The Shifter

Chapter 1
The Beginning

It all started when my parents John and Martha Stewart allowed my friend Alan and I the use of the family cabin at Lake Still Waters in the Ozarks region of Missouri. I am known to my friends at Cahokia High School as Michael or my nickname of Big Red for my tendency to blush when I am nervous. My friend Alan Samuels and I had been good friends since the ninth grade and we had even gone on double dates with girls from the school. We both at 17 years of age had just graduated from Cahokia High School. I had plans to attend a local college and Alan had plans of becoming a mechanic and technician after attending a local trade school. In the meantime, Alan held a job as a mechanic's assistant at a local garage and I worked in the hardware department in a local department store. It was my plan to attend the police academy after college and join my city's finest. My parents had offered Alan and I the use of the cabin as a reward for having a good grade average and the use of one of the family cars to drive up to the lake. It was a good time for the trip as we both had managed to get a vacation of one week and we looked forward to plenty of fishing.

It was on a Tuesday at the end of the month of June when we departed. My parents were there to give us a fond farewell as we pulled out of the driveway. My dad had given me a stern warning to drive safely.

The trip to the lake was 140 miles and all during the trip, Al and I would change the radio station in our vehicle occasionally. Unfortunately, we had different tastes in music. He liked Hip Hop and some hard Rock music while I liked mostly Country Western. My dad also liked Country Western and would play it occasionally at home. Just before arriving at the lake, we stopped at Dale's Truck Stop on the highway, where we both downed greasy burgers, french fries, and coke. Some of the time, Al kept giving one of the waitresses the eye. At one point, she turned and winked at him. I have to admit that she looked nice, but she was a little over weight. I finally was able to get Al to leave and we continued our trip.

It was about 5:30 pm when we arrived at the driveway to the cabin. I was almost at the cabin when there was suddenly a flash of light in front of us.

"Al, did you see that!" I said and I looked over at him and saw a puzzled look on his face. "Yes dude. I did see it. I wonder what it could be." replied Alan.

I had parked the SUV in front when I observed a strange looking entity that looked like a human in a metallic suit walking towards us from a clearing near the lake. It appeared to have a glow around it as it stood directly in front of the SUV, and had stopped and was looking at us through the window. During this time I had the sensation of a buzzing in my head. I looked over at Al and he seemed to be dazed and motionless.

Suddenly Al opened the door, jumped out, and started running down the drive towards the highway and started yelling, "Dude, your not going to get me."

There was another flash and Al completely vanished as he fled down the driveway. When I got out of the SUV to look for him, there was another flash.

Suddenly, I found myself standing in the middle of Main Street in a place I recognized as the town of Belleville, Illinois, 22 miles away from my home and standing next to me was Al who had a look of shock on his face. In order to prevent us from getting run over by a large truck, I pulled Al over with me to the sidewalk.

There we stood for a few minutes when I began to realize that we had been transported here by the creature. I then began to wonder how we would get back to the cabin at the lake. Fortunately, I had a girlfriend that lived in Belleville by the name of Donna and decided to walk over to her home where she lived with her parents. It was now 8 o'clock and it was getting dark and I was trying to think of a way to explain this to Donna.

Al, who was now looking around, commented, "I know this place. It is Belleville! That spaceman is sure a strange dude!"

Once Al and I arrived at Donna's place, I was put into the uncomfortable situation of explaining to Donna why Al and I needed a ride back to the cabin which was over 140 miles away.

As soon as I rang the doorbell at Donna's house, Donna's father Harold Donner came to the door. He was a man of about 40 with partly bald head and greying mustache.

"What can I do you in for?" he said once he had noticed Al and I at the door.

"Please Mr. Donner, can I please speak with your daughter Donna? I really need to speak with her." I replied.

Harold hesitated a few minutes as he thought about it, frowned, and said, "Alright, but be quick as it is starting to get late." Harold then turned, called out for Donna, sat down in an easy chair, and continued watching a television program.

