Enoch and the Stars Above

By Rich Paz

How will it all end? It was a night that would change Enoch ́s life forever. It was a night like many others, yet strange and unusual. It was a star filled sky put together by uncertainty, yet in a breath of magic. It was a glorious day for Enoch. A dream fulfilled, a wish granted. He is chosen for a mission to save humanity as an alien and his space craft land in his backyard. He is visited by an interstellar caretaker and member of the Archs, Uriel. He comes to warn of his evil android counterparts whose intent is to annihilate the Earth and its every last breath. Enoch is then thrust into a position of great power and forges unlikely alliances to help save the world from its inevitable destruction. Universal reign shall never be the same again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rich Paz
• Release date: Nov 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466018624

Rich Paz

I really took some time with various rewrites to make the characters three dimensional and realistic and tried to make the story as entertaining as possible. This book is really about human consciousness, having the power to transform oneself into what he/she really want to be. Although it is YA Science Fiction, I still felt an urge to help the human populace find an identity individually as well as a whole. This is book one in a series of books which I hope to expand very shortly. What I would really like to do is to make my own universe. My own home away from home. I want my characters to stand the test of time. I can finally call myself an author, finally. So why write a book? Because while studying at the university I was offered an English Scholarship but decided not to take it. I realized all these years that this is truly what I like to do.

Book preview

Chapter I

The Coming of Thunder and Terror

During a night overflowing with lights from above, a young man fixed his eyes at the stars around him hoping to catch a glimpse of a shooting star in the horizon from his back porch. Enoch Stevenson, a passionate young man, adored the stars and their precious antiquities and satellites. He had studied the stars for a short lifespan, but on his own time. He had always dreamed of being abducted by aliens from another planet and given powers so that he could solve the world’s climbing crises. Enoch, at a lean 165 pounds, stood at a cool 5’11" tall. His eyes were honey colored. His closely shaved head with a 5 o’clock shadow marked the color of his hair so slightly. You could tell that before then he had darkish brown hair on his head. He was a young man at age 18. What always prevailed on his face was his honest and sweet smile. His slightly crooked teeth were met with a charm that he had inherited at birth from his childhood upbringing. He did not, at any point in time, want to use braces to straighten his teeth. He didn’t really need any and he didn’t want to be labeled a nerd or a geek. And what always helped was that he had the perfect smile. He was always in good spirits. He wore faded jeans and a long white button down shirt and collar. Underneath the button down shirt he wore a loose v-neck t-shirt. It was of a creamy light beige color. The collar was loosely placed under his firm chin and cheek bones. He had light yellow cream-colored converse tennis shoes. And he stood over with a firm gaze in his eyes. His lifelong passion was the stars. He thought about the stars each and every day and night. It was his other passion. He did not study astronomy at any point in his life, but he knew that the only place he felt comfortable was outside facing up to the night sky. He was an aficionado of its beauty and magnitude.

He lived in a slightly lit city on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was used to the same surroundings. He lived in a modest neighborhood, a son of a humble family. And he was the eldest of three. He was the primary role model for his two younger sisters. They adored him. Zada was 11 years old and Jianna was just 15 months old. She was a tiny baby.

As he was standing outside in total darkness two important figures in his life, his friends Dante and his first passion and lifelong crush, Danica approached him. Dante was his protector throughout his early years. Enoch was the smallest child of his classes until he hit a growth spurt in his early high school years. Dante was always the class jock and protector for the other boys at school since any of them could remember. He was the most popular of his scholastic career. He was very gifted, earning many awards for his school work while making others pay if there was ever any injustice amongst his peers. He stood at a lean 5’10’’ and had a very strong and muscular body. He had jet black hair and stood over like a protector. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt. And his trademark, he always wore combat boots. He said he wore them just in case he ever had to go into battle. A battle with what, no one was sure. He treated his body as if it were a machine. He never damaged it with any alcohol or any other types of drugs. He always strived for the best in life. And his sister Danica was someone who you could confide in completely. She was gorgeous. She was about 5’6". She also had black shoulder length hair. She had big and beautiful brown eyes. Her eyes shined like diamonds. She always had a twinkle in her eyes. They were full of expression. She had an incredibly fit body. Even though she really didn’t work out much, she had a tiny waistline and nicely shaped hips. Her nose was perfect. It had a sweet posture to it. And her lips were something Enoch had always longed to touch. Her lips had always caused him to daydream as she passed in front of him so many times. His dreams were of one day pressing his lips against hers so gently and magically. And of course, he never had been able to do such a thing, especially because her brother was like a mentor and bodyguard to him. He would never disrespect Dante in that manner.

