Authors: Summer Cooper
“
B
eannachtaí
!” Elle started when the being spoke. The voice was soft, and it registered as an alto feminine voice with rich tones and a gentle lilt. She blinked at the being as it continued, “Cad is ainm duit? Ní chreidim bhuail mé riamh agat.”
“I-” it struck her as bizarre that this entity that was clearly not of this world was speaking, from what little she could recognize of it, Irish. Poorly translated Irish, she guessed, but the words were there. “I don't... ” this being had clearly been here before, but landed in a different country. That meant that communication was entirely possible, but not until she could emphasize that she most certainly
didn't
speak Irish. “I'm sorry, but I can't understand you,” she finally managed to say through the whirring thoughts that threatened to render her speechless. The alien (was it offensive to call them that? She wasn't sure) tilted its head and regarded Elle for a moment before reaching out with a slender hand. Elle, unsure of what to do, was left frozen out of curiosity and anxiety.
The moment that the cool hand rested lightly on her shoulder, she felt... she wouldn't call it a jolt, but certainly a feeling akin to that of a gentle knock of knuckles against the proverbial door to her mind. Unsure of what to do, she simply allowed whatever was trying to happen, happen, and the flood of sensations she felt as this extra-terrestrial being softly, curiously prodded around in her mind, feeling for something to grasp onto, but clearly not wanting to be invasive or cause harm in the process. Elle watched the stranger's face as it skimmed the surface of her mind, fascinated with the brilliant blue and Alexandrite tones their eyes kept shifting between.
When the sensation ended and the being's long hand left her shoulder, Elle felt this strange sense of loss, as though she wouldn't be warm without that touch again, and was left gasping at the feeling of the figure parting from her on a physical and mental level simultaneously. They blinked at each other a moment, and the stranger's eyes changed color again with a tilt of its head, flecks of gold swirling around in their pupilless pools.
“Hiiiiii,” the being said slowly, as if to test her reaction to it. Elle swallowed.
“Hello,” she rasped with a meek little wave of her hand in greeting. That earned her a smile from the newcomer.
“Your language- it is different than the one that I learned when I last came,” the figure turned to look at their surroundings. “Where... is this?”
“You're,” she blinked stupidly, suddenly struck by how odd it was that she was more comfortable talking to this literal being of a different species than another human being. “You're in Chicago. It's a city in North America.”
“I see... ” they grew pensive, eyes taking on an amethyst hue. “I can only vaguely recall a map of your world. It is quite far from... ” it scrunched its face as it tried to recall the name. “'Ireland. It is quite far from Ireland, is it not?” Elle nodded.
“I... um... ” Elle struggled with how to word it. “Do you have a name?” The being blinked in surprise at her.
“Not... in your tongue,” it paused. “Should I make one? Would that make talking easier?”
“Yes,” Elle nodded. “My name is Elle.” There, she thought. Said politely enough that the chances of starting an intergalactic incident were decreased somewhat. The being smiled.
“Elle,” it said, as though tasting the name on its tongue. “It sounds nice. I like it,” the being concluded with a smile. “I am... a traveler of worlds. Do you have a name for that, or just, 'Traveler'?”
“Well,” it was embarrassing, really. She had a baby name picked for years to name her child that she was probably never going to have, but she had picked a name that meant, 'traveler,' in the hope that her child would go farther and to more places in the world than she could. But this person didn't need to know that, not right now. “Fara is a nice name. It means, 'traveler,' in a different language.” She paused as she thought of something. “But that's a more feminine name. I... I don't know your gender. I don't want to presume anything.”
“I like Fara,” the being, Fara, decided. “Call me Fara. We... we do not have, 'male,' and 'female,' where I come from.” Fara was clearly trying to make sure they had their words right.
“I had wondered if that was a thing elsewhere,” Elle mumbled, mostly to herself. Fara shook her head.
“Where I come from, there are, 'carriers,' and, 'non carriers.' Those who choose to carry offspring are the carriers. Otherwise, you simply are who you are.” Fara shrugged. It was such an oddly human gesture that Elle wondered if it had been learned the last time Fara was here, or if it was a trait that was shared among species.
“That's... fascinating,” Elle said earnestly. “We,” she cleared her throat, and reminded herself that they were in a very exposed area. “We should go somewhere else. Hide your ship so no one who wants to harm you can find you.” Fara nodded.
