The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[KAL 9000]

Good luck to your family/friend! I hope they recover soon.

[Just Jim]

16 hours ago, TopHeavy11 said:

We won't rush you. If it turns out to be...serious, take all the time you want. @sal_vager might be going thru something similar and I'm supportive, so I at least won't rush you. Hope your loved one feels well soon.  

 

1 hour ago, KAL 9000 said:

Good luck to your family/friend! I hope they recover soon.

Thank you. They're doing tests today, and it looks like they won't be releasing her until tomorrow.

 

[TopHeavy11]

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

 

Thank you. They're doing tests today, and it looks like they won't be releasing her until tomorrow.

 

Is it...your wife? Sorry if I'm being probing. I just hope whoever she is doesn't have anything serious.

[Just Jim]

29 minutes ago, TopHeavy11 said:

Is it...your wife? Sorry if I'm being probing. I just hope whoever she is doesn't have anything serious.

No, I'm not married. 

[TopHeavy11]

32 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

No, I'm not married. 

Still, my previous statement stands. I hope she feels better.

[KAL 9000]

Whoever she is, wife, sister, aunt, mother, daughter, friend, I wish her the best of luck!

[Avonix]

I hope everythings alright on your end. A huge fan of this series (which I haven't said yet).

 

Stay safe, and I hope whoever it is recovers well.

[DunaManiac]

This is just a funny coincidence, but my 3rd grade teacher first name was emiko, ???????

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, KAL 9000 said:

Whoever she is, wife, sister, aunt, mother, daughter, friend, I wish her the best of luck!

Thanks, should know more tomorrow.

3 hours ago, Avonix said:

I hope everythings alright on your end. A huge fan of this series (which I haven't said yet).

Stay safe, and I hope whoever it is recovers well.

I'm glad to meet you. Thank you

37 minutes ago, KerbalXcer said:

This is just a funny coincidence, but my 3rd grade teacher first name was Emiko, ???????

Oh cool coincidence. Emiko is a traditional Japanese name and has half a dozen translations, depending on how it is written, but mostly it means "beautiful child" or something to that effect. And the urban dictionary defines Emiko:

"An adorably cute young lady, often hyper and very, very sweet. An Utter dreamer and lovable child but Very Innocent. She is simply.... Magical..."

My Emiko is named after Emiko Yamane, from the original 1954 Godzilla movie. But I was watching one of my favorite movies earlier and made the startling discovery that without realizing I was doing it, I've been basing Emiko on someone else entirely. She's one of my absolute favorite characters, and actresses both... and I should have known.... it was so obvious when I saw her today. 

Big spoiler and insight... This is who Emiko Kerman is mostly based on:

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/hXCaF68sDPU

Oh, hey everyone, if you quote this, snip out the video please

Edited October 12, 2016 by Just Jim

[DunaManiac]

No hard feelings, I just wanted to let you know that,

[Just Jim]

1 minute ago, KerbalXcer said:

No hard feelings, I just wanted to let you know that,

Oh no problems, I think it's awesome. 

[GDJ]

Don't worry about us Jim. You deal with real life first. We can wait....altho' you may have to deal with copious quantities of whining and snivelling from your fans.

[The solid fuel chemist]

24 minutes ago, GDJ said:

Don't worry about us Jim. You deal with real life first. We can wait....altho' you may have to deal with copious quantities of whining and snivelling from your fans.

How dare you! how could you think that i could be so evil! (come'on, @Just Jim Use the waiting room!) 

[GDJ]

19 minutes ago, The solid fuel chemist said:

How dare you! how could you think that i could be so evil! (come'on, @Just Jim Use the waiting room!) 

Not you, ME! I usually do my share of snivelling.

[The solid fuel chemist]

@GDJ (backs away from conversation awkwardly)

[Just Jim]

OK, for the record, the person I had to take to the hospital was my mom, and now she's back home. I wasn't supposed to say anything because she doesn't want anyone worrying about her. We'll have to do some follow-up stuff, but things appear OK.

 

[Buzz light fear]

On October 2, 2016 at 8:44 PM, Just Jim said:

Hey everyone, the madness of the last several weeks is finally over!!!
I can't really talk about it on here, it's not appropriate. But the problem is gone, and life is slowly returning to normal. 