In total darkness, Dante rushed up to Enoch and gave him a customary hug. And it took Enoch about a second to process the beautiful image that had passed him by so many times before. He waved and said hello to Danica. Aren’t you going to give me a kiss? asked Danica. And awkwardly, Enoch replied, Of course I am, as he took a couple of seconds to plant a kiss on her cheek. What are you guys doing tonight? asked Enoch. We’re going to a club, wanna come? asked Danica. Ahhh, I really wanted to look up at the stars tonight. This is my favorite time of night to check out the skyline, added Enoch in a quick response. Well OK, we’ll hang out with you for a while until we’re ready to roll Dante said with sarcasm. Then he added, You really need to live a little. And besides, I know you’ve always had the hots for my sister. Who me? What are you talking about? asked Enoch as his body language became nervous and tense. She’s my friend. She’s your sister Enoch quickly said perspiring with each word said. They kept walking a little bit further down his backyard. They lay down on colorful and long beach towels. They quietly rested on the pasture and observed the star lit sky. Danica lay to Enoch’s right and Dante to his left. Dante whispered in his ear, You know, I think my sister has a crush on you. Really? asked Enoch. Nah, just kidding. She just repeats your name over and over again everywhere we go. She says that she wishes that all men could be like you, smart, charming and sexy. I didn’t say it, she did Dante angrily whispered to Enoch. Wow, Enoch whispered to himself softly and with a stunned look on his face. In his mind he had thought that at least he had an opportunity with the most gorgeous girl he had ever met.

They all laid there for a bit longer as Dante and Danica opted for their perilous night of club hopping. See ya and have fun with your ceiling full of stars, Dante replied as he left as though he had someone to meet. Danica pulled up to him next and said, I happen to love looking at the stars. You can invite me over anytime you like. I’d be happy to lay there with you and watch the stars. She gently hugged him and gave him a warm, romantic kiss on the cheek and strutted away slowly after her brother. Enoch just smiled as though bemused. He thought to himself, Did she really say that? He went back to where they were again and looked up at the stars again. And waited and waited for signs of life from the Heavens above.

He began to daze off and suddenly took a nap. Enoch dreamt that he and Danica were walking along what appeared to be large concrete columns. They looked and resembled those of the ancient Greek Pantheon; only the huge structures looked newly restored. They walked along extensive and endless corridors and hallways. And along the large passageways, there were huge white and monumental statues. They were sculptures of great mythical Olympian athletes. Danica led him by the hand as they ran slowly through the endless passage. Then they stood there as they stopped and Danica said something to him but he couldn’t make out the words. She kept repeating the same words over and over again, but in his dream she noticed that she could not speak either. She began to get frustrated. She grew tense. Enoch grabbed her as they held each other tightly. They felt each other’s warmth as they looked up to the monolithic ceiling overhead. They observed the beautiful legendary paintings that adorned the ceilings and then out of nowhere, huge claws came down and snatched Danica from his arms. He stood there helpless. As she continued to scream and finally, she yelled out, Help, our relationship is at risk. He looked on as he drowned in his sorrow. A tear began to fall from his left eye and onto his cheek. There was little he could do as the giant bird flew off with his favorite woman in the world firmly in its grasp. Then all of a sudden he awakened from his short nap. He woke up and noticed the dew in the air as he touched the moist grass around him. There was a very light fog that surrounded his backyard. He noticed something overhead. It was a sphere of light. It was a transparent yet visible object over him. He woke up carefully when he realized something was over him. It began its descent slowly. The craft didn’t sway any movement. The air around him had suddenly stopped moving. It smelled like vacant city lights, empty. As Enoch moved out of the way, he began to get a little shaken up. This was his dream, he thought. At last, it was his dream come true. Finally, he would be abducted by aliens. Suddenly, it descended a little quicker than at the beginning. Then he began to prod in a quicker pace. He moved away from the unidentified craft. He then ran for the nearby, surrounding trees. He accommodated his body behind a chestnut oak tree. The tree was about 50 feet tall. It was about 4 feet in width. He only climbed a couple of branches as he could still see the object descending from a short distance. Then he proceeded to climb the oak. On the brown alligator scaly bark of the tree, a carved message made by Danica at age 7, it read Enoch the purest soul I’ve ever laid eyes on. Enoch was visibly shaken. Enoch looked at the imprint on the tree and thought, Great, the bravest soul and too scared to confront his lifelong fantasy. Then he asked himself, Why is it that the craziest things happen to me? Why does this have to happen to me?

