Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space (2)

This month's Words for Wednesday is hosted by Elephant's Child. This week's prompts are: The image at right and Horizon, Tired, Coincidence, Splashed, Holiday, Understand. You can find more participants at Elephant's Child's blog over here.

Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space — Part 2 of 4  (Read part 1 here)

Trudy felt around the bandages over her eyes and pulled them off. She blinked rapidly. It was dark and the only light came from a sphere in the hand of a tall, thin man standing before her. "Hello again, Trudy Fine," said the man. The lapel of his black trenchcoat flapped against his cheek by the wind.
    It was Ben. Under the dim light, his eyes were still quite bright and green. They seemed to be laughing. His thin lips wore a subtle smile. "You might want to shield your eyes for a few seconds." He threw the sphere into the air.
    Trudy lifted her hand over her eyes. A brilliant light was all around her and then it dimmed to a moderate brightness. She lowered her hand and looked up. The sphere was hanging in the sky and it shone down like a moon.
    "Shall we go?" Ben turned and began walking.
    "Hey, wait!" Trudy ran to catch up. "What's that sphere light? It looks like the moon."
    "It is a moon but a different sort of moon as I'm the one lighting it."
    "Oh." She looked up again. It was a beautiful sight though she had only seen the moon once before she lost her eyes.
    They began walking through a forest full of giant trees. Some had colorful leaves, others bare with black trunks, some had odd-shaped fruits and others seemed to drip down but all of them were at least fifteen feet tall. Trudy could only identify the red maples. There was a small maple that used to grow in front of the house she and her mother had lived at when she was five.
    Ben didn't speak. He took long strides with the tail of his black trenchcoat swaying.
    Something jumped past on her left side. Indistinct noises drifted by. Trudy paused to listen. Shuffling. Footfalls. A small object flew by above her. She ran to catch up to Ben. "Didn't you say there are no other inhabitants here other than you?"
    "There aren't. The animals you saw aren't inhabitants. They are part of this planet."
    "They were here when you came to the planet?"
    "No, I brought them here to make the scenery better. The humans weren't appreciating them anyway. Don't worry, they won't harm you."
    Was Ben being kind or did he really brought the animals here to beautify the scenery? She smiled. "Why are we walking if you have, you know, powers?"
    "Why? I have exerted myself trying to get you here. I'm dead tired. And besides, if a being can't walk to their destination, then they must ask themselves, why do they have legs?"
    "I was just— I mean, I don't mind walking. Why are we going to your ship again?"
    "You've accepted me as someone you can trust so why all the questions?"

    "Because I— I guess I need explanations and I think you owe me some."
    "Fine. I'm taking you to my ship so that I can return you to earth. If didn't care about your well being, I can planet-hop you back with another sixteen jumps but the various temperature change your body will have to endure will literary turn you into a popsicle. I can only protected you at a certain limit."
    "Sixteen jumps? How far are we from earth?"
    "Couldn't say. Try calculating the distance between twenty-seven planets plus some space, maybe a little gravitational shifts and there's your number."
    "We're twenty-seven planets away from earth? How is that possible?"
    "Asked by the woman who didn't even question planet-hopping or why she is following a man she had just met."
    "Since you put it that way." Trudy smiled. Something about Ben reminded her of Steven and perhaps it was why she trusted him.
    They came upon a clearing where, if Trudy was not mistaken, stood a ferris wheel. She had seen one when her mother took her to a carnival. A pile that could have been wooden horses were beside it but she couldn't be certain under the moonlight. Three pale gray statues of a woman with wings and her hands pressed in prayer stood neatly side by side in front of a half wall with a large window fit with colored stain glass. They passed more knickknacks that she could not identify. Is this a museum for earth relics? These are necessary to Ben? Trudy couldn't understand.
    Something green was swinging in the wind near her feet. She looked down at the grass which reached her ankles. Trudy paused again. If she wasn't wearing boots, she might get to feel the grass on her bare feet. She bended down to touch them - smooth and soft.