Enough of that... October is already upon us, and Halloween will soon be here... and I am a huge fan!
So lets have some fun.
To celebrate, the next couple chapters of Emiko's backstory will include the following:

A Mad Scientist
A Witch
A teenage Werewolf
Possibly a Vampire...
And because y'all seem to love them so much... Zombies!  Lots of Zombies....

And the best part, it all fits into the plot!  

Finally, as an added special bonus, I would like to introduce you all to the next player in the Emiko Saga: Maria

  Hide contents

 

 

Why is Emiko not wearing her helmet and wearing a school uniform! (metal gyre solid sound)

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

On 10/7/2016 at 5:12 AM, Just Jim said:

Hey everyone, I need to make this quick. The hurricane eye is almost exactly 200 miles east of here. The rain isn't too bad where we are, but it's windy, and the power is already acting up. 

So, good news is I finished up the screenshots last night.
Bad news, I probably won't get much done today, sorry. 

But here's one last teaser screenshot to hopefully hold y'all over.
This one goes out to our very own @Mad Rocket Scientist, who recently claimed he didn't do it, but I think perhaps he did... lol... 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Sorry I couldn't respond to this before.  It looks great!  

[KAL 9000]

Oh, your mom... Wow, that must have been hard! Tell her I'm glad she's better!

[Just Jim]

But they can't tell us why they're here and just what for
Because they don't know who opened up the door
                                                                       Zebra: "Who's Behind The Door"

Chapter 68
Emiko's Tale: Happy Halloween

 

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening of her first day on this strange planet called Earth, Emiko Kerman slept and dreamed of home. Would she ever see her beloved Kerbin again? Or her dear friends? Or was this all some bizarre dream?? Was she actually asleep and perhaps frozen on that arctic hillside near the north pole where they had found the crashed saucer? 

But as the shadows grew longer, Emiko awoke, stretched, and saw her legs still seemed impossibly long.

"Nope," she said to herself, "Emiko not dreaming."

It was all so weird, but Emiko also realized if it was real, then the scientific value was beyond measure. So she put on her bravest face, slipped back into her pink suit and weird helmet, and headed downstairs, where she found her new alien friends deep in discussion.

Hearing her come down the stairs, the alien named Chibi jumped up and met Emiko with a wide smile.

"We... uh... we talked it over," Chibi grinned, "And if it's OK with you... well, will you come and stay with me, Emiko, please? I have a huge house, and plenty of room. And, well... you're the only friend I ever made that didn't know, or care, who my daddy is. Please?"

Emiko looked down at the other aliens, and one one named Leod spoke up next.

"My dear, you are always welcome to stay here, but perhaps it is for the best. You and Chibi both look to be about the same age, and living with her would have it's advantages."

Emiko looked back at Chibi, reached out and took her hands, "If it isn't an inconvenience, then Emiko honored to stay with Chibi. But Emiko and Chibi aren't the same age, Chibi is 16, Emiko is almost 50."

"Not anymore you aren't," Chibi smiled, "I did the math in my head, and I think I know what happened. You told me earlier this afternoon there are approximately 426 days in a Kerbin year, and each day is 6 hours long, correct?"

"If Emiko's friend Werhner's estimates are accurate, then yes, Chibi is correct... Earth days very, very long, and Chibi has good memory."

"Yes, to you the days here must be long," Chibi continued, "A day on Earth is 24 hours, and there are 365 days in a year, more or less. Close enough for this. Now, when you break down a Kerbin year and an Earth year into hours, it turns out there are 8760 hours in an Earth year, but only 2556 hours in a Kerbin year. This is nearly a 3:1 ratio, again, more or less, but in a nutshell, assuming Earth and Kerbin hours are roughly the same length, this means 50 years on Kerbin would equal roughly 16 years on Earth."

Sitting in his chair, the alien named Mortimer looked at Leod with a proud grin. "I told you she was exceptional!"

"Oh stop, professor," Chibi beamed, "Anyway, I'm not sure why, or how, but when the ET's altered you, it's quite probable this somehow factored into the equation, and you are, in fact, only 16 Earth years old." 

