Alien Upstairs (5 page)

She moved cautiously through the darkness. Gerard lit a candle and put water on the stove, then sat down. “What happened, Sarah?"

"This is going to be hard to explain."

"When I went over to sportswear, Lita told me you'd called in sick, and when I tried to call you, no one answered. I was frantic. When I got home—"

"Gerry.” She folded her hands. “I met Raf outside, before going to work."

"Oh, no."

"It's not what you think. I called in sick because he said he was going to show me something that would prove his story about being an alien was true."

"Oh, Sarah."

"I got into his car. We drove out to the country for about two hours, anyway. Apparently he bought a big plot of land out near Hanover a while ago. I kept wanting to get out of the car, but the farther away we went, the more I realized I had no other way of getting back. The funny thing is, every time I got really scared, Raf would say something, I don't even remember what, and I'd be all right for a while, I'd feel safe. I can recall all that, but—"

"But what?"

"I can't remember what happened after we stopped. We parked on a dirt road near his land, and I remember him saying, ‘Now you'll see,' and I got out, and then nothing."

The teakettle whistled. Gerard got up and poured the water, then put the teapot and two cups on the table. The candlelight flickered on his face. “Go on."

"You don't believe me."

"Yes, I do. No one would make up a story like that. You might be deluded, but you wouldn't lie. Go on."

"The next thing I knew, I was back in the car. It was already dark, the whole afternoon had passed, and I couldn't remember it. I was too scared to move for a while. Finally, I checked the car. That stereo component was gone, he'd put it in the back seat before we left. I didn't know where Raf was, and then I realized he wasn't coming back. I don't know how I knew it, but I did. I had the feeling he had shown me something and then changed his mind, but I couldn't be sure. I just don't know.” She reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a small leather sack. “I forgot. This was next to me in the car."

Gerard hefted the small sack. He opened it and coins spilled out onto the table. “My God,” he said. “They're all gold and silver. There's enough here to fix the Toyota. Hell, maybe there's enough to buy a new car.” He began to stack the coins, then gave up and scooped them back into the pouch. “It's a fortune."

"Not quite. Maybe enough to settle some of our debts. Enough to fix the car."

Gerard shook his head. “You didn't have to show me this."

"Don't be silly. I want us both to have it."

He eyed the pouch. “We'll have to be careful. It might look funny, us having money all of a sudden. We'll have to make up a story. No one would believe yours. I hardly believe it myself. If it weren't for these coins...” He poured the tea. “You haven't told me the rest."

"There isn't much to tell. I drove back. I got lost on a side road for a bit, but I finally found the highway. I was afraid I'd run out of gas, but I didn't. When I got back here, I parked the car at St. Anne's and left the keys in the ignition. Somebody probably stole it five minutes after I left. Then I walked home."

"And he's not coming back."

"That's the one thing I'm sure of. I think he wanted me to cover his trail."

"So you don't know if he's an alien or not."

Sarah shook her head. “I can't be sure. I keep seeing something, but it's as if it's on the sides of my mind, or keeps slipping out of focus. He could have taken off in his ship or whatever, or he could have had another car parked somewhere else. All I can tell you is that he's a good hypnotist."

"And maybe an elaborate practical joker.” Gerard sighed. “Look, if he took off in a ship, wouldn't somebody in the area have seen it?"

"Not necessarily. It was pretty isolated, a lot of the land's been abandoned, and there isn't anyone in Hanover."

"Jesus.” Gerard clutched his cup. “You could go under hypnosis again. We could find an expert, and maybe you'd remember what happened. That might work."

"I doubt it. How could I be sure? People remember a lot of things under hypnosis that never happened, just because a suggestion is planted, or they want to give the questioner the right answer, or something."

"Well, what do you think he was?"

She cleared her throat. “Sometimes I think he was an alien. Then I think of how advanced they must be, and how heartless, to watch us go on the way we are, and I think of how inferior we must seem to them, and how they probably don't think we're worth the trouble, and then I want to believe he's just a trickster, a rich man having his fun. But that seems pointless, all that trouble for a joke.” She reached across the table for Gerard's hand. “I don't know."

