โOK. Ta love. Bye for now!โ Mabel hung up the receiver on the telephone and walked back into the living room from the hallway. Ryan was still sat on the sofa looking through something on his mobile phone, and George was asleep in his chair, snoring. โGeorge! Wake up!โ
George yawned and stretched as his wife settled into her chair beside him.
โThat was our Sheila. Whereโs the remote? Sheโs telling me to turn the news on. Itโs on! Weโve probably missed it now.โ
George handed Mabel the remote control he found tucked down the side of his chair. Mabel pressed the button which powered up the TV in the corner of the room. Ryan looked up to see the end credits of the local news programme.
โOoh!โ Mabel fumed. โI knew Iโd miss it!โ
โNo, Nan,โ Ryan stood and walked over to her. โRemember, you can rewind the programme as youโve not changed the channel.โ He took the remote control off her, and pressed a button which caused the on screen image to move quickly in reverse.
โOh, it would be her!โ Mabel moaned, seeing who the daily newsreader was.
โI think itโs dead funny how you have the same name as her, Nan!โ Ryan laughed.
โShe has the same name as me, our Ryan, and donโt you forget it. Besides, she has that extra โEโ at the end of her name. We donโt need that George, do we?โ
โThereโs only one Mabel Green, love, and youโre it!โ George smiled, glancing over to Ryan.
Ryan started to play the programme back just as a film of a factory in Leeds disappeared from view. Mabel Greene reappeared on screen. โAnd finally this morning,โ the newsreader announced, โlocal authorities and the British Space Agency are investigating reports of a fireball over Rodderswych, West Yorkshire, in the early hours. The bright white light was seen by people from as far away as Kent in the south of England and the Highlands of Scotland. Air Traffic Control confirmed the trajectory of fragments of the fireball, which appeared as a sudden white flash, to three possible areas of the Rodderswych area. The BSA have advised there may be some meteorite fragments, and are advising residents not to touch them if they find them, and instead report their finding directly to the BSA. We will display their number on screen shortly. A spokeswoman for the BSA says the meteorites themselves will be harmless, but would like to study them without them being exposed to further contamination.โ Mabel Greeneโs smile filled the screen. โThe BSAโs number is on screen now, so go out and check your gardens. You never know, you may find a little green man nearby!โ She laughed and brought her hand up to her left ear. โOf course, I only joke!โ she laughed. โThere is no cause for concern. Thatโs it for this morningโs summary, and weโll be back later with a full news roundup. Good bye for now.โ The credits reappeared on screen, and Ryan switched the TV off.
โShe really annoys me!โ Mabel said. โShe thinks sheโs funny, and couldโve caused widespread panic then!โ
โAt least sheโs deflected the attention from aliens!โ George offered.
โOr brought attention to it. What if the meteorite bit was a cover? Theyโre actually looking for Dawn.โ Mabelโs mind started to wander.
โCalm down, May!โ George said. โShe said they were looking for fragments. More than one.โ
โCould be more than one alien, then!โ Ryan suggested. โWe donโt know.โ
โOoh, theyโre looking for โer. Theyโre looking for โer. What are we goinโ to do now? Our Ryanโs murdered โer… sheโs in our bedroom, on our bed.โ Mabel stood. โThey could knock on our door at any minute and barge themselves right up them stairs into our room. She said they tracked the trajectory. They know sheโs โere!โ
โNan, sit down again. Breathe.โ Ryan said. โIโll make us all another cup of tea. And I havenโt murdered her, I just shook her.โ
George tapped Mabelโs arm again after she sat back down, and Ryan walked to the living room door. A loud knock came from the front door.
โOh โeck!โ Mabel cried. โTheyโre โere! Theyโre โere. Theyโve found โer. Us. Theyโve found all of us. Theyโll arrest us all. Weโll end up in jail!โ She bit her lip. โWeโll pretend we arenโt in. If weโre quick, we can sneak into the kitchen before they look through the window.โ She lowered her voice to a whisper. โCome on, letโs go.โ
Mabel, George and Ryan swiftly made their way to the kitchen, ignoring a second loud knock at the front door.
โWe canโt ignore them forever.โ George whispered. โBesides, donโt they have rights? Canโt they break in?โ
โI donโt know about that, Grandad. Donโt forget, theyโre the space agency, not the police.โ Ryan sat his Nan in one of the chairs at the round kitchen table at the far side of the room. He pulled out another chair for George. โHere, Grandad, you sit down as well and calm Nan down.โ
A third knock rapped on the door.
Ryan felt his mobile vibrate in his jeans pocket, so he retrieved it. He answered the call in a low voice, without checking who was calling. โHello? Ah, Kate! Hi! Yes, where are you?โ He looked at Mabel with a reassuring smile. โOK. Weโre in, just a little busy. Iโll let you in now!โ he ended the call and popped the phone back into his pocket. โItโs Kate at the door, Nan. No need to worry!โ He flicked the switch on the kettle as he walked passed. He left the kitchen to open the door.
Nervously, Mabel looked at George, holding his arm. โWhat if itโs not Kate?โ
โMabel, it has to be Kate. We know sheโs on her way. Itโs more likely to be her than the space agency!โ
A second later, Ryan returned to the kitchen following his old school friend.
โHi Mr and Mrs Green!โ Kate smiled warmly.
———-
This is the eighth instalment of my fan fiction tale based on the DC Comics character Dawnstar.
The first part can be found here, the second here, and the third here.
The fourth part is here, and the fifth here. The sixth part is here.
The seventh part is here.
Dawnstar was created by Paul Levitz and Mike Grell. All other characters are of my own creation.
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