Chibi paused, and for a split second a worried look flashed across her face. But just as fast she smiled and changed the subject, "Enough math... let's go home! I can't wait to show you the place! Daddy bought it for me, but he doesn't live there himself. He owns the penthouse two buildings down.. come on!!!"

Pulling Emiko along with her, Chibi headed outside to her wildly colored rover, then waited just long enough for Emiko to give the alien Leod a hug goodbye before driving herself and Emiko back to her loft near the center of Belladonna Cove.

As Emiko climbed out of the rover, she was astounded and impressed at Chibi's home, and it was several seconds before she saw a tall, rather serious looking alien female watching them.

"Emiko, this is my governess, Ms. Mary-Anne Peterson." Chibi said, "Ms. Mary, this is Emiko Kerman." 

"Mistress Chibi phoned ahead and told me of your arrival." the tall alien said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Chibi, why don't you take Mistress Emiko upstairs and find her something more appropriate to wear while I prepare dinner. And Emiko, as long as you're staying here, you will not wear that... that helmet."

Before Emiko could ask what she meant, Chibi grabbed her hand and took her up thru a gorgeous living area and into a room with two beds.

"You look about my size, so I hope this fits." Chibi said as she handed Emiko one of her uniforms. But once Emiko had changed and looked at herself in the mirror, she crossed her legs awkwardly and shook her head.

"No... no... Emiko is sorry, but can't wear this..."

"What's wrong?" Chibi asked. "You look adorable."

"No..." Emiko blushed wildly. "Emiko's legs showing... Emiko... dirty.... feels naked!"

"Naked?" Chibi paused and thought about it a second, "Wait... Emiko, how would you normally dress on your home world?"

"Emiko wears spacesuit," Emiko blushed again, "Most all Kerbins wear spacesuits all the time, even before Kerbins knew about space"

"Ahhh," Chibi smiled with understanding, "That explains the snowsuit."

"Only thing Emiko could find that seemed appropriate." Emiko looked at herself again in the mirror. "Is alright to show legs here?"

"Absolutely," Chibi laughed. "You look fine, Emiko."

"OK.... Emiko trusts Chibi. But Emiko has one question."

"Yes?"

Emiko leaned in close to the mirror and looked at her weird alien reflection. 

"What is strange bump on Emiko's face?"

After she stopped laughing, Chibi did her best to explain to Emiko what a nose was, and then the two headed back out to find Chibi's governess, leaving Emiko's strange helmet behind. At first Emiko was a little worried how she would communicate without the helmet, but much to her surprise, she remembered most of what she had already learned, and was able to understand Chibi and Ms. Mary fairly well.

Then Emiko inhaled through her nose like Chibi had told her, and to her delight she recognized something delicious...... grilled cheese!

"Oh, Emiko's nose thing so happy..."

"Mistress Chibi told me of your fondness for grilled cheese, Emiko, and I believe you will find this particular cheddar to be quite exceptional," Ms. Mary said with a stern smile. "But do not expect them every night."

"Ms. Mary isn't just my governess and tutor, she's an excellent chef," Chibi said as they sat down to eat. "If you really want to learn about Earth food, then you're in luck, she can make anything."

After wolfing down 4 grilled cheese, Emiko yawned deeply, then blushed in embarrassment.

"Emiko is sorry."

"Oh, sweety, don't be," Chibi yawned back. "It's late, and most humans go to bed around this time. Come on, let's find you some PJ's. If you'd like, I'll stay with you in the spare room... It'll be like a sleep over!"

Leading her back to the room with 2 beds, Chibi found some heavy pajamas that she would normally only wear in the winter, but thought might be more comfortable for Emiko, and they two of them climbed into their beds. But before they went to sleep, Emiko saw that Chibi was pulling out a book.

"Chibi?" Emiko asked sleepily, "Will... <yawn> Will Chibi please read to Emiko?"

"Of course, I would be delighted," Chibi smiled back, then began to read softly into the night.

"It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know,
By the name of Annabel Lee...."

And so Emiko Kerman came to live with her alien best friend Chibi, and began to learn all sorts if fascinating things about her, as well as these weird humans in general. Days turned into something called weeks, which in turn became something called months, which confused Emiko a lot. Emiko learned there were seven days in an Earth week, which seemed like an odd number to her, but at least was it was consistent. But these Earth month things had different amount of days and/or weeks, and it all seemed a little ridiculous to Emiko. 

