Dinner With An Alien

Tommy Hammond was a 22-year-old artist from Sedona, Arizona. He lived in a contemporary style house with his parents, two older brothers, a younger sister, and his golden retriever named Hawk. He was single, and he had always been so shy around women. Even though he was no longer a virgin, he strongly believed that he could never find the perfect woman – one who would understand him and love his work.

Art was Tommy’s passion since he was in the first grade. Most of his artwork came from his dreams. They would feature galactic-related images like planets, stars, spaceships, and even black holes. Tommy was always a huge fan of science fiction. His all-time favorite film was Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

It was one summer evening in 2021. Tommy and his dog, Hawk, were walking up a hill of Cathedral Rock which was one of the vortexes in Sedona. The two of them have always visited Cathedral Rock for their dinner picnics and to stargaze. But this time, they had a special reason to visit their favorite secluded spot on the top of Cathedral Rock. It was close to dinner-time, Tommy was carrying a 17”x22”x1” portfolio under his left arm. In his right hand, there was a wooden basket full of food and a plastic bag with clothes inside.

A woman was patiently waiting in a secluded location on Cathedral Rock. An old, brown blanket was wrapped around her nude body. Her name was Vara, and she was no ordinary woman. She was actually an alien from the planet of Neogaia. She looked like she was in her early twenties, like Tommy, and she could pass as a human. Even though her native language was Neogaian, she could speak the English language as well. She arrived on Earth two days ago and met Tommy and Hawk shortly after. She felt greatly confident that she was in a safe place after the two best friends found out about her being and the powers she possessed. She felt that she could trust them.

Tommy and Hawk finally reached their favorite spot to meet Vara. Tommy shyly smiled at Vara. After he carefully put down the portfolio and basket, he slowly handed her the plastic bag.

“This was my mom’s. I don’t think she will wear it again,” Tommy said.

Vara opened the plastic bag. She pulled out a white summer style dress with no designs. “It is beautiful,” she remarked while staring adoringly at the dress.

“Believe it or not, that was her wedding dress.”

“Wedding dress?”

“She was planning to donate that to a secondhand store. I pulled it out from one of the bags she set aside. My parents did not want a big, fancy wedding. That was why my mom wore a plain white dress.”

Vara smiled at Tommy. “I like it. Thank you.”

“Also, I got you a pair of sandals, a bra, and a pair of underwear.”

Vara pulled out the rest of the clothes. “You did not have to, Tommy.”

“I just want to make sure that you feel comfortable.”

Vara bowed out of gratitude. She turned around to face a boulder and walked behind it to change into the clothes.

Tommy waited for about two minutes. “I hope they fit you.”

Vara stepped out from behind the boulder, and she was wearing the attires that Tommy brought her. She presented her new look to Tommy with a big smile. “They fit great.”

“I’m glad. The shoes belonged to my mom as well. As for the bra and underwear, I can assure you that they are brand new. My sister bought a bunch of them at a store called Victoria’s Secret yesterday. She bought so many of them, I don’t think she will notice any of them missing.”

“I like everything you brought me.”

“I think you will like the food even more. Are you ready to eat dinner?”

“I am very nervous about eating human food, but yes.”

Tommy grabbed the brown blanket that was wrapped around Vara earlier and laid it on the ground. He placed the basket and his portfolio on top. He sat down and opened the basket. Hawk sat down beside him. Tommy looked up at Vara who was still standing with curiosity. “Please have a sit.”

Vara moved closer and sat across from Tommy and Hawk. “What have to brought?”

“Goodies I am sure you will love. These are my favorites.”

“Your favorites?” Vara asked.

Tommy pulled out three slices of pepperoni pizza, a bucket of fried chicken, three cheeseburgers, a large cup of fries, two cinnamon rolls, three bottles of water, and a slice of chocolate cake. After revealing the food, Tommy took out a few plates and utensils.

Vara’s eyes widened as she was amazed by the sight of the food. “You humans eat these all the time?”

“Well, not all the time. There are many other foods, but these I love the most.”

“That is very considerate of you to bring me the best ones.”

“Pick whatever you want to eat first.”

Vara viewed every food that Tommy laid out with delight. Her eyes stopped at the chocolate cake. She pointed at the cake and questioned Tommy. “What is that?”

“Oh, that is chocolate cake, but we normally save that for last.”

“Why last?”

