A word from Laura, the author: My writing class assignment this month has been to read short stories in several genres, reading with the critical mind of a writer. Now it's time to write my own story. Remember: beginning, middle, end. Keep in mind: senses, setting, emotion, character details. Write what you know, but for heaven's sake, not another outdoor adventure like most of mine have been.
When Gloria and Dave reached the cabin, they quickly removed their snowshoes and backpacks and left them on the covered porch. They entered the cabin and looked around. It was cozy with braided rugs on the floor and quilts on the walls. As previously arranged with the owners, it was stocked with luxury foods and expensive wines. A bottle of Champagne was sitting on the table with two lovely flutes. The large stone fireplace was laid with wood, ready to light.
They turned to each other, laughing, peeling off their cold wet coats. “Oh Dave,” Gloria giggled, “this is so perfect. A week alone with no interruption. What a romantic place for our honeymoon.” She moved into his waiting arms, looking up though her long dark lashes.
The kiss was long and deep and warmed their chilly lips. “Gloria,” Dave said, “I have been fantasizing about this moment for weeks.” He kissed her deeply again, then nibbled her delicate ear. “I'll get the fire going and we can change out of our damp clothes.” He lit the fire and added more wood, hoping Gloria would wear something diaphanous.
While Dave was changing, Gloria poured the Champagne. They joined each other on the couch, clicking their glasses, gazing into each other’s eyes.
His eyes were the blue of the summer sky reflected in a mountain spring. As he ran his fingers through his tousled hair, Gloria imagined how they would feel on her skin later that night. “Darling,” she whispered, her voice sultry with emotion, “my love for you will last for all of eternity.”
He stared into her eyes which were the violet he had thought existed only in romance novels. As the firelight played with her golden curls, he could hear her name being sung by a heavenly choir. “Gloria, my dearest, my heart throbs with my love for you.”
Laura: Oh my god. What do I know about romance novels? After a hard day snowshoeing, you change out of your wet clothes, light the fire, eat dinner, and go to bed. Oh, don't forget the freezing trip to the outhouse. I'll try a different genre.
Much later that night, Gloria was wakened by the howling wind. The storm had moved in, as expected. The wind whistled down the chimney and rattled the windows. She snuggled against Dave's chest, warm and happy. They would be isolated for several days. She smiled sleepily in the dark, thinking about how much fun it would be. Suddenly, Gloria was wide awake, her heart beating against her ribs, her scalp prickling with fear. There was pounding on the door.
“Dave. Dave! Wake up. Someone is pounding on the door.” He was a heavy sleeper. She shook him by the shoulders. “Dave, wake up.” Fear made her voice shrill.
Shaking his head groggily, he asked, “Honey, what's the matter?”
“Someone is pounding on the door.”
“I don't hear anything except the wind howling,” he said, barely able to see her in the light from the few remaining embers of the fire.
“It's stopped. But there was pounding on the door. Maybe someone is lost and needs shelter from the storm.” Worry and fear jostled against each other, panic not far behind.
Another hard bang shook the door. Dave jumped. “Ok,” he said. “Lemme get some clothes on. I'll see what's up.” He pulled on his jeans and flannel shirt and slipped his feet into his down camp booties. “Oh my god, these clothes are cold,” he mumbled. As he took his first step toward the door, snow whirled down the chimney, extinguishing the last few coals. He reached back for his flashlight and flicked the switch. Instead of a bright beam, it barely emitted a dim glow. He whacked it against his leg, cursing the cold batteries.
Dave walked carefully across the cabin, feeling his way. “Bam!” Another knock on the door made him jump.
Gloria cried out, “No! Don't open it. Ask who it is first.”
But it was too late; his hand was already turning the knob. The door burst open, knocking Dave to the floor.
Laura: Well, just how dumb can you be? It's a dark and stormy night and you're isolated in a cabin in the mountains. What do you think is going to happen? I really don't like the horror genre; the characters always do such stupid things. Time to try something else.
Gloria took the down comforter and her flashlight and moved quickly to Dave’s side, helping him up. They grabbed the broken tree limb that was banging against the door and threw it aside. Together, they shoved hard to close the door against the raging wind. Carefully making their way back to bed, they pulled the covers over their heads and snuggled to warm up.
When Gloria next awoke, she could tell it was light out. She pulled the covers down and was instantly paralyzed with fear. She held her breath for a moment as her mind went completely blank. She wasn't in the cabin. Quickly recovering, she reached over and roughly shook Dave.
“Good morning, Sweetie,” he said, his voice husky with sleep.
“Wake up. Wake up! We need to talk.”
“Huh? What? What’s wrong?”
“Look around you. We aren't in the cabin. Where are we? What's going on?” Her tone of voice quickly cleared his foggy brain.
“It looks like a hospital room,” she said. “But we're in bed together, naked. Probably not a hospital. Look. There are clothes, not ours, but let's get dressed and we'll figure this out.”
They had just finished dressing when there was a gentle knock on the door. They looked at each other, startled, and Gloria asked, “Who is it?”
“Hello,” a quiet voice replied. “May I come in so we can talk? I'm sure you have lots of questions.”
Gloria looked at Dave and he shrugged. What else could they do? They stood, holding hands, and Dave replied, “Yes, come in.”
A man entered and stopped just inside the door. “Good morning. How are you feeling?” he asked gently. He was of medium build with salt and pepper hair. His eyes were hazel. He had a gentle, kind face.