For a moment, she thought she saw Raf's face, lit from the side by a yellowish light as he bid her farewell. The yellow candle flame fluttered, and the shadows danced on the face of Gerard.

"Well,” Gerard said, “what do we do now?"

 

 

 

 

Six

 

 

Sarah burrowed under the comforter, pulling the bedclothes up to her ears. Springs squeaked, and she heard a sigh. Opening her eyes, she turned over on her side. “Are you awake?” she whispered.

"I've been thinking."

"Try to get some sleep, Gerry. We have to go to work tomorrow. I mean today. What time is it?"

"I don't know.” The bed groaned as he moved. He fumbled for something on the night table. A circle of light illuminated the curtains. Gerard held his watch in front of the flashlight. “It's five already.” He put the watch and flashlight on the table and lay down again.

Sarah closed her eyes, drew up her knees and tried to go back to sleep.

"Sarah,” Gerard's voice said in the darkness. She was awake again. “You said you couldn't remember what happened."

"Yes, I know, we went over that. The funny thing is, it was like that when—” She paused, wondering if she should bring up her afternoon with Raf. “It was like that when I slept with Raf.” Gerard sucked in his breath. “I didn't tell you that, because I was afraid you'd think I was using that as an excuse. The truth is, I don't remember much about what we did, and then I thought I was just blocking it because I felt guilty. But I felt the same way then that I do now. I thought I was hypnotized. I mean, I think I can remember a little. It seemed as though we'd made love, but—"

Gerard was silent.

"I know it still isn't an excuse or anything,” she went on. “I really did forget. I did think I was in a trance.” Sarah huddled under the covers, glad that the room was dark.

Then he said, “Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"It makes a weird kind of sense. Listen, if he were an alien, he wouldn't be able to have sex, would he? I mean, he'd be a different species or something, wouldn't he?"

"I don't know. I thought that, too. He seemed awfully human."

"But he couldn't be, if he's from another world. There'd have to be differences. So he'd have to make you think you'd screwed around, even if you hadn't."

"Oh, Gerry, for God's sake. That doesn't make any sense. Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he thought it was our custom. Maybe he thought you'd be insulted if he didn't make the moves. Look, if he can block memories, maybe he can plant them, too."

"I suppose it is our custom. Sleeping around, I mean.” Sarah turned over and lay on her back, then folded her arms. Gerard had battled with her and had inflicted his silence on her afterward, and now he was calmly discussing the incident. She was suddenly irritated with him.

"You want to believe that, don't you,” she said. “You want to think nothing happened. But I went up there, and I was ready to sleep with him, so I might as well have done it. It's the same thing, isn't it?"

"But you said you didn't remember much."

"I was up there all afternoon. Maybe he slipped something into my wine.” She sat up. “God, listen to us. We're talking as if what he told us was true. We must be crazy."

Gerard climbed out of bed and went to the window. He lifted the curtain, then dropped it. “Let's make some breakfast,” he said as he came back toward her.

"Oh, Gerry. I have to sleep. How am I going to go to work?"

"It's after five already, you must have slept without knowing it. Besides, you told Lita you were sick yesterday. You don't want to look too healthy, do you?"

 

They ate cereal in the dark. By the time they finished, the sky outside was beginning to grow light. Gerard stood at the sink washing dishes while Sarah tried not to think of how tired she was.

"You said you parked the car at St. Anne's,” Gerard said.

"What?” She sat up.

"Maybe it's still there."

"Somebody probably stole it hours ago."

"Maybe not. The Guard patrols that area fairly well. I think we should go look. Curfew's just about over now. Why don't we go see? There might be something in it you didn't find."

"Gerry, we can't. What if somebody sees us? They might think
we're
stealing it."

He put the last dish in the rack and turned around. “Jesus, Sarah, you drive out to the middle of nowhere with Raf, and you won't even walk a couple of blocks with me. We don't have to be at work until nine-thirty. Maybe with these coins we have, we should just quit."

"We can't. We have to be practical."

"Let's go look. I want to see that car. I have a feeling."