“I agree,” Fara turned toward their ship and walked to it. Fara placed a hand on the surface, and Elle watched as the crystal collapsed in on itself, and formed a much smaller gem, one akin to the size of a pendant on a necklace. Fara crouched low and plucked the gem off of the floor, now no larger than a fifty cent coin, and turned back toward Elle. As Fara placed the gem over where their chest would be, she finally noticed the muted silver socket that was mounted upon Fara's breast. The gem fit itself into the socket, flush against Fara's skin, and settled there with a hushed
click
.
“Well... that's... settled.” Elle said after she managed to pull herself out of her shocked state. “My car is parked up the hill from here,” she said once Fara had finished stowing her ship away. “We can go to my house, if that's alright?”
“Your dwelling?”
“Yeah,” Elle nodded. “I live alone, but I have a cat. There aren't many people there.” She pondered for a moment. “But I worry about someone seeing you. I might have some spare clothes you can borrow to blend-”
“There is no need,” Fara said, waving at the crystal on her chest that was once her ship. With a soft hum, the same matronly tone that sounded when the ship had opened, and Fara was again encased in a soft white glow. When the light receded, Fara was wrapped in an oversized hooded blue sweatshirt and jeans, with some generic looking sneakers on their feet. “The crystal that bore me here provides all that I need to blend into an environment,” Fara explained simply with another shrug before pulling the hood over their head. Elle nodded, and figured that was probably the best explanation that she could get while still grasping the concept, and together they made their way up the hill toward where Elle had set up shop for her stargazing.
“What is all of this here for?” Fara asked once they'd crested the hill. Elle fumbled in embarrassment as she tried to scoop up her belongings as hastily as possible.
“I like to come out here and look at the stars,” she said once everything had been unceremoniously stuffed into her trunk. “Sometimes I sketch things while I'm out here. It's peaceful.” She shrugged, trying not to blush and failing spectacularly.
“I do something similar in my observatory at home,” Fara spoke up once they had gotten into her car.
“Oh?” Elle said as she backed up to turn and head home. Fara nodded.
“Yes. The stars calm me. Travel is restricted where I live, but I come to different planets whenever I can,” Fara explained. “I've witnessed countless people come and go on several planets, this one included,” then hesitated. “You are the first to speak to me.”
“Truly?” Elle said, surprised. “You've just kind of... what, been a silent observer while you toured the galaxy before this?” Fara quirked her head in thought, eyes going emerald green.
“I usually landed in isolated places, away from civilization. By the time I saw others, I was already blended in with the crowd.” Fara hummed thoughtfully. “I have spoken to others, but none cared to know what to call me. They were too distracted with their own lives. It is the one thing that has been a constant, no matter what planet I travel to.” Fara looked away uncertainly. “This is... new to me. I am uncertain as to how I am supposed to behave.”
“Just be yourself,” Elle said with a shrug as they entered the city limits. “I don't really talk to people here. I have a few friends, but we're all usually too busy to really say much to each other at any given time. If it helps,” she grinned. “This is the first time I've ever spoken to a stranger this much, too.” Classmates and coworkers didn't count, not really, as the interaction was forced, she thought to herself. Fara laughed, a melodious sound that warmed Elle's heart in a foreign and unfamiliar way that she couldn't explain. “Here we are,” she croaked around the lump in her throat as they pulled into her driveway. Hopping out and grabbing all of her, 'star gazing gear' to bring inside.
“So this is your... home?” Elle nodded as she fumbled in pulling out her keys to unlock the front door.
“It's not much, I know, but it's a good enough place to keep my books and rest my head,” opening the door, she ushered Fara inside before hastily closing and bolting the door shut. Once she'd deposited everything but the cooler and thermos in the entryway closet, she turned toward Fara, transfixed as the newcomer pulled its hood down and reverently stepped around the house as if they were taking in a lost ruin of a civilization they didn't understand. When her cat, Socks, pounced up to perch on the kitchen table, Fara practically floated toward the silver tabby with a grace that was literally otherworldly to Elle. “That's Socks, my cat. She's friendly, I promise-” her usual warning of her cat's skittish nature died on her tongue as she watched Fara brush her cat's nose with a finger, and then, seemingly satisfied, bent to Sock's level on the table, purring like a real cat. Socks, evidently registering Fara's noises as friendly, began to nuzzle Fara's face affectionately.
