The aliens that called themselves dryads came from a world where rain forests spilled out over the land and out into the sea on large floating mats. Somewhere, in the past, they’d developed camouflage so that they could blend in and escape the large, dangerous predators that stalked through those steamy environments.
Or so they told us.
When the All Tree came to Earth and lowered creatures living aboard it down to Mitad Del Mundo via space elevators, many of them had been dryads.
They’d wanted to tour the tropical rain forests of South America.
Some talked to reporters, though. I’d even seen one interview on Leno, and I’d watched the hastily made Discovery Channel ‘special’ episode all about them at least ten times while in the hotel room in New Mexico before the rocket flight.
And now I stared right at a giant collection of thorns, purple fronds and leaves, gnarly wooden-looking limbs, and a set of large, perfectly round green squid-eyes above a set of vampire-stake looking teeth.
Even its words were camouflaged. It hissed and sighed like the wind passing through a palm tree.
But at the same time, words boomed out from the large pod in the center of the plaza, translating the dryad. “Para.” It said in Spanish. I knew that word from class: “Stop!”
The policeman hauling me away by my arms froze.
With surprising grace the massive tree-looking alien stepped forward. Its legs jointed back and rearward like a cat’s, and then they grew into almost root-like thick, flared out stumps instead of feet. Just like a tree.
But, totally unlike any tree anyone was used to ever seeing: it moved.
A whole bunch of Spanish echoed from the loud translator voice for the aliens. I couldn’t even catch a single word, and I was too nervous about what was might happen next to focus and try. But a second later, an English translation came, as if for me. “The claim will be verified,” the translated voice boomed out across the plaza. “We will see if this is… Kadie Stephens.”
Out of the corner of my eye I could see people in brown vests with cameras snapping photos, and others recording what was going on and talking about it into other cameras.
I had no identification on me. No way to prove it.
The dryad moved even closer. It smelled like hibiscus flowers. There were petroglyph-like swirls carved into its obviously double-jointed arms. It shone a red, penlike light into my face. The red light shifted into the same blue glow that had surrounded me when I had first opened the box with the invitation in it.
A sigh with a gust of nutmeg from the alien filled my face.
“This… is Kadie Stephens,” the translation boomed across the square. The press ringing the plaza all murmured to each other. “The scan matches what our invitation reported back to us. Kadie will now enter the elevator, if he so wishes.”
For a long moment I looked around the square. In the distance, I could see Alan and Maddy, who’d started yelling at the policemen to grab me, now trying to explain themselves. They acted innocent and shocked, as if some great trick had been played on them, while the men in suits stood helplessly near the barricades.
I thought of Auntie Lynn. No matter what you decide…
I stood in the plaza for an eternal second, tossing my mind upside down like you do to a room when you have a hurry to get somewhere but you can’t find something just before you leave.
I could figure out how to get back to hiding in my cramped house, shared with all my different relatives. If that was even safe. Hoping the Just Rahim situation would settle down. That I wouldn’t be beaten within an inch of my life some time. Those were the bad things. I was also giving up shaved ice with flavor on a hot day. The beaches. My favorite books. Cable. The internet. What friends I did have on the block.
But in exchange, I could have the stars. An adventure of a lifetime. But one that would take me away from everything I’d ever known and leave me alone from now on.
More importantly, I wanted to just get away from Yggdrasil’s reach. And going back out into the hot sun of Ecuador wasn’t safe. I knew that for sure. They would have to honor their agreements to my parents now that I was seen in public and exposed their plan.
I thought about how lonely and scared I was at that alley in front of the market, and decided that risking going with the talking tree was the smarter move. I needed to see this through, and talk to other authorities.
“Don’t believe anything they say,” I told the aliens and pointed to Alan and Maddy. It was time to make some new friends. “They lie about everything.”
There was no response, so I turned and I walked up the soft, tongue-like ramp into the elevator pod.