But one of the most amazing surprises came when Chibi took Emiko downstairs and showed her something Chibi called her "Inner Sanctum". 

"I'll have a key made for you tomorrow," Chibi said as she unlocked the heavy door and led Emiko into an amazing laboratory. The room was filled with all sorts of strange and quite obviously high tech equipment, and Emiko didn't have to know exactly what it was to still be impressed. But most startling was what stood in the middle of the lab.

"Is... is that a... a robot?" Emiko whispered.

"Yes, but the correct term is Maschinenmensch," Chibi beamed, the pride obvious in her voice. "Emiko, meet Maria. I'm afraid she isn't quite finished yet. Everything works properly, but I want... well, I want her to be.. to be more alive... more sentient."

Emiko looked at her friend in awe, "Chibi is remarkably smart... smart as Emiko's friend Werhner. If any human can do it, Chibi can."

From that point on, Chibi welcomed Emiko's company and advice as she worked on Maria. But one day soon after she looked over to see Emiko at the drafting table, furiously drawing something.

Chibi stopped what she was doing and went to watch her friend, and as it became clear what Emiko was sketching out, Chibi gasped, but didn't interrupt. When it was finished, Chibi took a couple thumbtacks, hung it on the wall, and stepped back in stunned silence.

"Is... is that... you?" Chibi asked softly. "OMG, Emiko, you are so cute!!!"

"Emiko was cute... once," Emiko choked, then looked at herself in the mirror. "Now Emiko hideous... Earth monster!!!"

Then Emiko realized what she had said, and turned to Chibi in horror. 

"Oh, Chibi... Emiko didn't mean... didn't..." 

Then the weeks of being on a strange alien planet hit Emiko like a hard punch in the stomach, and a wave of homesickness overcame her, and she began sobbing uncontrollably on Chibi's shoulder.

"Emiko... Emiko just wants... to go home!"

"It's OK..." Chibi said softly, "I understand. You must miss your home terribly. All your friends.... I understand completely. Shhhh... shhhhh, it's OK."

"Yes," Emiko sniffled, "Emiko misses them bad... and...."

"And?" Chibi asked gently.

"And Emiko is so very scared and worried... friends may be in danger."

"What?" Chibi gasped, "In danger? What do you mean? Sit down and talk to me, girl." 

And for the next hour Emiko explained to Chibi of the events at the lost desert temple, her encounter with the Magic Boulder, the strange behavior of her friends and assistants Thompington and Bruberry, and the horrific explosion at the KRASH club. Then Emiko told Chibi the details of her abduction at the north pole, and the ominous warning Bruberry had made just before she disappeared.

For several minutes after Emiko finished, the two girls sat in silence. Chibi just sat and shook her head slowly, trying to take it all in.

"Oh my..... Emiko, why didn't you tell me this earlier."

"Emiko afraid Chibi might not believe her."

"Of course I believe you," Chibi smiled. "This is Belladonna Cove, where odd and unusual events happen daily. What you've told me is certainly different, but no stranger than some of the things I've seen around here. I most certainly believe you."

"Emiko, I promise..." Chibi smiled at her friend. "I promise if there is a way to get you back home, I will help you find it, no matter what it takes. But it's really late, and we need to get to bed. I have something really special planned for tomorrow. I guarantee it will cheer you up!"

The next afternoon Emiko and Chibi were on the couch, reading and comparing the incredible parallels between the ancient Egyptians of Earth and the Kergyptians of Kerbin.

"So the ruins you uncovered showed ET saucers?" Chibi asked Emiko with fascination.

"Yes, clearly saucers," Emiko replied, equally awed at the revelation.

"That explains a lot," Chibi pondered, "If the ET's have been tampering with both Kerbins and Earthlings in the distant past, it could explains many of the parallels in the development of both planets..."

But just them Ms. Mary walked into the room, and looked at the girls with a mischievous grin.

"Well, what do you think?"

Emiko's jaw dropped.

"Awesome," Chibi squealed. Then she jumped up and ran off to the bedroom, yelling behind her.

"Emiko, wait 5 minutes, then come in."

