The Five Tones

There was a vast, tall field of corn, gently swaying in the summer breeze. The moon and stars were the only sources of light, and a little girl—no more than five years old—used them as her guide, running past the cornstalks. Her heartbeat ran wild, her hair was tangled, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Her play dress was musty from a full day outside, and her feet were bare and covered in dirt.

She was on a mission.

She’d heard the tones earlier that evening. She’d begged her mother to let her go see what it was, but her mother had insisted that there was no noise coming from outside; that the little girl was making up stories again. “Fibbing is a sin, Stella,” she’d scolded. “Pray for forgiveness before you go to bed.”

But Stella hadn’t seen the point in praying for forgiveness for something she didn’t do. She wasn’t lying about the tones, she knew she’d heard something. So that night, she snuck out through the back door, and now here she was, rushing to find the source of the noise that had snatched her attention.

She ran and ran until suddenly, she felt compelled to stop in her tracks. She heaved, panting, and crouched to hold her knees steady. She looked over her shoulder and couldn’t even see the farmhouse. It was way too far.

Stella turned her face back to the ground to see that there was a bright blue light illuminating her feet. A red light joined it, then green, then yellow, then purple, then orange, then pink. The colors started dancing around each other, as if they were playing a game of tag. Then she heard the tones again. They sounded clear and mechanical, but warm and familiar at the same time. Stella swung her head back and looked up, losing her breath completely.

Twenty years later, Stella had inherited the farmhouse. She wasn’t much of a farmer, so the land became just that: miles of dirt she called a backyard. For money, she worked full time as a waitress in town. It seemed like the only kind of job that was available to someone like her.

“You’re just not the professional type,” Her mother would say, right up to her last days on her deathbed. “Your head’s too full of nonsense. Always rambling about lights and noises—just try to behave like a human being once I’m gone, okay? Does that sound like something you can do?”

Stella had told her mother she would try, and try she did. She lived a normal life, drove a normal car, worked her normal job, and for the most part, she met lots and lots of normal people. Nobody she ever saw outside of work, of course. No friends. But still, normal people.

One day, she met Cal. Cal was decidedly not normal.

She did her best to avoid him, but this morning when she clocked in, her friend Flora pulled her aside and whispered, “I’m so sorry, but there was literally nowhere else to seat him and everyone else is too busy to take him.”

“Please, God, no,” Stella moaned, side-eyeing the corner booth where, sure enough, there was the Space Cadet himself, sitting with—a little girl?

“Did you know he has a daughter?” Flora asked her.

“He probably kidnapped her or something,” Stella muttered.

“No, she’s a dead ringer for him,” Flora insisted. “And it actually seems like he’s really sweet with her. I don’t know, it’s kinda… humanizing?”

Stella shivered and crossed her arms. “I don’t care how human he is, he’s still weird. He keeps inviting me to these alien watch party things.”

“You’ve turned him down though, right? Benny should kick him out if he’s harassing you.”

“That’s just it, though, he’s so polite and gracious about it that Benny doesn’t consider it harassment.” Stella watched Cal with his daughter. They seemed to be deep in conversation about a picture the little girl was drawing. She hated to admit it, but the kid really did seem to make Cal look… sweet.

“Okay, well if he’s so polite, remind me why you hate him again?”

Stella looked back at Flora with furrowed brows. “I don’t hate him,” she corrected her. “I just don’t like all that alien stuff he keeps talking about. It gives me the creeps.”

Flora crossed her arms and shook her head. “You are so odd, Stella.”

Stella rolled her eyes as she tied her apron around her waist. “Don’t remind me.” She took out her notepad and pen and plastered a fake smile on her face before approaching the corner booth.

“Good morning! I’m Stella and I’ll be your server today. How are we doing today?”

Cal looked up at her, beaming. “Oh, it’s you!” As if he’s surprised, Stella thought bitterly. “We’re doing great, because it just so happens to be this angel’s birthday today!” He grinned down at his daughter, who looked up at Stella with bright eyes. Stella had to admit, the little girl was adorable—and she really did look exactly like her father.

