Binding To The Ships
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The ships were in the sky. They had been there for years, but they only now appeared to be moving through space at all; it was as if a curtain of darkness fell over them and then lifted again. It took time before I could see that this wasn’t just an illusion.
But when we looked directly up into their midst from below, we saw something like bright stars shining faintly against blackness—stars whose light came not with the usual brilliance or clarity, but rather dimly, almost diffused.
And yet these lights seemed somehow more real than any starlight ever did: We knew instinctively that those tiny points of light weren’t really out there somewhere beyond our sight, no matter how far away they might seem. No, what was happening here on Earth’s surface was much stranger still…
I didn’t understand why until later, though even then my thoughts about it stayed vague and confused. What I do remember is that we stood looking upward in wonderment. For some reason, I felt drawn toward one particular ship among many others—a giant vessel so huge that its entire body shone brightly enough to cast shadows on everything around it.
As I approached the nearest edge of its hull, however, my foot slipped off the ledge beneath me and down onto nothingness…
My head snapped back sharply as gravity suddenly grabbed hold of me, sending me tumbling backward along the ground. My feet hit hard, knocking loose several stones from the cliffside behind me. In moments, I found myself lying flat upon the rocks, staring up at the hovering craft above me.
Then another thought struck me: This thing must have some kind of gravitational field! How else would it stay aloft?
As I lay there wondering whether I should try climbing back up the slope once more, I heard someone calling my name. “Trevor!” A voice echoed across the valley floor, followed by the sound of footsteps crunching through gravel and dirt.
When I turned my eyes downward, I saw that it was Andrea who’d called. She was standing near where I’d fallen, her hands held high and palms facing outward as she shouted, “Over here!”
“Where?” I asked.
She pointed straight ahead, toward the spot where the starship hovered. At first glance, it looked like a single point of light floating in midair. Yet as soon as I focused on it properly, I realized that it was actually made up of countless smaller objects—each one glowing softly blue-white in color.
Once I noticed them individually, I also began to notice other things: There were dozens of small portholes dotted about the ship’s side, each set within a circular frame; and there were windows cut into the sides of every bulkhead, too, which gave the whole structure a mazelike appearance.
Even more curious, though, were the lines running horizontally across the ship’s upper surface—lines that connected the various sections together in ways I couldn’t quite make sense of.
Andrea continued walking slowly forward, obviously intending to get closer to the ship itself. Still lying prone on the ground, I watched her approach, trying to figure out what exactly this vessel could possibly be doing in orbit around Earth. After all, if it was indeed artificial, surely it shouldn’t need to use fuel at all to keep flying…
Before long, Andrea reached the base of the hill. Her face lit up as she gazed upward, pointing excitedly toward the ship. “Look,” she said, sounding awed. “It’s got a window.”
Sure enough, there was a square pane of glass set directly opposite the ship’s front door. From where we sat, it looked very dark inside the vehicle—as if whoever lived aboard hadn’t bothered turning on any lights.
That, of course, suggested that whatever creatures dwelled within the ship either never left it or preferred to travel without using their own bodies. Which meant that they probably wouldn’t mind us poking our heads inside for a look around.
So that’s what I decided to do.
Though Andrea remained crouched beside me, watching intently, I started shuffling forward, feeling my way along the rocky terrain. Eventually, I managed to reach the bottom of the slope, where I stopped to catch my breath.
Then I glanced back up toward the ship. Its doors were closed tight, but I wondered if anyone was home anyway. If so, perhaps they’d open the entrance for us…
But then I remembered that the ship had already taken flight sometime during the night—and that it would take considerable energy to return to its previous position. So instead of waiting around, I turned my attention inward, starting to explore the interior of the spacecraft.
There was plenty to discover, both on the walls and ceilings alike—including numerous paintings depicting scenes from ancient times. But those weren’t the only items of interest. Several cabinets lined the wall just below the ceiling, while a table with chairs occupied most of the room’s center section.
And when I opened the drawers, I discovered an assortment of strange tools, including hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, and even a pair of scissors. All told, these seemed almost identical to the ones used by the people living in the cave in the mountains outside the city.
It wasn’t clear how many similar implements might’ve ended up here, though. Perhaps the aliens responsible for building this ship possessed technology far beyond anything humanity currently knew. Or maybe they simply traveled between worlds carrying everything needed to build new structures wherever necessary.
Either way, I doubted we’d ever know the answer unless we somehow managed to capture one of those ships.
The rest of the cabin contained nothing especially remarkable aside from a few oddities scattered throughout the space. One cabinet sported a number of books—all written in languages unknown to me. Another held a collection of maps, many of which appeared to depict places on Earth.
The third was filled with musical instruments, some of which resembled traditional stringed instruments and others that didn’t resemble anything I recognized at all. As for the fourth, well, it contained several jars full of brightly colored liquids. Each one was labeled with a different letter of the alphabet. For example, the contents of jar C read BIRD, while those of JAR D spelled WOLF.
