BlackEagle Girls
The Sacred Secret

Chapter 2 - Dummies and Dummiers

'Governments, no matter where they are and who they represent, don't like to be made to look like dummies,' said Harry, stretching his forepaws languidly and at the same time extending his hind legs so that his body seemed longer than usual, as he settled down comfortably between Priscilla and Monique.

'What does that mean?' asked Monique, reaching out her hand toward him in an automatic patting motion, before hesitating.

'Go ahead, indulge yourself,' said Harry, 'it's good therapy, oh, and I find patting very soothing. Now,' he spent a moment taking a rather vicious bite at a dew-claw, 'long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, or was that just in Star Wars? Anyhow, there are these strange, curious, fabulous aliens living on a planet at the edge of the universe, see?'

'That is your people, oui?' said Monique.

'Non, ma petite, that is your peop... Oh dear, this may take longer than I thought. Let me continue. We, on our planet had been busy for...'

'And the name of your planet is?' asked Priscilla, trying to pin Harry down.

'Umm, well...it's too hard to translate. How about we call it...er...Ork...'

'Like the orcs in Lord Of The Rings,' she suggested, peering towards a dark, teetering pile of books that were still awaiting shelf-space in the room.

'More like, Mork and Mindy, I would have thought,' replied Harry.

'Mork and who?' wondered Monique aloud, shaking her head and turning down the corners of her mouth.

'O.K. Perhaps that's not such a great idea. How about we just call it Planet Wasat? Planet for short.'

The girls shrugged, seemingly satisfied with this.

'Right! Well that's settled. Now as I was saying, the people-my lifeform people-have been making the journey to Earth over decades of your time years. They have come and gone, or stayed, working amongst the indigenous folk of various regions and lands, and helping, guiding, where and when it was possible. We of Planet have travelled to many destinations across the depths of the Milky Way, and further, and yet we were delighted when we discovered this remote outpost that your Human-Kind name Earth. Earth is an Inimitable Paradox...'

'A what?' said Priscilla, breaking in.

'Yes,' said Monique, 'what does this Inimitable Paradox mean?'

Harry stretched out his forepaws and opened his mouth in a huge yawn. 'Sorry ladies, I'm not bored and I'm not tired, it's just...'

'A dog thing,' said Priscilla, 'we get the message. Go on, what's the point?'

'Going back to Governments; the point is that we didn't want to alarm Human kind or in any way alter the progress of Earth's natural development. My people...beings who have long ago conquered ultra-swift space travel, came here in the past to observe, and because of their observations, determined to find a way that we could stay and flourish without disturbing Humanity. We also hoped that, by our gentle guidance, we could render all the people of Earth a service that would engender their well-being and eventually, the realization that others from somewhere beyond this world were here amongst them. In short, we came to nurture, to educate, to gradually ease our way amongst Earth's native population...'

'You think that countries all over the world would accept that?' interrupted Monique.

'Of course not. The nations of Earth are far too suspicious of anything they don't understand. One of America's leaders recently said something like this, "There are things we know we know. There are things we know we don't know. But what worries us most are the things we don't know we don't know." ' Harry rolled onto his side and playfully kicked out his legs. 'We are a part of the things They don't know They don't know. But They do suspect. There have been too many incidences of events and sightings of unidentified flying objects to simply ignore them. Yet it is as much to the advantage of all the Earth's major powers to say nothing and dismiss any information as unconfirmed, or a hoax, as it is to our advantage for them to do so. Though certainly, they would not see it that way. So, when that particular incoming craft became confused between U.S.America and Australia-get it- nine letters both, AUStRAlIa, USAmeRIcA, and found itself having to choose between Roswell New Mexico and Roswell Georgia, after losing contact with Planet and all information about another tiny site on the other side of the wor...'

'You can't be serious?' said Priscilla, her eyes wide, the orbs hidden in deep shadows cast from the glimmer of torch-light. 'You're going to say that they, these...whatever they were... were meant to come here? Not a desert in Mexico, but here, here to this house, Roswell, in Camberwell, Victoria, Australia?!'

'Exactly. Why else do you think the house was named?'

Priscilla shook her head in disbelief. 'I suppose the vacant block next door...'

'Old tennis courts are just the right size for a very comfortable landing spot, with silence and invisibility factors activated of course.'

'As you do,' she answered, plainly flummoxed.

'But what about the actual disaster in the desert? What happened there?' asked Monique, who was now tentatively stroking Harry's forelegs.

