Seth

“Come on sweetie. I know you’re tired, but you have to eat something.”

The boy lay swaddled in two thick comforters that had been freshly warmed in the dryer, cradled securely in Jennifer’s arms. She sat with her back against the headboard as she held him, his pale, wan face turned towards hers as she coaxed him back to consciousness.

Things had been touch and go since she had retrieved him—cold, unresponsive, and clearly starving—from his hiding place at the back of the barn. She had managed to make it back to the house in record time and had immediately swept into action, first by raising the thermostat to a sweltering eighty-eight degrees, and then drawing him a hot bath. She had been unsure how his body would react to being immersed in water, but when his lips had turned blue and he had begun shivering uncontrollably, she decided it was the lesser of two evils.

She had gotten into the tub with him and held him close to her as the hot water soaked into her clothes, brushing handfuls of it through his hair and rubbing his arms and legs to get the circulation going again. He had endured all of this in relative silence, only now and again whimpering in that heart-rending way of his whenever the slightest breeze touched his exposed skin. By now the house had warmed considerably, and careful not to slip and fall in the tub, she quickly wrapped him in several thick towels. He felt terribly light as she held him to her while she dried him off, and she knew that he had to eat soon.

He would have to eat constantly in order to stay alive, and she knew that finding the remaining rocks would take precedence over everything else.

“That’s it, you’re going to be fine.”

She somehow managed to toss several more towels into the dryer to warm while she cradled him in one arm against her, and when the timer started clicking away she hurried into the kitchen. There was no time to prepare anything that required cooking, and he was far too weak to be able to handle chewing, so what was she to do?

She spied a bottle of chocolate syrup in one of the glass-doored cupboards and immediately ran to it, nearly slipping on the linoleum floor. Her own clothes were soaked through and through but she was barely conscious of it as she snatched the gallon of milk out of the fridge and upended the contents of the entire syrup bottle into it. With several hearty swishes, she was satisfied that it was reasonably mixed, and she quickly poured some into a plastic glass. She held it up to his lips, which were a little less blue but still frightfully slack.

“Seth? Seth, please.” A little bit of the chocolate milk dribbled down his chin, but after a tense few moments where she was sure he wasn’t going to respond, the tip of his tongue flashed out as he tasted it. In an instant his mouth clamped down on the glass and he began to swallow the milk in loud, greedy mouthfuls. Within seconds he had drained the cup but she already had the jug handy to refill it. His eyes remained closed as he drank, the muscles of his throat working furiously to push the life-giving nutrients down into his stomach where his body would begin to process it.

Jennifer knew that this was hardly a permanent solution, and that the syrup was more like hummingbird nectar than actual food, but for the moment it was working.

The boy drained the last of the glass and gave a deep, satisfied sigh. His eyes slowly blinked open as they adjusted to the light of the room, and as they came to rest on her, they seemed as large and innocent as a baby’s.

“Hey.” She smiled down at him, her heart nearly bursting with gratitude. Already a little bit of color was returning to his cheeks and the shivering seemed to have subsided.

His eyes swept the room, surveying the counter, stove top and kitchen table. He was still clearly hungry, and she nodded, holding him closer to her.

“I know sweetheart, and I promise you that I will take care of you.” She was already moving towards the pantry where she knew at least one bottle of corn syrup and an extra jar of marmalade were. She quickly fished them out, and after grabbing a spoon from the dish drainer, she settled herself in one of the kitchen chairs. The boy squirmed, clearly trying to free his arms from the swaddling of towels, but she shushed him and held a spoonful of marmalade up to his lips. He seemed to understand and allowed her to feed him, resting occasionally in between spoonfuls until the entire jar was empty.

The timer went off on the dryer and she carefully levered herself up with him in tow. He seemed more aware as she gently set him down on the floor of the laundry room as she removed the towels.

“Hold on, I’ve got you.” She steadied him with one arm as with the other she quickly removed the damp towels and replaced them with the hot ones. He winced as the cool air brushed his skin but then began to relax as the heat and warmth enveloped him.

Once they were back in the kitchen, she opened the bottle of corn syrup, unsure if it would be effective. It was also largely empty calories, but after seeing the hungry look on his face, she made her decision and handed it to him. He immediately began to drink from the bottle in slow, languorous gulps as she held him close to her, her own clothes sticking to her from the sweltering heat in the house.

When he had gotten halfway through the bottle he paused, his face and skin now flushed and pink.

“I’m so sorry,” she brushed the bangs of his hair away from his eyes. “I shouldn’t have let Tom stay as long as he did.” Her palm rested against his forehead, gauging his temperature. She didn’t know what passed for normal with him, but for the moment he was no longer cold to the touch. She let her chin rest gently on the top of his head and he lay against her, silent but completely and utterly relaxed. It was so like all those times that she had sat with Seth whenever he had been sick or had trouble sleeping that she felt the tears well up in her eyes.

This strange, yet beautiful being had been placed in her path for reasons she could not yet fathom, and had, for all intents and purposes, given her a second chance of sorts. Seth was gone, she knew that and had accepted it, but this was her opportunity to make peace with his memory and to finally lay his ghost to rest.

So why do I feel like I’m repeating the same mistakes I did the last time? Why didn’t I go to him when I knew that it wasn’t safe for him to be alone?

“If you’d just gone with him, then—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, or—!”