“Socks is nice. I like her,” Fara said as she straightened with a nod. “She does not like loud noises. Others that come can be loud at first, so she runs. If they were quieter, she would like them quicker.” Fara smiled at her as though that just explained the most evident thing in the world to her.
“I... ” Elle swallowed, setting the cooler and thermos down on the table. “I had no idea. Here, please make yourself at home for the night. Can I get you anything?” After Elle led her toward the bedroom, Fara sat on the bed with such a light touch that Elle genuinely wondered if Fara were just floating above the mattress for fear of disturbing anything.
“I am content, but thank you for the offer,” Fara smiled affectionately. “You're very welcoming to someone you just met today. It is a welcome change of pace.”
“Ah, I'm usually too shy to really talk to people, but you... ” she shrugged lamely. “You seem to be able to read me very well- telepathy not included,” they both laughed. “I'm not used to being understood so easily by a complete stranger. I... I try to at least be friends with the few people that can sympathize with me so quickly.” She paused a moment, debating on whether it was considered polite to inquire about superhuman abilities before finally deciding that it was worth the risk. “If I may ask,” Elle said, taking a seat at her desk chair, across from the bed. “Can you learn how to communicate with any species by touching them? How does that work?” Fara tilted her head while pondering how to answer.
“It is... different than that, but only just,” and Elle nodded, eager to learn. “I learn how to speak to you, in the way that you understand best, by telepathic touch. It is how my kind can communicate safely with anyone we encounter, no matter where we go.”
“So when you were speaking Irish to me before... ”
“The last time I came here, I landed in Ireland. I shook someone's hand there, and from that, I learned how to speak Irish. The time that I landed on Earth before that, I landed in a place called, 'Italy,' and learned how to speak there.”
“That sounds... incredibly handy.” Fara nodded.
“It has helped me navigate places easier than I would have without the ability. Like I said- I have never spoken to another at length, and never about my species or that I am from another world. No one ever bothered before. This is... nice,” something akin to sadness tinged Fara's smile, and Elle felt the undeniable urge to try and chase it away with something less somber.
“It's nice for me, too,” Elle added, though perhaps a little too quickly. “I don't usually talk to other people. I've felt like I'm out of place here for so long, I gave up on making many friends outside of the ones I already have,” she wrapped her arms around herself. “And most of them are in other areas that I can't feasibly travel to,” she chuckled mirthlessly. “I almost forgot how to talk to a friend face to face, to be honest.”
“A... friend,” Fara said, testing the word before nodding slowly. “...Yes. A friend. Someone to confide in... perhaps find something deeper with,” Fara reached forward and held her small hands. Warmth, both internal and external flooded her being, and Elle felt something stronger than friendship- affection, solidarity, curiosity, all rushed through her veins on the current of her heartbeat, and it didn't take long to realize that the feelings were intensified because they were reciprocated by Fara. “I, too, know how it feels to be alone among those like myself. I have always wanted to travel and meet new people,” Fara sighed. “Travel is not forbidden, but it is heavily restricted. I can travel only so often, and for so long for each trip but I try to make the most of my time wherever I land.” Elle squeezed Fara's hands comfortingly. “This... this is the first time I have felt less isolated in a very long time.”
“I can sympathize,” she winced at the way her voice cracked with raw emotion. “I've always wanted to travel to places most humans don't get to go. I've always felt out of place here... ” she trailed off with a pathetic sniffle. She stifled a hushed gasp when Fara raised a wispy hand to tenderly brush away a tear that trailed down her cheek sluggishly. She blinked in surprise; she hadn't even realized that she was crying.
“You feel tired,” Fara said. Elle nodded, vaguely guessing that, because they were holding hands, Fara could feel what Elle was feeling. The day's events, as wonderful and exciting as they've been, wore her out physically, and the sensation of finding someone who
understood
her on a very deep level was so overwhelming her soul just begged for her to sleep and recuperate from the high it experienced for the first time. “Rest,” Fara gently lifted Elle and traded places, resting her down on her bed. Elle was too drained to crawl under the covers or feel surprise that Fara had the strength to lift her so effortlessly. “Tomorrow night, we shall catch a star for you.”