One Way to Begin a Writing Career

Based on a real life experience and an episode of The X-Files

One Way to Begin a Writing Career

 

As I walked up to my front door late that night, Father, Mother, Sarah, and Ben met me and mutely parted as I crossed the threshold.

 My father drew a deep inhalation and started right in. “You know what I just heard from Jessica’s father? Shouting! You were three hours late with this big, crazy alien abduction story. He demanded to know what kind of wacko kid I had that was taking his wonderful daughter out.” Father took in another breath and huffed.  

“But they were really truly there!” I waved a palm above my head. “We saw the cluster of red lights hovering over the Credible Building on Plausible Drive, and we just drove closer to get a better look.”

 I had explained the scene to Jessica’s parents, but her father didn’t buy it despite my telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I always thought my folks could tell when I told a fib�"or not.

“Fine, stick to your story,” my father said. “Woo, woo,” He made wiggly fingers at the ceiling. “You saw lights in the sky, and then what, you went parking on Lovers Lane for three extra hours?”

            “No, we blanked those three hours.” I said, looking at each illuminated face. “I don’t know what happened during the missing time. I mean, we stopped the car to look at the lights, and it, they appeared to come closer�"” I stalled to recollect. “I don’t remember what happened then, but I had a dream, sort of, I guess about the humanoid-like aliens. They scared us stiff�"we were literally stiff, and, and they talked to us without saying anything.”

            “Are you making this up as you go?” My father asked pointedly. “So they spoke words that didn’t make sense. What were they Greek? Ha! Boy, you aren’t making any sense. I need to sit down�"you there.” He pointed at a hard, straight-backed chair and plopped down on the couch. My mother sat on the couch’s far end and bent forward with hands between her knees. My brother and sister sat on the floor, whispering and giggling. I glared at them.

            “It seemed like it lasted only a few minutes, but it is all confusing now�"like a nightmare.”

            “You said that. If you dreamt, you slept.” My father said with eyes turned to mother for support. “Come clean on this, Jessica’s father�"” 

            “I know what he said. He yelled at us and made Jessica cry.” I began raising my voice�"ready to shout. “Look, look at this mark on my neck.” I pulled my shirt collar over so my shoulder was exposed. “They left this on my neck.”

            Sarah and Ben jumped up to examine it.

“Wow! Look at that Dad,” Ben pointed at my alien abduction proof. “They must’ve put an imprint in him.”

            “Implant,” I corrected.

            “Bunch of bull crap, that’s all you have implanted.” Father said. “Your kid,” he said to my mother while thumbing my way.    

“Does it hurt?” Sarah asked, reaching to touch the purplish mark.

“No,” I whispered, scrunching my neck to look at my trophy. “Don’t touch it!”

 She snatched her hand away. Mom got up and looked at my proof�"my own real alien implant scar.

 “Sorry, honey.” She pulled my shirt back up and straightened my collar while looking me straight on eye to eye. “Don’t you remember? You got that mark when that nasty neighbor kid shot you with a B-B gun. Now what was his name?”

            “Mom, NO! That never left a mark. This is new, from tonight I tell you. The aliens had big bald heads with black-chrome eyes that never blinked, and the saucer, it hummed and was all shiny metal and empty inside except tables with me and Jessica on them.” 

            “Jessica and I,” Ben said.

            “No! It was me and her!”

            “Your grammar was incorrect,” Mom said, patting my arm. “He was only helping.”

            “All of you. It’s a horrible memory. Jessica is messed up, and she said it was my fault the aliens picked us to abduct.”

            Mom’s head snapped around like a flag in a gale. “You didn’t try something with that nice girl?”

            “Mom, she meant my research on alternate interplanetary propulsion systems and Dyson Spheres.”

            “Oh, that’s what this is all about, more Science Fiction stuff,” Dad said and groaned as he got up off the couch. “Come on, it’s all over; everybody go to bed.” He pointed at me. “You’re grounded for two weeks and no car for a month.”

            “But!”  I readied my case again. “They were real, and�"” 

            He zipped his fingers across clenched lips and pointed me to bed.

            “But!”

            “Go to bed and hope we can smooth this over with Jessica’s mother and father.”

            I shuffled off to my bedroom to write

 

 

this all down, and that is how I ended up a Nonfiction Science Fiction writer.

Author's Note

Any comments are appreciated.

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[Erin S]

I think I remember that night...or do I ??