The Night It Fell

At first Clint thought it was a shooting star. But it got brighter and brighter instead of streaking across the sky. For a moment, he feared it was coming straight at him! But, whatever it was, it's path took it into the nearby woods - a near miss.

From his house here at the edge of town, where the woods began, Clint could easily see the resultant glow dimly through the trees and bushes. Fearing it might start a blaze, he grabbed a flashlight and a shovel. Moments later he was wending his way through thickets and around trees. Using the light in his hand to watch for roots and stones that might trip him, he worked his way toward the glow, praying that the fire might be small enough that he'd be able to handle it with a simple shovel. The fact that the ground was moist was a factor in his favor.

He wished he'd taken an extra moment to race into the house and grab his cell phone, in case he needed to call for help. After all, his none-too-muscular body didn't promise that he'd be able to perform heroic efforts pounding out flame or trying to dig out a fire break. With his physique, plus his glasses and interest in science and video games, he might as well have been wearing a label 'nerd' on his forehead. But maybe, just maybe, if he managed to put out what could've turned into a forest fire, some of the other students in his high school might give him some grudging respect. Not his fellow nineteen year old Seniors, of course. He'd never expect that.

He sensed he must be close by now, and hadn't twisted an ankle or anything. Finally, the beam of his flashlight revealed a gouge in the forest floor - a shallow trench heading to his left. At the end of it was the glowing thing, and there was no sign of fire or smoke. Clint inhaled quickly, and couldn't detect the smell of anything burning, either. Now that he was close, he discovered the glow wasn't uniform. Rather, it seemed to brighten and lessen a little, almost in an irregular series of pulses.

Cautiously, he approached it, switching the shovel to his right hand in case he needed to use it quickly and accurately, while transferring the flashlight to his left. After staring at it for several minutes, he planted the blade of the shovel into the forest loam to free that hand. The object was smaller than he'd expected and he couldn't feel any heat radiating from it, even when he held his hand waist high over it. Slowly lowering his hand until it was about 6 inches above the glowing thing, he still felt no warmth at all. "I assume you got hot, streaking through our atmosphere," he murmured. "But you're small, and half-buried in cool, wet dirt and loam. Plus, I have no idea how long its taken me to reach you, so I guess it's possible that the heat dissipated quickly."

Clint wanted a closer look under better conditions than this gloomy forest, so he dug up a shovelful of the cool wet earth from under the object, with it resting on top of that mound. As he started to laboriously retrace his path back toward his house, he found that the weight of the dirt threatened to tip the shovel forward and dump its load. So he had to 'choke up' on the handle so much that his grip was actually where the metal shovel blade was attached to the beginning of its handle. The shovel blade bumped his thigh from time to time as he took each step forward.

"What are you?" he asked rhetorically, in a voice almost as quiet as a whisper. His scientific curiosity was so piqued that he kept glancing at the object as he moved. Unfortunately, he was paying more attention to it than to where he was placing his feet. He tripped over a root and began to fall forward. Instinctively he dropped both shovel and flashlight to free his hands to brace himself for the impact. But, almost of its own volition, his hand darted forward and snatched the object right out of the air. Perhaps his quick working brain had calculated that he might otherwise lose it in the undergrowth!

The impact didn't harm him, but he mentally hissed, once he realized he was holding the glowing thing against his bare skin. He steeled himself for possible pains - burning, stabbing, or other unknowns - to register on his hand. But nothing happened. The object apparently caused no damage or harm that he could detect! Sighing with relief, he stood up, and gave his clothes a cursory brushing with his left hand as he tried to look more closely at the thing cradled in his hand.

Impatient now to see it in good lighting inside his house, he closed his fist around it, grabbed the shovel and flashlight and made it to his back yard with no further incidents. His parents had gone out to dinner, and his sister Judy was studying for her Junior History test at a girlfriend's house. Mentally, he didn't refer to her as 'Judy' though - lately he'd taken to using the nickname 'Jugs' since she was now stuffing her breasts into 36 C cups. Needless to say, Judy was not thrilled being called that, which is precisely why he continued doing it. After all, she retaliated by calling him 'Clutz' all the time. It was just something that siblings do.