She stared at the tabletop. Weeks ago, they had both watched yet another film about Dracula on television, and she had told Gerard that no one would have caught her going near the Count's castle. He had objected: Wouldn't she have been curious? No, she wouldn't. Wouldn't she have gone with him to explore the castle's environs? No, she would have tried to talk him out of it. They had joked about it before going to bed, safe in the dark under the bedclothes. Sarah yawned as she thought of the bed.

This wasn't a film on television; this was real. She massaged her hands. Her fingertips were cold. She would grow used to Gerard, taking him almost for granted, and then he would do something to surprise her, to show her that his thoughts were not hers, but his own.

"All right,” she said, “we'll go look.” She had gone out to the country with Raf, and that had been more dangerous; she had lost some memories, but had increased her wealth. The car would be gone, and that would be the end of it. She rose, stretching, and went to get dressed.

 

"It's still here.” Sarah shook her head. They stood in the parking lot at St. Anne's. The pale stone church was made pink by the morning light. An old man shuffled past them, carrying a brown paper bag. He peered at them. Sarah smiled nervously. The old fellow scowled and went around the corner.

Gerard took her arm and they walked toward the car. There were no other vehicles in the lot except a brown station wagon, which had been there the night before. The station wagon's dashboard was festooned with religious medals and security devices. Sarah assumed the car belonged to the priest.

Gerard opened a door. “Get in."

Sarah hesitated.

"Come on, get in. No one's going to pay any attention to people sitting in a church parking lot."

Sarah got in. Gerard entered from the driver's side and sat behind the wheel. The keys were still in the ignition.

"I don't understand,” Sarah said. “I practically hung a sign on this thing saying, ‘Steal me.'”

"Did you look everywhere?"

"Everywhere. Except in the back."

Gerard gaped at her. “Everywhere except in the back. My God.” He got out and opened the back door, then returned. “Nothing there except a spare tire.” He put the keys back in the ignition and tried to start the car.

The car was silent. Gerard tried it again. “No wonder no one stole it. I'm checking the engine."

He got out and opened the hood. She waited until she saw his arm motioning frantically to her, then climbed out and went to his side. “Look."

There was no engine under the hood, only a silvery powder. Sarah raised her eyes to Gerard's face. “Someone stole the engine."

He scowled. “Sure. Someone stood here after curfew, probably with a Guard patrol right there on the corner, and stole the engine instead of waiting and then driving the car away. Look at that dust."

She pulled off her glove and felt the dust. It felt like iron filings. Some of the shiny substance was sticking to her fingers, and she tried to brush it off. “This doesn't make sense, Gerry. It's as if the engine disintegrated."

"Oh, it makes sense.” He closed the hood and sat down behind the wheel again, leaving the car door open. “If you think about it, it makes sense.” He bowed his head. A jeep on Main Street was moving toward the corner where the church was located. It pulled up and two Guards got out, to begin their morning patrols. One ambled up Main; the other moved toward the parking lot. He halted, brushing back his blond hair, and looked at Sarah.

"What do we do now?” she whispered to Gerard.

He got out, closed the car door, and handed her the keys. She put them into her pocket. He took her arm.

"We're going into the church. Try to look like you're here for early morning Mass.” They walked around the corner. The young man followed them and watched as they went up the gray stone steps. He shouldered his rifle and looked away. Gerard tried the door. It was open.

They went inside. The church was dark, its only light candles burning at the altar. The old man Sarah had seen outside was stretched out on one of the back pews. They crept down the center aisle. Two old women were kneeling in the front. There was no one else in the church.

They sat down in the center pew. “What did you mean?” Sarah asked.

"Keep your voice down."

"What did you mean when you said it made a lot of sense? About the engine.” She leaned closer to him so that he could hear her whisper. Her voice still seemed too loud.

"Listen, if you were going out camping, you'd take a tent, and a sleeping bag, wouldn't you? To someone like Raf, coming here must be like camping out, right? So he got a car, but he probably decided he didn't want to use our primitive engines, so he installed one of his own.” She opened her mouth and he raised a finger to his lips. “But he couldn't leave evidence like that behind, so he must have fixed it so it would disappear after you came back."