Myron’s Secret

It was on the day of his eighteenth birthday that Myron finally became aware to the reality of the grim fact that he was a loser. He had finally come to terms and accepted this dire conclusion of his so-called life: He always was, and always would be, a failure. It seemed that he could never do anything right, especially when it mattered the most. No matter how hard he tried or practiced or prepared, he would always screw up.

He was short and had hunched-over shoulders. He also had acne so terrible that he could be a lifetime test case for any dermatologist. He had large feet and would often trip over them when he walked. He had many physical, mental, and social defects. Because of such defects, others took delight in abusing poor Myron.

Is that your face or did your neck throw up?

Can we borrow your skin, Myron? We want to do some mountain climbing.

Hey, Myron, the zoo just called. They’re done redecorating your cage.


Those were just many of the hundreds of mocks and ridicules.


Myron also realized that he never had any friends to cheer him up; therefore, without any peer support, his attitude toward life slowly took a downward spiral until it got to the point where he could never think positively. Without a pleasant attitude towards life, he had no initiative to do better. This made Myron a total spaz. And because Myron was a total spaz, it was common to do such things as spill food on himself as he ate in the school lunchroom. He often got lost on the way home from school. He would walk into trees or signposts. Passing cars would almost hit him as he attempted to cross the street. He often tripped and fell into puddles.

Myron had it so bad that he had no family or relatives. He never knew who his parents were. It was rumored that when Myron was a baby, he was left on someone else’s doorstep. Rumor or not, Myron was a child with no one claiming (or admitting) to be his parents. Myron was in many foster homes because no one wanted him for long, and because of the constant moving around, he never had a family he could call his own ... or love.

Another conclusion that Myron had made was that he was not dumb. Despite his low school grades and the fact that he never received a grade higher than a C on anything, Myron knew that his intelligence was, at least, average, if not slightly above. If that were the case, then why didn’t he do better in school? The first reason was the constant relocation of foster homes, which meant that Myron had to switch schools many times. The second reason was the constant taunting and sabotage from the other kids at school, which would make it extremely difficult to study. The other kids would make him late for class. They would hide his books or steal his homework. The third reason was that the teacher never called on Myron when he had his hand raised. The only time Myron was called was when he didn’t know the answer. This was because the other kids would constantly distract him by throwing wads of paper or erasers at him when the teacher wasn’t looking. In the eyes of the teacher, it appeared that Myron was slacking off and not paying attention to the lesson plan.

Somehow, Myron would just barely squeak by and get promoted to the next grade. Myron realized that perhaps he would have been better off if he got held back. Perhaps the chances of being picked on would decrease when in a class with younger students. Perhaps if he were held back a few times, he would get the extra special attention he needed from the teachers and get a better education for it. With just two months to go before the end of his senior year in high school, it appeared that Myron would graduate with the rest of the class. It was a mixed blessing. He knew that as soon as he graduated, the state would no longer be responsible for him. That meant no more foster homes. He would be on his own for good. It would be a bleak future. He had no money to even attend a junior college. He would have to take a menial labor job, perhaps as a janitor. On the surface, there was nothing in which to look forward.
Despite the bad hand that life had dealt him, and despite all the ridicule and ostracism that he was made to suffer, Myron had no contempt for his fellow man. Although, he had every right to hate because of the way he was treated, Myron had no animosity towards anyone. There was no rage being built up because of the many years of torment. Despite everything, Myron had a pleasant nature.

Myron knew that since he was an outcast and a misfit, the world would never take notice of him, and would never miss him if he was gone. Myron would constantly question himself: If the world had no use for him, wouldn’t it be a better place without him?

On several occasions, Myron contemplated suicide, but there were three reasons that prevented him. First, plain and simple, he was afraid to die. Secondly, even if he never feared death, he couldn’t figure out a quick and painless way to end his life. Like everything else he’d try to accomplish, he’d probably screw it up. If there was an afterlife, who was to say that he wouldn’t be just as much a loser in the spiritual world as he was in the living world?

The third, and most important reason, did not factor in until just recently.


Myron had a secret.


Myron had a secret that no else knew about. He didn’t share it with anyone. Ironically, he would have shared if there was anyone who ever bothered to listen. It was just as well. No one would have believed his secret anyway. At times, Myron wondered if he even believed it himself because the secret was so strange and bizarre.

Strange or not, it was a secret that ensured his very existence.


