Floaters Read online

  She was so bored on this small island and hated every moment of it. She could actually see the pier from her location and decided to go down there. Taking her favorite Barbie dolls with her, she reached the pier in no time and sat on the edge dipping her toes in the water. Each doll sat beside her and she talked to them incessantly. Soon, she felt something knock up against her toe. Pulling her feet up from the water, she leaned over and seen the shiny object bobbing in the water.

  'Hmm,' she wonders to herself, 'What is this?' she asks, looking at both her dolls. 'Could it be one of those Floater's everyone is talking about?' Looking around her, she doesn't see a soul so she wanders off in search of a cup or something. She did hear Aunt Pamela say no one, under any circumstance is to touch it. Finding an old tin can, she scooped it up and took it into the bunker with her.

  As she walked passed Brett and Jimmy, they asked her, “Hey Tessa, what you got there?”

  “Mind your own business!” she retorted, walking past them and into the room she is sharing with Adele.

  Once she was in her room, she made sure the door was closed. Emptying her toy chest, she laid out a folded towel on the bottom. Placing one of her dolls in the chest, leaning against the side. Then she emptied the rusty tin with the Floater into the toy chest. She was very careful not to touch it. This will be her own little experiment. She will see for herself what the fuzz is all about. The Floater just sat on the towel and never moved except for giving off its brilliant shine. She hummed as she watched and after ten minutes, she got bored again.

  Giving up on that idea, Tessa went back outside again and was looking for her mother. She could see Adele near the pier so she went over to her.

  “Where is mommy?” she asked Adele.

  “She is inside. Where have you been?”

  “I have been playing with my dolls in our room.”

  “Maybe you want to go back there and play some more.”

  “Adele?” She called her sister's name questioningly.

  “Yes, Tessa?”

  “I am bored here and the boys won't play with me.”

  “That's alright Tessa. I will play with you. What would you like to play?”

  “Oh, I don't know. You come up with something.”

  “How about we have a picnic, right here.”

  “Really? That's cool. Can I bring my dolls?”

  “Sure, and I will even go make some sandwiches.”

  “Cool.” Putting her finger up to her lips, she whispers, “Don't tell the yucky boys, we don't want puppy dog tails to our picnic!”

  Tessa hummed as she skipped all the way back to the bunker. Adele watched her little sister as she skipped along the path. She smiled as she got up to go make the sandwiches. 'That little girl is going to grow up to be a wonderful young lady one day' she thinks to herself. Adele knew the boys probably didn't even reject her offer to play with them. Tessa just hated boys. She definitely was a girly girl. With her pigtails and Barbie dolls, she would often play dress-up.

  Adele was just walking out the elevator leading into the bunker when she heard her sister scream. This alerted everyone in the bunker who came running to Tessa. She was standing by her toy chest, looking inside with a shocked look on her face.

  “What's the matter, Tessa? What happened?” Asked Adele.

  The Floater ate my Dollie!敗he sobbed between tears.

  “The Floater, what Floater?” Adele asked, looking into the toy chest.

  “Oh my, how did that get in there?”

  I found it down by the dock and then put it in there, with my Dollie.

  “Oh Tessa, Mom is going to freak!”

  “Why is mom going to freak?” asked Selena from the doorway.

  Both girls turned to see their mother standing there watching them.

  “What's going on Adele?”

  “Looks like your daughter has fished out one of those Floaters from the water. Her doll has disappeared.”

  “She did what?” Selena walked over to the chest and looked inside. She could see the Floater on a towel with a doll's leg poking out from inside.

  Looking over at Tessa, she saw the tears streaming down her face and her heart immediately melted.

  “Ok Tessa, you can stop crying now. You are not in trouble. You need to show your Aunt Pam where you got this Floater from.”

  I wasn't crying because I might be in trouble. I just want my Dollie back!

  Looking towards the door, Selena said to whoever heard her. “Will someone go get Pamela and Mason.”

  An hour later they all were in the communal area looking at Tessa's Floater in the chest with the doll's leg poking out.

  “Why on earth is that thing trying to eat her doll?” Andrew asked, with his natural curiosity nature.

  Pamela walked and walked around the toy chest. Looking and studying the Floater, she said, “The only thing I can think of is it was attracted to Tessa's skin cells on the doll.”

  “Skin cells?”

  “Seems to be what it was attracted to. Let me cut it and see.”

  Cutting into the Floater with her Damascus knife, they all saw Tessa's doll inside and a bit twisted but intact. They watched as the Floater started moving as it repaired itself. Tessa's doll was being ignored as it fused back together. The Floater lay on top of the doll as one whole piece as it gave off its brilliant shine.

  “I am going to take this thing up to the main house in my lab. It shouldn't be down here. Anyone else who finds a Floater, please do not bring it down here. Selena, please tell Tessa how important it is to let us know if she finds another one. Better still, don't let her out of your sight.”

  “Can she have her doll back?”

  “Let me check it out first. Just to make sure no dust particles are left on it.”

  “One more thing before you go. What exactly do you think is happening here? Level with us and tell us why you keep saying it's dangerous,” Teresa inquired.