The object was barely noticeable, having a transparency about the craft. It was as if it moved slightly through its surroundings. It was camouflaged by the night sky and the natural resources around him. There were other chestnut oaks sparsely surrounding the vehicle coming down. The craft was about 13 feet wide and about 12 feet high. It was not quite as big as Enoch imagined when he was a child. He always thought he would be visited by aliens in a giant sized spacecraft the size of a football field. But that was not the case. Enoch still stood behind the tree as the craft made one last move towards the ground. As it slid evenly to the ground, all the town’s lights blacked out. The town was motionless. It was as if time stopped for a few minutes. For Enoch, it lasted an eternity. His heart was racing. His blood was pumping. His adrenaline couldn’t keep up with his body movements. He was visibly scared out of his wits. The craft lay there on the ground as though calling to Enoch. It was an attractive sphere shaped object. It had a mystical feel about it.

As the spaceship finally landed, Enoch started his approach towards the vessel slowly and one step at a time. He was very cautious. He was perspiring softly. He was breathing harder. His heart was beating at a hundred miles per second. He came off of the tree but with great vigilance. Slowly he crept closer and as he neared the object, it hovered a tad bit. For Enoch the distance between the spaceship and the tree felt like an eternity, but in reality it was a rather short distance. He then came right up to the vehicle. The object began to spit out someone or something. Oh my God, what is happening here? What is this? Enoch asked as he looked like he was having a heart attack. It was as if it were an organic substance of some kind. It was as if the craft were alive. It spewed out a man shaped figure. The person being discharged from the ship was thrown lightly to the floor. He laid there with a white suit of armor. It almost looked as if he were a NASA astronaut. The only difference was the emblem that he donned on his upper left arm. It was a crystal like, oval-shaped insignia. Its outlines were covered with a shiny light-blue and red coloring. It had a symbol that looked like the letter A. His white body suit tightly wrapped around his physique. He also wore a white helmet with some red stripes outlining the dark visor in the helmet. It took a few minutes and Enoch whispered, Do you need any help? Do you want me to call the authorities? Hello, hello. Are you OK? Then the spaceman began to move slowly and sluggishly. He looked exhausted from his journey. He lay on his knees. He sat there for a couple of minutes and then he suddenly brought himself to a standing position. He must have been in the craft for a very long time or it was very uncomfortable to ride in. Enoch was hesitant to help the voyager up from the ground. The astronaut had trouble standing up correctly. He looked very weak. He was exhausted. Enoch finally went up to the astronaut and offered a helping hand as he stood next to the spaceman. He finally assisted him by putting his arm around the visitor’s suit to prop him up a bit. The spaceman began to mumble slowly. Enoch was not able to decipher the meaning of the words that came from deep inside the helmet. Enoch asked, Why don’t you take off your helmet? Who are you? Are you going to help us? He began to think, What if this man is here to exterminate the world? What was he going to do? What could possibly go wrong? The spaceman then started to move his hands towards his helmet and started to disengage his breathing apparatuses. As they disengaged, one could hear the sound of air or oxygen that came from under his helmet. Once detached, the helmet started to come off. Strands of reddish brown hair began to come out from within. Finally, his face was revealed. His eyes were of forest green, a luminescent green Enoch had never seen before. They lit up his face gently. The features on his face were very striking. He had very strong cheek bones, almost as though he was a championship fighter or something of that sort. His chin was remarkably strong as well. His hair was straight and it set parted to the side and about shoulder length. He stood at about 6’3 tall and weighed probably about 165 lbs. He was not skinny at all. He was chiseled and looked like an elegant gladiator. As the spaceman gazed into his eyes, he pierced into his soul and smiled. Where am I? asked the spaceman. Is it true? Have I finally arrived on the planet Earth? Yes, this is Earth. Yes, it is replied Enoch as though somewhat disturbed. He thought what if he was leading this alien to conquer the human race. He would be at fault. He was way too scared to run, but that was the first thing that crossed his mind. What’s your name spaceman? asked Enoch. My name is too hard to pronounce in human terms, so I will call myself Uriel. Your name is Uriel. My name is Enoch. Is there any way I can help you? Your ship doesn’t have any damage, does it? Do you want me to call the authorities? An ambulance maybe? The alien named Uriel looked at him as though stunned. Uriel had the same features a human had. He had arms, legs, a human face, nose and a mouth. He was no different from a human being. He looked about 20 years of age. Uriel pointed to his mouth and asked if there were any liquids or drinks he could consume. He said he came with some news that would affect the planet. Then he commanded his ship to ascend towards the clouds. Rise, Locust 4, rise above the clouds. commanded Uriel to his spacecraft. The silhouette of a craft darted towards the sky leaving a white trail of smoke and headed for the clouds. Enoch looked up to the clouds and stars overhead and then just stood there in shock as he turned his attention towards the alien. This could not be happening to him, the child who had always dreamt of traveling to the stars. The child who would finally be given the powers he so desired all of his life.