Clint was therefore delighted that no one was there to disturb him as he went into the kitchen. Placing the item on a paper towel, he carefully washed and dried his hands, then moved the paper towel and its burden onto the kitchen table under the bright overhead lights that were there. A little dirt was still clinging to the pulsating object, so he brushed it off with scraps of paper toweling. The enigmatic object paid no heed to its cleansing, and merely continued emitting irregular bursts of light. Even the color of the light was hard to define. It's surface was smooth and a little oval, with a few barely discernible bumps, more easily felt than seen.

After perhaps a half hour of examining the pebble-like thing, Clint still hadn't a clue as to what it was, where it came from, its composition, or the source of its glow. He even pulled out the special radiation detection add-on for his Arduino to check for any harmful radiation with negative results. Sighing, he decided to store it in a sealed glass bottle in his dresser for overnight, planning to check it in the morning. He fully expected that the glow would be gone by then.

He was sitting on the sofa, watching a SciFi movie when his parents arrived. They'd picked up Judy from her friend's place on their way home, so the house went from solitude to bustling with people in the blink of an eye. Judy didn't say much, merely heading for her bedroom where she'd undoubtedly spend time on her smart phone until mandatory bedtime.

"Don't forget you have school tomorrow," Clint's mother reminded him unnecessarily. "Off to bed when your movie's over, right?"

"Yes, Mom," he dutifully replied. But his mom and dad were looking at one another amorously after their intimate dinner, and already heading for their bedroom. Clint could guess what was going to happen in there next, but he blocked such images thoroughly from his mind. Intellectually, he might understand that parents still have sex, but viscerally, he couldn't deal with the idea of his own parents doing that. Especially since he was still a virgin - the girls he knew at school, if they deigned to acknowledge his presence at all, treated him like a distant friend.

The next morning, Clint was gratified to find that the pebble-like thing was still blinking. Elated, he took it with him to school. He showed it to his best friend Jimmy, another nerd, since he thought he'd appreciate it.

Jimmy indeed was suitably impressed. "Whoa, dude! What is that? Where did you get it? How does it work?"

Clint gave him the backstory, and explained all the tests he'd run. They both remained mystified, and neither could find a pattern in its blink rhythm. Clint pocketed it as Jimmy left for the computer lab.

But as he prepared to head for his study hall, he saw Skylar Henderson coming down the hall toward him. Clint felt his throat go dry. Skylar - tall, lithe, blonde, blue-eyed, queen-of-all-she-surveyed. Even in his mind, as he viewed her, Clint stuttered. "Sh... she's n... not a cheerleader this year, because her... her... b... br... breasts grew too much." As a nerd, Clint could appreciate the view of those mammaries - even bigger than his sister's - as well as understand how their sudden growth could alter her center of gravity, and make many cheerleading stunts awkward, if not downright dangerous. But it hadn't changed her popularity, except by enhancing it.

Almost shaking, because he really liked Skylar, but knew she was way, way out of his league, he thought, "Maybe she'll think this thing I found is at least interesting. Maybe it could be the start of some sort of friendship?" He didn't think there was much chance of that, but at this moment, Skylar wasn't surrounded by her jock friends, or her 'in-crowd' girl friends. He decided to take a chance, and hoped that his armpits weren't showing sweat stains.

Skylar, who barely acknowledged his existence, looked surprised that Clint had the temerity to step into her path. "What?" she snapped.

"I just wanted to show you something I found," Clint choked out, digging it free from his pocket and holding it in the palm of his hand.

She acted bored, but grudgingly took a look. Glowering at the object in his palm, she said scornfully, "So is this just one of your geeky gizmos?"

Her question sounded rather rhetorical, but Clint probably wouldn't have answered anyway, because something had caught his attention. While she was looking at it, its irregular pattern of flashes seemed to become regular. Was the object reacting to something? When Skylar tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder disdainfully and walked away, the flashes became irregular again. Clint stood in the hallway, and actually scratched his head in confusion. He had to get on with his school day, though, so he pocketed the thing again.

When school ended, he started walking home as he normally did. Before he had gotten very far, he was startled to be waylaid by Skylar, who stepped out from behind a tree. Without preamble, and speaking as royalty to a peasant, she stated, "Show me that thing again."

Gulping, Clint complied to her demand, and displayed it on his palm.

