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As the children walked slowly down the path they believed that when the animals saw them they would run away. But the wild creatures were so focused on the lough they didn't seem to realize the children were there. They just kept staring at the glowing bubbling center of the dark water. Once however, when the children passed a huge stag it gave a slight start and barked softly to stare with fearful eyes at them. But a couple of seconds later it turned quickly away, only interested in the lough.
'Look!' exclaimed Paul suddenly. 'Look at the water now.'
The water had begun to bubble more vigorously. The glowing had suddenly grown much brighter. The children stopped for a few seconds studying the strange occurrence. Then, with their eyes fixed on the center of the lough, they continued on down to the water's edge. On the way, Sarah pointed silently to a family of eight red foxes. Beside them, gazing at the lough, were several huge white rabbits.
'I've never seen so many wild animals in one place before,' exclaimed Conor. 'Look at them. Just look at them.'
Not a creature moved. It was as if someone had placed thousands of stuffed animals right around the lough.
'Oh, and look at those squirrels,' exclaimed Sarah, pointing to her left at a group of around a hundred of the beautiful bushy-tailed creatures.
Now the bubbling at the center of the lough grew even more turbulent. The glow grew so bright, that the children had to shade their eyes with one hand to look at it. At the same time, the animals grew visibly excited. The stags’ nostrils flared, the rabbits’ noses twitched, the bats began to squeak louder. The biggest of the stags gave a loud high-pitched bark that echoed across the lough. The eerie sound had the hair creeping along the back of Sarah's neck. At the same time Conor pointed towards the center of the water. 'Look! There! It's rising! It's rising!'
The children held their breaths at the wonder of the scene before them. And now a sound, like low, haunting, uilleann pipes, came to them. The sound was so beautiful that tears filled Sarah's eyes. She stood still, her heart pounding, hardly daring to breathe in case it would stop.
Two full minutes later, with a loud gurgling noise, the thing that suddenly surfaced could only be described as a huge golden egg. Smooth, bigger than a car it was glowing. The pressure, as it shot from the water carried it high into the air. The children and all the wild creatures followed its flight, until with a loud splash it landed back on the water where it bobbed about for a few seconds before settling. Water now lapped against the bank in steady waves. At the same time the glow from the egg-shaped object dulled suddenly. Just as suddenly, the water became very calm. The children studied the strange object. It was a metallic gray in color.
'It's an egg,' whispered Paul, 'a giant egg.'
'No Paul,' whispered Sarah. 'It's a container. IT... the alien is inside. The alien, who has brought us here, is inside it.'
Suddenly Conor shouted, 'Look, it's moving!'
Now the children saw the container move slowly towards them. As it drew nearer, the animals standing beside the children moved closer to the water's edge.
'Oh, my God, look!' exclaimed Sarah. 'Look!'
The container, that was about 40 meters from where they stood, had begun to open. It was slowly splitting in half all the time it drifted towards the children. The noise of thick metal buckling under stress echoed across the lough.
Paul gulped, when he saw the container now open right up. As it floated nearer, a platform creaked into view from the middle of it. On the platform something stood up.
****
Conor's grandfather pulled the Volkswagen to a halt behind the Toyota.
'It's Conor's bicycle,' exclaimed Ursula, when she had examined it.
Locking the door of his car her father looked up the path. 'It looks like we walk from here,' he said. 'I hope it's not far. My knee is giving me a lot of pain.' He winced as he walked around the car to Ursula who still held the bicycle. She looked up the path too then dropped the bicycle saying, 'Come on, father. Hurry. I'm frightened for Conor. What is he doing here anyway?'
As they made their way along the path, Ursula turned to her father. The old man was limping badly. He was struggling to keep up.
'Father I know your knee is sore, but could you hurry please. I'm really worried about Conor. He could be in danger.'
'I'm going as fast as I can,' snapped her father, though he quickened his pace. He too was worried about Conor. Where is the lough? he thought, grimacing, as his knee gave another painful twinge. Damn this knee anyway, he cursed silently. He had been having a lot of pain these past few months. The painkillers his doctor had prescribed had been useless. He stared ahead. The path seemed to wind forever in front of him, but with a silent groan he hurried after his daughter.
****
The radio on the dashboard of the helicopter flashed. Smith grabbed the mike.
'High disturbance? Where? Lough Melvin area. OK, over.'
Turning to the pilot he shouted, 'Do you know where Lough Melvin is?'