It all began only a few short days ago as Myron was walking home from school (after, of course, forgetting to bring home his homework and then losing his way). In other words, it started out as any other typical day.

“Yo, Myyyron! !”

Myron turned his head just in time for a mud ball to splatter over his acne-dominated face. Myron pulled out the tails of his plaid shirt from his pants and used them to wipe his eyes. Just after his vision cleared, Brandon “Ace” Anderson, captain of the varsity football team, took advantage of the element of surprise and rammed his shoulder into Myron causing his hapless victim to fly off his feet into a puddle of dirty rainwater. Still sitting in the puddle, Myron raised his head to see Ace’s massive muscular body standing before him. Ace and his friends were laughing hysterically.

“Hey, pizza face. I told you not to walk down my street. If I see you walking down here again, I’m gonna do more than give you a little bath. Oh, by the way, K-mart has platform shoes on sale this week. Ya might want to pick up a pair. They’ll help keep your knuckles from scrapping the ground as you walk.”

Myron could still hear the laughter from Ace and his marauders, even when they were already down the far side of the block.

Poor Myron just sat in the puddle for a few minutes, not quite sure what to do next. He thought it best to make sure Ace was far away before getting up. He if he got up too soon, Ace might have seen him and then come back to knock him down again. Myron had to hand it to Ace, despite the jock’s busy schedule of football, girls, and being an honor roll student, he still found time to harass people. It was flattering, in a twisted sort of way, to have the most popular guy in school bully him around.


When the coast appeared to be clear, Myron slowly got up. It was then that he noticed that the bright, blue, sunny sky had suddenly gone dark. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimmer from the clouds. It was like that little piece of light-glimmer that reflected off a mirror. He refocused his vision to the clouds in which he had caught the glimmer, but nothing was there. Myron shook his head believing that the glimmer probably came off the glare from the window of a house. Perhaps, some mischievous child was inside one of those houses and flashed him with a hand mirror as a joke. The sky, however, was still dark. He didn’t imagine that. Was it going to rain?

Suddenly, it appeared. The object moved slowly, parting the soft clouds out of the way as it passed. It was huge! The object was shaped like a pyramid. It was composed of a metal so shiny that Myron had to avert his gaze every few seconds or else the glare would hurt his eyes. Myron cleared the dirt from his eyes so he could get a clearer look. He just stood there for several minutes and stared at the object in total awe. The object was just hovering gracefully in the pale, dark sky. It was magnificent! It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Then the object hovered down slowly so that it was now about a hundred feet above him. Myron was able to get a very good look at the silver pyramid. It was even larger than he thought.

“This is incredible!” Myron muttered to himself.

A man who was passing by had heard Myron. “Did you say something? Are you talking to me?”

“Wow, would you look at that!”

“What?”

“That thing,” Myron pointed to the sky. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I wonder what it is. Could it be one of those experimental air force planes?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” The man looked at him strangely.

“The silver pyramid floating in the sky. What else?”

“I don’t see anything except an overcast sky.”

“What do you mean? It’s hovering right above us. It’s as plain as day. It’s so huge. How can you not see it?”

“You’re nuts, boy,” shouted the man. “Go home and take your medication.” The man walked away quickly and shook his head.
Even as the man walked out of sight, Myron was still staring at the object. It was starting to descend.

“It’s got to be real. I’m not imag---.” Before Myron could finish his sentence, a ray of black light shot out from the pyramid. It hit Myron. It engulfed him. All Myron could see around him was blackness. He waved his arms around. He could actually feel the light. It felt like he was under a pool of soft, cool water but he wasn’t getting wet. He could feel it pass to and from his lungs as he breathed. It wasn’t choking him. It felt like the vapor given off by a cough drop. It was cool and refreshing. It had a calm and soothing feeling to his body. He could feel his breathing getting slower. His heart was slowing down. It was almost as if the black light (if it was light) was keeping his body from becoming fearful or anxious. A strange thing like this should make someone afraid or panic, but the light was preventing this. Myron was not afraid. He was fascinated. Slowly, he felt the blackness make his body tingle. What he was experiencing was not painful or uncomfortable. His mind was starting to go numb. He blacked out.