I took note of all of these things before moving on to examine the ship’s controls. They consisted of two large panels positioned behind the seats. Both featured rows upon rows of buttons, switches, dials, and levers, all of which were arranged in seemingly random patterns.
In fact, I found myself wondering whether someone had designed them specifically to confuse visitors who happened to stumble onto this place.
Yet despite its complexity, the control panel still proved relatively easy to navigate once I figured out how to operate it. Though I did have to consult the manual a couple of times, eventually I learned to manipulate the various knobs and sliders to change the setting for the lighting system.
Once I finished adjusting the brightness level, I moved on to tweaking other aspects of the interior environment. By the time I finally ran out of options, however, I realized that I’d spent nearly half an hour exploring the ship.
“What are you looking for?” Andrea asked suddenly, breaking into my thoughts. She stood next to me now, staring curiously at the display screen embedded in the bulkhead above my head.
I shrugged. “Just checking to see if there’s anything else interesting about this thing besides the artwork.”
She nodded. “You’re right; it looks like the whole spacecraft is covered in pictures. There must be thousands of them!”
That was certainly true. On every surface imaginable, I could find images depicting landscapes, animals, humans, buildings, vehicles, bridges, boats, planes, rockets, starships, planets, moons, suns, galaxies, nebulae, asteroids, comets, meteors, and countless other objects.
Some of the works depicted familiar locations, while others seemed completely unfamiliar. Yet no matter their origin or purpose, each one of these paintings represented another piece of an alien culture.
Andrea stared at the screens intently as she spoke. “Do any of these look familiar? Do they remind you of something?”
I shook my head. “Not really. Not yet, anyway.”
Then I studied her carefully. “How long has it been since your father returned to the forest?”
Her expression darkened immediately. “About three days,” she replied quietly.
A chill went down my spine. Three days! That meant he hadn’t come back alone. He’d brought someone along with him—someone dangerous enough to keep us away from his home. Someone powerful enough to make sure nobody survived to tell anyone what had transpired inside the valley.
My eyes narrowed slightly. Who could it possibly be? If I wanted to figure out where my family had gone, I first needed to determine who’d abducted them.
***
After leaving the spaceship, I headed straight toward the entrance to the cave. After passing through the narrow tunnel leading to the cavernous chamber, I continued walking until I reached the spot where I’d left the children earlier.
Then I turned around and looked directly upward. A single beam of light shone down from somewhere high overhead, illuminating a small patch of ground near the bottom edge of the opening. This particular area remained hidden beneath a thick layer of snow, but I suspected the cave would soon begin to fill with water again after spring arrived.
As for the kids themselves, they were nowhere in sight. But then, I wasn’t really surprised by that. Even though I knew I should’ve waited for them here, I couldn’t help feeling anxious about going off on my own.
And so rather than wait for them, I decided to go ahead without them. It wouldn’t take much effort to round up everyone later today when we met up for dinner. Besides, I was certain I’d find them wandering around the village shortly afterward.
So I set out across the frozen lake using only my bare hands. At least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered just how difficult it actually was to walk on ice. My feet kept slipping out from under me whenever I tried to put weight on them, forcing me to constantly adjust my balance.
Eventually, I gave up trying to stay upright altogether and instead began sliding forward on my butt.
It was slow progress, to say the very least. Still, the journey itself offered plenty of entertainment value. Every step caused huge cracks to form in the surface of the lake, sending chunks flying into the air.
The resulting spray of icy droplets created a dazzling array of rainbow-colored streaks that danced across the sky. Occasionally, some of the larger pieces even managed to break free entirely, falling to the ground below with loud splashes.
Eventually, I made it halfway across the lake. When I reached the opposite shoreline, I stopped to catch my breath and survey the surrounding landscape. To my surprise, I noticed several people standing nearby.
One of them appeared to be a man dressed in dark clothing, while the rest wore simple white robes similar to mine. They all held spears in their hands, although none of them pointed them at me. Instead, they stood perfectly still, watching me silently from behind their weapons.
The oldest among them stepped forward. His short brown hair fell over his forehead, obscuring most of his face. As always, he carried himself with an intimidating presence, radiating menace as he glared at me. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Before responding, I took a moment to study the faces of each of those gathered before me. All five individuals possessed the same pale skin, blue eyes, and black hair as myself. However, the two men closest to the front also shared the distinctive facial features of my mother: broad cheekbones, sharp chins, flat noses, and thin lips.
In fact, both of these guys looked almost identical to her. So did the woman beside them. She too resembled my mom, except her nose was longer and more slender, giving her a somewhat different appearance.
Finally, the last person present bore little resemblance to either of them. Although this individual’s body was covered in fur like mine, his ears were large and floppy, making him appear more akin to a wolf than anything else.
“Are any of you related to my parents or siblings?” I asked.
None of them responded right away. Apparently, not one of them had recognized me. But then, I supposed that shouldn’t have been surprising. I doubted many of them ever saw my family members outside of our home, let alone remembered exactly which ones I belonged to.