After perhaps a minute, Skylar spoke. "It seems a lot more interesting now, for some reason," she mused aloud. Clint was fascinated, not because of what she'd said, but because its pulsations again became a smooth rhythm.

He was jolted out of his reverie by Skylar saying, "Thanks, Clint," as she walked away.

Clint was flabbergasted, and worked his jaw like a fish out of water. "She said 'thanks' and she knew my name?" he whispered. "What the hell was that all about?"

The next day got even more weird. Skylar smiled at him as they passed in the hallway. Clint quickly looked behind himself, to see if she was smiling at someone behind him, but since he and Jimmy had just rounded a corner, there was no one back there. "Oh my god... she smiled at me. At me?" His heart raced, and he felt a little faint, but managed not to fall down.

A few steps later, Jimmy punched his arm. "Dude, were my eyes deceiving me? Did Skylar actually smile at you? Did she lose a bet or something?"

"I think she smiled at me," Clint whispered, still in shock. "Maybe she just thought of a joke she'd heard earlier, or something. It was probably just a coincidence."

"Yeah... maybe," Jimmy said slowly, mystified.

After school, Skylar trailed in Clint's wake until they were away from the building and the other students. "Clint, wait up a second," she called out, which made Clint stop dead in his tracks. When she was close enough, she said, "I can't stop and talk right now, but could you meet me at the park, maybe after dinner?"

Clint swallowed hard, and prayed his voice wouldn't crack as he answered, "Sure. I guess I could, if you want me to." Mentally he winced and chided himself, "Dork! She asked you to meet, so obviously she wants you to do it. What a lame thing to say!"

But Skylar merely said, "Great. See you then, and don't forget to bring the blinky thing."

"Again with the 'blinky' thing? She wants to see it again? What is it about this?" He got suspicious. "Maybe she's setting me up for a prank. Maybe she won't show up at all. Or maybe she'll show up with all those cool friends of hers, so they can make fun of me," he pondered. His ears got a little hot, thinking about that scene. Another fearful thought struck. "What if it stops blinking - goes inert? Then what?"

He could barely eat his dinner, he was so nervous. The pebble, wrapped in his handkerchief, was in his pocket the whole time. He didn't want to let it out of his presence for a moment. Heading toward the park, he checked it, and it was still blinking.

Skylar was already there when he arrived. He didn't see any other people nearby, so it looked like she'd come alone. "Hi Clint," she said brightly. "Thanks for coming. Did you bring it? Can I see it again?"

"Wow, she sounds so eager! It doesn't seem like she's mocking me," he thought. He fished it out of his pocket, unwrapped it from the handkerchief, and displayed it on the palm of his hand. "Here it is." He tried to watch her expression, while at the same time observing the blinking pattern. As before, as she looked at it, the pattern became an even series. Very curious.

"I never had enough time to get a really good look at it," Skylar explained, staring at it. "It's really lovely - fascinating." She went silent, and continued staring for a minute or two. Finally, her lovely blue eyes locked with his. "Thanks, Clint. You're a dear for meeting me." She paused, and looked a little uncertain. "Ummm... is there anything I can do to thank you?"

"Yeah, right," Clint said to himself. "You, the prettiest girl in our class wants to thank me for meeting with you." His internal dialogue abruptly ceased when he realized she'd asked a serious question, not just mouthing a polite nicety. He cleared his throat, and figured, "OK, I'll give her a chance to break into laughter and mock me, I guess." Aloud he said, "Well, you could give me a friendly hug."

Instead of laughing uproariously at his audaciousness, Skylar's lips curved into a smile that made Clint's heart stop. She stepped forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace - an embrace that switched his heart into high gear, especially when his chest registered the warm soft pressure of Skylar's breasts pressing against him! He was so shocked that it took him a moment to realize that his arms, still down by his sides, ought to be wrapped around her body to complete the hug. Hastily, he moved them to the small of her back, and for that brief instant, the loveliest girl in the school was in his arms! Dying at that moment wouldn't have bothered him much, since he felt like his life was complete. If this was some elaborate hoax, he couldn't have cared less.