    "Trudy, what are you doing? This is not a tour." He let out a yawn.
    Trudy rushed to Ben's side. "I'm sorry. I got distracted. There are so ma—"
    "Hush!" Ben curled his fingers on his left hand. The light above them began to dim until they were in complete darkness. "Keep still." His voice was a whisper.
    There were sounds of movements all around them.
    A chill ran up Trudy's back and all over her. She reached out for Ben but her fingers struck at something. It was smooth and cold.
    "Whatever happens, Trudy, do nothing." Ben's voice was somber.
     "What's going on?" she whispered. A shoved on her left side and she began to ascend.
    "Trudy, remember, do nothing." Ben's voice was dropping away. She didn't hear the last note in 'nothing' as she rose higher and higher. She was moving at a moderate speed. A light breeze was blowing through her hair. She pressed a hand against the soft surface encapsulating her. Then she stopped just about twenty or twenty-five feet from the ground.
    A blue light appeared below her. One of the dark blue skin creatures was holding the light that came from a rectangle tube. About twenty creatures surrounded Ben. They towered over him like trees.
    Trudy couldn't see Ben's face, only the top of his black head. But he was standing still.
    "Buug somm. Buug somm." It was the same language Trudy had heard on the ship. She could hear everything as the creatures spoke at a loud volume.
    Ben laughed. His voice was equally loud. "Yaa comm. Yaa comm. As you wish." He held up both of his hands.
    The creature lifted its head but as there was no discernible distinction from its long, thin body, its bend was not apparent. But the one large round black eye blinked once and kept it on Trudy. "Bugg comm. Bugg comm." It poked out a three-fingered hand from its body and pointed a light at Trudy.
    Ben shook his head. "Nuug sim. Nuug sim."
    "Bugg comm! Bugg comm!" came a chorus of voices buzzing like bees. A third creature poked a hand out from its body and shot at Trudy. White light from the laser went straight through the bubble and passed Trudy. She squealed. "Get me down, Ben!" A burning smell made her sniffed her hair on her left side which was singed.
    "Oh, you want to get shot directly?" Ben laughed. The moon sphere brightened and Trudy put her hand up to block it. It dimmed and she lowered her hand.
    Below, Ben was standing behind a pile of what looked like two-headed dolls with two braids. He pulled two small, round and black objects out of his coat pocket and threw it at two creatures. Two seconds later, they dissipated.
    The other creatures were scattered in small groups conversing behind towers of wind turbines, wooden beds and pink and white pianos. A few was running about, perhaps trying to find a good spot to take cover.
     Trudy began moving sideways involuntarily. "Hey! I say I want down!"
    "You know, I'm kind of busy here, Trudy!" said Ben as he dodged a shot.
    "I'm getting sho—" a flash of light went over her head. "Hey! Get me down!"
    "I'm terribly sorry but haven't you heard of staying out of the path of danger?"
    "You call this safe?" Trudy moved again. "And how did they get passed your very exhausted layers of protection?"
    "Do I have to answer that? They must have followed us after we descended onto the planet which I must said, was the smartest thing they had ever done."
    A loud creak sounded. Behind them, the ferris wheel tumbled on its side with a thunderous boom. "Ugh!" Ben said. "Now, you've made me mad! That was my favorite found!" 
    Ben clapped his hands together. A light appeared between them. He parted his hands and a sword was floating in the air. Grabbing the handle, he looked up at the creatures and said, "I must warn you, I know kungfu."
    The creatures glanced at one another. Then they shouted, "Umm nuu! Umm nuu!" and began shooting at Ben. He dodged the shots with the sword.
    Lasers began to run pass Trudy though she was still moving. "Ben! Please, get me down, now!"
    "Leave her alone. Nuug sim! Nugg sim!" He knocked a few creatures down with his sword by their short legs. Then he threw more black objects from his pocket at them. They were gone in a few blinks.
    Trudy shifted as two shots came her way. One flew passed her left and the other below her. Something sharp ran through her left leg. She peered down. There was blood oozing out of the hole in her thigh.
