A lot of people blamed American secret-weapons developments gone wrong. The CIA got more credit than it deserved, but it always did. There were a number of "senior military men" who came forward to explain that they'd worked for some years on a project, given various code names, to deprive the Soviets of waters in areas like the Black Sea in case of war. They generally sounded confident, anyway.
Scientists eventually came to a rough estimate of just a bit under twenty-five years to refill Lake Ontario. Waters were lowered on some lakes upstream to provide water. They let out as much as they could from Superior, but this didn't make much difference what with the bottleneck going into Erie. A plan to leave the Welland canal locks open at night was cancelled when engineers made an estimate of the erosion that would ensue to the canal.
Cope interviewed most everybody on the Canadian side except Lester and Sammy, to get information to Ottawa. A long conversation with Barb and Darkh left him more skeptical than before, but at least he arranged to get Gabriel Dumont a valid passport in the name of Gary E. Dumont, born in 1971 in Lampman, Saskatchewan. Tom Barrents got him a job as part of the groundskeeping crew at Trent University.
After a couple of months, Cope's daughter collected her sons. Cope and Paula took a cruise vacation in the Caribbean, but she never asked why Lake Ontario had gone dry while he was there, maybe because she thought he was involved somehow. Cope figured he'd tell her eventually.
Tom started lecturing again in Philosophy at Trent on an occasional basis, then worked his way back into a more or less regular job there. He's now working on a revision to his earlier work, The Ulysses Trees.
Darkh took up badminton and formed a team with a redhead who liked him and never put anything on a list.
Damon, like many others, eventually had his boat lifted by crane onto the shore, but so many boat owners wanted to find space on the other lakes that Damon didn't bother to move it for a year. He did buy a newer boat on Lake Huron.
Sammy left Patricia's boat, Serenity, and walked to shore in the morning, not bothering to wait for a helicopter rescue; he was a SEAL, after all. He arrived in Cobourg harbor after a couple of hours, covered in mud to his chest. Lester, once he'd stopped laughing, washed him in the creek and gave him new clothes. They were back in the States the next day.
Patricia paid someone with an Argo to take her to Serenity for the afternoon. When she looked at it, she almost decided to abandon it. Then she discovered the nature of the gravel bits that had taken out the windows of the boat and were embedded in much of the superstructure. She came back the next day with a chisel and a bag. After that, she did abandon Serenity. She also retired and bought a ranch in central Utah.
Barb still sells jams. After opening a small package the Daniels had mailed her before leaving for Brighton, she opened a couple of branch outlets in the Toronto area. She still lives on Ward's Island, which is quieter, now.
The Daniels' brothers leased out the house on Ward's Island and moved to Vancouver. They did not try to communicate with Barb, Laura, or anyone else in Ontario.
Clyde Books still hunts for aliens occasionally, in case there are more on the planet, but he's only trying to write a book about it, and is just looking for conversation. He's also taken up genealogy. He relaxed a lot after Jag got him a copy of the coroner's report, showing Casey Szczedziwoj was certainly dead after he hit the tree.
The Philip Group switched to playing euchre, among other things.
Nobody knows what happened to Olnya.
Jag now owns two old dogs. He never quite got back with his wife, and he and Laura write each other a lot.
Laura gave up trying to write consumer books about UFOs and went back to poetry. She became the New Hamburg area representative for The Ontario Poetry Society, and now meets with several other poets in the area, and has almost finished her next book, The Tavern of Lost Souls.
The eleven hgkpphtitrw got home safely, and are working for the new government. They were instrumental in extending the legislation that confirmed Earth as an area to be protected as a Potential Entertainment Zone. Only seven other planets in the explored area of the galaxy were considered weird enough to get that protection. It was noted in the legislation that up to fifty alien species were still hiding on the planet, and plans were made to see if they could be found.
*** END OF NARRATIVE ***
Chapter 10: Day-By-Day Summary of Sections
B minus 4
• Wind Turbines Foundation sonar sees a mystery object in Popham Bay, near Brighton .Both a branch of the CIA and CSIS are quietly notified.
• Cope (CSIS agent) is assigned to Brighton to investigate.
• Cope phones Jag, an old friend and current policeman, and asks to meet him
• Two space aliens, having taken over human bodies (the Daniels brothers), are depressed after 23 years hiding on earth.
• The Philips Group in Toronto decides to call up a ghost. named Gabriel Dumont.
• Darkh Blood, hunter of ghosts, learns of a possible alien. He calls up Clyde Books, hunter of aliens.
B minus 3
• The Galactic Emperor is assassinated. The aliens hiding on Earth can go home.
• Clyde Books prepares to check out possible space aliens
• Laura Singer arrives in Brighton, buys a shovel in the hardware store, meets Jag, stays at the marina.
• Tom Barrents ("Mad Tom") talks to a man who claims to harbor a space alien
• On Chesapeake Bay, the SEAL team (Lester and Sammy)is promised to look into the mystery of Popham Bay
B minus 2
• Laura meets Jag at the marina
• Clyde and another guy follow Casey (suspected to harbor a space alien) but Casey dies.
