The Sleeping Lion - Chapter 11

Kelly lounged on the gaudy orange and green motel bedspread, watching the nightly news broadcast. Izzy's shooting was mentioned only briefly, almost as if in passing. Kelly felt a twinge of sadness, thinking that her friend's life had been reduced to a mere few sentences.

"Can you believe this?" she said to Art, who was carefully exploring the room.

She was glad that the cat had been found. A police officer had discovered him in an open kitchen cupboard. He had been tightly curled up behind a stack of plates, his eyes shining black with terror.

Thoughts of Izzy rambled through her mind then, vague memories of insignificant moments in her life. Izzy reading the morning paper; laughing at a joke; drinking a chocolate malt.

She thought of Joe then, and at that same moment she realized that Sharon had been right. She had never loved him. She certainly had never respected him. She concluded that love, In order to be true love, must be combined with feelings of respect and admiration. And, she decided, It had to be completely mutual.

Where Joe was concerned, all she felt was cold indifference. She didn't care that he was dead. She felt a twinge of guilt, but it quickly passed. She simply didn't care any more. Actually, she realized, her disinterest was coupled with relief. She was finally free of the burden of him. She was free of the constant worry and fear of him; free of the shame he had caused her. But he hadn't had to die In order to free her. She had freed herselt physically and emotionally, by leaving him. She had decided that the fear of the unknown, of life without a man's companionship, was better than the fear of being beaten.

Art leaped up on the bed, interrupting her thoughts. He stood beside her, marching happily in place and purring. His whiskers lightly tickled her arm. She patted him, and reached over and picked up the telephone. "Let's see how your mom is doing."

She rolled over and opened the drawer of the bedside table. Inside was a phone book and a bible. She hesitated, picking up the bible and lying it beside her on the bed. She caressed the cover gently, thinking that it had been years since she had seen one. She remembered her old Sunday school classes as a child, learning all the stories of people who had suffered and overcome terrible hardships. Slowly, she lifted the cover. The bible lay open before her. Her eyes fell on a passage In Philippians: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

The verse gave her a chill. She quickly slammed the book shut.

She pulled out the phone book and flipped It open.

"Please God, if you are there.... Let her be okay."

"Hi!" she said suddenly. "I'm calling to check on a - uh -my sister. Her name is Isabel Repp. R-E-P-P. Yes, I can hold."

She looked at the cat, crouched patiently beside her. "This was inevitable," she told him.

She waited. The minutes seemed to stretch. She watched the bedside digital clock: 10:21. 10:22.10:23.

Finally, a voice came on the line. "Miss Repp?"

"Yes!" She felt her heart slamming Inside her chest. Her throat tightened. "How is my sister?"

"She came through the surgery just fine, young lady. She's going to be okay."

Kelly sucked In a deep, deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt as if her whole body was collapsing, sinking softly into relief. "Thank you!"

She hung up the phone,quickly got to her knees beside the bed, and began a fervent prayer of thanks.

She awakened early to the sound of slamming doors, car keys, and a vacuum running In the room next door. Art was sprawled across her throat, a warm fur collar against her skin. She pushed his limp, heavy body away gently. He responded with an enthusiastic purr.

She got up, staggered to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Art scurried in after her and climbed into his litter box. He began to dig frantically. He circled quickly and dug into the other corner of the box.

"Excuse me," Kelly said, and left the room.

She flipped on the TV. The screen cleared, and there was Edgar. He stood with cameras flashing in his face.

"Jeez!" said Kelly. "He didn't waste any time!"

She turned up the volume.

"I've said It before, I'll say It again. I can't reveal my source. This," he said, holding up a photo of the shard, "is a piece of the pod which crashed. I have seen It myself. I had this picture taken."

"Mr. Poma, where is the piece now?" someone asked.

"It Is in a laboratory at a location which I can't disclose. It's being tested."

Edgar held un the tabloid with the photos on the front. "These pictures were taken by my source the day it crashed. Since that time, two people connected with these pictures have been injured. One is dead. Now I want to know what the hell's going on here!"