    "YOU NINNY!" Ben screamed. He threw his sword aside and it disappeared before it hit the ground. He curved his hands one atop the other. A flash of light appeared between his fingers and stretched into a round shape. He threw it at the tower of white pianos. The pianos fell over the two creatures that hid behind it. Ben threw another ball of light that struck three of the creatures. A fizzle sounded and the creatures went up in flames. Their shrieks were echoed by the others. Slowly, the flames faded away. The three creatures sagged to the ground and let out soft sounds. They appeared unharmed.
    "Nuz Mooz. Nuz Mooz. Gaaa somm! Gaaa somm! NOW!" Ben shouted.
    The ones standing lifted up the three creatures and the few of their fallen friends with their many arms. They disappeared in a flash of light.
    In a moment, Trudy began to descend. Her feet touched the ground. She staggered and fell onto the grass.
    Ben kneeled down beside her. He placed a hand on her thigh with the wound. "You will feel a bit of pain but keep still."
    She nodded. A warmth crept from her thigh through the whole of her body. Pain throbbed through her. It lingered for a long moment. She let out a scream. The pain subsided.
    Ben lifted her up into a sitting position. Her thigh was whole again but the hole in her pants and the blood were still there.
     "Save your energy. You're not completely healed yet," said Ben. He sat down on the ground with both legs bended and his arms over them. "I'm sorry. I should have remember about the bubble not being laser proof. I'm sorry you got hurt." He met her eyes. They were a dull green as if the light had faded.
    Blood was leaking down the cut on his left cheek.
    "Your...cheek." Trudy reached out but dropped her hand.
    He pressed a hand to the cut. When he pulled away, his cheek was smooth again. "It's nothing."
    "Thank you for protecting me." Although Trudy wished he had done it differently. She rubbed at her leg. It throbbed with a faint ache.
    "I don't know why you're thanking me. You almost died."
    "But I'm still alive. That's the important bit." Trudy let out a breath.
    "Yes, that's the important bit, isn't it? But three lives could have been extinguished and for what?" He shook his head. "I was alway so certain I would never kill another. Harm, yes, but kill?" He released a long sigh.
    "'A man of peace does not fight but when he have to, he fights not to kill but to save.' Steven's words. He said it was lame but true for him. But he also said, 'What the hell is wrong with people? Why can't they just stop fighting and enjoy being alive?' Steven, he was a wise man. I really wished I had met him before he passed. He was writing to Jesse but Jesse was gone and so I told him he could write to me and he did. Before you ask, you're here so I can fulfill his last wish and that you might have guessed by now, is your eyes."
    She smiled. "Steven was always saying when he had saved enough money, he would get my eyes fixed. I've never thought— It's just a nice dream to think about when I'm down. But now..." She rubbed at the corners of her eyes with the tips of her fingers. "If only Steven was here."
    Ben stood up and held out a hand. "Come. We must get going."
    She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. A sharp pain shot through her left leg.
    "Try not to put too much pressure on your left leg. You'll need a few hours of rest before you can fully use it."
    She nodded. First she moved her right leg and then the left. But the pain in her left leg throbbed. She paused.
    "You don't want me to carry you like some sort of hero, do you?" Ben raised his eyebrows.
    She laughed. "No! Of course not!"
    "Good. I wasn't going to no matter what." A wooden stick appeared in his hand. He held it out to her. "Use this. Walk slowly if you have to. We're almost there."
    She grabbed the stick. It was a branch with a smooth surface. "Thank yo—"
    He turned around and started walking.
    "What were those creatures? Are they afraid of fire? And those things you threw at them, some type of new technology?"
    "So many questions, Trudy. Can't you accept that things happened and then move on?" His voice went up a little at the last word as if he was restraining from yelling.
    "I'm sorry. I know it's tiring to keep explaining things to me but I really would like to know. It's a habit." Trudy had been trying to get as much knowledge into her head all her life. She didn't go to blind school because they were expensive and public schools wasn't exactly the place for her to learn. Often, Steven would take her to the public library and she would read all the braille and audio books.