• Sammy and Lester, ex-SEALs, get to Toronto, are assigned to Brighton to find out whatever about the mystery object.
• The aliens get the "return home" signal, drive to their cottage on the shore of Popham Bay.
• Laura meets Jag at the Dixie Lee. They make an appointment to go by canoe to High Bluff Island. She claims to be looking for treasure.
• Tom meets alien in park
• Jasna writes letter to Laura
• Cope meets Jag at Carrying Place
• Cope arrives in Brighton. He and Jag see the SEALs arrive at the harbor. Laura goes to her rental cottage on the shores of Popham Bay.
B minus 1
• Tom goes by canoe to Pine Lake
• Laura and Jag picnic on High Bluff Island
• }Seals find Laura's cottage The SEALs think Laura's an agent and decide to spy on her.
• Darkh and Clyde visit Wards Island in Toronto looking for aliens. They talk to one Barb; she tells them nothing useful, then phones the aliens/Daniels to warn them.
• Sam calls the White House for backup.
• Cope notifies Ottawa, asks Jag for dogs
• John Smith contacts White House
• Barb calls to warn the Daniels and Tom calls Laura (his cousin), to tell her he's coming to Brighton
• Laura talks to aliens
• Jag reads Laura's poetry
Button Day
• Laura watches as the aliens press the button that will activate the spaceship. She's warned that activation will cause some supernatural events in the area.
• Tom talks to a turtle
• The Philip Group calls up Gabriel Dumont ("Gabe").
• Seals order a sonar boat
• Gabe leaves and spends the night in a ravine.
• Laura sees ghost ship
B plus 1
• Jag and Laura go to restaurant, then to Jag's house
• The SEALs invade Daniels' cottage, because it's next to Laura's cottage
• Mad Tom and Clyde arrive Brighton. They help the aliens/Daniels escape to High Bluff Island, on the other side of Popham Bay.
• SEALs return from getting a pizza
• Tom phones Laura, Jag calls Cope.
• Tom suspect the SEALs, and decides to hide in the woods
• Clyde is followed by Casey's ghost on beach
• Cope arrives at Laura's cottage with dogs, meets Tom
• Tom meets Cope; his diary
• Cope is captured by the SEALs and taken to Algonquin Island in Toronto. The SEALs then drive back to the Daniels's cottage
• Gabe spends the night in a mission shelter in Toronto
• That night Darkh sees Rademuller's ghost on the island. (reported later only)
B plus 2
• Darkh and Dumont tour the islands, meet aliens, find and free Cope
• The aliens discover they forgot "the rock"
• Jag and Laura worry about Cope. Laura gets her car and Tom.
• A short phone call between Jag and Laura
• Jag goes to cottage. SEALs capture him, but Shaman rescues him.
• Conch arrives Wards, meets aliens waiting at Daniels cottage; they leave for Brighton
• Ottawa and Washington consult by phone
• Cope calls HQ, Jag, gets rental car, is tracked on 401
• Laura goes to High Bluff Island with Books & Tom
• Lester, at the cottages, hears Tom and Laura's boat coming.
• Tom and Laura arrive at cottage by boat. With Jag and Shaman they find the rock but briefly lose it to Lester.
B plus 3
• Darkh confesses to Barb
• Jim departs for spacecraft. Mailfactor arrives. Sammy, on Serenity, meets with fellow SEALs on Seas the Day . Cope arrives by helicopter, rescues Jim. The WTF boats blocks sonar signals. HALO team grabs Clyde. Tom and Laura head for the middle of the bay. Alien leaves Tom. Conch, in Malifactor, fires cannon. Aliens leave Malifactor. UFO escapes into lake. Americans send in observation planes.
• All boats and helicopters leave Popham Bay. Many gather at Laura's cottage for a party.
• The Americans send in more boats and planes for observation.
• On Ward's Island, Barb, Darkh, Gabe, and Olnya talk. As the bay drains leaves, Olnya leaves by boat.
• Air stand-off. UFO retreats to bottom. Lake drains. Spaceship leaves
Chapter 11: Characters and Places
hgkpphtitrw : Slug-like space aliens. A dozen of them, seeking refuge, have taken over humans such as Jack and Jim Daniels.
Al Lamson: Human occupied by an alien. The alien claims to be on Earth doing a study of people.
Albee and Ian: High-level government contacts in Washington and Ottawa
Alien Hunters International: An internet-based group of people who believe there are space aliens on Earth, hiding in the bodies of humans.
Barb: runs Barb's Jams on Ward's Island. Friend to the Daniels
BEM: Bug-Eyed Monster
Brighton: A small town in Ontario near Lake Ontario.
Button Day: The day that the aliens press the button that starts the re-activation of Professor Nothing, their spaceship
Cancu: 3-line, seventeen-syllable poem – like a haiku but the arrangement of the syllables is free, and there is a title of up to 10 words.
Casey Szczedziwoj" Chehgeevoy, more or less Cheh-Gee-Voy’, “although adding an “sh” at the front makes it a bit more accurate. He dies in a car crash, and his ghost haunts Clyde.
