Kringl (Rescued by the Alien)

Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

J oy stiffened at the voice. How had anyone managed to sneak up on her? Her heart leapt into her throat as she whirled around, expecting to see one of the elves with their penetrating eyes and sharp-toothed grins. Then her panic gave way to a mixture of relief and exasperation. It wasn't an elf at all, but Tami—a younger girl with big, brown eyes and a smattering of freckles across her nose. The child giggled as she flipped a dark braid off her shoulder, clearly pleased with her impersonation of their pint-sized tormentors.

"Tami!" Joy scowled, her heart still pounding. "That's not funny!"

The girl's giggles subsided, but her eyes still sparkled with mischief. "Sorry, Joy. But you should've seen your face!"

Joy sighed, running a hand through her hair. While she was relieved it wasn't actually one of the elves, Tami was a complication she didn’t need. The kid had a habit of following Joy around, almost like she was her kid sister, which she wasn’t. Usually, Joy didn't mind, but right now she needed to be alone.

"What are you doing out here?" Tami cocked her head to one side. "Aren't you supposed to be gathering firewood for the bonfire?"

Joy's mind raced. She couldn't tell Tami the truth—that she was planning to sneak aboard the alien ship in hopes of escape—but she also couldn't risk the girl running back to the village and telling anyone where she'd seen Joy.

After a moment's hesitation, Joy decided on a half-truth. "I wanted to welcome the aliens.” She forced a smile. "But I wanted it to be a surprise. You can keep a secret, can't you, Tami?"

The girl's eyes widened with excitement. "A surprise? Really?"

Joy nodded. "That's right. But you can't tell anyone you saw me near the ship, okay? It'll spoil all the fun if you do."

Tami's brow furrowed. "You mean real fun, or the fake fun we have every night?"

The question hit Joy like a punch to the gut. Even a child as young as Tami knew the truth. Even she knew that the nightly "celebrations" were nothing but a joyless charade, an endless loop of Christmas Eves with no Christmas Day ever arriving.

"Real fun," Joy assured her, forcing enthusiasm into her voice. "I promise."

Tami still looked uncertain, so Joy decided to involve her in the plan. If the girl was busy, she couldn’t inadvertently rat her out. “Actually, I could use your help. How would you like to be my lookout?"

The girl perked at this. "Lookout? What do I have to do?"

"It's the most important job.” Joy knelt to Tami's level. "I need you to keep watch while I sneak onto the ship to surprise the aliens. If you see anyone coming—especially the elves—you need to warn me right away. Can you do that?"

Tami nodded eagerly, then paused. "But don't you want me to come with you? To help surprise them?"

Joy shook her head. "If the elves catch me, I won't be able to surprise the crew at all. Your job is to make sure that doesn't happen. You know how the elves ruin everything fun."

The girl's face fell slightly, but a dark expression flitted across her features. "They really do."

"So, will you help me?"

Tami straightened and squared her small shoulders. "I'll do it. I'll be the best lookout ever!"

Joy smiled, genuinely this time. "I know you will. Now, if you see anyone coming, I need you to whistle as loud as you can. Okay?"

"Okay!" Tami agreed.

With that settled, Joy gave Tami's shoulder a quick squeeze before turning toward the distant shape of the alien ship. "Remember, not a word to anyone!"

Would the girl be able to keep her secret? Would she actually stay and be a lookout? Joy hoped her trust in the girl wasn’t misplaced, but she didn’t have much of a choice. This was her big chance, and she couldn’t let anything get in the way.

As Joy raced across the snowy expanse toward the spacecraft, guilt gnawed at her. What would the girl think of her when Joy left the planet and left her behind? She pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the thrill of potential freedom that lay ahead. Tami had a family. She would be fine. Anyway, if Joy could escape, she could send help for the others. She couldn’t help Tami or any of the other humans if she was stuck on the planet. Someone had to go for help, and that someone was her.

It wasn't until she was halfway up the ship's boarding ramp that something hit her and she almost stumbled. Could Tami even whistle? And if she could, would Joy be able to hear it from inside the ship?

These were clearly questions she should have considered before running headlong toward an alien ship, but there was no turning back now. It was too late for second thoughts or second guessing. Not when she found herself standing just inside the entrance of the alien vessel, all gleaming metal and smooth surfaces. Lights blinking in patterns she didn’t understand, and the air held the faint aroma of something burning. Not a great sign, but she didn’t care.

For a moment, Joy simply stood there, drinking it all in. This ship was the answer to all her problems, and she couldn’t worry if it had crashed or that mechanical wails and metallic clangs sounded from deep within the vessel. All she needed to do was to find a hiding spot and stay there until the ship was fixed and ready to leave the planet. Hide and stay hidden. How hard could that be?

She had just taken a step further inside when a high-pitched sound made her pause. At first, she couldn't place it. It wasn’t like one of the machine sounds inside the ship. Then she knew exactly what it was, and her knees almost buckled.

It was a whistle—high and clear—and drifting to her from outside the ship. Tami was warning her, just like she’d promised.

Fear iced Joy’s skin, and she shuddered.

Someone was coming.