Earth Man (9 page)

As he stood up he looked down at his feet, wondering where his shoes were. Then he suddenly remembered leaving the house in his pyjama pants the night before.

“Oh shit! Helen!”

As he took to the air, he
’d already forgotten the strange alien/animal people he’d met in the woods. The joy he was feeling numbed him to any regrets or worries. Danny was elated that he was the Avatar of Earth and nothing else that day would break through the haze of happiness he was experiencing.

EARTH MAN

PART 2

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

My little horse must think it queer
to stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
the darkest evening of the year.

-
       
Robert Frost

Danny managed to wave down a burly
looking man in a pick-up truck, even though he was standing by the side of the road in a pair of plaid pyjama pants. The large man’s name was Greg. He was kind and believed Danny’s story of sleepwalking during the night. Greg dropped him at the nearest gas station and even gave him a pair of old flip-flops a woman had left in his truck a long, long time ago. The way Greg spoke of the woman made it clear there were still open wounds, it made Danny miss and appreciate Helen even more. As he waved goodbye to the man Danny couldn’t help but feel a small kinship with him. There were few things in life as memorable as love, or more painful. Danny had to call the house collect; he didn’t have it in him to ask the heartbroken trucker for money, not even a quarter. Helen sounded tired when she picked up.

“
Hello?”

“
Helen, it’s me. I’m okay. Everything’s fine.”

“
Why aren’t you home?”

“
Something strange, something wonderful happened.” Danny replied.

“
Well where are you?”

“
Edmonton, I think.”

“
How the hell? Never mind you can explain when you get home. You’re okay?” Helen’s voice had changed and he could tell she was awake now, probably angry too, but she was doing her best to be understanding.

“
Yeah. Helen I’m great, don’t worry about me. Are the kids okay?”

“
Yeah. They were worried and didn’t sleep much, wondering where the hell you went, but they’re at school now. Morgan was pretty upset but I gave her cookies for breakfast.”

“
Okay. I’m at a gas station right now but I’ll be home really soon.”

“
How soon?”

“
I don’t know. How fast does a bird fly?”

“
What?”

“
Nevermind. I’ll be home soon, I promise.”

The moment she closed her phone Helen broke out into tears. Her sobs lasted only a moment before she regained her composure. Chastising herself, she grabbed her tool box off the table and headed for the door.

              Later that day while in the middle of her work, Helen suddenly felt upset, the emotions she’d experienced earlier coming back twice as strong.

“
I’ll be back in a few minutes Mr. Swelter. Just taking a quick break.” She shouted.

There was no reason to even tell the old man, he was oblivious to what wa
s going on, but he was a client and Helen always treated them with decency and respect. It was her livelihood and even though it had been one hell of a tough week for her, she had to keep them happy. Reputation and reliability was the most important part of her job; people needed to know she had the skills required and that she was reliable in getting the work done.

In her entire life she had never cried as much as she had
recently.  Helen had been in love with Danny since the day they’d met in junior high. No matter how irresponsible he’d been she could always forgive his mistakes because she’d always known he had it in him to change. Now that he was finally changing, she found herself more afraid of what the future had in store than she’d ever been before.

Once she was in Mr. Swelter
’s backyard she opened her toolbox and took out the pack of cigarettes hidden beneath the top tray. As soon as she took the first puff she immediately felt better. With all the things that had happened, from the accident in the woods to the strange events that followed after, Helen knew she was in over her head. The cigarette was her little secret, her act of rebellion against the organized chaos of her life. As relieved as she was Danny was safe, she had a feeling it was not over. A primal, maternal instinct seemed to have awakened in her. She could not shake the idea that her family was in danger. Not just Danny but her children too, Raymond and Morgan. There was only time to smoke half a cigarette; she had to have the Mr. Swelter’s pipes repaired in time to pick up the kids from school. Looking around for a place to toss it, she finally leaned over and buried in the garden next to the back stairs. Just to be safe, she stepped on the soil and pressed down gently. Just like her feelings she kicked dirt over it and forgot about it, burying it just enough to be sure no one could find it.

             
Danny stood on the asphalt of the parking lot looking up at the sky. Tying up the string on his pyjamas he reached out into the world, using the abilities he’d been given by the planet itself. The power he’d used unintentionally to tap into the natural abilities of animals and insects was now fully under his control. It felt natural and he stretched out his arms as the power spread outwards. He skipped over the insects and animals and focussed completely on the birds. An owl slept in a nearby tree; three miles away an eagle scouted for food on the outskirts of the city. Choosing the eagle he felt the energy surge into his back and up his spine and then in a burst of red sparks two pairs of giant wings burst from his shoulder blades. They flexed themselves, spreading each detailed feather and shaking as if the wings had a life of their own. Danny began to run and immediately the wings responded, flapping until his feet were lifted off the ground. The wings seemed to reach above and pull him up with them. Although he looked as graceful as an albatross, Danny could not help but let out a hearty laugh as he went higher and higher into the sky. Once he reached a few thousand feet he began to glide on his new appendages, looking down on the world from above for the first time in his life. He was not sure how he knew which direction was home, but he had a clear picture of his destination in his head that showed him the way. Then he began to climb higher and higher, up into the clouds until it became hard to breathe. The eagle who’d given him the wings coasted next to him, watching him curiously with its tiny eyes. It had never seen a human in the air and yet the eagle had no fear. There was a bond between them, an understanding between the creatures of the sky that Danny could only barely understand; the power of flight was a miracle and mystery shared by few things on Earth. The eagle approved of him and as soon as he crossed over into British Columbia the eagle turned back.

