The Chronicles of Draylon (3 page)

“I really would like you to come with me Paul.” Draylon said, feeling a little anxious.

“If we won one hundred thousand or more dollars, we could pay my rent for many years.” Paul seriously considered the idea. He imagined a long break paid for with a friend would be a great opportunity.

“We can win whatever we feel we need. Casinos rob people of many thousands of dollars every day, so my moral obligations don't really affect me in Vegas casinos.”

“OK! Let's do it. I must admit, I feel a little nervous about it, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, to become financially secure with my alien friend going walkabout around the Americas.” Paul laughed out loud. “I never thought I'd ever string a sentence like that together.”

“That's great!” Draylon was overjoyed. “When can you be ready to leave?”

“I need to give one week's notice.”

“OK, settled, I can arrange flights for Saturday the 15th of January.”

“That sounds fine, I'll hand my notice in tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you; it wouldn't be the same on my own. Thank you for trusting me, I know I've put a lot on you.”

They both decided to head home. Time was getting on and they were both feeling a little drained from the events of the day.

Paul awoke the next day; he had his breakfast, a quick wash and then wrote his letter of resignation. He never saw much of his boss, José Mendez, and so wasn't too bothered about what his reaction would be. He was a little saddened though, about leaving Adriana – he got along with her really well, he thought she was a lovely girl. He made his way to the supermarket. When he arrived, he was surprised to see his boss José there, which made him a little nervous. He approached his boss and explained that he was leaving and giving one week's notice, and to his surprise, José was fine with it. Paul didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but was happy to get that out of the way – he felt a lot less tense now.

He noticed Adriana stacking shelves at the back of the shop. He approached her and told her that he'd be leaving; she seemed upset at the news. Paul told her maybe he would be back in a few months and get his job back; she smiled and said that she would miss him and that she really did hope he came back because he had been a good friend. He said that he would definitely be back, no doubt about it, as he loved Easter Island and stacking shelves. She laughed. He told her he'd see her Monday for his last five days. He kissed her cheek and then went home to his flat to relax and listen to music.

Draylon woke up excited about his adventures to come. He couldn't wait to head off with Paul to Las Vegas, and he was especially excited about finding out what those coordinates led to. He decided to head to the supermarket to get some breakfast. When he arrived, he saw Adriana at the back of the shop, and he approached her.

“Hi Adriana, how are you?” Draylon felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

“Hi Draylon, I'm good, thank you, a little sad that Paul is leaving.” Adriana felt nervous and also sad that Draylon was leaving, she really liked him.

“Paul will be back. And so will I. And then maybe we could go out, for a meal or something, if you'd like?”

“I would love to, I would really love to. I wish you weren't going away so soon.”

“We'll be back before you know it.”

They both stood and looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds; they felt drawn to each other. Draylon leaned in and kissed her cheek close to her lips. Adriana kissed him near his lip also. José shouted across the room for Adriana to get on with her work or two people would be leaving. She blushed and bid Draylon farewell. Draylon smiled at her and said he would see her before he left. Then he bought some freshly baked bread and a couple of energy drinks and made his way back to his hotel room.

It was Friday the 14th of January 4:45 p.m. Draylon made his way to meet with Paul and say farewell to Adriana. All the arrangements had been made to fly out from Mataveri Airport in Hanga Roa tomorrow morning, and Draylon was looking forward to it. He had already paid up at his hotel, and was all packed up in his one and only bag – he preferred to travel light. He arrived at the supermarket and Paul was already standing out front.

Paul said that he would wait outside whilst Draylon said his goodbyes to Adriana. Draylon walked in. He saw Adriana behind the counter, and he thought she looked beautiful – she was wearing a fitted red dress that accentuated every curve. He said to her that he was going to miss her. Adriana and Draylon had only met just days before, but both could sense a real chemistry, as if a rush of endorphins coursed through their entire beings when they were near each other.

