Writing prompts: death mask/rocket
I’d worked at The Museum of Unnatural Curiosities for a little more than three years when the mask came in. It arrived in a wooden box stamped HANDLE WITH CARE and was cushioned with wadded-up newspaper.
“Place it near the moon rocks. I’ll work on a plaque for it later this week.” The owner of the shop continued, “it’s an alien death mask.”
I inspected the plaster mask after gently removing it from the box that had been delivered a few days earlier. The features were stereotypically alien; a small and pointed chin, high cheekbones, and large eyes. After placing it in the display indicated by the curator, I continued dusting the assembly of odd treasures the shop owner had collected in her various travels.
The shop was located in Nevada on the Extraterrestrial Highway, so it was full of extraterrestrial findings. It was basically a tourist trap full of kitschy junk. A bus stopped by almost every day with tourists coming from Las Vegas trying to catch a peek of Area 51 and aliens. All they would see was a gate, but what the heck, as long as the tourists came, I had a job.
*****
A week after the mask went on display I started having odd dreams. I had visions of flying shapes and flashing stars. After a few nights of these strange occurrences I heard the voice.
“Return it!”
I sat straight up in bed and looked around. I couldn’t find the source of the voice, nor was there any indication that anyone was in my small studio apartment. I went back to sleep, but it was a restless sleep.
The next day I questioned the curator about the origins of the box.
“I received a call from a man with a gruff voice who said he had the death mask of an alien and asked if I wanted it. He didn’t want anything in return. He just said it ‘gave him the heebie-jeebies’ and he wanted to be rid of it. Apparently, he received it anonymously after spending the night with a group of UFO chasers. That’s all I know.”
I didn’t mention the dreams, or the voice. I was questioning my own sanity. I didn’t want her to as well.
The dreams continued, as did the voices. They became more insistent.
“Send it back. It’s ours!”
It was to the point that I didn’t want to sleep at night. Dreams of rocket ships and shooting stars seemed to fill every minute of my slumber.
During a quiet moment in the store I took the mask out of the case and held it. The solution finally came to me. To this day, I’m not sure if it was my idea or the mask speaking to me.
I needed to send the mask back to where it came from.
After that, the dreams seemed to guide me. I needed to go to an empty field outside of Area 51. After doing some research I discovered that this was the location of numerous unexplained sightings of dancing lights. The entire area was a source of mysterious phenomena, so I wasn’t surprised my dreams guided me there.
All I needed to do was place the mask in an empty area and “they” would take care of the rest.
Getting the mask out of the museum wouldn’t be an issue. My boss was going to be gone on vacation and left me in charge. The only problem was, she was leaving on the Fourth of July weekend and there would be more tourists than usual.
I decided that this might actually work to my advantage. I could blame the disappearance on the extra tourist activity. My boss was easily distracted and somewhat of an airhead, so she would understand if I told her I simply didn’t know where it went. She would assume a tourist wanted it more than she did.
****
The Fourth of July was on a Sunday, which worked well with my plan. The shop was always closed on Monday, so I had a little wiggle room in case things didn’t go smoothly.
I packed my car with essentials. The mask was well wrapped in towels. I also took with me an assortment of fireworks and a lighter, a tarp, and some food and water.
The drive out of the small town where the shop was located was uneventful. Traffic was light. Most of the tourists were headed back to Vegas for the amazing fireworks displays they would see there. I shared the road with an occasional car, but when I turned off on a small unmarked side road they all disappeared.
After driving down a wash boarded and dusty gravel road for what seemed like an eternity I found a place that felt “right.” It was in a slight dip between two hills, so it gave the impression of seclusion. I drove off the road a slight way and set up camp. If anyone came along my story was going to be that I came out to get away from the holiday festivities and to look for the UFOs people claimed were out there.
I cleared a space and spread the tarp out. As darkness approached, I unwrapped the mask and placed it in the center. I pulled the fireworks out of their wrappers. I was waiting for the right time. I needed to send up a signal so “they” would know where I was. As darkness fully engulfed me I launched the first of the fireworks. The shower of sparks lit up the sky as well as any beacon.
After I took my eyes off the amazing show of falling glitter I was relieved to find the mask had returned to its rightful home. An amazing sense of peace engulfed me as I lit the remaining fireworks as a show of thankfulness.
15 April 2018