Suddenly, there was a flash and we were back in the SUV and driving up the driveway to the cabin. This time, the strange being was not there. Al and I then unloaded our gear and settled into the cabin. All during this time, I just could not understand what this entity was and the reason for transporting Al and I to Belleville then back to the cabin. I was beginning to think that I was going out of my mind. Al was having problems too as he no longer wanted to talk about it. I have to admit that I was relieved that we were back at the cabin, as it would have been difficult to explain to Donna how Al and I had been transported to Belleville over 140 miles away. I wondered what Donna had thought when she reached the door and found Al and l not there.

Chapter 2
Encounter from Within the Lake

It was one day later when Al and I had taken the boat out to our favorite fishing location when the next encounter took place. We had been at this location for 2 hours without a nibble. I was beginning to wonder if there were any more fish in the lake. The time was about 11:30 am and Al was starting to get that look of boredom. I have to admit that I was in a similar state. Our stomachs were growling and we both were yearning for cheeseburgers.

Suddenly in front of us, the water starting bubbling and a big bubble with the alien being inside started to rise out of the water. The bubble then seemed to float on the surface and the being who was wearing the same silver suit with a helmet, seemed to be staring at us.

"Not Again!!!" cried out Al as he jumped into the water and started swimming for the shore. I too jumped in and followed after him.

I heard the words in my head, "So you want cheeseburgers. It is cheeseburgers you shall have." There was a brilliant flash and we found ourselves downtown St. Louis, sitting at the counter of a White Castle restaurant. We both were still soaking wet and in front of us, could be seen several cheeseburgers. A girl behind the counter suddenly noticed us and commented, "Hey, how did you two get there? Your dripping all over the floor. I don't remember you guys ordering any food."

Al and I looked around in shock, but our hunger got the best of us and we started eating the first cheeseburger in front of us. The girl stood in front of us with a puzzled look on her face.

There was an older guy who looked like he needed a shave, sitting nearby who said, "Where did you guys come from? You were not here a few minutes ago. I will never drink that brand of whiskey again." The old guy then got up and stumbled out of the restaurant.

I had just started on my third burger when there was another flash and I found myself sitting in the boat with Al back at the lake. I had begun to wonder as to the reason why this being continued to move Al and I from place to place. I looked at Al and could see that he was becoming alarmed over being transported.

"I have had enough of this dude! Where will he send us next? I think it is time to get out of here." I heard Al protest.

"I do believe this guy or whatever he is has been playing with us and has the ability to read our minds. How else would he know that I was thinking of having a cheeseburger?" I commented.

I then proceeded to start the motor on the boat and I took it back to the pier by the cabin. Once we had returned to the cabin, I noticed that Al had started packing his belongings. I glanced over to where he was standing near his bed and noticed a small metallic ball under the bed. It appeared to have a slight glow.

I immediately walked over and picked up the object for a closer look. "Did you lose something?" I asked as I showed the object to Al.

"No dude. I have never seen that before. What is it?" replied Al.

"I don't know." I replied.

On closer inspection, I noticed that this little ball which was the size of a golf ball and had some strange symbols on it that I did not recognize. I then placed the object in my jacket pocket thinking that I would check it out later.

As soon as we had packed, Al and I piled in the car and I returned Al to his home nearby my home. The trip was uneventful. Al appeared to be in a quiet mood. On arriving home, everyone was surprised that we had returned so early. My Mom was curious about a strange phone call she had received from Donna who had asked if I had been at her house. I told her that Donna must be mistaken as that would be impossible as Al and I were at the cabin. I did not say anything about our encounters to my Mom and Dad. I was worried that they may think that we had been hitting the funny juice. I explained to my parents that we had returned early because Al was not feeling well.

Chapter 3
My Next Encounter

For the next week, my relations with Donna was a bit strained as she had found it hard to believe that I had not been there. I had great difficulty convincing Donna and her dad that Al and I had been at the lake during that time as I had a great fear over telling them the real story of the encounter with the alien being.

