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Two Some alien blessing is on its way to us. W. S. Merwin “T don’t know what I’m going to do,” Ted said wearily to his friend, Bud Stockton, after yet another restless night. “This can’t keep up, it’s killing me.” “Why don’t you move?” Bud suggested. “You said this stuff didn’t start until you got here, so maybe if you moved away from this spot, you’d have some peace.” “T’ve tried everything else,” Ted agreed. “What have I got to lose?” He inquired at the park office and learned that a space had come open recently in a different area, so Ted took it. Bud helped him move, and for the next four nights after work, the two men set up the trailer, unpacked, and reorgan- ized Ted’s belongings. They were too busy to explore the new area or even speak to the neighbors there, and when the huge job was finished, Bud and Ted collapsed in exhaustion. “Thanks for all your help,” Ted said. “It’s pretty late, so why don’t you stay here tonight? I could use the company.” “What’s the matter?” Bud asked. “Are you all right?” “Yeah, sure,” Ted replied, but the more he thought about being there alone, the more uneasy he became. Bud agreed to stay, which should have calmed Ted, yet as bedtime approached he felt even more anxious. Nervously, he turned on the television, and they sat down in the living room to watch. “Hey! Did you see that?” Ted suddenly shouted, jumping up from his chair. “What?” Bud asked, looking around. The Siege - Two ‘That flash of light!” Ted told him. “Oh, God, is it starting up again already?” “Don’t go over the edge,” Bud said, aware of the strain Ted had been feeling for weeks. “You need to stop working at the bookstore for a while, you need to quit those readings and try to come down out of the stars and be human again. Tell your spirit friends to go take a vacation and give you a rest. You’ ve got to calm down!” But it was too late, and all Ted’s built-up frustrations erupted. In anger he stormed through the house, shouting at the intruders and cursing them for disturbing his sleep so constantly. “Here I am!” he shouted, “trying to do my spiritual work, to help people! But you keep me worn out, talking to me all the time and trying to teach me whatever this stuff is I keep hearing from you. You’re not considering me! need my rest, and you won’t let me sleep. I’ve had it with you! I’m not going to do any more readings right now, I can’t handle it any more. My body and my mind need some rest, and you little bastards won’t leave me alone at night. How in the hell do you think I can do this work you want me to do, when you won’t let me rest? “You better back off and leave me alone for a while, or I might just quit doing it permanently,” he threatened. “Go pick on the neighbors, why don’t you? Go teach them your lessons for a change, and leave me alone tonight!” he fin- ished, stomping off into his bedroom and slamming the door. Physically and emotionally worn out, Ted fell asleep right away, but soon afterwards he awoke and wondered if the whole world had gone crazy. He sat up in shock, watching his bedroom wall, wavy and shimmery, dissolving before his eyes. “This has to be a dream,” he told himself, as the wall sud- denly disappeared altogether. He could see outside the mobile home quite clearly. Stunned, Ted watched as three small, gray beings came through the invisible wall toward him. He was frozen with fear, and although his mind was functioning, he couldn’t cry out the terror he felt. One of the little beings reached out to touch him, and his Masquerade of Angels 11