A few minutes later, Enoch walked Uriel to his home. It was a difficult tread towards his house because he was still weak. He wasn’t walking straight. He still needed the aid of Enoch. Everyone else in the house was asleep. Enoch lived in a very big house. It wasn’t a very expensive or modern house, but it did have its size to it. The house was built with two sections. A section was for his mother and father and another for the children. It was almost like a huge duplex but one could tell that it was designed to be like that after they bought the house. His parents remodeled the house to give them a sense of privacy and to give their children a sense of freedom to live independently. Jianna stayed on the other side of the house with her parents. And the other side was basically for Enoch and his little sister. But it so happened that his sister Zada was staying at a friend’s house. She was a participant of a weekend slumber party with her 6th grade classmates. Enoch was so glad he had the entire side to himself that weekend. The kitchen was near the backyard patio. Enoch opened the patio door and then slowly and carefully walked Uriel towards the kitchen. He sat him down and continued to make the space traveler some tea. Do you want something to eat? What would you like? I have some turkey, ham, cheese….Ummm, and some eggs. Surprise me, said the space traveler. Enoch looked at the human like alien and thought for a second. He was thinking how he could surprise a space man. He felt like he couldn’t. That would be very difficult. So he proceeded to make Uriel a ham, turkey and cheese sandwich. It was much easier anyways. They sat together and looked at each other from time to time. Uriel looked at his sandwich as he wondered what its ingredients were. He stared at his sandwich and then took a bite from it. He stopped looking at his food after the second bite. It was satisfying his hunger. From the look on Uriel’s face, he was enjoying the sandwich and its contents. Then he fixed his stare on Enoch. Why are you looking at me like that? Enoch asked. He paused for a couple of seconds as he held his sandwich in his hands and said, You earthlings are unpredictable, but you, you are different. I don’t feel any bad vibrations emanating from your core’s surface. Uriel exclaimed softly and passionately. Maybe that is why my ship reached out to you. Maybe that is why we have crossed paths he added as he spoke with enthusiasm and with great respect. Then he continued to take bite after bite of his sandwich until he consumed it in its entirety. His ship ran on a magic source found on dying stars that cleaned and separated clean matter from dark matter. His craft ran on an anti-gravity propulsion system that gave the passenger the energy to feel happiness and to feel vibrant throughout a proposed trip throughout the gateways of the universe. It could never feel doom or gloom. It maneuvered on thought processes. And only a pilot of his will could pilot it through the boundless galaxies. His craft was one of the Star Machines that a friend had built for all of his kind. Its only problem was its reaction to evil and malevolent conditioning. His craft had made a sudden landing because it had finally reached its destination, Earth. Earth was in the midst of an economic collapse and many people found themselves sad and feeling lonely. People were more separated at that time than ever before in the history of the world’s evolution process. The world was in peril. It was at risk because of its people. It was doomed by its leadership and cruelty towards one another. The world was too segregated. You earthlings tend to separate yourselves from one another. You tend to do this because you disagree with one another. Disagreeing can find a meeting point to get you to the furthest star known to mankind. But you refuse to work together to find solutions to your extinction. Your race has increased 100 times what we expected but yet your mental capacity has stayed the same. Your kind has regressed Uriel stated with an unemotional yet grieving tone. You must take me to the proper people of this planet before it is too late. Your planet is in great danger! he added. Enoch looked on to Uriel and couldn’t believe what he was hearing. After all, he was from Earth. He did read the news, but he didn’t take what was happening literally. He was like many who thought of letting their elected leaders make the changes necessary for society’s gains. He was like the masses who figured voting for someone was creating change for the populace. He had only voted once so far. It was for a local political post; after all he was only 18 years of age. He was innocent. He had no clear idea of what was actually happening.

