The Visitor

When Barbara woke up she assumed it would be a day pretty much like every other day. It was a Wednesday, the middle of the work week. Where most people tend to say they hate Mondays it was always Wednesdays that Barbara liked the least. It seemed somehow unfair to her that after busting her butt for two days she still had three more days to go. Mondays were usually good; she was refreshed and happy to take on the challenges of work. Tuesdays were generally light since she had cleared away all the beginning of the week nonsense. Thursdays and Fridays were a mixed bag, either everyone was winding down and sliding through to the weekend or the place was in panic mode to solve a crisis before Saturday. No one wanted their weekend ruined by unexpected work. By for some reason Wednesdays were almost always bad days. In fact it was usually a Wednesday issue that threw Thursday and Friday into panic days.

That particular Wednesday though had started off very well for Barbara. She awoke feeling refreshed a few minutes before her alarm was due to ring. She hated the jarring awakening she got from an alarm clock. Outside the weather was beautiful. It was a sunny warm early spring day in contrast to the rainy cold morning the weather channel had predicted. After her shower her usually difficult long brown hair easily fell into an attractive look. The outfit she selected fit well and looked good. This was confirmed in her mind by the appreciative good natured whistle she got from the nice gentleman that lived across the hall. There was even a cab waiting at the front of her building when she emerged into the city that day. As the yellow hack whisked her though the light traffic toward her office she thought that maybe Wednesdays weren't so bad after all.

That thought quickly disappeared when she was thrown forward by the sudden panic stop of the cab. As her head bounced off the seat in front of her she looked up to see a fireball streaking past the city sky line. In another instant it disappeared. Fortunately, it had landed harmlessly in the river. A cloud of steam quickly replaced the glow of the object's fiery trail. Though no real damage had occurred the sudden stoppage of traffic had left cars pointed in odd directions. The resulting snarl would take hours to untangle. Since she was only a few blocks from her office so she paid the cabbie and started walking.

Once at her office it became apparent that no work would be getting done that day. Everyone was a buzz about the meteor, or comet, or space junk, or UFO that had landed in the river. However, the combined efforts of NASA, the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, city and state authorities could not find even a tiny piece of anything to suggest a solid object had impacted the river. A NASA spokesman theorized that whatever was at the center of the fireball crystallized on impact with the cold water. After which it must have simply dissolved. Of course the search was ongoing and water samples would be tested for unusual contaminates. However, in the opinion of the country's best scientists there was no cause for concern.

As is generally the case with such things by the weekend the incident was all but forgotten. Most people had moved onto the next news item. There were of course a few scientists still investigating the phenomenon, as well as many UFO conspiracy theorists that tried to keep the story going on the internet. The UFO folks as usual were dismissed as fruitcakes for the most part. The scientists as usual worked in relative obscurity. One of the scientists, Dennis Appleton had begun perusing the UFO blogs. He was convinced that the object that plunged into the river was not a natural occurrence. He had evidence that showed that it did not follow a trajectory that was consisted with a meteorite or even a piece of space junk. He also found it impossible to believe that an object producing a fireball of the size reported could have instantly dissolved. The fact that not even a trace of any unusual compounds was found in any water samples was further proof that it had not dissolved.

However, since Dennis had twice made claims that turned out to be incorrect due to the use of faulty evidence while studying for his PhD, the mainstream scientific community was not interested in the young researcher's opinions. He knew that if there was a danger out there he would need to find solid evidence before he could sound the alarm. Dennis hoped he wouldn't be too late. He had already checked every non-classified radar scan he could access to determine if there had been a missile launch or air craft mishap that could account for the object. He knew even a crashing plane might still be under a brave pilot's guidance. There was no evidence of a plane crashing. There was certainly no evidence of any missiles being launched. However, he knew that such things were often kept secret by the government.

