THE ALIEN LANDS

She passed a farmer’s market that was on the street, a triangular snippet of land too narrow and oddly shaped to be brought up by greedy developers. With its ownership in question, it had been taken over years ago by neighbors determined to make their street pretty. The sand had been transported to the street by ecofriendly citizens wanting to put their green footprint on the planet.

Winter was going to be harsh this year as all the plants on the outside were dead from the chilly weather, Chicago had been experiencing, her leather shoes crunch down on the sidewalk. It crossed her mind that the note might have personal information about the paramedic she met earlier.

She caught a glimpse of the note that was left for her, she did a double take when she saw her name written in big black letters. Before she walked over to grab it, her cell phone rang: her dad called. She ignored it. She was the only person among the Colonial population who could ignore a call from their sworn ruler and not be punished by it. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something fly past the pole that was on the ground, but when she turned her head, it was gone.

She thought she would have seen the NBC Tower building by now. She shoved her wave even deeper towards the end of the street. All she wanted to do was explain to herself the incredible chain of events she had experienced. Cordelia was now starting to have a panic attack. She did not hear the phone, she did not hear the sirens, and her skin had that tingling sensation that she hated feeling so much when she got nervous. Her stomach felt sick, she started to sweat.

When she opened her eyes again, she was standing on a perfectly green lawn on the Colonial home world. The grass was freshly mowed and she felt at peace as the sun from their system shined brightly on her face.

The sun was different though, purple as if it was dying and the air was starting to smell funny, almost toxic, she had a challenging time breathing as the skies began to darken. Then, as if reality was messing with us, she returned to earth. She sneezed.

One moment she was in Chicago, admiring at the city, but the next moment she was in a lawn where a large mansion was in the background, the grass was fresh and the freezing air suddenly vanished leaving a nice warm fall day. In the center the main house was tall and wide, about three miles from what she could tell. A tall clock dominated the area. There were several structures within her eyesight.

Cordelia was sure that if she just stood there for a few seconds everything would come back to normal. She had yet to experiment with earth drugs. She had heard through her friends that Earth drugs could take you on a “wild trip” through time and space. She looked cautiously back over her shoulders. Expecting trouble. There was no sign of the city street she was on. How did she get all the way out here?

Cordelia dropped her bag on the ground and came out of her coat just as a bird dropped some of its shit right on her shoulder. Seventy feet away, a tall skinny black teenager was watching her. He was eating a hamburger.

He looked about Cordelia’s age. He wore a school uniform of some kind. A blue pair of pants with a blue shirt. He had on a red shirt. The heat didn’t bother the student as he was mumbling something in the distance. He was rehearsing a scene.

“Hi,” Cordelia called.

She was not comfortable with Earth customs yet. She wasn’t sure if she was addressing the young man properly.

Now he looked over. He raised his chin at Cordelia, once, flashes a peace sign at her but didn’t answer.

Cordelia was starting to freak out now as she walked over, as casual as she could. She did not want to look like anyone who had no idea what was going on. Even without her coat she was sweating, not used to the heat. She felt like Paul Sandscrill when he first discovered he Colonial system four thousand years ago. But, there was something she had to ask.

“Is this---?” Cordelia cleared her throat. “This is Mount Arm-Joy?” She squinted her eyes against the bright sun.

The young man started to laugh a little at the newcomer. He took another bite of his hamburger, then shook his head slowly, finishing up the burger.

“Nope,” he said, he then wiped his mouth clean, “You’re in Eastern Georgia.”