George Brown and the Protector (11 page)

“Emberly, stop!” commanded the protector.
“That’s food for Jiu Na and her mother. It just needs to be cooked
and it will taste good.”

“Really?” said Emberly, looking at the egg
plant in wonder. Suddenly she thrust the egg plant at Jiu Na’s
mother. “Cook it,” she commanded. “I want to try some.”

“Now, Emberly,” said the protector gently,
taking the egg plant, “It would take too long to cook, and besides
we have plenty of food at home.”

“I want to try some!” yelled Emberly.

“I can cook some if she likes,” said Mrs. Na
gently. “We also have fried rice.”

“I’m sorry,” apologized the protector. “I’m
afraid I failed to introduce us properly. This is Emberly, an
orphan in my care. She is also from another world. I’m afraid she
doesn’t yet know very much about earth manners.”

“What don’t I know?” demanded Emberly in
surprise. “I thought you taught me to be honest and open with
people about what I thought?”

The protector sighed. “True,” he said
patiently. “But not all the time. There are times you need to not
say anything in order to be polite.”

Emberly shook her head. “Earth is a very
confusing place. First you’re supposed to do things, then you’re
not. Then you’re supposed to say things, then you’re not. How are
you supposed to know the difference?”

Mrs. Na took Emberly’s hand and patted it.
“There, there, it’s not that bad,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll learn
what you need to know soon enough.”

Emberly pulled her hand away from Mrs. Na and
looked at it. Then she looked up at Mrs. Na. “That felt nice,” she
said in a trembling voice. “Why did you do it?”

“To comfort you,” said Mrs. Na simply.

Emberly looked confused for a moment. Then
she took Mrs. Na’s hand and patted it. A tear was in her eye.
“You’re a mother, aren’t you?” she said softly. “I had a mother
once.”

Mrs. Na took Emberly in her arms and gave her
a hug. Emberly was crying softly. The protector coughed
uncomfortably and George shifted from one foot to the other again.
Jiu Na stood to the side, not knowing what to say.

At last the protector said softly to Mrs. Na,
“there are some things I have not been able to provide for Emberly.
Thank you.”

Suddenly Jiu Na said to George, “What’s that
blinking light in your pocket?”

George looked down to see his cell phone
blinking. “Gosh,” he said. “I thought it wouldn’t work here.” He
pushed the answer button and said “hello?”

There was no response.

“It’s probably not working normally,” said
the protector. “In fact, I’m surprised it showed in incoming call.
The signal probably linked through my car and the transporter
somehow.

“Is that a cell phone?” said Jiu Na. “My
father used to have one.”

“Yes,” said George simply. Turning to the
protector he said worriedly, “Looks like I might be in trouble with
my Mom.”

“Yes, we’d best be going,” said the
protector. “I think we found what we needed here. And I’m
especially grateful that you have the Uth rock, Jiu Na, rather than
someone else. I think it’s safer in your hands. Be careful with it,
and don’t tell another soul you have it.”

“Before we leave,” he continued, “let me give
you something.” He pulled two small, silver rings from his pocket.
He handed one to Jiu Na. “It looks like an ordinary ring for your
finger, but it’s much more. It’s actually a communicator.”

“Here, George,” said the protector, handing
the other ring to George. “You need one too. The way it works is
pretty simple, really,” said the protector. “If you want to call
someone, just slip it off your finger and put it in your ear—“

“Your ear!” exclaimed Jiu Na.

“Yes,” said the protector. “Just the outer
part of your ear, like this.” The protector slipped a third ring
into his ear. “Try it—it fits quite well.”

Jiu Na and George each put the ring in the
outer part of their ear and were surprised that the protector was
right—it did fit quite comfortably.

“So,” continued the protector, “just put it
in the outer part of your ear then say the name of the person you
want to call. Of course it has to be someone else who has a similar
ring. No matter where they are in the world, their ring will
tighten three times, to let the person know someone is trying to
call them. When that person puts their ring in their ear, the two
can talk to each other.”

