tearing replaced her artistic drawing and when she came back to herself after a few minutes, she stared down in shock at the ruined pad. Amidst the scrawling, she could just make out a pair of eyes above a smart tie and topped off with a nifty hat.
----------
Harlan watched as the guy on the dirt bike drew closer and finally joined them. The man wasn’t wearing a helmet, only a pair of large goggles; sensible, considering the terrain.
The bike pulled up gently to a halt and Harlan’s brain started ticking over immediately. The guy drove carefully and without the showing off of an immature mind. He pulled his goggles up on top of his head. His face looked tanned with a maturing beard. Harlan guessed his age at somewhere in his thirties, probably late, but he did have a boyish glow. His hair was a dirty natural blonde and hung shaggily about his face.
“Hello there,” the man said cheerily.
“Can I help you?” Harlan asked, matching the man’s pleasant tone.
“No thanks. I’m doing fine.”
“Well, actually you’re not doing that fine, son. You’re trespassing,” Harlan said, not breaking his smile.
“Really?” the man replied with a seemingly honest expression.
Harlan was an expert in perfecting a false face to fool the world around him. He had been doing it for a long time and right now he didn’t trust this guy one little bit. “I’m afraid so,” he said, still keeping his friendly manner intact.
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”
Harlan watched the guy’s face and thought, yeah, I just bet you didn’t .
“Name’s Kravis. Matt Kravis,” the man said, introducing himself.
While Harlan’s interior radar was starting to crank into the red, the guy didn’t smell like a cop or at least not yet. “Harlan Harris, and may I ask just what you were doing out on my land?”
“Really? Your land?” Kravis said surprised. “I couldn’t find any registered ownership documents for out here but if you say so. I’m really sorry, Mr. Harris. I genuinely had no idea that this was your land. I’m afraid that much of my work is confidential and I can’t really talk about in much detail. Suffice to say that this particular area of the desert shares certain…, characteristics with a location that my employers are looking to use during preparations.”
“Preparations for what?” Harlan asked intrigued.
“I’ve probably said too much already,” Kravis said, looking sheepish.
“Whoa man!” Bud said from behind, overhearing the conversation. “He means Mars, don’t you?”
Harlan momentarily forgot to be mad at Bud for interrupting. “Mars? Are you for real?” he asked, addressing Kravis.
“Look guys I really can’t talk about my work. I shouldn’t have told you that much; not that I’m confirming anything, you understand,” he added hastily. “But I suppose if I am trespassing on your land, Mr. Harris, then I owe you some sort of explanation.”
Harlan tried to sum up the situation in his mind as quickly as he could manage. While it was true that he did own some of the immediate surrounding land, it wasn’t in his name due to the illegal activities committed out here. But he had just told the guy that it was his land and had even relished telling him so. He was starting to wonder if he should start digging another hole in the ground out here, possibly an extra one for Bud while he was at it, when Kravis suddenly kicked the bike back into life.
“I’ll get out of your hair, Mr. Harris. I’m afraid that I didn’t find a suitable site out here anyway. You’ll just have to accept my apology for stepping on your toes but hopefully no harm done. Say, either of you two know of a place to stay in town?”
“ Mrs. Fiorentino over on Maple,” Bud chimed in helpfully. “She runs the boarding house.”
Harlan waved politely as Kravis loaded the bike onto his trailer and pulled back out towards the main road. The man was an enigma to him and he hated puzzles. While he didn’t get
----------
Harlan watched as the guy on the dirt bike drew closer and finally joined them. The man wasn’t wearing a helmet, only a pair of large goggles; sensible, considering the terrain.
The bike pulled up gently to a halt and Harlan’s brain started ticking over immediately. The guy drove carefully and without the showing off of an immature mind. He pulled his goggles up on top of his head. His face looked tanned with a maturing beard. Harlan guessed his age at somewhere in his thirties, probably late, but he did have a boyish glow. His hair was a dirty natural blonde and hung shaggily about his face.
“Hello there,” the man said cheerily.
“Can I help you?” Harlan asked, matching the man’s pleasant tone.
“No thanks. I’m doing fine.”
“Well, actually you’re not doing that fine, son. You’re trespassing,” Harlan said, not breaking his smile.
“Really?” the man replied with a seemingly honest expression.
Harlan was an expert in perfecting a false face to fool the world around him. He had been doing it for a long time and right now he didn’t trust this guy one little bit. “I’m afraid so,” he said, still keeping his friendly manner intact.
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”
Harlan watched the guy’s face and thought, yeah, I just bet you didn’t .
“Name’s Kravis. Matt Kravis,” the man said, introducing himself.
While Harlan’s interior radar was starting to crank into the red, the guy didn’t smell like a cop or at least not yet. “Harlan Harris, and may I ask just what you were doing out on my land?”
“Really? Your land?” Kravis said surprised. “I couldn’t find any registered ownership documents for out here but if you say so. I’m really sorry, Mr. Harris. I genuinely had no idea that this was your land. I’m afraid that much of my work is confidential and I can’t really talk about in much detail. Suffice to say that this particular area of the desert shares certain…, characteristics with a location that my employers are looking to use during preparations.”
“Preparations for what?” Harlan asked intrigued.
“I’ve probably said too much already,” Kravis said, looking sheepish.
“Whoa man!” Bud said from behind, overhearing the conversation. “He means Mars, don’t you?”
Harlan momentarily forgot to be mad at Bud for interrupting. “Mars? Are you for real?” he asked, addressing Kravis.
“Look guys I really can’t talk about my work. I shouldn’t have told you that much; not that I’m confirming anything, you understand,” he added hastily. “But I suppose if I am trespassing on your land, Mr. Harris, then I owe you some sort of explanation.”
Harlan tried to sum up the situation in his mind as quickly as he could manage. While it was true that he did own some of the immediate surrounding land, it wasn’t in his name due to the illegal activities committed out here. But he had just told the guy that it was his land and had even relished telling him so. He was starting to wonder if he should start digging another hole in the ground out here, possibly an extra one for Bud while he was at it, when Kravis suddenly kicked the bike back into life.
“I’ll get out of your hair, Mr. Harris. I’m afraid that I didn’t find a suitable site out here anyway. You’ll just have to accept my apology for stepping on your toes but hopefully no harm done. Say, either of you two know of a place to stay in town?”
“ Mrs. Fiorentino over on Maple,” Bud chimed in helpfully. “She runs the boarding house.”
Harlan waved politely as Kravis loaded the bike onto his trailer and pulled back out towards the main road. The man was an enigma to him and he hated puzzles. While he didn’t get
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