    "Those creatures were Cimmerians. They're not afraid of fire but that is the only way to kill them. You should be glad they have lousy aim, one eye and all. We call them the hot dog people." He chuckled. "Jesse, actually. He said they looked like hot dogs. When I found out what hot dogs look like, well, it made sense. Tell me you don't think they look like hot dogs to you."
    Trudy let out a snicker. "Well, yes, they do look like that." It was at the carnival that she saw a hot dog - a sausage in a sliced bun with condiments - but she only got to look as her mother didn't believe in eating meat.
    "Of course it's rude to make fun of any race. That was what Jesse said. But moving on... The things I threw at the hot dog people are time maggots. They are perpetual time travelers. Once they hold on to you, you'll be their lifetime companion traveling through whatever time period they thought up until you've pretty much become numb or kill yourself to make it stop. Definitely a punishment that you wouldn't like.
    And if you must know and I know you do, I traded one of my ships for the Cimmerians' technology to get your eyes back. But then they backed out of the deal - they wanted the ship and keep their technology. But I was smart enough to use their gadget on you before I brought the ship to them. Who knew they can so unreasonable?" Ben let out a small laugh. "Cimmerians are notorious for being possessive. They even charge you toll if you walk through their planet. Ridiculous, really.   
    And before you asked, they wanted your eyes to make the deal void which is double ridiculous, I know. They have a strange tendency to even things out even though we know it wouldn't be even if they take your eyes because then I would have to take my ship back which I won't because I'm a reasonable being. Anything else I forgot?"
    "Maybe..." Trudy didn't like the sound of his tone. But it's nice to have answers.
    Ben let out a short breath. "Oh, I could restore your eyes my way but it would take several, painful weeks - time I don't want to waste. With the Cimmerian's technology, it takes one day to regenerate your eyes, which you should be grateful for."
    "I am grateful. I am very grateful, thank you." Trudy just wanted to know things, what's the harm?
    "The harm is that my head might explode. And no, I cannot hear your thoughts. I know how well you earthlings think."
    Earthling? Trudy had been wondering. "What kind of species are you, Ben? Who are you really?"
    "Isn't it a bit late to ask me that?" Ben smiled. His eyes brightened. "I suppose you have a right to know what species you're hanging out with. Well, I'm a Ben. I know that doesn't make any sense to you. BEN stands for Being of Everything Known/Unknown. And before you ask, yes, known and unknown is not spelled with an N. My people's logic was a bit askew back then or should we say, it was at kindergarten level. But we didn't change it because it's already silly enough that we had made up such a name. Whether there are others, I cannot say. As we travel often and alone, there is no saying whether you will meet another Ben somewhere in a different galaxy but they would probably called themselves by a different name. I prefer Ben."
    "That's quite an explanation." Trudy had read science fiction but this is beyond anything she had read.
    Ben turned his head slightly to look at her. His eyes narrowed and his lips were in a tight line.
     "I'm sorry. I know you're exhausted, Ben. Me too."
    He nodded. "I'm sorry too. It's just, I haven't spoken this much since Jesse and he was a great talker. Would it be better if I just stuck all the knowledge you want to know straight into your head?"
    "Can you do that?" Trudy smiled.
    "Most certainly. But you could die in the process or go crazy. One or the other. I can't remember which one is most likely but I do recalled a professor who decided to be a monkey after I gave him the history of men from day zero to the present. It might been a side affect or it just might be something he wanted to do. No one had seen him since he left for the jungles."
    "What the heck are you talking about?" Trudy couldn't decide if the pain in her legs was making her a little nuts. Her head was a little hazy.
    "Then again, he might not have gone crazy since he was a little wacky to start with so maybe the knowledge just enhanced the craziness? The point is, explaining things to you is annoying to me. But..." Ben stopped and stretched out a hand. "We're here."

~ Read Part 3 here ~