Chapter 2

I wasn’t bored during the ride. I also learned our transportation was called a pick-up truck. Betty and Harry told me more about the political and economic makeup of the United States. I realized that I’d have to know quite a bit if I was to pass myself off as a child entering the school system.

We pulled up in front of a building with a sign outside reading, Burnell Fine Jewelry. “Cal, better let me carry the box. It won’t quite look right for a...” There was a young woman walking out the front, with some kind of small, two wheeled, transport device.

“I saw you pull up, Harold. I’ve been watching for you for the last ten minutes. Put the materials onto this dolly, it’ll make it a lot easier to get them in.”

“Thanks, Robin. Oh, this is my daughter, Betty, and my cousin’s son, Cal.” The woman nodded at us. She looked to be about ten years older than Betty, with rather large hair. And two secondary sexual characteristics that were also large. It sounds crude, but she had huge breasts. “Is your Dad here?” Harry asked.

“He’s in the back. He knows you’re coming. We’ve got things ready.” She expertly wheeled the dolly into the building, all of us following. There wasn’t anyone else in the front of the building. Once we were inside, she flipped the sign on the door to read, ‘Closed’ and locked the door. “There’s just two of us on Saturday, and we both want to see this.”

She took us into a back room. There were torches set up for creating jewelry. I saw all sorts of items that could be used, pliers, vises, sandpaper. The place had an interesting smell to it. “Dad, Mister Watson is here.”

An older, stooped man got off a stool. “Hello, Mr. Watson.” He held his hand out.

Harry took it, and shook it. “Hello, Mister Burnell. Thank you for seeing us today, on such short notice.”

“My pleasure. I’m glad you remembered us. Now, Robin says that you have a quantity of perhaps treasure gold that you have acquired, and wish to liquidate?”

“Yes, Sir. Cal’s parents passed away recently. His father was my cousin, but I’m the only family left that Cal has. Well, and Betty, of course, but third or fourth cousins don’t count as related. His father ... well, the lawyer said he’d done a lot of exploring.”

The old man looked at me. I smiled at him. “That’s being polite, Sir. My dad had the bug for going out and finding stuff. Sometimes it’d be nothing. Sometimes it’d be some gold ore. We lived pretty decently, because he found some Spanish treasure and would sell a little of it off, but we never had a large reserve of funds. Dad ... kept things solid, as it were, only selling off what he needed to, for us to survive. Mom home schooled me, so we lived pretty simply.”

That seemed to satisfy him. “So, let’s see what we have.” His daughter brought up one of the wheel weights. “Oh, this is amusing. Put a coat of paint on it, and you’d never realize what you had. Let’s see here. 16.4 ounces. Rub it on the stone and apply some nitric acid. Very good, it didn’t dissolve. And a touch of aqua regia ... very good. Now to do the true test.” He pulled out some clear glass containers and chemicals, humming while he worked. He made a couple of more marks on a different stone with the weight, then put some other chemicals on them.

He waited a few minutes, then pulled the stone out of the container and dried it. “Very good. Let’s try the next.” He repeated his process.

While waiting, Robin asked, “Dad, what about these pieces, that aren’t weights?” She handed him one.

“Fourteen point five eight ounces. While the acid is being neutralized, let me check this.” After a couple of quick checks, he said, “This also is gold, but I don’t think it’s of the purity of the first one. I believe I’ve seen this mark before.” He reached up for a book, pulling it down. “Ah, here it is. Spanish Mission. Normally an 18 karat gold. I think we can assume that’s what this is, without further testing. I’ll do that later, of course. I can tell just from the look that it’s not as pure as the first one. Young man, did your father have his own smelter?”

“If that’s what you call the thing that heats the gold up, then yes.”

The old man nodded. “That makes sense, then. He purified this well beyond what is normally done, perhaps intentionally. This is, quite literally, pure gold.”

Betty and Harry both looked a little confused. “The Spanish gold bars are 18 karat. That means for every three pounds of gold, they would put one pound of silver in with it. That made it easier to form, and also made it stronger, as pure gold is actually rather soft and easy to form. Your typical wedding ring is made of either 14 karat or 18 karat gold, because it is designed to be worn. The South African Krugerrand is a single troy ounce of 22 karat gold. It’s mixed with copper for strength. Ah, and I’m certain at some point you weighed one of these Spanish pieces, and think it weighs a pound, or 16 ounces. It does. However, jewelry and bullion are measured in troy ounces, which are slightly different weight measurements.”