The pilot pressed a button and a computerized map appeared on the small screen on the dashboard. He dabbed a forefinger at the keyboard beneath it. Away at the far corner of the screen the cursor pulsated over the words, Lough Melvin. The pilot pointed at them.
'Get us there as fast as you can!' shouted Smith.
Behind him, Frank chewed on a thumbnail, as he prayed for his daughter’s safety.
****
By then the children were staring at the thing standing up on the open container that was now only about 10 meters away.
'Is that a boy?' exclaimed Paul.
A boy, Conor and Sarah mouthed silently together, staring at the naked, blonde-haired boy, who had piercing blue eyes and a wide smiling mouth. Conor couldn't stop trembling. Sarah's hands shook with excitement. Paul was trembling too. He was sweating more than usual.
The boy looked about the same age as the children. Before they could speak, he said in a pleasant voice, just as the container bumped gently against the edge of the lough, 'Hello.'
The children gasped. Paul staggered back when they saw him float from the container to land beside them.
Conor still couldn't stop trembling. Blushing Sarah turned away. The strange boy frowned at this then said, 'Oh, I see. Sorry Say-ra.' Turning he pointed towards the container. Paul and Conor saw a pair of blue jeans, exactly like Conor’s, a pair of sandals like Paul’s, and a plain white Tee-shirt float, towards him. Quickly the boy dressed. As he did, Paul and Conor glanced at each other. Neither of them could believe that what had happened was real.
'There,' said the boy smiling. 'That's better.'
Sarah turned. Her hands were still shaking.
'You’re...you're just like us,' stammered Paul. 'I mean...'
Behind the strange boy, Conor could see the container disintegrating. Looking around the lough he saw every animal was staring at the strange boy.
'Yes. I chose to be like this because I did not want to frighten you by appearing in my normal body. To you I would be ugly, grotesque. Although my mother thinks I'm...I'm what's the earth word for it? Yes, cute.' He smiled. Looking at Conor he said, 'Yes Con-or it is disintegrating. In a few minutes my safety craft will be gone.'
'Now that you're here, what is it that you want of us?' asked Sarah.
The boy smiled at her, his even white teeth glinting in the moonlight. 'I need your help,' he said. Then his face grew serious. 'I have to get to...' Suddenly he swung around. At the same time everyone heard the low drone of a helicopter. The dark shape, with a flashing light in front of it, came flying down over the hills towards them. As it did, the alien's eyes narrowed. He turned to look up the path. 'Con-or,' he said. 'Your mother and grandfather are here.'
As Conor turned to see his mother running towards him and his grandfather hobbling behind, the animals and birds seemed to snap out of the trance they had been in. In a wild flurry they began to scatter into the hills.
'Conor!' screamed Ursula, gasping, as four great stags thundered past her. 'What is all this?' She cried out with fear when six foxes and several badgers pushed past her and ran up the path.
'Your father is in the flying machine, Say-ra,' whispered the alien.
Now they all watched as the helicopter circled above them. Paul pointed. Everyone saw two other helicopters came flying down towards them.
'Stay where you are!' Smith's voice boomed from the helicopter circling above them. 'Do not move any of you!' The sound of Smith's voice made the few other smaller animals that had remained, scamper away.
By then, Conor's mother and grandfather were standing beside him. The echo of Smith's warning was drowned out by the roar of the other helicopters as they hovered out over the lough just beyond the edge of the water where they all stood. With a bump, Smith's helicopter landed. With a gun in his hand he jumped out. He was quickly followed by Sarah's father. As the blades of the helicopter slowed down, another helicopter landed just off the path in a flat heather-thick area. By then the children had become very frightened.
'Sarah!' shouted her father running to her. 'Are you OK?' Sarah's fear left her when she saw him.
Smiling, as he hugged her to him, she whispered, 'I'm OK now, Daddy.'
By then, several soldiers and the two men who had accompanied Smith to the Lawrence's house, had jumped from the second helicopter. They all carried rifles. The two men barked orders to the soldiers. In seconds they had formed a half-circle around the children and the others. Smith's two men then walked closer, separated and got down on one knee, their rifles held at the ready as they pointed them at the group. It was then Conor's grandfather shouted, 'What the blazes is all this?'
'Shut up, old man!' roared Smith, glaring at him. 'I'll ask the questions.'
Conor's grandfather glared back at him. He was about to say something else when Smith stepped closer and pointed his gun at Sarah and shouted, 'Where's the alien?'