Finally, the old guy spoke up once again. “We’re sorry, but no.”
I frowned. Why didn’t he answer my question? Wasn’t it obvious why I’d come here if I intended to rescue them? Well, whatever the reason might be, there was nothing I could do about it now.
Still, I decided to press on anyway. “Do you know where my family is being taken?”
He shook his head slowly. “No idea whatsoever.”
That seemed strange to me. If they hadn’t known who I was, why would they bother talking to me at all? Had someone told them to make sure I got inside safely, perhaps? Or maybe they simply wanted to ensure I wasn’t planning to attack them first.
Either way, I found it hard to believe anyone in charge would send armed guards to escort me anywhere unless they thought I posed a threat. That meant I must’ve done something wrong. Which begged the question… what had I gotten caught doing, exactly?
A few moments passed before another voice chimed in. This time, it came from the young woman standing next to the older male. Unlike the others, she wore a long skirt instead of pants. Her bright red hair hung down past her shoulders, framing her delicate face.
Despite looking quite pretty, however, she somehow exuded a sense of danger that reminded me of the other warriors back in the village. Perhaps because of that, I instinctively felt wary toward her.
She turned to look directly at me. “You don’t remember us, do you? We’re your cousins.”
My jaw dropped open. How could I forget my own relatives?! It was impossible!
But apparently, it really was possible. After all, I couldn’t recall meeting any of these people until now. And yet, for some reason, I knew without a doubt that we were blood relations. Somehow, I just KNEW it.
Even though I didn’t recognize any of them by name, I already understood everything they said so well that it practically felt like second nature. Some sort of connection between us existed beyond mere words, allowing me to understand every single thing they were thinking.
Yet despite having such a strong bond, neither of them reacted when I opened my mouth to speak. No matter how much I tried to communicate with them, they never showed any sign of understanding.
As I stared blankly ahead, trying desperately to figure out what was going on, the old warrior spoke up again. “If you can’t tell us anything useful, get lost!”
His tone sounded far harsher than usual, and I quickly snapped my attention back to the conversation at hand. Still, after a brief pause, I managed to force myself to say something. “What happened to my family? Where are they being held captive?”
Again, none of them answered. Instead, the man growled threateningly in response. “Look around you! Do you see anything that looks familiar?!”
I glanced left and right, taking in the surroundings. The room was dimly lit, filled mostly with wooden furniture. A large stone fireplace sat off to the side, while several low tables lined the walls. Beyond that lay an empty field stretching into the distance, bathed in darkness.
As for the group of people surrounding me, they appeared to consist entirely of soldiers wearing leather armor and carrying spears. They stood motionless behind their leader, waiting patiently for orders. Meanwhile, the only other person present was the old guy himself.
He leaned against the wall across from me, watching silently as the rest of the party prepared to move forward.
Although I couldn’t identify anyone in particular, there were definitely six individuals in total—six human males. Each looked roughly twenty years old or younger, dressed similarly to those guarding me.
Aside from that, however, there was very little else I could discern about them. In fact, aside from their weapons, they almost resembled statues more than actual living beings. Their eyes remained closed, their faces expressionless. Only their mouths moved slightly whenever they spoke, giving each word a dull, robotic sound.
Perhaps sensing my confusion, the old guy finally spoke up. “They’re prisoners of war. You wouldn’t happen to be a soldier yourself, would you?”
“Of course not,” I replied immediately. Although I did have a vague recollection of fighting alongside one of these men, I still remembered him clearly enough to realize this wasn’t the same person. Besides, even if I had been mistaken, why would the old guy assume otherwise?
The old warrior nodded approvingly. “Good boy. Then you won’t mind telling me which unit you belong to.”
It took a moment for me to process his request. At last, however, I realized he probably meant the military organization responsible for capturing my family. So I answered hesitantly: “Um… I’m sorry, but I honestly don’t know…”
At least, I think I responded that way. But judging by the reaction of everyone present, I obviously failed miserably. Before I could react, the two girls began laughing hysterically, causing the entire group to break out in fits of laughter.
Apparently, they’d expected me to lie outright and claim I belonged to a different army altogether. Yet here I was admitting defeat completely unawares. Clearly, they found my honesty hilarious.
After a short delay, the old guy finally broke the silence. “Oh, come on! Don’t give me that crap!” His voice grew louder as he continued speaking. “We’ve spent three days searching for survivors among the enemy’s ranks, and we STILL haven’t located a single trace of your family!
Are you saying you’ve forgotten where they’re being kept?! If that’s true, then you must be crazy!”
Unsurprisingly, the female warriors joined in with their giggling. Not long afterward, the male guards followed suit. By the time I started feeling embarrassed over the whole situation, the old guy glared at me coldly. “Well, let me make sure I got this straight.
You admit you don’t know who captured your parents and siblings, but you also refuse to reveal their location. What kind of logic is that?!”
This was getting ridiculous. My confusion had grown too great for me to keep track of everything happening around me anymore. All I wanted to do was run away somewhere quiet and hide forever.
The End