“In any event, this sample of raw gold is just that, 24 karat. May I see another?” Robin handed him a couple more. “No need to test, these are the same.” He put them onto the scale, measuring their weight. Robin handed him the bars. He had a wax pencil he was marking each piece with the weight.

“Very good. We have twenty-five pieces of pure gold, total weight 412.5 troy ounces. We have twenty pieces of 18 karat gold, total weight 293 troy ounces. Spot delivery price today for 22 karat gold is $392 per troy ounce. So, we have $176,400 and $93,973. Total spot price of $270,373. I will offer you 75% of the spot value for everything you brought me, right now. $202,780. In cash.”

I spoke up. “I have a counter proposal for you, Sir. After all, this is MY gold. Eighty percent of the spot delivery price, which we can round to $216,000, in cash, right now.” I paused. “And you may purchase additional gold that I may happen to own that you have not seen yet, at the same eighty percent rate.”

He stared at me for several minutes. “Young man, your father trained you well. I cannot tell if you are bluffing or not. Somehow, I do not believe you are. I would be foolish to try to save a few dollars now, to cut off such a source as this. Robin, get them the full amount, $216,000.”

“Yes, Father.”

Once she was out of the room, the old man said, “How much more?”

“A thousand.”

“Ounces? My god. We are both going to be wealthy.”

I shook my head. “Pounds.”

He looked at me with glazed eyes. “That’s...”

“Yes, more than $6 million in gold. And that’s just what I have now, that the lawyers know about. I have read about avarice, sir. Make your calls. I’m sure you can figure out a way to turn a profit. Oh, and I do have one final question.”

“What is that, my amazing young friend and newest business associate?”

I laughed at that. “Would you prefer it in those weights, or as it is, right now?”

He held out his hands, about 8” apart. I shook my head. He moved them further apart, then further apart again. I nodded.

“A full cubic foot of solid, pure gold? As much of a marvel as it would be to see and touch, I would have to melt it myself to distribute it. The weights are fine. Please, no more than a hundred pounds at any one time. I will make arrangements, as I typically do not keep that much cash on hand. When Robin told me what you were bringing, I made a large withdrawal from my bank, but I was also prepared in case you weren’t what you said you were. Give me ... three weeks. I can take the next delivery then. Spot price at eighty percent.”

Robin came back in. “These are bundles of hundreds. Twenty-one of those, at ten thousand each, and six thousand, loose.” She handed them to Harry, who then passed them on to me. I riffled through each stack quickly, then the loose ones. She hadn’t tried to short us.

“Thank you, Robin, Mr. Burnell. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you. We’ll see you in three weeks.”

Robin looked at her father in amazement, then escorted us to the front so she could unlock, then stared after us as we left the store.

“Kids, as much as I’d love to stop and get a great big meal, I really don’t think that’d be wise. Do you have a problem with fast food?”

“Of course not, Dad. Cal, what do you like?”

“Um ... food? When you say the words, fast food, together, that makes me think of an animal attempting to flee a predator.”

They both laughed at that. Harry said, “Let’s just go with something big for him. Um, I don’t think they’ll take the big bills, we’ll have to figure something out, for them, so we don’t have to pay taxes, or too much in taxes. Ah, hang on, I need gas. That’ll let me break one of them.”

I didn’t ask the obvious question, as I’d actually read about fossil fuels in one of the books. “Come on, Cal, let me show you how this works,” Harry said, as he pulled the truck into a parking lot, where a building with a sign outside that said it was Shell. I followed him into the small building, where a young man wearing a uniform with the word Shell on it was standing behind a device.

“Howdy. I want to fill my truck up with premium, please. I’m going to have to use a hundred dollar bill, is that okay with you?”

“Normally, we don’t take those, but if you’re going to fill it up, that’ll kill half of it. We are prepay, so if you’d leave me the money, I’ll set you up.”

Harry pulled out a $100 bill from his pocket, handing it to the attendant, who punched some buttons on another device. “You’re authorized, Sir.”

