THE NIGHT THE STARS FELL FIRST CONTACT

As they got back to Ellen and Brian’s house, there was an air of sadness. Todd sat down on the sofa and looked at Lasko wondering if he was going to go back with his people, and sudden dread told him he would. What was he going to do without him? Finally, he had to ask. “Lasko…Are you going back with them?”

Lasko got up and trotted to his side, he lay his head on Todd’s lap and looked up at him mournfully, tears sprang from the corners of his eye.

“I guess that’s a yes then?”

“Todd, I have to go home, they need me, like REALLY need me, I take care of my people, heal them when they are ill, I do many things that others are unable to. I want to stay here with you Todd, really; but I can’t.” Todd stroked the dog’s head, then got up and walked across the room to the fireplace, where logs were burning in the grate. He didn’t want Lasko to see his red eyes, puffy from crying. They had been on a wonderful journey together, there were some great moments and some not so great, but Todd loved him so much this was going to be the hardest thing he was ever going to do in his life…Say goodbye!

Lasko blinked, he was never supposed to get so emotionally involved when he was assigned to Todd, but, now as Lasko knew, humans have emotions, they have feelings, and it is not so easy to detach yourself from those feelings. Todd had taught him what it means to be human, and he will teach his own people, although they were a kind caring race he came from, sometimes they can be a little aloof when it comes to showing

Their feelings.

“Lasko, what am I going to do without you? Huh? I knew this day may come, but I also hoped it wouldn’t, I have dreaded it.” Now Todd was openly crying.

”Todd this is not the end; it is only the beginning, I will come back I promise and when have I ever let you down?” he looked at him quizzically.

“Never.”

“Well then, I won’t let you down now. Todd, you have many great things to achieve, one day you will be the world’s greatest scientist, and you’ll reach heights in science no one else has. Yes, great scientists have sent humans to the moon, but you will be even greater than that.”

Todd laughed. “Oh Lasko, I don’t even like science, if anything I want to be a vet like Mum.”

“Things will change Todd you will see, Albert Einstein will have nothing on you.”

Todd laughed again. “Oh right! Way to go Lask.” And they both laughed together. “But thanks for the ego boost.”

Todd looked serious again, he frowned and dropped back on the sofa.

“You may not see it now Todd, but I can see into your future, you will be a man of peace, you will do the best for your planet, not the destruction of it, you will find a way, and me and Valadon will guide you.”

“So ok, when will I see you again, you can come back anytime you know short cuts through the galaxy, right? Why can’t I come with you?”

Lasko grinned, his lips curling up in that comical way he had showing his bright teeth.

“Questions, questions, questions, there you go making my head spin again.”

Todd laughed remembering the night Lasko healed him, he had asked so many questions.

“I’ll answer one question at a time, yes I will come back, and no you can’t come back with me, at least not yet, one day soon maybe, but what about your parents and Pixie? She is going to need her big brother as she grows up to guide her and protect her. Besides, it is not like driving from Cornwall to Devon, or London, it takes a long time, even with the ‘shortcuts’ Todd leaned forward and hugged him, planting wet kisses on his head, he did not notice the tears that dripped from Lasko’s eyes on to the front of his shaggy fur making it damp.

***

Instead of the usual grey clouds, today was sunny, filtering the sun through the curtains accompanied by dust bunnies.

Todd woke up, it was almost eight and the dreaded day had arrived.

“Lasko? Time to get up.”

Lasko lifted his head from the pillow.

Ellen was making boiled eggs, toast, cereal, six peanut butter sandwiches and a large bowl of kibble for Lasko as they came into the kitchen.

“Good morning boys.” Her mood was sombre, and she dabbed her moist eyes with a tissue as Lasko headed straight for his bowl of kibble, and peanut butter sandwiches, Ellen had already prepared two dozen jars of peanut butter for him to take home. “Not a good morning for me Mum,” Todd replied. She placed his toast and cornflakes in front of him and kissed him gently on the head. “It isn’t for any of us Todd, Dad and Kevin included.”

Kevin ran his hand through his hair he hadn’t had time to comb it this morning. “I know how you feel Todd, we will all miss him, Dad, Mum and me, none of us would be here if it wasn’t for Lasko.”

Lasko looked up from his bowl, milk dripping from his lips into the bowl. “Todd, I told you this is not the end, it is just the beginning, I will be back, I will miss you all as much as you miss me.” He wagged his tail.

Todd couldn’t speak for the first time in his life he couldn’t find the words, so, he propped his elbow on the table and rested his head in the palm of his hand, while the other played with his cornflakes watching them fall from the spoon and splash into the bowl.

“OH come on Todd,” Lasko trotted over to him and lay his head on his lap. “You know I will come back, that’s a promise, and as I told you one day you will come back with me.”

Todd rubbed Lasko’s head. “It’s been a real adventure hasn’t it?”

“It certainly has, it also taught me the good and bad of the human race, like those humans we crossed paths with at the bank. In all races and species, some are desperate and greedy.”

The bright orange light appeared so suddenly, pulsating through the curtains at the back door and window in the kitchen, that it startled them. It was Paul Mathews who appeared first at the kitchen door, followed by the Prime Minister who had arrived in an unmarked car. “We have come to see them off.”

