Written and illustrated by Eidan
A story inspired by “My Friend is an Alien”, a story by March; with a nod to “Dark Past” by Jonathan.
Dedicated to aliens from any country or anywhere, and those who take care of us, adopt us, and give those of us in need a home, regardless of race or creed. How much we could learn from each other.
Text and illustrations (except clipart) are copyright © 2011-2012 Eidan. They’re distributed under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Sharealike Unported 3.
Chapter 1
“Are you sure you should do that?”, Keyro asked.
“Yes, I’m sure!” Jahv exclaimed enthusiastically. “They’re giving us cherry pie and turkey and lots more. I’m not sure why turkey is the tradition. I’d prefer salmon to turkey, but have you ever tasted cherry pie?”
“Well, yes,” Keyro stated matter-of-factly, “and I rather like it.”
“Well, they’re going to have pie, *and* cookies, and Mrs. Caulfield knows exactly how to make cookies. They’re the best I’ve ever tasted!”
“They definitely taste good, but technically, they’re the *only* cookies we’ve ever tasted,” Keyro interjected. “So your assessment is redundant.”
“No they’re not,” Jahv shot back. “I synthesized one once.”
“I don’t think that counts,” Keyro snickered. “If you replicated it, maybe… synthesize, never. It just isn’t the same.”
“I know,” Jahv said. “That’s the point.”
“I don’t follow you,” Keyro said. “The Caulfields are going to fill us full of wonderful tasting food, so you think you should rewire the transmat. The food’s so good that you want to blow it up?”
“No,” Jahv said, exasperated. “They’re giving *us* all that good food, and *we’re* giving them *nothing.*”
“They don’t care about that, Jahv,” Keyro observed. “Not a bit. You could give them the shirt off your back, if you used one, or you could arrive out of nowhere with a magistrate chasing you, nothing to eat, no place to live, and nothing to offer, and they’d still treat you just as well. They’ve practically adopted us and they didn’t have to. They don’t care about getting things in return. That’s what makes them so nice.”
“I know. Exactly.” Jahv stated, a little more somber than before. “I just want to do something for *them* for a change.”
“So you’re going to take all the peas, and broccoli, and transport it to China, is that it?” Keyro asked with a half-grin. “If that’s not what you’re up to, I don’t see how rewiring the transmat is going to help.”
“What’s the best-tasting thing you’ve ever had outside of Mrs. Caulfield’s cookies?” Jahv asked. “Something you don’t have to bake, and one of your favorite foods? We used to eat it all the time.”
“I could tell you, but it wouldn’t do much good,” Keyro replied, suddenly looking a little sad. “It’s Botaran fruit, but it doesn’t grow here. They have so few fruits that do. I can think of dozens they don’t even know exist. They’ll never get to taste *any* of them, and maybe we won’t get to again either.”
“That’s where you’re wrong!” Jahv exclaimed, exuberant again. “I’ve been researching what people here have for dinner for the holidays, and there’s something missing in the kitchen,” he said, smiling.
“What?” was all that Keyro could think of to say.
“It’s called a cornucopia, it’s full of fruit, and they definitely don’t have one. I checked the kitchen. It was in lots of references when I looked up different kinds of holidays, and they don’t have one at *all*. They must have spent so much on the pie, cookies, and turkey, and everything, that they didn’t have time or energy left for a cornucopia.”
“What’s a corn of copy-yes?” Keyro asked, bewildered.
“It’s called a cornucopia,” Jahv repeated. It was his turn to snicker. “It’s a kind of crinkly horn, and it’s *full* of *fruit!*”
“A horn…” Keyro mused. “That’s a strange thing to put fruit in. I wonder what kind of an animal it comes from.”
“I don’t know,” Jahv said thoughtfully. For some reason, I could never find out that part. Anyway, they look a lot like the horns from a Krupenschein, back home. You remember the cave we used to play in that had some skeletons laying around?”
“Yes, how could I forget? A Krupenschein skeleton isn’t something you forget. I’m glad there weren’t many live ones around by the time we were born. But that doesn’t help you get one here, and where does the fruit come into it?”
Keyro held his hand up to his chin for a moment, the way he’d seen detectives on television do when they were thinking.
“You might be able to synthesize something like a Krupenschein horn somehow, but I don’t think you’d do a very good job on the fruit. If you really knew what you were doing, maybe.”
