Chapter One: Then I Saw It
As I lay in bed, I stared out the window at the stars. I looked over toward my alarm clock sitting on the bed side table. Just past 1:30. The moon was setting and the sun was reluctantly rising to begin another day. My eye darted to a dot traveling quickly through the dimly lit sky. At first, the only thing I saw was the endless starry night.
Then I saw it.
I only caught a small glimpse. I sat there for a few minutes, wondering what it was. Then it hit me. In Mr. Tom’s science class, just the day before, we had studied meteorites. The way you can tell if an unidentified object is a meteor is to look for the signature tail. The object I had just seen had a very distinct and long tail.
***
Later that morning, I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. My mind kept wandering back to that meteor. Where had it landed? What destruction had it caused? And most importantly, who was going to try to find it? I decided that I would answer these questions myself.
Chapter Two: Plan A
“Josh? Honey? It’s time to get up,” called my mom, who insisted that I get up especially early and get a good meal before my test. We were taking the final exams today, which also happened to be the last day of school, and I was so tired from my night’s events that I didn’t want to even roll over.
“Josh?” came my mother’s pestering voice, even louder now. I knew that I should get up quickly, as she was coming up the stairs. “Get up this instant”.
“Coming” I moaned groggily. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
I sat up and immediately felt dizzy. I waited for my head to return to its normal state, and got up. As I trudged to the top of the stairs, I smelled the swirling aroma of bacon and eggs.
As I walked down the stairs and toward the kitchen, I could hear the microwave cooking my grits and the bacon sizzling in the frying pan.
I walked into the kitchen, and saw my mom glance up at me while trying to flip an egg. She did so quickly, and turned to me, an inquisitive look in her eye.
“What is the matter with you? You are always up in time, especially when I cook your favorite breakfast, eggs sunny-side up with grits and bacon. You look terrible. While I finish breakfast, go get cleaned up.”
I trudged back up the stairs, not wanting to get in an argument with so much already going on inside my head. I took a nice hot shower; when the water hit me, I was startled and immediately woke up fully. As I washed, dried, and combed my untidy, black jumble of hair, I thought of the late night’s events.
I remembered the promise I had made to myself. School was over after today, and I was going to find the meteor right when I got the chance. I didn’t think either my mom or dad would let me, but that was a hole I could dig my way out of some other time.
I went downstairs again to have breakfast. When I got down there, my little sister, Nicolette, was complaining to my mom.
“Mom,” she said in her pleading, whiney little voice. “How come Josh gets to have a good breakfast, but I have to have cereal.
“Because, honey, Josh is taking a big test today, and he needs to have a healthy breakfast to help him focus,” mom said.
“But…but--”
“Do not argue with me, not right now. We will discuss this later. Now go and eat your cereal.”
“Fine.” Nicolette turned, with her arms crossed and her head down. She saw me standing there and stuck out her tongue.
“Young lady,” mom said, “We do not stick our tongues out at people. You are not going to watch TV the first week this summer.”
“Uggggggh”
“Josh! Oh you look much better. Your breakfast is ready. Here you go.” Mom handed me my plate, and I took it into the dining room.
“Don’t you dare sit beside me,” Nicolette said. She was the brattiest ten-year-old I had ever seen.
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I said. I didn’t want to sit beside her anyway. I sat down across from her and tried to pay her no mind.
“You forgot to pray,” she mumbled softly.
“Oh, right, thanks.”
Dear God, please help me work to the best of my ability on my exams today. Please help Nicolette have a good day, and mom and dad have productive days at work. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
I sat in silence the rest of the meal, then left for school. As I piled onto the orange-yellowish bus, I thought about my schools bus trips. I usually only rode it in the afternoon, but dad had gone to work early, so I had to ride it, “just for today”, like mom always said. The bus was a pain. All of the bullies, loud music, and the old, annoying bus driver, who gave us the worst assigned seats and changed them every other day. I was relieved when I remembered that today was the last day I would ever have to ride it again, at least in my middle school career.
***
I finally finished my final exams. They took four hours to complete, thanks to Vence, who took two hours to complete ten questions. I guess whatever it takes for him to get a good grade, right? When we were finally done, the teachers were so tired, and we were so hyper, that they blew the rest of the day off and let us have recess.
After our extended recess, we went back inside for lunch and to calm down for the end of the day, if that was possible. I had been thinking about what I saw last night through all of recess. I had calculated that it had landed around Mr. Harrison’s farm, which was downtown by the river. I had to figure out a way to convince my friends to come with me and help me find it.
“So, what are you doing this summer?” said one of my best friends June. We were sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch, a bland helping of chicken nuggets and green beans. June is one of the smartest people I know. She is great in science and math, and is a great inventor. I was thinking that she would be a great addition to my team.
“Oh, I don’t know, the beach,” I said.
I looked up and saw my other best friend, Luke, walking toward us carrying his lunch, another bland looking meal, consisting of burnt pizza and sliced potatoes. Luke is not as bright as me and June, but he is strong and a good fighter. I thought that maybe he could help us out if we got into any trouble.
