Enlighten Day

By P. E. Wickel

The uneventful life of a young woman is suddenly turned upside down by a most unusual proposal that quickly turns into a journey of discovery, desperation, danger, love, and to the far reaches of space...
A science-fiction tale of interplanetary and interstellar travel intertwined in a delightful love story and fast-paced adventure that also touches on evolution, religion, intelligent design and other thought-provoking subjects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781312149700

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Enlighten Day

Enlighten Day

P. E. Wickel

Copyright ©2014 P. E. Wickel

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author. For information or feedback contact: [e-mail]

All characters and events portrayed in this story are fictitious

ISBN 978-1-312-14970-0

Chapter 1: Proposal

The alarm clock started its continuous and annoying beeping. She pushed the blankets away from her body, threw them towards her feet, and extended an arm searching for the off button. After a few seconds of wandering, her fingers found the off button and the noise finally stopped. She remained laying on her back, fighting the urge to go back to sleep, until she mustered the strength to sit on the side of the bed. Slowly, she felt the sleepiness ebbing from her brain, stood up lazily, and walked to the washroom. She turned the washroom lights on, saw her reflection on the mirror, and said to herself, Good morning, cupcakes. Here we go again, another day of the same old thing.

Her name was Dana Dee but everybody knew her by her initials: DD. She was in her mid-thirties, of average height and with a slim, well-proportioned and nicely toned body. She had black hair that she kept short, so the back side of her neck was uncovered, and had bangs that reached almost to her thick eyebrows. She had light blue eyes and her cheeks featured dimples that deepened every time she smiled. She showered, she dressed and left her house. She had no breakfast. She preferred to have a few extra minutes of sleep every morning than to get up earlier and have time to eat.

She drove her car to the train station, parked at the station’s parking lot, and walked to the platform. She joined several other people clustered together at the edge of the track. They all knew the door of the train car would open here when it arrived. This was the best chance to grab a seat. DD has been repeating this same routine for more than ten years now and she was growing bored with it. However, she had purchased a house a few years before and the financial obligation to pay the bank loan used for the purchase forced her to endure the same routine day to day.

To make matters worse, her increased job responsibilities at the office, without the corresponding increase in pay, had caused her a great deal of stress. This had resulted in a nervous breakdown that forced her to take a two-month medical leave to recover. She was unhappy about that situation because the increased job responsibilities had been the result of office politics, more than anything else, and in her mind they were completely unnecessary. But she had no choice. Quitting and looking for another job was out of the question because it could easily take her a year or so to find comparable employment in her profession but the bills would keep coming in months after month. When she had returned to the office, after her medical leave, she was forced to work reduced hours at the request of the company’s doctor, with reduced pay of course, and this made her financial situation even tighter. She remembered the doctor’s words vividly: You have a stress-prone personality. You worry too much about things. You have to learn to relax. Time away from work and reduced working hours will be good for you.

Her parents were in their mid-sixties and still working. They had offered to help but she was too proud to accept their offer. Besides, their finances were not bright either. The idea of taking a part-time job, in addition to her regular job, had crossed her mind several times but she had wisely dismissed the idea. She knew she was walking a thin line, health wise, and any additional work would bring back the stress that had been the cause of her ill health in the first place. She was living her life, day after day, in the hope that something better would eventually happen; ideally sooner than later.

The train arrived on time and DD was happy to see that it was only partially full. She found a window seat, settled in, and hoped to clear her mind so she could have a snooze before reaching her destination. However, she was unable to sleep because a young mother with two children sat across from her and the children were complaining loudly about having to get up this early in the morning.

When the train stopped at DD’s destination, she got off and walked the two blocks to the building where she worked. When she reached the building she took the elevator to her floor and walked towards her office. Along the hallway, she walked by the offices of her co-workers and said good morning to those she passed. She reached her office, removed her coat, and hung it in the office closet, powered up her work station, sat on her chair, and waited for the work station to bring her the mail that had arrived since the previous day.

She was reviewing her mail when Jan, the man who occupied an office near to DD’s walked in.

