Read Online George Brown and the Protector by Duane L. Ostler - Free Book Online Page B

curiously.
    “They probably don’t want to admit that it
appears to be made by someone or something, which would indicate
life outside your planet,” the protector replied. “That could
create widespread anxiety and draw more attention to it than they
want, at least until they know more about what the thing is and how
to protect their people from whoever is out there. The Chinese
government is far more secretive than your own. It’s surprising
they revealed even this much information about the fallen
star.”
    “But why would the exact same fallen star
come down in China?” asked George. “And almost at the same time,
too. The one fell here on July 6th.”
    “Which was the 7th in China, since it is
across the international dateline,” said the protector. “It appears
they fell at the same time. But why they fell, and what they are
doing here is a great mystery.” The protector squinted his eyes in
concentration. “Two things are certain,” he said after a moment.
“First, it isn’t a mere coincidence that these two identical
objects landed on earth at the same time. Second, given what you
saw the other night and what I know about the Grak, I would say the
Grak are the ones who sent them down here for some devious purpose
of their own.”
    Suddenly George felt something prickly on the
back of his neck. He jumped and turned around, but it was only
Emberly who had rolled over from the couch, then bounced up to his
neck.
    “Hi, there,” he said, picking her up. “How
are you doing today?”
    Emberly got so excited that she bounced from
one of George’s hands to the other, and then up on his head. George
laughed and reached up to pull her off, but she bounced away and
then up to the top of the fridge.
    “I told you she liked you,” said the
protector. “I just wish she could get along as well when she’s a
girl,” he said with a sigh.
    “What?” said George uncomprehendingly.
    “Like I said before, she was sent to me so I
could find her a new home here on earth, since there are no more of
her kind,” said the protector. “She’s highly intelligent so I
hesitate to turn her into an animal and let her lose. So I tried
the other day to turn her into a human girl. I guess she didn’t
like it though. She just about turned the supermarket we went to
upside down!”
    “You took her into a supermarket?” George
asked in amazement. He stared at the pink fuzz ball for a minute,
trying in vain to imagine it transformed into a girl who went crazy
in the aisles of food.
    Suddenly George’s cell phone rang, causing
the protector to jump and look around wildly. Then he grinned
sheepishly. “Your cell phone,” he mumbled in embarrassment. “I knew
that.”
    George clicked the button on the phone.
    “George, where are you?” came his mother’s
worried voice.
    The protector hurriedly whispered to George,
“Ant number 4 brought us back to where we started, just around the
corner from your street.”
    “I’m just up the street,” said George.
    “Well, it’s past time you were back,” said
his mother. Then she added as an afterthought, “did you find the
little dog’s home?”
    “Yeah,” said George with a grin. “He’s home
now.” The protector grinned too. “I’ll be right home, Mom.”
    “Well, you'd better be,” she answered. “We’ve
got to get ready for our trip, you know.”
    “Our trip?” George repeated blankly.
    “Yes, you remember, don’t you?” said his
mother. “We’re going to Sacramento tomorrow to take the pickled
peaches to your Aunt Agnes.”
    “Oh, darn!” said George. “I forgot. Do I have
to go?”
    “Yes,” said his mother firmly. “We’ve been
planning this trip for 3 weeks and she’s expecting all of us. Janet
tried to get out of going too, and I wouldn’t let her.”
    “Darn,” said George again.
    “It’s not that bad,” said his mother.
“Anyway, you’re going. And I expect you back home in 5
minutes!”
    “O.k. Mom,” said George unhappily.