* * * *


When Myron regained consciousness, he felt very vigorous and refreshed. To his surprise, he found that he was no longer stained with dirty puddle water. He was in a dark room in which the walls glowed and shimmered many different colors. Some of the colors he had never seen before or could ever describe to others. Myron was resting on what he believed to be some sort of mattress. His first instinct was to get up and look around, but he didn’t because he never felt so comfortable or relaxed in his life. Myron looked at the floor and made a startling discovery. There were no legs underneath in which to support the mattress! It was just sitting in the air by itself by means of some sort of levitation. Myron, once again, began to question his sanity. There were no such things as flying pyramids or beds that float on air. This had to be a dream! Myron tried to wake up but he couldn’t. He was still in the room with the shimmering walls. He was still on the floating bed.

There was one test to make sure. Myron reached into his back pocket and found that his wallet was still there. He pulled it out and looked for his student identification card. Myron remembered something in one of his science books about the human brain. It was divided into two hemispheres. Each half performed different functions such as seeing, thinking, hearing, and all that. He distinctly remembered that reading and dreaming where not done in the same half of the brain. If he were dreaming, he wouldn’t be using the half that reads, so it would be impossible to read anything while he was dreaming. If he was dreaming, he wouldn’t be able to make out the words on the card. It would interpret as nothing more than garbled goop.

To his surprise, Myron was able to read every word. Then he was not dreaming. Perhaps he heard wrong and it was possible to read in a dream. Perhaps he only believed he was reading. Was he being tricked by his own dream? Was he losing his mind?

The matter was soon forgotten when Myron noticed that a figure had entered the room. He could not make out who it was because the shadows and darkness of the room covered the figure.

“Hello, Myron,” the figure said in a calm, cool, and soothing voice. “Are you well?”

“Uh, yeah.” Myron answered with a puzzled look on his face.

“That’s good. It's been a long time since I spoke English. Languages constantly change and adapt over time. I, myself, can speak over a thousand.”

“I see.” Myron answered not believing the speaker. Who was he kidding? No one can speak over a thousand different languages.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No ... thank you. Just some explanations, please.”

“Explanation?”

“Yeah, like who are you? What is this place?”

“But of course, Myron. Please excuse me. I am the Captain of his vessel.”

“Vessel?”

“Yes, this spaceship. We brought you aboard.”

“You mean the pyramid?” Myron said excitedly. “Then I really did see it. I wasn’t imagining. I’m not going crazy. Am I?”

“I assure you Myron that you are not losing your mind. Everything that you are experiencing is quite real.”

“Then how come that other guy in the street didn’t see you?” Myron was polite and cautious in his accusation.

“We can only be seen by those we wish to be seen by. In this case, we only wished to be seen by you. We could cause great harm if the wrong persons were to see us and report our existence to the authorities. Although we can conceal our ship from the eyes of others, we cannot conceal the means by which we bring others aboard. We didn’t bring you aboard until we made sure that there were no other witnesses. That’s why it seemed that we were hovering aimlessly. Otherwise, we would have put you aboard sooner. We can’t just have you suddenly be engulfed by a beam of strange black light in plain sight of others.”

“I see what you mean.”

“I assure you that our means were necessary. It is not our intention to drive you mad. My people do not take pleasure in tormenting the minds of others.”

“Your people?” Myron said more puzzled than ever. “You talk as if you’re not from around here. Is that right?”

“Correct.”

“Then I was right. You’re an alien!”

“Quite correct. I am not of your world, nor of your solar system, nor of your galaxy.”


There was a long pause of silence.
Myron didn’t know want to say next.


Finally, the Captain spoke again. “Listen, Myron, it is my intention to establish a mutual trust between us. For that to happen, you will need to see what I look like. I’m going to step out of the shadows and into the light. Please remember that no one aboard this ship has any wish to see you harmed. There is no need to be afraid.”

“Okay.” Myron sat up and prepared himself for a possible shock.
The Captain slowly moved out of the darkness and into the lighted area of the room in which Myron was sitting. The few steps in which the Captain needed to take seemed like an endless eternity of suspense for poor Myron. He had no idea what to expect. Myron wasn’t sure what made him more nervous. Was it what lurked in the shadows? Or was it the mere anticipation of the forthcoming unknown? This alien could be a hairy monster with snakes growing out of its body. It could snatch him at any moment and paralyze him with oozing tentacles. Perhaps this alien needed a host to lay its eggs, so when they hatched, there would be a nice food supply ready for them.

