Tuesday Tales - Easy

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “easy”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. It is a little shorter than normal. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

The arid, hot atmosphere still took Dani’s breath away. She had only been in Egypt for a week but every time she stepped outside it still stunned her. She felt like she was being baked alive. It made it easy for her to miss the humid Boston summer. 

She glanced at her reflection in the glass of the front door of their hotel. She had it in her imagination that they would be living in big tents right beside the dig site. Instead, Julian opted for them to stay in one of the nearby towns in a rather swanky place. The chandeliers in the lobby were as much of a shock to Dani as the weather.

She tugged at the tight t-shirt and as she scowled at her image. She did try to wear her cardigan and long skirts when she arrived with the Professor. She didn’t think of herself as a prude. There was something about Julian that still made her uneasy in his presence. His gaze made her feel like his prey. If she looked like the frumpy librarian she actually was, maybe he would lose interest. 

That plan lasted half a day. A sweater in this weather? It was a lousy plan. She stripped off the heavy layers of clothing and chose the lighter garments Julian had purchased for her. 

She huffed. She looked like that woman character in that action and adventure game. Ugh. 

She felt something rattle in her head. Bobo was still unhappy they were there. He made a point of letting her know that every night. She had to shoosh him so Julian couldn’t hear her extraterrestrial friend. 

Bobo didn’t like the clothes, or the heat or the endless hours crawling around in dimly lit tunnels full of creepy crawlers. She could hear him muttering in a language she didn’t understand. 

Tuesday Tales - Decent

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “decent”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. It is a little shorter than normal. 

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Dani gestured to her weapon. “That is a decent amount of metal that you are going to have to manipulate.”

Bobo shook his head. He arched one arm over his head in a stretch. He repeated the movement with his other arm. He rose to his feet and continued to bend himself in different directions. Some poses did resemble Dani’s pet cat back at home. 

With one final yawn, he shrunk himself down to his balloon man shape. He twisted and snaked his form up and down the new sections Dani added to her sword. 

He hopped across the contraption then swept his bubble arm towards it. 

Dani didn’t have to ask him what he meant. She knew without him speaking to her.

She reached across all the random items on her coffee table to pick up her sword. Of course the little alien was right. She swung it around the room as she controlled where it glided to. 

She grinned at Bobo. “It’s perfect.”

He said nothing. Instead he bobbed his head like he agreed. 

She set the sword down with a sigh. “I better go pack. I have a trip to go on soon.”

She forced a smile on her lips as she stood and shuffled to her bedroom. 

Bobo bounced off the coffee table and scurried after her, his little knot feet squeaking along after him. She glanced back at him and grinned a little. Was he going to be alright in the desert climate in Egypt? If there was danger, how would she protect both of them?

She watched as the little alien silently grunted and groaned as he pushed the suitcase from the closet. It reminded her of the cartoons she watched as a child. Is this what her life had become? Maybe she was dreaming after all.

Tuesday Tales - Run

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “run”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Bobo drew his finger in the air from the base of her weapon to about two feet above it. A thin silver line appeared briefly in the space that he had traced. “Much like the handle you built before, I can transform the metal to be lighter and more manageable to work with.”

Dani gently tapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. “You are right. Duh. I should have known that. Would you be willing to do it for me?”

“Of course.”

“Well, let me get to work. We will run with this plan. If it doesn’t work.” Dani shrugged. “We’ll just cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Bobo laid his hand gently on her shoulder. “It will work. I assure you.”

Dani gave him a file then pulled free from his grasp. She hurried down the hallway back to the living room. She was grateful that she never got to the hardware store to return the extra parts she bought. She must have sensed they would still come in handy.

It took four hours and two calls to her dad to finally complete her sword-like thingy. Except, it now was a long C-shape, like a clamp, instead of resembling a blade. She glanced over to see Bobo snoozing on the sofa. Being so much like a feline she half expected him to be curled in a ball on the cushion. Instead, he slept much like her father, his head tilted back and snoring rather loudly.

Dani clasped her hands to her hips as she stared at the tool lying on the coffee table. “It’s not going to work.”

Bobo blinked his large, green eyes at her then yawned. “What do you mean?” he asked groggily. “I said I would transform the molecules so it would be easier to hold.”

Tuesday Tales - Heavy

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “heavy”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani’s heart broke and raced all at the same time. It was sweet that he remembered his parents like that. It was horrible that he was ripped away from them. However, she couldn’t ignore his other point. He noticed Ezra looking at her just like Elise said she did? They both had to be wrong. Right?

The world around her swirled a little. She sucked in a breath and tried to steady it. “There is something else I need to work on before I leave.”

Bobo let loose a cat-like cackle. She hoped she would get away with the subject change. Apparently not. “What is that?”

