Global emergency

The ship arrived in the Atlantic on schedule. Behind him came the falling of the three orbs, but he never wondered. A million second had passed since the alien ships first re-entered earth's atmosphere. He had left his cabin so quickly, he wasn't able to make sure he closed the door. He boarded the ship and turned the light knob to his desired level of illumination.

Although the man had lived his life in a one room home, he was not the least bit claustrophobic. He knew it was only the aliens that truly narrowed the area of a life. He began his tasks for the trip, but for the first time in many years, he found himself unable to concentrate. His thoughts once again returned to what had happened earlier that day.

The man bent down next to the bundle of soft swaddling. He remembered with both fondness and melancholy how his home had been filled with love. His troubles with work had miraculously melted away. All he could think of was the child within the bundle and what the future had in store. Even the water in the jug he carried no longer tasted anything like the water from his home. He thought of the lights inside of his small home. And it occurred to him he didn't know if he would ever see any of it again.

He walked over to his workbench as the child slept and picked up a small roll of paper. He moved back across the room to the window. An eagerness gripped him as he peeked at the necklace he had crafted for his child. The child was not yet aware of it, but it would be the first gift he ever received. The man reached around to his back and the small of his neck. He unwrapped the red scarf from around his neck and took off the large pendant he wore. He opened the pocket watch he had been given as a young man and placed the pendant inside. He stared at the contents of the pocket watch's open lid and fastened the pendant back to his neck.

"The words to the song are coming to me more quickly now," the man thought, "And the melody was simple enough I could sing it aloud before the aliens changed me." -- although he had shown no signs of ageing these last fifty years, he thought of this day with a twinge of dismay in his stomach.

The man held the roll of paper in his hands and for the first time in his life, he began to feel lonely. The memories of his first days getting to know the child's mother came over him like waves on the ocean. He looked out the window at the ocean he had loved so much.

The aliens had long since forbidden the building of any machines. The oceans had yet to change. The surface of the water was as smooth as glass. The man gazed at the roll of paper and took a deep breath. He didn't know what he was thinking would happen if he tried to record the words of the song, but he knew in his heart, something inside him had changed.

The man stood up from the bench, his muscles aching from lack of use. He wondered if he would ever finish the details for the final project he was working on. He still wasn't sure how many ships would depart on the special day. He began singing the words, "Oh sweet child of mine, please know that you and I are connected on a deepest level. I look down at you now and can see your true self, beyond the color of your hair, or any other feature. You may not remember me but you will always know who I am and what I did for you. I have given it all for you to take. And I am more eager to be with you, from this moment to the next. I can't wait to be home. Come with me. Come with me."

As he was singing the last line, a soft twinkling sound filled the air around him. The man's eyes closed landing him in a deep feint.

"What he was trying to accomplish with that worthless piece of paper couldn't have mattered more to him. He knew he was worth X already and he didn't even know Y. Nothing mattered but to see that child. The ultimate lie was told as he thought he could destroy the aliens without fail by common use of this song and his flying ship. He clung to the lies as if dying held some great promise.

The man stopped singing, broke from the feint and sat down. He couldn't believe he had been singing the mantra over and over again. It wasn't long before the sound began to fade from the window. The man closed his eyes and smiled. The glimmering image of the ship had turned into a light fog. The fog spread throughout the room and gradually vanished. In front of the man stood the physical appearance of a necklace. A small hand reached out and picked up the necklace.

The man opened his eyes as the smell of burning filled the air. He got off the chair and walked over to the fire. He was wondering how much longer it would take before he was able to leave the planet. He grabbed a hearth brush and started to clean the residue from the fireplace. The man picked up an iron poker, but then thought the necklace wouldn't want to be touched just yet. He took a deep breath, walked to the corner and hid the poker behind a couple pieces of junk. As he was returning to the table, the image of the necklace began to change once more. The room began to fill with warmth and the smell of burning plastic.

As the smell began to fill the room, the man thought to himself, "I have to get to the ship!" The man's mind was telling him that the aliens had been tricked by the man by using the paper and a strange amulet. The amulet would make the aliens think he had actually destroyed the ship. It made him sad that the man would not get the whole story behind the amulet, but at least he could know the truth on this day. As the smell of burning plastic filled the man's home, the man remembered the children. He knew there were many children out there. They were only waiting for someone to come and help them.