“Is that right? I’ll have to bring you a complimentary slice of our famous double chocolate cake to celebrate!” Stella smiled winningly at the little girl.

The little girl grinned back at Stella. “We’re seeing meteors tonight!” she announced.

Cal laughed and cleared his throat. “Right. There’s a meteor shower due for tonight, and a bunch of us are going to get together for a little watch party.”

Here it comes. Stella’s grin turned into a grimace as she tried to keep her friendly, customer–pleasing composure. “Really?”

Cal nodded his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded–up flyer, unfolding it and holding it out for Stella to take. “I know you’re not a fan of the paranormal, but this is just some good old-fashioned stargazing, nothing extraordinary.”

The little girl grabbed her father’s arms, her eyes wide. “But the meteors!” she cried.

Cal laughed. “Yes, you’re right, Lessie. The meteors are definitely extraordinary. But still very scientific and not at all paranormal,” he added, looking pointedly at Stella. “I think you’d really enjoy it, if you’re interested.”

Stella took the flyer and folded it back up, sighing lightly as she pocketed it in her apron. “I’ll think about it,” she conceded. “In the meantime, can I get you started on some drinks?”

After her shift was over, Stella got home to realize she’d forgotten to take off her apron. She made a mental note to take it with her to work the next day and set it down on the kitchen table. When she did, the corner of Cal’s flyer slid out from one of the pockets. Stella had completely forgotten it was there.

She picked up the flyer and read it over. It really didn’t mention anything about UFO’s or extraterrestrials, just the meteor shower.

Still, if she was going with a bunch of Cal’s friends, they were probably going to talk about that stuff anyway. They’d probably point out any meteors they thought were secretly flying saucers. Oh well, she’d said she’d think about it and now she had. She tossed the flyer aside and wandered into her bedroom to change.

Hours later, Stella was taking a nap when something happened. The air became still. The sun had already set, leaving the room dark and dank, and Stella was woken up by this disturbing lack of movement. Usually, she could hear the crickets sing, the birds calling, the breeze rustling the tall dry grass. But there were no noises from outside. It was as if time stood still.

Stella got out of bed, a chill running through her spine when her movements made no noise whatsoever. Had she gone deaf? She raised her hand to her ear and snapped her fingers. The snapping sound was so daunting that she winced and rubbed her ear.

She stomped on the floor. Nothing. She cleared her throat. She could hear that. What the hell was happening?

Stella walked to the living room. It was still in here, too. But this was different. She felt as though she was being watched. She looked around, eyes wide, and called out, “Hello?” Her voice sounded stiff and dense, no echo where there should have been.

She was just thinking that this was all just a strange dream and she should go back to bed, when she heard a noise. No, not noise… it was some kind of music. Distant and fuzzy, but oddly familiar. And short. Only five tones.

The sound of that familiar melody froze Stella to her spot. She couldn’t breathe for fear that she’d only imagined it. She strained her ears, silently begging to hear it again…

And she did.

Five tones. Closer this time.

“Holy shit,” Stella breathed. She pinched the side of her arm. It hurt, but she was clearly awake. This wasn’t a dream. She was really hearing it.

The tones rang out again, even closer now. They seemed to be looking for her, as if to send her a message. They wanted her to come find them, the way she did twenty years ago.

Stella grabbed her keys and ran out to her car, taking Cal’s flyer with her. Before she got in, she listened for the tones again. There was nothing to see in the sky; it was too cloudy. But they were close. Maybe only a few miles away.

Stella started the car and rolled the windows down. She started driving. She didn’t need to listen for the tones; she had a gut feeling she knew exactly where she’d find them.

How could she not have seen it? The meteor shower, the alien enthusiast who kept insisting on inviting her. It was all a sign. Cal knew something, and he knew that she knew it too. That was why he was so interested in her. She’d been avoiding it all these years, the truth that what she’d witnessed as a child was real. But no amount of discouragement from her mother or throwing herself into the banality of work could fully suppress the knowledge that they were really out there, and they wanted to reach her. This was why she was still here, and she knew that now; this was her purpose.

