Chapter One

Chapter One

“Y

e though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Beulah watched her sister’s lips as she said the prayer aloud. Esther’s face was ashen white, her hands shook from the tips of her fingers all the way to her wrists.

“You are my hiding place,” prayed Esther. “You preserve me from trouble.” Her breath came in quick pants and the words of the Lord were shrill as they left her mouth. “You surround me with songs of de…of de…”

“Of deliverance,” Beulah finished for her.

Beulah’s voice was as steady and calm, as always. She was the older of the two. Her entire life, she’d soothed Essie’s fears, shined the light to scare off the monsters under the bed, and sung her back to sleep after a nightmare.

Beulah pulled her sister into her arms now. She buried Esther’s head beneath her chin and stroked the back of her head. Instead of singing, Beulah began another prayer.

No song could wake them from this nightmare. The monsters weren’t under the bed. They were on the other side of the door.

“It’s like a roller coaster ride,” said a small, frightened voice.

Beulah looked down at the small child huddled in her lap. Big brown eyes widened in fear as they peered up at her.

They were in the Heavens. They were somewhere up in space, in the abode of God. But God was nowhere to be found.

The three of them had been snatched up by demons. Then rescued by a second group of demons. And now they were on a spaceship being chased by God knows what.

“I don’t like roller coasters, mommy. Can we get off now, please?”

Beulah pulled her daughter into her bosom. Eva clutched her spindly arms around Beulah’s neck and sniffled into her chest. Between her sister’s panting and her daughter’s sniffling, Beulah had no space for her own fears.

“The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles,” Beulah chanted, hoping the prayer brought peace to her loved ones. She hoped it would quell the shaking of her own spirit.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,” she continued. “He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

The door to their cage opened with a swish. It wasn’t a cage with bars. There was no discernible way to get in or out, so Beulah deemed it a cage.

A demon didn’t enter. A human did. A human woman.

The woman was brown-skinned with thick, curly hair. She wore long robes, like the demons. Beulah had first seen the woman when they were held captive on another ship. Back on that ship, the woman had come to rescue them. The woman told them that her name was Shanti. Shanti and two blue demons had freed them from that first ship, only to take them captive onto this ship.

“How are you all holding up?” Shanti had a grimace on her face as she surveyed the three of them huddled together. Her voice was filled with both compassion and concern.

“You said you would take us home,” Beulah said.

“I know.” Shanti came into the room. The door materialized behind her. “But the Eloheem can’t just now. You see, we’re being chased.”

“I thought the demons that took us were dead?”

“One died,” Shanti confirmed. “My mates decided to take the second on board.”

Beulah covered Eva’s ears. Partly out of the mention of plural marriage. Partly out of the mention of the continued presence of the crazed demon who’d taken them while they were out on a nice walk through the woods.

“He’s locked away safe where he can’t harm anybody,” said Shanti

“Then who’s chasing us?” Esther’s voice was a shrill wail. “And why?”

Shanti came over and sat down on the large bed that dominated the room. “You ever hear those stories about little, gray men abducting humans for experiments?”

Esther’s eyes widened. She turned and hid her head back in her sister’s chest alongside Eva.

“They want to abduct us and experiment on us?” Beulah asked, her calm slipping along with the volume of her voice.

“No,” said Shanti. “They want the Eloheem.”

There was that word again; Eloheem. That’s what their abductors called themselves. It was laughable. Beulah had seen a Bible written in the Hebrew language. The Hebraic word for angels was Eloheem.

“Why?” Beulah asked.

“I can’t explain it now.” Shanti looked around the room distracted. There were no windows, just pale walls. “I just came to check that you are all alright -under the circumstances.”

“We’re not all right,” said Esther. “We’ve been taken by demons. But God will deliver us and he will smite down his adversaries. He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.”

“All righty then.” Shanti looked at Esther with concern. “Not all of you are okay.”

Beulah could see that her sister was coming unraveled. Esther crossed her arms over herself. She gripped her shoulders, rocking back and forth, reciting various scriptures. Eva blinked rapidly at her aunt.

“Can I help, Shanti?” The voice came from the door.

Inside the opening stood a child-sized version of their demon captors. The brown-skinned, little boy stepped into the room. His coned head was bowed. He straightened and smiled at them.

“I can give you peace.” His English accent was thick as though he were from the Far East. He held his hands out as he came closer.

Eva stuck out her hand to his. Beulah watched transfixed as their fingers came closer and closer. She felt a calming buzz rise up in the room, like a welcome haze of humidity.

And then Esther screamed, which broke the spell.

Beulah yanked Eva’s hand away. Eva gasped at the force of her mother’s grip. The little alien boy’s large eyes widened.

“Niao,” Shanti’s arms came around the boy as though to protect him from the humans. “Now is not the time, honey.”

Niao looked crestfallen; shame-faced. His eyes latched onto Beulah’s. Her fear evaporated and her heart wanted to reach out to the child. Beulah had a soft-spot for children.

“I am sorry if I frightened you,” the child said. “I would never harm you. I only wanted to help.”

He looked close to tears. His lip trembled on his last statement. It left Beulah feeling ashamed of her behavior. Before she could offer any consolation, the child dashed out of the room.

Shanti sighed after him. “No one on this ship will hurt you. We’re trying to help you. You’ll have to trust me on that.”

A loud bang sounded throughout the room, vibrating the walls of the space.

“What was that?” screeched Esther.

“I think we’ve been hit,” said Shanti.