The following Saturday, Al and I had attended a softball game between the Cahokia Babtist Church where we regularly attended and the Bellevillle Pioneers. Our team, the Cahokia Cardinals had won the game with a score of 4 to 3. I had played right field and Al had played third base. My dad had been the coach and had taken us all out to the local ice cream parlour to celebrate. My dad liked to appear tough, but we all knew he was soft and sentimental on the inside. He had worked for the American Can Company for the last 15 years as a machinist. My mom, a homemaker, had prepared a fried chicken dinner for us all.

It was on a Tuesday night and I had fallen asleep on my bed as I had watched a late night movie on the television. I had been trying to decide on what school to attend to get a degree in Criminal Justice. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my bedroom door and I heard the voice of my dad reminding me to turn the television off if I was going to sleep. I told him that I would take care of it and I turned the television off. I looked over at the alarm clock and could see it was now 11:45 pm.

It was about two hours later after I had fallen asleep that I became aware of a humming sound in my room. I opened my eyes and could see a shimmering light on the walls of my room. Then the entity I had seen at the lake, dressed in the same outfit, appeared in the center of my room.

Suddenly I heard a man's voice saying, "I have been looking for you and your friend. I believe that you have something that I have been looking for."

At that time I remembered the small metallic golf ball sized object I had found in the cabin at the lake. I had placed it in my jacket pocket but I had left the jacket in a locker at the gym at the park where I had played softball.

This time, I was not as frightened of the entity as before and I asked, "Is this object the size of a small ball?"

"Yes it is. Do you have it?" replied the entity.

"I might know where it is." I replied.

"I am running out of time. I need that antimatter pod to recharge my suit. I used the last of the energy in the suit to come here. It is the suit that gives me my ability to transport myself. It also amplifies my mental abilities." replied the entity.

"Can't you call on others of your kind to help you?" I asked.

"I, I can't. I was not supposed to be on this planet. It is forbidden. If they found out, I would have my rights to explore the universe revoked and be confined to my world." he answered.

"What would you do if I were to return the pod to you?" I asked.

"You do not have to worry. I would do no harm. I would merely use the suit to hide from others of my kind who may come looking for me." he replied.

Suddenly, he removed his helmet and I could now see what appeared to be a young man of about twenty. The only differences was that his skin color was a shade of blue, his hair color was snow white, and he appeared to be about 7 feet tall.

"Do not be alarmed. The air in my helmet was getting to be a bit stuffy." he commented.

"I can get the device for you but I want something in return. I am very curious about the universe and would like to learn more about it. Could you help me with that?" I asked him.

"Yes, yes, but I would have to erase the memories of Al, Donna, and her father as I fear that they may find out about my presence. I think that you may be able to help me avoid being detected by others of my kind. I would like to use the cabin and the lake as my base for now. The others have difficulty with their detection devices when I am near a large body of water." the being said.

"By the way; what should I call you? What is your name? Where are you from?" I asked.

"You may call me by the name of Zulin and I am from a planet that is called Defrin which is 50 of your light years away from your sun." He replied.

Suddenly. there was a light knock on my door and I heard my mother's voice, "Is everything alright in there? I thought that I was hearing voices."

I looked over at Zulin and he had a concerned look on his face and became very quiet.

"Everything is alright Mom. I must have been talking in my sleep." I replied.

"Good night son. Get some rest. Remember, you have to be at work tomorrow at 8:30." she said.

I then continued my conversation with Zulin by whispering and I was hoping that he would do the same. To my relief, he spoke in a whisper as well.

After a few moments, Zulin continued his conversation. "When can you help me get my antimatter pod? It is important that I get it soon as I may be detected by those of your kind." he said.

"Do not worry. I know a window that I can crawl through at the gym. Just follow me through the window in my room as I proceed to the outside but be careful. There should not be anyone around at this time of the night." I told him.

Chapter 4
A Visit to the Gym

I then proceeded to move a chair away from the window of my room, quietly open the window, and poked my head out to take a look. To my relief, there was no one around and I managed to climb through the window to the outside just missing a rose bush that had been planted there by my mother earlier.