I followed Harry back out, where he pulled a tube connected to a hose from the device standing out front. He flipped a lever, took a cover off the side of his truck, put the tube in, and pulled the handle. “I’m showing you this, because every boy and girl in Kansas learns how to pump gas while young. We’re pretty dry, so this’ll take a bit.” He led me to the front, where he took something from a pail.

“This is a squeegee. You use it to wash the windshield.” He proceeded to do so. “I just had the oil changed a couple of weeks ago, but normally when you stop, you check the oil, too. I’ll show you, so you know how.”

“Um, I appreciate it, but why are you showing me all this?”

“Kids in Kansas know how to do this. And since you’ll need to get a car or truck, so you can fit in, you need to know about these things.”

I was quiet for a minute. “Yeah, didn’t think about that. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to, um, fly around, would it?”

“Nope. And that really DOES tell me you’re not just a small adult, because a grown-up would have thought of that already. Come on, let’s go finish things up.”

Betty waited patiently while we finished things, then smiled at me when I got back in. “Dad showed you the basics. I figured it’d be better if he did that, than me. He’s right. Um, I’m just wondering, do you know what kind of car you want?”

“While I did read about them, I’m not really sure. Um, if I read correctly, I’ll ‘need some wheels to take my girl on dates.’”

She giggled at that, then took hold of my hand. Harry saw that and smiled, himself.

“Harry, I’m a little confused. You were acting completely different yesterday towards me. Now, you’re not.”

“That’s partly on my own history. I grew up near Holcomb.” He looked at me like that explained it all. At my still confused look, he explained, “If you read all my books, you read, ‘In Cold Blood’. I knew the Clutters.” He started driving.

I nodded. “I see. You were concerned that I really might be a murderer, then.”

“I’m not going to apologize for that.”

“No need. Actually, I completely understand. I’m ... an alien here. I know that. My own moral and ethical code is not the same as yours.”

He snorted. “Hell, my own moral and ethical code isn’t what it used to be. There’s a reason why I don’t get up on Sunday and go to church any more.”

“I noticed you mentioned that, last night. I’m surprised that people here practice religions, but if you’re ... well, I don’t want to insult your culture and call it ‘primitive’, but I can’t think of a more appropriate word ... then religions make sense. Thunder gods, rain gods, sun gods. Those are all part of a society that hasn’t learned the science behind the reality of our existence.”

Betty frowned. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“Matter, and energy, are interchangeable. Our minds are powered by energy. Our bodies convert food into the energy to power our minds. Now, I presume that my body, because I grew up in a different solar system, is converting some of the radiation your star emits into other energy. People on my world can’t ... couldn’t ... sorry, it’s tough at times to think that I’m the sole living survivor from more than twenty billion people.”

Betty squeezed my hand in sympathy. I nodded to her. “We used machines to fly, high powered lasers for cutting. I didn’t have the speed or strength or any of the abilities I now have, there. That’s what I mean by that. But where I was going is that we know that matter and energy are simply two different forms of the same thing, and neither can be destroyed, merely changed in form. So, when our consciousness leaves our body when we die, we don’t go to some other plane ... I think that one book called it Heaven ... we end up, well, effectively still around as simply a loose consciousness. Sometimes that can end up in an inanimate device, most of the time they simply wander, taking in the grandeur of the world and the universe.”

Harry frowned. “You sound like you KNOW this, not as something you believe.”

“Advanced science, with very detailed tracking of the energy flows in bodies during death. And then out of said bodies. Your religion calls them souls. To a certain degree, I might agree with that description, it’s just not scientifically accurate or complete. It assumes a certain ... mysticism. With the destruction of my planet, and the literal death of everyone on it, I’m not sure how that will work for them. I don’t know if not having a solid base of reference will allow them to actually transfer forms or not.”

“This is going to sound incredibly macabre, but what are your thoughts regarding people who were killed by a nuclear explosion, or other incredibly explosive event or device? That would input a tremendous amount of energy into the body at the moment of death.”

I sat back and thought about it. While I was doing so, Harry pulled the vehicle into what was called a drive through, and used a speaker to order something. After he was done talking, we pulled forward, where someone inside the building took his money and handed us sacks of food and drink. I continued thinking, while eating the food that Betty placed in my hand. It was ... different. Not nearly as nourishing as what she’d been fixing us, but more pleasing to my palate.

