Sixteen; Ziggy Pays a Visit

I sat in the living room for hours.

I waved hello to the Japanese exchange students who had set up their sleeping bags in a corner and were all talking excitedly on their mobile phones, to each other I think, but I wasn't sure.

My mind's wandering inevitably followed the familiar path of why, how, and huh? I didn't come up with an answers, though I think I finally understood how all those abductees feel. Even if they weren't kidnapped by aliens, they obviously believed they were, but nobody else did. The only reason I have always known things like this don’t happen is because I'd never heard of a credible person saying it happened to them. Did that make me incredible - or is it un-credible? – or insane? I wasn't sure, and as they always say crazy people don't know they're crazy, I knew I would probably never know.

Strangely this circular thinking gave me some peace, if this was a delusion, there was nothing I could do about it, so I might as well behave like everything was, not normal, but, real.

I must have nodded off sitting against the cave wall, because suddenly there was a figure looming over me. I couldn't make out who it was, the cave walls get dimmer at night, though it was clearly a leprechaun. I had slid down against the wall as I dozed and was practically lying on the floor.

"Ah, there you are," I heard a familiar voice.

"Zain?" I asked.

"Yes, of course who else would it be?"

I didn't answer.

"We've examined some of those boxes you sent over, they are clearly from Ziggy, but we haven't been able to learn anything from them yet, so you'll have to keep this up for a bit longer."

"Okay," I said and rubbed my tired eyes.

"Here, have one of these," Zain handed my a cylindrical object, I took it wondering what it was when he struck a match and lit a cigar of his own. As he sucked to get the cigar burning evenly, his face was illuminated by the small flame and I saw a familiar twinkle in his eyes. The resemblance to Ziggy was uncanny.

I was about to say something when he exhaled a large cloud of smoke and struck another match and held it out to me.

I got my cigar going and we smoked quietly for a moment. I was enjoying the taste and settling into the quiet undisturbed moment when there was an almighty boom.

It scared me half to death. I didn't know what was happening, my heart beat hard and fast in my chest. It had felt like the noise had happened right in my face. With my hands shaking I held up my cigar and saw it looked like one of those exploding cigars you see in old bugs bunny cartoons, with separate strands forming the spokes of a wheel.

The smoke cleared and I saw Zain standing in the entrance to the cave, he giggled insanely then said in a voice that made my skin cold, "Help me."

It was Ziggy!

Chapter Seventeen