Good morning DD, he said with his unusual but pleasant accent. It sounded somewhat Spanish but contrasted sharply with his North-European looks. I hope I’m not interrupting something important.

Not at all, she replied. I was just checking my mail. I see nothing important so far.

Good, he said as he closed the office door and sat on the chair in front of DD’s desk. DD’s attention immediately changed focus from her mail to Jan. The fact he had closed the door meant there was something important going on. Perhaps another co-worker has been fired or someone has resigned or perhaps he knew of more organizational changes within the office that would affect him or her in some way or another.

What is it Jan? she asked with interest.

DD, there is something that I have meant to discuss with you for a while, but for one reason or another, I haven’t done it until now. It is something rather personal so I don’t want to discuss it here in the office. Jan paused for a second. I have an idea. Why don’t we have dinner together? I know a great little Italian restaurant where we can talk freely. He smiled at DD and waited for her reaction.

DD’s eyes widened, she was startled at such an unexpected invitation. She hesitated for a few seconds. Jan was smiling and looking straight into her eyes. She finally blurted, Are you asking me out?

Well, yes. I have a proposal that I’m sure you’ll find very interesting.

<><><><>

DD was getting ready to go out to her dinner with Jan. She had accepted his invitation but she had mixed feelings about it. She was not sure what his intentions were. She was also questioning her own decision to accept the invitation. Many other questions crossed her mind as she was dressing. In fact, she wasn’t sure what to wear that would be appropriate for the occasion. She also wondered what kind of proposal Jan was going to make. Was Jan seeking romance?

Normally, she would not have accepted an invitation from a man of Jan’s age, who she figured was in his late fifties. She envisioned herself with someone younger, maybe in his mid-forties, but not older than that. She wanted someone who would help her raise her children. Not someone that would become frail and ill within ten years or so. But she had accepted Jan’s invitation because she knew the man very well, at least at the professional level. He had always been gentle, considerate, and treated her with respect. So it was important not to hurt his feelings.

As she selected a dress, DD decided that if Jan’s proposal turned out to be romantic in nature, she was going to tell him immediately that she was not interested in a romantic relationship. She had agreed to have dinner with Jan, but at her insistence, she would meet him at the restaurant. In this way, if things did not go well at the dinner, she would simply say goodbye and drive her car back home. She shook her head when she realized that she was holding her sexiest and most elegant dress in her wardrobe.

This is not appropriate for the occasion, she said to herself, and neither are lip coloring and eye shadow. I should look as plain-Jane as possible so he will not get any ideas.

While she was choosing a different, less sexy dress for the occasion, she couldn’t help thinking that she really liked Jan. He was very tall – about six and a half feet – and with broad shoulders. For a man of his age he still looked attractive. He had nice light brown curly hair and light blue eyes, the same as hers. He was a little over weight and his age was beginning to show, but he must have been a very handsome man when he was younger.

As a co-worker, he had been a good mentor to DD. She had had many questions when she started at the office and he had always been very helpful in answering them. She also remembered one occasion when they had to travel to a different city to host a community business meeting. On that occasion, a man attending the meeting had become verbally abusive with DD while she was registering the meeting’s participants. Jan witnessed the abuse and immediately came forward. Jan’s imposing presence had been enough to calm the abusive man, who gave no further trouble during the remainder of the meeting. Since that time, DD had not only felt very comfortable with Jan but she also felt safe with him.

She sighed and said aloud, Too bad he is so much older than me. We could have had beautiful blue-eyed kids.

Now DD realized that she had picked up a pair of blue jeans. She let out a laugh and said, This too is not appropriate for the occasion, and neither are sneakers and a T-shirt.

She finally settled for a black formal business dress and black shoes. She wanted to wear very high heeled shoes, so she would not look so short walking beside six-and-a-half-feet-tall Jan. But she knew that very high heeled shoes also made females look trampy in some men’s eyes, so she selected a pair of shoes with shorter heels. She decided that the black business dress was appropriate for the occasion because, she reasoned, Jan proposal must be a business proposal.

