"Write your own story," the empty book said.

"Let others read the wealth of your knowledge,"

Putting pen to paper, the book was fed.

Of people, places and things did I rage.

"More." With trembling hand and seizing muscles

I frantic'lly poured out my darkest thoughts.

Brought into the light as the spectacles

they are, I thought of myself as I aught.

"Don't stop." So I wrote about sadness and

anger, fear, embarrassment, happiness

and the like. Once done, unable to stand,

consciousness swirled. Steeped in my catharsis.

I was finally able to let go

and reevaluate all that I know.

It is the end of the pandemic, only the remnant of Man survives; with not enough people to cultivate the land, Nature regains her former status, bringing industry to an abrupt halt.

New species emerge, like the walking fish that made the Delaware Water Gap their home. Spiders that acquired a taste for meat overrun some of the cities reclaimed by forest. Only the strong bioengineered experiments escaped from their places of birth.

Hunters and gatherers unite for the sake of the survival of the species. What looks like trees are in actuality skyscrapers that now serve as dwelling places for newly formed communities. A natural canopy forms over what used to be considered urban lands. After two generations, no one remembers the sky.

Resourceful as ever, farms are cultivated indoors by the lucky ones. Maintenance crews become leaders by default, as only they know how to maintain central heating and cooling systems. Politicians are executed after being given the chance to step down. Leadership is not coveted as in the past. "By committee" becomes the norm. In the case of an impasse, a fight to the death determines the victor. As no one has a deathwish, only that which helps with survival is considered. Outside of the skyscraper, the world is a savage land.

***

"Our grandparents did us a huge favor by pushing education. I don't know if we would have survived otherwise." Ray boils an armored spider in cactus water and herbs over an open flame. He looks up occasionally at the sparkling light that peeks through the canopy.

"Their education didn't keep them from dying, did it?" Melissa watches the immediate perimeter for any movement that can be considered a threat. A semi-automatic is perched over her left shoulder.

"That's not fair, sis. No one survived the pandemic. If we were in the medical field, maybe we would have figured out why it is that we survived and not them. Instead, I went to psychology and you went to, sorry, what is it that you do again? Draw?"

"You want me to shoot you, don't you? You know damn well that I'm an art therapist."

"A very valuable member of any treatment team," they said simultaneously and laughed.

"Technically, we could be considered leadership material, but who wants to fight to the death over who gets to decide on what topic for the survival of the community? There are as many communities as there are skyscrapers and each building has their own version of what is right and what is wrong."

"And that's why we're out here, eating spiders, instead of indoors where it's, what, safe? I'm with you, bro, because you and I both know that you wouldn't last a day out here without me."

"Don't make me put you over my knee, little girl. Dinner's ready."

Am I losing my mind? My image just moved his left arm. It was quick, barely perceptible, but it did happen. My intuition is never wrong.

What are you hiding? What are you trying to communicate? "Can you hear me? It's safe to talk. If you want to."

***

"How much wine did you say you had?"

"Fuck you!" They laugh. Carlos' brother had flown in from Arizona. Javier liked New York and made any excuse to visit. The excuse this time was his birthday.

"Look, when we were young, we used to finish each other's sentences, but that had to have been because we knew each other so well."

"Bullshit! As many times as we've discussed it, we have come to the conclusion that it's because our mother was one of an identical pair of twins and that they passed down their abilities to us. Why are you denying that something happened?"

The waitress walks over with a pitcher of iced water. "Anything else I can get you, gentlemen? Some more wine, perhaps."

Fuck off!

Stop it, she's just doing her job.

"Better bring over the entire bottle. I'm celebrating my 58th birthday."

"I'll be right back." She smiles at Javier and ignores Carlos.

"Since I've relocated to Arizona, there's been no need to use any of the abilities, and, I have to say, it's been peaceful."

"Javi, ignoring it doesn't make it go away."

"Here we are, gentlemen." She makes eye contact with Javier. While at the same time filling Carlos'glass. Doesn't spill a drop.

Will you send this bitch away!

Jessica, may I have your number?

"I'll just leave these napkins for you." On the top one she writes her name and phone number and walks away flustered at her boldness.

"Thank you, Jessica."

Turning back to Carlos, Javier asks, "I thought I was the only other you; what do you think he wants and why hasn't he reached out to me as well and who is he really? Another us? From another dimension? What the hell is this, a bad sci-fi movie?"