He also knew that some of the bloggers had ways to access things that the government thought were secure. But the blogs contained nothing to suggest that a missile had been launched anywhere in the required time frame. Dennis was convinced that the object had to be of extraterrestrial origin. He was equally certain that it was somehow being hidden. What he needed to discover was how and by whom. It was conceivable that it was his own government that was hiding the remains of the object. Even though he wasn't a big Area 51 conspiracy type, he had no doubt that the government might do such a thing in a misguided attempt to protect the people. However, he was leaning toward the idea that some superior intelligence had arrived on Earth. Somehow they were hiding their conveyance.

Meanwhile, down river an unassuming gentleman had arrived almost unnoticed in the suburban village of Radcliff. The stranger simply blended in with the small throng of antique hunters that descended on Main Street almost every spring weekend. Though there were still a few real antique shops in the business district most of the store fronts had been converted to trendy places trying to get city folks to leave more money in the quaint village. The stranger stopped in a few of the shops as he walked along the street. He purchased an item or two here and there. The only thing at all unusual about the man was that he paid with cash instead of plastic. Few folks actually carried much cash preferring the ease of electronic payment. But no one paid much mind that all of the bills he used were so new it was almost as if he had plucked them directly from the press. After meandering along the street for a time he came to The Olde Town Boarding House.

In the days when the city street car line ended at Radcliff the old place had been a true boarding house. It was home to a number of young women who worked as typists or seamstresses or the like in the city but wanted the safety of living outside of town. The street cars didn't run any longer and young women seldom sought such accommodations. The place had been converted to a bed and breakfast. In the summer it was usually very busy. It had become a popular place with young couples that thought it was a romantic spot to fuck. The owners had had to add some sound proofing to the walls in recent years. The visitor knew nothing of these things but it seemed to him a good place to rest before moving on. He paid cash in advance for three days use of a third floor room in the front corner of the house. From the windows of that room he could see almost anything that happened in the village center.

When Barbara discovered that the sunny warm weather was continuing into the weekend she decided to get out of the city for a couple of days. Work was slow so her boss happily agreed to Barbara taking a couple of days of her back vacation. She was pleased that her life-long best friend was up for a reunion. Barbara had grown up in Radcliff. Her friend Cheryl still lived in the old neighborhood. Barbara hadn't been back to her hometown in two years. After her parents retired to Florida she just didn't have a reason to make the effort. Cheryl came into the city regularly and most of the rest of her old friends had drifted far and wide.

As she made the leisurely drive along the palisades down Riverside Parkway, Barbara thought about the little village where she had grown up. Though it had changed over the years it was still the same basic small town. There was still a sandy beach on the river. Conservation and clean up efforts had once again made it safe to swim there. Riverland, the states oldest amusement park had been renovated and was reopened after ten years of abandonment. The city fathers had stubbornly refused to sell the place. With the influx of weekend tourists they managed to convince the local business community to invest in the park's rebirth. Of course it didn't have any big new modern fancy rides. It was just a simple place to have fun in a small town. The carousel was over a hundred years old; the Ferris wheel shaky enough to cause a young man's date to snuggle close; and the roller coaster was so rickety it rattled the rider's teeth. The snow cones, funnel cakes and other treats were still homemade the same as they were in the 1890's.

The nicest thing about Radcliff was that it had avoided the fate of so many outer suburbs of the city. It had not become just another bedroom community with scores of tract houses filling acres of leveled land. You could count on your hands and toes the number of new houses that had been built in the Radcliff area in the last thirty years and have digits left over. There had never been a real highway there and the street car line was not replaced by subway.

Barbara felt a rush of excitement as she turned off the parkway onto Radcliff Drive. She was surprised when she encountered a barricade preventing her turning onto Main Street. The friendly Village policeman explained that Main Street had to be closed to cars on weekends for safety. It took Barbara a minute to recognize her old junior high boyfriend Chuck Stevens all grown up in his uniform.

"Chuck?" She asked more than said.

"Do I know you?"