“But that’s just the beauty of it!” Jahv exclaimed. “I’m not going to synthesize it, I’m going to get *real* Botaran fruit!”
“Are you insane?” Keyro said. “You know we can’t go back right now.”
“But I don’t plan on *going* there to get the fruit. I’m going to bring the fruit here!” Jahv smiled.
“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Keyro inquired, giving Jahv an incredulous look.
“I figured out a transmat trick,” Jahv said proudly. ”I can put the source there. I’ll lock onto one of the monitoring devices in the area. Instead of sending us home to get some fruit and the horn, the transmat will bring everything to *us!* And since the gate can be opened and closed entirely from this end, we’re the only ones who need to know about it. I don’t know why nobody else has thought of this!”
“Maybe because the last person to try it brought back a saber-tooth tiger, or the equivalent!” Keyro exclaimed. “So he wasn’t able to tell anybody about it! Besides, it would take too much energy to do what you’re proposing. It’s a long way away, if you remember. No power boost is going to work.”
“Thought of that!” Jahv said. “We’ll take a shortcut! I talked to Toben about the topology of the transmat process and I know how to route the signal. And about the tiger, I think we’ll able to see what we’re scooping up before we do it.”
“Does Toben know what you’re planning?” Keyro asked.
“No!” Jahv chortled. “This is going to be *my* surprise. It will be great! The Caufields are going to be so surprised!”
“I’ll bet they will,” Keyro shot back. “Just like we were when the ship blew up.”
“I made another ship, didn’t I? Besides, the force field kept the explosion from leveling more than a few of the trees.”
“Just a few trees? That could have been us!” Keyro exclaimed.
Jahv shrugged. “I know. But I’ve learned a lot since then.”
“I know you have,” Keyro said frankly. “But I don’t know if this is a good idea. It’s never been tried.”
“What would have happened if Edison had never tried to make the light bulb?” Jahv asked.
“We’d have introduced illumination ourselves and been heroes?” Keyro asked, snickering.
“Very funny,” Jahv responded, not finding this so humorous. “Why don’t you help me with these power cells?” he implored. “They’re really heavy.”
“Oh, all right, but if we get a tiger, I get to name him.”
It seemed to take forever to load the power cells and make the last connections, though it probably wasn’t quite that long.
“Next time, remind me to put the power core next to the floor,” Jahv said. “That way we won’t need to lift the cells up like this. If I’d thought of that before, I guess I wouldn’t have told you. That way, it would have been a surprise to *everybody.*”
“It’s probably a good thing,” Keyro teased. “At least if you blow up, we’ll know why.”
“If *we* blow up,” Jahv corrected. “Get ready,” he stated, as his hand hovered over the power console.
“Thanks for putting me at ease,” Keyro said under his breath.
The board next to the transmat started to hum loudly. Suddenly, the hair on the two boys’ heads started to stand up and point ever so slightly towards the power grid. Then it laid back down as the sound subsided from a loud hum to a whisper.
“Hey, my watch stopped!” Jahv said. “Oh well, let’s see how this thing works.”
“They say time stops when you’re in danger,” Keyro said, only half-teasing this time. “I’m waiting for my life to pass before my eyes.”
“You might not see your life pass before your eyes, but take a look at this!” Jahv said proudly. “This is the forest we used to play in, where we always found all your favorite fruits…. just tons and tons waiting to be transported back here!”
“It looks more like fog,” Keyro murmured truthfully, under his breath. “Do I need glasses, or does the monosphere need adjusting?” The monosphere was a spherical holographic monitor Jahv had been trying to link to the transmat via remote signal.
“All I have to do is see enough to get a lock on the top of the trees,” Jahv explained. “Since it’s only set to bring back things under a certain weight…”
“…the fruit will be transported here, and the trees will remain…” Keyro finished. “It might work without exploding anything! Jahv, you’re a genius!” There was genuine admiration in his voice.
Chapter 2
“So,” Keyro continued, intrigued, “where are you planning to aim it?”
“At the tall patch of trees near home, where we used to play,” Jahv replied. “That part of the jungle is practically all fruit trees. That’s good; even if the transmat is set to only retrieve objects under a certain weight, I wouldn’t like to accidentally get somebody’s dirty socks from the wash or something.”