  “Alright, I will level with you. You're not going to like it though. I listened to the President's speech on the State of Emergency. That speech just confirmed for me what I already suspected. I think these Floaters are stellar remnants that have fallen from the galaxy. Probably hundreds of years ago. I am no astrologer, but I do know space dust when I see it. When I scraped the particles off my finger and placed it under the microscope, I knew immediately.”

  “Yes, the galaxy dust falls to earth every day, but what does that have to do with the Floaters?”

  “When the dust falls to earth, it just becomes a part of our natural sand or earth's dust. No harm was done, but when it falls into the water, it doesn't disintegrate but rather it sinks to the bottom. It will eventually reach the bottom and lie there for years and years.”

  Andrew has his reporter's ears on when he asks, “Can you give an estimated amount of years, this 'dust' stays at the bottom of the sea?”

  “Maybe five hundred, maybe a thousand, who knows. In any event, there are all kinds of bacteria and pollution, waste at the bottom of the sea. Maybe the dust has been absorbing tiny shards of bacteria that have somehow brought the stardust to life.”

  “So is it space dust or star dust?”

  “Space dust and stardust are pretty much almost the same, that's why astrologers refer to it as Stella remnants. The stars you see in the sky heats the dust, causing it to give off a brilliant shine. Usually, the dust would float towards a dying star as if by an invisible magnet. The cooked dust creates more stars that shine with an enormous twinkle. Once considered a nuisance is now an added feature to its brilliance.”

  “Wait, wait, just wait a minute,” interrupted Tippy. “Are you saying these Floaters are stars?

  I am afraid so, or something that mimic's a star. Now I could be wrong, but everything points to that.”

  “The President didn't say that's what her scientists found.”

  “And she probably won't tell you either. The government probably won't even mention it. They keep a lid on everything.”
/>   “Go on Pamela, tell me more about the stars,” required Mason.

  “Well, not all the space dust will reach its destination towards a star. Some will escape and drift in the atmosphere. Over the years of aimless drifting, the particles then begin to fall to Earth with a lot of it ending up in the Earth's water. Given time, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. No scientist has ever been able to understand why this happens, but it does. The cosmic dust particles somehow have evolved while sitting on the bottom of the ocean.”

  “So our Floaters, are just star dust that has evolved into whatever it in now, while it sat in the bottom of the ocean?” Asked Adele.

  “Yes, but the Floaters particles look more like bacteria that has a glow or shine to it.”

  “Starlight, Star Bright?” asked Rusty.

  “I don't think that's funny Rusty,” Selena was chastising him.

  “It wasn't meant to be funny mom, it was a question really!”

  Pamela interjected, “Yes, Rusty. Floaters or bacteria or whatever we call them can shine as bright as a star. The thing is, we need to figure out what made them evolved on Earth, and why are they consuming people.”

  “What I'd like to know is, how many of these Floaters are around?”

  “I'd say millions, if not trillions. If it is like a bacteria, then they outnumber every other kind of life on this planet.”

  “Jesus!” Said Mason incredulously.

  “Not even Jesus can help us I am afraid.”

  “There has to be a way to control them, though. We are a smart species, surely we can figure out how to get rid of them.”

  “As taxpayers, we pay the government to figure out catastrophes. Our concern should be how to protect ourselves and our families.”

  “We are in the right place, right? I mean, we are protected on this island right?” Asked Tippy.

  “We are in the right place. I believe things out there will only get worst. When that happens, we all go into the bunker and shut down.”

  “Get worst?”

  “Oh yeah, without a doubt. Space dust outnumbers mankind only by trillions. Hopefully, the government can figure out a way to control what's happening.

  “Come out to what, a People-less world and stars all over the place?”

  “Let me take this one out of the bunker. We can talk later.”

  “Listen, I need to know more. This whole thing is crazy and unbelievable!”

  “I don't think the President would agree with you on that. She would never call for a national alert if it was untrue. I suggest Andrew you call and see if you can get more information. I will be in the lab if you all need me.” With that, Pamela walked out the bunker taking the toy chest with her.

  “Ok, do what you have to do. I am going online to see what I can find out,” Mason shouted out after her.

  Later that evening, Selena was tucking Tessa into her bed when she asked about her doll. “Mom, will I ever get my Dollie back?”

  “You sure will. Aunt Pam is looking at it right now to make sure it's ok and that the Floater didn't harm it.”

  “How could the Floater harm it?”

  “No one is sure how. That's why she is studying it, to find out what makes it tick.”

  “It ticks?”

  “No, honey. I mean like making it alive. Just like a human being. Do you know what keeps a person alive?”

  “Their heart, I guess.”

  “Exactly. Aunt Pam wants to find out what keeps the Floater alive. And we need to know what it is made of.”

  Why?”

  “So, unfortunately, we can kill it.”

  “Why kill it?”

  We believe it is hurting people so, we have to do something to protect them.

  “Like my Dollie and Brett's mom.”

  “How you know about Brett's mom?”

  “I have ears, mom! I hear what's going on.”

