4.

Melvin Hayes, growing up and all the way through school, had kind of always been halfway between being the cool kid and the geek. He always had long hair and most always had a black or brown leather jacket, wore sunglasses outside the classroom no matter what time of the year it was, and he wore thick rimmed reading glasses inside the classroom.

He was smart, clever though never made light of such. He could have held his hand up, ready to answer most any question asked of the class though he chose just when to do that and when to keep quiet, and every once in a while, he'd purposely answer wrongly when a question was directed at him.

He could also hold his own or at least get a dig or two of his own in if ever he was to be picked on, bullied by those who thought themselves to be the ones to fear and in such he was generally let be in favour of weaker kids who would not be so likely to give as good as they got.

Melvin had a constant love of music and listened to mostly rock or metal though he would be willing to listen to anything else that may sound good to him. He loved the drums and had played with a couple of bands in recent years but being an adult now, work generally got in the way of his musical activities.

As with how things have gone, he was and still is to this day a bit of a know it all nut though he would never brag about that and he was always willing to help anyone else out with their studies as long as he could find the time that is, though he would often try as well as he could to find that time for anyone who needed it. In adulthood, if he could help out a child or with studies then he would do just that whenever he could.

Being who he is or was and always has been, Melvin always fitted in with both the popular crowd and the not so popular crowd. He was only ever aggressive when he needed to be, and no one was ever afraid to approach him, and again he was always willing to help out if ever he could.

Music, be it rock, metal or whatever else he so happened to be listening to, was never his only passion. He always had a major interest in science fiction and would often love to talk about how he knew in his heart and soul that we, as a planet brimming with life, are not alone in the universe. There must be something else out there, even if it is nothing more than a load of amoeba living under a rock on some distant dusty world. Intelligence, he would be sure, must exist out there ... somewhere.

So now, being out of university a few years, the chance of him coming across a life form not of this world had to be so much more than just a coincidence. It would be something destined to come his way.

And as it is, being out on that long stretch of road and ending up being in no way hurt, there must have been some reason for him to be when he is and where it is he so happens to be is, standing in that field looking back up towards that road he had just come off of wondering all sorts of things. Melvin was still totally unaware of what it had been that he had come across. It would not be long though until that fact would change and forever change Melvin's life.

Melvin had not gone all that far into the field and before long he would hear a strangely deep and somewhat echoing voice speak to him. He could hear movement coming his way, slowly too. So, by this point, he was most definitely more than a little apprehensive.

Fear levels aren't as high as they could be. If danger was to come at him, then it probably would have had him already. So, if anything, there was a touch of a feeling that he, in this moment, belonged to some sort of sci-fi horror movie and if indeed there was something like that in this moment ... then yeah, Melvin would be sure that he'd already be a goner.

'Where are we?' asked that strange voice.

Melvin couldn't see anyone moving let alone make out what they could possibly look like.

'Who is that? Where are you?' he asked with the sound of fear growing in his voice.

His eyes moved from side to side, and he took one step backwards and towards his car, to do what exactly is as much a mystery as this whole moment so happens to be. The voice would speak again, and it sounded a lot closer this time.

'I am sorry; I don't mean to startle you. I am just wondering as to how close I am to The Pathfinder Farm?'

'I ... I ... don't know where that is.'

The situation Melvin finds himself in and the strange sounding voice speaking to him through the nighttime darkness was certainly throwing him. He had also backed up alongside his car at this point. He was about to see just who or a little more precisely what the voice belonged to. This might just be it, the moment he dreamed of or the moment most anyone would fear. If he were a betting man, he'd fancy the former and not just hope that to be true.

'Maybe you are not from around here as I thought everyone knew of The Pathfinder Farm, perhaps you are a newcomer here?' spoke the voice just before getting close enough to Melvin for him to see.

Seeing what he could now see, still not completely clear given the nighttime darkness though enough to know that it is no man that stands before him ... Melvin almost fell over and he himself would speak once before fumbling in an attempt to get back into his own car.

'Wh ... wha ... what the ...? Maybe it is you who is not from around here.'

