OCEAN FIVE by JIMMY BROOK - HTML preview

THAT   DAY

By  Jimmy Brook

A short story with a bit of the unusual and maybe a hint of something else.

Part One

David Lemming started his day as he always had. Down to the warehouse by

starting time of eight o’clock, and then to the small room where the manager gave his daily talk to the four employees, before going out to sort and unload and whatever else. A year and a half and it gave him a job and money to live on, and not so bad. Two of the fellows had been there before he came and were average and sociable. A couple of beers after work sometimes and the odd invite to a BBQ. The other fellow had only been there about six weeks. He was different. Very quiet, about twenty five or so and appeared to be a loner. Sometimes the butt of a light hearted prank by the other two, but he was certainly different.

Now David had his quirks. He was a thinker and took everyone as they were. Loved travel and science fiction, and had seen as many of those types of films as he could. It made him delve into the mind, to seek out answers and fantasies. He tried to engage Paul, for that was the name of the new bloke, but got little response, until one day he started telling Paul about the latest Star Trek movie and the fantastic plot. Paul actually shook his head and said in is quiet voice, that that was not possible. They should be looking at the gravitational shift mode of the nearest sun. David just felt, and looked, confused, at his statement, and decided that this new fellow was just a bit off this planet, so to speak.

That afternoon, a load slipped off a top pallet slightly, whilst Paul was working below. As it reached the point of no more balance, and started to tip, David, looked up and saw the danger. He yelled at Paul and pushed him sideways as a heavy box came down, missing both of them by a few centimetres. The manager was concerned and at the same time, annoyed at whoever had stacked the bay. No one admitted to it, of course, but told the two lucky staff to go and get a coffee. Paul didn’t seemed too upset but said little to his saviour. Then suddenly he reached inside his shirt and took out a round medallion, secured by a cord around his neck, and taking one of David’s hands, placed the medallion into it for a couple of seconds. “Thank you, for saving my body.” Then he replaced it inside his clothing, and with a smile, left the room.

“Odd”, said David to himself. “Most people would say saving my life.” Then he dismissed it and went back to work.

Exactly a week later, Paul did not show for work. The manager finally rang him but received no answer. After lunch, he grabbed David, and the two of them drove around to the rented flat that Paul had given as his address. No one answered the door but it was not locked. They looked at each other, then with a shrug, the boss opened the door and went in, followed by a hesitant David. They found Paul lying on the bedroom floor, face down. A quick look told them he was quite dead, although with no obvious signs of injury. A shocked manager rang the police, and then they sat out in the car to wait.

The next couple of hours were a blur to David. After endless questions, the manager was allowed to return to the business, promising to come into the police station tomorrow and give a statement. He told David to go home when he was allowed to. David sat out on a seat which he found outside the front door, and felt a bit of nausea, but this passed. The detective who had interviewed him, had finished his questions, and his offsider, a female sergeant, came to join him and check he was alright.

“My name is Anne. You doing OK?”

He nodded. “What happened to him, do you know?”

“Nothing obvious, but the autopsy will most likely tell us. Medical episode probably.” She hesitated then asked a question. “I know you have given a general background as you are aware of, but we found a piece of paper in his wallet. It had two words. ‘Landing Ground’. This mean anything to you?”

“Beats me. He never mentioned any landing ground to me. Actually never mentioned much to me at all. He wore a medallion of sorts around his neck, I remember.”

She walked inside and came back almost immediately. “Yes. It will be part of his effects we will collect. Don’t know what it is?”

“No. It did mean something to him, though.” He related the incident a week ago.

“Well if there is anything you can think of to help get some background, let us know. Want a lift home?”

He hadn’t thought about how he would go home. “Uh? Oh thanks. If you can give me a lift. Not far. Better make that the warehouse. My car is there”

In the car going back, he sat quietly. He had never seen a dead body before. Well, plenty in the films he had seen. Then an odd thought came into his mind. He would not have mentioned it, but it was a coincidence. “It’s funny, but those words. Landing Ground. Nothing to do this Paul tragedy, but I do a lot of photography and walking, and there is this native flower reserve near the edge of town..”

She interrupted him. “I know it. Ben and I often stroll around it. Sorry, I jumped in. Bad habit of mine. Go on.”

“No, it’s alright. If you go to the back there are some bike tracks in the bush, and along side one, there is some cleared ground. Not actually cleared, but just low scrub, no trees. Probably rock shelfs underneath. I call it the Landing Ground. Made it up. Sorry, just rambling. Still a bit shocked.”

She approached his work place as he indicated, and pulled up. “Ben and I might have seen it. We often walk around the tracks. Ben is my boyfriend. I should have said.”

