Jade's Epiphany

One-Minute Writer Friday Fiction: Epiphany

Write a brief, fictional piece about a character experiencing an epiphany (sudden, often life-changing, realization.)




JADE'S EPIPHANY

"How could I have been so stupid?" Jade sat down on concrete barrier near the interchange of Hwy 99 and Interstate 4, her mouth gaping open as she watched the spacecrafts entering the Earth's atmosphere.

"The Elders told me they only wanted to study the habits of Earthlings, learn what makes them function with haste and violence. They lied to me!" If Jade were a human with tear ducts in her large, almond-shaped black eyes, she would probably be crying right now. But she was from the planet Jadocan, and therefore had no tear ducts.

Turning suddenly to see an 18-wheeled semi tractor-trailer existed the Interstate, Jade jumped back into the grass growing just off the shoulder of the road. Traffic had been unusually slow on the major thoroughfares today and she hadn't realized why until she saw the first spacecraft coming into view.

She was on a 10 year mission to study Earth, but her time was not even half-way over. What were the Elders thinking?

She reached into the pocket of her Earth jeans and pulled out a large crystal. Holding the crystal in her hands, she concentrated on her home planet, trying to get an image of what was happening. But the crystal remained dark and cold in her thin hands.

"Come on - just give me something. Is this an invasion? What is going on?" The crystal still remained dark.

Slinging her backpack over one shoulder, Jade replaced the crystal to her pocket and started walking along the side of the road. Since coming to Earth, she had taken up many habits of the Earthlings she was studying. She had a great love for wearing blue jeans and button-down shirts, especially when she discovered they made her glamour easier when she was disguising her unusual green features and tall frame.

After a brisk 20 minute walk, Jade arrived back in the tiny neighbor of Seal Bay, near the coast of San Francisco. Repeated looks over her shoulder reminded her the spacecrafts were still hovering in the air. There were only four ships and they had not made any threatening moves, even when the US Airforce had sent fighter planes in to intercept.

Unlocking the door to her studio apartment, Jade flip on the television.

"... and no contact has been made from the alien spaceships hovering over San Francisco. Homeland Security has placed the country on Red Alert, its highest form of the alert system but into place after 9-11. Citizens are urged to remain indoors until further notice."

"Great, just great. One mistake by the Airforce could end up destroying this entire planet. What can the Elders be thinking?"

Jade plopped down in the bent back rocking chair waiting for more news from the television. As she flipped to another news channel, she felt the crystal in her pocket getting hot.

Reaching back into her pocket, she pulled out the crystal, only to discover it was a pale sky blue. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jade one again concentrated on the communications crystal. The crystal became foggy and Jade could see the face of her friend and mentor, Elder Gill.

"Do not be afraid Jade. The spacecraft are only there to gather samples from the air, the water, the plant life and the animal life. This is not an interruption of your mission. As soon as the ships leave the Earth's atmosphere, there will be a sonic boom which will erase the memories of all the Earthlings in regards to our presence. You will be the only being on Earth to remember we were here. Carry on with your mission." The crystal began to fade in color until it returned to its natural clear state.

Slipping the crystal back into her pocket, Jade had the nagging feeling she was being lied to. Of course, she knew Jadocans had developed a device to erase minds, but she understood this was not to be used to control other races.

Standing up, she walked over to the front door and looked out. Only one ship was still visible in the atmosphere.

"Why do the Elders want samples from Earth? They had never taken samples before. Jadocan had always sent explorers on missions to quietly observe the planets - just like I'm doing." Jade's thoughts were coming fast and hard.

"They're up to something, but what? And why haven't they told me the truth?" Jade sat down on the porch swing and watched the last ship until it finally accelerated upwards and out of sight.

Then she heard the sonic boom. Life on Earth would never be the same.

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