             
Beneath him passed hundreds, perhaps thousands of living creatures. Each of them had a unique signature he could feel, like invisible tags read on a computer game, popping up as you need them. A lynx chased down a wild rabbit. Born from pet shop stock, the rabbit had little chance but it ran even though its heart was ready to burst. A black widow spider, farther north than she would normally travel, had an elaborate web thirty feet in the air between two huge trees. Two large bats living underground had eaten the previous spiders with the same plan. A trio of bears of different ages, their families lost to them, form together to hunt, learning from the older female who had lost her own babies the previous winter. Every living thing seemed to have a story to tell and a power to share. As much as he wanted to meet them all and try all the various combinations of abilities that were at his fingertips, he knew his family had to come first. The world was not in danger, not as far as he knew. Danny wanted nothing more than to get home to them to share his excitement over all that he had discovered. His life was suddenly filled with mystery and he couldn’t wait to bring those he loved into his new world, to share his amazing story with his wife and children. Danny wondered how his kids would react. Would they believe him? He grabbed onto his pyjama pants and pushed himself to fly faster. The flip-flops flew off, disappearing behind him into the blue sky.

             
Helen watched Danny touch down from the driveway. They had just gotten out of the car, Morgan running to catch up to her Mom as Helen dug into her small purse for her house keys. Danny floated out of the sky, bare feet gently touching the grass with red streams of light evaporating off his back and disappearing. With her eyes wide in amazement, Helen pointed to the sky, in shock that Danny had somehow flew home.

“
Daddy!” Morgan shrieked.

She
dropped her Toy Story backpack and running to her father. Her tiny red pigtails bobbed as she ran. Danny swept her up in his arms and her laughter rang out like tiny crystal bells.

“
Hey Pumpkin!” Danny said, kissing Morgan on the nose.

Helen walked over to them with a smile on her face and Danny wrapped an arm under her butt and lifted her into his arms as well.

“Hey!” Helen shouted. She kicked her feet as Danny kissed her and Morgan repeatedly.

“
Flying, Danny? What the hell??” Helen whispered to him. Morgan hadn’t noticed and she didn’t want her to ask the same questions Helen was asking.

“
Yeah I’ll explain it later. Where’s Ray? I’ve barely seen him lately,” Danny asked.

“
He’s at a friend’s house. He’ll be home in time for dinner. Put me down please.”

“
Nope. It’s just me and my girls!” Danny laughed as he spun them around.

Danny began to walk toward the house but Helen
pointed toward the backpack on the driveway.

“
Morgan’s backpack,” Helen said.

Danny put his daughter down and she ran over and picked it up. With his arm free, he swept up Helen
’s legs and carried her toward the house. Morgan dragged her bag behind them, running as fast as he little legs could move.

“
You’re crazy, put me down, I’m too heavy for you,” Helen said, kicking her feet. To impress her, Danny held her under her tail bone, balancing all her body weight with his right hand while opening the door to the house with his left.

“
Okay, what are you on?” Helen asked as he carried her over the threshold of the house.

Morgan squeezed in beside them, kicking her shoes across the fl
oor. Danny and Helen ignored Morgan as she spread her clothes and school bag across the living room. Instead they kissed, lost in their own world until Morgan fell over her own shoe and let out a loud howl. Danny slowly broke their kiss off and placed his wife on the ground.

“
Daddy, why are you still in your pyjamas?”

Hours later after
Danny got dressed he decided to prepare dinner. He was definitely no chef but he was brimming with confidence and wanted to do something for his family. Wearing an old black and white Adidas track suit from his days as an athlete, he tied an apron on over the front. They didn’t have the money to go out to dinner but they had a stocked fridge, which Danny stared into for a few minutes. Helen was willing to wait until after the kids went to bed to hear his explanation of what happened the night before. His optimism was infectious and Helen figured she could wait considering how happy Danny appeared to be.

Since he
’d missed breakfast Danny decided to make French toast and bacon for dinner. The bacon grease could melt the nylon of the track suit so he made sure the apron covered him properly. He looked ridiculous but he didn’t care at all. Taking the eggs and bacon out of the fridge he placed them side by side on the counter. Using a sharp kitchen knife he cut the bacon package open along the bottom seam, peeling back the plastic. As soon as his fingers touched the fatty pork he saw an image in his mind of the animal it had come from. An obese hog with arthritic knees, the creature had managed to avoid slaughter by hiding in the middle of the herd during the cull. Eventually the pain in its legs got so bad that it collapsed and it was dragged away with a meat hook like a sack of potatoes. Seeing it happen firsthand turned his stomach. Sliding the garbage can under the counter, Danny took hold of the bacon gently by the plastic corner, afraid to touch the meat. Then he slowly slid the bacon package across the counter until it fell over the edge into the garbage can. As he put the trash back in its place Helen walked in, dressed in a yellow t-shirt and her favourite jeans.