Tennessee hadn’t looked at the porch screening long before she started to see the faces. They were distorted, grotesque, like the masks from that one episode of the Twilight Zone with the rich family. They became more distorted as the gray screening began to sway, threatening to cave in on himself.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on the gray rabbit’s foot in her hand, trying to open the door.
She managed to make it to the wicker couch they had put next to the house wall when they first moved in before throwing her bag on that couch before plopping on it with all the force of a petulant teenager. She closed her eyes, letting out a long slow breath. She couldn’t look at the screening for that long. Bad things happened when she looked at the walls for too long.
“You’re not even going to go inside?”
Tennessee didn’t have to open her eyes to know who the voice belonged to.
Five months ago, it had belonged to a beautiful nineteen-year-old girl with blue-streaked hair and warm brown eyes. A girl who liked dark cabaret and could eat her weight in the Galaktoboureko pie from the Greek restraunt down the block and couldn’t cook to save her life. A girl who was going to be an art teacher.
Now it was just a voice in her head.
“Maggie, please don’t start right now.” Tennessee requested, rubbing her temples, “It’s been a long day.”
“Ten, when’s the last time you’ve eaten?”
Tennessee had never endured visual hallucinations but if she closed her eyes, she could see the look Maggie gave when she suspected her big sister hadn’t eaten.
It wasn’t fair. The younger sister shouldn’t have to look after the older like this. But Maggie had never complained, not much at least. Tennessee had tried to keep it together for her. Take her medicine, keep to the schedules, look at Maggie’s incessant notes. The least she could do was make it as easy on her baby sis as possible.
No need to do that anymore.
Well?
“Shouldn’t you know?” Tennessee questioned.
I think we both know that’s not exactly how it works.
Tennessee huffed. In truth, she had been hungry for the past two days, and that hunger had yet to magically resolve itself. Which, in Tennessee’s opinion, was quite rude of it.
Tennessee sighed, swinging one foot off the couch. It might behoove her to make sandwich.
#
She finally made it into her cluttered kitchen, pulling down a bag of rolls that were just barely in date, before pulling out salami and cream. Thomas though it was disgusting, but she and Maggie always thought it made a good flavor combo.
She was spreading on the cream cheese when she felt something glaring at her. She looked up to see the bottle of her anti-psychotic meds staring down at her accusingly.
“What are you looking at?” Tennessee growled at it.
Maybe they’re saying they work better if you actually take them. A voice that sounded too much like Maggie rang out in her head. Of course, that was what Maggie would say if she was actually here.
The real Maggie would hate what Tennessee had done to herself. But she couldn’t let her go.
“Kitty, you know why I can’t…” Tennessee whispered, staring at the knife in her hand as it started to bend. There was something palpable, something only she could feel. Something bad.
That was when the house shook, with a thundering crash, things falling from the shelves.
“What the Hell?” She exclaimed, turning her head around. She rushed to the back door, throwing it open. Her mouth dropped open when she saw what was in her backyard.
#
In the backyard, in a smoking crater, was a saucer slightly smaller than her house. A disk-shaped, shiny, chrome saucer right out of those old sci-fi movies Thomas used to love when they were all growing up. Well, except for the shattered part of it that slammed in the ground.
“What the – “She began, her voice trailing off as she processed what was happening, wondering if it was real. Which was a good question, considering she was off her meds, meaning this could very well be a hallucination. Yes, this was most likely a hallucination, considering no one else in the neighborhood seemed to be reacting to it. Where was the neighborhood anyway? Did she even have neighbors?
But she didn’t have visual hallucinations. Never had.
Suddenly there was movement from inside the rubble. Tennessee lept back, but froze as great, helmet-like head popped up. A head containing wide, fearful, maroon-colored eyes.
“Hey, there.” She said, springing into action and pulling the creature. out of the rubble. Hallucination or not, she couldn’t just leave him there. At least she thought it was a him. By the time she had him out she realized he was out the size of a nine-year-old child.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Tennessee assured him, quickly carrying him inside, “Everything’s going to do be okay.”
Maggie ‘s voice rang out in her head. “What is that thing?!”
“I don’t know.” Tennessee admitted, looking the creature over for injuries. He was wearing some sort of blue coveralls, dirty and torn from the crash, so she couldn’t see everywhere. She tried to look for a way to remove the clothing, but he started fighting back, crying out in a language she couldn’t understand.
“It’s alright.” Tennessee tried, putting her hands in front of herself, touching his shoulders, “I’m not trying anything funny. No hurt. No hurt.”
Talking in broken English isn’t going to help him understand any better, Ten.
“Not helping, Maggie.” Tennessee snapped, then it occurred to her that yelling at air wasn’t going to help the situation. If the situation was even real. “Sorry.” She said addressing the alien boy, “Look, let’s start over again. I’m Tennessee. Tenn-e-ssee.”
“Tenn-e-seee.” The little boy repeated.
“That’s it.” Tennessee said encouragingly, “Now we’re getting somewhere.” Then she noticed a gash on the boy’s head covered with red blood. “I got something for that.” She stood up, adding, “Wait, here, little man. Hey, until I can figure out your real name, that’s what I’m calling you, okay?”
Little Man didn’t really give her a response.
“We’ll work on it.” Tennessee responded, before turning and heading for the bathroom.
Tennessee removed the medical alcohol and gauze from the bathroom cabinet then shut it, when Maggie’s voice shouted in her mind. What do you think you’re doing?
“Little Man’s got a cut on his head.” Tennessee answered, “I figured this should still work.”
