The TV’s volume was turned up to near maximum so all could hear. Otherwise, the noise emanating from so many voices would have drowned out the sound of the TV, with everyone standing around, trying to talk at the same time. Allison, curious about what all the excitement was about, decided to join the crowd. It was with stunned attention, the anxious crowd, hearing for the first time the voice of the TV moderator, making the following announcement.
“Today, NASA has confirmed, to a shocked world, the news of another planet assumed to be in our Galaxy, trying to make contact with another planet supporting intelligent life.” “This is what was transmitted earlier in the day and picked up by NASA. For all present, the message sounded like some unintelligible garbled nonsense. But not to Allison. “They are speaking Sorbeezee. The most common language spoken on planet Zorbus,” assumed Allison to herself. To Allison, the message was clear: “To anyone who hears this message. Please help us find one of our citizens disappearing in our year Nebres 2323 and may have entered your hemisphere. She was four years old at the time.”
NASA explained that the message they received may have been beamed out from the mystery planet at different times and into different regions of the universe, hoping the message might be received by another planet supporting intelligent life. NASA officials were aware if, by some remote possibility, the mystery child from another planet had reached Earth’s hemisphere, he, or she, would have instantly gone up in flames. Today, if by the remotest chance, such an alien had reached Earth’s atmosphere and survived, then the alien would be much older than four. NASA also announced the agency has an excellent fix on where the message was coming from, giving NASA a rough idea of the location and identity of the phantom planet. And if they should find the planet’s location, NASA was prepared to send up a manned spacecraft to see if human contact was possible.
Those around Allison, noticing she had turned as white as a sheet, asked. “Professor, are you O.K.? “Yes,” she responded. “I was so shocked and stunned by the news. For a minute there, I could hardly breathe.”
“I should be the person that NASA sends to this newly discovered planet,” she thought to herself. But, explaining that she was the lost 4-year-old was not an option. “I must find a way to become an astronaut,” she concluded. “Time to return home.”
1
PART ONE
The Beginning of Allison’s Life on Planet Earth
1
Allison is Alive
All the Dawkins rushed to the scene at the same time, not believing what they saw. With tears running down her face, Ms. Dawkins gave the child a big hug, already in her mind the child standing before her had been miraculously returned to life, exclaiming: “Honey, you gave us such a fright! We thought we had lost you. Pauline and Rebecka will take you to the bathroom and help clean you up. You look a fright!”
The two sisters, Pauline and Rebekkah did as they were instructed.
“Boy, Allison, did you have to bring in so much mud and slime?” offered Rebekka. “The dress you are wearing is a mess. It will never come clean.”
Neither one of the sisters noticed what the child was wearing was not something you picked up at the local Wal-Mart.
Next, the reincarnated Allison was escorted to the kitchen where Ms. Dawkins laid out a plate armed with cold boiled potatoes, warmed-over bacon, and a glass of warm milk. Surprisingly, the “new” Allison found the food to her liking. Although she did not have a clue as to what she was eating. All the Dawkins children surrounded Allison. They just could not get over her miraculous recovery and return.
“We had all assumed you were dead and lost to us forever,” said Pauline. Even the two family dogs, Riff and Raff got in on the excitement.
At this point, the new alien arrival assumed her Earth name was Allison, flushed with so much attention, managed to smile a bit, and laughed on a couple of occasions. Not quite sure why she was considered a part of these strange surroundings and family---the likes she had never seen before. She just decided it best to go with the script. Not disclosing anything about her background.
The deceased Allison, her namesake never one to talk much so being quiet was not considered out of the ordinary. The people of her planet were three or four times more intelligent at her age than earthlings of the same age. In no time, Allison would concentrate on learning the language and accents of the Dawkins before talking. For now, any word or words uttered by her would sound foreign to the Dawkins family. Something she preferred to avoid.
With the sun having set for nearly two hours and darkness closing in, Ms. Dawkins instructed her children to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow is church day.