“I always wondered what happened to the socks that always seem to disappear from the laundry,” Keyro joked.
“Uh huh,” Jahv replied, distracted, as he started to punch buttons and move some sliders that controlled coordinates… “This should about do it… That’s it, that’s it… that’s it! Look, Keyro — *home* ! Can you see the tops of the trees where you used to play? It works!”
“Uh… fog,” Keyro repeated.
“You’re looking at it wrong!” Jahv said, exasperated. “You know those posters that just look like a bunch of squiggles, but if you concentrate on looking at your reflection, they suddenly look like a 3D scene?”
“Yes…” Keyro answered. “And… ?”
“It might need a small adjustment,” Jahv admitted, “but if you focus your eyes that way, you’ll see the scene in 3D. It’s not like the TV sets or monitors they use here.”
“I figured that out the moment I saw I could stick my hand through it,” Keyro said. He made his eyes go a little cross-eyed, then tried focusing them the way Jahv had said.
“It’s a floating ball of gas. Hey, I *can* see something!” he said suddenly. “It’s still a little fuzzy, but those *are* the trees at home.”
Keyro’s heart weas pounding suddenly. He felt like it was going to stop, or explode, or something; both at the same time.
“Now all I need to do is aim for the tops, where all the color is, and…” Jahv was suddenly interrupted by a *whoosh*, a slight rumble, a squealing sound, and a shower of leaves.
“Oh my gosh!” Keyro exclaimed. “You *did* it! I…” He’d heard the phrase “words failed him” before and now he was experiencing it.
“Would you like a bite to eat?” Jahv asked, a huge smile on his face.
Keyro looked at Jahv for a split second, then hugged his brother so tight Jahv almost wasn’t able to breathe.
“I thought I might never see any of this again, much less get to eat it!” Keyro said, his eyes starting to get a little moist.
“I know,” Jahv replied. “I’m glad you like it. That’s what brothers are for! Now, let’s get a Krupenschein horn, and hopefully everybody will like thd fruit as much as you do!”
“Are you kidding?” Keyro exclaimed. “They haven’t tasted anything like this, ever! They’re going to love it!”
“On second thought,” Jahv quipped, with a slight smile, “if they react like you, maybe I should take medical precautions first! Any tighter and I’d turn blue.”
“But you were born *green*. *Toben* was born blue,” Keyro said absentmindedly, his thoughts filled with memories of home. Then his thoughts shifted back to his brother. “Oh, sorry,” he said, loosening his grip a bit.
After Jahv located the hill that the cave was on, with Keyro helping, it wasn’t long before the transmat was locked onto a Krupenschein horn.
The boys’ hair stood up on end again for a moment. There was another *whoosh* and another slight rumble, and then the noises subsided.
“Interesting, I didn’t notice that squeaky sound again,” Jahv said as he read the dials. “I was afraid the transmat was broken. I guess I just needed to break in the system.”
“Ah, Jahv,” Keyro interrupted, “I think you may have set the weight tolerance a little too high. Does the 2 on that last switch mean it doubled the tolerance, or does it mean that the tolerance was squared?”
“What?” Jahv asked.
“I think that you’d better turn around,” Keyro said.
“Huh?” Jahv asked, still powering down the machine a switch at a time. “I didn’t bring back a saber-tooth tiger, did I?”
“Next best thing,” Keyro replied. “You brought back an entire Krupenschein skeleton!”
Chapter 3
“Uh, oh. Where are we going to put *that* !?” Jahv exclaimed.
“Well,” Keyro mused. “I might have an idea. I overheard Mrs. Caulfield talking about Keith’s parents, and I think they had the same problem when they were getting their cornucopia.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jahv said, after hearing Keyro’s explanation. He sounded more than a little skeptical. “Are you sure that you heard right?”
“Yes,” Keyro replied matter of factly. “I heard it mentioned several times, and not just about Keith’s parents. But if you have a better idea…”
“Well, if you say so,” Jahv conceded. “No, I don’t have an alternative. But it’s only until we find a better place. I guess it’s not much stranger than celebrating by eating fruit out of a horn in the first place, though I’d prefer a bowl myself.”
“I’m not sure that’s even sanitary,” Keyro mused. “The horn, I mean.”
“Don’t worry,” Jahv assured him. “The Krupenschein has been just a skeleton for a long time and, besides, we’ll clean it in the dishwasher.”