"Well if you are Chuck Stevens you do. I am Barbara Kelly."

"Oh my god! Barbara! It has been a long time."

"Yeah sure has. I thought you moved away."

"I did. Became a cop in Michigan. Hated the work and happened to see an ad for a job here in Radcliff. Been on the village force for three years. I should have never left. Hey why don't you park in the lot down the block? I am due a break, we could get some coffee or something and catch up."

"Sounds good, want to ride along?"

He got in the passenger side of her mid-size BMW.

"Nice car. I guess you are doing alright for yourself?"

"I suppose. I have a pretty good job in the city at a big accounting firm. But it is just being single that lets me afford luxuries like this car. How about you, are you married?"

"Divorced. Jumped in too quick and it didn't last long."

They found a spot and walked up toward the growing throng that was milling about the shops, restaurants and coffee bars of the old downtown area.

"Wow sure wasn't like this when we were kids," She remarked.

"No, big changes now that Radcliff is a tourist Mecca," He replied with chuckle, "You remember Mrs. Davidson's General Store?"

"Of course that is where you took me on our first date for a soda."

"Wow you remember that? Anyway, it is a Starbucks now with rooms to rent upstairs."

"Um let's skip that. I see enough of those in the city."

"Ok, Feller's Ice Cream Shop is still the same. I can get you a soda there."

"Very cute Chuck. How come you and I broke up?"

"We were fourteen. We had other fish to fry."

"Well to tell you the truth I haven't fried any lately," She said giggling.

"That's hard to believe Barb. You growed up real purty!" He said with a put on accent.

"You sure aren't no skinny little kid any more yourself."

It had been a long time since she had such a comfortable easy conversation with a man. It had also been a long time since she had gone to bed with a man. Not for lack of opportunity however. She had plenty of men interested. But those that weren't married just didn't do anything for her and she wasn't the type to screw another woman's man. Before the recent self-imposed dry spell she had had a series of unsatisfying sexual encounters. She told herself she had just gotten tired of the game. The truth was that she simply couldn't seem to connect with anyone. As she took Chuck's arm she wondered if he might be able to light a fire in her crotch for a couple of nights. She knew that she needed to be fucked.

As they set in the ice cream shop sipping their sodas Chuck asked, "How long you going to be in the village?"

"Just a couple of days. I took a mini vacation."

"You staying at your folks?"

"No, they moved to Florida a couple years ago. I am supposed to be at Cheryl Darnell's house just about now."

"Oh yeah I ran into her the other day. There are only a few of the old gang around here anymore. I knew your parents had moved but the records still show that they own the house."

"They are renting it out. The Robertson's are using it for storage I think. I am pretty sure my parents are hoping I will change my mind and decide to live there myself. Hey I really enjoyed seeing you again. Hate to go but Cheryl will start worrying soon."

"I got to get back to work myself. Maybe we can finish catching up later."

"I would like that. Now you going to walk me back to my car officer?"

"Might be better if you walked to Cheryl's and picked up the car later. Take you forever to go around the village with all these tourists...hey I got an idea. Give me your keys and I will bring your car over after I get off duty."

"You sure you don't mind?

"No, that way I can be sure to see you again. No sense in you going all the way around town when you are a five minute walk from her house."

She handed him her keys and they headed in separate direction. She smiled as she thought how nice it was to be back in a place where she had no worries about handing her car keys to another person. She sure wouldn't hand her car keys to someone she hadn't seen in twelve years if she was in the city.

The visitor looked out the window of his room surveying the people that were milling around Main Street. A woman who was heading up the street seemed to have an unusual bounce in her step. Most of the people were seemingly moving without purpose just ambling from store to store. But the pretty brown haired woman that caught his attention clearly had a destination in mind. She also had a different look on her face than most. She was not searching for anything. He wondered if she had found what she came for. He wondered if perhaps he had found what he had come for. She was still too far away for him to get the answer to either question. She turned down a side street a block away. He had to get closer to her.