"Will you pay attention now that you know? In case there is a message of some sort."

"If it was anyone else telling me this story, I would suggest therapy. Hell, I would dial for an ambulance." After sighing deeply, "Fine!"

They clink their wine glasses and continue the celebration.

***

One hundred storys underneath the island of Puerto Rico world politicians discuss the possibilities of their new discovery. Everyone vies for the opportunity to explore their other lives. One voice is alone in opposition.

"There is no advantage in uprooting someone else's life for your convenience. Suicide rates are at ninety percent and those that have survived the abrupt change are at the psychiatric center. We're ignoring the most basic human right. The right of choice."

'Doctor Salama, please calm down." The director of the program bangs his gavel calling order. The doctor walks off the podium.

"You will all regret your arrogance. Mark my words. There will be irreversible consequences."

The audience rumbles. Some fear the discovery. Others welcome the changes that hold the promise of a better world.

***

Doctor Salama steps from the main corridor to the garage. He searches for the car keys while walking to his car. Waiting for him, off to the side, in the shadows is the last person he will ever meet.

***

"Found dead in a car was the dead, naked bodies of a man and a woman. The bodies were discovered by an officer that was about to issue a ticket for the illegally parked car..."

***

"When they finally figure out that it's Doctor Salama, it will look like he and his whore have overdosed."

"The deposit will be made by end of the business day. Always a pleasure." The director puts away the gavel presented to him when he first finished law school. Thirty years ago seemed only yesterday. His office phone rings.

"Gutierrez."

"Your Honor, the scientists are ready."

"Thank you, Mr. Yu. I'm on my way. Take the rest of the day off. I'll see you in the morning."

"Thank you, sir. Shall I take your breakfast order now?"

"I'm not sure yet what time I'll be getting in. It all depends on what happens tonight. I'll contact you when I get in."

"Very good, sir."

**"

"Here he is just stepped off the elevator. Let's have him catch a glimpse of his doppelganger. Your honor. Good evening. Step to the chair, there. Put on the mask."

"Is the mask really necessary?"

"Yes, sir. The chances of the other you seeing you are fifty percent. It's the reason why you're now sitting in the shadows. The doppelganger may be in bed already, which would be ideal, but on the chance that he is not, we prefer keeping the advantage until the time determined for the exchange. Look at the mirror. Here we go."

Computers work in the background quietly. Directly in front of the mirror, the director feels self-conscious at the image of him in a mask. It conjures memories of the last encounter with multiple partners and compromising positions. His imagine fades to black, then he sees the bedroom at the other side. The mirror is as clear as any doorway into the other room. He slowly rises from where he sat. Taking a step forward, he catches the foot of the bed.

Naked, male feet could be seen from where Judge Gutierrez was standing. He approaches cautiously to get a better angle. A naked man sleeps soundly. "This could be anyone."

From the headphones that he wears, he hears, "Take off your left shoe and sock. Compare birthmarks."

Gutierrez complies. Just above his ankle, a mark in the shape of what to him was Australia. He steps closer to the mirror.

There! On the same location. The exact same shape. How can this be? It's a trick. I won't believe it.

"Tap the glass and step back."

Gutierrez uses the ring on his left small finger to tap twice. Stepping back, he watches as the naked body turns to face the mirror. The other Gutierrez yawns as he listens for the sound that woke him.

Here, on this side of the mirror, Gutierrez is leaning over the chair, retching.

***

Mr. Yu gently knocks at the office door. "Breakfast? Shall I go for a run?"

"No! God, no! Sorry. Something disagreed with me last night. I won't be eating anytime soon. Cancel all of my appointments for today. I'll be with the science department. If anything demands my immediate attention, call me on my cell. I won't pick up. Leave a message."

***

At the science center Gutierrez is in conference. "What will the other me experience if we trade places?"

"At this point, we don't even know what he does for a living. We would have to study him for at least a year in order for the transition to go smoothly. There are no guarantees. For all we know, he could be a plumber, a murderer, gay. There's just no way to know without observations."

"Couldn't we make the exchange while he is asleep? Once on this side, you could give him something to keep him asleep, just for the night. While I'm at the other side exploring, he could be dreaming. That would decrease any trauma that he could experience if he were awake."