“O.K.,” Keyro replied, skeptical himself now, “but I don’t know how Mrs. Caulfield is going to feel about that.”
“Where else would people wash their cornucopias?” Jahv shot back. “In the bathtub? Or with the laundry? The washing machine would break them. It must be in the dishwasher!”
Keyro shrugged. “Well, we’d better get the rest of the Krupenschein skeleton taken care of first, anyway.”
* * *
The Krupenschein horn wasn’t actually very dirty, as it turned out, though it did have some grains of blue and purple sand from the cave floor on it, mixed with little flecks of gold.
After the horn was cleaned up, Jahv started to arrange Botaran fruit in it, the way he’d seen this done in holiday art.
Keyro stood there munching a piece of fruit, a silly grin on his face. His doubts about the Cornucopia Project had vanished by this point.
Jahv glanced at him. “Back home, they used to say Man Does Not Live by Fruit Alone, Keyro. I can tell they’ve never met you. You might want to slow down, or you won’t be so happy tomorrow. And shouldn’t you leave room for dinner?”
“O.K.,” Keyro conceded, still smiling.
After the cornucopia was ready, the boys took it to their room. “Just in time!” Jahv said in a relieved tone
* * *
Mrs. Caulfield chopped some vegetables for dinner. “I found the strangest thing,” she commented to her husband. “There were colored leaves scattered on the floor.”
Mr. Caulfield glanced up from a newspaper. “I don’t know what’s so strange about that. There’s plenty of dry leaves left over from Autumn outside. The boys must have been playing in them.”
“I don’t doubt it,” his wife replied. “But some of the leaves were blue and purple, and they weren’t dry. They were fresh. There was some blue and purple sand too, with bits of gold flecks. The way things are going, I wish it was real gold. I found the sand on the floor *and* in the dishwasher.”
“Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t know what to think,” Mr. Caulfield said. “but you know it’s probably connected to our guests, like the hologram rabbits last month. I didn’t know holograms could breed like that.”
He paused, caught up in the recollection. “They *look* real, but they’re no more real than the picture on a TV. You can put your hand right through them. They’re amazing, but it’s just smoke and mirrors.”
“Well, I have a bag of smoke and mirrors for you,” Mrs. Caulfield said dryly. “Take them out to the trash when you get a chance. Or figure out what to do with them. They’re real enough this time, and I don’t recognize them. They’re soft and fuzzy, and they smell like a cross between perfume and apple pie.”
“The leaves are real?” Her husband asked, putting down the newspaper and giving the discussion his full attention. “If they’re from where I think they’re from, that has to be… well, even for the boys, it has to be impossible. It’s not exactly around the block. And they’ve been right here, there haven’t been any trips recently. I wonder what it’s about… maybe we’re going to have another guest. Do you want me to talk to them?”
“No, not yet,” his wife replied, handing him the bag of leaves. “Whatever they were up to, at least they *tried* to clean it up. I don’t even want to know what it looked like in here before that. And you know their intentions had to be good. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“I’m sure they meant well with the rabbits, too,” Mr. Caulfield said, taking the bag. “But I think there’s still one around here somewhere.”
“Not according to the last time I counted,” Mrs. Caulfield said flippantly. She turned and called upstairs, telling the boys to get ready for dinner. “It’s been interesting around here lately, but I doubt it’s going to get *that* exciting anytime soon.”
“I wouldn’t place any bets on it,” her husband answered. “With these boys, pretty much anything is possible.”
“Is that bad?” Mrs. Caulfield asked.
“No,” Mr. Caulfield replied without a pause. He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have wanted things to work out any differently. Life just wouldn’t be the same without them.”
* * *
It was the special dinner that the Caulfields reserved for Christmas Eve. Jahv and Keyro had been looking forward to it for weeks. Keyro still had the silly grin from before on his face, and Jahv was smiling from ear to ear as well.
The food that the Caulfields had prepared was part of it, of course, and not a small part. But this was also an opportunity to share an important ritual with the family that the boys had come to care about, and to give something back to them; the fruit from home that the boys had loved all their lives.
It was fun to get things, but giving was important too. This was going to be good.
“Davy, take your cap off,” they heard Mrs. Caulfield say as they walked into the room. “You know we don’t wear caps at the table,” she went on.
