An Alien Love

Nightmare

The Christmas tree that had been in Natasha’s family since she was born stood in front of the large windows that covered a vast percentage of the front-facing wall in the living room. The angel topper that had been a present for her parents' first Christmas together smiled over the gathered guests. The ornaments gleamed cheerfully, reflecting the past years of memories. Nicely wrapped presents filled the space under the tree. They lay in a cluttered heap waiting patiently to be opened. A fire crackled in the wood stove mirrored by grey uneven rock work lining the wall. Sitting on the floor by the tree against the large brown couch sat the stockings they used every year. Each stocking was so full that a shopping bag of stuff that didn’t fit sat next to each one.

Natasha sat on the couch sipping a coffee with peppermint mocha creamer. The hood of her footed reindeer pajamas pulled up to let the fake antlers flop around on the top of her head. Her brother sat on the floor in front of her pawing through his shopping bag impatiently waiting for their parents to come up the stairs, his blue duckie pajamas looking silly on his giant frame. Her father reached the top step wearing the red and green plaid pajamas he only wore for Christmas morning. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee while putting the breakfast casserole into the oven. Her mother followed shortly, a huge smile on her face and camera in hand.

The whole family gathered around the tree and began opening presents in turn. First her father, then her brother. But when it was Natasha’s turn there were no presents for her. They looked and looked but there was nothing for Natasha under the tree. As she reached for her stocking, it disappeared. Natasha exclaimed in surprise and stood quickly. When she was completely on her feet, the scene before her changed suddenly. Her mother sat on the couch where Tosh had just been sitting. She was crying loudly as Daniel and his girlfriend tried to comfort her.

“I lost both my husband and my daughter this year. How can I be merry on this holiday?!” She wailed. Daniel had giant teardrops streaming down his face and Ziggy lay at their feet looking just as depressed.

“I’m here mom,” Natasha said softly. As she reached out to pat her mother’s shoulders, her hand passed through her mother's body in a ghostly way. Looking at her hands in confusion, the scene changed again. Natasha stood in the darkness alone and afraid.

“Your mine.” A voice whispered in that vast emptiness. “You will never go home again.”

Tosh sat up quickly in her cot attached to the wall of the chamber the aliens kept them in. Her heart raced, and her breath came shallow and fast. She was drenched in a cold sweat. Trembling, sitting in her cot, Natasha concentrated on calming herself. She listened to the quiet breathing of the other women in the cots around her. The lights were still dimmed but Natasha could stay in that bed no longer. Quietly, she climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom across the room from her. The darkly tinted sliding door swished open quickly and the lights flickered on as the sensors picked up her movement. Breathing a sigh, Natasha walked to the showers. She stepped inside the walls of the bathing area that would keep her hidden from view. There she sat on the floor and began to weep quietly.

Tosh had not cried since they had been abducted. Not even on the day they had been told they would never be going home. She had been strong until this point. Amanda and Jenna needed her to be strong for them. Amanda had cried loudly several times a day. She had panicked when the guards had come in and taken Natasha to meet the prince. Jenna was dead to the world. Her face was always blank and sometimes Tosh would say her name several times in a row just to get a response. Tosh had rallied herself to help her friends like she always did, but she didn’t know how long she could keep it up.

Natasha had been pushing thoughts of home and all that she had lost out of her mind for the last two weeks. The dream she just woke from brought it all to the front of her mind. By now her mother would have been notified that she was missing. The police would be looking for all of them, but what would they find? Nothing. Natasha was sure her mother would have her dog, Ziggy. But both would be inconsolable. Her mother would have lost a husband and a daughter in the span of a year. The thought of how her mother would be feeling pushed Natasha over the edge and her quiet sobs became loud wails as the pain washed over her. “How could they do this to us?” She thought to herself as her body began to shake with the force of her cries.