"What if we do use anesthesia to keep him under? What if our medication makes him slip into a coma? Or worse, he goes into anaphylaxis and dies! We don't have enough information about his physiology to dare do anything like that; we can't!"

"Where is your sense of learning, of adventure? Of exploration? Aren't you scientists?"

Director Gutierrez, we cannot in good conscience support the decision to move forward without more planning, more investigation. We simply have no answers or assurances as to what the ramifications would be.'

Damnit! I've got to escape this life.

***

Judge Elias Gutierrez is at the back of his wine cellar. He hobnobs with the elite of society. The governor, state senators, congressmen, some film executives and friends of the theater. His influence has afforded him the luxuries that surround him.

Today, none of that matters. As he holds a pistol in his hands, he weeps uncontrollably. On the floor, next to an empty bottle of wine is a picture of his wife, Sonia and seven year old daughter, Cecilia. Both lost to him in a car accident.

It was his baby's birthday. As a family, they had gone to a family themed restaurant, watch a kid's movie and on their way home, they were going to stop for ice cream sundaes. They were pulling out of the parking space, when a car chase between police and a couple of thugs that had just stolen money from a nearby gas station collided into the judge's car.

The first car slammed into the front, passenger side, killing his wife instantly. As the car spun, his daughter was thrown out of the back window, landing on the hood of the police car. When Elias regained consciousness, first responders wete covering her lifeless body. Several days later, he had walked out of the hospital and went straight to his empty home. Since the incident, he's relived it relentlessly in his nightmares.

Drinking is the only thing that allows him to sleep. Needing oblivion, he sat on the floor of his wine cellar, hoping for a reprieve from the heartache and the headache that has never gone away since that hateful day.. He thought of nothing else but seeing his loved ones. He wondered if the other him had the life that Elias has lost.

"I can't live here any more. I want you back. It's not, not fair not fair. I am, was a good husband, a good father. It's not fair. I need you. I don't want to live without you. Please, please, please come back. Please."

***

Phone rings.

"Mr. Gutierrez, good day, sir. Is everything alright? You were expected this morning. I've rescheduled you with the lieutenant governor. for tomorrow morning at ten. Is there anything that you need at the moment?"

"Mr. Yu," whispers Elias, "what time is it?"

"11:30, sir."

"Oh. I've overslept. Cancel the rest of the day. I'm not myself at the moment."

"Understood, sir. See you in the morning."

Mr Yu cuts the call and leans back in his chair. He's worked for Judge Gutierrez for the past twenty years. A temporary assignment that became permanent. The judge liked Dustin's work ethic and offered him the position of administrative assistant. Dustin could not say no. He is well compensated for his service and the judge is sponsoring him while in the country and helping him with his education, both financially and through the experience gained by working with Elias. They've discussed opening a firm together once Dustin has graduated. He is on his last year and at the top of the class for the fourth year in a row.

Though they maintain a formal relationship at the office, after hours, they are friends. Dustin's intuition tells him that Elias is suffering the loss of his wife and daughter. After all the phone calls and rearranging the schedule, he decides to pay Elias a visit. He hopes that he can coax his friend out of the house for a change of scenery.

***

The doorbell rings. Elias' eyes flutter. He realizes that he is on the floor of the wine cellar. He manages to lift himself off of the floor and staggers up the stairs. Dustin and he lock eyes.

Allowing himself in with his own set of keys, Dustin walks through the house towards the entrance to the wine cellar. He sees Elias. Vomit covers the front of the suit that he wore to the office yesterday.

Dustin moves to Elias, taking the gun from his right hand. Without skipping a beat, he pockets it and swings his friend's arm over his own shoulder to support him and they stumble into the first floor bathroom. He turns on the shower and helps Elias to undress. Elias is exhausted with anguish and unable to resist.

***

They sit at the breakfast nook, wrapped in towels. This space overlooks the valley. The doors are open and a constant breeze makes the drapes dance.

"Sip your tea. Camomile. It's good for the central nervous system."

"Of course it is." Elias smiles and complies.

"What was the plan, suicide?"

"No! You know me better than that. I was drunk."

"You're that more often than not these days. We've talked about therapy."

"Fuck therapy! That's not going to bring them back."

"I know it's not," whispers Dustin. He tries with every comment to keep Elias calm.

"I want them back. Please, help me."