“How can the ring hear you when you talk?”
asked George. “Don’t you have to take it out and put it up to your
mouth?”

“No,” the protector said. “I know it sounds
crazy, but when you talk, the sound echoes through your head. We’re
all a bit hollow headed, you know. The transmitter in your ear
picks up these vibrations and is able to interpret them.”

“What about the language difference?” asked
Jiu Na. “If I call George in America, will he understand me? Or do
I need some of your special gum?”

“No gum is needed when you use these,” said
the protector. “I’ve given you each a ring that translates all
incoming calls into your own language. I’ll be wearing a ring too,
so you can call me anytime you need to. Just don’t call me during
the 6:00 o’clock news. That’s my sacred time, you know.”

George looked at the ring curiously. It was a
tremendous relief to have it, since he had often wondered what to
do if he needed the protector’s help when he wasn’t there.

“What about me?” demanded Emberly. “Don’t I
get a ring?”

“Yes, of course,” said the protector, handing
one to Emberly. “Although you’ll usually be with me, wherever I
am.”

A big smile spread across Emberly’s face. She
put the ring in her ear and said “George Brown!” George immediately
felt his ring tighten on his finger three times. Emberly then
started repeating “George Brown!” over and over. George’s ring kept
tightening so many times that it felt like his finger was being
mangled.

Turning to Mrs. Na, the protector said,
“Thank you again for accepting us into your home. We’ll be off now,
but will be in touch with Jiu Na.”

The protector, George and Emberly left the
shack, followed by Jiu Na. It was very late, and fewer bicycles,
people and cars were around than before.

“Now, Jiu Na,” said the protector, as they
walked toward the car. “If anything unusual happens to you or the
fallen star, call us immediately. The Grak are up to something, and
it’s only a matter of time before something happens. We’ll be
counting on you to let us know what goes on here, and we’ll let you
know what’s happening at George’s home. Also, make sure to let us
know if you have any more strange experiences with your Uth stone,
or any further visits from a Ziphon.”

“O.k.” said Jiu Na with a worried look on her
face. “Will you find out how the Uth stone works, and how to help
my father?”

“I’ll do all I can,” the protector replied.
“I don’t know how your fathers are involved in this whole thing,
but I intend to find out.”

After a hurried good-bye, the three left Jiu
Na and went quickly back to the car and Ant Number 4. As they got
in, they could see Jiu Na and her mother standing in the doorway of
their shack waving at them.

“It’s a great relief that Jiu Na has the
rock, rather than someone else,” said the protector. “She seems
like a sensible girl. I’m sure she’ll keep it safe.”

Ant Number 4 put the car in gear and they
started moving along the road. Soon Jiu Na and the field with the
fallen star were out of sight.

George’s mind was so caught up in what had
happened at Jiu Na’s house that he hardly noticed the scenes of
China passing along the side of the road. There were still quite a
few bikes everywhere, as well as taxis, buses, street carts and
people. Many of the streets were of cobblestone. In the window of
many shops were pictures of products for sale, everything from ice
cream to stylish clothes, with a mass of Chinese characters below
or to the side of each picture describing the product.

However, George saw very little of any of
this. Instead he was wondering how Jiu Na’s father and his father
fit into everything that was happening. Why had he and Jiu Na seen
them on the Grak ship when the Uth stone had tunneled their vision
out into space? Why had they been captured by the Grak a year ago?
And what was their connection with the fallen star and the Uth
rock? None of it made any sense!

The car dipped down an incline and George saw
that they had returned to the hidden gully where the transporter
had brought them. However, the transporter door was nowhere in
sight!

“Not to worry,” said the protector, noticing
the concerned look on George’s face. “The transporter door is still
there—it’s just cloaked.” He pulled what looked like a small remote
control from the glove box of the car. When he clicked one of the
buttons, the transporter door instantly appeared in front of
them.

“It will disappear and no longer be here as
soon as we’re through,” said the protector. “Now let me check one
little thing…” He clicked a few more buttons on the remote control,
then studied a tiny message on a viewscreen at the top of the
remote.