“Follow me.” She motioned him back to the living room. Instead of finding his place on the couch once more, he stood behind her as she knelt down to rummage through the large canvas tote she normally carried to work. 

She pulled free her laser contraption and held it up to him. “Elise saw the light from this and it led her to the alley. I can’t have some random person see what she saw. I need to cap the top of this and contain the laser between them. I’m just afraid that, if I use the same type of metal PVC pipe the rest of it is made of, it will be too heavy for me to wield.”

She looked at him then glanced away. This alien hadn’t been in her life very long. Why could she already see what he was thinking. “Don’t,” she warned.

“Don’t what?” he countered.

“Humans would say that you have a ‘duh’ look on your face.”

“Explain ‘duh’, please.”

Dani bit her lower lip as she thought. It took way too long for her to come up with an explanation. “Duh means that it should have been obvious to me. That I overlooked something so simple.”

“Well, then. Yes. Duh.”

She sighed. “What’s the solution then?”

Tuesday Tales - Grape

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “grape”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani gasped at his confession. “I am so sorry that happened to you.”

His thin shoulders raised and dropped in a shrug. “It is in the past. I appreciate you protecting me from Grarkiel. However, I am frightened for you. You have been successful in fighting him and his mercenaries off. However, once we are in Egypt, can you keep yourself safe from the Professor?”

Dani smiled at him. “Oh, my sweet alien, that isn’t a problem. I may be learning on the fly how to beat someone who isn’t from this planet. Before my mother would let me go to college, she made me learn some self defense so I could fight off ‘any amorous male who wanted to take advantage of me’. Her words. Joke was on her though. Guys didn’t look at me sideways there. No man has ever been interested in me.”

She could have sworn Bobo gave her a feline smirk. “The one at the library does.”

Heat filled Dani’s face. She didn’t have to look at the mirror to tell she was as red as the ripe grape tomatoes in her fridge. “How would you know? You spend all of your time in my head. Can you see out of my eyes or something? That’s pretty creepy.”

He laughed as he grinned at her. “You forget. In an attempt to confine me in his prison, Grarkiel made me like him and his accomplices. I change shape, including becoming mist like them. Every once in a while, I slip out without you knowing and observe what is occurring around us. I have been taught from a young age to know my enemy. I’ve seen him gaze at you. The appearance of his face is not malicious. It reminds me of how my father used to watch my mother.”

Tuesday Tales - Simple

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “simple”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

The alien’s head drooped a little. “It is not that simple, I am afraid.”

Dani shook her head. The disbelief flooded through her. “I don’t get it. Why couldn’t it get you home?”

He gave her a small, cat-like smile. “One, it is information meant for the Vigvuth. It may tell them how to get to their home planet. It may say nothing about how to get to mine.”

Her confusion slipped away like a fog breaking apart as the rays of sun pierced it. “That is true.”

“Also, even if there was something that may help me, it is not as easy as making it happen.”

She cocked her head as she studied him. “What happened, Bobo?”

“I told you I was a prince, did I not?”

“You did.”

Bobo gathered his robes to himself then scuttled across her bedroom until he settled on her bed. Like the monarch he was, he smoothed out his flowing garment around him before he continued his tale. “Grarkiel took me from my home because he panicked. Their attack on my planet started to fail and he made a rash decision. On the way back to their own ship, he made a detour to the residence of the palace. My father was with his advisors looking for a way to get rid of the Vigvuth. My mother was with her maids in hiding. They thought I was safe locked away in my room with my tutors. However, when your enemy is cloud-like, there are very few places to stay secluded.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

Bobo huffed. “It was. The Vigvuth barely got off the surface before my father’s pilots were following. I was implanted with a beacon of sorts when I was a babe. When my parents realized I was taken, they activated. Grarkiel discovered this quickly as well. He beat me over and over again until it was apparent that he destroyed it. It took me weeks to recover from the assault.”

Tuesday Tales - Lively

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “lively”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

She hurried down the hallway to her bedroom and threw open the closet door. She eyed her slate colored hard shell suitcase carefully. There were a crazy amount of parcels in the living room. However, she noticed each of them only held a garment or two. If that theory held true for all of them, everything would fit. 

She hoped at least. She couldn’t imagine what Julian would say if something got left home. 

She was so engrossed in her thoughts she missed the sound of heavy fabric sweeping across her faux hardwood floor tiles. She jolted at least an inch into the air at the sound of Bobo’s voice. Her heartbeat picked up to a lively pace. 

“I do not trust him,” the alien murmured.

Dani frowned as she turned to him. “Who? Julian? Ezra?”

Bobo gave her one firm nod. “Yes.”

“Bobo…”

“I despise the human male at the library, the one that Grarkiel possesses. I lived in his head. I am aware he is suffering at the hands of the Vigvuth. His body was still my prison and he made no attempt to help me escape.”

