TIME AND TIME AGAIN The sequel to 3037 (15 page)

We remained silent while she thought some more and then she looked at us and asked almost timidly, “You think I could test drive one of these?”

Joe and I grinned at each other and then Joe said, “I don’t see why not, as soon as they have finished developing.  As you can see, right now they have no opening
s
.”

As soon as he said that, there was a flash from the sky and it looked like someone had set off
fireworks.  But it was much
brighter than that.  It hurt the eyes to look at it directly.
  Then there was
a loud whinny noise so high pitched that we had to cover our ears.

The whining noise gradually died down and then it was deadly quiet and dark.  It was like someone had turned off the sunset that we had been watching, along with the babies, earlier.

Then it was as if someone had turned the lights back on and silhouetted against the sunset were all of the babies making the same rocking motion that Homan made when he landed.

They looked exactly like Homan with the opening at the bottom and the tentacles hanging down from all the way around the opening.  They had lost their color and they were about the same size as Homan.

I looked at Foe and she gazed upward with her mouth slightly parted and with tears in her eyes.  “It makes me question everything I’ve ever believed,” she whispered.

CHAPTER 30

Foe and her people had many meetings to discuss their plans.  Some were totally against
traveling through space in the creatures saying that they had always trusted technology above all else.

We were invited to these meetings by Foe but some of the others resented us being there.  In one meeting,
a man stood up and pointed a finger at us, “Ever since you people came here with your lazy ways, we’ve been unable to concentrate on our work.  It’s your fault if we don’t have time to build the spaceships before our sun burns out.  You should be held accountable.”

He ranted and raved for quite some time until Foe interrupted him.  She called him by his long scientific name and said, “You’ve had your say and now we’re going to hear from Ashley.  She has told me her story and I want you to listen closely to her.  Not only has she had to rethink all of her beliefs but she has seen many others rethink what they believe also.”

They all slapped their faces as I stood and I almost laughed.  I didn’t think I would ever get used to this kind of clapping.

I usually told my story then called on Joe to tell his and then some of the
Mansonites
, etc.  But since we didn’t have much time, I told it all like a
continuing story.  As I told the story, I stressed the fact that we had rethought everything we had at first believed, not once but many times.

They were all very polite and attentive and I could see that some of them were deep in thought.  I finished by saying, “I know it’s difficult to question your beliefs.  If I hadn’t been forced to see things differently, I probably would have been just like you.

“Sometimes it’s easier to stay in your comfort zone and live in denial than to face the truth, but you’re all scientists and I think, when faced with the truth as we know it at the moment, you will have to admit to it.

“I suggest that we all go take a ride in the offspring.  Homan, our creature, has agreed to this, but he has stressed over and over again that, until you people learn to relax and have fun, no one is going anywhere.  So, what do you scientists say about having an open mind and trying out this experiment?”

They finally reluctantly agreed and the whole of Foe’s people
, except eight
hiked with us up the hill.  Some of these people had been refusing to even look at the caves and these skeptics scoffed.  The man who had accused us of ruining everything said, “All I see are a lot of caves.
”

Joe took my hand and squeezed it and grinned.  He whispered in my ear, “I think he’s scared but won’t admit it.”  I nodded.  I agreed.

Joe held up his hand, “Listen up everyone.  Go into any of cave you want and we will have a little test drive.”

Joe and I didn’t go with them but most of our people did.  We watched below as hundreds of jellyfish looking things swam through the sky.  We could see the people looking out of the transparent creatures and the look of their faces said it all.  They were now true believers.
  There were still eight of them who had stayed home and refused to come with us.

When they landed, the man who had caused all the trouble ran over to Joe and shook his hand.  “Why didn’t you
tell us what this would be like?
  This is wonderful.  I think we should leave the planet right away.”

Joe shook his head, “You have to learn to play and relax first.”

“Well, let’s get to it.  I’m a fast learner. 
I learned two sections of chemistry in one night when I was in advanced study.”

Joe laughed, “Well, this lesion may be even more difficult than chemistry.”

We started calling this man Jim and he became our biggest supporter.

CHAPTER 31

It turned out that convincing these people to try the caves was the easy part.  Teaching them to relax and have fun was the hard part.  Work and science had been so important to them for so many generations that trying to relax
and have fun were
very stressful to them.

Our group became counselors and we found out that these people had much guilt when they relaxed or tried to have fun.  Some of them admitted to us that they had been guilt ridden for days after our picnic and concert.  We had our work cut out for us and time was running out.

Our men took their men out on fishing trips, hiking in the woods and hills, camping and telling jokes around the campfire, which most of their men didn’t get and let’s face it, when you have to explain a joke it doesn’t work.  But they kept at it.

Joe’s band taught some of the men to play musical instruments and they began to express emotions.

Our women and children took their women and children inside the city in our cave and we swam in the lakes and had picnics on the hillside.

The children didn’t have as much trouble adapting as did the adults and they soon went off with our children to play on the swings and monkey bars, in
the sand boxes and in the lakes, and ran in the hills.

