George Brown and the Protector (13 page)

There was silence in the room for a moment.
George felt a sense of horror at what the protector had just said.
He could hardly stand the thought that his father could be under
the control of such terrible creatures, and subject to their
constant torture.

Suddenly the pink furball rolled onto the
protector’s lap, and started to hum. The protector smiled and
petted the ball, which rolled around his lap happily. “Emberly
appears to be feeling better already!” he said happily. “She may
not yet have learned earth manners, but she has a pure heart.”

Suddenly George stood up. “My cell phone!” he
exclaimed. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it
as if seeing it for the first time.

“What about it?” asked the protector.

“It hasn’t rung!” said George. “It’s not like
my mom to not call every hour.” He looked closer at the phone, then
turned to the protector in dismay. “And I know why. It’s been
turned off! After I saw it blinking in China, it was shut off
somehow. Maybe it happened during our fight with the Grak.” Quickly
he pushed some buttons on the phone. “Oh, no!” he exclaimed. “She
left fifteen urgent messages on here! When I get home I’m
dead!”

The protector laughed. “She may be
overprotective, but it’s nice to have someone that cares that much
about you, isn’t it?”

“Still,” he continued, “we can’t have her
grounding you for weeks right now either. We still haven’t got this
thing figured out, and there may be other places we need to go, and
other things we need to do.” He went over to a cabinet, rummaged
around, and came back with a small, yellow pill.

“Give her one of these as soon as you have a
chance,” said the protector, handing the pill to George. “Offer to
get her a drink of juice, or something, and drop it in when she’s
not looking. It dissolves almost instantly in liquid.”

“What is it?” asked George curiously as he
took the pill.

“It’s a ‘happy memory’ pill. It erases all
unpleasant memories for the previous 6 to 8 hours, while leaving
all other memories intact.”

“Wow!” said George looking at the pill in
wonder.

The protector laughed. “I know what you’re
probably thinking. You wish you had a whole box full, to save
yourself from trouble all the time. Believe me, there’s a black
market for these pills across the galaxy, and they’re in high
demand everywhere. They’re quite hard to get. You have to have a
prescription, and they’re very expensive.” Then the protector added
in a lower tone, “I used them on my parents a few times before I
came here, since I'm still a teenager you know. I can promise they
work pretty well.”

Gratefully, George put the pill in his
pocket. “So she’ll really forget all about not being able to reach
me?”

“Pretty much,” nodded the protector. “Like I
said, try to use it as quick as you can. Until you use the pill,
things might be a little unpleasant, so don’t delay. We’ll meet
tomorrow at the same time and place. Now, you’d best be going.”

George went quickly to the door. However,
before he reached it, Emberly hopped up onto his shoulder, then
bounced away again across the room. The protector smiled. “She’s
definitely feeling better. I think I’ll give her a bite to eat,
maybe some Vlob.”

Seeing the question in George’s eyes, the
protector said, “It’s a green, moldy fungus that tastes great—a
rare delicacy across the galaxy. Do you want to take some with
you?”

“No thanks,” said George quickly, his stomach
lurching. “I’d better be going.”

The protector pulled a jar full of a green
substance from the fridge wearing a sweater. “Ok then, it's your
loss,” he said while prying to get the lid off. “By tomorrow I’ll
develop my pictures of China’s fallen star, and analyze them. Then
we can plan what to do next.”

“I hope there is a tomorrow,” said George
slowly. The thought of what he was about to face at home made him
wince. Gratefully he patted the pill in his pocket, then darted
through the door and was gone.

CHAPTER 19: Happy Memories

Janet was
waiting by the front door when George came home. She had the
biggest smile on her face that George had seen in a long time.

“You’re gonna get it!” she said with glee as
he came up the steps. “Mom’s just about freaked out trying to reach
you for the last 3 hours!” She happily followed George through the
door and into the front hall, licking her lips in anticipation.

“GEORGE FIDELIUS BROWN!!” boomed his mother’s
voice as George came into the living room. She looked all purple in
the face. “Where have you been?! I’ve been trying to reach you for
hours!!!”