"We can't bring them back, Elias-"

"But I can go to them!"

"What? No! You can't steal someone else's life from under them and not expect things to go well. Stop this!"

"Give me my gun."

"Elias."

"Give me my gun."

***

After putting Dustin's body in the refrigerator with the white wine, Elias changes into casual clothing and heads back to the science lab. The skeleton crew is scheduled. They are the ones tasked with observations. They report only to the director, Judge Elias Gutierrez.

"Director, sir! What a privilege. Your visit was not on the schedule. I do apologize for the oversight."

"Nonesence. I dropped in unannounced. It's good to see you, Phil. How are Martha and the kids?"

"Oh! They're well, sir."

"Elias, Phil, Elias."

"Yes. Sorry! It's just that I only see you during the holiday parties. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. Let's change the subject. Tell me, who is being watched this evening?"

"Oh, um. I'm embarrassed to say that it's you, sir, um, Elias. I mean, the other you, of course."

"How fortuitous! Excellent! Well, show me, please. Lead the way."

From the front desk, they turn left to the elevator bank. Two doors can be seen. These burnished bronze doors are emblemed with a hint of a large arrow that covers and is split by the doors as the elevator opens. One elevator is used for the above floors and the other is for the deep recesses of the island.

"Tell me, how many of you are usually on site during what I like to call 'The Vampire Shift?"

Phil laughs and is pleased that Elias is in a good mood. This helps to calm him down. Up to that point, he was concerned about the surprise visit.

"Since it's only observation, normally, it's just two staff members. Felecia and Song were scheduled for tonight, but we just found out that Song is expecting twins. We were all so happy for her that I gave them the night off to celebrate. It's just me tonight. I hope that's not a problem. I can always call for backup, if we need to."

"Don't even think it. I won't be long. I just wanted to see what progress we were making. Since we're observing me, tell me -they laugh- what do we know so far?"

"Here, take these headphones and this mask. Sit there, in the shadows. What we have so far is that he/you-"

Elias remembered to bring the silencer. Phil's head explodes only on the left side. The body stood for a moment, then fell sideways, away from the control panel.

"I'm sorry to have taken you away from Martha and the girls, Phil. I left word for the other me to fully compensate them."

***

Javier stares at what should be himself in the mirror, but he is on his bed, this other person stands looking in, unaware that the doppelganger on the bed is awake.

Am I still asleep? Impossible! Intuition is never wrong. I was dreaming, but that is not this. Will he see my message scribbled in soap on the corner of the mirror? I wrote it backwards so that he could read it.

On the other side of the mirror, the message is read. Fear causes him to stumble backwards. The light is extinguished.

Javier slowly sits up on his bed and, while still in the dark, he calls Carlos.

"Hey, isn't it there in the morning where you are? Have you not been to bed yet?"

"Carlos, you're not going to believe what just happened!"

***

Hello. My name is Javier. What's yours?

(?sruoy s'tahW .reivaJ si eman yM)

"There! He knows I'm here, that, that we're here. His name is Javier, just like mine. He may have a brother Carlos too!"

"Stop! Someone is playing a prank on you. Didn't you say that Javi, Jr likes practical jokes. He probably wrote that there."

"I knew you were going to say that. It's what I would have said. Javi is ten. Here. Take this glass cleaner and the rag. Wash it off. See? It inside the mirror. You're not going to tell me that a ten year old can do that are you?"

Scrub as he may, Carlos could not remove the message. "Hello. My name is Javier. What's yours?" Written so that they could read it on their side.

"What are we going to do?"

Carlos stares at the words. His intuition was always nagging at him about the other side, but he thought that he was suffering from hallucinations. Tears well to overflowing at the relief that he feels. Javier holds his brother. They're in tune with one another.

***

"'I will be staying awake. I would like to talk to you,' is the message that I wrote. I'm hoping that the other me will come to the mirror."

"Can I join you? We could use your laptop."

"I don't want to scare him away. What if other me doesn't have a twin? Let me establish communication first. We'll move on from there."

"Can we connect and you put the laptop where he won't see it? I don't want you to be alone when you do this. Please!"

"Alright. The last time that I saw him, it was three in the morning. I'll connect with you about fifteen minutes before."

***

A slight tapping at the mirror makes Javier look up from the computer. "He's here," he whispers. "I'm going to the mirror."