Seriously?! A spaceship crashes on your lawn and an alien pops out and you’re just tending to it wounds like it’s a stray kitten?!”
“What else am I supposed to do?” Tennessee demanded through gritted teeth.
The funny thing is, this is exactly how the conversation would go if she was here. Tennessee never met a stray she didn’t want to help. Maggie was the one who thought with her head. Sometimes she thought Thomas wanted to just be done with the both of them.
You’re supposed to run screaming into the night to the nearest house, or the nearest cops, or the nearest something! Who knows what that thing is capable of.
Tennessee scoffed. “That’s a good way to wind up in a 72-hour hold.”
You’re not even sure he’s real, are you?!
“What does that matter?” Tennessee asked.
It matters! You could be having a physcodic break right now and you don’t even–
Tennessee whirled around. “You know what, Maggie, you’re right, I don’t know a lot about this situation, but I would know a lot more if it weren’t for you, so please kindly shut up!”
Everything went silent for a moment then a child’s crying broke the silence.
Tennessee whirled around and hurried back over to Little Man. “It’s okay.” She soothed, putting some alcohol on a rag, “Everything’s going to be okay. Now, I’m gonna put this on that cut, and it’s gonna sting, but I’m gonna need you to be a big boy, okay?”
Little Man stopped crying, but looked at her, confused. Tennessee put the rag to his head, and he flinched.
“I’m sorry.” Tennessee said, almost franticly, “I’m so sorry, but it has to be done, okay?”
Little Man didn’t put up much fuss after that, allowing the wound to be cleaned and wrapped in gauze.
“There we go.” Tennessee declared when it was done, taking his hand and realizing it was ice cold. “I got something to help with that, too.”
She went into the kitchen, put water in the kettle, put it on and grabbed two packets of powdered hot chocolate and waited for it to boil. She then made the concoctions in two mugs and gave one to Little Man, who took a careful sip.
“So, care to tell me a little but about yourself?” Tennessee requested before taking a long swig of her cup.
Little Man didn’t respond, just staring down at the cup.
“Okay, then I’ll start.” Tennessee said, “My name is Tennessee Handly, I’m 21 years old, I have one twin brother, Thomas, we were both named for Tennessee Williams. Tennessee Williams, that’s a famous playwright. My sister was- “Her voice trailed off, then she said, “My sister was named for a character from Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, which is why I would sometimes call her Kitty—” Her voice trailed off again, “My Mom’s big Williams fan. We lived together, me and Kitty, util—” Her voice trailed off a third time as she realized, “And I’m telling my life story to someone who might not even be real.”
Little Man didn’t give any clarity to the situation, just staring at her.
“Yeah,” Tennessee said, mostly to herself, “This is going to be a long night.”
#
Little Man didn’t drink much of his drink after that, but he started to look drowsy, his eyelids dropping.
“Okay, “Tennessee said, standing up, “I know what that means.” She picked him up. He felt solid enough. “Bedtime, little guy.”
She then picked him up, something he did not protest, and carried him into her bedroom, laying him down on the bed. It was then she realized she was exhausted herself. As she laid down beside him, Maggie’s voice rang out in her head. What did you mean?
Tennessee’s head rose. “What did I mean when?”
When you said you would know a lot more if it weren’t for me. What did you mean by that?
“You know what it means.” Tennessee responded, “You know everything I know.”
Again, not how it works! And I think you want to tell me.
“Please don’t make me say it, Kitty.” Tennessee practically begged, tears welling up in her eyes.
I’m not making you do anything. I’m just asking for some answers here.
Tennessee tore at her long hair, “You died, okay?!” She screamed so loud that everyone for then next three houses should have been woken up, “You went and got your idiot self killed in that wreck, and you left me alone and this is the only way I can see you and…” There were tears streaming down her face as her voice trailed off, “And I hate it.” She said finally, “I hate doing this to myself, I hate myself for doing it, and sometimes I even hate you.”
For a minute, everything went silent again, except for Tennessee’s weeping.
Oh, Ten…
It was too much like her. Too much like something Maggie would say.
It’s okay. It’s all gonna be okay.
“No, it’s not.” Tennessee sobbed, lying down next Little Man and crying herself to sleep.
#
Tennessee spent the night in a dreamless sleep. It took her a minute to process that she had woken up, her eyes slowly opening and finding to her surprise, an empty spot beside her.
“Little Man?” She asked. The bed was wrinkled, it looked like someone had slept there. She slowly sat up, looking around. The house appeared empty. “Little Man?” She called out again, getting up to search for the wayward extrateressial.
She walked into the living room to and saw two mugs sitting on the coffee table. That had to mean whatever happened last night was real, right? Tennessee walked over to mugs and found them both almost full. Tennessee racked her brain trying to remember exactly how much of the drink Little Man drunk the night before. She couldn’t remember.
She went to the door and opened it up, finding the spaceship gone. More than that, there was no evidence that it had ever even been there. On top of that, everyone seemed to be going on as business as usual.
Tennessee quickly closed the door, looking around the room. Had it really all been a hallucination? She had suspected it was from the beginning, but…it had been so vided. And the bed. It has clearly been slept in. Then again, she had been in it as well. But what about the cups? The two almost full cups. But wouldn’t there have been a mess from the alcohol unless she had actually put it on somebody?
She wasn’t even sure whether or not anything last night was real. But she knew one thing for sure. She couldn’t go on like this.
And she knew what Maggie would want her to do.
She picked up the landline and dialed her twin’s number. “Thomas,” She began when he picked up, “We need to talk.”