The Space Between Dark and Light

By JAN KRAUSE GREENE

Joe Geist is desperate. His brother Jared has vanished, and Joe, usually a roll-with-the-punches type, begins a frantic quest to uncover his missing brother's fate. The search leads him to an enigmatic homeless mystic, Sir Davies, who claims to know what happened to Jared. Anne Miller, a quick-witted freelance reporter, agrees to help Joe after discovering a link between Jared's daughter and Sir Davies. One hundred years after Jared disappears, civil society is collapsing in the wake of environmental devastation. Seven-year-old George escapes when marauders invade his home. The next morning, convinced his sister has fled to safety, he sets out to find her. Set in the present and the future, these two separate stories unfold until an astonishing revelation connects them. Written from the viewpoint of multiple characters, at its heart lies the metaphysical question "Can the future redeem the past?"

 

"A time-crossed climate fiction story as thrilling as it is urgently relevant."

BookLife

 

"...there is no doubting the power of the message conveyed."

"... an uplifting call to action."

"Our Verdict: Get It"

Kirkus Reviews

 

 

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaxon Meadows Publishing
• Release date: Feb 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215088357

JAN KRAUSE GREENE

Jan Krause Greene hates writing her own bio, but she wants you to know she believes love will be the real revolution, and the human heart can expand until it holds love for the whole world. She can’t carry a tune and her dancing occasionally embarrasses her children. She likes to think that there is still time for her to become a star of musical theater, a senator, and a neuroscientist. Meanwhile, she writes fiction and poetry. While raising 5 sons, her professions ran the gamut from teacher to laundress for hire, to executive director of a non-profit. For over ten years her weekly newspaper column, Homefront, chronicled her life as a mother, teacher, and writer. But that was a long time ago. She is a grandmother of eight now. Other works - Fiction: I Call Myself Earth Girl (2013) Betty's Brain Short Story in Writing Fire: An Anthology Celebrating the Power of Women's Words Non Fiction: Left for Dead: From Surviving to Thriving  (2020) Contributor/editor to 45 Magazine: Women's Literary Journal

Book preview

Prologue

ONE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW ~ GEORGE’S STORY

George is doing the best he can. He’s trying to be the man of the family until his father returns home. He wants to be just like him. He tries to take care of the family the way his father did, but it gets harder each day. He would tend the garden if they still had one, and he would clean the chicken coop if they still had chickens.

He doesn’t ask When will daddy be home? or How much longer will the water last? or When will the garden grow again? Margaret told him not to ask their mother any questions. "That is the best way to help," she said.

George doesn’t ask questions, and he doesn’t say I’m hungry or I’m thirsty or I’m scared daddy might never come home.

THE PRESENT

W.H. Davies sits in Touro Tower basking in the glow of certainty. He is certain that he knows and sees things that others can neither know, nor see. He is certain that everything he thought about the little girl with the golden eyes was true, and he is certain that no one will believe what he saw in the sky while everyone else was hunkered down indoors. He relishes the idea that he was the only one brave enough to stay in the park that night.     

All those experts, thinking they could hide from nature. That’s the way most people are. Thinks if they hide from something, it ain’t really happening. But I know what’s real because I don’t hide from nothing. I want to see everything, and I know what real seeing is because I see with my eyes and my heart. Can’t really know nothing of value if your heart ain’t right, and most people, their hearts ain’t right. But Ella’s was. Her momma’s was too, but her dad...hmm hmm...that dude had some growing to do before he could do any knowing. But I knew he was next. He didn’t believe me when I told him something was gonna happen to him. Now I know I was right. Didn’t ever think it would be so beautiful. Ain’t no one ever gonna believe what I saw, no way. But I saw and I know. 