Clyde Books: Dedicated hunter of aliens from space. Tells Tom his name is "Pete." A member of “Alien Hunters International.”
Cope: Oscar Copeman. Age 50. CSIS agent assigned to check out the WTF find. He contacts Jag, an old friend and Special Forces comrade.
Cory and Potto: Two dogs
Darkh Blood: A ghost hunter. People insist on telling him their troubles.
Ethyl. Name for someone in Canada's Security Intelligence Service. One of Cope's contacts in the organization.
Gabriel Dumont: reincorporated Métis leader of the 1885 rebellion.
Gosport: A suburb of Brighton. It has a marina with a café and motel.
HALO Team A military procedure involving free falling from high-altitude aircraft, then opening a parachute at a low altitude.
High Bluff Island. An island in Lake Ontario, near Brighton. It separates Popham Bay from the lake.
Jack and Jim Daniels: Humans currently under the control of alien (hgkpphtitrw) riders. They own cottages on Ward's Island in Toronto and on Popham Bay, near Brighton. Their spaceship has been sitting on the bottom of Popham Bay near Presqu'ile Park for the last 23 years.
Jag (Jagger Stone): Brighton cop, formerly of Toronto. Once a CSIS agent. Gets to know Laura. His ex-wife Tammy is ready to take him back. Friend of Cope
Jasna Jones: Social worker for Tom.
John Altman: A member of Alien Hunters International.
John Height: Damon Conch's sailing companion.
John Smith: Ex-CIA honcho. Retired, but with influence.
Josephine Bryne: Town archivist in Brighton.
Kristof. Alien who pays Damon for a ride to Popham Bay for himself and ten others.
Laura Singer: Poet and would-be documentary writer. She's using a story of treasure on High Bluff Island as a cover; she's more interested in the old UFO stories. Cousin to Mad Tom. Staying by Popham Bay in the cottage next to the Daniels cottage.
Malifactor: Damon Conch's sailboat.
Mickey: a Canadianism for a 13-oz bottle of liquor.
Olnya Light: Mystery girl.
Paula: Oscar Copeman's wife.
Patricia: runs a CIA safe house on Algonquin Island
Philip Group. A group of Toronto ghost-callers. They knew Tom, who used to talk about ghosts, and Darkh. They decide to call up Gabriel Dumont. Members of the group aren't listed here because they're basically irrelevant to the story.
Popham Bay. A bay of Lake Ontario near Brighton. High Bluff Island separates the bay from the lake and is across the bay from the cottages where the Daniels and Laura hang out.
Professor Nothing: the spaceship/UFO.
Seas the Day: Sonar boat used by U.S.
Serenity: Boat used by SEALs Sammy and Lester.
Shaman Shaman: Modern Caribbean shaman in Brighton.
Damon Conch: Sailor and re-enactor. His boat is Malifactor. He quotes Jimmy Buffet a lot.
SEALs Sammy and Lester: Two SEALs. Sammy is younger and less tolerant. Lester is older and wiser.
Spooks: Spies
The Company: CIA
Tom: Tom Barrents. Cousin to Laura Singer. Required to stay on his medications to prevent delusions.
Trantor; The Wind Turbines Foundation sonar boat.
WTF: Wind Turbine Foundation, a corporation planning to build a wind turbine farm in the waters off Presqu'ile Park. Their sonar scan discovers the alien spacecraft.
Ward's Island, Algonquin Island: Islands in Toronto Harbour.
Other terms may have explanations on Google.
Chapter 12: Maps and Location Notes
This is an approximation of the object on the bottom of Popham Bay.
Toronto Islands
Popham Bay
Approximate GPS coordinates of
• Popham Bay: 43° 59' N, 77° 45' W
• Ward's Island: 43° 37' 43" N, 79° 21' 20" W
Chapter 13: Notes from the Author
Some of the decisions I made were purely arbitrary. For instance, I decided to make Toronto a magnificent, magical city. I decided that I wouldn't tell the thoughts or motives of any of the women in the book, leaving you to interpret those from actions, words, and body language.
I've mentioned a number of real products and establishments. I did that to give an air of reality to a fantasy book. I have received nothing from the people associated with the products and establishments; in most cases I don't even know them. I'd like to especially thank Barb, of Barb's Jams on Ward's Island: I liked the name when I went past it, and Barb has offered to let her name stand as a character in the book.
I apologize to Gosport. Fifty years ago it may have been a poor place, where people were suspicious of authori
ty in any form. It's changed now, but I needed it the way it may have been back there.
Some of the characters have come from my other writings. Tom Barrents, for example, is a major figure in Last Exit to Pine Lake. Laura is from The Minor Odyssey of Lollie Heronfeathers Singer. Both Cope and the aliens have precursors in Mount Moriah.
The title to the book was provided by Casey Jozwiakowski.
I'd like to thank my wife, Dianne, for her help and encouragement.
Thanks to Eileen Crouch for pointing out the difference between cilantro and coriander (coriander's a seed).
If you have any suggestions, send them to
[email protected] *** END OF BOOK ***
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