“I’m not wearing a cap,” Keyro volunteered, not sure that he understood Mrs. Caulfield’s point.
“I know, Keyro,” Mrs. Caulfield said, trying not to laugh. “It would clash with the rest of your attire. But I’d like you to meet Aunt Thelma.” She turned to an older woman who the boys didn’t know. “And this is Jahv and Keyro, as I’m sure you can tell, Thelma.”
Aunt Thelma appeared somewhat surprised. “I’m pleased to meet you,” she said. “Elizabeth has told me a great deal about you, though not quite everything, I can see.”
“I forgot something,” Jahv interrupted, wanting to add his contribution to the dinner.
“I can tell,” Mrs. Caulfield stated dryly, still suppressing a laugh. “Their customs are a little different, as I told you,” she said to Aunt Thelma as Jahv headed up the stairs, “but ours aren’t necessarily better. Different is simply different. Besides, they’re some of the nicest boys that you’ll ever meet. They’re always courteous, and they’ve been a good influence on Davey.”
“Yes, well, that’s good,” Aunt Thelma answered. “That much was clear from what you said before. However, I gather that there may be more to discuss at dinner. Which reminds me, I have of course brought the fruitcake.”
“Of course,” Mrs. Caulfield said. “I remember. It’s a tradition. You make some of the best desserts I’ve tasted. Most anyone would be green with envy.”
“Speaking of green with envy,” Aunt Thelma started, a slight smile on her lips, “but it’s difficult to miss the fact that some of your boys are green and purple.”
Chapter 4
“Well, yes,” Mrs. Caulfield said. “As a matter of fact, they *are* green and purple. I thought about discussing the matter before; but, really, would you have believed me, and would it have made sense if I’d told you over the phone?”
“No,” Aunt Thelma conceded. “And I’m not sure that it makes sense now.”
“I thought I’d introduce you to the boys and we’d take things from there,” Mrs. Caulfield finished.
“You made it clear that they were not from the immediate area. In fact, based on your remarks, I had imagined perhaps one of the South Sea Islands,” Aunt Thelma stated simply. ”But I suspect that they’re from some distance farther away. People say that seeing is believing, but I see it, and I’m not sure that I believe it. Would you care to enlighten me? What is this all about?”
“Well, actually…”
“Hi!” Toben interrupted as he breezed past, so intent on getting ready for the special dinner with his adopted family that it hadn’t yet registered with him that there was an extra guest.
Aunt Thelma paused. “Perhaps I’m being silly,” she said, looking a little embarrassed. “You had me going there for a moment. For a moment, I thought they were really…”
“Yes?” Mrs. Caulfield said. Her tone was casual, but she watched the older woman intently.
“Well, their antennae look so real, and the colors of their skin are such perfect shades of green, purple, and…” Aunt Thelma paused again. “Oh, the costumes are so real, they could almost convince a reporter from the Daily Times! The attention to detail is mind-boggling. Even their eyes seem different if you look closely.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Caulfield said, as casually as before.
“What’s going on? Are you preparing for a play, or is this one of the best practical jokes of all time? If it *is* a joke, I have to give you credit. You’ve gone all out!”
Aunt Thelma had sounded uncertain for a moment, but all uncertainty seemed to have disappeared now. “I fear that the ink or paint, or whatever it is, will never wash off! It’ll probably be at least a week before it starts to wear off! People will believe that there are *real* aliens in the house! You’ll end up on TV, or something!”
She thought for a moment, then she chuckled. “That’s it, isn’t it? I have to admit, you deserve the grand prize! Is there a camera rolling right now?”
“Ah, Thelma…” Mrs. Caulfield seemed uncertain now herself. She seemed to make up her mind and put on a serious face. This produced muffled snickers from Davey and Toben, who had followed the last part of the exchange and were now listening with interest.
“Thelma… do you see Toben?”
“Certainly,” Aunt Thelma responded firmly. She added, in a mildly puzzled tone, “And?”
“And he’s blue, right?” Mrs. Caulfield continued.
“Yes. And your point?” Aunt Thelma said, not unkindly but with a note of confusion. “I’m aware that he’s blue. I’m not color-blind.”
“Thelma, perhaps you *are* color-blind,” Mrs. Caulfield went on. “Not in the usual way, but in the way that’s most important, and I love you for it, and the boys will love you for it too, I’m sure.”