THE PRESENT

Joe Geist doesn’t know where he is. Sweat drips from his forehead and onto his eyelids. If only he can slow his breathing. Maybe then, his mind will start working again, and he will not feel like a child who wakes from a nightmare, able only to cry out, but having no words to explain the fear. As he runs his palm across a smooth surface, he realizes that it is his sleeping bag. But why is he sprawled out on top of it? The question has a brief calming effect. It is a clue. He moves his other hand across his chest. His clothes are wet. Still unable to open his eyes, he tastes the moisture on his fingertip. Not blood. Relief. But why is he wet and why do his eyes feel like he is staring at the sun?

A glimmer of memory. I was camping with Jared.

Rolling onto his side, he forces his eyes to open while shielding them from the light with one hand. While he struggles to keep them open, he notices Jared’s empty sleeping bag. He tries to call out, but he can barely make a sound. His heart pounds. He remembers now. But it seems too incredible to be real. Did glowing orbs descend from the sky and come directly toward them, blazing with heat and light so intense that his eyes still ache? It doesn’t seem possible. Yet, this is exactly what he remembers. It terrified him. What had Jared said as the blinding light approached? He needs to talk to him.  

Chapter One

JOE STRUGGLES TO BALANCE himself as he staggers to his feet. Even though he has a sturdy, muscular build, he feels as if he can’t support his own weight. At least he can keep his eyes open now. He surveys the area around him and spots his beat-up old camper hitched to the Silverado. It looks just like he left it. Opening the door, he says, Jared, are you in there? Jared, say something, man. No response and no sign of his twin brother.

He  does a quick search of the area in the vicinity of  the camper. Nothing. Worried, he heads back and calls his niece, Melanie. Maybe she has heard from her father. Her response is terse. She hasn’t heard from Jared since she advised him not to go camping with Joe. She tells him she will notify the cops that he is missing.

Joe leaves the trailer, determined to search every inch of the woods around their campsite. He covers as much territory as possible on foot, searching frantically for the slightest clue. Footprints, fragments of clothing, blood, anything. His eyes still burn, and his heart is beating erratically. The longer he searches, the harder it is not to give in to panic. This can't be happening. Where can Jared be?

His short brown hair flecked with pine needles, his clothes still damp, his muddy shoes covered with leaves, Joe returns to the camper. State Police have beat him there. One blocks his entrance, but he can hear someone inside moving things around. He wonders how they can be so stupid as to think that Jared could be hiding in his small tin can of an RV. I know he's not in there! He almost shouts the words, surprising himself with the sound of desperation in his voice.

When the troopers ask for his driver’s license, his fingers won’t cooperate. He fumbles through the little pockets in his wallet. His hands have never shaken like this before. Although he appears to be paying attention to what the officers are saying, he is trying to decide if he should recount what he saw just before he lost consciousness. If there hadn’t been an Emergency Alert warning about asteroid fragments that were moving on an erratic path towards Earth, he wouldn’t even consider telling them. He knows it sounds preposterous. Still, it might be the only clue to lead them to Jared.

The officers listen and jot a few notes, but it is clear they don't take his story seriously. He sees the sidelong glances between them when he says the last time he saw Jared was while they watched two golden spheres fall out of the sky and head right towards them. He is annoyed by the smirk on the taller one's face. But he smiles affably.

I know it sounds crazy, but...

Don't worry, Mr. Geist. We'll file a missing person's report right away. Maybe you and your brother had a bit too much of that wacky weed we found in your camper. He probably just went for a walk after you fell asleep. Could’ve lost his bearings in the dark. We'll search the area thoroughly. Most likely, he’s sleeping it off somewhere.

Joe works hard to conceal his anger. Only his furrowed eyebrows reveal what he really feels. He tries again. But, what about the glowing balls? I swear I saw them and felt them. They were so bright I thought I was going blind. My eyes still hurt this morning. I could barely open them.

That sounds like one hell of a hangover, buddy.

I’m not hungover. Look, what if you’re wrong and something happened to Jared because of those—

One of the officers interrupts, If it will make you feel any better, we’ll be faxing a report to NASA. It's our protocol. Whenever we get a report like yours about mysterious objects from the sky heading towards Earth, we send a report to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. Not that I expect them to investigate it. But they might with all the hoopla about the asteroid. Big deal over nothing, as usual.