"Mr. Poma, what Is your theory about what has happened with the space ship?"

"I have no theory. I have no idea what has happened to it, but I think I have the right to know! I think we all do. There's a strong possibility here that the government could be hiding something from us. If they are, wouldn't It be nice if they'd just 'FESS UP?"

A wave of laughter swept over the crowd of reporters.

Edgar smiled. "I know. Not very likely."

"I'll tell you one thing, though," he added. "If I wind up dead, or in the hospital, you will all know why!"

Another voice spoke up. "Mr. Poma, if there is a space ship, where do you think it came from?"

Edgar shrugged, ran his fingers through his hair, and said, "I don't know. But I would like to know where it is now!

He paused a moment. "Who knows how much Is kept from us? What really happened in Roswell? To JFK? To Marilyn Monroe? We have a history of secrecy and I'm not going to support it. This country is supposed to be run by the people. It's high time this started happening."

He held up his hand and waved to the group. "That's all for now. Thank you. Oh --" He paused, turned back to them, and smiled. "The laboratory results should be ready by this afternoon. I've got friends In high places."

Kelly turned the TV off. She walked over to the window, parted the curtains and looked out toward the vacant parking lot. It was going to be a long day.

***

The telephone screeched In her ear. She started, and realized that she had been sleeping. She looked at her watch. It was 3:14 In the afternoon, and she had been asleep for two hours. She hadn't realized that she had been so tired.

The phone rang again. She reached across the bed and picked It up.

"Kelly, it's me," Edgar's voice boomed in her ear. "You are not gonna believe this."

"What is it, Edgar?"

"That thing you gave me - whatever It Is. It Is a very weird little object. My friend Ted Tyler -- he's a scientist -- tried all kinds of different tests on it-- don't ask me how, I don't know anything about science. It's not made of metal, Kelly."

"Well, what is it, then?" Kelly asked, sitting up and scratching her head sleepily.

"That's just the point!" Edgar's voice cracked. "He doesn't know! It doesn't match any of the elements that are found on Earth. This Is the most excited I have ever seen Ted. He was absolutely flipping out!"

"Huh," Kelly grunted.

"Kelly! Do you know what this means?"

"Yeah, I know what it means, Edgar! Hell, I saw the damn thing crash!" She was laughing now, amused by his sudden enthusiasm.

"My God!" Edgar was saying, completely oblivious to her mood. He was caught up in it, excited, boyish, actually yelling Into the phone. "This is the scoop of the century! I've got to call the news stations!"

"Okay, Edgar. You do that. Hey; do you think it would be safe for me to go out and get a bite? I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving."

Edgar hesitated. "Yeah. Go ahead. Actually, you probably can go home after the story breaks. But I want you to stay there awhile longer, just to be on the safe side."

***

It seemed to Kelly that she spent the next two days sitting in that motel room watching the constant news breaks on TV. The nightly news at five o'clock showed Edgar again, this time with a computer printout of the testing that had been done on the shard. The entire city was In an uproar. People marched before the state capital building with signs that read things like, "Don't keep us in the dark," and, "We know you have it!"

Kelly watched as military officers vehemently denied that they were hiding anything, claiming that the shard was a hoax. It even became of national interest when the President of the United States was questioned about the shard during a press conference.

"Well," he had said. "I have no knowledge of any such thing crashing in Colorado. We as Americans must have faith in our national defense program."

When she heard that, Kelly bristled, picked up the phone, and dialed Edgar's office. A harried voice answered. "Boulder Sun."

"Edgar Poma, please," she said.

"Uh - can you hold?"

"Sure," she replied.

She was sorry to have been so agreeable, because the line went dead and she waited for what seemed like hours. She flipped through channels in the meantime, listening to all the different accounts of the same story. When finally she glanced at the clock and saw that It had been ten minutes, she decided to just hang up and try later. But then Edgar picked up the phone.

"Edgar, this is Kelly."