Javier cautiously rises from the edge of the bed. His doppelganger keeps completely still.

"Hello. Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

The exact same voice. How?

"I'm Javier."

"I'm Javier."

"Your name is Javier too?"

"Yes. I have a brother. His name is Carlos."

As the doppelganger said the name, Javier whispered it.

"Would you like to meet him?"

"Very much so, yes!" Javier's heart slams against his chest. Please be an identical twin!

From the left side of the mirror, the other Carlos emerges. "Hello."

It's Carlos' voice, but how. Carlos is in New York. On my computer. Wait!

"I also have someone I would like you to meet. Please wait." Javier steps slowly backwards. He is afraid that if he takes his eyes off of them that they would disappear, that he is just dreaming all along. Picking up the computer, he walks back. Slowly, he begins to turn it to the mirror.

"Javi, what's happening?" Javier's mechanical sounding voice chimes in.

"Javi, talk to me. Don't leave me in susp-"

The four stare at each other in silence. After what seems like an eternity, the other Carlos asks, "Where are you that I can't sense you?"

"New York." Carlos was so struck that he sounds like a robot.

Carlos'doppelganger leans on his brother for support. He cries, overwhelmed with happiness. "All this time, I thought you were dead or that you didn't exist. We could always sense Javier, but not you. You're not with your brother."

"We, on this side, have separate lives. I live here, with my wife and children. Carlos lives in New York. He is single."

"We, on our side, live together. Here. In our California."

"I have been able to sense you, Carlos. You came to my mirror recently. I asked Javier to watch for your coming." His voice was small but audible. He hated not being in California right now.

"No. That wasn't me that you sensed. I've never visited you. This moment here is the first time that I know of your existence. There must be other Carlos and Javiers."

"How is all of this even happening?" The four stare at each other weighing the mind-blowing implications.

***

Elias Gutierrez stares at the control panel. Everything is set for the exchange. Moving to the shadows, he waits for his other Elias to get to bed. His plan is to replace him.

Once he reaches this side, he will, of course, be disoriented. I'll write a long note and leave it on the panel. I'll explain that I would take good care of the other Sonia and Cecilia. When he reads how I lost them, he will understand. I'll promise to let him see them at night, while they're sleeping. It'll be alright.

The elevator springs to life.

Who can this be. Damn!

Running to the doors he is determined not to fail. He points the gun at chest height, breathing hurriedly. Sweat threatening to obstruct his view. There's no time to wipe his face. The doors open. He shoots.

Song's chest slowly lets out a trickle of blood. Her eyes close. Elias aims at his own heart and shoots.

Too many thoughts at once

paralyze, keep me

fixed and unresolved.

Break this enchantment.

Engage your senses!

What is that sound? It's echoing throughout the whole world. As though God were walking through the valley of death.

The sound is everywhere at once. Where is it going? Everyone is running in different directions. Trying to find shelter.

The sound grows sharper, more pronounced, higher pitched. The earth shakes. My ears bleed. Can't concentrate. Dizzy. Falling.

Darkness. Headache. The sound. It's the sink. It's leaking.

I'm in bed. Why is that drip so loud? Migraine? Me?

I've never had one before. This pain is excruciating, my eyes feel like nails have been embedded. Have to call out sick.

The same old nightmare-

stench of burning hair,

flash of yellow light,

old floorboards that creak,

the taste of warm blood,

the ghost of rope burns.

Abruptly conscious,

quick, short, rasping breaths

and the trem-bl-ing.

Always the shivers.

Images that hide,

ever out of reach.

Fear of remembrance,

denial of the bonds

that have enslaved me.

Peace-of-mind deludes,

always so draining!

Is there no reprieve?

"...what you see,

this frothing

and foaming,

tempest tossed

turbulence

reflects us-

Man-unwell.

We'll remain

thus, unless

we decide

to end it.

The hatred,

apathy,

the disdain.

Until we

choose to change,

all is lost..."

This note is to update you on how I've been. I know that you don't actually care. In fact, with you it's out of sight, out of mind. I firmly believe that you don't remember the torture that you put me through, unless it conjures images designed to amuse you.

The scars have never healed. You've left your marks. Physical. Emotional. Mental. Spiritual. Sorry if I'm boring you. I'll be brief. My hope is that you're still reading.