“Because it is a dessert, and desserts are always after dinner... well, in many households anyway.”

“Why is there only one?”

“Hawk and I are allergic to chocolate. That is yours. When I was a kid, I ate this all the time. By the time I became a teenager, I was beginning to have these allergic reactions. Hopefully, you are not allergic to it.”

“We do not have food allergies where I come from.” Vara grabbed the cake. “I would like to eat this first.”

Tommy shrugged. “Go for it.”

As Vara was eating the cake, Tommy gave one cheeseburger to Hawk, and he started to eat one slice of pepperoni pizza.

“This is so good,” Vara commented as she was enjoying the cake.

Tommy looked at Vara with wonder. “You never told me how you got here.”

“I astral projected outside my planet, and I went too far. I exited our galaxy, but I did not realize it until I saw your planet. As soon as I entered your planet, my body followed.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Whenever our astral form enters a different planet, the body teleports.”

“Do you always astral project?”

“We all do. Astral travel is a quite common thing for us. We are all explorers.”

“And you have entered other planets?”

“Only in our own galaxy.”

“How many planets do you have in your galaxy?”

“Seventy-seven.”

The answer surprised Tommy. “There are seventy-seven planets in your galaxy? Is this your first time being outside your galaxy?”

“Yes.”

“Have others traveled outside your galaxy?”

“It is possible. As for me, I am lost. I am not sure how to get back. I was so distracted by the journey, I did not pay attention to the destination.”

“You seem to know about our planet before you arrived. You know our language.”

“That is because we studied Earth on our planet since it is our origin.”

“Earth is YOUR origin?” Tommy shook his head with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Over sixty-six million years ago, the Blue Ones saved us from the comet that hit Earth. Many of the living things on Earth were destroyed. Your ancestors were a few that survived the impact. My ancestors were a few that were taken to Neogaia by the Blue Ones.”

“Who are the Blue Ones?”

“They are intelligent beings who travel through many different galaxies. They live on many different planets. Some even live on Earth.”

“Why the planet Neogaia?”

“Because Neogaia is remarkably similar Earth, but we are more advanced. We use one hundred percent of our brain. As a result, we are clairvoyant. We are telepathic and have telekinesis. We have the strength of ten gorillas, and we can shift energy, control elements, and fly.”

“That is incredible. Is that why you learned about Earth and the languages we have? It’s because your ancestors were born here?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to go back to Neogaia?”

“I want to go where my heart takes me. I believe there is a reason why I ended up here.”

“Do you know what that is?”

“Maybe you can tell me.”

“I’m not sure I know what to tell you.”

“I think you manifested me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can feel your energy, Tommy. Normally, you are a loner because your family members do not understand you, and you seem to be reluctant to making new friends because you feel that they would not understand you as well. You have social anxiety, and you are afraid of many things that are happening on this planet. Your dreams and your artwork are your escape. You stargaze not because you enjoy watching the stars. You stargaze because you yearn for something outside this planet.”

“It is like you know everything about me.”

“You feel that you are missing something in your life. Love.”

Tommy looked down out of despair. “You can’t possibly know all of this.”

“My senses do not lie, Tommy. I also know that you fell in love with me the moment you saw me. I did not have to hear your words. I did not have to look at your face. All it took was the touch of your energy. It is the reason why I can trust you on this planet.”

“Are you interested in being with a human?”

“Like I said, you manifested me.”

“So… you are here to be with me?”

Vara smiled. “I am here to understand you. I am here to be the companion that you have been hoping for.”

“You are a supreme being. Are you sure you want to do that?”

Vara held Tommy’s hand. “What I want to do is see your artwork.”

Tommy smiled with satisfaction. “No one has ever said that to me before.” He opened his portfolio and pulled out a few of his artwork that were designed with colored pencils. “Be honest.” He handed them to Vara.

Vara became enchanted by Tommy’s colorful drawings. “These are beautiful, Tommy.” She noticed an unusual dark bluish planet on one of the drawings. She pointed at the planet and showed it to Tommy. “You dreamt about this as well?”

“Yes. Why?”

“This is my planet Neogaia.”

The revelation made Tommy speechless.

Vara handed that particular artwork to Tommy. “This is no coincidence. I was meant to be here for you.”

Tommy took a closer look at what he drew. “I had so many dreams about this planet. I did not know what these dreams meant.”

“Now, you know.”

Tommy and Vara stared at each other and twinkled.