“Be sure to thank God for Allison’s safe return in your prayers.” These words fell on Allison’s ears, but she did not understand as the language spoken was unfamiliar to her. The interment of little Allison, having taken place what seemed like just moments prior to her look-alike alien’s sudden appearance, and since no one outside of the family knew of her passing, Mrs. Dawkins encouraged her siblings just to keep quiet about the burial, to ‘pretend’ that the mysterious child who arrived at their front door was the ‘real’ Allison, once sick, now fully recovered.
2
Church
Standing majestically, the little wooden church, well known to the locals stood imposingly on a slanting hill about a half-mile from where the Dawkins family lived. The Dawkins family, regular members of the little wooden church, eagerly filed into their respective pews found on the back row of the church sanctuary.
The Pastor, Clarence Cleghorn of that little church was all fired up. Ready and eager to deliver his hell-brand style sermon to his engaging flock—who all seemed more than willing to be properly chastised for their sins. The pastor, in his highest pitch voice, scathingly ordered the congregation to kneel and fervently beg God for forgiveness of their sins which he was convinced were legend in scope. He called out to the heathens, the drunks, women of low repute, and other scum to shed their clothes and repent for their many transgressions.
Allison—no longer Racine-- was totally perplexed and shocked. It wasn’t the words spoken as she did not understand them, but what did upset her was the bazaar way people were behaving. “What was all the yelling crying, rolling around on the floor, speaking in strange tongues all about.” Things only became calm when the small group of parishioners, with the service over, began to feast on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and over-sweet tea served after every service.
Allison---no longer Racine---was shocked by what she just witnessed, secretly, made a promise to herself to learn more about this strange ‘practice.,’ hoping to discover why these wretched people choose to roll around on the floor, in such a repulsive manner. Perhaps people of her planet Zorbus before the holocaust participated in such pagan behavior. Maybe that is why they have all been blown to hell! That message of redemption must have been translated to the survivors of the holocaust, making certain that religion would not play a role in their lives. They had already gone through hell—why do it again?
Excited that little Allison was no longer sick, and able to be with them, several parishioners took the initiative, during and after the regular church service, to rush over to Allison, exclaiming, “Oh, Allison, how wonderful it is that you have fully recovered from your illness and have returned to us. It’s nothing but a miracle.”
At this stage, notifying the authorities of a deathin the family was the least of her problems. This is America. We do not bury our kin in thebackyard. Here are in place rules and laws that must be followed when there is a death in thefamily. What was Peggy thinking?
The youngest of the Dawkins siblings, Allison had been a sickly child all her life, with this last case of pneumonia more than her little frail body could take. Perhaps some better medicine may have helped while she was still alive. Although Peggy loved little Allison with all her heart, she was not physically prepared to raise another child, depending on help from the other family siblings to make certain that Allison never lacked for anything.
At first, Peggy Dawkins was relieved that she no longer had to worry about what she was going to tell the authorities if they discovered she had buried her youngest daughter in the backyard, with lack of ceremony and notification of kin; surely, a serous legal violation. And if found guilty by a court of law she would be subject to prosecution and facing some serious jail time.
3
Allison Reveals Her True Identity
After several weeks of school and family activities, when Peggy was convinced that Allison was capable of speaking and understanding some of the English language, no longer showing signs of suffering from the trauma experienced from the burial of her namesake, she decided it was time to have a heart-to-heart understanding to who she really was.
The decision to question Allison’s real identity was first triggered by something her teacher Ms. Quigley said: “Ms. Dawkins, I find it hard to understand how a child who was, just a few weeks ago, near death. But has now returned to us with a whole new personality. Where she used to struggle with her lessons, is now at the top of her class.”
Peggy had to admit that she too had struggled with her own suspicion that the person who appeared at their front door was not the person they thought she was. “No matter who this person is, she had to admit, I love her with all my heart,” she thought. Nevertheless, with all feelings set aside, she decided it was time for a talk.
“Allison,” spoke Peggy very softly and slowly. “Although I wish you were, you are not my biological child. Who are you and where did you come from?” We are not told when Peggy first started having her suspicions that this child was not her real biological child.
Allison, at first, was taken back, but being a quick learner, knew that this time was coming, and prepared to speak.