The first detail that Myron could make out was that the Captain was humanoid. He was a tall and slender being. Perhaps a little over six feet tall. His arms were long and slender as well. He was then able to make out the clothing. What Myron believed to be a uniform that the Captain was wearing was not a uniform at all. The Captain was wearing a suit and tie! He was dressed like a C.E.O. of a fortune 500 company. The suit was a silver-gray color. The tie was red and tied around the Captains neck with a smooth windsor knot. Myron remembered how totally inept he was at tying a windsor knot (or any other tie knot for that matter). The few occasions, in which Myron had to wear a tie, it was a clip-on. Myron hated clip-ons because the other students would constantly yank it off his neck. In his later years, Myron did break down and bought a regular tie only because the sales clerk took pity on him and made the knot for him. To this day, Myron never untied that wonderful knot. He would take the tie off by loosening the knot just far enough to get the tie over his head. Then he would keep the still-knotted tie looped over a hanger should he ever need to wear it again. This was one of the few times Myron didn’t feel like a loser as plenty of other kids did the very same thing as they were inept at tying a tie as well.

On the label of the Captain’s suit was a pin. The pin was a silver pyramid centered behind an orange oval disk.

Then Myron was able to make out the face. It was human. It was youthful. It was beautiful! The being that stood before him could pass for a human except for the eyes. They had no irises or pupils. They weren’t even white. The eyes were a solid, soft, blue color. Myron marveled at the youthful and handsome face. The Captain’s hair, in which not a single strand was out of place, waved to the back of the head and reminded Myron of a gentle sea. His face was clear, smooth, and unblemished. Myron contrasted it to his own pathetic face, which was covered with pimples, acne, and blackheads. His eyes had the look of innocence. This was the type of innocence in which such a being did not torment or experience torment from his fellow race. Much like the voice, Myron found the Captain’s appearance soothing and pleasing. The more Myron looked at the Captain, the more at ease he felt. Myron could fell an aura of peace and contentment radiate from this strange, marvelous, and unique being. Myron would have been content to stare at him for hours.

“I hope my appearance does not offend you,” said the Captain.

“No. You’re just like me. I mean ... you don’t look like me. You’re beautiful and I’m grotesque. What I mean is that you’re human just like me ... except for the eyes. If you wore dark glasses you could walk around Earth and no one would know that you’re from another planet. You even dress the same. Do you wear the same clothes on your planet?”

“Not quite, Myron. I wore these clothes so that I wouldn’t frighten or confuse you. Appearing in ‘traditional alien garb’ on our initial meeting might be too much for you. We also dress this way because on some occasions we need to interact with your people without exposing our identity. And you are correct; we sometimes wear dark glasses to hide our eyes. Mostly, we wear sophisticated contact lenses we make our eyes appear as yours.

We do, however, try to keep our interactions with your people to a minimum. The knowledge of our existence could be disastrous to both parties involved.”

“This is so unbelievable!” Myron still stared in awe. You look like a male super-model. You’re skin is so clear. I wouldn’t mind having clear skin for a change, even if it meant having eyes that are all blue.” Myron almost wanted to touch the alien’s beautiful face, but didn’t do so because he felt that doing so would be embarrassing.

“Thank you,” answered the Captain. “However, cannot someone be beautiful without their outward appearance being pleasing to the eye? Which brings us to the reason as to why you were brought here.”

“Brought me here? Then you just didn’t bring me aboard on a whim? It was your intention to seek me out the whole time?”

“Of course, Myron. We’ve been searching for people like you for a long time.”

“Why?”

“Because we need you to help us solve a problem.”

“You need my help?” Myron was in sheer disbelief. “How can I possible help you? You don’t look like you need help from anyone. You already appear to have everything going for you. I mean ... you seem so ... perfect.”

The Captain sighed. “That is the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can explain. May I sit down?”

“Sure. Why do you even need to ask? It’s your ship.”

“Thank you,” the Captain said as a two-foot diameter flat disc that began to float towards him. It halted only a few feet away from the levitating bed in which Myron was sitting. The Captain sat on the levitating disk. Like the bed, it remained in the air without anything to support it.


“At one time, as it was written in our historical records, that my race was much like yours. We were cruel, barbaric, and savage. We warred upon others who didn’t share the same religious beliefs or political opinions. We hated others simply because they were different from ourselves. The strong took advantage of those that were weak. It became so bad, that we began to kill each other merely for the pleasure of it. We grew bored killing with hand-to-hand weapons, so we began to invent weapons that could kill millions at one time. These weapons gave off radiation that began to take its toll on the environment. Eventually, people began to die in droves. This time it wasn’t from killing each other. Rather, it was from starvation, contaminated food, poisoned water, polluted air, radiation sickness, and other diseases. Females could no longer bear children. Our race was slowly being wiped away from existence forever.