As soon as I had climbed outside, I took a good look around and did not see anyone. I signaled to Zulin that it was safe and he proceeded to fit his body through the window. Before doing so, he had given me his helmet to hold until he had made it through. When Zulin had made it outside, I motioned him to follow me and made my way across the lawn and down Clark Street and he followed. On reaching First Street, I proceeded down this street until I reached the park. On looking behind me, I still did not see anyone that had spotted us.

On reaching the park, I jogged up to the side of the gym that had the window that I was sure would be unlocked. On pushing the window, I was surprised to find that the window would not open. I then proceeded to try all the windows on all sides of the gym and did not find one open. I checked the doors and found that the rear door had a padlock on it. When I looked over at Zulin, he had that concerned look again. Suddenly, he reached over and grabbed the padlock and twisted it off the door. I was amazed at his strength.

When we had entered the gym, I quickly made my way to the locker room and to my locker. On opening the locker, I then retrieved the antimatter pod which was still glowing and handed it over to Zulin who was smiling.

Zulin placed the pod in a compartment on his suit, placed the helmet on his head, and there was suddenly a whining sound and the suit started to glow.

"Looks like I owe you one my friend." Zulin commented. "I now have a few tasks to take care of."

Suddenly, there was a flash and I found myself in the bedroom of my friend Alan, next to his bed. Alan was asleep and snoring. Zulin was also there. He placed his hand over Alan's head and there appeared a beam of light coming from the hand to Alan's head which faded out after a few seconds.

Immediately, I heard this voice in my head, "Do not worry about your friend. I have just erased his memory of all his encounters with me. All he will remember of the trip to the lake is getting ill from some food and returning home early."

Suddenly, there was another flash and I found myself in Harold Donner's bedroom who is Donna's father. Standing next to me, I could see Zulin who placed his hand over Harold's head and repeated the same procedure. Next to Harold on the bed was his wife Sarah and they both were in a deep sleep.

Again, I heard Zulin in my head, "I erased his memory of your visit to his house. He will not remember a thing about it."

After this, he proceeded to Donna's room in the house and I followed him. I could see Donna curled up and asleep on her bed. Donna was wearing a pink nightgown. Zulin performed the same procedure on her and then there was a flash and I found myself back in my bedroom.

"Well that takes care of the tasks I needed to perform. None of them will have memories of what occured that night. By the way, Donna has some very passionate thoughts about you. I will be in touch with you later." spoke Zulin.

As soon as he had finished speaking, there was a flash and he vanished. I was feeling both embarrased of Donna's thoughts and amazed at Zulin's abilities. I began to wonder about Donna's thoughts and what Zulin had seen.

Chapter 5
What About Abraham?

At this point, I was growing tired and I went to bed. For the next 2 weeks, I did not hear anything from Zulin amd proceeded to live my life as normal. Al and I would occasionally get out to the park and practice our softball. I found that his memory of Zulin had gone just as Zulin had said. I managed to get a date with Donna in which I took her to a restaurant and to the movies. She too had no memories of my visit to her house.

One week later when I had returned from a day of work at the department store, my Dad and Mom surprised me. On walking up the driveway to the house, I had noticed a green Dodge Ram van parked out front along the sidewalk. I had wondered who the van belonged to as I stepped inside the house. As soon as I had stepped inside, I found my Dad and Mom seated on the couch in the living room. They were both smiling and got up when I entered.

"We have a surprise for you Son." spoke Dad, "That van out front is yours. We got a good price on it and bought it for you. However, I do expect you to continue payment for the insurance and for you to drive responsibly.

My father then handed me the keys and ownership paper as I stood there stunned. I had been saving my money from work to buy a car and not expected this.

"Thanks Mom and Dad. I did not expect this as you were already paying my tuition for college next fall." I said.

"Think nothing of it. We both felt that you would need a vehicle to move around in during your time in College." spoke Mom.

At this point, I gave my Mom a kiss and my father a hug and again thanked them.

Suddenly my Dad looked at me and said, "Now if you don't mind, the front lawn needs to be cut." With that, my father sat down and used the remote control to turn on the television and my Mom walked into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.