That large frame, the huge head and the big dark eyes, yeah, it was more than clear to Melvin that what had come right up to him was definitely not human. Despite fumbling, Melvin did manage to get back into the car, his hands now trembling uncontrollably.

'You do not know of me either, do you?' the voice would ask while peering in the driver side window and looking directly at who sat inside.

Belief and disbelief combined, ... how strange. Melvin closed his window, his own eyes were open and wide, his heart was pounding and his hands most definitely were less than steady. The creature would speak again.

'Do not fear me; please, I can assure you, I mean no harm.'

The car's rear tyres spun briefly as Melvin attempted to reverse back out onto the road and get to that road he would. He would only get to drive forwards a few feet when he would have to come to a halt again for whatever it was that he had encountered stood right in front of him and there would be no way Melvin would attempt to run it over no matter how much he feared it or at least thought he might fear it.

'All I ask is a little help in finding my bearings, that is all' it would say throwing its arms and hands in front of its head and the head itself would turn away due to the dimmed car head lights shining right his way.

Yeah, there was light coming the creature's way though it was dimmed, dimmed enough that it was only causing him some mild discomfort. Melvin backed the car up and turned right around only to find the creature standing before him once more. It had moved quickly, quicker than any human could. It would not speak this time, though there were at least a couple of short shrieking noises coming from the rather large being for Melvin had raised his head lights.

Pausing for a bit, Melvin took in a couple of deep breaths and actually began to calm himself. He would even feel calm enough to get out of the car while not knowing that the struggling creature who by now was down on the ground has an intolerance for bright light.

Melvin had no idea of what or who it was before him and Dan in an effort to discover where he was, also was struggling with the light coming from the headlights of the car and he was trying not to let his struggle show though show it did. Dan moved, crawled and dragged himself to the side of the road and out of the way of the car lights, He was also aware of the fear the man he encountered had for him, so Dan would make an attempt to appear anything but hostile.

'What are you?' asked Melvin '... and are you alright?'

'Friend, I am a Humari. A descendant from a race, alien to you, who were forced to leave their home world centuries ago, much like the people of Earth were forced to leave their world? And being honest, I will not lie; we Humari have a problem with bright light.'

'I knew it ...' spoke Melvin jumping once in a moment of excitement and allowing that excitement to get away from him, 'aliens do actually exist, though I do not understand, I get that you are not of this world, but you are on Planet Earth, ... we have not been forced to go anywhere.'

'You mean ... we are on Planet Earth right now?'

'Yes, how is it that you know of this planet if you are alien? How is it though that you can speak my language? And just how many of you are there? ... it is strange too that you are aware of my world but yet seem to have been unaware prior to now that you are actually on my world.'

'As far as I know I am the last of my kind. I have not encountere4d another Humari in a very long time and I have an ability to adapt to my surroundings, given enough time of course, though unfortunately light will always be a problem. I am not sure how exactly it is as to how I am here, but I do have a fair idea. I am however aware of some of Earth's history, and I understand its method of keeping time. Can you tell me of today's date?'

'Sure, it is approaching 10.30 in the evening of Thursday the fourth of July 2013.'

'Wow, Robert what have you created?' spoke Dan so quietly that Melvin could not make out what he had just said, 'would there be any way you would be willing to help me out? In a way I have just come a very, very long distance ... in more ways than one.'

'Sure, though only if you promise that there will be no Vulcan mind melds.'

'Can't say that I know what that is or what you are referring to, so, I guess that would be a promise with which I can keep, by the way I am known as Dan.'

'Dan? Somehow, that kinda suits you ... I think. My name is Melvin.'

'Pleased to meet you Melvin and thank you.'

This moment was and is most definitely a very surreal one. With there still being quite a few feet in distance between him and Dan, Melvin directed one of his hands towards his car to suggest that they both should make their way to it, that is if Dan could move, which he could, and as they did so, Melvin slapped his own face a couple of times to make sure that all this is something that is actually happening.

Despite the fact that Melvin has a decently sized car, Dan struggled getting into it and the only place Melvin could think of going to with an alien in his car would be to go back to his own home. He could hardly take it anywhere else, no matter how much this strange entity may or may not be struggling.