“Well,” began George, “I, uh—“

“How could you ignore my repeated phone
calls?!” his mother roared again. “What possible excuse can you
give for being gone for so many hours without a single word?!”

“Uhm, actually,” began George again, “it
happened that—“

“There is simply NO excuse for your
behavior!!” interrupted his mother again. “How could there be?!
Nothing you can say will help! No possible excuse will work! So
where were you?”

Her eyes flashed fire while waiting for
George to answer her impossible questions. Janet was smiling
broadly. DoorJam jumped onto the arm of the couch and rubbed
against George’s hand, the only one who had no interest in seeing
George suffer at the moment.

George mouthed a few words, then said weakly,
“can I get you a drink?”

“A DRINK?!” his mother cried. “What would I
want with a drink at a time like this? I want you to tell me
exactly where you have been and what you have been doing for the
last three hours. And this better be good!”

“Well, uh,” began George, “I was out at the
orchard—“

“The orchard?” screamed his mother. “Without
my permission? How could you?” She threw up her hands in
exasperation. “Let me tell you, young man—“

She then proceeded to verbally rip George
apart, word by word, while Janet watched in glee. George stood
there helplessly, feeling lower and lower by the minute. DoorJam,
seeing an opportunity for a good, long rub, continued to press
himself up against George’s hand. This was the type of opportunity
he liked best.

After five full, nonstop minutes, George’s
mother stopped to catch her breath. Janet, sensing that the best
was over, gave George one last smile and left the room. DoorJam
kept rubbing for attention.

To George’s surprise his mother suddenly sat
down in a chair and looked like she was about to cry. “When I think
of your poor father, disappeared without a trace, and you and Janet
all that’s left in the world. And now you go and do this!”

George’s stomach felt like it had dropped all
the way to the floor. Her anger was bad enough, but he wasn’t sure
he could stand tears. “I’m sorry Mom—“

“Ill take that drink now,” she said abruptly
looking up, her eyes shiny as if they were about to gush a heavy
flow of water.

Gratefully, George darted from the room,
tossing an “I’ll be right back!” over his shoulder. With shaky
hands he poured a drink of orange juice into a cup, then dropped
the yellow pill into it. There was a good deal of popping and
fizzing while it quickly dissolved. Carrying it back into the room,
he gave it to his mother, whose teary eyes had unexpectedly
hardened again. It looked like she was about ready to launch into
another attack.

She took a sip, then opened her mouth to
start attacking him again. But to her own surprise, nothing came
out. She suddenly looked down into her cup for a minute. “Strange,”
she murmured, frowning. “I had something terribly important to say,
but now its slipped my mind.” She took another gulp. Looking at the
glass appreciatively, she said, “This is sure good orange juice.
I’ll have to buy this brand more often.”

A smile of relief broadened on George’s face
as his mother drained the whole cup. Setting it aside on the lamp
table, she turned to George and said, “Now, what were we talking
about?”

“Uhm,” said George, thinking fast. A sudden
inspiration came into his mind. “About how Janet’s been going to
the mall too often.”

“Hmmm,” mumbled his mother. She waved her
hand in the air as if trying to ward off an invisible fly. “No, I’m
sure that wasn’t it. I’d be upset if that’s what it was. We were
talking about something much more pleasant. What was it?”

“Well,” said George slowly, disappointed that
the power of the pill had saved his sister. DoorJam rubbed up
against his hand again. “About DoorJam,” he said abruptly. “And how
long we’ve had him, and how much you like him.”

“Yes, that was it,” said his mother
immediately. She came over and picked up DoorJam, who purred
happily at the unexpected attention he was getting. “Such a good
cat. Maybe I should buy a special type of food for him.”

She sat down again, petting DoorJam and
smiling. Suddenly Janet popped her head in the room again. “So,”
she said with relish, “how long is George grounded for, Mom?”

“Grounded?” said George’s mother. “Why should
he be grounded?”

Janet’s mouth dropped open in shock. It was
now George’s turn to smile happily at his sister.