Adriana said that she would miss him too, and looked forward to meeting up on his return. She told Draylon to have a great time, and to look after Paul. Draylon said, “Don't worry about Paul. He is in the best of care.” He smiled, and they both kissed each other very gently on the lips, a soft caress that sent tingles down both of their limbs. They both said goodbye, and parted ways. Draylon looked back several times to catch Adriana's eye, and then she was gone from view. Paul was waiting outside patiently. When Draylon came outside, Paul suggested getting one last meal at The Rongorongo Inn and then getting an early night, for their adventure started the next day at dawn.

Draylon arrived at Paul's flat at six a.m. the next day. They had both packed light. The taxi Paul had booked was already there, waiting to take them the short journey to the airport. When they arrived at the airport, they booked in, went through customs, and then awaited their plane. Paul was impressed that Draylon had a passport, birth certificate, driving licence, the lot. Draylon assured him that technology was his friend and that it was all too easy. Then he smiled, easing back on his chair in the waiting bay.

The plane was ready to board. They both showed their boarding passes and then found their seats at the rear. Paul wanted to sit at the back – he believed it to be the safest part of a plane. The plane felt very primitive to Draylon, but he was enjoying the whole experience. The captain made an announcement and then they all fastened their seat belts – they were ready for take-off. The plane left and they finally embarked on their journey, stopping at Santiago de Chile, then Los Angeles and finally Las Vegas.

Draylon and Paul felt tired from the journey, even though they had managed to sleep for a short while on the planes. They went through customs, collected their luggage and then left the building to find a taxi to The Strip. The Strip is the name given to the stretch of road in Vegas that hosts some of the most fascinating and beautiful hotels in the world. It is also famous for its casinos and nightlife.

Paul managed to flag down a large pink taxi. It appeared to be driven by Elvis himself. He asked Draylon where they were going first, Draylon said that he would like to get checked in at Caesars Palace and then sleep a little to energise, ready for the casinos in the evening. Paul was so excited. He was very glad he'd taken Draylon up on his offer – although he was still getting to know him, he felt at ease, almost like he was with a guardian. Elvis put their luggage in the boot, put his greatest hits on the stereo and drove them into Vegas, destination Caesars Palace.

They arrived at Caesars Palace. Elvis got their luggage from the boot of the taxi and carried it into the hotel for them; then Elvis wished them a pleasant stay in Vegas and left the building. They were both awestruck by the magnificent hotel – it was as if Rome had come to Vegas. There was a statue of Augustus Caesar and a beautiful statue of Michelangelo's David. The hotel was of enormous beauty, with Roman replicas everywhere.

Draylon took the liberty of booking their room. He decided on the deluxe room. They were given their key and then made their way to their apartment, both too tired to think of anything but sleep. Paul was very impressed by the room. There were two queen beds, marble dressing tables, a refreshment centre, dark wood furnishings, Caesar-style marble bathroom, dual sinks and an oversized spa tub, LCD television – and they had room service as an option. Draylon put his bag down and climbed into bed. He said to Paul that he'd see him in a few hours – then they'd go and win some money to fund their expedition. Paul decided to get some shut-eye too, but wasn't sure if he could, with all the excitement of the evening to come.

They woke at just gone five p.m. They had a quick freshen up and decided to make their way to Bally's Casino. When they got out on The Strip, they both came alive. It was like electricity in the air, and they could feel the energy. The lights were awesome, like nowhere else on Earth, almost as if all of the lights in the world had suddenly landed on The Strip at Vegas. When they arrived, Paul asked if they were going to win all their money at Bally's or spread it out elsewhere in other casinos. Draylon assured Paul that many high flyers lose many hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in one night – a simple win of fifty thousand dollars or so they would not miss. He said that casinos were immoral and they robbed people on a daily basis; people with addictive personalities, people that had wives and children to support and yet were compelled to keep on gambling for that next pay out which seldom came.

