Jim Martin and the New Frontier

 

*🌟🛸🌟*

        Upon further investigation, more mysteries were discovered. Jim’s laptop was under the driver’s seat. Nothing on it gave any clue as to where he had gone except in a very general sense. He liked space, that much was certain. His desktop photo was all about stars. So were his links, when the laptop was finally unlocked.
           On the floorboards in back they found his shoes and socks, just thrown in loosely. It seemed intentional. If he had been kidnapped why would his shoes still be there, the two local cops wondered. They wrote Jim Martin up as missing, and that was about it, unless something further was discovered. Jim’s wife was deceased. His daughter was informed, but she couldn’t shed any light on the matter.

        When we left Jim standing with Little Art the night before, a person looking on could have almost seen the gears turning in Jim’s mind. He was a man who recognized a good thing, or an adventurous thing, when it presented itself. To himself he thought, “how many times has this ever happened?” Well, how was he to know, after all?
        “Anything you might need is in the vessel, Jim,” encouraged the smiling pilot. “Just leave it all. Don’t wear your shoes. Shoes bring too much of Earth with them, and we keep the ship very clean.”
        Jim was getting used to the voice he heard sounding like Art, or maybe the voice didn’t sound so much like Art, now that introductions had been made.
        In fact, it was more like mindspeak, as some call it, or telepathy now. Jim wasn’t sure. “We thought Art’s voice would get your attention.” The little yellow figure seemed to like a joke.
        Jim bent over and untied his New Balance tennies and slid out of them, pulled off his socks also and threw them all behind his seat in the Taurus. Doubt had left his mind. He was going. He was barefoot and he was ready. He was going into this life almost as naked as he had come into his life on Earth.
        “Let’s roll!” said Little Art, laughing. He seemed to enjoy cultural references.
        He walked back to the waiting ship and Jim followed him, barefoot and stripped of earthly possessions.
        As they approached the dull orange light brightened up to a yellow glow. Now that he was closer, Jim could see that the ship was just about a classical saucer shape. The difference was the way the light was made. It was a complete circle, like a tube, encircling the whole outer edge of the ship. A golden ring of light.
        The same hatch that had opened before, slid open very smoothly. The ship tilted a little toward them, like one of those buses that kneels to allow the handicapped to enter the bus. It looked a little awkward, but it wasn’t.         Little Art stepped into the opening and Jim followed right after.
        It looked a lot bigger inside than it did from the outside Jim thought. Like in the stories and movies, it was spare looking. It seemed to be a low round room filled with a pleasant low light. Facing out toward the bay, there was a large window, for lack of a better word, that wrapped part of the way around the inside of the cabin area. Facing the window there were three throne-like seats with some equipment beside each one. A smaller figure, also covered in light fur, sat in the left hand seat.
        “This is my crew, Jim,” ‘said’ Art. “You can call her Annie. It’s not too far off from her native name.” Jim saw that Annie looked a lot like Art. She winked at him, and turned back to the window.
        The hatch slid shut behind Jim. The whole ship lifted just a bit and hovered there.
        “Have a seat, Jim,” said Art, gesturing at the middle throne.
        Jim sat, and as he did so, the seat adjusted to his size. It widened and lengthened smoothly. It gently warmed up also.
        “So, Jim, what would you like to see while we’re still here?” asked Art, more seriously. “We can take you anywhere on land or sea! Or under the sea!”
        Jim gazed out the large glass expanse of the curved window and said, “I’d like to see the bottom of Puget Sound, Art. I’d like to cruise over Milltown, just to say goodbye. I’d like to see Area 51, if there’s anything to it! I’d like to fly the Grand Canyon.”
        Art’s yellow eyes twinkled. He sat down in his seat next to Jim, who was next to Annie. He almost seemed to be purring, or was that the ship? There was a subtle thrumming sound.
        “You’re the boss, Jim, let’s do it! Let’s do it all!” said Little Art.
        He did something with the small console next to his seat and the ship lifted up and silently drifted over the park, and the Amazon fulfillment center, and on out over the water of the bay. 

        The ship lowered down to the water and as it slid under the surface, Jim saw the lights brighten outside, and a sort of headlight snap on.
        They were on their way.