Distant Lands

I wake up early in the morning, feeling rested but starving. I thought about starting a small fire to see if the house would unlock but was afraid of setting the place ablaze. Instead, I had finished cleaning the house last night and had gone to bed early. I get up from bed and go to the kitchen to look for food. I open the fridge, and it’s empty. I look in the pantry, and it’s also empty.

“What type of safe house is this? Did Damon forget to stock the place with food?”

“Alexa, are we still in lockdown?” I wonder if I will have to go out into the forest to forage for food.

“Yes, the safehouse is still on lockdown.”

A ringing sound is in the air; it's hard to pinpoint where it’s coming from. I look around, trying to find the phone.

“Hello?”

A holographic screen pops up on the wall in front of the sofa, and Damon comes on the screen.

“How do you like the safe house?” he asks, smiling.

I cross my arms, “What kind of safehouse is this? There’s no food in here.”

“That’s why I’m contacting you. I haven’t stocked that safe house. I’m going to send you some supplies.”

“How am I going to get them? Alexa put the house on lockdown.”

“I unlocked the door for you when you arrived, and I put the house on lockdown. There was no food in the house, and I figured you’d want to go out into the forest to search for food. There are dangerous animals out there,” he says.

I stare at him, not saying anything, knowing that I would have gone out there looking for something to eat. With my luck, I would have run into trouble, like being chased by an animal, or more likely, I would have twisted my ankle.

“Liz, I’m not going to be able to contact you for a few days. My grandfather is keeping a close eye on me. Once things calm down, I will contact you.”

“So, what am I supposed to do here alone?” I ask.

“Just try to stay alive. I will send you supplies. Under the bed, there’s a briefcase with weapons. At least take a pocket knife with you if you go out into the forest. Don’t go out too far. It’s easy to get lost. This forest is called Wolf Woodland Forest. As the name implies, a pack of wolves dominates the forest,” he says.

Damon has been doing a lot for me. The least I can do is be patient, follow his instructions, and be grateful.

“Okay, thank you, Damon. I hope to hear from you and Ivan soon.”

Damon smiles and looks like he is getting ready to go somewhere.

“I’m giving you the authority to lock and unlock the house,” he says, putting on his coat.

“Oh, and by the way, the authorities did visit the Den and my home. Hopefully, we managed to lead them off our trail. Just hang in there, little human,” he says, smiling, and the screen disappears.

I head over to the bedroom and look under the bed. I see the black briefcase and reach in and pull it out. I open it and find a few pocket knives, a gun, a small machete, and other tools that I have no idea what they do.

I avoid touching the weapons I know nothing about. I grab two pocket knives and the machete. I go into the living room and hear a buzzing sound outside by the front door.

I run to open the door, and it’s still locked.

“Remove lockdown.”

“Command granted,” Alexa says.

I open the door and see a drone fly away. I look down, and there is a metal box on the doorstep. "That was fast." I bring it inside and place it on the dining table. I’m starving and can’t wait to eat the food Damon sent me. I use my new pocket knife to pry the box open and look inside. It’s full of silver packets. I pick one up, and it says protein meals. “What the hell are these?”

I thought Damon would send eggs, bread, vegetables, and other good stuff. I feel annoyed, but I stop myself. I should be thankful. As they say, beggars can’t be choosers, right?

I read the instructions to give one a try. I empty one of the silver packets into a pot, add water, heat it, and stir. It smells delicious.

Once fully heated, I take a spoon and try it. It is delicious, and it tastes like beef stew. I don’t even bother putting the rest in a bowl. I just eat it from the pot. After that satisfying meal, I start clearing all the Ivy from the windows. I take the machete and whack the tall grasses blocking the front porch.

Now that I’ve finished clearing the front porch, the place is starting to look much better. Now it doesn’t look so abandoned. I proudly look at my progress. Feeling exhausted, I decide that this is enough work for today.

I admire the nature that surrounds me. This place is beautiful and peaceful, with tall grasses dancing in the wind and birds and insects chirping. The pink, purple, and yellow wildflowers pop up all around the landscape.

The trees in this forest look so ancient. I look up at the tall, beautiful trees before me, and suddenly my blood runs cold.

My eyes water, and I tremble. I can’t believe this; how is this possible? I have never seen a black spider that size before, as big as my face, staying still on a tree trunk.

I back up slowly, staring at it, not taking my eyes off it, not even for a second. I stare at its legs, and it moves a leg, and I bolt, running into the house, crying. I slammed the door behind me as if the spider was nipping at my heels. I sink to my knees, feeling my skin crawl.

"Oh! God! No."

I loathe spiders. I would rather tumbledown another mountain than have to come face to face with one of those again. I don’t think I could ever step foot back outside. How could I? knowing those monsters are out there?

I calm myself and go back to the box on the table. Underneath all the food packets are some books that had come from Earth. Although I appreciate Damon for giving me these to read, I will try to learn more about this planet first.

I grab my orb computer from my backpack and get comfortable on the couch. Hopefully, there is internet in this forest.

"Wow, there is." I research planet Azure’s legal system. There’s so much info on it. All this info seems super boring, but I must prepare if the alien police catch me. I need to know the current process that an intruder goes through with the council.

I read about the process of someone coming from a different planet arriving in Azure without permission. The person is investigated, goes to trial, and receives punishment if found guilty. They consider the person’s intent-If the person came with the intent to harm. They can receive a harsher sentence.

Also, world leaders can meet to negotiate the release of a prisoner or accept whatever punishment the council assigns for the prisoner.

Suddenly, I hear whining sounds outside. I get up from the couch and open the door slowly. I peek out and see a small black puppy crying on the porch. It’s so cute, and it's tempting to bring it inside, but I close the door.

I’m sure the puppy’s cry will call the mother’s attention. She might be nearby. The sun is starting to set, and the puppy is still outside crying. I find a small blanket and place it outside.

I'm exhausted. I am going to bed, so looking forward to sleeping. I lay down on the soft bed, and my muscles immediately relax. I start drifting asleep when I begin to hear the puppy cry again.

Surprised that the mother hasn’t come for her puppy, I peek outside the door. The puppy is lying on the blanket, still crying. I know I shouldn’t, but I go out the door and pick up the puppy. I bring him inside to keep him warm.

If the mother hasn’t taken him by now, I’m afraid she has abandoned him, or something has happened to her. I place a bowl of water, and a bowl with meat from the leftover beef stew, on the ground. The puppy devours the food and drinks from the bowl of water. I sit on the floor near him.

“Were you abandoned too? What will I name you, little one?” I pet its soft black fur.

“How about… Orion.”