I went outside, started up the lawn mower and mowed the lawn. As soon as I finished, I went inside and had dinner with Mom and Dad.

After dinner, I went outside and examined the van. I slipped behind the steering wheel and started it up and it started up fairly quickly. I looked at the interior and it seemed to be in reasonable shape. There was 2 bucket seats in the front and 3 seats in the back. Behind that, was a storage area. To my right side, was a sliding door that led to the 3 passenger seats. The only windows were located at the driver, passenger positions, and the rear. I would later discover that the year of the van was 1995. I then proceeded to take the van for a spin around the neighborhood and found everything in working order.

It was later that evening when I had my next encounter. I was in the bathroom and shaving when I felt a weird buzzing in my head. Suddenly. there was a flash and I found myself standing just outside the cabin by the lake. Before me stood Zulin in his suit and another entity wearing a similar suit.

"Hello Michael. I have brought you here to introduce you to another of my kind. This is Zeeron, my mate. Even though, I have been trying to avoid detection by my kind on this planet, she has found me." commented Zulin.

"What do you see in these primitive creatures, Zulin?" said Zeeron, "You know that it is forbidden to be involved with any of these creatures. This creature is not to know of our kind. This is wrong, but for your sake, I will not inform the authorities. I believe that you should deal with this creature and return with me at once."

At this point, I looked over at Zulin and he looked disturbed. I then looked over at Zeeron who was raising her hand as if to point at me.

"Please Zeeron, give me a chance. Let me handle this." commented Zulin.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and I found myself in a dark enclosure. I tried to move but there were objects in my way. I then managed to find a door knob in front of me, turned it, and a door opened.

I stepped out of the enclosure into a large ornate hallway with rooms on the right and left. Standing in front of me, was a man that looked like Abraham Lincoln except that he was not wearing his famous hat and was dressed in night clothes. In his hand, he carried an old fashioned lantern and had a startled look on his face. I felt out of place as I was dressed in red shorts and a tee shirt with the words, "I Love King Burgers" on the front.

"What is the meaning of this young man?" asked Lincoln with a stern look on his face.

"Is this real?" I blurted out, "Are you really President Lincoln?"

"Yes, I am he." replied Lincoln, "I can assure you that I am real. How did you get in here at 2:35 in the morning? What were you doing in the janitor's closet?"

A few minutes went by as I just stared at Lincoln in silence. I just could not believe this was happening. I could tell that Lincoln was starting to get impatient.

Suddenly, there was a woman's voice coming from a room down the hallway, "Abraham, is everything alirght?"

"I am alriight Mary. I am just trying to figure out what I should do with this young man I found in the janitor's closet." replied Lincoln.

Suddenly, there was another flash and I found myself back in my room in the present. Zulin was standing next to me in his suit. After a few moments, I managed to recover from the shock.

"What happened? Why was I was transported to a janitor's room in the Lincoln White House?" I asked.

"I transported you there as I had to convince Zeeron that I had properly taken care of you. I put you in the closet, in the past because it was dark and Zeeron would not know what had become of you. Anyway, I finally managed to get her to leave without destroying you. By the way, I was able to erase President Lincoln's memory of his encounter with you minutes later after he went back to bed. Do not worry, I will be watching for Zeeron from now on. I am glad that you are alright." said Zulin.

Again, there was another flash and Zulin vanished. I proceeded to finish my shave and prepare for bed.

Chapter 6
The Return of Zeeron

For the next six months, all went well. I managed to become a student of Madison School of Justice in Belleville. Unfortunately, I had to cut down my working hours to part time at a local pizza restaurant but managed to get a grant from a private agency dedicated to justice.

In the meantime. Alan had started to school with the Alexander Institute in St. Louis in order to get his technician cerificates. He had continued to work as an assistant at the local garage and had very little free time.

My next encounter occurred in the month of March, on a Friday, as I was sitting in one of my classes listening to a lecture by a professor at Madison. The time was 10:45 am and I was looking forward to enjoying lunch after the class.