Emiko didn't know exactly what to think, but she could see Chibi was excited, so she decided to keep quiet and play along, and waited exactly 5 minutes like Chibi had instructed. But when the 5 minutes were up, and she went to their bedroom, Emiko was surprised once again.

"Ta DA!" Chibi laughed, then explained to Emiko. "Today is an Earth holiday called Halloween. It's a long story, but trust me, we're going to have fun! Here, I bought this for you."

"Present for Emiko?" 

"It's your costume for tonight. I picked it out especially for you, something really cute, but not revealing, so you won't feel uncomfortable."

Excited, Emiko changed and checked herself out.

The dress was long and flowing and really, really comfortable, plus Emiko's legs were covered, and she immediately loved it.

"It's perfect," Emiko beamed, "Thank you, Chibi."

"My pleasure, Emiko. When people ask, and they will, you are now a fortune teller. And let me say, girl, you look amazing."

Emiko looked back in the mirror. "Emiko is... cute?"

"Emiko is very, very cute, yes. Now let's go, the guests should be arriving any time!"

As the two girls walked into the living room, Ms. Mary looked up and smiled. But before she could compliment the girls, a horn beeped loudly. Chibi screamed, grabbed Emiko's hand, and began running to the door and outside.

"Daddy!"

As Emiko tried to catch her breath, a large car (as she now knew they were called) pulled in, and a rather remarkable figure climbed out and looked up at the girls with a wide smile.

And Emiko's jaw dropped once again.

Trying to keep a straight face, Chibi walked down and examined the human, then broke out in a fit of hysterical giggles and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh... daddy... that is brilliant! My father, the mad scientist!"

"Oh no, my dear" Chibi's father corrected her. "Green coat..."

"Oh, yes," Chibi giggled, "How unobservant of me. Green coat and glasses, you're a mad rocket scientist! And you even have the professor's robo-hand! But if you're tonight's scientist, then where is...???"

Just then another figure emerged from the car and walked over, one Emiko recognized... sort of.

"Of course," Chibi beamed, "My apologies, Count von Goth! But sir, aren't you afraid of offending Count Edvard?

"My dear," Professor Goth smiled, "Who do you think lent me this magnificent suit?"

Then Chibi's father walked up to Emiko and held out his real hand.

"My dear, you must be Emiko. Please, call me Armand. Or dad. I would prefer dad." Chibi's father smiled warmly. "Chibi has told me so much about you, but she neglected to mention what a lovely young lady you are."

"Oh... " Emiko stammered and blushed, and Chibi looked at her friend and smiled.

"I told you, Emiko... didn't I tell you?"

"So, daughter of mine, how are you coming with Maria? It's been, what? Two months since you let us see her, are you making any progress?"

Chibi shook her head, smiled sadly, and led them back inside to the lab. "Yes, and no... and yes, you can see her."

"Physically, she's almost perfect, and could probably toss your car into the river from here." Chibi updated her father and the professor. "But the neural interface still eludes me, and I haven't achieved any real form of AI or sentience for her... yet."

Just then another car horn beep from outside, and Chibi turned to Emiko.

"Come on! The gang is here!! I can't wait for you to meet them!"

"You two go on," Chibi's father laughed as Chibi practically dragged Emiko back outside, "The professor and I will lock up when we're done here."

In the front yard a smaller and somewhat beat up car pulled up onto the lawn, and two female humans climbed out, both dressed in similar looking dresses, with tall, pointed hats. But as they emerged, Emiko could hear the two arguing about how they were dressed, until one of them walked up to Chibi, gave her a big hug, then asked loudly, "Now Chibi... isn't this how a witch is supposed to look?"

"Oh, no... I'm not getting sucked into this one!" Chibi laughed. "Emiko, may I introduce my friends Jules and Sandra. Girls, this is Emiko." Then Chibi leaned close to Emiko and whispered quickly, "Sandra is a real witch, I'll explain later."

The human named Jules came up and gave Emiko a big hug, while Sandra nodded and smiled.

"I love your dress, Emiko," Jules said, admiring Emiko's costume.

"Emiko fortune talker!" Emiko smiled.

"Fortune teller," Chibi whispered to Emiko.

"Fortune teller," Emiko said, not missing a beat, and Jules broke out laughing.

"Oh, Chibi... she's adorable!"