“Looks like it’s all clear on the other
side,” he said. “There are no human life forms detected within
1,000 feet of the transporter door in California, so we’re o.k. to
go through.”

Ant Number 4 moved the car forward. Once
again as they moved through the door George felt his skin tingle
and saw the rainbows of color bubbling through the car. It felt
almost as if they were floating through a stained glass window that
was constantly shifting color.

Suddenly George heard a scraping, scratching
sound and felt the car jerk wildly. Muffled California sunlight
came back in a rush, but there were tall bushes and brambly
branches screeching along the windows and exterior of the car as it
came through the other side of the transporter.

“Something’s wrong!” the protector yelled
over the scraping noise. “There were no bushes here when we went to
China! The transporter door must have shifted somehow!”

CHAPTER 17: Captured!

The scratching,
wrenching noises came to an abrupt halt. Everything was still. The
afternoon California sunshine played through the branches and
bushes surrounding the car.

“This is very strange,” said the protector.
“These bushes shouldn’t be here.” He pushed several buttons on the
little remote control in his hand, then shook his head. “The
readings I’m getting make no sense. They say the door didn’t move
at all. But where did all these bushes come from?”

Setting the remote aside, the protector tried
to open his door. It was jammed shut by a huge bush. The protector
heaved and shoved on the door, but it hardly moved. Finally, the
protector rolled down the window, letting a shower of leaves and
small branches into the car. With a good deal of grunting, he
climbed out of the window and wriggled through the branches
outside.

George suddenly realized that the protector
looked like an American again. He looked down at his hands, then at
his face in the rear view mirror. He was back to normal. They must
have been transformed back to themselves when they came through the
transporter.

“Why don’t you come on out the window like I
did,” called the protector’s voice from outside. “It’ll probably be
awhile before we can go—I’ve got to clear away the bushes and fix
the transformer screen. It’s all ripped up by these bushes!”

George and Emberly scrambled out of the
passenger seat window and through the surrounding branches, trying
not to be scratched too badly in the process. There were branches
and brambles everywhere. They found the protector looking sadly at
the tattered gauzy material that circled the transporter
doorway.

“I can’t imagine how this could have
happened,” he said. “It’s as if these bushes sprang up out of
nowhere while we were in China! The transporter door was cloaked
and invisible then. Look at how badly it's ripped up!” The
protector shook his head glumly.

George looked around at the surrounding
bushes. “This whole place looks different. There’s bushes
everywhere. The fallen star should be right over there in the open,
but I can’t see it. Are you sure we came back to the right
place?”

“We must have,” replied the protector. “The
coordinates on the controller are exactly the same. But I suppose
it could have malfunctioned. Why don’t you go over to the fallen
star and see if it’s still there. Meanwhile, I’ll try and get this
mess sorted out.”

“O.k.” said George. He and Emberly set off in
the direction of the fallen star, or at least where he thought it
used to be. Emberly started playing with her new ring again, saying
“George Brown!” over and over, until George finally took off his
ring and put it in his pocket.

Bushes were everywhere. While the ground
seemed somehow familiar, George marveled at how different
everything looked. Before they went to China an hour or so before,
this had been an open, empty field. Now it was overgrown with
bushes and weeds.

George and Emberly struggled through the
thick undergrowth, clearing a path through the branches.

A sudden shadow seemed to come across the
sun. In the same instant George and Emberly emerged from the tangle
of bushes into what seemed to be a small clearing. In the middle of
the clearing was the fallen star with its hook-like arm pointing
towards the north. Surrounding it were several of the most hideous
creatures George had ever seen.

Each had a dog-like face and was covered with
a rank, thick coat of fur. Their eyes blazed red with malevolence.
Each crouched on its grotesque haunches with its dank tail dragging
behind it.

George and Emberly stood transfixed at the
edge of the clearing, their mouths open in shock. One of the
creatures rose up and started to approach them.