Chapter 5

Suddenly his thought warned him that maybe he should make his way out but upon spotting some embossed writings on the wall, his concern quickly dissipated replaced by curiosity.

Excitement surged through him again for he was suddenly imagining it all: the uncovering of the phenomenon and the unknown and the endless possibilities that comes along with it. It's uncanny! It's overwhelming!

From that moment on, he knew he found ardor and purpose in life and his passion renewed.

The writings appear to be a bulletin. The characters were embossed, block by block---very primitive in fashion for a spaceship. Well thinking about it, the ship didn't look like any of those futuristic sketches one would imagine of a U.F.O.

The writings looked hieroglyphic-like - but he knew that one from college. This was not one and nothing he could remember of. He is certain it is not of Earth.

Stealing one as an artifact was his momentary goal when he heard a groan emanating from a corner. Finding the source of that groan became the more important goal.

He found what appears to be a human lying on the ground. His immediate reaction was disappointment. He expected to see out-of-this world beings. A humanoid as a crew could thwart his expectations of extraterrestrial plausibility.

But it spoke in a weird language Kinski knew to be calling out to him. He went over. When he saw that the unidentified female humanoid had burnt body parts. Kinski deduced that he had been caught in the explosion of the consoles. And judging from the humanoid's condition, Kinski assess that she will not last to see the daylight.

The alien wasted no time in relaying a message despite her injuries before impending death could claim her; but it was in a strange vernacular that incomprehension showed in Kinski's face.

Suddenly the alien was speaking rapidly now. Kinski noticed the shifts in the inflection of her words and realized what she was doing. She is trying out different languages!

He doubted the alien knew any Earth language until learned Kinski heard what he knew to be ancient Greek. He nodded briskly at the ailing alien who found hope as Kinski showed understanding in his expression...

The night was getting deeper and eerily quiet as Kinski stood and watched as the vessel cooled down. Yes it did not explode just as he'd hope. As much as possible, he wanted it intact.

And no authorities from NASA came. Just his luck. But how and why? How come NASA, Earth's eyes to the heavens, was not able to detect this UFO? Is this more than NASA can handle?

He ruminated silently at the mystery of what was relayed to him by the alien, now dead. His thoughts mincing at the words that were in Greek, translating it:

"They...they will come..." the alien began in wonderful Greek, gasping for breath, feeling the searing pain of her charred flesh.

"Who's going to come?" he asked in Greek.

"Don't let them take her away...at any cost..."

"Take who?"

The alien summoned another breath. "Don't let them take our young princess..."

"Princess? What princess?" Kinski prodded.

With great effort the alien lifted her finger to the sky but not answering his question. "They...are very powerful and evil.... soon they will come...and destroy everything...don't let them take her away...I beg you....."

What did she mean by all of it and what princess? Kinski was asking himself. There was nobody alive there except for that now dead alien.

He sighed and was eager to go back to the manor. He felt tired. Work will start tomorrow---investigating the ship. He was about to retrace his steps back to his Hummer when he thought he heard Annie. He jerked his head back. There it was, the faint sound of his little daughter sobbing.

He shook his head. "No, no. I must be hearing things. Annie is dead...long dead." He's a scientist, he must think logically.

The sobbing went on...not very far, from behind a tree. Stealthily, he approached it.

A little girl with pure white hair was curled up behind it sobbing meekly. It wasn't Annie. Annie had Auburn, curly locks. He was dumbfounded at first but got hold of his senses.

The princess.

"What is the matter, little girl?" he asked her un-soothingly.

The girl was startled, looking up at him with halted tears and timid eyes.

She had a little Tiara on her head. Along with her white stone necklace, it glimmered in the dark. Kinski knew instantly that she was the princess the alien was referring to.

He stretched out a hand. "Come here,"

The little girl didn't seem to protest, glad to find someone in the cold, dark forest.

"Editha, Anya, Nero," the child cried repeatedly.

He patted her head, whispering, "They're all dead."

A sinister grin sprouted out of the corner of his mouth. He was taking a live souvenir with him. How fortunate.

Now they stood together looking at the lifeless vessel. The girl was still sobbing, crying about in her dialect. Kinski then sat on his knee to level with the child and to look directly in her eyes.

"Who are you, little one? What are you? What planet did you come from?" he was asking not the girl, but was inquiring to himself, pretty confident that soon he will have all the answers.

Right now, everything that's happening seemed all illogical; but soon everything will be facts to him. He is after all a scientist-genius and a great one at that.

Realizing so, he finally concluded to himself that is all he has to be. The time is at hand for his return to glory.

Suddenly he was laughing to the child's discomfort. It was a hard, relishing laugh. At that very moment, he was free---from all the gloom of the past.

Then the laugh subsided and his face fell into smooth lines of sternness. He stood up again and gazed for a moment at the object that fell from the sky, then momentarily to the girl, then up to the starry sky.

"Powerful," he remembered how the alien had said it.