He appeared so unassuming and nonthreatening that all Gloria's fear suddenly turned to anger. “Where are we?” she demanded. “What's going on, and who are you?”
“Oh, you can call me Fred,” he said quietly, with a kind smile. “Please have a seat, make yourselves comfortable, and I will answer all of your questions.”
Gloria and Dave sat down on the bed, shoulders touching. “We were on our honeymoon. Take us back to the cabin,” Dave demanded angrily.
Fred looked at them sadly and replied, “I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. The cabin was destroyed by an avalanche. You and Gloria were killed when it collapsed.”
Gloria and Dave looked at each other and she began to giggle. “Right. Good one. Now tell us what's really going on.”
“I'm afraid that is the truth. I was able to capture your life force before it dissipated. We grew new, completely organic, bodies for you. It took a few weeks, so Search and Rescue has already recovered your original bodies. We couldn't return you without creating an overwhelming vortex of confusion.” Fred said this with such a calm voice, as if it explained everything.
After a long pause Gloria asked, “And where is here?”
“We’re on our Mother-Ship. Currently residing inside your moon.”
“So you expect us to believe you're an alien? And that you just happen to look human?”
“No, no. That would be an astronomically impossible coincidence,” Fred said with a little chuckle. “Now, let's talk about...”
“Wait. Not so fast,” Gloria said sharply, with a sideways look toward Dave. “We really don't believe a word you're saying. We don't know what's going on, but we expect the truth from you.”
“Absolutely,” agreed Dave. “You really can't think we'd believe such nonsense. If you're an alien, then show us what you look like. Or get out.”
Fred gave them a long thoughtful look. The air shimmered and there was the slightest aroma of mint. A fluffy black and white cat with a somewhat arrogant look now stood where Fred had been.
“Oh my god,” Gloria whispered. “Not a cat. Please not cats.”
Hint of mint and a shimmer; Fred was back.
“But,” Dave's mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he could continue. Finally, he managed, “Cats? Surely not all cats?”
“Well, yes. We really like to get to know a new species before we make first contact. We have to be very careful. You wouldn't believe the stories I could tell about poorly thought-out first contacts that have occurred over the eons.”
“Soooo, aliens,” said Gloria. “Why would you save us?”
“Ah, a very perceptive question. Your species is young. Like all youngsters, you are very foolish. We just aren't sure if you're going to survive, or if you will exterminate yourselves. The Society of Alien Preservation has deemed the human race worthy of saving. We are collecting individuals to seed a colony on another planet in case you destroy this one,” Fred said with a smile.
“But we don't want to go to a new planet,” Gloria cried, tears beginning to flow. “We just got married. We want to go back home.”
“I'm truly sorry. I know this is very hard for you. But don't forget, you have already died. I'm sure you'll feel better once you've eaten and met some of the other survivors. Come with me to the cafeteria and I will introduce you around. Of course, the final decision will be up to you.”
The End
(Nope. Not Really the End)
Laura: Another abrupt ending. No one likes my endings. They just don't understand what I'm saying. Do I have to spell it all out? I like my endings. But no one else does, so I always try rewriting them, as suggested. Huh, the new endings are always so much better. I know the people in my writing class will help me with this ending, too. I'm really lucky to have writing buddies.
Laura again, (sometime later): Okay, we had class—and yes, I do have to rewrite the ending of this story, as I suspected I would. Here goes:
“Please come this way,” Fred gestured. He led them out of the room and down an apparently normal hallway. The pictures on the wall were mundane and it could be a hall in most any hotel in the world. It was so commonplace it helped dissipate Gloria and Dave's fears.
As they waited for the elevator, Gloria turned to Fred. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” he replied, feeling somewhat relieved. This was his first assignment resettling newcomers. He was feeling a little nervous and hoped he hadn't rushed it by being so honest too soon. The asking of questions was a good sign; the human female was beginning to relax. It meant he might not be reassigned to litter duty. “What would you like to know?”
“Well,” said Gloria hesitantly, “What's with the nine lives?”
“Oh,” he chuckled. “That's really quite a funny mythology. We live on Earth nine times, and after each time we return to the Mother-Ship on the moon for R&R. After the ninth time we remain on board to work. We really don't know how the rumor started, but someone probably talked out of turn.”
When they entered the cafeteria, Gloria and Dave both stopped to look around. Fred noticed them sniffing the air appreciatively and said, “We have some very talented chefs here. Everyone raves about the food. Of course, your new bodies are self-regulating, so you don't have to worry about the calories. And I think you will really enjoy meeting everyone. We have the most creative people here, people who are gifted in the arts: music, painting, writing, fabric arts, comedy. The things that make humanity unique. We haven't invited anyone who might ferment angry, hateful views. After all, we don't want to chance the colony self-destructing.”
Gloria and Dave looked around the room filled with happy, chatting people. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Dave nodded his head ever so slightly. Gloria turned to Fred and said, “You know, we think this just might work for us. Let's see how it goes.”
With a contented smile, Fred led them to a nearby table and began the introductions. Adjustment for these two newcomers would take some time, but Fred had a very good feeling that this couple would eventually fit in perfectly.
Laura: This was fun! I especially enjoyed writing the sci-fi genera. I hope the readers like the story. Over and out.
Author: Laura Nicol
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