There were a few of my ancestors who still considered themselves civilized. This same group had the foresight to escape into deep, underground shelters. It was there that they would remain until the fighting stopped and until all the barbarians had killed each other or were wiped out by plague and disease. They would wait until the environment was safe so that they would return to the surface and start again. They placed themselves in special chambers to put themselves into suspended animation. They slept for thousands of years until the computer environmental sensors signaled the alarm that it was safe to return to the surface.

There were those that feared that some might revert back to the barbaric ways of the past. That was when the scientists began to alter our reproductive system. At first, the purpose of this was to control the birthrate of the new colony. At that time, supplies were low and the workforce could only produce a limited amount of food to sustain a small number of people. Everyone, at that time, agreed. They couldn’t risk overpopulation until we built the proper resources to take care of large numbers of people.

The plan worked over the next few years and our reproductive sciences became more advanced as well. Not only were we able to control the birthrate, but also were we able to wipe out infant mortality, disease, and birth defects. We learned to live long and prosperous lives. We discovered energy sources that didn’t pollute the environment. For example, our ship returns on power that is absorbed from nearby stars. At this moment, your sun is our power source.

The breeding became so advanced that we were able to produce beings incapable of hate. No one was being born with the evil gene. We became then, what we are today. We are a peaceful united people.”

“What’s so bad about that?” Myron finally interrupted.

“In our rebirth, we have lost something.”

“What’s that?”

“Errors. Mistakes. At the rate we are going, we will soon breed ourselves into Perfect Beings.”

Again Myron argued. “I still don’t see why that is bad. You could be almost like God. Isn’t he suppose to be a Perfect Being?”

“But God is all-powerful and all-knowing. We are not. God is a Supreme Being. That is the price for omniscience. However, we are not omniscient. We are still mere mortals. If we were Supreme Beings, perfection would be a blessing. Being a Perfect Mortal is a curse.”

“I’ll gladly trade positions with you.”

“No, Myron! Don’t say that. Without errors and mistakes to keep us on our toes, our lives are boring. We live in a rut. We live our lives without ever knowing if we did a good job. We are slowly becoming more like machines ... mechanical robots ... even zombies. They have no souls. And if we continue on this trend, we will be soulless beings as well.” The Captain looked to Myron and saw that he wasn’t getting his point across. He tried another approach. “Myron, have you done anything in which you found pride?”

“Well,” Myron paused to think. “I remember studying all night for an algebra test and I got my first C. As a matter of fact, it was a grade I could never surpass.”

“How did it feel to get that grade?”

“It felt great. It might not have been great for anyone smarter, but for a stupid person like me, I was on top of the world ... even if it was for a few, brief moments.”

“I have never experienced euphoria like that. Do you know what it is like to be captain of this ship, yet not being capable of taking pride of a job well done? I was breed to do this job. I didn’t have to compete for this position. I never had to earn it. I was breed to love my mate and my offspring. I want to love them from my own free will. I am programmed like a machine to co-exist with others. If we are to prevent becoming machines, we will need some one to re-educate our behavior. We need someone to teach us how to make errors and mistakes. We have searched the cosmos for beings of perfect imperfection. Now, our search is over. We have found you, Myron!”

“Gee, thanks a lot.” Myron answered sarcastically.

“You don’t understand, Myron. We want to learn how to make errors and mistakes again. However, we don’t want to get corrupted with evil in the process. You make plenty of mistakes, yet you are not evil. You are the only being to fit such a description. You are good and just. Despite all the injustices and atrocities that you were forced to suffer at the hands of your fellow beings, you do not hate. You have no contempt for anyone else.”

“Thank you ... I think.”

“We envy you, Myron. For you, life is a challenge. It can be exciting. Hopefully, it can be that way again for us. Teach us to be like you. We are in dire need and only you can save us.”

“But with mistakes, there will also be the feelings of disappointment and failure,” Myron exclaimed.

“My people have already discussed that option and we still agree that it is still the better way. Will you come with us to our world? Will you teach us and allow us to learn from you?”

“You really want me to go home with you and be your teacher?”