Before Joe can say anything else, the trooper adds, We’ll be back to do another search around the area this afternoon. Leave your camper here. It might help your brother find his way back after he’s done sleeping it off. A little advice for the next time you go camping. Go to an actual campsite, and take it easy on the mind-altering substances, bud.

As soon as they are out of sight, Joe climbs into his truck and heads directly home. He calls Melanie again when he gets there, but when he tells her about the orbs, she sounds as skeptical as the cops did. She heatedly suggests that he and Jared were drunk, and that Jared wandered off while Joe was sleeping. The call was a mistake. He shouldn’t have called her until he knew more. She’s been so protective of Jared since her little sister, Ella, died. He really should’ve known better.

Hours go by with no word from the police. Joe can’t sit for more than a few seconds at a time. His neck muscles are tight and hard as rocks. Acid from his stomach feels like it is boring a hole in his esophagus. He needs answers. Switching on the television news just in time to see a homeless man being interviewed, Joe recognizes him immediately. Everyone in Newport probably does. Known by various monikers, this man who lives in Touro Park talks to himself and anyone who will listen to him. He had caused some problems for Jared’s family when Ella was just a little girl. 

Joe can’t believe he is the one being interviewed about what he saw in the sky. How can they be interviewing him—the same guy who stood in the park with signs proclaiming Ella was a prophet when she was in kindergarten? How can they believe anything he says?

Joe stares at the television. He sees a thin, lanky man with long blonde hair hanging loosely over the collar of a faded denim jacket. His pants are baggy and well worn. His beard is uneven, but not too long. He  wonders briefly how a homeless person manages to trim his beard.

Yessiree, I saw it. Something no one else could see. Because I have the gift. I saw it real clear. Round balls of glowing mysteries, filled with meaning.

That's just great,  Joe says aloud. The only other person to talk about seeing the balls of light in the sky is this guy. Just what I need—a nut job to corroborate my story. Fantastic, effin’ fantastic.

He switches off the TV and flops onto the sofa. Bending forward with elbows propped on his knees, he replays the past 24 hours over and over, trying to find an answer, a clue, a hint to the dreadful question—where is Jared? Or even worse, where is Jared’s body?

With no answers and no contact from the cops, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He is Jared’s best hope. He will make a verbal report to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies in his own words, not with the overlay of skepticism the trooper’s report probably contains. He will keep trying until he gets through to someone who will take him seriously.

He goes over the whole story in his head again before making the call. Surprised to be transferred to a planetary scientist as soon as he says he saw objects descend from the sky, he learns the CNEOS is interested in hearing from anyone who claims to have seen unidentifiable objects in the sky during the time of the asteroid's close pass of Earth’s orbit. These reports are of particular interest to NASA because large pieces of the enormous space rock had broken off and begun an erratic trajectory towards Earth. NASA had encouraged people to take shelter because the meteors’ highly unusual path made it impossible to predict the general area where they would land.

For the next hour, Terry Hanratty at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena interviews Joe over the phone. He tells Joe that CNEOS received a report from the Rhode Island State Police, but the report had been labeled not credible. Hanratty, however, feels an in-person interview and a visit to the site are required to determine the veracity of Joe’s story. He promises to send  a former astronaut who works at the Goddard Space Flight Center to interview him. Dr. Nunser isn’t a member of the NEO program, Hanratty says, but Goddard is much closer to you than we are, and I trust him to do a thorough analysis. He has a Ph.D. in astrophysics.