“Before I commit a social faux pas, I have to ask something about this ... what do you call it?”

“A ‘Double Whopper’ with cheese,” Betty said.

“I can tell that this is not as nourishing as the food you have prepared for us by hand. But there is something about the flavor and taste of it that is incredibly pleasing to my taste buds. Why is that?”

“Because these are all flame broiled, and they have sauces on them to give them flavors that I don’t put in my stew or in my eggs. I haven’t fixed you a hamburger, yet. But let me grill you some, with sausage, A-1, an egg, milk, and some spices mixed in, and you’ll wonder why you’d ever eat anything else again.” She sounded fierce, like I had given her a challenge.

Harry reached out with a hand and patted Betty on the shoulder. “Your burgers are the best, hon. But Cal doesn’t have a point of reference. This is called fast food, because it normally takes someone between fifteen minutes to an hour to cook a meal. In this case, they had the food ready and waiting for someone to pull up, and it only takes them a couple of minutes to make, even if they didn’t have them ready. That’s why you noted that it’s not as good for you to eat. They cover that up with flavors.”

“I wish that didn’t make sense, but it does. Now, regarding your comment, I suspect that we’re talking two different energy levels. What you would consider a conventional explosion, someone killed by a regular bomb, would still allow the normal energy from the body to be released. However, a nuclear explosion ... would convert the matter of the body into energy, releasing it all at once. That, I’d have to do some research on. If the person died from the effects of the bomb, such as a firestorm or debris falling on them, then it’d be a normal release.”

“You’re right, Dad. That is macabre. Let’s talk about something else, like what Cal is going to wear into school? He sure can’t wear my clothes.”

“Smart girl. No one knows us here.” He pulled over, turning the truck around. “Cal, time for you to experience Walmart.”

Betty said, “Can I get some things, too?”

“Cal, do you have any objections?” I shook my head. “We need to figure out what to do with the money. I don’t want to leave it in the truck.”

“My school backpack is in here, we can put it in there, Dad. Kids wear those all the time now.”

My introduction to mass American consumerism, in what was considered ‘back to school shopping’, was, from Betty’s perspective, a complete success. I thought it was a fiasco, but my opinion didn’t matter. Apparently, my fashion sense left quite a bit to be desired. Harry explained to the lady at the fitting room that my parents had been killed in a fire that destroyed my house and all my clothing, so I’d need to get everything, and lots of it, for school.

She was properly sympathetic, pretty much giving us free reign over the place where you tried on clothing. It took a brief explanation by Harry, because I was used to my clothes being made to order when I needed them. He also had to explain underwear to me, as I didn’t wear that, either, which Betty had noticed as well. We also had to get some items for what they called personal hygiene. It was a good two hours and several hundred dollars later when we got back into the truck.

During the ride home, Betty dozed off, leaning on my shoulder. She didn’t wake up when Jethro greeted us. “Cal, go ahead and carry her on upstairs. I’ll get the bags inside, and throw something in the microwave for dinner.”

I easily picked Betty up, carrying her into the house and then up the stairs. I’d like to say that I was a perfect gentleman, but the feel of her bare legs in my hand felt good. Once I put her on her bed, her hand came up to my crotch. “I just wanted to make sure you liked me, Cal. I’m not that tired. Dad knows I was playing, too. Come here, you said you saw me, I want to see you.”

“Um, Betty, I know that your Dad can’t physically hurt me, but I don’t want to endanger our relationship by...” One of the things they’d had me do at Walmart was change into regular clothes. She undid my pants and pulled them and my shorts down. I felt her grab hold of my cock, moving it around.

“Nice. I’ve seen pictures, but this is the first one I’ve ever touched. Tell me, do you like it when I do this?” This, meant opening her mouth and let her tongue run along my shaft.

Oh, my. She started moving the skin back and forth, in a jacking motion, like I did when I would masturbate, while licking all around the crown.

“Betty, I’m not going to last.”

I knew it wouldn’t take much for me to pop, not after as many erections and as excited as I actually was. Just before I came, I had a really bad thought, and quickly moved her head out of the way. The only thing that happened then was that my cum shot all over her bed, instead of into her mouth.

“What was that about, Cal?” She sounded upset.