“Yes, Myron, that and much, much more.” The Captain reassured him. “We not only want you as our teacher, but also need you to serve as our new ruler.”

“What? You’re kidding me.”

“This is no joking matter, Myron”

“What about the ruler you have now? Don’t you have to have an election or something?”

“The natural lifespan of our present ruler will come to an end soon. It is his right to choose his successor and he has picked you, Myron, to lead our people into salvation. He insisted on it and everyone else agrees. I promise that it will not be a difficult ordeal for you. A full staff will assist you. All your needs will be provided. I have already learned so much from you in just the few moments we’ve been talking. What do you say, Myron? Are you willing to consider accepting the position? The choice must be of your own free will. We will not compel you do to anything against your will. We will not take revenge if you refuse. We will merely put you back where we found you and leave this world in peace and we will never trouble you again. Take all the time you need. We will respect any decision you make.”

“You want me? You need my help?” Myron sorted out his thoughts. Should he stay on Earth and continue his existence as a perpetual loser or go to another world were he was needed and appreciated? It was a no-brainer. For the first time in his life, Myron had a purpose. This was his calling and he wasn’t about to pass it up. “I don’t need any time to think this over. You got a deal, Captain. I accept. Take me. I’m yours!”

“Excellent, Myron. I knew you wouldn’t let us down. I will inform my superior’s back home so that they may prepare for your arrival. Your body must be altered slightly so that you can survive the journey to our world. In your present physical condition, the stress of space travel would kill you. Do not be afraid, the changes to your physical structure will be subtle and painless ... but it will take some time. The changes must be gradual so that no stress is put on your body. As a matter of fact, the process has started while you were on this ship. I bet you didn’t know that.”

“What do you mean? I don’t feel any different.”

“As I have said, most of the changes are subtle and gradual, but some of the results you will see right away.” The Captain then handed Myron a small compact mirror. “Look at your face.”

The Captain handed Myron a mirror and when he looked into it, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His face had cleared up. All his black heads and most of his acne were gone. He still had a few pimples, but no more than any normal teenager. For the first time, Myron no longer saw an ugly face that scared away girls and small children. His face was actually like everyone else.
“I don’t believe this. For years, I’ve tried to control my acne. I’ve seen dermatologists. I’ve tried all kinds of lotions, salves, ointments and other medications with no results. My acne was so bad that I couldn’t even stand to look at myself. Now my face is ... normal. Can I even dare to say that it could even almost be attractive?”

“Consider your new face to be a down payment on services to be rendered. That’s only the beginning. Over the next ninety days, your body will become more unblemished. Your lungs will become stronger as will your muscles. Your mental capacity will increase. You will find it easier to learn and retain information.”

“Ninety days,” Myron couldn’t believe it. “And that’s when I’ll be ready for the trip?”

“Correct,” answered the Captain.

“But if I change for the better, I’ll be less imperfect. Will I still be a suitable subject to lead your people?”

“Your outward physical appearance may change, but not the memory of your knowledge and past experiences. That is what we require.” Then the Captain approached Myron and placed a thin necklace around his neck. “Keep this on your person at all times, even when you sleep and bathe. It may look like a worthless piece of jewelry but it a sophisticated piece of equipment that has several functions. First, it will monitor and regulate the changes to your body in a safe and timely matter. Second, it will also alert us when your changes are complete so that you are ready for transport. Third, and most important, it will protect you from all harm. It would be very dangerous, if you were to suffer any injuries during your metamorphosis.”

“Protect me? How?”

“It various on the danger. Sometimes, it could send a message to your mind, warning you that you are placing yourself in a dangerous situation. Other times it will react for your body. For example, should someone throw a rock at you without you seeing it come at you, the necklace will make your body involuntarily move out of the way. It could also activate and surround your body with an invisible force field so that any hurled objects harmlessly bounce off you. The same thing could happen if anyone tries to physically attack you.”

“So I can actually go home from school without having to worry about getting pushed in mud puddles or beaten up?”

“Yes. Your last days on your world will be without suffering any physical abuse from your classmates. Unfortunately, it cannot protect you from the ongoing verbal abuse, taunts, or mockery. We still believe in the right to free speech even if those words are mean spirited.”