Suddenly, I felt the buzzing in my head as before and heard Zulin's voice in my head, "I have to transport you soon as I fear that Zeeron is near. This place will be a surprise as no human has ever been here before. I am giving you a 5 minute warning, so get ready."

I felt alarmed at first, but I knew that I had to do something fast as I was still in class and I did not want to suddenly vanish before the other students and Professor.

I quickly raised my hand so that the professor would notice me and asked to go to the restroom. He reluctantly gave me permission and I left class and proceeded to the nearest restroom.

When I reached the restroom, there was still one man who was finishing his business. I pretended to be washing my hands and face as he walked out of the room. Within a few seconds, there was the buzzing and a flash and I found myself moving through a purple colored tunnel at a very rapid speed.

I moved through this tunnel for about 5 minutes feeling overwhelmed and disoriented. I was afraid for my life as I had no idea where I was going. I was also having a hard time breathing and was just about ready to pass out when there was a flash and I found myself in another room that was circular, with a long window that ran along the wall. I looked around and found an oversize bed, cabinets, doors that were closed, and panels with large screen on the wall. There were also a few sofa like chairs and what appeared to be a desk with some controls.

Feeling stunned, I managed to walk to the window and look out. There was strange looking vegetation, the sky was a strange purple and there appeared to be 2 moons. I had the strange sensation that I was heavier and had a little difficulty breathing It was at this point that I realized that I was no longer on planet Earth.

I stood there a few moments totally bewildered. Suddenly, the screen on the wall came on and I saw Zulin without his suit and wearing a one piece garment made of a bluish material. He then began to speak, "My friend, make yourself at home. This is my home on the planet Defrin. I had sensed that Zeeron was looking for me and arranged a meeting on another advanced world. I had to transport you off your world so that she would not detect you. For now, have a beverage and snack on me. I will be with you shortly."

As soon as he had finished, the screen went dark and a panel opened up near the screen. A tray slid out and I could see what appeared to be a glass with a red colored liquid in it and what appeared to be something that resembled a Big Mac sandwich, except that the bun had a greenish tint.

I walked over, picked up the glass and took a sip. To my surprise, it tasted like a Pepsi. I then took a nibble of the sandwich and it tasted like a Big Mac. I finished consuming the food and I suddenly felt better. My breathing was back to normal and I felt lighter. As I was eating the food, the screen had come back on and there was a Clint Eastwood western showing. I was surprised that this movie would be playing on such a distant planet.

I had just completed watching the movie when there was a flash in the middle of the room and Zulin appeared without the suit.

"Hello my friend, I imagine that you have some questions for me. I can see that you enjoyed the snack I left for you. It was designed to condition your body for this world but it works for a short time. How did you like the entertainment?" said Zulin with a concerned look on his face.

"It was alright." I replied, "When am I going to be sent back?"

He smiled and said,"You will be sent back shortly as Zeeron will eventually return here. I am happy to inform you that I have been negotiating with a superior and he may be willing to allow me to continue my friendship with you."

"Why haven't I ever seen your spacecraft? That is something I have been wondering about." I asked.

Zulin smiled and laughed, "That is because, there is no spacecraft. Sure my race once used spacecraft long ago when we were more primitive. As time went by, we evolved and our technology also evolved. My suit can be called a spacecraft, kind of. It serves many purposes. It is a product of nano technology and it runs on antimatter as you know. The suit protects me from dangerous environments, allows me to set up wormholes, to travel inter-dimensionally, and magnifies my mental abilities. I can also transport others if needed. The use of the bulky spacecraft are no longer needed by my kind."

"Does that include time travel?" I asked,

"Yes, as you probably noticed. My race has been traveling through time for quite a while. Sometimes, there has been mishaps, but we are careful to correct them before they get out of hand.

I paused then asked, "Do you and your race believe in a God?"

Zulin smiled and with a thoughtful look on his face, replied, "Yes, we are aware of a Creator that created the Universe. It is our belief that every world has an entity assigned to it by the Creator to be its Administrator and teacher. Ours has the name of Grish. There are numerous spiritual centers on this world where one can meditate and communicate with the spiritual domain."