There are days when I wake up to a deeply seeded desire to hunt you down, torture you, then watch you slowly die by my hand. I imagine the look on your face as you come to realize that you are reaching your end.

Would you beg for mercy? Would you apologize? Would you dare ask, "Why!?"

It suffices to write that from this moment on I am,

Your Shadow

Consciousness. Cool breeze. Birdsong. Wet grass. Eyes hurt. Their sun is too bright. I have to sit up. The skin grew in nicely. Male, I believe. Twenty digits in all; five at each foot, five at each hand. The shortest of each hand designed differently. Useful for wrapping around objects. I must rise. Get to know the immediate surroundings.

The sound of running water. Must be a stream or brook. Good. I can wash off the amniotic fluid. First let me bury the pod.

-------

The elders chose a remote location for my transformation. This will help me to join their society quietly. Now to the water.

Cold. Someone approaches. There, that rock.

-------

"Who is he?" Whispered Anita. He's bleeding. Must have hit his head against that rock. Check his pulse."

"Hold this. Keep it pointed at him. If he moves, shoot."

"Oh, papa! He's vulnerable. I doubt he even has the strength to protect himself. Someone must have robbed him of his possessions and left him for dead. Go. Check his pulse."

Flutter eyelids as Papa touches me. Move slowly. Do not scare them. They will help me to assimilate.

"Are you alright?" Jonathan watched as the stranger pulled away slowly. "We won't hurt you."

Look at Anita, the weapon that she holds.

"Anita, point that thing to the ground, please."

"Oh, sorry! Hi. I'm Anita. This is Jonathan. Are you okay to move?"

I do not know their language. Not yet. I will move back slightly to feign fear.

"Papa, give him your overcoat. He must be freezing!"

"Come. Give me your hand. Let me pull you out of the water. That's it. Careful not to slip. Here put this on."

Anita puts the riffle on the grass. She tears a part of her skirt near the hem, wets it and gently wipes away the blood on the left side of his head.

Jonathan picks up the riffle and walks to the red pickup truck. Anita takes the stranger by the hand and leads him to the back of the truck, climbing in first, then helping him in. They sit across from each other. A slight jolt let's each know that the truck is moving.

Anita looks at the man's toes and slowly works her sight up his chins, noticing strong, defined calves. The rest of him hid inside the coat. Only his masculine hands, neck and head were exposed. His sandy blonde, curly hair moved like fire in the wind above his eyes. Anita was not sure of their color. At the water they appeared blue. Now they're a shade of yellow.

"What's your name?"

Clearly they are kind. I am glad that I did not have to kill them. I must begin the learning process.

Pointing at her he said, "Anita."

She laughs. "No. That's my name. What's yours?"

Close my eyes. Touch where I hit my head. Sigh deeply, slowly.

"Oh! You don't know. Amnesia? Do you have amnesia?" She stands up at the back of the truck while it still moves. She's comfortable and secure as she leans over the side to talk to her father.

"Papa? We should take him to the doctor."

Jonathan points to the red house. Doctor Lee Meriwether brought Anita into the world. Unfortunately, he could not save her mother.

-------

"Who do we have here?" Dr. Meriwether measures only four feet, ten inches, but his heart had room for the whole world. He took the stranger by both hands and stared directly into his eyes.

Signaling with his left hand he said, "Come. Sit." The stranger complies.

An examination. How invasive will they be? I hope this camouflage proves successful or they will have to die.

The doctor reaches into his lab coat pocket and pulls out a small flashlight. After flashing both eyes, he touches the stranger under his chin checking where the lymph nodes should be. Next, he gently opens the overcoat, breathes onto the part that would touch his patient and listens to the heartbeat. He demonstrates deep breathing

Anita steps outside of the examination room. She tells herself that the patient needs his privacy, but she became flustered from catching a glimpse of his anatomy. At the waiting room, she fans herself with one of the outdated magazines.

The doctor taps his patient's knees and lightly scratches the soles of his feet with a wooden tongue depressor. Lastly, he takes his temperature and checks for the blood pressure.

-------

Jonathan had stayed during the exam. He wanted to make sure that the doctor was unharmed. As the doctor closed the overcoat, Jonathan stepped into the waiting room.

"How'd it go?"

"Doc's done. We'll know soon."