“That’s okay. Words can’t hurt me. I can deal with the teasing because I’ve learned to block it out. Cuts and bruises are a totally different story.” Myron examined the necklace and had another thought. “Are you sure you want to trust me with this? What if I loose it? What if it falls into the wrong hands? What if I abuse its power? I could turn the tables on the bullies at school. I could beat them up and make the necklace protect me from getting beaten up in return.”

The Captain smiled. “Not to worry. You and the necklace share a mental link. You will find each other if you should get separated. No one else can use it because it is bonded to you. I also know that you will not abuse its power. That is not your nature, but even if it were, you wouldn’t be able to do it. The necklace will not protect you should you try to perform an act of violence on someone else unless such an act in self-defense. It is a defense device only, not a weapon. We have no use for weapons since we do not harm others, but we still must make such devices because there are others that do not share our view and may wish to harm us.”

“A fair trade off,” Myron tucked the necklace under his shirt. “I get protected from harm at the cost of not being able to harm others. And you’re right, I don’t have a need to get even with anybody ... especially now.” In his mind, Myron felt a very subtle presence. It was calm and soothing. It was coming from the necklace! “I can hear it talking to me, Captain. It’s telling me that everything going to be all right ... but it’s not telling me in words. I almost like I can feel it talking to me, almost like a thought process. It’s almost like the necklace was alive.”

“In a way, it is, Myron. You are now a part of each other. You give it a sentient form of life. It lives because you live.”

“What do I need to do to make sure it keeps running? Do I need to change batteries or something? What’s the source of power?”

“Solar energy,” answered the Captain. “The same power as this ship. All you need do is make sure you expose it to sunlight for a few minutes each day. If sunlight is unavailable, then any other form of light will suffice but it may need to be exposed longer. The necklace will tell you when it needs to recharge.”

“And it will tell you when I’m ready? In three months?”

“Correct.”

“And you won’t forget to come get me or check, just in case, you don’t receive the signal from the necklace?”

“Absolutely.”

“Captain, will you be here to pick me up or will it be someone else.”

“I will be here if that is your wish.”

“It is.”

“Myron, I’m afraid our time must now come to an end. We must send you back now. Before I do, you must remember that you cannot tell anyone what has just happened. You must not tell a living soul. You cannot even tell even a single person. No one! You must not even speak of this, even in jest. It is vital that our mission and existence remain secret to the others of your world. I know it will be difficult to remain silent about this, but you must fight any temptation to speak of this matter.”

“Who would I tell?” laughed Myron. “Who would believe me? No one’s ever bothered to stop and listen to anything I had to say.”

“Nevertheless, Myron, no one else must know. It will be our secret.”

“I swear, Captain. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Excellent.” The Captain touched Myron’s shoulder. “We will see you again in three months time. Goodbye, for now, friend.”

Myron then got a lump in his throat. He thought he was going to cry. “No one has ever called me friend before.”

“Fear not, Myron. You will soon have many friends.”


The room began to fade into darkness and Myron began to feel the mist surround him. It was the same cool mist that had engulfed him when he was transported to the alien ship. Myron felt his eyes get heavy as though they wanted to sleep. Myron didn’t fight off the urge for he knew that no harm would come to him. He just let his body go limp just as if he were in a sea of gentle tides and just let himself drift off.


* * * *


Myron had finally opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he was asleep for just seconds, minutes, hours, or even days. He was standing in the very same spot as before he was taken aboard the ship. Myron looked about the sky but saw no traces of the strange pyramid. Was it all just a dream? At this point, he wasn’t even sure.

Then he remembered the necklace. He reached under his shirt and pulled it out. He could feel it tell him that everything was going to be all right.

“It really happened,” muttered Myron. “It wasn’t a dream.”

Then something shiny on the sidewalk caught his eye and momentarily distracted him. It was a set of keys on a key ring. Myron could feel his own set of keys in his pocket so he knew that the ones on the ground didn’t belong to him. Someone else had dropped them. Myron picked them up to see if they had a name so that he could possibly return them.

“Hey, dork, those are mine. Give them back.”

Myron turned his head to see Ace and friends standing just a few feet away from him. Ace had obviously doubled back when he realized that he probably dropped his keys when he tackled Myron. Not wanting any trouble, Myron tossed the keys to Ace.

Ace looked at Myron strangely. “There’s something different about you.”