Although it pleases Joe that Hanratty wants to send an investigator, he decides he needs  someone else present during the NEO inquiry; someone who won’t twist his words, making him sound like a crackpot. A day after advertising online for a reporter who will document everything that happens during the visit from Dr. Nunser, he receives a brief response to his ad. I can be there. You can trust me to report exactly what I observe. References available. Half my fee up front.  Contact me at: [e-mail] 

ON THE DAY DR. NUNSER is due to arrive, Joe’s appearance reveals that the strain of Jared’s disappearance has taken its toll on him. Dark shadows under his deep blue eyes make him look sick. His own reflection in the bathroom mirror shocks him. He sees a man with a scruffy growth on his chin and a dirty sweatshirt with little mustard stains splattered on the sleeve. He showers, shaves, and puts on a clean shirt and tie. After tidying up the living room, he starts a pot of coffee.

Determined to come across as credible, he mentally prepares himself by going over every detail from the time he first heard the warning about the asteroid. He can’t afford to sound stupid or hysterical. He’s convinced Jared’s disappearance has something to do with the golden orbs. Yet, he’s pretty sure it will sound like nonsense to Dr. Nunser. He hopes Miller shows up first so that he can explain everything to him before the former astronaut arrives. He doesn’t want the reporter to register surprise or disbelief in front of the astrophysicist.

Dr. Nunser arrives on schedule. To Joe’s chagrin, Miller does not. After brief introductions, Dr. Nunser asks if he can place his astronomical charts and topographical maps of Rhode Island on the floor. Joe notices him using the sofa to brace himself as he gets up from arranging the charts above the maps.

Can I give you a hand, Dr. Nunser?

Thanks, but no need. It’s just the arthritis in my knees acting up.

How about a cup of coffee?

That sounds good.

Just as Joe reaches the kitchen, he hears a knock at the front door. He steps carefully around the maps and charts that take up most of the living room floor. As soon as he opens the door, the person on the other side of it starts talking rapidly. Sorry I’m late. Got a little confused with my directions. But I’m here now, and if you can just fill me in on what I missed, I’ll be all set.

Joe gestures for her to enter. Are you A. Miller? he asks, almost expecting the answer to be no.  For some reason, it never occurred to him a woman would answer his ad, much less an attractive one. I am, she answers, while thrusting her hand out towards Joe. He offers his, and she shakes it enthusiastically. He finds her wide, slightly crooked smile appealing.

This is...uh...Ms. Miller, he says to Dr. Nunser.

Before he can say more, the woman adds Anne Miller. Call me Anne. I’m the reporter.

Dr. Nunser looks confused. He stands up but doesn’t offer his hand.

No offense. I stopped shaking hands during the pandemic. At my age, it still seems like the safest choice.

No worries, Anne says.

You’re a reporter? Who do you work for? asks Dr. Nunser.

Myself. I’m a free-lancer. Pick and choose the projects I work on. I can’t wait to get into this story. Sounds fascinating. UFO and a missing person. I love a mystery.

Whoa, slow down, just to clarify, I never used the term UFO, Joe says.

I don’t understand why you’re here, Nunser says. I didn’t come here to be part of a news story.

That’s not why she’s here. I hired her myself just to document everything so that I’ll have an objective record of our conversation. It didn’t occur to me to notify Hanratty. I guess I should’ve.

While Dr. Nunser and Joe go back and forth about the propriety of having a reporter present, Anne walks around the room looking at photographs and books arranged on a large built-in bookshelf. Joe assumes she is just killing time. He’s surprised that she starts asking questions about the pictures. Pointing to a photo of Joe in his dive skin, looking tan and healthy, she says, Did you scuba dive when you were younger?

I still do. That picture was taken last summer.

There is an awkward silence as they both realize how different he looks now.

It’s been a rough few months. My niece died in a plane crash. The whole family has taken it extremely hard. Now my twin brother is missing ... he’s her father.

Anne steps closer to Joe and puts her hand on his shoulder. I’m so sorry for your loss. It must make the whole incident with your brother even harder.

Thank you. It’s been an incredibly difficult time, and now this.

Anne continues to look at photographs and to ask questions about them. Joe finds her interest in his personal life disconcerting. Is she trying to psyche out something about his relationship to Jared, or is she just trying to be friendly?

