Page 12 of Orange Sky
He looked me up and down clinically. Then he looked at my face, scrutinizing every inch with his eyes.
How fascinating that his eyes changed to steel gray. Lighter now than before.
He went to a nearby orange rock and picked up his leather bag. I noticed now it matches his leather pants.
He started walking. Without waiting for me. I noticed the house is a bit uphill so we went down. If he was nott in a hurry, I would have appreciated the view. The house is in a meadow, a picturesque view straight out of a children's fairy tale book. Instead of green, it’s an orange meadow. Then again, every fairy tale book has a dark side to it. Maybe I’m in a Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.
A loud growling noise.
Zirc stopped and looked back at me.
I’ve never been so embarrassed in my entire life! My stomach grumbled out loud when I failed to notice I’m hungry. And thirsty. Hansel and Gretel were a dead giveaway.
Zirc faced forward again.
“Here,” he said. That was all the warning I got when I saw him throw something in the air towards my way.
Luckily I was able to catch it. “What’s this?,” I asked on reflex.
He continued to walk but replied, “Just eat it. It won’t harm you. And take this.”
He threw another one at me. This one is bigger than the first. When I caught it, it’s like a small canister. I felt the sides were wet. Ah, their salty water. Ok, fair enough. I’ll try to ration out the water. I think I’ll die of kidney disease before the year is out.
I walked behind him, glad to do so because he forms a nice shade. Like an umbrella so I’m not exposed to the sun. Like before, he walked slowly but not slow enough in my opinion.
The first one he gave me was some sort of a beef jerky. I bit into it. Hmm, it’s not salty and chewable. Not as chewable as a beef jerky but it’s passable. My stomach calmed down after finishing one.
Surprisingly, the water was not too salty. I noticed the inside there’s a contraption. A filter. I remembered Mrs Chan, our old neighbor, likes to wake up before dawn and cool down with her hot tea after doing her tai chi exercises. Right in front of their lawn. Her bottle is see through and we used to think she’s drinking an illegal substance instead of tea. Many people, including me, use her to schedule our morning routine. Some leave the house when she starts her exercise. Others, like me, leave when she starts drinking her tea.
The canister has a filtration system. And it fits in the loose pocket of my pants. How handy. Maybe I can survive on this planet after all. I wished for an adventure of a lifetime. Going to Japan, my first trip out of the country. Whoever is up there misunderstood my prayer.
I noticed that we are in the plains again. I see some mountains afar. Are we going to travel by foot?
When I looked back, Zirc was not alarmed. So it’s possible the monster that rammed the house last night lives nearer the denser trees. Orange trees.
I looked up. Even though they had two suns, the suns’ rays are not too harsh on my skin. On my head. I don’t even have a hat. It’s not humid. It’s just about right.
I can hear the wind, my footsteps, some rustling. But it’s kind of scary that I can’t hear Zirc’s footsteps. His choice of color, even his clothes and bag, makes him almost invincible. He blends.
Should I trust him? I have not yet seen others of his kind. I worry the aliens who abducted me messed up my chemical system to make me bond with the first person I see. Or is it possible I will always crave sex from now on?
I shiver from dread on that thought.
Zirc stopped. Even his tail stopped.
He looked back at me. I wished I was wearing heels so at least he doesn’t always look down on me.
“Walk in front of me.”
He probably saw I was alarmed because he said,, “So I can see you. We still have lots of ways to go. I’m not sure if you’re damaged or not.”
Damage? Sounds ominous.
We looked at each other.
“Go.”
I sighed but walked in front of him. I was tempted to walk slowly but I don’t want to piss him off.