Paul smiled, and he turned to the prime minister. “Sir, this is the young man responsible for all this, he is a very brave young man.”

“It is my greatest pleasure to meet you, you will be honoured for your bravery young man, and you Lasko! Where would we all be without you right now?” he gave the dog a firm but gentle scratch around his ears admiring the beauty of this strange dog.

“Thank you sir,” Todd replied while Lasko bowed his head respectfully.

As they walked the few hundred feet to the field where the mothership had landed, Todd could not hold back his tears any longer. “Please, Lasko! Don’t go.”

Lasko as always at his side nudged him affectionately.

“Todd…Come on, be brave, I told you I will come back, and I will; I promise you.”

Valadon and the others stood on the ramp. Valadon placed his right hand on his heart and raised the other.

“People. We have come together as allies, and we shall always be one nation in pursuit of peace. You can learn from us many good things, as we from you. The one thing you have taught us is that human emotion is strong, you have feelings that go far above our knowledge, we never even knew existed, but we are so grateful that we have found this quality. This is just the start of a friendship that reaches far into our galaxy that we hope soon you shall visit.”

The Prime Minister and Paul Mathews stepped onto the ramp.

“We thank you sincerely for saving our people and our planet, for that we will be always grateful, and we will never forget you. We plan to visit your planet Cybalon soon, and together we will forge a path to peace for all galaxies.” To everyone’s surprise, Valadon reached out his hand and they shook it warmly.

“Safe journey home.” The prime Minister said.

“And may peace forever be with you.” Valadon turned along with his lieutenants and walked up the ramp.

Lasko stood on the Ramp as Todd put his arms around him, tears flowed freely down his face dampening Lasko’s fur.

“I love you, Lask,”

“I love you too Todd, and always will, we have more adventures to go on together.”

As they stayed like that for minutes that seemed like ages, Todd felt Lasko’s warm soft fur against his neck, then arms so strong and warm embracing him tightly, at first he thought it was one of his parents trying to comfort him, and then he heard his mother say. “OH, TODD LOOK!”

He lifted his head and looked at Lasko, only it wasn’t Lasko, but a man, so handsome with warm brown eyes that were almost black, his skin was silver, his hair was almost blond, but shimmered like tiny diamonds, just like Lasko’s used to, and in his eyes, he could see Lasko, it was the same expression, the same soft warm beautiful eyes of the dog.

“NO! NO!”

“It is still me Todd, I could not appear to you that night as I truly am, and I thought you might have guessed when we went to the lizard ship, I told you we were shapeshifters, we can become anything we want. If I came to you that night in my true form you would have been scared, I was sent to heal you, to save your life, and changing into a dog was the best way to do it.”

Todd laughed, “You are still you, Lasko, I can see in your eyes it’s you.”

“No doubt about that I can assure you, but” he sighed. “I am happy to be rid of that confounded tail, it got on my nerves a tad, always having to remember to get it through the door before some clumsy idiots shut it.”

“You still have a sense of humour.” Todd put his arms around Lasko’s waist and hugged him tightly. “What am I going to do without you…I have nothing.” He started crying again.

“Wait Todd, I have something to give you, it will remind you of me.” Lasko turned and walked up the ramp, after a few minutes he returned carrying a tiny, beautiful puppy, his fur shimmering exactly like Lasko’s, he looked so much like a golden retriever puppy, Todd’s heart skipped a beat. The little puppy looked at Todd with his beautiful brown eyes as Todd took him in his arms.

“Ohh Lasko, is he for me?”

“Yes, his name is ‘Star’ and we wanted a good home for him, he lost his mother recently, he is only three weeks old.”

“Oh man! Thank you I’ll love him forever, but he looks more like ten weeks.”

“If you listen very carefully, you might hear him talk to you, on our planet dogs grow very quickly and become independent at an early age.”

Todd’s eyes popped open in surprise. “You mean he’s like you?, he’s not going to suddenly change into a person is he?”

“No, he will always be a dog, but an intelligent dog. You cherish him Todd, as you did me, and when I come back Star will be very big, and he will know who I am.”

“Of course, he will be the most important person in my life Lask, just as you are.” Tears welled up as he held little star tighter and kissed the puppy’s head and it responded by licking his face.

“Now it is time to go Todd.”

“Lasko please stay.”

He rested his hands on Todd’s shoulder, his hands felt warm and strong, he looked into his dark, dark eyes and saw comfort there. “Now go in peace Todd, you are always in my heart my little human.”

Then he walked up the ramp, Lasko turned once as the ramp lifted then went into the ship.

The lights spun, the mothership lifted off the ground the pulsating lights were like a kaleidoscope as it went higher, they all watched, even Star turned his head to see the mothership. And then within seconds it streaked across the sky with lightning speed.

Brian, Kevin, and Ellen stood next to Todd as floods of tears almost washed Todd’s face. Ellen hugged him close. “He will be back Todd.”

“I know he will Mum.”

“Oh, I need to get to the store for puppy food and kibble before they close.”

“Oh,” Tod said. “Don’t forget peanut butter.”

********