Myron figured that perhaps Ace wasn’t use to seeing him without acne all over his face. Myron wanted to hear it for himself. “How’s that, Ace?”
“Never mind,” Ace seemed frustrated that he couldn’t put the finger on Myron’s change. “What’s the big idea of trying to steal my keys?” Now the frustration turned to anger, which he wanted to take out on Myron. Inflicting one humiliation for the day was not enough to satisfy his ego.

Normally, Myron would have just played along and begged for Ace’s forgiveness. This time, the necklace told him to hold his ground. He had nothing to fear because no harm was ever going to come to him again. “What are you talking about, Ace? They were dropped on the sidewalk and I just picked them up.”

“Liar,” said Ace. “Now apologize and kiss my feet and I’ll just let you off with only a warning.”

“Forget it, Ace. I’m not apologizing for something I didn’t do. The keys must have fallen out of your pocket when you tackled me. No one’s that stupid to try to rip you off… especially me.”

The rest of Ace’s friends were surprised by Myron sudden development of a backbone.

“Forget this dweeb,” said one of Ace’s friends. “Let’s just get out of here and hit the mall...”

“Not until he kisses my feet!” Ace demanded.

“For crying out loud,” said Myron. “Aren’t you a little old to still be doing this? Everyone else gave up that baby game in grammar school, so why can’t you, Ace?”

The crowd oooohed and ahhhhed at Ace. They knew Myron was right. The only person looking like a jackass from this point was Ace. Some laughs and giggles now came toward Ace’s direction. For once, the ridicule was aimed at someone else besides Myron.

Ace was not used to being laughed at. Somehow Myron had made him lose face in the presence of friends who normally looked up to him. His anger took over. His ego now compelled him to make Myron pay. It was the only way Ace could regain his stature amongst his peers. “That’s it, dork! I tried to let you do this the easy way ... but since you want to do it the hard way...”

With lightning speed, Ace rushed at Myron so that he could knock him down just like he did earlier. Myron instinctively put up his arms to help absorb the impact. Then, somehow, without even doing anything, Myron felt his body twist sharply out of the way. He turned his head to see Ace whiz right past him. Ace suddenly stopped, somewhat dazed and confused that all he caught was air. Myron knew that it was the necklace that moved his body out of the way. It actually worked! It did protect him!

More laughs emerged from Ace’s friends. “How could you miss him, Ace? He was standing right in front of you like a tackling dummy.”

Ace grunted and made a fist.

Myron knew he was going to get hit in the face but the necklace told him to hold his ground again. With total trust, Myron folded his arms and let Ace swing away at his face. Myron couldn’t help it, but his own reflexes made him close his eyes. He heard the impact of the fist; however, he didn’t feel the impact. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ace a feet away shaking his hand in the air. Ace’s face had a grimace of pain.

“Oh, crap,” yelled Ace. “I think I broke my hand.”

“Ace, are you all right?” Myron said. The necklace told him not to be concerned. The hand was not broken, but would merely swell up and be sore for a few days.

The crowd roared with laughter when they realized that Myron had taken Aces’ punch.

“Shut up! Shut up!” Ace yelled his friends. “Stop laughing or I’ll lay down the smack on you.”

This only resulted in a barrage of insults.

“Sure, Ace. Just like you laid the smack down on Myron.”

“Yeah, big shot football player can’t even take out a dweeb like Myron.”

“Wait until everyone at school hears about this.”

“Hey, Ace, I guess all those stories I hear about all those people you supposedly beat up was just a crock. Now that I think out it, you only start stuff with people you know won’t fight back ... like Myron.”

“This time Myron called your bluff.”

“You’re such a jerk, Ace.”

Then the crowd abandoned Ace leaving him alone with Myron.

“Where are ya’ going? Come back!” Ace’s pleas were in vain. “I was just goofing around. Come back here and I’ll really smack him around.”

“Let it go, Ace,” said Myron.

“Shut up, dork!”

“Doesn’t feel good to hear people laugh at you? Welcome to my world. Don’t worry. This whole thing will blow over in a couple of days. If I can put up with it for eighteen years; you can handle it for a couple of days. Just remember what you’re feeling now, the next time you decide to mess with someone else.”

“What do you know, Myron. This isn’t over. The next time, I’ll...”

“You won’t do anything, Ace.” Myron answered confidently. “You’ll go on with your life and I’ll do the same. In three months time, I won’t even have to look at you.”

Ace began to back off. “There’s something screwy going on with you. Something’s change with you. What’s your deal?”

“It’s my secret.” Myron smiled and walked away.