“For being gone for three hours without a
word and driving you out of your mind!” said Janet sharply. “The
little twirp nearly made you call the police!”

George’s mother frowned. “Don’t call your
brother a twirp,” she said automatically. Then she smiled again.
“Gone for three hours? Nonsense. I don’t remember any such thing.
George and I were just sitting here talking about DoorJam, and what
a nice cat he is.”

Janet gaped at her mother in amazement, while
George’s smile grew broader.

“How can you not remember?” Janet cried. “You
were pacing the floor for hours, trying to call him on the phone
every five minutes!”

“That’s impossible,” said George’s mother
dismissively, with a waive of her hand. “If that had happened, I’d
remember it.”

“Then you’re not going to punish him?” Janet
said in wonder.

“Whatever for?” replied his mother,
scratching DoorJam under the chin.

Janet threw up her arms in amazement. As she
left the room she grumbled, “Sometimes I think everyone in this
family’s gone mad!”

“So,” said George after she was gone. “What’s
for dinner?”

His mother looked up. “I think I’ll make your
favorite—a pepperoni casserole,” she said with a smile. Then she
got up and headed for the kitchen.

George grinned. Now he understood why the
‘happy memory’ pills were in such demand across the galaxy. After a
quick pat on DoorJam’s head, he strode from the room.

George had the dream again that night. It was
the same as always. His father climbed through the window of his
bedroom, came over next to George and sat down on the edge of his
bed. He looked very sad and didn’t say a word, while George lay
there watching him, unable to move or speak. George’s father then
took his right hand and silently began writing on his palm, causing
that same tingly, uncomfortable feeling. George still could not
tell what he was writing. This went on for some time until he
abruptly stopped, walked over and climbed out the window and
disappeared without saying a word.

George slept fitfully after that. After
tossing and turning and dropping in and out of sleep, George
finally got out of bed and went over to look out the window at the
empty street below. It was still dark. He began to wonder and worry
about what was happening. Why had the clear rock come to him? What
strange powers did it have, and how could it help him? Why had a
fallen star come down near his home, and the same thing had come
down in China? What were the Grak planning to do? How could he do
anything to stop them?

With a sigh, George went back to his bed and
flopped down. There were no answers, only questions. The protector
had helped, but even he couldn’t figure out what the Grak were
planning. For the millionth time, George wished his father were
there, that he really had come through that window. He knew he
could talk to him about the problem, and he would understand and
know what to do.

There was a sudden loud ‘pop!’ at the foot of
George’s bed. To his amazement, he saw the same leathery brown
Ziphon as before, sitting on the bedspread. Before George could cry
out, the creature said in its gravely, dry voice, “George Brown,
the time is almost at hand for your decision, and your sacrifice.
Beware, George Brown. The person you least suspect may betray
you!”

Then with another loud ‘pop!’ the creature
was gone.

George didn’t move, unsure whether to leap
out of bed, cry out in alarm, or do nothing at all. The Ziphon’s
words echoed through his mind. His time of decision was almost at
hand, and so was his time of sacrifice. What did that mean? And
someone he least suspected may betray him. What was that all about?
The protector had said that Ziphons always gave true messages. But
who did he least suspect, and why would that person betray him?

George continued to sit silently, pondering
the Ziphon’s message. Someone he least suspected might betray him.
George didn’t suspect anyone, so who could it be? Why would someone
need or want to betray him? Who on earth had the Ziphon been
talking about?

Slowly, George got out of bed and began to
pace his room. A person who he least suspected would betray him.
The person he least suspected. His mother? Of course not. She had
nearly scalped him yesterday for betraying her. His sister Janet?
No. She knew nothing of any of this, although he didn’t doubt she
would take glee in betraying him if she had a chance. At any rate,
he wouldn’t ‘least suspect’ her.

His father? George sat down with the enormity
of the idea. Could his father be the one he least suspected who
would betray him? But why, and how? He hadn’t even seen his father
in a year, other than in his dream, or that night when he thought
he saw him standing behind the Grak. His father would never betray
him. George was sure of it.