“What *are* you talking about, Elizabeth?” Aunt Thelma asked.
A Christmas song started to play in the living room. Mr. Caulfield, doing his part to create a festive mood, was setting up some music in the living room, oblivious to the conversation.
“Toben was born blue, and Jahv and Keyro were born green and purple. It’s not theatrical paint. It’s the way they are.”
“Oh,” Aunt Thelma said, looking startled suddenly. “I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t understand before. This is embarrassing, but it’s all clear now.”
“Good!” Mrs. Caulfield said, breathing a sigh of relief. “That was easier than I expected!”
“They seem like such nice boys,” Aunt Thelma went on,“and if money is a problem, we’ll help you with expenses to the extent we can. We’ll make sure they get any medical attention they need. Specialists, medication, anything that’s called for. If there’s a cure, we’ll find it!” she finished firmly, confident once more.
“Hey!” Toben said in a mock-serious tone. “I *like* being blue!”
“Yeah, and isn’t blue your favorite color?” Davey interjected, truthfully. He giggled.
“Yes,” his mother and Aunt Thelma said simultaneously.
Toben started to blush with embarrassment, turning a dark shade of indigo. Abruptly a new song started in the living room. It was Elvis singing, “I’ll haaave a bluuuuuuue Christmas without yoooooou!” At this, Toben laughed uncontrollably. Davey joined him, laughing so hard that he was cradling his own stomach; after a moment, he fell off his chair and ended up in a heap on the floor. This made Toben laugh so hard that he couldn’t stop.
Mrs. Caulfield glanced down at the two boys and turned her attention back to Aunt Thelma. “Toben is *supposed* to be blue,” she said. “You were right the first time. The boys *are* from some distance away. Toben, move your antennae a little.“
Toben complied.
“As you can see, it’s real. There are no wires involved.”
Aunt Thelma seemed speechless.
“So how’s it feel to have a nephew that’s your favorite color?” Davey asked, jokingly. He’d finally managed to stop laughing. But Toben turned from indigo to navy-blue as Davey spoke and both boys started laughing again.
When the boys had finally gotten ahold of themselves, and Aunt Thelma had started to ask questions, Jahv and Keyro could be heard coming down the stairs.
“Here it is!” Jahv exclaimed.
“Here what is?” asked Mrs. Caulfield, trying to make sense of the jumble of fruit, the likes of which she’d never seen.
“The thing we forgot!” Keyro offered proudly.
“You can’t tell it!” Mrs. Caulfield said, dryly.
“We noticed that something was missing for Christmas dinner, and we wanted to help,” Jahv said jubilantly. “So we got one for you!”
“Yes, and it was hard to get the Krupenschein horn!” Keyro chimed in.
“A whatenschein horn?” Davey asked, perplexed.
“It’s a cornucopia!” Jahv exclaimed. “Eat up! It’s Botaran fruit! The best!” he added for emphasis.
“You’ll especially like the profreeze!” Keyro exclaimed with a full mouth, already munching on his favorite fruit.
“Well!” Mrs. Caulfield said. “And where, may I ask, did this come from? And why does it feel so cool in here all of a sudden?”
“Like I said, eat up!” Jahv said evasively.
“What’s profreeze?” Davey asked.
“It’s this fruit,” Keyro piped up. “We call it profreeze here. Like antifreeze, only it’s sort of the opposite. Instead of keeping things from freezing, it makes them cold. Although it’s also used in machinery, to keep it cool, it’s best if you eat it! It tastes like ice cream!”
“Wow, this is good!” Davey exclaimed, already testing the merchandise. “I’ve never tasted any ice cream this good!”
“I told you it was good!” Keyro said.
“You were right!” Davey exclaimed. “What’s this blue one?”
“From *what* forest?” Fabian asked. He still sounded puzzled, but he reached for a piece of fruit.
“Long story,” Jahv replied, trying to change the subject. “We’ll explain later.”
“O.K.,” Fabian conceded, grasping the fruit he’d selected. “Hey!” he exclaimed, jumping back suddenly. “That piece of fruit *moved!*”
“Oh, that apple thingy?” Davey asked.
“That’s not a piece of fruit!” Jahv exclaimed. “Don’t poke it. It’s shy!”