We let the women try on our clothes and taught them about makeup. 
We taught some of them to sew and taught them to dance.  We all cooked together and in general, taught them to live a simple life.

We talked them into getting out of those boots and go barefooted.  Some of them actually giggled as they wiggled their toes.

As the days and weeks went by more and more of them had shed those horrible uniforms and were dressing comfortably.  Some were going without shoes even in the city.  The women seemed to favor the mid-calf length gauzy skirts and peasants blouses.

We hadn’t realized it but the short curly hair all of them had were wigs.  That’s why they were all alike.  When the women took them off, their hair was so silky, long and beautiful that I asked one woman why they hid it beneath the wigs.

She frowned at me and then explained as if she were explaining to a small child, “It takes less time to put on a wig then to fix our hair.”

They were beautiful women when their hair was unen
cumbered by the wigs and they wo
re more feminine clothes.

At the end of our training period, Joe brought the men back to the city inside the cave and the men stood in awe of their women.

The men were wearing bellbottom jeans and comfortable shirts.  They hadn’t shaved but they were clean.  They had on sandals.

The men and women shyly eyed each other but when Joe ran to me and picked me up, swung me around, and kissed me, they copied him. 
T
he women giggled as the men kissed their necks
,
ears
,
and their mouths.

The men took the women by the hand and ran with them toward the cottages that were unoccupied.  I looked at Joe, “Where are they going?”

He laughed in delight, “I told them what a wonderful experience it was to make love on a sleeping sphere.  What do you think, you beautiful wife?  You want to try it?”

I winked at him and nodded.  As we walked toward our house he said, “You know, I think in
about nine months we wil
l have a lot of babies to enjoy, if we’re still all together.
”

“How do you kn
ow they take nine months, Joe?”

CHAPTER 32

Even though we had taught many of Foe’s people to relax and have fun, there were, like in any situation, some diehards.  As more and more people started abandoning technology, these diehards began to fight.

They were angry that
their equipment, they had worked so hard to build, was being abandoned.  They were angry that their people had become lazy and didn’t want to work anymore.  They were angry that we had come to their planet and ruined everything for them.  Foe couldn’t reason with them and they were determined to change things back the way they had been before we came to their planet.

They had no interest in seeing the inside of the caves or watching the way they could fly and take them to safety.  They could not think any other way but the way they had always known, even if it
meant spending their last breath working on the spaceships to take them out of there.

There were only eight in this group and they finally took up weapons against the others, breaking into their houses at night and killing whole families if they wouldn’t agree to come back to the old ways.

“It’s just like on your planet, Joe,” I said, “And like the
Mansonite
planet.  Isn’t it interesting how, no matter how much you can offer in the way of improvements and ways to make their lives better, there are always those who fight it?”

“It sure is.  It’s like their brain is frozen in one place.  They can’t imagine how anything could be any different than what they have k
nown all along.  It amazes me t
hat scientists can be so
narrow
minded.
  From what I understand, the eight trouble makers ar
e hiding out in the
woods
which means
they can’t finish building the spaceships anyway.”

“Yeah, Foe said they will be put to death if they are caught so they’re screwed.  They will probably come down out of the hills and continue killing people now just for pure spite.
”

“Hmm well if that’s the way it is, then I don’t see why we even need to stay here, do you?”

“But, Joe Homan hasn’t given us any kind
of a sign, so I guess we continue to wait and keep
doing what we’re doing.  Why don’t we all have a big picnic and concert today, but have it inside Homan this time so we will be safe from the rebels.  If everyone is here then, who knows, maybe Homan will decide that we’re ready to go.”

It didn’t take long to get everything ready and
everyone
inside the cave. 
We women prepared so much food that we doubted it would all be eaten.  All of the children went to the various lakes and streams to play and Joe and his band began practicing with the men from the planet who wanted to play in the band.

Joe had written some new songs and Josie was going to sing some of them.  Joe and I had been teaching some of the couples how to dance and they really liked it.  Excitement was running high.

I loved the companionship of being with all the women.  The women from the planet had never interacted with each other much but I noticed some of them giggling together.  None of them were wearing their uniforms or their wigs.  They all had on long flowing skirts made of silk and silk tees in all colors.  They were barefooted and their hair was blowing in the breeze.  They were beautiful and looked so happy.

I saw Joe joking with the men and every now and then there would be a loud burst of laughter.  All the men were wearing bellbottom jeans and tee shirts.  Some were wearing sandals and some were barefooted.

Preparing for the big picnic and concert was as much fun as the event itself.  The men had set up long tables for the food and built a stage.  As we women carried the food to the tables, the men started whistling and making cat calls.  Joe ha
d t
aught them all that.  The women started raising their skirts and flirting.

We were all yelling back and forth to the men and they were making promises for later.  It was just a bunch of foolishness but it was wonderful to watch these people who had, no
t too long age, been uptight,
stressed out and knowing nothing b
ut work.   N
ow
they were
looking so relaxed and enjoying themselves so much.