Why, oh why, did the baby and the aliens have to come on the same night?
Joey crouched on the bathroom counter, heart racing. Purple light from the crocodile-shaped spaceship outside bathed the house in an eerie glow. Glass shattered in the kitchen. A scaled figure ripped open the refrigerator and hissed at its contents. If someone breaks into the house, Da’s voice rang in his memory, you and Khylie get out and hide in the barn, understand? I’ll take care of the intruder. But Da had left hours ago. Joey would have to be the man of the house tonight. The alien seized a milk jug, growling, and turned back toward its spaceship. Joey dropped and darted down the hall, scarcely making a sound in his fluffy slippers. He dived through the open doorway to his parents’ room and slid across the carpet. The shotgun lay beneath the bed. Joey shoved his shoulder under the bedframe—no, wrong side. He jerked his arm out and scrambled across the crumpled sheets. A reptilian silhouette darkened the doorway. Joey dropped to the other side of the bed and pulled out the smooth wooden box housing Da’s shotgun. He fumbled with the padlock. He'd never guess the combina— The alien cleared the bed in a single leap and landed in a crouch next to Joey, claws wrapped around the plastic jug. Joey froze, the box falling from his limp hands. Please, God, don’t let me smell tasty! The alien sat the jug down and clacked its teeth, then pointed. Its hot breath crashed into Joey. He flinched. The creature clacked again, pointing more insistently. Joey crept forward and unscrewed the jug’s lid. The alien hissed, opened its maw, and downed the entire gallon in a few gulps. It licked its lips, then pointed at the jug again. Joey rose, hugging the gun box as if it were his life. “You want more milk? I’ll get you some, just follow me… out to the garage.” He pressed his back against the wall as he crept past the alien, lugging the box and desperately trying to think of a way to break it open. Across the hall, Khylie’s brown curls peeked around the doorframe. Joey met her eyes and held a finger to his lips. Her face went white as bone, and her little fist clenched her blankie. Joey entered the garage, all too aware of the alien looming behind him. He fumbled for the light switch, illuminating an empty space where Da’s car belonged. Another fridge hugged the wall, humming softly as if aliens didn’t exist and were most definitely not invading the house. Joey leaned the gun box against the wall and removed two gallons of milk from the fridge. Saliva dripped from the alien’s forked tongue. Joey paused. What will it do after this is gone? Joey took a deep breath, swung his arms back and hurled the milk across the garage. The plastic jugs cracked against Da’s workbench. The alien howled and bounded after them, then tried to gather the precious white liquid in its talons. Joey grabbed the box, let out a battle cry, and slammed it into the alien’s back. A bellow of rage and fury splintered the musty air. Joey clamped his hands over his ears even his own scream burst forth to join it. No! Move! Joey leapt for the garage door, dashed into the house, and slammed the door shut. Crashes reverberated from the garage. Khylie cried out. “Run, Khylie!” Joey dashed toward his sister. Lock it. He pivoted and slipped on the smooth linoleum, feet flying out of his slippers. The handle on the garage door rotated. Joey pushed himself up, reached the door, and slid the bolt in place. The alien slammed into the door from the other side. Joey slumped down, breathing heavily. The door shuddered. Adrenaline shot Joey forward. He grabbed Khylie’s hand and towed her out the front door. Khylie sobbed and pressed her face against his side. “Mama! Want mama!” Joey clamped a hand over her mouth. “Shh!” She bit him. Joey winced and pressed harder. “No mom! If you make noise, the alien will find us and you’ll never see mom again! Got it?” Khylie’s eyes went wide, and she collapsed in the grass, her sobbing reduced to a pitiful whine. Guilt pierced Joey. He picked her up with a grunt and stumbled toward the barn. The crisp night air chilled him to his bones, and the wet weeds soaked his pajama bottoms, but they reached the barn without seeing the alien again. Crashes continued from the house. It’s still throwing a temper tantrum in the garage. Joey slumped down on a bale of hay, shivering. Khylie clung to him. His heartbeat returned to normal. Even if it does get out, it will look for more milk, not us, right? “Cold,” Khylie muttered. Joey grabbed a saddle pad and wrapped it around himself and his sister. A bag of grain made a makeshift pillow as he closed his eyes and gave into the exhaustion haunting him. *** “Joey! Khylie!” a familiar, frightened voice called out. Dawn peeked through the slats in the barn wall. Joey rubbed his eyes, then sat bolt upright. “Da! We’re in here!” The barn door flew open, revealing a figure of strength and safety incarnate, haggard eyes shining in the morning sun. Da swept Joey and Khylie into a bear hug. Joey relaxed, the terror of last night melting like butter. “Are the aliens gone?” Joey mumbled. “They all fled to their spaceship and took off when they saw me coming.” Da placed a hand on his shoulder. “When I couldn’t find you, I thought…” “Joey beat up aliens!” Khylie exclaimed. Da beamed. “Well done, son.” Joey flushed. “The house is a mess. Mom won’t be happy.” Da shook his head. “Three safe children are all the happiness she needs. Now, let’s go to the hospital. You have a new sister to meet!” The End *** Writing this story revealed an area of my ignorance. As the oldest of eight siblings, I grew used to food coming bulk. Mom went to Costco and bought four gallons of milk at a time. But when Dad read this story, he said, "You realize how weird it would be for a family with only two kids to have three milk jugs in the house, right?" Whoops. I guess Joey's family drinks a lot of milk. Which is probably why the aliens invaded their house. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. And I have a question for you: what's one thing you took for granted as a child that you later realized was unique to your family? Comment with your answer. It'll be fun to hear! -Zachary Holbrook
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