“It’s part of the system, yes. Just where did you find it?”
Jerry related his discovery of the gismo.
“Were there power lines close by?” Monaal asked.
“Oh, sure. They run all along the alley,” Jerry answered.
“That might explain it.” Monaal seemed to be talking to himself again.
“Explain what, sir?” Jerry asked.
“I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand, Jerry. That is your name, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir, I’m Jerry.”
“Now, Jerry, I’m going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer them as carefully as you can.” Monaal spoke slowly. He sounded like Miss Mills about to give a test.
“Where exactly on Planet Three—Earth, as you call it—are you located?”
Jerry looked at Ron. “Well, sir, that’s pretty hard to do unless I’m looking at a map.”
“Wait!” Ron jumped down from the workbench. “I’ve got this old globe here in the junk box. He rummaged under the workbench and brought the dusty globe of the world out. He dusted it clean with his shirttail, and set it on the workbench in front of Jerry.
Jerry turned the globe until the map of the United States faced him. “Mr. Monaal, I have a map now, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Jerry, I read you. Go ahead.”
“Well, we’re about halfway between the North Pole and the equator in North America—that’s the continent with oceans on either side, a big bay at the top, and a big gulf at the bottom…some very large lakes up at the top right-hand corner…”
Monaal’s voice broke in, “And a large river running down the center?”
“Yes, the Mississippi River, but it’s not quite in the center.”
Monaal’s voice had a smile in it. “Well, almost in the center. How near to this river are you, Jerry?”
“Not very near. We’re about halfway between the Mississippi and the Atlantic ocean…that’s the ocean on the right-hand side of the continent.”
Ron leaned over. “But we are near a river, sir. We’re in a V right between two big ones, the Wabash and the Ohio, in southern Indiana.”
Jerry turned. “Look, Ron, he wouldn’t know the names of the rivers, and state lines don’t show from the air.” He turned to the mouthpiece. “We’re halfway between the tip of Lake Michigan—that’s the big lake farthest down in the continent—and the Gulf of Mexico—that’s the gulf at the bottom of the continent.”
“Oh, yes! I’ve found the place where the two rivers come together,” Monaal exclaimed.
“Do you have a map, sir?” Jerry asked. “Yes, an exploratory type, but it isn’t named like yours.” Monaal answered. “Now, Jerry, locate your town for me.”
Carefully Jerry described Bridgeville’s position between the two rivers. “And Park Lane is where we live. Our houses are right across the street from the park. Ron’s is a big white house with a green roof, and mine is the yellow one next door with a white roof.”
“Are you in one of those houses right now?” Monaal asked.
“No, we’re out in Ron’s workshop back of his garage.”
“You’ve done very well in locating yourselves,” Monaal said.
Ron leaned over. “Are there really spacecraft flying around our Earth, Mr. Monaal?”
“Why, of course,” Monaal said. “Lots of spacecraft!”
“What do they look like?” Ron was eager. “Are they like saucers or cigars or eggs or tops?”
“Saucers? Cigars? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Monaal sounded puzzled.
“I mean, are the spacecraft round and flat shaped, or long and thin?”
“Well, that depends.” Monaal said. “We have many kinds, but the ones from our galaxy that enter Planet Three’s atmosphere are usually cylindrical base ships that house the dome-topped explorer discs.”
“How big are the explorers?” Jerry asked.
“Oh, many sizes. Some are perhaps eighty feet across, some nearer thirty feet, while some unmanned ones are very small. But you’ll have a chance to see one soon, if the description of your location is accurate.”
“When?” Jerry and Ron spoke at once.
“When your continent has turned away from your sun and is halfway through the darkness.”
“You mean, tonight?” Ron asked.
“Yes, tonight… I must sign off now…”
“Wait, Mr. Monaal, wait! How did you learn our language?” Jerry asked, but it was too late. The voice had clicked off. The gismo was fading back to pink. All that was left was a faint hum.
CHAPTER 5
Spaceship at Midnight
Slowly, Jerry put the telephone receiver back on the hook and began to unwind the wires on the gismo. He grinned at Ron, who was lifting the earphones from his head. “Now do you believe me?”
Ron grinned back and laid the headset by the crystal radio. “What do you think! Spaceships tonight! Wow!” He gave the globe a whirl. “‘When your continent is halfway through darkness,’ that’s midnight, right?”
“Right!” Jerry slipped the gismo into his jeans pocket. “Think you can stay awake that long?”
“Are you kidding?” Ron jumped down from the workbench. “I’d stay awake for a week to see a real spaceship!”
“Me, too.” Jerry followed Ron out of the shop.
Ron turned. “Hey, tomorrow’s Saturday. Bring your sleeping bag over, and we’ll camp out here in the yard tonight. That way we can watch for the spaceship together.”
“Neat idea!” Jerry exclaimed. “I’ll bring my pup tent.”
“Okay, but we’re sleeping with our heads outside so we can watch the sky. Man! Real spaceships! I can hardly wait. Let’s set the tent up right now.”
“I’ll have to ask Mom.” Jerry started for the hole in the hedge.
“Listen, Jerry, don’t mention why we want to sleep out. She might not understand. You know how parents are.”
“Sure, I know.” Jerry smiled back and disappeared through the hedge.
He was back soon, the rolled pup tent balanced on his head. He dropped it on the ground. “Mom says it’s okay. Where shall we set the tent up?”
Ron strolled over to a spot near the center of the back lawn. With his hands in his hip pockets, he squinted up at the sky. “How about here? No trees in the way.”
Jerry joined Ron and squinted up, too. He lifted his hands, spread them out flat, side by side, circled them around his head, and zoomed them down to flutter in front of him like a hovering saucer. “Okay, spaceship right here, midnight!”
It was growing dusk when they crawled into the pup tent. “I brought along some eats.” Jerry pulled an apple from each jean pocket.
“Me, too.” Ron held up a box of Whacky Snacks.
Jerry peeled his jeans off and climbed into his sleeping bag. “Mom wanted to know why I was going to bed so early,” he said.
Ron