“Did he know you were there?” Dani countered. 

Bobo’s eyes widened. Clearly he never considered if Ezra knew he existed. He continued. “I agree with him. I do not trust this professor. I do not like the way he treats you. He gives you gifts you are not comfortable with. It is apparent they are for his benefit, not yours. He demeans you. He threatens you. Why would you journey with someone who thinks so little of you.”

Dani pursed her lips together for a moment before she spoke. “If we go with him and see this site, can you read what is written on the wall? I mean the words written by the Vigvuth, not the hieroglyphics.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And what they say? Won’t that help get you home?”

Tuesday Tales - Ghost

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “ghost”. We are back with Dani in my Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

There were shopping bags everywhere. They littered the floor, the tiny kitchen table in the corner, the coffee table, the sofa, and the chairs. There was even one plopped on Bobo’s lap. The alien’s cat eyes looked almost offended by the intrusion in his space. 

The purchases Dani made were in the brown paper sack at her feet. The rest were delivered by an out-of-breath delivery boy. Cargo pants. Tank tops. Boots. A couple of lightweight jackets. 

There was also an envelope in the final package. When Dani opened it, she found a postcard from the university. On the back was scrawled a message. Now you are ready to go. Be packed and prepared for the car I am sending at 5:30 am on Thursday. You’re late, you stay home. Julian.

Dani stepped over the bag in front of her then reached inside one of the half dozen resting on the coffee table. She dropped the white tank the second she set eyes on it. She didn’t have to try it on to tell how snug it would be on her. 

She glanced at the mirror that hung in her living room and took in her long skirt and cardigan. She didn’t wear tight shirts. It just wasn’t her style. Did Julian really expect her to wear this stuff in Egypt? What was he trying to get at?

“You did not like it?” Bobo queried as he cocked his head at her. 

“Not a fan, no,” Dani answered. “I’m guessing bringing my ghost pajama bottoms with me is out.”

“Were you planning to dig in sleep pants? Did the professor provide garments to rest in?”

Dani’s eyes went wide. With everything else she found, she was a little wary that he did buy her lingerie. “I’m going to see if my suitcases will fit all this.”

Tuesday Tales - Squash

 

Welcome back to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “squash”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

“I appreciate that.”

Nancy gave her a solid, final nod as if it sealed the deal. “Good. As soon as you have the dates, let me know. We will miss you being here but I look forward to hearing about your trip.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Sure thing.”

Dani forced a smile on her face as she backed out of the office and closed the door behind her. She wound her way out of the administration space the same way she came in. She didn’t stop her stride until she was back at the information desk beside Elsie. It was then that she finally let go of the breath that made her chest and ribs ache.

She noticed Elsie take her in from head to toe. “So, how did it go?”

Dani took a moment to discover her voice again. “Nancy gave me the time off.”

Elise’s eyes widened and her mouth popped open for a moment. Clearly the news was a shock to her. “Really? I didn’t expect that.”

Dani shrugged. “I have to give a presentation on my expedition when I get back.”

“Oh. I should have figured it came with strings attached.”

Dani felt her anxiety creep back like a thousand fire ants on her skin. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it. You know me. I’m an introvert.”

“It looks like you’re going to squash your shyness before you come back. Or scrap the trip. I guess the choice is yours.”

Dani watched the library visitors come and go through the expansive room. Her gaze locked on a familiar figure in a black hooded sweatshirt shuffling away towards the exit. Did she have a choice? Not really. If she called Julian and cancelled their trip, Ezra would continue to suffer. Grarkiel would continue to torture him without any end. There was only one answer. She was going to Egypt.

Tuesday Tales - Trot

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “trot”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

“No, no,” Dani assured. “Everything is okay at home.”

Nancy’s scowl deepened. “Then why do you need the time off?”

Dani could feel her heart hammering against her ribs. Her hands were getting clammy. She felt lightheaded. Maybe she would pass out and not have to ask? If only she could be so lucky. “I have the opportunity to go on an archeological dig in Egypt. It would be a couple of weeks, I think. I’m not exactly sure when I will be back.”

Nancy pressed her lips into a thin line as she crossed her arms over her chest. It felt like her stare was burning through Dani. Finally she spoke. “I didn’t know you were into archeology.”

Dani gave her a half shrug. She couldn’t tell her boss the truth. “It’s a hidden passion of mine. I never mentioned it because I never thought an experience like this could happen.”

Nancy glared at her for a moment longer then threw her hands up like she gave up. “I should have known. That’s fine. Just keep in touch, okay?

Dani gaped at Nancy as her skin stopped feeling like it was trying to crawl away as much as it had before. “Are you sure?”

“Do you think you’re the first new hire who trotted into my office to ask me if they can go on an exhibition?” Nancy countered.

“I’m not?”