'Ah yes! Oh!' Harry would have purred, except for a very obvious fact. 'Up along the shoulder joints is good too; nothing like a soothing massage after a hard day of sniffing around the garden, digging out old mouldering bones and what-not. And, as to your question, it turned out to be a bit of a win-win situation for everybody. The Yanks, oh sorry, political correctness here, the U.S. Airforce listed all sorts of phenomenon, including one of their own weather balloons, complete with test manikins. Lots of other things were reported falling out of the sky around that time. What they actually rounded up were bits of their stuff, and bits of our stuff. What they didn't know, and what they still, don't know, they don't know, is that they had Blanks mixed up; our Blanks, programmed to appear as nothing else. Just dummies for dummies, of course it became a case of how many dummies and when exactly did they all arrive? There was a lot of confusion about that in late July, Nineteen Forty-eight and into August of that same year. But eventually the Powers, who never want to be seen to be dummies, accepted...exactly that.' Harry bared the twin rows of his front teeth and curled back his black lips in a doggy grin. 'It was a disaster for us, that one of our incoming craft should go so far off course; although, come to think of it, when you find your way across so much empty space...'

'Are you telling us that what happened at Roswell was all just a mix-up? And afterwards was covered up by the American Government and...and...'

'And our guys. Yep! Except that Uncle Sam never knew that it was covering up for us. All they knew was that they didn't know, but they made sure that they kept that to themselves while they looked after their own butts. Best way not to look like dum...'

'What happened to the aliens...sorry, your people...the ones that landed there?' asked Monique.

'Oh, them? They survived and headed off. Of course they made sure to eliminate all evidence of the craft and their journey and any other calling cards. What they left behind was merely a confusing trail of cross-information; good for the U.F.O. people and any other interested parties. Always leave a trail, and make sure it's so confusing that it ends in conjecture and lots of head-scratching and nothing that can ever become a certainty. My two voyagers managed to make contact with us here, and after we had collected them, to assimilate into the school and university system, where their children are now, happily getting on with the programme.'

'This is unbelievable!' said Monique, louder than she should have. Then, abruptly lowering her voice, she whispered, 'You! A dog! You want us to know that you are not a dog! That you are a dog that talks and yet is some other creature! I do not...How can we trust what you say out of your little mouth?'

'Good question!' said Harry, licking her fingers before she hastily withdrew them. 'The answer, Miss Monique, is in what's dangling around your neck.'

Involuntarily, Monique's fingers slipped to her pyjama collar, beneath which she could feel the pulse of the peridot ring on its chain against her skin.

'Sure, how did I know it was there? Doesn't matter. It's in the stone, the peridot...Ah well, you guys have done some research about that. Anyway, these little stones are like beacons: they beckon, they search, they find, they identify... and they qualify. After the crash-down in the desert, that was all Aludra and Mursam had left to use to make contact...'

'Hold the phone!' said Priscilla, clutching at Monique's arm. 'Those names! They were a couple of people in the album photos that we got out of the attic. Yeah, they were with Bella Roselli. And speaking of photos and rings on chains and little black dogs in the background of some of them...'

Playfully, Harry rolled over and, returning upright with startling agility, a paw raised, said, 'Moi!'

'Are you saying that you are the dog in the photographs all those years ago?' Monique asked in wonderment.

'Who else? Yeah, and how did we get our two guys from there to here? In Are-Two-Dee...well, now it's called the BlackEagle, in honour of you girls. After we got them here, and that took some time, we had to move them around from country to country, give them an identity, before getting them into Australia. It was difficult back then, and much harder to do that now. Anyway we decided to take down the old house name...served its purpose...no need to advertise. Besides, new landing site names are on the go all the time. They're happening all over Earth on a constant stream. And as for Mursam and Aludra, as I said, they went on out into the work force here in Melbourne as teachers...can't get more honest and open than that...and their kids are now working in universities and schools around Victoria and interstate. Oh, and I suppose you're wondering about the ring thing and the chain thing?'

'Er, yes,' said Monique, her fingers tracing the line of the chain beneath her pyjama top.

'Rings are good for fingers, and chains go really well around necks. Now I suppose you both might have noticed that I'm not that well endowed...'

For a fleeting moment, both Priscilla and Monique almost blushed.

'...with fingers. But I'm fine with necks. Anyway, Bella Roselli could wear the peridot ring either way, and since it was actually mine, I asked her to keep it on a chain in case I ever wanted to trot it about.

'This is yours?' said Monique, fumbling with her collar and drawing forth the chain and ring.

'No,' said Harry gently. 'It was mine. When you opened the kitchen door and let me in, I was able to leave it down in the cellar to be discovered. Henry's lizard found it there. In any event, the likelihood of it coming to either of you girls was a pretty good bet. The boys wouldn't want it, and the adults either. Now it belongs to both of you. It's what you'll need in the future if...'