He hurried from his room and all but flew down the stairs. He would have liked to move faster down the block but the crowd might have taken notice. At a normal pace the nondescript visitor was practically invisible. By the time he turned the corner she was already two blocks ahead of him. Far too much distance for his senses to discern anything. He closed the gap as quickly as he dared. If he alarmed her he would gain nothing; her mind would close to him. She disappeared out of sight down another street. He could freely more forward. But even with his fleet footedness she was still a half a block away when he reached the corner. The tendrils of his mind could only touch the surface of her thoughts. He knew that she was happy; she was visiting a friend; she was excited, but not over the visit. Something very nice had just happened to her. Suddenly he felt the rush of pure bliss he felt the previous night when he had awoken to strange very unhumanlike sounds coming from the room next him. These creatures clearly possessed previously unknown powers. He had to learn the source.

He tried to will her to stop but he was still inches too far away to take control of her. She was at her destination. Another female appeared. He couldn't risk trying to control them both. Though the creature's intellects were far inferior to his he had already discovered that the female's emotional strength provided a daunting challenge. In the short time he had been on earth he had grown increasingly puzzled over the paradox of human society. It seemed incongruous that a male dominated order had thrived when the female clearly had the greater capacity to control. The creatures had not yet learned that brawn was irrelevant when it came to true power. He wondered if the ancient forerunners of his own species had been like that before they morphed into complete asexual beings. He knew that his mission would soon require him to use the odd looking sex organs of his humanoid body. But he was not certain if he would be able to experience long dormant feelings.

The visitor passed by the two females nonchalantly. They took no notice of him. That played well into his needs. He was able to dig deeper into the darker haired one's mind. He was pleased that she was ripe and desirous of coupling with a male. He was disturbed by two other sensations he felt. One came from the blond woman. It was not male genitalia that seemed to be at the core of her strong desires. She had a sexual attraction to the other woman. He did not understand what the purpose of such a thing could be. Two females could not procreate, yet the blond seemed to want to do things with the dark-haired one that would be expected to lead to procreation. He decided that too would need further study. However, it was the sensation that came from within his humanoid form that disturbed him the most. His body's genitals were changing slightly without his having willed any morphing. It seemed that humans were not in complete control of their actions. This terrified him because that made the species dangerously unpredictable. The visitor circled the block and passed unnoticed as he quickly returned to his room.

After spending a few minutes talking in the front yard Cheryl led Barbara into the house. There was no need to offer a tour. Barbara had spent nearly as much time in that house as she had her own which was on the next block.

"Where is your car and luggage?" Cheryl asked confused.

"That my dear friend is a bit of a tale."

"Well than let us go into the kitchen and get a drink while you tell your tale."

They set at the kitchen table drinking wine while Barbara told Cheryl about running into Chuck and the traffic. Cheryl was a bit disappointed to hear her old friend talk about the possibilities of romance with officer Chucky as she called him. Cheryl had known she was a lesbian since she knew what sex was. She had never gotten over her crush on her best friend and still held out hope of one day bedding Barbara. The longer Barbara stayed unmarried the better chance Cheryl thought she had of realizing her dream. Because she was afraid it would push Barbara away, Cheryl never discussed her sexual orientation with her friend. Cheryl's flirting had never registered with Barbara nor had Cheryl's lack of male dates ever raised suspicions. It just never occurred to Barbara that her friend was gay.

They were on their second bottle of wine by the time Barbara finished catching Cheryl up on the latest chapter of her version of Sex and the City. In Barbara's case the tale mostly involved very bad pick up lines and occasionally worse sex. The wine, Barbara's obvious horniness and Cheryl's long unrequited desires combined to embolden the blond. She reached for Barbara's hand as she spoke haltingly.

"Sweetie, there are ways to scratch that itch that don't involve a dick."

"Um what are you trying to say?"