Paul said that he was going to try his own luck on the slots and that he would catch up with Draylon a little later. Draylon put a little money in the first slot machine he came to and used his technopathic abilities to win. Each time he gambled a little higher and his winnings were going up and up. Very quickly, his prize money was up in the fifty thousand dollar region. When he reached sixty, he thought that was enough. He now had enough money for Paul to bank to cover his expenditures whilst away from home; he had enough for all travelling costs and enough for food and any other eventualities. The money should easily last for six months to a year.

Paul put ten dollars in a slot machine. He was shocked beyond belief when he rang up just over a thousand dollars of winnings – he couldn't believe his luck, but he wasn't about to push it, he decided to collect. At that moment, he was approached by a rather large man who looked drunk and very upset. He told Paul that he was playing that machine all night and had gone to get more change, and when he got back his place had been stolen. He exclaimed that the money was rightfully his. Paul apologised for the large man's grief, but explained that he had won fair and square and that he intended to keep his winnings.

The man was furious. He pulled back his giant fist and took a swing at Paul. Paul closed his eyes and turned. He screwed up his face in anticipation of the hit, but nothing happened. He looked up and he saw Draylon standing there with the man's fist in his hand. He stared the drunk deep in the eyes and said, “Leave.” The man panicked and stumbled on his words and then left rather quickly. Paul looked up at his friend in astonishment and thanked him, he assured Draylon all was under control and laughed nervously. Draylon laughed out loud also, and then suggested they go out on The Strip, enjoy the lights and maybe get a meal and a drink or two. He thought to himself that he quite fancied an energy drink, although he was going to try to resist the urge.

They decided that they would try the Eiffel Tower restaurant and bar. It had all of the ambience and spirit of the French capital, and had a beautiful view of The Strip and all of its lights. Draylon ordered baked herbed crepe, artichoke, walnuts, slow roasted tomato coulis and basil. Paul decided on roasted farm raised chicken with fine herbs. They both ordered sparkling water for refreshments. Fifteen minutes later their food and drinks arrived and Draylon reached for his sparkling water, secretly wishing it had caffeine in it.

“You always seem to eat and drink the same sort of things,” Paul remarked, thinking to himself how much he enjoyed variety in all of his meals.

“I know. I'm a creature of habit. I'd be quite happy having the same things every day, although I do want to try other things too – maybe tomorrow,” Draylon replied, quietly thinking he'd most probably have similar things again tomorrow.

“Changing the subject slightly, I was wondering where you come from?”

“The planet I come from is named Terspheriton, or at least that is the translation into the language you speak. Although different, my planet works in much the same way as yours. We have scientists and governments, we have homes and we have vegetation. We also have the same struggles your planet faces; crime, corruption. But there's something about Earth and the human race. I feel as if this is my home, this is where I belong.”

“And what do your kind look like exactly? Do you all have special abilities?”

“On average, I would say that my kind are between four and five feet tall. Our complexion is a light grey. In general, we are a slender race. Our heads are larger than that of humans, we have larger eyes and our brains are thousands of years in advance of yours – no offence meant. Our arms are long, our fingers reach down to our knees, and we only have four fingers on each hand. Other than that, we're quite similar.” Draylon smiled, taking a sip of his drink. He enjoyed sarcasm and dry humour, and found he liked making people smile and laugh. He went on, “as for special abilities, we can all communicate telepathically. It makes it hard to keep secrets though. Some of us can heal and self-heal and some of us can utilise telekinetic powers. There are lots of different abilities on my planet and I was lucky enough to be created using the best of them – only I didn't have a proper family, so my abilities came with sacrifices.”

“Why are you here? Why do your kind visit? Sorry about all of the questions,” Paul took a large mouthful of his roasted chicken.

“We've been visiting for thousands of years, collecting intelligence and observing. Some of your technologies are very different from ours, so there is much to learn. I wanted to visit because I have this longing, like I belong here. It's hard to explain, but after all, I do look entirely human, so I do kind of stand out on my planet.”