The Beacon

Silver Crescents

I breathed in and out slowly. I huddled up within myself and made to check the time, only to remember I had been stripped of my watch. I knew not what time it was. I knew only the suffocating darkness which I was in.

They had taken me. The aliens. No one believed me when I said I saw those shooting crescent shapes. I looked up and searched for the stars. I found only the desolate darkness of the inky black sky, wondering why the stars would hide their faces.

I continued breathing, trying not to go into a panic. It was lonely out here, being lost. I was sore and hungry, but watching survival shows had taught me a bit about my current situation. They didn't say what to do if you were abducted by aliens though.

Well, technically, I wasn't really abducted. I thought back to just moments before. I had gone outside with my flashlight to search for the crescents that moved like frisbees. I had eventually found one, hovering just outside my bedroom window. It was about the size of myself, and a beautiful silvery color. I reached out and grabbed it, and instantaneously I was dragged, up high into the air and out of town. I didn't know what to do, so I held on.

I held on until they dropped me off at this desert-like place. It probably was a desert. I had found a candy bar in my pocket, but the night seemed to be rolling on forever. A few hours, at least. I'd hoped someone would find me when I pointed my flashlight in the sky, but it quickly ran out of battery.

And the stars never shone for me.

I waited a long time before I saw it. The beacon. It was big and bright and beautiful. It searched around, and soon shone down on me, wrapping me in its light and warmth like an old friend.

But then I did see an old friend. A lanky figure cautiously approached me with tear-filled eyes and a face full of sadness and excitement. He recognized me immediately.

"Eleanor!" He called breathlessly to me.

"Bob!" I screamed.

I ran into his familiar embrace, but soon noticed something was different.

"Woah, Bobby ma' boy," I looked up, "You've hit your growth spurt overnight!"

A tear fell down his cheek, and he took one hand away from me to wipe it off.

"How long have you been here?" He asked, his voice cracking a little bit.

"I dunno," I replied carelessly, "four, five hours? It's hard to tell when you've lost your watch. I could've been here all night."

He stopped hugging me altogether and held me by the shoulders, shaking and breathing nervously.

"Elly," he told me, "You've been missing for five years."

I stepped back swiftly from him, releasing his grip on me. I swayed slightly, confused. He reached out to steady me.

"F-five years? How...?"

He took hold of me, almost picking me up, "You - didn't notice? El, I've been searching for you for so long. Your mother has been in severe depression, and your father..." his voice trailed off, but he shook his head. "Right now, let's just get back to our dimension."

"Dimension?" I asked. This was too confusing. I staggered back into his firm hold.

"El," he sighed, carefully carrying me back to - whatever type of transport he was using. I wasn't really paying attention. As we got in, another one of those silvery crescents zipped past, but I seemed to be the only one to notice.

The journey home felt like forever.
I had so many questions, but I didn't know where to start.

"Where was I?" I finally decided to ask after a long while of silence.

"I don't know," Bob answered, "not exactly. But I do know you were in a different dimension. Can we talk about this when we get back? There's so much to be discussed," he turned back to face me, "and I'd rather we talk in a different situation."

I nodded my head, but I was still scared and yearning for answers.

Then, we finally reached our destination.
Bob explained everything.

"El," he started, taking a deep breath and scratching his head, "Ok. I'm going to explain. You went missing five years ago."

"But how come-"

"Just let me finish," he interrupted. He started over, "So you went missing, right?" He didn't let me answer, but continued, "No one could figure out where you'd gone. We all thought you dead after a while. Well, I didn't give up."

I smiled. He was a true friend.

"I began theorizing about those crescent thingies you talked about seeing. And after a long time, you have no idea..." he shook his head, getting back on topic, "They took you to another dimension, I think. And I found it. I found you. Time there must've been different, though."

"What about my parents?"

A security guard came up to me and told me I had to come to him for questioning. He wouldn't let me have any more time with Bob.

"Wait!" I yelled as I was dragged away, "What about my parents?!" I reached out an arm to my friend.

He could only yell after me, "Your father discovered the secret to the crescents! But he disappeared too!"

"Mom?!" I asked quickly. I was whisked into a dark vehicle. I pressed my hands and face up against the window.

"I'll tell her about you!" Bob screamed, "She thinks you're dead! And that I'm crazy!"

I rolled down the window. I was scared and confused. Bob pulled me into a hug before I was driven off.

****************

I'm okay now though. I was released from Area 51 and found my mom, but we're still looking for dad. Like Bob, we haven't given up hope.

We would search the dimensions, learning more about the crescents and shining a beacon.

The beacon that gave me hope.