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AFTER A BREAKFAST OF alien waffles, UFO sausage and flying saucer eggs at the Alien Café, Dominic and Tonita headed for the car. The day, like most in Corona, New Mexico, was hot, dry, and bright. The sun, unimpeded by clouds of any sort, beat down upon the desert and the asphalt.
“You know those eggs we just ate?” Dominic asked Tonita, as they walked across the street, leaving the relative comfort of the Alien Café to the parking area of the motel.
“What about them?”
“We’re going to be fried in no time. Just like ‘em.”
“Just be sure that I’m sunny side up.” Tonita sent a wry grin in Dominic’s direction.
“Oh, you’re gonna be in trouble.” Dominic smiled. “Big trouble.”
There was little traffic on the street and only an occasional tourist or local walked the sweltering sidewalks. Still, the Alien, UFO, and Of Another World kiosks that lined the sidewalk outside of the motel were open and ready to sucker in any one who could not possibly leave Corona without a memento of their investigation. In Corona, one could purchase every known and unknown alien souvenir imaginable. Vials of Crash Site Dirt sat next to: plastic flying saucers, alien-head flashlights, T-shirts, flip-flops, saucer caps, rings, pins, bracelets, and necklaces, all fashioned in the shape of a spacecraft or alien.
Dominic smiled, nodding politely at a young man hawking the “Strange But True” souvenirs from a tented kiosk. Senator Scott was right, he thought, invent a story that was completely false, based on events that really happened, and a whole subculture will sprout. And it did. Not only about Roswell and the alien craft that crashed there, but also around Nevada’s Area 51 where the aliens from the Roswell crash were taken. The same was also true of Project Rainbow and the Eldridge—the ship that disappeared and reappeared miles away. According to Senator Scott, these stories, fables, and now legends were all true, or somewhat true. These events had now been clouded over by rumor and innuendo, and manipulated into folklore and legends. Thanks to the United States government.
Dominic walked quickly by the kiosks, ignoring the calls of the vendors to stop and shop. He turned to hurry Tonita along. “Let’s get out of ...” he stopped in mid-sentence. She wasn’t with him. He looked quickly around, but did not see her. “Tonita,” he shouted in the direction of the motel. When she did not answer, he started back. He looked into each of the souvenir stands he passed, calling out her name several times to blank stares and no answers.
Dominic looked back, following the curve of the street in the direction he had just come. The street was beginning to come alive. Several families with their kids in tow were making their way down the obstacle course of vendors and stalls. He noticed one little girl talking to someone hidden by the shadows of the overhang and the T-shirts swaying easily in the slight breeze. He waited a moment for the assumed parent or sibling to step out of the shadows. When he or she did not, he made his way up to the stall.
“Oh Dom?” Tonita said. “Where did you head off to?”
“Me? I was right there, and then you disappeared.”
“Dom? I haven’t left this place.” Tonita looked at him cocking her head. “You kept walking. I thought that you would stop and wait for me.”
“Sorry, I got a bit distracted.”
“Easy enough to do around here.” Tonita smiled at him. “Look at what this little girl ...”
“I’m not a little girl. I’m Annabel. I told you,” the child said.
“Yes, I’m sorry you did tell me your name.” Tonita placed her hand gently on the child’s brunette curls. “Annabel was just showing me her puzzle.”
“Wow. That’s nice, Annabel.” Dominic reached for Tonita’s other hand. “We’ve got to go now.” He smiled at Annabel. “Be careful. And go back to your parents now.” He took a step out of the kiosk.
Tonita held tight to Dominic’s hand. “We should wait with her until her mom and dad come looking for her.”
“It’s just my dad,” Annabel said, playing with a folded piece of paper.
“Well then, we’ll wait until your dad comes to find you.”
“He’s always getting lost.” Annabel grinned.
“Annabel was just showing me her puzzle. Isn’t that right Annabel?”
“Daddy made it. He’s good at making puzzles.”
Dominic looked at Tonita and at the little girl, taking the hint. “Okay, where’s the puzzle,” he said, taking a step closer.
“Right here, silly.” Annabel held up her hands, the forefingers and thumbs of each hand were pressed together holding what looked like a paper pyramid.