Then a larger car pulled up, and two human males, also in costume and make-up, climbed out.

"And Emiko, this is Justin and Rip.... and... wait.... no, it can't be!"

Behind the males, another door opened, and Chibi screamed and ran up to her.

"Ophelia???  OMG... Ophelia!"

"Oh, Ophelia, I was so afraid you weren't coming," Chibi whispered, "I've been so worried."

Emiko looked on at this remarkable female, and realized something was quite different about her. It wasn't that she was a darker shade of tan/brown than the others; Emiko had long since learned that humans came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and colors, and were much more diverse than Kerbins. No, there was something... tragic... about this particular human. Behind her painted tears, Emiko sensed and even felt a very real and genuinely profound sadness and pain, like a part of her had been ripped asunder and cast away. Something had wounded this human badly, and Emiko couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

But then the wounded female caught sight of Emiko, her face turned to stone and she walked up to Emiko and began screaming at her!

"Where is my boyfriend???"

Emiko stood in shock as the female named Ophelia pushed her roughly and screamed again.

"Where... what... TELL ME!!!!  What have you done with him... WHERE IS JOHNNY???"

Then Ophelia arched her back at an impossible angle and howled, and a cold fear gripped Emiko as she began to glow... and change!!!

"No... NO!" Chibi screamed. "Ophelia, NO... You don't understand!!!  She didn't..."

But it was too late. Before Emiko's eyes the female human named Ophelia became something... not human!

In just seconds, where a beautiful but tragically hurt human once was, now stood a monstrous fur covered beast. Only Ophelia's eyes remained unchanged. And in a split second, to Chibi's absolute horror, Ophelia howled again and attacked poor Emiko!

Chibi was mortified, and did her best to cover her eyes, but couldn't. 

"NOOO!" She screamed, "Please, NOOO!!! Ophelia, stop!!! Emiko isn't the one!"

But the fighting only became more intense, until the two if them were engulfed in ball of flailing dust... and Chibi began to sob for poor Emiko.

Then, just as fast as it had began, the fighting stopped, and to everyone's amazement, it was Ophelia lying on the ground, and Emiko standing over her without so much as a scratch!

"Did... did you see that?" Jules whispered. "She whopped Ophelia! How did you DO that????"

"No... no, she didn't," Ophelia gasped, trying desperately to sit back up and catch her breath and not throw up in front of her friends. "It... it wasn't like that. She didn't lay a finger on me.... and I couldn't lay a claw on her!!! It was like she knew my every move. I've never seen anyone so fast!"

Ophelia stood back up and looked at Emiko carefully, "No... no, you're not an ET, are you?"

"No," Emiko smiled, "Emiko is Kerbin. ET's brought Emiko here. But not sure why yet."

"Oh, I am so, so sorry," Ophelia apologized, "Sometimes... sometimes the beast..."

"Is OK," Emiko smiled, "Ophelia not have to explain. Emiko knows... Emiko can feel, Ophelia is hurt... is so very, very sad."

"Yes... yes..." Ophelia choked, then grabbed Emiko tight, and it was Emiko's turn to have someone cry on her shoulder.

"My... my boyfriend..." Ophelia sobbed. "Johnny... he's missing... he's been missing for weeks... I thought you... well... I'm so sorry..... "

"Shhhhh... shhhhhh. Is OK. Emiko understands now. Shhhh." Emiko whispered, stroking Ophelia's surprisingly soft fur. "Tell Emiko later... when Ophelia ready."

"Yes," Chibi called out, relieved that her new friend hadn't been torn to ribbons. "Let's go out back... You're going to love what I've done with the place.... bwaahahaha"

But above them, professor Goth and governess Mary-Anne had been watching thru the front window in fascination.

"Remarkable," the professor said as they sat back on the couch. "Ophelia is a young adult alpha female werewolf, and yet.... not a scratch."

"I told you," Ms. Mary replied. "I've never seen anything like her. She has more than just a photographic memory... Sir, she had English down in 4 days, and had picked up Spanish and German in only 3 more! Her learning potential is staggering."

"But her speech patterns? If she knows English that well, why does she speak so... oddly?"