“Besides the beach, dim wit” Luke said.
“Well, I have been wanting to explore Mr. Harrison’s farm lately.” I said.
“Why? That would be boring,” Luke said. He stared at me like I was out of my mind. “We need to do something fun this summer.”
“This will be fun. Trust me, there is something I want to show that, uh, landed there,” I said.
“What do you mean? You’re weird sometimes, you know that, dude.”
“Just trust me on this one. It is really interesting, and it could earn us something.”
“Oh, well in that case, just take us now.” Luke gestured like he was going to get up. I held out my hand to stop him.
“I don’t know if we’ll get one, I just think we might, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“Ugggh, too late.” Luke said.
“It does sound interesting,” said June, “What time should we meet you there tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” Luke said in disbelief.
June hit him in the arm. “Yes, tomorrow, be quiet”
“I don’t know,” I said, “How about nine thirty. We can meet at the end of Bess St., where it meets Mc Rae St. It is right up by the river, just outside of downtown Limingtown.”
“Sounds fun,” June said.
“Fun?” Luke said sarcastically.
June hit him in the shoulder this time, signaling him to shut-up. “We will be there. Should we bring anything? I can raid my dad’s shed!”
“Um, I guess we might need a shovel, and do either of you have a metal detector?” I said.
“My dad has one,” Luke said, “What is this that we are looking for anyway?”
“You will find out later,” I said, “Alright, June you bring a shovel, maybe two if you can find another one, and Luke, you bring your dad’s metal detector. Oh, and if anyone asks, tell them we are going to find Civil War artifacts on the river bank.” I wanted them to tell people this because it was pretty popular in Limingtown and it wouldn’t raise too much suspicion. I didn’t want anyone else looking for my meteorite…
Chapter 3:
That night, I had to try to get my dad to let me ride with him to the river. Of course, he questioned me. I had to think quickly, and explained how I was going fishing. He finally agreed to let me go with him. He works as a State Port Authority at the Port in Limingtown.
***
Saturday morning, I rode with dad to the river. He dropped me off at the end of Mc Rae St. and I walked down the road. When I got to the end of the street, I saw June and Luke. As I got closer, I was expecting them to be smiling, or at least I thought June would be, but neither of them was. When I got about five feet from them, I realized why. Right behind them there was a large black Hummer, like something the government might use. When I got to them, June face brightened a little, but then she frowned again.
She gestured toward the Hummer, and said “We got here about fifteen minutes ago. I went down the road a little, all the way to Sandy Creek, and I saw some people that I get the feeling we want to avoid. The place is crawling with FBI Agents. They were all standing there around something in the creek bed, talking to Mr. Harrison. I have a feeling that they want whatever it is. What should we do?”
I bit my nails, as I often do when contemplating what to do under pressure; I tried to decide what to do. If we went onto the property and got caught, we could get into serious trouble. But if we had to all go home, we would have a lot of lying to do to get us out of trouble with all of our parents. I decided quickly.
“We continue our search, and try to find out what it is these FBI agents are looking for, or have already found. Everyone needs to stay together, and keep it quiet. We don’t want to get caught.” I said.
We started walking down the dirt road toward the creek, with June guiding us. As we got closer to the creek, I could hear voices over the noise of the running water. We got around fifty feet away, and stopped. I could see people; they were standing around something, looking down at it. I stepped a little closer, but as I did, I felt something crunch underneath my foot. I looked down, and saw that I was standing in a large rut, obviously made by something hitting the ground hard. This confirmed my theory that the meteor had landed here. When I moved my foot again, I saw something shining, half covered in dirt. I bent down to pick it up, when suddenly I heard June.
“Don’t touch it with your bare hands. We don’t know what it is. I think that it is a piece that broke off of the meteor.” I wondered how she knew that this was a meteorite piece. I hadn’t told either June or Luke what we were looking for. Luke and I both looked at her with intrigue, and she started to explain. She told us how the pattern and the length of the trail indicated that a large flying object had hit the ground. The only possible thing it could have been was a piece of an airplane, or a meteor. And because there hadn’t been any recent airplane crashes, she had deduced that it was a meteor. We both just stared at her. We were all looking at the piece of rock, facing away from all of the FBI agents. Luke was distracted, and saw one of them start to turn toward us. They were obviously getting ready to leave.
“Guys, uh, I think we should go-“
“No one is going anywhere. Jack, get these kids into the truck.” As we turned, we saw a large man in a uniform, staring down at us, barking orders.
“What? Where are you taking us? And better yet, who are you?” June said defiantly.
“My name is Robert Jones, FBI,” He pulled out his wallet and flashed his bright gold badge, “I have been observing you curious teens for a while, and you seem to know a lot about this meteor stuff. We need people just like you-“
“For what? You can’t just take us away, just like that. We have to go home tonight, or our parents will freak!” Luke said.
