Free Fire - Betrayal by Amelia Grace Page A

they were mind communicating.  And they were unaware that I was conscious of it.
    Then, I watched with great joy as the visitors slowly placed spoonfuls of chocolate cake into their mouths. I could tell that their sense of taste was in overdrive.  The look of sheer pleasure on their faces from the taste of the food was worth a million dollars.
    “ Cate,“ spoke the eldest man.  “We are lost, you are correct.  It is not that we want to go back to where we came from, but it is that we want to know how to get a house, and how to get money.  We are….unknowledgeable in the Earth way of living.”
    “Oh,“ I said shocked. “You do know that it is not such a great place to live here on the Earth, compared to other places.  Life here is very hard for some.  And some do not survive.  Our seasons range from very hot to extremely cold, we have storms, hail, strong winds and fire.  The seas are not calm but rough, deadly to some.  Earthquakes shake the ground causing manmade structures to collapse, killing people and animals. We have landforms with no vegetation or water, people die there. Some of our animals attack humans and can kill them.  Many of the animals eat meat.  People are slowly destroying the Earth by using its precious resources but never replacing what they use, or they take more than they need.  Are you sure you want to work and live here?“
    “Yes!” they all replied at once.
    I looked down at my plate of cake crumbs puzzled.  It was unlike Terreans to want to come into this world.  There must be something else.
    “Can you tell me if you have been sent here on a mission to accomplish something?” I questioned.
    “No, “the eldest answered quickly.  “We were sent here to…. experience something.”
    “What exactly?”I asked intrigued.
    “The pain and suffering of your people,” he replied, looking at the pot of tea, ashamed to tell of the truth.
    “And, why do you need to experience pain and suffering?” I inquired, still confused.
    “To teach us a lesson.”
    I took a deep breath, shocked that they were sent to learn a lesson here on the Earth.
    “ Well, you will find many lessons here on this planet.  But you may be well and truly surprised to find that in amongst the pain and suffering is love and joy, and caring and kindness.  These things can ease pain and suffering, or even take it away.  Your lessons may not be as easy as you think.”
    “Are you able to help us with the house and the money?” asked an older woman, impatiently.
    “I can take you to a shelter, where you will find many homeless people.  There are government workers there who will be able to help you get started. To get a house, you need money to buy it with.  To get money, you have to get a job and get paid money.  It will take you quite a while to save up enough money for a house.  But if you need to talk to anyone about anything, you are welcome at my house anytime, anytime at all , ”  I explained, making sure that they understood.
    Then I led them to my car, and drove them to the shelter.  I hoped that they would find what they were looking for there.
     
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    Moonlight Sonata
     
    The black car slowly drove by again the next day , observing the people who came to help themselves to the free fruit.
    They did not stop.  They just cruised along very slowly, again arousing my suspicions.
    The black car drove by everyday for five days, but then, on the sixth day it stopped.  Two rear doors of the car opened. Two tall men, in dark coats and dark sunglasses crossed the tree lined street to the baskets of fruit.
    They did not grab and fill a bag quickly like the homeless people, instead, they picked up each of the seven fruits and studied them in detail – looking at them, smelling them, hefting them, and running their fingers over the skin, then replaced them back into the baskets, and left.
    The men walked back to the black car in silence.  Once they were inside the car,