"Oh, you should have told someone it was you! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. I have been taking about six calls a minute. Most of them are crackpots. What can I do for you?"

"I just saw that interview with the president. and he's denying it, too, Edgar. I'm getting nervous. Is this thing just going to die down and go away?"

"I don't know, Kel."

"Would It help If I went public? and tell everyone what I saw?"

"Well, we can do that, If you want to," Edgar said.

"There's certainly enough light on this thing right now to make It safe for anyone. And they have been screaming for you."

"Who has?"

"People. They want to meet the actual person who saw the whole thing. However Kelly, I must warn you. It could ruin your life."

"It already has! Edgar, I'm living like a hermit in a motel room. I can't go to work. My best friend was nearly killed. How much worse can it get?"

***

The local news station had interrupted special programming that night to announce that the witness of the crash had come forward. It had given her name, her age, and her workplace. Most importantly, it had declared the time of the event to follow: Edgar's press conference that night.

Crowds of people showed up. Most were Interested onlookers. There were TV cameras In all corners of the room. Kelly was nervous₇ anxiously waiting with Edgar by her side for the conference to begin. An Air Force Major, Roger Morningstar, was there waiting to speak as well. and probably deny all that she was about to say. She glanced over at him, sitting some distance away from them talking with his military cronies. He was dressed in navy blue, with buttons that gleamed brightly. His black shoes were polished, shining like wet rubber.

Kelly looked around her. She had never seen such a display of public interest. There were reporters and photographers everywhere. The auditorium where they met echoed with the sound of voices and the screech of speakers being tested.

Finally, a teenage boy in a t-shlrt and ragged jeans walked up to Edgar and said, "Okay. You can start; the sound system's all ready."

"Thanks," Edgar said.

Kelly grabbed his arm. "That was it?^"

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know, some announcement or something!"

Edgar walked up to the podium that stood near them and cleared his throat. He fidgeted nervously, waiting for the conversation among the crowd to subside. Kelly thought that he looked uncomfortable in a suit.

"Uh, aflention please," he said awkwardly. A hush swept over the room.

"I have with me the witness who saw the pod crash. She Is the one who took the pictures that were published. She's the one who picked up the piece that broke off the ship. Her name is Kelly Gustafson."

He reached back toward her, without looking, and frantically waved her up to the microphone.

Kelly stepped up and was instantly blinded by the flashing cameras. Questions flew at her. "What were you doing up there that day? Can you describe what you saw? Were you seen up there?"

"One at a time, please!" Edgar roared.

"Miss Gustafson, did you actually see the pod crash?" someone asked.

"Uh, yes," she said. There was a pause, as if she was expected to elaborate. She shrugged, and grinned sheepishly up at Edgar.

Another reporter spoke up. "Where exactly did this happen?'¹

"Well, I was on my way back down the canyon, because they wouldn't let me into town. So I guess it was about three miles down from Nederland. It was on the north side of the road." Kelly glanced over at the major. He didn't look at her.

She continued, "It was early. The sun was just coming up. I wanted to take some pictures, so I got out of the car and walked up the hill."

"You just happened to go up there?" a voice said, and she turned to see who it was. Major Morningstar himself, now standing, drew himself up to his full height and stared straight at her. His eyes were brittle. He had a weak chin that seemed to blend down Into his neck.

"Yes," Kelly said. "I know it sounds weird. I was just feeling a little down and I thought it would cheer me up."

"You were feeling a little down?" he smiled, a crooked, wry type of smile. Kelly began to despise him.

"Yes. I climbed the hill, and the thing crashed right where I was walking."

"Uh-huh. And just how far away was it from you?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Maybe a hundred feet."

The major smiled again. He said, "Can you look around this auditorium and tell me how far a hundred feet is?"

Kelly began to wither inside. Her throat felt dry. She suddenly had the urge to urinate, and unconsciously glanced around for signs of a ladies' room.

"Miss Gustafson?" Major Morningstar said. "It's all right. Take your time and think it over."