“Don’t ask questions, just do as I tell you, NOW.” said Jones.
We didn’t want to get into any more trouble; after all, he was a FBI agent, so we decided to keep our mouths shut. We climbed into the Hummer, and heard it start up.
“Wonder where they’re taking us.” I heard June whisper over the moan of the starting engine.
Chapter Four:
We were riding in the back seat of the Hummer for at least an hour and a half. We stopped once because June told Jones that she had to “use the bathroom”. They stopped and let her run inside a gas station, while they filled up the truck with gas. When she got back in, she whispered to me:
“When I got out, I glanced at the road. There was a sign for Camp Lejuene. We must be close to Wansborso. That is where my mom grew up there, and if I have to, I can find my way around. ” Camp Lejuene is a large military base here in North Carolina. It is the largest Marine base in the world. I had been there one time, with Boy Scouts, on a tour, but I had only seen a little. I kept pondering questions in my head, Why were they taking us and what did they need us for, as Jones had said? Why were going to Camp Lejuene? And lastly, why were they so interested in my meteor?
***
When we arrived at the Camp, we were passed through security, and turned down a dirt road. I remembered from our tour that no one was allowed down these side roads without certain badges. And if they were caught, there was a large penalty. All of the sudden, as if they had heard my thoughts, a small pick-up truck, with a Camp Lejuene sticker on the sides, drove out of the bushes, with small lights flashing and a loud siren. The driver, who I could not see because of a large, dark glass panel, pulled over. The truck drove up and pulled up behind our Hummer. The officer got out and walked up to our driver’s window. I saw a hand stick out, holding a gleaming, bright purple pass. The officer stared for a second, and then just nodded at the driver, obviously in a small state of shock.
The driver immediately pulled away, and we continued. Pretty soon, we came up on a large hill. These were common; I had seen a few here and there along the sides of the road. But there was something different about this one. It was taller, and much wider.
The driver pulled up to the side of the hill, and got out. He went over to a little metal box. It looked like a junction box for electrical wires. I saw him reach out and pull the front open; it opened sideways like a door. He stuck in one finger and moved it around. I sat there, as he came back to the Hummer, and contemplated what he had just done. I finally realized that he had typed in a password.
We started to drive around the mound, and as we rounded one side, I saw something that made me blink twice and scratch my eyes. I saw a large section of the back of the mound lifting open, like a garage. An innocent bystander would have never seen the door, because it was disguised to look exactly like the hill, with grass and a few shrubs growing on it.
After I recovered from my moment of shock, I realized that we were lining-up to drive into it. We maneuvered into the darkness of the hill, and I turned and watched the door close behind us.
Suddenly, bright lights flashed on, and the doors opened. Jones was standing with two other men, the other FBI agents who had ridden in the seat in front of us.
“You can all get out now. Watch your step, and don’t touch anything. Follow my friends here. Don’t get lost.” Jones said. He reached in his pocket, the right one on his jacket, and pulled out shiny purple tags with lanyards. They looked exactly like the one the driver had shown the officer, the one the officer hadn’t liked to argue with. “Take these, and don’t lose them. These are All Access Passes. They will get you into just about any government owned building or department.” He handed one to each of us, and we took them with delight.
The big men beckoned for us to follow. We turned and followed them down a brightly lit corridor.
“There is someone we would like you to meet. He is down here,” said one of the big men, in a gruff voice. He pointed into a big room where there was a lot of scientific instruments and junk. I thought June would have a heart attack. Her eyes got as big as the eggs I had for breakfast. She walked in and then turned toward one of the men.
“Uh, can I touch this stuff? I won’t hurt it, I promise.” June said.
“That is not for me to decide. You’ll have to ask the owner.” He gestured toward a small hunched figure wearing a lab coat and safety goggles.
June ran over to him, just as he was turning around. Suddenly, she stopped and just stared.
“You’re…you’re… You’re Doctor Johnson, one of the government’s top scientists. I know everything about you. I did a project on you. Hu ha, Hu ha, Hu ha,” she was breathing so hard I thought she was going to pass out.
“Whoa, June, calm down, yes, yes, this is Doctor ??? Uh, what’s his face,” said Luke.
“His name is Doctor Johnson” she stated bluntly, “Don’t mind him, Doctor, he’s an idiot.”
“Eeerrrrrr,” Luke growled.
“Would you two just shut-up? I’m sure the Doctor here would like to say something,” I said.
“Ahh, yes. I would like to inform you about this mysterious, uh, ‘rock’ you discovered at the farm, where you met my friends here,” He gestured toward the agents, “Now, if you two are finished…”
“Uh, yes, continue, Doctor” June said, as if in a trance.
“Good. Boys,” he said, looking at the FBI agents, “We don’t need you anymore, go guard the outside.”
The doctor shuffled over to his workbench. He was a small, wrinkled old man, who looked like his time was almost up. But his energy level begged to differ. His voice was a little dry and horse sounding. He picked up a little device
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