Ms. Mary sat back and collected her thoughts. "At first I thought it might be just a speech defect, or perhaps a side effect of that thrice damned helmet of yours.... you know I hate that thing! But lately I've begun to suspect something... deeper..."

"It's almost as if... how do I put this?" Ms. Mary paused for a moment. "It's as if Emiko doesn't see herself in the first person anymore. I know that might sound strange."

"No. No... not really." the professor thought about it for a moment. "We know the ET's altered her genetics, changed her physically. I observed the drawing in the lab you told me Emiko made. If that is her true form, then they changed her radically, and it is reasonable to assume this has effected her mentally as well, or that her mentality has also been purposely altered in some way. The question is why? The ET's have gone to great lengths to bring Emiko here... why?"

Downstairs, Chibi made the others wait behind, then covered Emiko's eyes and led her into the back yard.

"Don't peek," Chibi laughed. Then she stopped, and uncovered Emiko's eyes 

And for a third time in one evening, Emiko's jaw dropped.

Before her was... well, Emiko was't sure what it was, other than it looked spooky and fun at the same time, and what Emiko was beginning to believe this Halloween thing was really all about. And her suspicions were confirmed when the rest of Chibi's friends all called out behind her. 

"Happy first Halloween, Emiko!"

Then Chibi grabbed Emiko and led her over to a table of... of.... no, it couldn't be.... Emiko stood in stunned amazement.... 

"Emiko, I had this made special, just for you. It's your very own grilled cheese buffet!!!"

Beside herself, Emiko squealed and immediately grabbed a grilled cheese in each hand, while the rest of the and danced and chugged root beer and enjoyed the party. But after Emiko's 10th... or maybe it was 12... Quite honestly she had lost count. But whatever the amount, for the first time in her life, Emiko was totally stuffed on grilled cheese, and couldn't eat another bite. Looking around, she spotted Chibi and Ophelia sitting off to one side.

"Emiko, please sit, join us." Chibi motioned.

Chibi cleared her throat awkwardly, then looked at both of her friends, "Emiko, Ophelia, I am so, so sorry I didn't warn you both ahead. I should have said something, but... well, I was scared."

"I understand," Ophelia said softly, "We're all scared. And there was no real damage done, so there's nothing to apologize for."

"Emiko agrees, nothing to be upset about. But.... if Emiko may ask. Why are Chibi and Ophelia scared? Can Emiko help?"

By now the rest of the gang were beginning to gather around, and the male human named Justin spoke up.

"One of us is missing, Emiko. There should be one more person here tonight, Johnny Smith... Ophelia's boyfriend."

"Emiko," Chibi looked at her friend. "There is something I haven't told you. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to scare you. There is a family of ET's living here in Belladonna Cove. Out on the western edge, in an area called Strangetown."

"What?" Emiko cried in excitement. "Emiko needs to talk to them!  Please, Chibi... Emiko must....."

"No!!!" Ophelia interrupted, in a voice that made Emiko's skin grow cold. "No, you mustn't go right now, Emiko. For your own safety. Hear Chibi out, please."

"Emiko," Chibi explained, "Johnny is half ET. His father is a retired ET named Pollination Technician #9. But everyone just calls him PT9, or Paul. PT9 was a semi-famous ET abductor in his prime, and visited this area several times. But when he retired, he violated the highest of ET laws, fell in love with a human female, and moved to Earth to raise a family."

"Now besides for Johnny and his younger sister Jill," Chibi continued, "PT9 has 2 other grown twin daughters from a previous abduction who live not far from him: Chloe and Lola Curious."

Chibi was silent for several seconds, and Emiko felt a chill ripple through the group.

"About three weeks before you arrived, Emiko, Chloe vanished. And late the next night Lola disappeared. The police came and investigated, but found nothing. They weren't abducted; everyone around would have seen the saucer. They had vanished into the darkness without a trace."

Emiko now began to understand, but said nothing and let her friends continue.

"About a week later," Justin picked up the story, "After the police gave up, PT9 went out looking on his own, and hasn't been since either."

"Then two days before you arrived, Emiko.... " Chibi said sadly, "Johnny was taken..."

"Taken?" Emiko asked, more than a little horrified at the sound of Chibi's voice.