Yes, that’s it! A business proposal. After all, her dealings with Jan had always been work related and nothing else. Of course. This makes perfect sense now. This is why he didn’t want to talk about it at the office. He must have another business on the side. He may need additional staff, and he’s probably thinking of me as a business partner. She felt better now as her uncertainties around Jan’s invitation were gone. Once she was ready, well ahead of time, she leisurely drove her car to the restaurant where she and Jan were going to have dinner. A business dinner for sure.

When DD arrived at the restaurant Jan was there. He had already reserved a table in a corner, away from other occupied tables, beside a window that overlooked interior gardens. She immediately realized that his table selection had a purpose. They would be as far away from other restaurant patrons as was possible. Being a weekday, the restaurant was not even half full.

You look beautiful tonight DD, said Jan. I remember that black dress. You wore it at one of our out-of-town meetings.

DD was pleasantly surprised that he remembered her black dress but she felt a bit uneasy again as some uncertainties about Jan’s intentions came back to her mind.

This is a nice little place. I’ve been here a few times before. The food is excellent. I recommend the Penne Caruso, but it may be too spicy for you. They also make a great seafood fettuccini. I don’t know about you, DD, but I am starving. Let’s have the food and wine first, then we’ll order coffee and dessert and we’ll talk business.

She felt at ease again. His mention of business reaffirmed her idea that his proposal was going to be all about business. DD had the impression that he wanted to get to business as soon as possible, but he took his time looking at the menu and selecting an entree. After the waiter brought their food, he finished it rather quickly and without saying much. While finishing his wine, he waited patiently for DD to finish her food. After the waiter took the empty plates away, he ordered dessert and coffee.

Then he said, DD, I have known you for… almost ten years, isn’t it? When you joined the office, I felt that you were special and now, after observing you all this time, I’m sure of it. She said nothing and waited for him to go on. Obviously he was ready to talk business now. I am sure now that you have a superior brain. That you are a person with a more advanced genetic makeup… I mean, you stand out among the crowd of other fellow human beings, he said.

Well, I don’t know about that. I consider myself a smart person, but advanced genetic makeup sounds a bit farfetched, said DD.

He quickly added, Okay. Well, maybe I didn’t choose the right words to express myself but let me explain my angle. He paused for a second. Clearly he was choosing his words carefully. Then he said, I’m sure you understand the concept of evolution. Right? Without waiting for her reply he went on, You know, the process that through time, changes the genetic makeup of a plant or an animal so it evolves and becomes better adapted to its environment.

Yes, I know what you’re talking about. Natural selection, according to Darwin, she replied. I may not agree with it but I’m well aware of it.... Is this about your proposal? she asked with a frown but still smiling.

Well, yes in a way, he said. And you’ve also heard the term intelligent design. Right?

Yes of course, she said. Are we talking about evolution versus creationism now, Jan? she asked and immediately added, I am a devoted Christian, Jan, and so you know where I stand. She said it bluntly and with assertion but still smiling at him.

He sensed that she was becoming impatient. I’m getting to my point and to my proposal. Just bear with me for a few more minutes. He paused for a second and then said, What if I tell you that both are right.

What do you mean?

Evolution has happened, and continues to happen as we speak. It is a very slow process, but over long periods of time its effects become apparent. Take Australia as an example. Australia separated from the other continents, which at that time were all joined together into a gigantic land mass. You can see how evolution took its course over millions of years in Australia. Isolated from the rest, it produced kangaroos, koalas and many other animals found only in Australia and nowhere else. The same can be said about Madagascar and other islands that separated from the mainland millions of years ago.

I don’t dispute those facts, Jan. She replied. Still, there is a superior being and His doings have made your evolution possible. But you’re on a tangent. What happened to your business proposal?

He looked at her, puzzled for a brief moment then said, The proposal – yes – I’m almost there. Look, evolution has caused many changes over millions of years but the fossil record also shows occasional and abrupt changes that cannot be attributed to evolution. Here’s where intelligent design comes to play its part. The sudden appearance of Homo sapiens, the sudden appearance of great civilizations that built pyramids and other magnificent structures, have been made possible because the intelligent designers – if I may call them that – have intervened. As with evolution, they continue to intervene up to this day, though only occasionally.