We need to get started. I don’t want to miss my flight back, Dr. Nunser says. Now, Mr. Geist, could you begin by telling me exactly what you saw the night before your brother disappeared?

Dr. Nunser reaches into his pocket and takes out a small audio recorder. He turns it on, but before Joe has finished his account, he opens a large portfolio of photos with assorted pictures of meteorites. Pointing to the pictures, he says, Do any of these look like what you saw, Mr. Geist?

No, what I saw didn’t look like rocks. They were balls of light.

Meteorites could look like balls of light in the sky, but when they land, they look pretty much like rocks to most people, Dr. Nunser says.

Anne leans towards Joe and says, Astronauts are trained in geology because it adds to their understanding of planets and objects in space. 

Dr. Nunser frowns. "How do you know about astronaut training? Did you get your information from a movie about UFOs?"

It’s the process I use to prepare for an interview. I bone up on things I might need to know in order to understand what I’m seeing and hearing. Mr. Geist said he was going to be interviewed by an astronaut, so I figured I better know a bit about them. And I don’t get information from movies unless they’re documentaries.

I see. You do know what they say about a little knowledge being—

A dangerous thing. Yup. Just so you understand, Dr. Nunser. I’m not doing an investigation. I’m here as an observer. I don’t have skin in this game, and I’m not trying to prove anything to you or Mr. Geist.

Dr. Nunser appears to ignore her as he packs up his maps and charts. In any event, Mr. Geist, it seems we really can't get any more information without seeing the actual site. Would you be willing to bring us there?

Of course.

After arriving at the campsite, Dr. Nunser takes numerous photographs of the lake and the surrounding woods. He frequently stoops to pick up a rock or push away leaves and pine needles. Finally, he announces there are no signs that a meteorite of any size had landed anywhere near the area of the campsite. Anne frowns. Seems like a simple visual inspection like this is far from conclusive. Are you going to take samples back for lab analysis? she says.

"I appreciate your concern, but the fact that you read up on astronauts doesn’t make you an expert in my field. I’m wrapping this up. Nothing to see here. I did Hanratty a favor by coming in the first place."

Anne shrugs her shoulders and pulls her phone from the pocket on the side of her equipment bag. Her brows pinch together as she reads the news bulletin that has just come in. Oh no! Another fire in California. Near Los Angeles. Those poor people. I’m surprised there’s anything left to burn.

Good reason not to waste more time here. I must get on a flight before the inevitable shutdowns in California mess up the airline schedules everywhere else. Never fails. If  L.A. shuts down, the ripple effect always delays my flight, no matter where I happen to be, Dr. Nunser says.

Mr. Geist, I’ve got to be in Ohio tomorrow. I can’t take a chance on getting stuck at the airport either. I’m covering the aftermath of the twister in Marietta. It damaged the levee and the historic district is still flooded. They’re having a hell of a time out there. Earthquake in Senecaville and then a twister less than fifty miles away.

I guess we’re done here anyway.  Seems like Dr. Nunser has lost interest in examining the site, Joe says.

I’ll email you my report as soon as I’m finished in Ohio. So sorry to rush away too.

Joe is relieved to see Doctor Nunser leave. He isn’t going to be of any use in finding Jared. But he is disappointed that Anne Miller is rushing off. She seems more interested in finding out what happened that night than anyone else has.

FROM ANNE MILLER’S Notes:

Had to leave Newport quickly. Did google Search of Joe Geist in airport. Came up short, no real information. Never arrested, hasn’t done anything newsworthy, doesn’t seem to be on social media. But I found an obit for his wife Shelia. She died years ago.

Also found obit for his niece, Ella Geist—the one who died in plane crash this year. The missing person is her father, Jared Geist. Turns out Ella’s mother, Gloria Geist, pre-deceased her. Seems like a lot of tragedy for one family.

Some intriguing stuff about Ella. Found a few articles about her. She was famous when she was five. I copied and pasted parts of the stories. Hard to know what to make of them. According to the news