“It is?” asked Fabian, more puzzled than before. O.K. I won’t poke the, the, what exactly *is* it?” he asked.
“Umm,” Jahv faltered. “I could tell you, but I don’t think you could pronounce it.”
“For Pete’s sake!” Davy interrupted, exasperated. “Just don’t poke the ‘shy-apple’.”
“What is a shy-apple, exactly?” Fabian pressed. “Is it some type of plant that moves?”
“Of course not!” Keyro said. He sounded slightly offended. “We made sure not to bring back anything like that when we pointed the monosc.. Ow!” Jahv had poked him in the ribs, perhaps a bit hard. “It’s an animal. Well, sort of an animal. Actually, it’s hard to explain.”
“An *animal?*” Aunt Thelma asked, slightly perturbed. She was brave enough around insects, and even mice, but this was an animal of a different color. Or *something* of a different color.
Mr. Caulfield came back into the kitchen abruptly, sat down, and eyed the fruit with interest. “Well, I guess I’ve never had one of *these* !” he said, poking the shy-apple.
The shy-apple let out a shriek, distressing but somehow comical at the same time. It sprang from the table so quickly that you could scarcely follow it with your eyes.
Mr. Caulfield moved almost as quickly, jumping as far away from the table as he could manage in a single leap. It was one thing to try unfamiliar fruit but apparently quite another to eat fruit that protested!
“I’ve never eaten one of those either!” Keyro said. “I guess you’d need to cook it first, though. That doesn’t seem very nice, so I think I’d prefer to have it as a pet.” He giggled.
“Don’t worry!” Jahv said, trying to calm Mr. Caulfield, who was now glaring at Keyro. “Shy-apples are as harmless as rabbits.”
“Hmmph,” Mr. Caulfield said. “Do they *breed* like rabbits?” Apparently he wasn’t quite ready to let the hologram incident go.
“No,” Jahv said. He sounded slightly embarrassed. “There’s only the one, anyway.”
“Well, that’s something,” Mr. Caulfield said. He sounded less than completely enthusiastic. “At least nobody’s allergic…”
“Achoo!” Aunt Thelma sneezed violently, interrupting him.
“Where did it come from?” Fabian asked. “I’ve never seen one of those around here! You didn’t manage to go back…”
“No!” Jahv cut Fabian off. He sounded uneasy.
“Can you at least catch it?” Mr. Caulfield asked. It was clear that he was making an effort to be patient. And equally clear that he wasn’t quite succeeding.
“I doubt it,” Jahv responded matter-of-factly. “I don’t think anybody can catch a shy-apple! They’re about the fastest animal, well, thing, I’ve ever seen. You’d need to lure it back.”
“Allow me to guess. There’s nothing within five light years that could lure it back,” Mr. Caulfield said.
“Not unless you had something like a piece of Botaran shlimily,” Jahv conceded.
“Would it be untoward to inquire regarding the nature and provenance of shlimily?” Mr. Caulfield said. He sounded mild but there was a firm undertone.
“Shy-apples like Botaran fruit, but shlimily is their favorite,” Jahv explained. “It tastes kind of like a mixture of chocolate mixed with raspberries and a little cream, and it gets kind of cold in your hand, but not as much as profreeze.”
“Huh,” Fabian said. “Where on Earth would you get a piece of that?”
“Try your hand!” Jahv said with a smile. “You’re holding some. Bon appétit! There’s plenty more! What would you get your baby brother for Christmas if you had a fruit that tasted like chocolate with raspberries and cream? I just hope the shy-apple is more fond of the fruit than he is afraid of us! But, really, they can make good pets if you’re able to domesticate one.”
“I have to admit, if it’s fruit it takes, this fruit tastes so real! It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”
“Oh, it is real… ow!” Keyro interjected, as Jahv elbowed him again.
“Yeah, really good isn’t it? Jahv filled in for his brother.
“How difficult would it be?” Mrs. Caulfield inquired.
“About as difficult as getting something from our home planet without actually going there.”
“Without actually going there?” Mr. Caulfield said. “Oh, oh. That sounds practically impossible.”
“*Practically* impossible,” Jahv mused, “but there may be a way. I guess I’d better try, anyway!” He stood up and reached for some shimilies. “If I place a few of these around some of the rooms, it should help. Preferably on a plate, where the shy-apple won’t make a mess!”