"Well, the thing is, I'm not sure about the distance," Kelly said.

"You're not sure?"

"No. I'm not. It crashed on the top of a ridge, and I was down, kind of underneath it"

"Underneath It?"

She began to feel annoyed that he was repeating everything she said. "I mean, I was on the slope, climbing up. It crashed on the top."

"Miss Gustafson, did you hear it coming?" a reporter in the. crowd asked.

"Yes. It made a really loud whining sound, and of course when it hit the ground, there was a crash."

"Excuse me," the major said. All eyes turned to him. He continued. "I would like to point something out to you. When something is traveling rapidly through space, it would break the sound barrier when it entered the atmosphere. Probably all you would hear is a loud bang, and you wouldn't hear that until after it hit the ground."

Kelly glared at him. "I heard nothing of the sort. Perhaps It wasn't traveling as fast as you think."

The major smiled. "Perhaps."

Another reporter shouted from the back of the crowd. "Miss Gustafson, where did you find the piece of space metal?"

"There were pieces lying around the pod. I picked one up off the ground,"

"You didn't burn your hand?" the major said.

"No."

"Well, how long after the crash did you pick this thing up?" the major asked, crossing his legs and rearranging himself to lean casually across the podium.

"Just a few minutes."

"A few minutes," he smiled again.

"Yes!"she snapped. "A few minutes! A few minutes, meaning about three minutes!"

The major threw his hands up In the air. "Don't get defensive, Miss. I was just thinking how odd it was."

"What is so odd about that?" she asked.

"Well, you may not be aware that things become very hot when they enter the atmosphere. They burn. That's why most meteors burn up before they crash."

"Oh." Kelly said. "Well, the thing was hot. I mean, something on It had definitely burned. It was almost like a shell or a peel. The peeling burned and the surface underneath didn't. I touched the book, too, and that was cool."

"The book?"

"Well, there was this blue box that had fallen out of the pod when it broke open. It had pages with writing on them, just like a book."

The room Immediately exploded into an uproar of noise and confusion. The crowd seemed to press nearer to them as a wave of intensity swept over the room. It was clear to all that this was the most interesting aspect of the entire episode. The idea of a possible attempt at communication was exciting, even frightening. What message would be so important that anyone, any intelligent being, would be compelled to send it worlds away from its origin? What did they hope to gain by sending this, and why?

Kelly stood silent as the questions bombarded her. Finally, Edgar Poma stepped past her up to the microphone.

"Excuse me, folks," he said, tapping the mike for attention.

The noise subsided.

"How can you expect her to answer these questions when we can't even hear you up here?" Edgar scolded them. "You're all professionals.You know better. Now if you're going to act like little kids, we'll have to treat you that way. So raise your hands!"

Laughter rippled around the room. A hand in the row darted up. "Miss Gustafson, how big was the book?"

"It was a cube, about like this," Kelly held her hands indicate the width of about two feet. "I took a picture. You probably saw it In the tabloid."

She went on to describe it to them. "The pages were kind of metallic. They had symbols on them. There was page after page of these symbols."

"Was it heavy?"

"I don't know. I didn't try to pick it up.But the pages were very light."

She pointed to another hand waving from the back of the room.

"What did the symbols look like?" someone asked.

"Well, It's kinda hard to describe." She hesitated. "They were mostly like geometric shapes."

"Miss Gustafson, what do you think the symbols mean?"

Kelly laughed. "I have no clue! Not the slightest idea!"

"Why do you think someone would send us such a thing?"

Kelly paused. "Well. I don't know. I guess It depends on if it was just a random thing, or if they really wanted us to have it. Maybe it's just a way of telling us they really are out there. I like to think that It was programmed somehow to come here; that whoever sent this knows we are here."

A reporter spoke up. "I have a question for the Major."

Mornlngstar beamed. "Go ahead."

"How was It possible that our scientists could predict a day and a half ahead of time where the object was going to fall? Isn't that difficult to do with a meteor?"