  “Well, whatever you heard, has not been proven yet, so that might not be true.”

  “Ok, mom. Can Aunt Pam bring Dollie when she finishes with it.”

  “I will tell her sweetie. Now you get some sleep, okay.”

  “Ok, and don't let the nasty boys come in my room. Nighty night.”

  After Selena tucked Tessa in, she went looking for Pam. Everyone was in the communal area talking. She walked over to Mason and asked if he had found out any information.

  Taking a heavy sigh Mason said, “The only thing I could find out is that it's happened before.”

  “What?”

  “Well, not exactly the same as this Floaters thing, but stars that have actually been falling from the sky.”

  “Stars falling from the sky! Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. It has happened in November 1833.”

  “Really, how?”

  “For nearly four hours the sky was literally lit up. People thought the world was coming to an end.”

  “That's amazing. However, we have fallen stars all the time in this day and age.”

  “Yeah, but not like this. This was the most extensive display of falling stars ever recorded. It was considered a sign of Christ's coming. The stars were falling like leaves off trees. People were so scared most repented.”

  “I'd repent too if I saw stars falling from the sky in the hundreds,” Selena said smiling.

  “It's not funny Selena, There are quotes in the bible that this will happen.”

  “Oh really now, well, we should be extremely worried now, huh?”

  “Are you having a laugh?”

  “No, I just think we should be more positive about this whole mess. What parts of the bible state this?”

  “Revelation 6:13 predicts it. And Mark 13:25 says: The powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

  “Mason, the stars cannot fall from the sky because they are too far for there to be any gravitation. People might say 'falling star' but in actuality, its a shooting star because it shoots across and not fall down.”

  “Mathew 24:29 says: 'The stars shall fall from heaven', so people will believe this can happen, except for my wife that is.”

  “In any event, these Floaters are not stars. They are the dust from space that has evolved into whatever it is. Maybe they are bacteria and just mimic or mirror the star's luminosity.”

  “So you think whatever is happening has nothing to do with the stars.”

  “Listen, the galaxy is a huge group of dust, gas and other celestial bodies bound together by gravitational forces, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Galaxies contain anywhere from a million to three trillion stars. Whoever or whatever controls the galaxy needs a continuous spectrum of energy, otherwise it simply won't work the way we know it to work. It's bound to shake off some of its dust particles. Just like your sister said, the dust falls into the water and there it sits dormant for years. It is mankind who has polluted the waters and thus creating this Floater thing.”

  “Sounds plausible, but it doesn't tell me how or why it is attracted to human flesh.”

  “Maybe it's not human flesh it is attracted to but more like electricity.”

  “Electricity, come on now, that's ridiculous!” he responded laughing.

  “Look who's laughing now, but I am not kidding. Surely you heard of static electricity. We all carry a certain amount of electricity in our bodies.”

  “If that's the case, then why isn't it attracted to let's say, an electric company or something else that produces electricity.”

  “That's way too much. They are small and don't need that much electricity. A human body could carry just the amount it might need. Besides, too much may kill it.”

  He stared at his wife in disbelief, but then suddenly his face lit up as he had a light bulb moment, he shouted, “That's it!”

  “What's it?”

  “Selena, you're a genius.”

  “I am?”

  “You sure are. I am going to chat with Pamela and Tyrone about your theory.”

  “My theory? But what did I say th
at made any sense?”? She asked, jumping up to follow her husband.

  “Hey, Pam! Listen to Selena's theory.”

  Mason explained to everyone in the room exactly what Selena had said.

  Pamela looked at her brother quizzically, “You mean as a way to get them under control or to kill them?”

  “I mean they might be attracted to electricity right. Then we can use what makes them work against them.”

  “Ok, we are all listening.”

  “Well, static electricity occurs when the body builds up an imbalance of electrical charges. When an object moves against an insulating surface like carpet, electrons can move from one surface to another. When that charged object touches a conductor, it releases the electron, creating a charge back or a shock.

  “I think I know where you're going with this. This is why the Floaters are attracted to us, the electricity in our bodies.”

  “Yes, hair standing on end is static electricity. If a person rubs a balloon against their hair, it transfers electrons from the hair follicles to the balloon. This creates an electrical imbalance, and each hair strand becomes positively charged. Each strand of hair is pushed away from the strands around it, causing the hair to stand on end.”

  “Maybe this is correct, but that doesn't explain how they came up to the surface. You know water and electricity don't mix. People who got caught by their attraction was through being in the water.”

  “I haven't figured that out yet. That's your job, you are the scientist. However, I was thinking along the lines of how to get rid of them. Electricity just may be it, destroy them with what they are attracted to. Maybe zap them with a dose of power or something. It just might kill whatever is making them operate.”

  “You may have a point there Mason. I will go do some testing and get back to you on that.” Looking at Selena and giving her the thumbs up, she complimented her, “Great job Selena!”

  Selena was still a bit perplexed about it. Her thoughts were meant for Mason and she wasn't even sure what she said was correct. She couldn't really say anything except to thank her for the compliment. "Thanks," was all she offered as a response.