Earth Man Read Free Page A

great oceans of this planet and now that it had arrived it was impatient. It had been apart from the other Growth for too long. It needed to find the scent of the First so that it could track it.
    “ The First. The First must be found,” was all it said, over and over again.
    Somewhere in the maze of li ghts was the object he sought, that which would allow the others to come and join him and the new, wet rock he had discovered. The Second coughed and wiped its mouth with the back of its ragged sleeves. A streak of dark blood stains its mouth and hand. Using a long crooked finger nail it drew an X in the blood. Looking down at itself it realizes it must find new dressings, the swim across the sea left little of its body or clothing intact. The small, inconsequential parts of its human victim had been eaten away by the sea creatures and it would need new flesh if it were to continue unobserved among the dominant species of the strange blue planet.
    Danny had lost count of how many times he ’d opened his eyes to new surroundings in the last twenty-four hours. He would wake up feeling fine, only to feel overwhelming nausea and dizziness. When he closed his eyes to try and make it stop, he’d fall back into the darkness of unconsciousness. This time however he saw his wife Helen standing over him and the darkness faded. As she leaned over him she smiled and swept back her short, curly red hair. His daughter Morgan, who was eight going on eighteen, leapt up onto the bed next to him. Although she looked like her father, Morgan had her mother’s hair with just a touch of Danny’s blonde through it. Morgan also had Danny’s blue eyes, a combination that made her quite striking when she wasn’t a little dishevelled mess. Morgan was all sweetness with ferocity much like a house cat; gentle but armed with her mother’s claws.
    “ Careful Morgan!” Helen said, bouncing on the bed, but Danny took his wife’s hand to let her know it was okay.
    Danny ’s oldest boy Raymond hung back; being thirteen he was no longer comfortable showing affection. Danny waved him over, pointing to the spot on the bed next to his sister. Ray scowled but hopped up next to him anyway.
    “ Daddy’s a bit bruised so take it easy, okay guys?” Danny said, pulling Ray close. He kissed his son on the head and although the boy scowled with his mouth, his eyes shined brightly.
    “ So you’re okay Dad?” Ray asked, trying to sound cool.
    “ Everything seems to be working, but I feel like I got run over by a car full of fat people.” The kids giggled at his joke.
    “ We thought you were in a coma.” Morgan said.
    Danny looked up at his wife. Obviously she must have overheard the word coma from an adult.
    “ You were out for two days.” Helen said matter-of-factly. Danny was once again surprised at her strength, amazed at how calm and cool she was.
    “ Two days? Shi. . . shoot. Did my work call?”
    “ Yeah. You’re fired. But we’re glad you are okay.” Helen replied, throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him on the temple and whispered in his ear.
    “ Don’t do that to me again, Dan.”
    As Danny kissed his wife on the lips he suddenly heard a sound from inside the room. It sounded like mice inside the walls, running around frantically behind the cheap plaster.
    “ You hear that?” he asked Helen, but she shook her head.
    “ What?”
    “ Nothing, sorry.” Danny said, kissing his wife a second time. The sound had stopped.
    “ What are you wearing Dad?” Ray asked, pointing at the hospital gown.
    “ Well this is what they give you when you are in the hospital. Something so ugly no one would ever steal it.”
    “ It kind of feels like a napkin.” Ray replied as he rubbed the edge between his two fingers.
    Danny reached out and grabbed the Toronto Blue Jays cap off Ray ’s head and put it on. It was too small and sat on top of his hair. Ray didn’t look like either of them, he had Danny’s face structure but his hair was a