"Ahem - good question. I'm no scientist, but I'll try to explain it the way it was told to me. The meteor became trapped In the earth's atmosphere, and developed a spiral pattern when it fell. It was following the rotation of the earth. This gave the scientists enough time to compute where it would land. As it was," he laughed amiably, "they were a little off."

Kelly bit her lip. She wondered how true his last statement was. She had flashbacks of all the traffic and reporters that were allowed Into Nederland the morning of the crash. She remembered how quickly the actual crash site, a remote spot on a hill, had swarmed with officials. She knew at that moment that the location had been pinpointed with more accuracy than the major was letting on. She kept silent, thinking that an accusation pertaining to this would probably weaken her cause.

The reporters, scribbling notes, were laughing with the major. Kelly found herself bristling at this. She was silent for a moment, but then could not resist the urge to speak.

"Uh, Major?" she said sweetly.

He looked at her. She continued. "If this thing was falling in a spiral pattern, wouldn't that slow it down?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I was just thinking that If the pod had gotten trapped in the atmosphere like you said, wouldn't that explain why it didn't break the sound barrier when it fell?"

The room was absolutely silent. The major did not respond for a moment. He appeared to be deep in thought. The suspense was excruciating. Kelly thought she could feel the seconds tick by.

Finally, he decided to speak. "Miss Gustafson, can I say something?"

"By all means," she said.

The major drew a deep breath.

"I would sure like to believe that there is life out there. It is something I have always wished for. I think in some ways, everyone would like to think we are not alone In the universe."

He paused for effect, then said, "Perhaps this young lady did see the meteor fail. The absence of real proof here Is what bothers me. I know it's a fascinating subject. But there mav be more factors involved than we all are aware of.

"All I'm saying is, there have been plenty of reports of UFOs over the years. People always seem to be without a camera when they claim to see these things. I am as anxious as anyone for us to make contact with other worlds. But no one ever seems to be able to substantiate their stories."

"But I had a camera!" Kelly said.

The major turned to her. "Where are your negatives?"

"They were stolen! My ex boyfriend took them, and sold them to the tabloid."

"That's very convenient. The negatives are gone, so no one can investigate to see If they have been tampered with.

"The Mirror Ball meteor was a very exciting event In our lives," he continued. "We don't know if such a thing has ever been seen, or will be seen again. But I can assure you, It was a natural occurrence. A freak of nature, as it were, and we happened to be lucky enough to see it in the sky. Yes, it was something to get excited about. We don't understand how it was formed. Perhaps modern science will solve the riddle someday."

He looked at Kelly. "If you don't mind my asking, Miss Gustafson, you are currently in therapy, is that correct?"

Kelly's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

He ignored the question and turned back to the crowd "We all go through hard times when we need a little extra attention from friends and family. Sometimes they cannot provide us with what we need, so we use other methods to -"

"Just a minute!" Kelly snapped. "I am not looking for attention! If I wanted that, I could have come out with this story when I first saw the thing!"

Morningstar smiled at her. "There's no need to become upset"

"Don't you patronize me! I'm not on trial here! I saw this thing! I have the proof!" Kelly was flushed now. Her breath came in quick huffs.

"Miss Gustafson, please don't use that tone of voice. We are all mature adults here."

"And some of us are liars!" she snarled. "You know as well as I do that I have seen something! Hell, you were probably the one who chased me away from it!

She heard a little gasp from someone in the silent crowd of journalists. She turned toward them. "That's right. Someone chased me down that mountain that morning. I was afraid for my life! And there has been one person killed, and one other person is in the hospital with a gunshot wound over this thing. I have had people breaking Into my home. I just want this thing to be out in the open, so I can have a normal life!"

The young woman in the front row spoke again. "Do you think the government is trying to hide something from us?"

"I don't think they are. I KNOW they are. I don't know why. But I picked up an object at the test site that is confirmed as being made from materials that are not of this world."

She looked at the major, her chin jutting out toward him. "How much more proof do you need?"