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Jonathan still isn’t sure this is really happening. Logically, he knows it is. Hell, he has a broken alien ship hidden in his barn and a baby in his arms to prove it but it’s still too much to process.
For years, they did everything they could to have a child. They went to all the doctors they could, said prayer after prayer, took medicine after medicine but nothing worked. Martha even got him looking into adoption but the sheer amount of paperwork and money involved was too much for a person like him. Not to mention, that most social workers were looking for younger couples, with more money and more studies.
But then a spaceship came crashing down on their back yard and, somehow, Jonathan knew, he knew that this was the answer to all their efforts and prayers. This was God’s way of giving them what they wanted the most.
So here he is, standing in the middle of their guest bedroom, staring at a beautiful baby boy with impossible blue eyes and the brightest smile he has ever seen. The baby, “Clark”, Martha suggested earlier, giggles at him, mindlessly grabbing his thumb as Jonathan tries to calm him into a peaceful sleep. Clark’s eyes seem to bore into his soul, pressing him to speak, to pour out his mind and, suddenly, Jonathan cannot keep himself from talking.
“Welcome home, Clark.” Jonathan knows how silly he sounds, right now, but he can’t stop the words from leaving his lips. Besides, it’s only fair someone welcomes the poor kid to his new planet, right? “Right now, we’re on Earth, which is a big planet floating in space.”
‘I bet you know all about that’, is the unspoken sentence that dances in the back of his mind but Jonathan pushes it back. Now it’s not the time to freak out about an alien baby. Not until said baby is asleep, at least.
“I’m glad you found us, because space is pretty big.” Clark giggles once more, as if he understands the meaning behind those words, the irony of it all, and Jonathan can’t help but to smile back at him. “There’s a lot to see and even more to do here on Earth, so I’ll take you on a small tour, what do you say?
“Basically, the planet has two sides: land, which is made of rocks and dust, and sea. Let us start with the land side. It’s where we’re standing right now. We know a lot about the land, what it’s made of and what can grow where.” Jonathan’s eyes glace shortly to the bedroom window and watch as the sun sets behind the hills, far away, on the horizon. It’s almost completely dark outside, which is good, because Jonathan still needs to go out there and make sure there’s no trace of the spaceship falling before someone notices something is going on.
Clark must sense his worry because he gently tries to tap his face with his chubby little hand, brows wrinkled in such a serious way that Jonathan can’t help but to smile. “Where were we? Oh, that’s right, the land. So, we have land. It’s fun in here; we can run and ride horses and plant all those pretty flowers that Martha seems to love. Then there’s the sea, which is full of wonderful things. We know a little about the sea, but I’ll tell you more about it when it’s time for you to learn how to swim. You’ll like the water, Clark, especially when the heat comes around.
“We also have the sky. That’s where things get tricky…” Jonathan pushes back those thoughts, because space is the last thing he needs to think about right now. He can hear Martha stepping into the shower, in the bathroom down the hallway, and he knows that sooner than later, she’ll be meeting them so he really doesn’t have much more time to get Clark to fall asleep.
“Well, let’s move on. In our planet, there’re human beings. Each human being is a person. You are a person, little one. And you have a tiny little body. You must take good care of it. It’s important to remember to eat and drink and to keep yourself warm and cozy. Don’t worry, Martha and I will help you with that.
“There are people in every shape, size and colors. We might seem different, do things differently and speak different languages but don’t let it fool you, we are all the same. There are also animals. With different shapes, sizes and colors. They don’t speak, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be kind to them. You can’t speak yet either, even though your tiny head is filled with questions. Be patient. You’ll learn how to use your words soon enough.”
‘I hope’, crosses his mind for a brief second and isn’t that a scary possibility? That his son might not be able to learn how to speak? Sure, he looks human, and he can giggle and do all the sounds a human baby can but what if that’s about it? Jonathan doesn’t want (or can afford) to dwell on that now. ‘One step at a time’, he promises himself, in a sad attempt to calm his nerves.
“I don’t know how things work where you came from but, generally, here, when the sun is up, we call it day, and we do things during the day. The rest of the time, it’s night, and, when it’s dark outside, we sleep.” Outside, the sun is completely gone and the first stars are starting to poke through the remaining daylight. It’s strangely comforting. He turns once again to Clark, who seems to be the further away possible from sleeping. “Please try to sleep as well.
“Sometimes, everything is very slow here on Earth. But, most of the time, everything is too fast so you have to use your time wisely. It runs out before you know it.”
It feels silly to say that to a newborn but God knows how long Jonathan has spent worrying about unimportant things instead of spending more time with his family or enjoying his time on Earth. He doesn’t want that to happen to his son.
Son.
When did that happen?
“We know a lot about a lot of things but there’s still plenty to learn. You’ll find out a lot about life and the world around you by yourself, I’m sure of it. Just be sure to keep it all written down for others to learn about it as well.” Clark stares at him with so much focus and seriousness in his eyes that Jonathan can’t help but to think that this tiny child he’s holding in his arms is, somehow, understanding everything he’s blabbering. Maybe that’s what keeps him talking. Maybe that’s just a natural reaction. Either way, it seems to be, at the very least, keeping Clark calm so he doesn’t stop. “Earth seems really big, most of the time, but there are a lot of people living here, so be kind. What we have is enough for everybody.”
Down the hall, the bathroom’s door opens and Martha steps into their bedroom, as she sings softly to herself. Soon, she’ll be joining them in the guest bedroom and they’ll stay there until Clark falls asleep.
“Well, this is Earth, Clark. Take good care of it, because it’s all we have. Now, if you need to know anything else, you just need to ask. I’ll be right here to help you find an answer.” Clark blinks back at him, eyes dropping dangerously low, despite his best efforts to stay awake. His fingers and tightly wrapped around Jonathan’s thumb and the older man knows he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. “And when I’m not here… you can always ask someone else. You’ll never be alone on Earth.”