“I have the ability to fly, run fast, melt gold with my eyes. I just realized that if I came in your mouth, it might shoot out so quickly and strong that it...”

Her eyes got really big. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t think about that. But you were gentle in moving me, and ... other than making a mess of my duvet, I think we’re okay.” She opened her mouth and licked the last bit that was leaking out of the end of my cock. “Tastes good. Come on, I need to get this cleaned up, before it dries.”

From downstairs, I heard the door bang open. Harry was running. “Betty! Stop! Don’t give Cal...” He’d made it to the door, looking into the room where Betty was still held my now limp cock. He saw the duvet. “Whew, thank goodness. I ... uh...”

“Yeah, I had the same thought right about at the point of no return. Um, I’m sorry for the mess, I can get my things and leave.”

“Leave? Why would you do that? You’re family, as it were, Cal. We’ll have to figure out your last name, get some records.”

I shook my head. “Um, I’m ... confused. I thought you’d be really upset.”

“Cal, the only reason I’m upset is that I thought you might have killed Betty when you came in her mouth. For the same reason, I’d appreciate it if you used care and caution if ... when ... the two of you have sex.”

I pulled my underwear and pants up. “Okay, now I’m really confused.”

“Cal, you’re someone special. And you like my daughter. She’s been ostracized by the kids at school. You’ll understand why when I take you there, on Monday. Please, don’t let your temper get the better of you, then.”

Betty looked scared, then. “Dad, you’re not going to cause a scene, are you?”

“Nope. But I am going to make a phone call tonight. Cal, when you tuck yourself back in, would you please move the gold somewhere under cover? If things work like I hope, we’ll have some company tomorrow.”

I realized I hadn’t put myself back into the pants and closed the ... erm ... zipper! That was what it was called. I took care of that, then moved the gold to near the barn, putting some dirt over it.

“Cal, your clothes are in the room at the end of the hall. You’ll need to put them up on hangers. When you’re done, I’d like you and Betty to meet me in the living room.”

Betty asked, “Do you need my help?”

I smiled. “Thank you, I have this. Go ahead on downstairs, I’ll be right there.” She turned and went downstairs. I admired the way her legs made the rear of her dress move, using my see-through vision. Little tease, she wasn’t wearing underwear.

I looked at the piles of sacks. I didn’t remember buying this many clothes, but I guess we did. I opened the closet doors, got the hangers spread out on the bed, and got to work. Thirty seconds later, I was done. Moving extremely fast was good for some things, after all. I then went down, where Betty was just sitting down on the couch.

Harry looked at me with one eyebrow raised. “I felt a bit of a breeze. I’m guessing you’ve everything hung up and in the closet, neatly?”

I nodded.

“Cal, I’m not necessarily a saint, or what some would call a good man. Until the Clutter family was killed, I was growing up a wild child. I was fourteen when that happened, and it shocked the hell out of the community. I was drafted at 20, that was in 1963. I never did a tour in Vietnam, but when I was in California after my tour in the PI, that’s where I met Elspeth. You can do the math easily. She was pregnant with Betty, THEN we got married later. As in, Betty was almost four years old by then. My Dad and Mom didn’t want anything to do with me as long as I was ‘living in sin,’ but once we were married, they let me come home and bring my wife and daughter with me.”

“That’s when I took up farming. My Dad had bought all this land, almost 1,300 acres, with the money he’d brought home from World War II. You’ll note I didn’t say he’d earned that money, just that he brought it home. I never did know all of that. But the man I’m going to call does know that. He brought home a lot more than my Dad did. Bought himself a judgeship here, and has kept it ever since. When he comes out tomorrow, I want you to give him a couple of those Spanish bars. That’ll keep his mouth shut. And I for damned sure don’t want you showing off any of your powers to him. He’s a tricky bastard.”

I nodded. “I think I understand quite well, Harry. Anything else?”

“Yes. When you actually are ready to go to sleep, be in your own beds. And shut your doors, I don’t need to be hearing anything untoward, if you get my drift.”

Betty blushed. “Yes, Dad.”

“Go on, git. Both of you.”

Betty got up. Harry caught my eye. “Don’t hurt her, son. She’s been hurt enough.”

I nodded. He and I were of the same mind. I wouldn’t hurt Betty, but I sure hoped I’d make her feel good.