I must warn of the thunder and terror which is to subside in the coming days Uriel said in almost sudden despair. I must warn of the coming of the Creator’s outlawed weapons. We must come together to create a protective structure that will limit their powerful surge towards the Earth Uriel added. When will you take me to your leaders? the spaceman asked. Let’s rest and find our way to Washington D.C. in the coming days. I need to speak to my dad and ask him who I can contact. This is not going to be easy. They are going to be afraid of you like I was when I found you. For now you can sleep on my bed and I’ll sleep on this couch. I hope it’s comfortable enough for you Enoch said in a worrying tone. Enoch still stood beside the alien visitor in case he fell on his weak knees. He helped Uriel sit on his bed and then quickly exited the bedroom. He turned off the bedroom lights as he went out of the bedroom and slowly closed the door. Uriel slept in Enoch’s room filled with lit up stars and model rockets and spaceships surrounding them. Uriel looked up and glanced at the fake cut out stars and wondered if his companions, the Archs, were doing ok without him. His armor then began to remove itself and vanish and another layer of clothing began to come out. His armor adapted to his state of change. His clothes became more comfortable and less heavy for his sleep processes so that he could slumber and think in clarity. Enoch, slept on the couch in the small living room next to his room in front of the plasma TV set. He slept, tossing and turning. He had a great responsibility to take care of. If this astronaut was right, he would have to help in convincing the world’s authorities that this man, Uriel, was truly a space traveler and not a psychotic and delusional character from some psyche ward. Even he could not believe what he was about to do. Enoch then faded off into his dreams.

Chapter II

The Archs and Their Magical World

In a different realm, another astronaut was preparing for his journey through the vast skyline. It was the kingdom of the mysterious and mystifying planet only known as Xibalba. The planet was full of majesty and glory. There was an abundant source of natural beauty as well as magnificent and beautiful structures. It was full of mysticism because all of its inhabitants had the power to get whatever they wanted. They had the power to wish for the smallest and largest things. It was a place where no dream was ever too small. Everything was possible on the planet. It had unlimited resources stemming from the physical to the supernatural realm. The climate was perfect. The sun was always shining and placed itself above the beautiful white clouds above. The sky was a beautiful and rich blue color. The world also got shocks of lightning bolts from time to time to signal the arrival or departure of one of their kind. There were no buildings. There were not many inhabitants on the planet which in turn, gave them a lot of space to roam around and about freely. Every Arch’s living quarters were set apart from each other. The inhabitants lived in small straw like houses with big lots of landscape. There were exotic flowers and species of plant life that could not be found on any other planet. It had many beautiful and blue oceans teeming with aquatic life. They had rivers running throughout various regions. The planet was special in that it had features like no other. The planet was a work of art. It was a masterpiece. It was a canvas in which the inhabitants painted the outcome of the sphere. They dreamt its beauty and magnitude. They visualized its peaceful source of energy. They imagined the abundance of various types of food. They communicated through their thought patterns. The Archs were warrior like artists who did not have to use a paintbrush to spread its natural beauty. They used their minds and their souls to create the magical kingdom. They only took orders from their leader and spiritual guide, the Creator. And on the vastness of the planet’s cloud cover, Michael, a 6’5" warrior like man approached his vehicular space craft. He hardly had any hair. His head was closely shaven. It was tightly trimmed. His eyes were the color of the ocean but yet also luminescent. They blazed a tad bit from his fighter like enthusiasm. He was clean shaven, which made him look like he was about 20 years old. He looked like a Greek God of some sort. He had a very wide back and chest. He had large bulging biceps. His face looked like it belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine of some sort. He looked like a popular athlete. He was very rugged yet sophisticated at the same token. He was a soldier of the peace. He was everyone’s protector. He was the one everyone else looked up to. He stood at about 200 pounds of lean muscle. He stood there preparing for his sudden trip to Earth along with his fellow Arch astronaut, Raphael. He stood in an interplanetary airport base. The foundation of the port floated just above the clouds on the planet. The airport was monolithic in structure. It was huge. It looked like an oversized futuristic cannon of some sort. It looked almost like an observatory floating in space. It had an opening on the top of the port to release the flow of spaceships in and out of the dock. It was magnificent. It had large columns such as those found at