"Yes. All seems just fine. I've dressed the woumd, given him a pair of scrubs and clogs. His vitals seem textbook, which, given his head wound, there should be a slight elevation, but he is physically fit. That may be helping him to remain stable."

The stranger steps into the waiting room looking like a medical employee. His head wrapped, only the curls above his brow were visible.

Sustenance. This body must feed. Not just water.

"Anita."

The stranger falls forward into Jonathan's arms. The doctor helps them to a nearby chair. Anita runs to get a plastic cup and fills it from the dispenser. She hands it over and he gulps it down. He holds it to her as if to ask for more. She takes it from him and refills it, handing it back to him. He guzzles down some more.

"He may be hungry."

"Doctor is it alright if we take him off your hands?" Jonathan suggests the restaurant at the end of the street. The three of them sit to steak and potatoes. The stranger holds up the empty dish.

"Papa, I think he wants more."

"Oh, he wants more, for sure!"

They feed him dessert, apple pie with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Once done, he sits back and takes a deep cleansing breath.

Sleep. I must sleep to rejuvenate.

"Anita," he whispers with his eyes closed.

"Let's get him to the farm. We'll put him in the apartment above the garage."

"That's such a good idea, papa!"

At the doctor's office, Lee calls the sheriff letting him know what little information there was about the newcomer. "At the farm. That's right. He may have amnesia. After a good night's rest we may find out more. Let's go up tomorrow morning after breakfast. We can question him then."

-------

Their moon is high in the sky, full and bright. I will be able to hunt without impediments. Removing these -what did Anita call it, pa ja ma- will help me to move with all speed.

Opaque. My new flesh is opaque against the moonlight. I'll have to keep this in mind during my interactions with these people.

I sense you, even before I caught your scent. Succulent. Warm blooded. I will have to ask Anita the name. To the kill!

-++++++

"Papa, papa!"

"What is it, sweetheart! Are you alright?"

"It's the piglet. Somehow it escaped the pigpen. Oh, I hope it's okay."

"Sweetheart! If it escaped and was wandering around at night, I don't have much hope."

As she dabbs her eyes, she welcomes her father's embrace. They turn at the sound of their new house guest's footsteps. He slowly walks down the steps. "Anita."

His eyes red with anger and confusion at seeing her tears. He gently reaches towards her face and touches her. Empathy causes his eyes to leak. She separates from her father and touches his wet cheek. She feels the connection between them. He learns the word tears.

I have injured Anita. I will never do it again.

"Anita. Tears."

As they touch, images flood the stranger. Anita and the birth of the piglet. Anita as she feeds and cares for it as if it was her own. He feels her love for the animal. Feels her loss. Her compassion for him though they only just met.

This creature is empathic such as my people. Female; her anatomy is different. Does papa-Jo-na-tan feel as she feels?

Hazel eyes locked on Jonathan. Captivating, hypnotizing, rendering motionless. Jonathan never felt the hand on his cheek, only the tears that flowed against his face. He knew that they belong to Anita. At the same time, he now knows that the visitor is not of this planet. The three, Anita, Jonathan and the creature became one; in heartbeat, in breath, in emotion, in thought.

"How is it that I can speak your language never having visited your planet?" Jonathan was the first to speak once the visitor removed his hands from their faces.

"This is how we learn. By becoming one. Now we know all about each other. I could not speak your language until I touched you. Anita, I apologize for eating Mr. Snout."

"I understand why you did it. Knowing is comforting. I will be alright."

"Where I am from creatures such as Mr. Snout are food. They do not posses sentience."

"I promise that I understand."

"Your world will expire soon. Seventy billion sentient beings with cease to exist in a flash. The black hole will swallow your entire galaxy." Jonathan felt the sorrow eminating from Uno.

"Uno, there is not enough time to save all of your galaxy. Your planet is the only one with the capability of space travel. Replacing us is inhumane." Anita is on the verge of tears again.

"When I connected with you and Jonathan, it made me aware that you are sentient beings, like us. Your planet, Venus, will be the next logical choice. Our grandchildren will be the ones to be able to live on the planet surface. By then, our technology will be able to transform Venus to suit our needs. As to the other sixty-five billion at my galaxy, scientists are collecting the genetic markers necessary for replanting at some distant future."

The three stare at the horizon. Uno stands between Anita and Jonathan. They hold hands and quietly weep.