She was halfway up the stairs when I got to the bottom. I gave a quick blast of air up, raising her dress halfway up her waist. She squealed a little, but didn’t stop it from going up, showing me everything between her legs. She turned and went into her room. I followed her in, shutting the door behind me.

“Cal ... I’m ... that is...”

“Not tonight, Betty. You made me feel good. It’s time I return the favor.”

She was puzzled by my words. I took her in my arms, allowing my lips to meet hers. After a moment, I opened my mouth slightly, allowing my tongue to roam around her lips, then as she opened her mouth, my tongue began dueling with hers. She moaned in my arms. I let my head move down, licking her cheek, then kissing her on both sides of her neck. I could smell her arousal.

Moving back up to her lips, my hands slipped up behind her, finding the zipper for her dress. I pulled it down, then allowed it to slip to the floor at her feet. She still had on the brassiere she’d been wearing. I moved down a little, kissing her chin, then in the hollow of her neck. I allowed my tongue to run down the center of her chest. The light and thin hair on her body was standing on end by the time my tongue made it to her navel. I felt her legs go weak, so I helped her lay backwards on the bed. I was on my knees, leaned forward so that my mouth was right at the top of her mound.

I kissed her glistening blonde pubic hair, then let my tongue slide down and touch her prominent clitoris, which was proudly standing tall from under her clitoral hood. I remembered the lessons I’d had, so I lowered my head a little, licking her labial lips from the bottom to the top, then teasing her clitoris a bit more with my tongue. That was enough for her to reach her own orgasm, quietly screaming that she was cumming, if that makes any sense.

When she was on the way back down, I licked a finger and slid it inside her, the tip curved upwards. I began moving that back and forth relatively rapidly over her G-spot, but not so fast that I was using my speed. At the same time, I closed my lips over her distended clit and sucked it into my mouth fully.

I think if I’d been a regular human, I would have been injured. Her legs slammed against the sides of my head, squeezing hard. Her hands reached down, grabbing my hair and yanking on it. She wasn’t screaming, but she was moaning heavily, her hips raising and lowering on the bed. I flicked my tongue a bit faster on the end of her clit, still inside my mouth. She arched her back, raising herself totally off the bed using just her head to hold the front of her body up, held that for a couple of seconds, then flopped back down.

“Stop! Oh, my God, stop! I can’t take any more!”

I licked the juices that were flowing out of her, enjoying the taste. Once I had her pretty well cleaned up, I crawled up onto the bed next to her, where she was panting and just trying to get her breath back.

“Are ... are you going to fuck me now?”

“Not tonight, sweets. I just wanted to give you a bit of pleasure, in return for what you did for me. Would you like to taste yourself? I have you all over my chin and cheeks.”

She took my head in her hands, raising up so she could shower my face with kisses and lick some of her own juices off me. “Oh, Cal, that was wonderful! I’ve never made myself feel that way before. And I’ve never done it with anyone else. I don’t have a hymen, a hairbrush took care of that, but you’ll be my first when you’re ready.”

“Sounds good, Betty.” I stretched out beside her, holding her in my arms. “So, I’m a bit confused. Why is it your Dad is all set to have me in the family and such, as it were?”

She smiled. “It’s simple, silly. You’ve read all his books. The ones on the right side are all science fiction or fantasy. I’ve read most of them, too. He and I have spent a long time, talking about ... well, not you exactly, but ... if aliens came to the planet, would we go with them if they wanted. What would we do if aliens crash landed here? What about if magic were real, and suddenly you had the ability to cast spells?”

She stared in my eyes with unabashed love. “You’re ... you’re the answer to everything we’ve ever wondered. Does life exist on other planets? Now we know! Yes, it does. Can you do special and wondrous things? Yes. Dad and Mom weren’t welcomed here because Mom wasn’t from here. She was different. They made as good of a life for me as they could, but then Mom got hurt and died.”

Her eyes went down. “I’m ... I went with Mom to Lawrence for schooling for several years, mostly to get me away from here. I don’t know if you understand what ‘special needs kids’ mean. I’m not retarded, but I was a slow learner. They didn’t know it when I first started school here. So ... I hope kids on your planet weren’t mean. Kids here, in a rural community, they can be cruel.”