Her hair was almost in his face, and it smelled wonderful, either from her shampoo, or just from the fact that it was hers. Skylar held the hug longer than Clint would dared to believe, and it even felt like she was a little reluctant to let him go. "I'm sorry, Clint. I have to head for home now."

"That's OK, Skylar." Mentally, he gulped, "Oh my god... I called her by her name! Like we're friends or something." He almost broke into an apology, but said, "I probably should go home, too."

As she started to walk away, she stopped and turned back to face him. She blushed and asked, "Could you possibly bring it here again tomorrow?"

"S... s... sure," he stuttered. She beamed a smile at him and then walked away, leaving him with the scent of her hair in his nostrils, and a strange warmth in his chest from where they'd made contact. He learned that somehow that delicious fragrance that he'd smelled in her hair seemed to have transferred onto his shirt. When he got into bed that night, he placed the shirt on the pillow next to his head. He fell asleep, breathing in that scent, and dreamed of her.

The next evening, Skylar stared at the pebble for even a longer time. When she seemed satisfied, she asked sweetly, "How can I thank you tonight, Clint?"

He'd wondered if she'd ask that again, and he'd agonized over his answer all day. Almost fainting with uncertainty, he whispered the words he'd rehearsed. "Would it be too much to ask for a little kiss?" He prepared himself for her scorn, or a slap, or both.

Instead, his eyelids flew up in shock as Skylar pressed her lips directly on his! The most he'd hoped for was a peck on the cheek, but she was kissing him... really kissing him! Her arms were around him, her breasts pressed against him, and her scent filled the air. He was aware of those things, but he was most aware of her soft, warm, moist lips pressed against his. And they stayed there... for... for an eternity!

When his world finally came back into focus, Skylar was leaning back a little, so she could look into his eyes, but her arms still held him close. "You're actually a great kisser, Clint," she complimented. "I think we might need to do more of that, soon." As she walked away, she grinned, "See you tomorrow."

For several days, this continued. Each evening Skylar met him at the park to view the object. She'd taken to greeting Clint with a warm kiss before asking to see it, and she spent a little longer each time, drinking in the sight of it. Its pulsations became regular the moment her eyes caught sight of it, mystifying Clint. Luckily, its intensity never seemed to diminish as time went on.

On this particular evening, Skylar concluded the viewing by asking her question in a different manner, prefacing it. "I'll do anything for you, Clint. What would you like me to do?"

He started trembling, because he knew that maybe he was going to ask for too much. But he felt he had to try, because he was having trouble sleeping, panicking since he yearned to escalate their interaction, even a little bit. Finally, he blurted out, "Please don't hate me for asking, Skylar. But sometime... sometime soon... could you... would you let me... see your breasts?"

Skylar's pupils dilated, perhaps in shock, and her hand came rapidly toward him. "Oh shit! She's going to hit me!" flashed through his mind. But her lips curved into a smile, and her hand was only reaching out to grasp him by the front of his shirt. As she began tugging, he was pulled forward.

"Come over here with me, Clint," she murmured, dragging him into a place concealed by thick shrubbery. Moments later, she lifted her sweater, reached behind herself to unhook her bra, and lifted the bra free from her breasts. Clint stood there, gawking at the sight of those glorious orbs! He'd never seen real ones before - only pictures. He was trying hard to memorize every square millimeter of them. At first his eyeballs darted around, as if scanning rapidly before they could vanish. But Skylar was gently turning her torso a little left and right, making sure he got a good look at them. So he was able to slow down and study the way they swelled out from her chest, their coloring a delicate pink up to the area of her areolae. Those were a shade of reddish-brown that he'd be unable to name, but that was burned now into his memory. And the lovely wrinkled texture of that flesh, capped by those two enticing nipples!

Skylar was obviously in no hurry to cover herself. She let Clint drink in the sight of her until he swallowed hard and managed to croak out, "Thank you, Skylar," from his dry throat.

Smiling, she re-positioned her bra and hooked it. As she pulled her sweater back down, she murmured, "Anything for you, Clint." She kissed him sweetly before heading home.

"Did that just really happen?" Clint asked himself. "Was I hallucinating?"

The next day, Skylar stopped him in the school hallway. As usual, she ignored Jimmy. "Clint, you're a smart guy. Would you be willing to study with me, and help me improve my grades?"