He looked over at the coat she had left in the woods, now resting on a covered armchair. Walking over to hold it, he thumbed over the fabric, inspecting it in the darkness. He remembered the internal struggle of picking the thing up to begin with, intending to toy with that human once again; never imagining the conversation to steer in such a way.
“Friends. What a thing to want with someone like me.”
An odd jingling and clicking noise caught his attention, drawing him to watch the door. The young woman entered, flicking on the lights and shutting the wood behind her.
Her face lit up with excitement upon spotting him in the small space, rather than in the past where dread and apprehension expressed on her features. She turned off the bright lighting once again, leaving them bathed in a soft blue glow. “You came back!”
He didn’t respond, focusing too heavily on rationalizing the human’s behavior. Amber eyes watched as she moved, drawing the curtains closed before turning on lights strung along the wall, giving the room more lighting, yet still dim.
“I made sure to set up a few things if I got to see you again. The curtains are black out, no one can see in. I didn’t know if you didn’t like harsh lighting, so I got dim wattages for these.”
He hummed in retort, seeing her place in more detail. A small space compared to his, with yellow flowers separated by blue borders vertically lining the walls and a few paintings detailing abstract humans interacting with various items and each other. Far less furniture occupied here compared to the ones littering his abode. For the better part of a few minutes, he wandered around the enclosed room, touching items, running his hands over the spines of books on their case, picking them up, scrutinising. His back was turned when he finally broke the silence.
“Tell me more about your body vibrations.”
Turning, his eyes were drawn to the movement of her toying with a ring on her finger, “Well, it was what brought me into town in the first place. It stops when people get here, mine did too for a while. Then the feeling came back, and it’s getting worse every time. It feels powerful, like it clenches around my bones and I have no idea what’s causing it. I seem to be the only one that still has it.”
“Other people experienced this too?”
“Yes, apparently a good number of people travelled into the town because of that odd feeling in their body. It was a guiding map and stopped when they were led here. Most thought it was a form of intervention or an anomaly of the town, so they stayed here. No one else I know of ever had it come back, except maybe if they left Blacken. Which is why I’m so confused as to why it keeps happening to me.”
Nodding, taking the information in, his feathered self placed the book down and situated on her couch. She sat across him in a dining chair, gauging his reaction.
“And you think I have something to do with it.”
“I’m not sure how,” she laughed nervously, “but I think, in some way, yes.”
“Is that why you are trying to get close to me? For answers?”
The female shook her head slowly, “I would like to know about you, but not just in that way. Like, like… What’s your favourite colour?”
He felt his face scrunch at the absurd question, “Favourite colour?”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, do you only see in black and white?” The expression blanched.
He chuckled, “Typical human! So ignorant!” His laughter continued as he waved a dismissive hand, “No, I see an array of colours and shades, possibly more than you humans do, but I have no basis for that.”
“Then which one do you like seeing the most?” Perking up, the human looked excited for the answer. Her energy was full of expectation and childish glee—a different experience for sure.
“Why would I need to answer this?”
“It’s so we can learn more about each other, it’s fun!”
“This is for children; we were just discussing matters more serious.”
The female bit at her bottom lip, a question on her face, yet a debate expressed over saying it or not.
“You don’t like having fun? It’s okay if you don’t have a favourite.”
He stumbled, “I, um…” The nerve of this human… He had to prove that he did now. “The deep licks of ocherous fire, the faded gamboge spark of the sun setting on the horizon and burning crescendo in early mornings. That is my favourite.”
Her face changed. Instead of the eager smile, eyes softened while her mouth parted slightly, she looked surprised—entranced.
“That’s beautiful. You really do see more than we could.” He smirked, feeling his ego swell. “Could I ask… something more personal?”
The smile dropped, instead he leaned forward with his hands clasped together, eyes bearing into hers. He knew these heavier ones would eventually come up, though there were never any conversations lasting longer that the usual questions:
“Who are you? What’s going on? Why is this happening?”
It never went very far with those humans.
“It depends, you can ask, but I may not answer.”
She nodded, the apprehension practically dripped off her in the low lighting, “Are you from another planet?”
Tension held in the air after the words left her red lips. She waited patiently as he studied her, running her question around in his mind, debating whether to lie or simply tell the truth. He leaned back, breaking away eye contact for a moment before returning. Settling on the latter, he breathed a low whisper,
“I am.”
The female let out her breath, inhaling and exhaling in the thrilling moment. Goosebumps pricked her skin, evident even in their distance. The air became electric between them as they sat, awash in the revelation.
“I knew it. Oh, Owen would be so jealous if he only knew I was talking to an alien.”
His face twisted, “That man has been a
