Ivan sent the signal and light waves shot out of both machines into the sky. The sun was now peeking over the horizon. Ivan sent a second signal, this time in a different color of light followed by a third signal. They waited.

   “Shouldn’t they have responded by now?” Moonbeam nervously asked.

    “Yes.” Ivan said as he looked at the machine to the north. “Are you sure it’s working properly? Shall I shut it down and we can tr-” Just then the control module made a ping sound. “Here it comes!”

  From the sky came a bright wave of light and energy followed by a large spacecraft. It was hovering no more than ten feet above their heads over the field. Someone had heard their signal and sent a return ship for them. A door opened above them and light lifted them and their belongings slowly into the craft.

   “Please place the apparatus on the table so we may verify that you have completed the mission successfully.” A loud voice that seemed to come out of nowhere said.

  Morris did as he was instructed and opened his bag. He took the box out and set it on the small white table in the middle of the room. He took the lid off and removed the pine cone and purse. He set them on the table, grabbed the box and then stepped back.

   Lights of many color beamed down onto the pine cone and purse. The handle fixed itself and broke several times. Both items gleamed from the inside as they lifted off the table slightly and rotated in the air before setting back down.

   “Well done. You may now return home and are free to go. Your punishment is complete.” The loud voice said again before the spacecraft took off and left Earth behind.