She looked at him with doubtful eyes and said, Look Jan, this is all very interesting but is getting late and we have to work tomorrow and––

He interrupted her, Yes I know DD. He waved at the waiter and made the sign to bring him the bill. Very well, here’s my proposal. I didn’t want to rush it because you may not believe it, but this is it. I would like to ask you for a genetic sample. In particular, I’d like you to give me a mature egg.

DD eyes widened in surprise. After a second of hesitation, she managed to exclaim, Whaaat!

Before she could say anything else he added, DD, I work for the intelligent designers and one, among many other job-duties of my Mission, is to collect eggs from persons with advanced genetic makeup, like you.

Chapter 2: Rejection

The alarm clock started its continuous and annoying beeping. This time, however, DD turned it off immediately as she had been well awake for almost an hour now. She had not slept very well. Her mind was still going over the events of last evening. She vividly remembered Jan’s statement about him wanting her egg. And what was that about him working for the intelligent designers? She had resisted the urge to storm out of the restaurant and run to her car. She had tried to appear in control but she knew she did not fool Jan. She was obviously upset and she could not hide it. She had managed to calmly walk out of the restaurant, even though she knew that Jan was right behind her. She wanted to run as far away from him as possible. She had also thanked him for the dinner before she got inside her car in a hurry. She had heard Jan’s final plea: Please DD, don’t jump to conclusions. Give me a chance to prove….

She had not heard the end of his sentence when she closed the door of her car and started the engine. She had taken a last glimpse at Jan, before she drove away, and saw deep sadness in his eyes.

Today, as she was riding the train to downtown, she felt very uneasy about having to face Jan in the office. She kept asking herself the same question. How is it possible that someone I regarded as normal, well balanced, and very intelligent for so many years can, in one minute, appear now so abnormal, unbalanced, and borderline psychotic? It doesn’t make any sense!

She arrived at her office, walked down the hallway as stealthily as she could, hoping that Jan would not see her. He was not in his office. DD felt relieved. She entered her office and closed the door behind her. She was going to pretend that she was very busy so no one would bother her. No one did, and later in the day she learned that Jan had called earlier in the morning reporting to be sick with the flu.

Jan did not appear in the office for the next three days. DD’s feelings had now turned from avoid-him-at-all-cost to sorry-for-the-poor-old-guy. Somehow, she now felt that she had overreacted at the restaurant. That she had hurt him so badly that he had stayed home, claiming sickness rather than coming to the office and face her. However, on the fourth day he arrived at the office looking a little pale but otherwise in his usual high spirit. He said good morning to everybody, including her, and he acted as if nothing unusual had ever happened between them.

Over the next several days, DD and Jan acted as if nothing had happened and things slowly returned to normal. At some point she even thought of approaching him to apologize, to tell him how sorry she was for hurting his feelings. However, the thought that this might have been a big practical joke that he played on her had crossed her mind. This kept her from offering the apology. But then, she could not erase from her mind the image of Jan’s sad face when she had left him at the restaurant.

Late one afternoon, when many employees had already gone home and the office was almost deserted, Jan stood in front of DD’s open office-door, looked both ways to ensure no one else was around, smiled and said, DD, I’m not crazy. I can prove it.

She was in a good mood that day and replied, Come in big-guy, have a seat. By the way, I am sorry if I freaked out the other day at the restaurant.

He sat in front of DD’s desk. No need to apologize. It’s perfectly understandable. How often does one hear such claims? He smiled broadly and, before she could say anything he added, A great man here, Sagan I believe, said not too long ago, that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I can prove my claim DD.

Yes, you said that, Jan. She decided to play along. Tell me about this Mission of yours.