The sudden sensation of warm, soft fingers touching her face startled her. She glanced down and saw that the boy was staring at her, his own eyes wide and filled with tears. The fingers of his left hand were tracing the path of the tears that fell down her cheeks, and she was reminded of what had happened only the night before, when it seemed her life had taken a turn towards the incredible.

She had awoken then to something touching her face while she dreamt of her son Seth. That something had looked entirely alien despite its few human characteristics, but she knew now that was only because she had been too frightened to look past her own fear and despair. The being that she held in her arms now was just as, if not more human since their lives had intersected in so brief a time. She no longer felt fear or despair whenever she looked in his eyes, but a love that was comparable to the love she felt for her own child, who though dead, would never fade with the passage of time.

Don’t be sad. I’m not.

She reached up and caught his hand, bestowing a light kiss upon the knuckles. “I’m just so happy that you’re okay. I was so worried about you.”

The boy nodded as if to say he understood, and then he settled back into her arms, his body relaxing into hers.

They remained like that in the quiet kitchen for some time while the boy dozed lightly, the half bottle of corn syrup on the table before him. She listened carefully and intently to the sound of his breathing and of his heart—for he did have one—as it beat sure and steady in his chest. The only sound to break the otherwise peaceful silence was the steady hum of the heater as it continued to warm the house, and of the ticking of the clock on the wall. It was now well past one in the morning, and for the moment the boy seemed stable.

She knew that soon enough he would have to eat again, and this time it would have to be something with substance rather than just sugar.

She was reluctant to wake him, especially when he looked so peaceful sleeping in her arms.

I really am going to have to do something about that hair of his.

The overlong locks fell around his face like a cherub’s mane, so like the way Seth’s had looked in her favorite picture.

There was no doubt in her mind that he had used that particular photo to give himself a human appearance. He would have had no way of knowing that the boy in the photo was dead or that she was grieving his loss, it was purely opportunistic. There had been no mal-intent involved, and whatever else she may believe, it couldn’t have been mere coincidence. If he had landed—and she no longer had any doubt that he had come to Earth this way from some unknown locale—anywhere else in the world, things could have gone very badly indeed for him. No, there had to be a reason for his being here with her, now, when she needed it the most, and she was determined that if she accomplished nothing else during their time together, that she would see him safely returned home.

“Wake up, darling. I know you’re tired, but I’m going to fix you something to eat, something hot that will fill you up.” She carefully stood up with him still cradled against her. He sighed and snuggled closer, reluctant to relinquish the sense of warmth and safety she offered. She carefully set two kitchen chairs together to form a flat surface for him to lay down on, and when she was satisfied that he was comfortable and wasn’t going to roll off and hurt himself, she set to work opening cupboards and cabinets as she took down various mixing bowls and baking sheets.

The boy watched her through half-lidded eyes as she practically flew around the kitchen, mixing cookie dough, boiling water for oatmeal, and setting the blender whirling as she whipped up as many foods as she could think of to sustain him during the night.

At first light she was going to head back out to Wilson’s Pass to find the remaining stones. Four of them still eluded her, but she was determined to recover them and give them to the boy so that he could return home.

When she finished, it was nearing three in the morning. The boy had now managed to sit up and was watching her as the last of the cookies came out of the oven. Already his stomach was growling but he remained silent as he patiently waited for the food to be ready.

She handed him a warm cookie and he took it from her gratefully. He took a bite and his expression went from neutral to pleasant surprise.

“I told you that you’d like them.”

He gave her a warm smile and she quickly handed him two more while she placed the rest into Tupperware. The other items had already been packed in a similar fashion and were inside a sturdy plastic laundry basket that she could easily tuck under one arm while she carried him to bed.

When they entered Seth’s room his eyes swept around, following the path of the Day-Glow stars that decorated the walls and ceiling. The collection of rocks and other specimens still had pride of place on the shelf near the window, and the telescope—with its lens perpetually trained at the nighttime sky—stood still in solitary splendor.

She set the basket of food down and then folded back the comforter and sheets. The faint scent that wafted up from them now offered a strange sense of comfort, and she carefully set him down and tucked him in.

He lay back against the pillows, his eyes tracing the pattern of stars on the ceiling.

“Is that where you come from? From somewhere out there amongst the stars?”

He nodded, his eyes meeting hers.

“It must be somewhere very far away, further away then we could imagine or have ever discovered.” She bowed her head, thinking of the time when he must leave her to return to wherever he had come from. How many miles would separate them? Was time there something that was measured in hours or distance, possibly lightyears away? She couldn’t begin to guess. She only knew that once he was gone that the loneliness would return, and for her each second would be an agony redoubled.

I won’t be gone. He reached up and lightly touched her left temple. I’ll be right here, always.

Just like Seth, she thought. Just like all the other people who have left me with only the memory of themselves behind.

No. I don’t want to leave you, I must.

“You sleep now. You need to be strong for your return.” She climbed in beside him and lay on her side facing him. He had already eaten most of the cookies and was full and sleepy as a result. She drew the comforter around her despite the sweltering heat of the house and nestled into the pillow, which was already warm.

She begin to sing, a lullaby that had always put a smile on Seth’s face and which she now felt was more than appropriate given the extraordinary set of circumstances:

“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are….”

The boy’s eyes drooped closed yet she continued to sing softly. “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky….”

She was going to find those missing stones tomorrow, no matter the cost. His life depended on it, and for her that was more than enough.