"Taken," the human named Rip spoke up from behind Emiko. "There was a witness... my father. He's being tight lipped about what he saw, but right after it happened, he moved Johnny's mom and sister into our house, and since then he's been fortifying it like Fort Knox!"

Emiko gave Chibi a confused look, and Chibi smiled. 

"Rip's father is a general... I'll explain later."

"But wait..." Rip continued. "There's more. Last night I overheard Dad on the phone... I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but I heard him plain as day. Ophelia, I am so... so sorry. Please don't eat me. My father told whoever he was talking to that Johnny was dragged into the desert by.... by zombies!"

Everyone gasped in horror, including Emiko. Even she knew what a zombie was... but she didn't think they were real. Then again, Ophelia was still covered in fur and had 12 centimeter fangs, so perhaps anything was possible on this planet.

Chibi then looked at Ophelia and asked as gently as she could, "Not... not your mother?"

"Mother could certainly do it," Ophelia replied coldly. "But she hates zombies, and would drop one on the spot if she saw it."

Chibi looked over at Emiko. "Ophelia's mother is an exorcist... I'll explain that later as well."

Ophelia thought about a moment. "If someone is raising zombies, mother might be able to offer some insight. But you know she'll never leave the house, or her "garden", and I'm not sure it's safe to bring Emiko out to her."

"No, Emiko not afraid," Emiko smiled, "Emiko goes where Chibi goes... Keep each other safe."

Chibi smiled warmly at her friend and answered, "OK, together. Zombies hate daylight, so we'll go early tomorrow morning, that should be safe enough."

Then Chibi stood up and looked at a huge pile of wood next to her. Emiko had been curious what it was for, but like she assumed she would find out eventually.

"Now that you know the truth, Emiko, let's get back to the party, shall we?" Then Chibi pulled out a lighter that seemed far too long to fit into any of her pockets, reached down and lit the big pile of wood on fire!

Emiko stood and watched, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. But when the group began to softly sing, she felt a wonderful calm wash over her, and knew this was all part of the Halloween event thing.

"Emiko, come here," Chibi called, pulling out a stick and something small and white.

"This is called a marshmallow, and you are going to love it!" And while Emiko watched, Chibi poked the white thing onto the end of the stick and held it over the fire.

"Here you try," Chibi smiled, handing the stick to Emiko. "Not too close, just enough to turn it nice and brown."

Emiko laughed as the marshmallow did, in fact, turn a golden brown, and Chibi shouted, "Now, pull it out before it burns!  OK, perfect, now wait a second for it to cool off and eat it!"

And when Emiko popped the toasted marshmallow thing into her mouth, something glorious happened. It was like a soft warm cloud of delicious sticky goodness, and Emiko realized she had found something just as good... or perhaps even better... than cheese.

Now totally caught up in the moment, swirling in a toasted marshmallow bliss, Emiko began to sing softly, and the rest of the group fell silent in wonder. It was unlike anything they had ever heard, and they all knew instinctively this must be Kerbinese, Emiko's native language. Sad and lovely and utterly alien was her song, and so very, very beautiful both Sandra and Jules began to tear up, and Chibi looked at her friend in awe.

As she drifted off into silence, Chibi walked over to Emiko and said with a choked voice, "That was so... incredible!"

Then Emiko smiled and hugged Chibi tightly and whispered into her ear.

"Thank you, Chibi... You were right, party is so fun. Emiko so happy, feels so welcome. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Chibi whispered back, "And tomorrow, I promise you, we will find some answers. You and I, we will find some answers!"

 

 

The Strange Tale of Emiko Kerman is far from over....

Go to Chapter 69
Return to Index

Edited December 7, 2019 by Just Jim
Finding and fixing them, bear with me... lol

[GDJ]

Emiko better lay off the cheese. She'll end up on the throne for a week if she doesn't.

[KAL 9000]

That IS a weird town...

[GDJ]

21 minutes ago, KAL 9000 said:

That IS a weird town...

Oh yeah. A 9/10 on the weirdo-meter.

[Buzz light fear]

Awesome integration of how Emiko is so intelligent and has such nice and bizarre friends just like her also like how Jim included the mad rocket scientist everyone needs a fun parent that supports their zany ideas

[RA3236]

Err, @Just Jim, half of the pics arent working on iPad here, no idea what is going on... But very interesting!