Answered From Above

Short story for Fictionistas contest

Photo by Paul Csogi on Unsplash

Out of breath and out of land, Ben stopped at the edge of the cliff. He looked down over the edge and saw the way the white caps hit the rocks below. It would not be a soft landing if he were to jump. But what was he going to do? Big Louie and his buddies were not far behind him and were insistent on breaking his legs.

Ben looked around and then ran a few feet along the edge of the cliff. He knew that he would have to get past Louie somehow how, but how? Louie’s three buddies saw what Ben was trying to do and split up. They were now walking up on both sides of him as if he were being corralled.

“Kid, I’m tired of waiting. I want my money or my boys here are going to break every bone in your body,” Big Louie trudged his way toward Ben.

Ben looked below the cliff again and then looked up into the sky, “if you can hear me I could really use your help right now.”

“What are you doing kid, praying to your God? He can’t help you now,” Louie laughed.

Louie’s buddies also laughed as they got closer to Ben.

“Come on Louie, can’t we work something out?” Ben pleaded with him.

“You had plenty of chances kid. I’m done with your excuses,” Louie wiped the sweat from his brow.

The three other men stopped and waited for Louie to give his orders.

Ben looked up into the sky once more and asked for help. He wasn’t sure if his pleas were being heard or not but only time will tell. As Louie walked closer to Ben, Ben dropped to his knees.

“Louie, I beg you, please don’t kill me. You won’t get your money at all if you kill me,” Ben clasped his hands as if he were praying to Louie.

“I’m not going to kill you kid,” Louie looked at his buddies and laughed, “I’m just going to hurt you a little.”

“Beat him to a pulp Louie,” one of his buddies said.

Ben stood back up and took a stance as if he was going to defend himself. Before Louie could get close enough to throw a punch, the wind picked up and Louie’s long hair blew into his face. As he tried to wipe his hair away from his eyes he saw something large and shiny lowering down from the clouds. Louie’s buddies were frozen with fear as they watched this strange flying craft come into view.

“What is that?” They hollered.

Ben turned and looked up at the space craft, “it took them long enough this time.”

Ben waited at the edge of the cliff as the door of the space craft opened it’s door and dropped a rope down.

“Thanks for nothing Louie,” Ben laughed and grabbed onto the rope.

It only took a minute or two before Ben was pulled into the space craft. Louie and his buddies just stood and watched in amazement as the shiny space craft closed its door and then rose back up into the clouds and disappeared.

“Um, Louie, what was that?” One of the guys asked.

Louie looked at his buddies for a moment, “Um, I didn’t see anything. The kid must have fallen off the cliff or something,” Louie scratched his head and turned around.

“Yeah, I didn’t see anything either,” another one of the guys said.

Ben smiled as he observed Louie and his buddies through the space crafts window.

“Bendy, you have to stop getting yourself into trouble like that. One of these times we won’t get there when you need us,” Ben’s alien father said.