He relaxed, leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his legs. He thought for a second and said, If I can say it in as few words as possible, the Mission boils down to dissemination and preservation of life. He paused for a moment. You see, DD, when we look at nature here on this planet, which is teeming with life, we get the impression that life is very resilient and that it will be here for ever. Everything appears to be in balance, and in harmony; especially when we think of areas where humans have not interfered by building cities, factories and highways. Almost everywhere we go here on Earth we find life. There is life in the deepest trenches at the bottom of the oceans, on the tallest peaks on the highest mountains and in the most inhospitable environments. We tend to believe that life will remain here for ever. But, in reality, this is only an illusion.

How so? she asked with doubt in her voice.

You have to think of it over a long period of time, rather than just over a brief instant. The animals you see now on Earth are very recent, compared to the planet’s geological history. The fossil record shows countless species that have appeared, lived for a period of time, and then have suddenly and mysteriously vanished.

He paused and then continued. This planet has been battered many times. It has been bombarded by asteroids and comets. There have been countless deluges, volcanic eruptions, and periods when the entire planet had been covered by a mile-thick sheet of ice. But life has quickly recovered from all these disasters and still thrives here. Have you ever asked yourself how this is possible?

Before she could say anything he went on. And there are other even nastier things. A gamma ray burst, for instance, could destroy all life in an instant. If that’s not enough, it is just a matter of time until the star that provides the warming energy for life to flourish, the sun in Earth’s case, will run out of fuel and all the planets around it will become permanently frozen. But life has managed to reappear again and again.

DD, this is the thing. My ancestors, and yours too because we all share similar genes, scouted this solar system eons ago. They seeded life on the rocky planets that, at that time, appeared suitable to harbor life. Since that time, they have continued to check life’s progress and have, on occasions, re-started life after catastrophes have whipped it out. Out of the two planets that were originally seeded with life, only Earth has produced the desired results. Venus was not one of the planets seeded with life and it was written off long time ago. Apparently, a gigantic collision, powerful enough to set the planet spinning in reverse, destroyed any possible life-sustaining environment and turned it into a hellish place. Mars is still a work in progress. The life we seeded there, when Mars had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water flowed on its surface, is barely surviving and––

Wait, wait, wait, she interrupted. These are theories, Jan. These are somebody’s opinions. I’ve heard many theories about the origin of life and all that stuff, but they’re just ideas. Nobody can be sure that his or her theory is right and the other ones are wrong.

But that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you DD, he said in earnest. I am one of those people that have been going around seeding and tending life in different planets.

She let out a laugh. C’mon, you’re pulling my leg! I’ve heard you were a practical joker but I didn’t believe it. Okay, look, it’s almost time to go home now. She powered off her work station, started to tidy up by putting away items that were on her desk.

But DD, I’m not joking. I said I could prove it.

Oh yeah? How can you prove it? Are you going to take me to your space ship? she said mockingly.

He leaned forward, rested his elbows on DD’s desk, looked directly at her eyes and said seriously, Yes, of course, I can do that. I’ll have to make some preparations but I’ll let you know as soon as everything is ready. And he stood up, waved her good-night, and left the office.

For the next two weeks Jan mentioned nothing else to DD and again acted as if nothing unusual had happened between them. She was convinced that she had called his bluff and now his silly practical joke was over. She felt somewhat flattered that he had come up with that entire elaborated story – silly story – just to get her attention and to ask her out on a date. What else could have been? She said to herself, And I thought he had a business proposal… silly me.

DD remembered that, about a year ago, Jan had retired from work but had been called back, on a part time basis, to help with the increased work load that the office was experiencing lately. I’ve been naïve. He’s happily retired. I thought he had another business on the side and was going to offer me a piece of the action, she said aloud and then thought: I guess it was my wishful thinking. It would have been nice to do some part-time work on the side and earn some extra cash.

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon, again when most of the employees had gone home, that DD heard Jan calling her name as she was walking down the hallway. He waved at her to come to his office and, as she was entering, he asked her to close the door.

It’s all ready now. We can leave this Friday, he said with a smile.

Leave for where? she asked, although she suspected what he was about to say.

This is the plan, he said. "The ship is parked in a safe place, where no one can find it. It will take us about five hours to get there. We need to leave after sunset, so no one can see us taking off. I need to attend to certain tasks in the ship to check that everything