Zulin suddenly had a worried look on his face and said, "I believe that Zeeron has finished her visit. It is time to send you back."

As soon as Zulin had spoken, he pushed a control on the desk and a door slid open revealing a small chamber along the wall. At the bottom and top of the chamber were circular recesses that had a slight blue glow.

Zulin then looked over at me with a concerned look, said, "I need you to step into the chamber. I will let you know how my negotiation goes with my superiors."

I hesitated for a moment, then walked over and entered. Immediately, there was a flash and I found myself in that same purple tunnel as before. After several minutes, there was another flash and I found myself standing in my room, in my home, on Earth. Fortunately, the door to my room was closed and I was alone. In my hand, was the book and the notepad I had been using in class. There was one problem and it was the fact that my van was still parked at the college. I looked at my watch and it was now 11:30 am.

Chapter 7
Zeeron's Time

Suddenly, I heard a female voice. "Hello Michael, I have a surprise for you. Your probably wondering why you cannot see me. There is one feature about this suit that you do not know about and that is invisibility."

"Is that you Zeeron? Where are you?" I cried out as I looked around.

" I have arranged a way to end Zulin's fasination with you and your kind. You will soon be commiting a horrible act of killing your mother who is now in the kitchen. Your people will put you away for a very long time."

"I would never do that." I insisted.

Suddenly, I found that I could no longer control my body. I found myself leaving my room and walking to the kitchen. As I entered the door, I could see my mother at the stove, icing some cupcakes she had baked earlier. I fought hard to regain control of my body but the force inside me was too strong. I found myself opening up a drawer and pulling out a large knife. I tried to call out but I could not. I placed the knife in my hand and approached mom from the back and was just about to plunge the knife into her when there was a flash.

I found myself inside the tunnel as before and then found myself back in Zulin's room on his planet. When I looked around, I found Zulin and another male of his kind who looked older and wearing a pale green suit with an emblem on the front. In the chamber along the wall, I could see Zeeron still in her suit and she appeared to be frozen in place with red and blue light surrounding her.

The older being who was not wearing his helmet, looked over at me, smiled, and began speaking, 'Hello Michael, we finally get to meet each other. I am what your kind would call a detective in our law enforcement organization. We had suspected that a group of our kind had come under the influence of dark forces and were busy at work promoting violence on lesser developed worlds. We had recieved word from a priest at a spiritual center who had recieved a message from the Lord Grish that Zeeron may be one of those in that group. Zeeron was placed under surveillance as we needed to catch her in the act."

After the older being had finished speaking, Zulin looked over at me, smiled, and said, "During the time when I was at the lake, I accidently came in contact with you while doing some surveilance of Zeeron.. It was after the contact that we decided to use it to lure Zeeron into commiting an act of violence. We are sorry if it brought any suffering to you. A being of our kind can use the suit to control the minds of lesser developed beings such as yourself. In our society, that is a serious criminal act.

"Now that you have caught Zeeron, what is to become of me?" I asked

Zulin then looked at me with that concerned look and replied, "I am sad to tell you that you must have your memory erased of all contact with us. It will be as it never happened. During the time I have known you, I have grown fond of you. Perhaps in a future life we may meet again. Good bye."

Suddenly, the older being extended his hand out with a small device and touched my head.

I was now sitting in class and it was 10:45 am and was looking forward to lunch. It had been a very cool morning and it had been raining. There was still slush on the side of the roads from the last snowfall......

Epilogue

Michael would continue his education to get a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice and soon after, would be admitted to the St. Louis Police Academy. Within two years, after becoming a police officer, he would be married to Donna, who would give him 2 boys and a girl. He would no longer have any memories of his past encounters with Zulin.

Alan would go on to graduate and become a first class mechanic. Eventually, he would own his own garage and body shop. He would get married to a girl named Sue Edwards from St. Louis, have 2 children, and end up with a divorce.

End