“I’m surprised you have been assigned back to the planet’s surface after what happened on your last specimen gathering mission,” Vuhv teased his partner. Their interplanetary quest, gathering useful botanical specimens for terraforming a new world, had led to this life-rich planet. The woods around them offered an abundance of plant life, but interference, interaction, or contact with any sentient life forms was strictly forbidden.

“It was an accident; I didn’t intend to break protocol,” Lofl said securing a thorny large-leafed plant specimen in a transport tube and sending it on its way.

“Really, Lofl, an accident?” Vuhv laughed stumbling onto a trail. “You threw the toy ball back to the young one! After seeing you, the youngling will probably have nightmares for the rest of his life.”

*******

In just three weeks, on the 4th of July, I will be competing in a 3-mile race up and down Mt Marathon in Seward, Alaska. I have been training hard. I’m jogging my favorite training trail, the cliff trail near my home in the Susitna Valley, enjoying a beautiful spring day. Lush moist foliage, trees, and brush dapple the trail with shade. To my right a creek gurgles over rocks far below.

As I panted up a steep curve, I encountered an apparition. He, for I believe it was male, stood six feet tall wearing garments simplistic in style, his facial features so distant from being Earthlike, I stumbled back startled. There was little time to perceive more. The sensation of falling off the edge toward the rocks below took over… then all went dark.

*******

Vuhv stared down horrified at the disaster he had caused by his presence, a tragic unintended consequence. Surely the Earth girl was dead after such a great fall. Vuhv and Lofl quickly transported down to the female.

“She’s still alive, though barely,” Lofl announced waving a life-reading monitor over her mangled body.

“We will have to report this and try and save her!” Vuhv cried out in distress.

“We can’t save her. She is too far gone. We will have to leave her.”

“No, we can’t just leave her; we have to try and save her.” Vuhv pulled an emergency litter from his pocket. Activating the small object he placed it on the victim. A translucent cocoon formed around the broken body protecting it from movement.

“There will be three to transport,” Lofl communicated to the bridge.

“The third passenger better be plant specimens,” the captain responded.

“Of course.”

Vuhv gave Lofl a questioning look.

“At least it will get her on board.”

*******

Light…. Where am I? I seem to be bathed in light. I can’t open my eyes, yet light passes through my eyelids. Not the proverbial light calling me to heaven with loved ones urging me forward, but a soothing, healing light.

A sequence of events flash through my mind. I’m running, training for the Mt. Marathon Race… a strange figure appears… humanlike, but not human… then falling, falling, falling….

*******

After harsh reprimand and censure by the high command Vuhv and Lofl returned to sick bay. “Looks like there is some active brain consciousness,” Lofl said glancing at the healing tube readouts.

“Is that a good sign?”

“Could be, but the patient’s odds at recovery is not the only problem we face. Captain scheduled the ship’s departure in 3 ofuk (A unit of time equal to about 7 hours Earth time.) She needs more time.”

“Then we will have to find a way to stall departure. Surely you can come up with something.”

“What do you want me to do, sabotage the ship?”

“No, of course not.” Vuhv thought for a moment. “But it might be possible to delay the return of the surface crew if we can convince the head of the project to demand a few more plant specimens.”

“I’ll see what I can do; she does owe me a favor.”

*******

“Francine! Francine!”

I hear my name being called and try to wake up. I can hear dogs barking. They seem to be getting closer. People are calling my name. I fight to overcome heavy drowsiness. It is a struggle, but finally my eyes open. With my name echoing closer and closer I try to sit up. I am on the rocks below the cliff trail.

“Here!” I shouted back, but my voice is only a whisper. As the calling voices came closer, my own voice broke through. “I’m here,” I called out again. Someone heard me and came running.

According to my rescuers, I have been missing for two days. Since I can’t explain how I survived a fall from the cliff trail to the rocks below unscathed, I don’t mention what I believe really happened. Instead I claim I got lost.

How did I come out in the Mt. Marathon Race? I did great; I placed 47th out of 231 contestants.