“It happens more often than you would think. I’m going to make the same demand of you as I did of them.”

“And that is?”

Nancy’s scowl turned to a smile. A devious smile. There was the anxiety again. She leaned on the desk towards Dani. “When you get back, we will schedule a presentation for our patrons. You can tell everyone about what you saw while you were gone.”

Tuesday Tales - Scarlet

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “scarlet”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

“Thank you but that will not be necessary. Just let me talk to them. I promise I will get back to you today.”

She thought she could hear Julian snarl through the speaker of her phone. “You better. I will talk to you this afternoon.” With no warning, the call went dead. Dani stared at her home screen of her cell with a sigh. Maybe Ezra was right. Maybe this was a bad idea. Nevertheless, it was time to go find Nancy and have an awkward conversation about her employment.

She scurried from between the shelving units and hurried towards the offices of the library. It was a distinct difference from the rest of the building. While the rest of the facility was filled with neatly lined bookshelves full of tomes, this space was crowded with cubicles. She never knew it took so many office folks to keep this place running. 

She skimmed the perimeter of the office in the direction of the back corner. That was were Nancy sat. Before Dani got there, she spotted a scarlet suitcoat worn by a woman with more gray than blond hair. Other than that, Nancy could have been mistaken for someone Dani’s age. 

“Nancy,” Dani called out. 

Nancy spun on her toe to search the area for the voice that summoned her. When she saw Dani, she smiled. She pointed back to her office then redirected her steps to it. 

You may not be grinning for long, Dani thought to herself. She quickened her pace so she could meet Nancy at the door. 

Nancy motioned her inside then followed her. “What can I help you with, Dani?”

Dani sucked in a deep breath. “I know I haven’t been here long but I need to take some time off. I can do it unpaid.”

Like Dani guessed, Nancy’s countenance darkened at the request. “Has something happened? Do you need to go home?”

Tuesday Tales - Feather

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “feather”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani stared at the empty space for a long moment, oblivious to the ringing phone in her hand. It stopped shaking against her palm. She felt like someone could have knocked her over with a feather. Why did Ezra walking away from her hurt so much?

Her aching heart was snapped back to reality as her cell shimmied again against her fingers. The tone echoed off the shelves and tomes that rested there. She swiped against the glass to answer it. “Hello?”

“What took you so long to answer?” Julian demanded. “I had to call you twice.”

“I’m sorry. I missed the first one,” Dani fibbed.

“Well, I expect you to respond promptly when I call. What I have to tell you may be urgent. Have you spoken to your manager yet?”

“I was just about to talk to her.”

“Do it soon. We leave a week from tomorrow. I was able to get in contact with a colleague of mine. They are deep in the tomb of one of the pharaohs. Plenty of hieroglyphics for you to study.”

“Next week?” Dani’s mouth gaped open. She struggled to get control of it. “That is so soon. I am not sure if they will let me go with such little notice.”

“So you are telling me you don’t want to go now?”

“I didn’t say that?”

“If they protest, quit your job. I am sure I can find you a suitable position at the university. It will probably pay better and provide more opportunities for advancement.”

Dani shook her head emphatically even though she knew the professor couldn’t see her. It was crucial for her to go on this journey. She knew that. However, she wasn’t giving up her dream job for it. Being a librarian certainly wasn’t an important job to him. It definitely was to her. 

Tuesday Tales - Complicated

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “complicated”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani gaped at him for a moment. It took a second to plaster a sugary sweet smile on her face. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

He glanced around himself as he scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor. Clearly, this whole thing flustered him. What made it even more complicated was that they couldn’t speak their mind. It was evident that he didn’t want to say what was in his heart. He was that frightened of what Grarkiel and his mercenaries could do. 

Finally Ezra stilled and sucked in a deep breath. “If you are indeed going on this journey for a once in a lifetime archaeological expedition, then I hope you have the time of your life. I would love to see pictures of your adventure.”

He took a step towards her. Lifting his hand, he tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear that she didn’t realize escaped her bun. “If this has anything to do with what is in the books you borrowed, the same ones that I checked out, then stay. I beg you. Stay.”

Dani opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her flabbers were just gasted. Had anyone pleaded with her like this before? None came to mind at the moment. “I…I…”

What words she could muster were cut off by the ringtone on her phone. She blinked herself back to her sense then scooped her hand into the pocket of her skirt to get it. She stared at the screen. “It’s Julian.”

Ezra’s countenance darkened at her words. “Who is Julian?”

“Doctor Julian Miles. He is leading the expedition to Egypt.”

“What does he want?”

“I’m guessing he has information on our trip.”

Ezra let go a heavy sigh. His shoulders slumped as she shoved his fists into the pockets of his jeans. “I guess you better take it.”

“Ezra.”

He gave her one last glance before he shuffled away and disappeared behind a bookshelf.