“I wondered whether he was, or maybe your pet dog.” Then he blushed. “Sorry. That was a bit rude. I’m upset.”

“No worries. We’re getting married in a few months. You have one or both?”

He laughed. “No dog. But I do have girl friend, sort of. She goes to uni in the city and is only home on weekends. We are Game of Thrones addicts. Better shut my mouth whilst I’m ahead. Thanks for the lift.”

“Tell you what, David. I’m not working this afternoon, and neither is Ben. Want to spend a few minutes, and the three of us go check out this landing ground of yours? Take your mind off things and satisfy my curiosity. And get Ben off his computer.”

“Well, OK.” He sought of regretted saying yes. But he needed a diversion. Besides it was only a fifteen minutes walk or less. It was a strange connection.

Part Two

They agreed to meet in an hour at the entrance to the Reserve, and she and her boyfriend were already waiting, when he pulled up. ‘What a day’ he thought. Introductions out of the way, they stared walking. She had a camera, David took in, and suitable shoes. Girls often didn’t wear suitable footwear, he had noticed on his walks. Then he chided himself for generalising. Ben wrote computer software programs, and he was glad of a short break. Soon they reached the back gate and moved on to one of the numerous bike tracks. In no time at all, they were there.

“I know this spot,” she said. Ben shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose it could be a landing ground for helicopters, but it needs some clearing of bushes.”

“It’s just a name, “said David. “Not really a landing ground. My mind works in mysterious ways.” Then he gave a small laugh.

They walked off the track and onto the scrubby area. In the centre, Ben noticed sticks broken and bushes had been flattened. Anne thought it was interesting but didn’t offer an opinion on why. They walked back to the track. She went into her pack to retrieve a water bottle and gave a yell. “Cripes. I’ll get shot.” She pulled out an evidence bag containing a small item from Paul’s flat. It was the medallion that had been around the man’s neck.  “Somehow I forgot I had it. I need to get it back to the station as soon as possible. Or the DI is going to cane my knuckles.”

It was at that moment, that David was lost in thought. All sorts of things were going through his mind, and he was jumping his brain from one obscure thing to another. “I have something I want to try first, if you don’t think I’m too presumptuous. May I hold the bag?”

She hesitated but handed it over. Before she could object, he quickly removed the medallion from inside and held it in his hand, rubbing it like a magic lamp or whatever. As she simultaneously went to take it off him and say something, there was a sound that made them all stop. Then, in the middle of the cleared area, there appeared a shape. Like a small shed, but not a shed. More futuristic. About five metres long and three or so high. No openings. Ben caught his girlfriend as she started to feint, then recover. No one said a word. They couldn’t. Their mouths were frozen by shock then fear. David wanted to turn and run. Run back up the track, but he wouldn’t, without the others who did not move. All he could do was say “Hell. What have I done?”

Then an opening appeared in the side of the object and a few seconds later, some fast moving light came sailing over the trees from the direction of town and seemed to enter the craft or whatever it was. As they watched, the opening disappeared, and with the same sound they had heard earlier when it had arrived, it just vanished.

No one moved for several minutes. Then the most unusual thing happened. The medallion that was still in David’s hand, became warm to his touch and started to glow slightly. At the same time, he felt this wellbeing feeling, flow through his body. The other two looked at him and realised something was happening.

At that moment, the circular medallion seemed to move of it’s own accord then just disappeared. He was left with the thong, still in his palm. In that instant, he knew what had happened. He looked at the couple, who were quite pale. “We allowed him, Paul or who ever he was, to go home or somewhere, whatever. He needed his spirit to go and opening the craft, made that happen. I reckon there is only a human body left at the hospital. I Think that Paul is now gone.”

Anne spoke. “And the medallion?”

“It needed to go with him. That feeling I got, was a good one. It was Paul thanking me for doing it. The leather thong is what he left me. We need to go.”

David knew he was a bit blunt, but he did need to get away from that spot. His body could not take much more of this. They walked in silence back to the cars.

“Do you need the thong back, for evidence or something?” David broke the silence.

“What thong?” Anne replied, and looked up at a bird on a nearby branch. “If anything is said, which I doubt, I can remember the item but don’t know where it got to. My senior just told me to bag anything of interest. Since no crime has appeared to have happened, just an unfortunate death, our interest is now finished. And I’m sure no one will ever believe what we saw today down in the bush.”

David nodded. “Probably best. The thong is just for my private memory, no one else’s. Well, I guess that is it. Thanks for doing whatever you did.”

Ben chipped in. “BBQ next Saturday at our place. Join us. I want to get up to date on those dungeons and dragons thing.” He looked at Anne who smiled.

“Great,” she said. “I might even call our back patio ‘The Landing Ground’.

They all laughed and went their ways.

Jimmy Brook