“That’s a great little puzzle you got there, Annabel.” Dominic glanced back to Tonita.
“Watch,” Annabel said, as she manipulated her fingers and thumbs and the puzzle changed shape.
“Wow! You made it go from a pyramid to boat.” Dominic gave the little girl a wink. “That was great.”
“Annabel? Annabel?” A tall thin man with shoulder length brown hair, slicked back, revealing strands of grey, stepped into the kiosk. “Annabel, what did I say about staying with us?”
“Sorry, Daddy.” The little girl’s sheepish grin belied her true feelings.
“She was just showing us her puzzle,” Tonita said, then added, “Hi, I’m Tonita and this is Dominic.” She extended her hand to the man. “Sorry if we kept your little girl.”
“No, no. It’s not your fault. Jeff by the way.” He took Tonita’s hand. “I’m Jeff.”
“Well, you have a wonderful little girl here.”
Jeff rubbed his hand through the little girl’s hair. “We certainly do.”
“I was showing them the puzzle you made Daddy.”
“You really made that?” Dominic said, and reached out to the little girl. “May I see your puzzle?”
“Sure,” Annabel said. “Daddy can make you one too.”
“I use them in my class,” Jeff said. “I’m a school teacher, and I use these to get the kids motivated. They’re great for teaching math.”
Dominic took the puzzle from Annabel and inserted his forefingers and thumbs into the small openings formed by the folded paper. “Like this?” He showed his hands to Annabel.
“Now move them,” Annabel said, and squealed in delight as Dominic struggled with the puzzle.
“You can make all kinds of these puzzles,” Jeff said. “Flexagons, are what they’re really called, and they can get pretty involved.”
“This simple one is involved enough for me.” Dominic tried to manipulate the puzzle once again.
“There you go,” Jeff said, as Dominic got the puzzle to change shape. “Now you have it. Doesn’t he Annabel?”
“You did it, Mister. You did it.” Annabel clapped her hands together.
Jeff pulled his daughter in close to him. “Hey, we better get going. Mommy’s going to wonder where we are.”
“Well, it was very nice to have met you, Annabel.” Tonita extended her hand to the little girl.
Annabel smacked it with her own little hand. “High five,” she shouted, laughing.
Dominic handed the paper puzzle back to Annabel.
She quickly placed it back on her fingers and began moving the puzzle and her fingers in time to a song that she apparently was making up as she went along.
“Thanks, Jeff. It was nice talking to you,” Dominic said.
“You too,” Jeff said, as he and Annabel walked away.
“You ready?” Dominic looked at Tonita. “Or do you have some more alien souvenir shopping to do?” He smiled.
“No, I’m done.”
“Then let’s head out to the desert.” Dominic started in the direction of the rental. “Got the map?”
“It’s right here.” Tonita patted the back pocket of her jeans.
“Good.”
The parking lot adjacent to the motel was nearly empty, there were a couple of old pickup trucks with faded paint that seemed to last forever in the dryness of the desert, a motorcycle, and the rented Oldsmobile Alero. Dominic tossed the backpack into the driver’s seat and quickly unzipped it. He pulled the page from the book on Roswell out of the pocket stitched into the inside of the bag. “Tonita, you think that this is some sort of map, right?” he asked, holding up the page.
“That was my first thought.”
“I did, too, and so did the Senator.” He moved around to the passenger side of the car, coming alongside of Tonita. “But if it is a map, we don’t know how to read it.”
“Right. Look at it. The lines don’t make any sense. They don’t line up to form a roadway or a landmark. It’s just squiggles drawn onto a page.”
A slow grin grew across Dominic’s face. “Come on,” he said, grabbing Tonita by the hand, yanking her in his direction. Together, they headed back out to the street, now slightly more crowded with both foot and auto traffic.
“What are we doing?” Tonita hesitated, “And you left the car door open.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Dominic pulled her along, keeping a tight hold on her hand as they dashed, then stumbled, in and around the kiosks and stalls. “There!” He pointed up the block, then let go of Tonita’s hand, and took off. “Jeff! Hey Jeff!” he yelled in the direction of the man, his wife, and their daughter. “Jeff! Hold up a minute!”