'If what?' both girls asked together.

'If you decide to become agents for our cause. You already have an example of what is possible, what we can do to aid human-kind. You, Miss Monique, have back your Mum and Dad. They'll be coming here to Australia soon, and you saw that they were safe long before their phone call tonight. That's a part of what we can do; what you can do for others, if you are willing to work with us.' Harry panted a moment, twisted around, leapt off the bed and pattered over to a small plastic water bowl, lapping away lustily.

Meanwhile, Priscilla and Monique stared at each other, their eyes wide in the glimmer of torchlight. With a brief nod and a raising of shoulders, they made their compact.

After a moment, Harry bounded back onto the bed, his whiskers flicking a fine spray of water onto the covers. 'Thirsty work, all this chatter. Guess you want to know a lot more, but it's really getting late. I can see that you've made up your minds...'

'You can read our thoughts?' said Monique in surprise.

'Don't need to,' Harry replied, wiping his muzzle with an uplifted paw, 'I figger that you two know what will happen if we don't hit it off. I can shut up shop at any time. Everything you have as evidence that all this ever happened will be wiped out instantly. You can say anything you want, make all the claims you like, to anyone you like, and there wont be a shred of real evidence left. All you'll have is a little, mute, black dog, a photo album, a ring on a chain and a blank metal sheet.'

The two girls audibly caught their breath.

'But,' said Harry, 'I see that's not what you want. What you do want to know is how can you be of use? What can you do? And the answer is, do everything that you would already do. Just know that we exist and are here amongst you. Oh, and I think it best that you take the albums and papers with you to Hopewell. Can't leave that stuff hanging about here. Maybe you can smuggle it back next time you come home and get it up into the attic again. But keep the silver plate, that's the BlackEagle, and never let it out of your possession.'

'That little sheet of metal that opened up when I touched it with the peridot stone?' said Monique. 'What can it do? It would not open again at all afterwards.'

'It will from now on,' Harry replied, showing his front teeth in a sly grin. 'And when it does, I will know. And I will come. And now...' he opened his jaws wide, making a very doggy yowling sound as he yawned, 'I'm ready for my bed. Don't like to sound like your parents and Granny Black, curse it, she's still blowing away down there, but I think you should both go to sleep. Big new-school-day tomorrow.' He jumped off the bed, landing on all fours, and in the shadows, scampered over and hopped into his little basket, doing a few turns until he found a comfortable position and curled up; tail curved around to his snout.

Monique fingered the peridot for a moment, and then proffered it to Priscilla, who let the stone drop into her palm. Without speaking, the girls held each other's gaze, their hands now clasped together. Then Priscilla let go, slipped out and climbed back into her own bed, taking their solitary light with her. After pulling up the coverlet she settled down and clicked off the torch.

Apart from the fading drone of Granny Black's snoring, the house was quiet. The waning moon, either shrouded in cloud or perhaps because it had almost vanished, gave only the faintest hint of light.

'Monsieur Harry?'

'Yep,' came the slightly muffled reply.

'Thankyou so very much for taking us to find my parents, and for letting us be part of your wonderful...umm...how do you say? Adventure? Venture? Quest?'

'S'right. No problem. Night-night.'

'Harry?'

'What now? A dog's gotta grab some sleep around here. You know, the early alien gets the bone, or some such.'

'I was just thinking,' said Priscilla, lying on her back, her eyes staring up toward the blackness of the ceiling, 'about when Monique and me have our showers...'

'Oh, yeah.'

'You come into the bathroom and curl up on the mat next to the oil heater...'

'I like to warm up in the morning. Night-nigh...'

'Your eyes are open...'

'I'm asleep...'

'With your eyes open?' cut in Monique.

'Look, I'm a dog...'

'No you're not!' hissed Priscilla. 'Your an alie...a visitor from outer space!'

'So if I'm not a dog, how come I've-got-dis-furry-tail-stuffed-halfway-up-my-dose?' came the growly reply.

'Priscilla is right. Are you peeking at us?' Monique whispered.

'Dogs sleep with their eyes open. Common fact! It's a dog...'

'Thing!' said Monique, clearly miffed.

'Yeah, right!' Priscilla muttered, rolling onto her side and pulling the sheets up around her neck, 'Good thing we close the toilet door!'

'Monsieur Harry?'

There came a deep sigh in the darkness. 'You rang?'

'What is an inimitable paradox?'

'Well, it's when you have a...No!...Miss Monique?'

'Yes, Mister Harry?'

'An inimitable paradox is when you have two girls named Priscilla and Monique in the same bedroom! G'night!'