The watch party for the meteor shower was taking place just out of town. There was an open field, one grassier and greener than the one outside of Stella’s house, with a wide, high-reaching hill. On this hill were a handful of people sitting on large picnic blankets. There was an elderly couple snuggling together, a gaggle of alternatively dressed teens laughing together, a young man with acne writing something down in a journal, a middle aged woman with a pair of binoculars, and right in the center, Cal and his daughter.

Stella quickly cut the engine and ran up the hill, running out of breath by the time she got to the top. Everyone noticed, and some of them turned to stare at her. The teens started whispering to each other, and the young man with acne stared openly at her as she walked over to Cal, who was grinning excitedly. “You came!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Stella panted.

The little girl waved at her. “Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” Stella replied. “Is this seat taken?”

“Not at all.” Cal scootched closer to the edge of his blanket. His daughter quietly moved her coloring books and markers to make more room.

Stella sat, her legs tucked underneath her, and glanced at the little girl, trying to remember her name. “You’re… Lessie, right?”

The little girl laughed. “Only Daddy calls me Lessie.”

Cal nodded and ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Her full name is Celeste,” he explained. “I asked if she wanted more people to call her Lessie, but apparently she likes having a more grown–up name.”

“Ah.” Stella looked at the paper Celeste was coloring in. “And what are you drawing there, Celeste?”

Celeste showed her—it was an alien spaceship. Stella asked about the shape and why it was purple. Celeste told her all about it while Cal listened with a warm smile on his face.

The elderly couple walked over and introduced themselves as Henry and Ulla. Apparently they’d been to the restaurant a few times and Stella had served them; they told her she was a fine waitress. They introduced Stella to the young man, who happened to be their great–nephew Zachary. Eventually, the teens got curious and walked over as well. They were members of the highschool’s unofficial DND club, and they thought this might be a nice way to spend the evening since their Dungeon Master was too sick to host a session. One of the girls’ mom had come—she had a thing for astronomy, and she’d brought binoculars to get a proper look at the meteors. Cal told the kids that he used to play DND in highschool, and he told Stella he’d teach her how to play.

Everyone was soon chatting with each other. It seemed like there wasn’t a single person left out of the conversation. Stella would say what she thought would be the final word and go to sit down, then someone else would ask her another question. Everyone seemed eager to befriend her, and for the first time in a long time, she was open to the idea. She almost didn’t hear it when the five tones rang out into the air.

Everyone stood still. The tones were loud and resonant, and unmistakably otherworldly. Everyone who heard knew immediately what it was. Stella felt chills running down her arms as the colored lights danced around, bathing the party in its rainbow glow. She looked up, craning her neck, and saw it.

It was exactly the same as it had been twenty years ago. A giant ship, the size of a small town, hovering only a hundred or so feet in the air, most of it hiding in the clouds. The lights peeked through, as though searching, until they landed on Stella. Through the lights, she saw a familiar silhouette looking down at her—the same one who’d greeted her as a child, she thought. It was long and smooth, its features not quite visible, its manners curious and hesitant. It tilted what Stella assumed was its head, and she heard the tones again. There was no way she could have known the language it was speaking, and yet in this moment she understood the message intrinsically. Won’t you come with us?

She felt a pull on her head and shoulders, and if she had felt it just a few hours ago, she would have let it take her in. For years, whether she’d realized it or not, all she’d wanted was to find her ethereal friends again, to go with them and live with them amongst the stars.

Then she felt another pull, this time on her hand. She looked down to see Celeste holding it. The little girl was gazing up at the ship with as much wonder in her eyes as Stella had at that age. Everyone was. Stella looked around at the people surrounding her. People who shared her wonder. People she might consider her friends after tonight.

After a lot of thought, Stella looked back up at the shadow in the ship and lightly shook her head no.

She felt the pull on her shoulders lessen. The shadow disappeared, and the lights spun wildly as the ship rose back into the clouds. For a few minutes, nobody moved or spoke. Nobody made a sound. Slowly, the clouds parted, and they could see all the stars. One by one, they sat down together on Cal’s blanket and watched as the meteor shower began. Nobody dared to talk about what had just happened. Nobody was a hundred percent sure if it had been real—no one except for Stella. She had never been more certain in her life.