“I think I’d better help this time!” Mr. Caulfield added, getting up. “I don’t want to hear that the shy-apple has joined forces with the rabbit.”
Chapter 6
“Jahv, before you run off, I just wanted to thank you. That’s the best fruit I’ve ever had!” Aunt Thelma said. “I knew tonight was going to be interesting, but it’s better than I could have ever I expected. Three Botaran nephews, and a fruit basket to boot, better than I’d have gotten if I’d visited the President!”
“You’re welcome!” Jahv replied, enthusiastically, secretly pleased that Aunt Thelma had openly referred to him as her nephew.
It was nice to be in a place that was so loving, but it was still hard to be so far from home without a way of at least visiting from time to time. It meant the world that Keyro and Toben were here too, of course, but he still felt a burning need to have a complete family — to really belong, for all of them to belong, and it looked like he was getting just that.
He tried to respond, but he found he couldn’t say anything. Although he’d been treated kindly by the Caulfields, he’d been worried that he wouldn’t be accepted by the rest of the family. But now he *was* family. It was too good to be true.
A tear welled up in his eye, and he tried to will it away, but it didn’t work. The tear rolled down one of his cheeks, followed shortly by others. Aunt Thelma looked at him suddenly with an understanding expression. She reached over and gave him a big hug. “Welcome to the family!” she said with a smile.
Keyro watched Jahv and Aunt Thelma quietly. He felt a lump in his throat himself. He, Jahv, and Toben had come, hoping to be allowed to stay as guests. At first, even that much had seemed unlikely. But not only had they been accepted, they’d been virtually adopted.
If there was no official agreement to this effect, who cared? Earth and Botarus could work out the details someday if it was necessary. In the meantime, the Caulfields weren’t concerned about formalities, and if they weren’t, neither was he. There was someplace that they belonged again and people that wanted to be with them. This was the part that mattered.
Keyro hadn’t thought this through before, but now something else occurred to him. The Caulfields hadn’t minded that the boys were half-grown and had different customs and minds of their own. Some people would only have taken babies that they could shape in their own image, and even then, they might have preferred to take just one boy — not three. But this family had taken them in. All of them, without question.
Keyro glanced at Toben. He understood Toben well enough by now to tell that the older boy felt equally moved.
Jahv and Mr. Caulfield left the room and the others fell silent.
“Can I have another piece of the blue fruit?” Fabian asked. Toben handed him a second piece. He seemed preoccupied and barely glanced at Fabian as he did so.
“Mrs. Caulfield, I know I’m a guest,” Fabian added. “But is it alright if I take my shirt off too?”
“You might as well,” Mrs. Caulfield said. “I figured either some of our customs were going to rub off on the boys, or some of theirs were apt to catch on as well! Go ahead.”
“No, Mrs. Caulfield. It’s starting to feel hot in here!”
“Yes,” Mrs. Caulfield laughed. “We keep it warm because of the way they dress. Winter came as a surprise to them and we wanted them to be able to get accustomed gradually. There isn’t any winter where they grew up. Something about twin suns and the atmosphere. I had to tell Keyro that the trees outside hadn’t died of the cold and were only dormant. I’m not sure if he believed me!”
She paused reflectively. “I still don’t know if the weather influenced the customs there originally or if it’s because Botarans are protective of and respectful to children. Probably both. It makes sense for them. Regardless, we accept their customs and they accept ours.”
A conversation about Botaran landscape and fauna followed. Thelma listened closely, clearly intrigued, as Keyro and Toben described their home and various childhood adventures for their Aunt.
“This fruit is so good!” Fabian said suddenly, startling the others and bringing them back to reality. “I can just imagine what it would taste like in ice cream! It makes me wish *I* was Botaran!”
“I couldn’t agree more!” Keyro added, enthusiastically. He looked up and glanced at Fabian; then he seemed to freeze. All of a sudden, Fabian felt everybody’s eyes on him. Mrs. Caulfield dropped a glass, but didn’t seem to notice.
“You *are* Botaran!” Davey’s voice broke the silence.
“What are you talking about, Davey? I was born right here on Earth, and my…”
“…skin is blue!” Davey interrupted again.
Fabian looked at his hands. “Whaaa? I’m *blue!* Jaaaahv!!!”
