6.

Being happy enough to leave Dan to stay alone at his home, Melvin made his way to work only to find that the company he worked for were about to implement a program to ensure the well-being of its employees. It would involve a number of trips, gatherings, and sessions with a hired psychologist. The timing of this was not great to say the least and a session for Melvin to see the psychologist having been set up for this particular afternoon only made things worse. There had been no inclination, as far as Melvin was concerned, that something like this was coming.

Melvin never really appreciated psychologists, and he liked talking to them even less, not that he had much reason to interact with anyone associated with the profession in his past.as things are now, he also could hardly discuss his current home situation with anyone let alone someone in a professional capacity, could he?

If he were to do this then it could be perceived that he is suffering from stress, whether that be work related or just from life in general and such is a thing he can't have. Besides, to discuss the discovery of an alien, an extra-terrestrial life form who so happens to currently be residing at Melvins very own home well, ... all this could be reason enough to be committed to a mental health facility.

'Hello, I am Doctor Frederic Williams' spoke the psychologist as he reached for Melvin's hand after having invited Melvin into the newly set aside office for this Doctor Williams to conduct his sessions. 'Please take a seat.'

Even though this doctor fellow had only really just arrived, the office he had acquired had been set up as if he had been using that space for quite some time and as if he was quite ready and likely to hang around for a long time to come. There were bookshelves stacked with books, the likes of professional, factional and self-help in nature.

There were certificates and diplomas framed and hung around the walls. One large window allowed the sun to shine through. The Doc tilts the blinds to prevent the sun's glare from becoming a problem for where Melvin is to sit would be right where the most light shines through, then the Doc sits on his side of a wooden table not all that far from and to the left of that large window.

This room. or office as is its function, is not at all what Melvin had been expecting a psychologist's office to look like. A desk, no couch, chairs typical of any office room, though prior to this moment Melvin never had reason of any sort to be inside a psychologist's office, and he hoped never to have to go back to either this one or any other one after this session concludes. Melvin sat in the seat offered to him and he tried, with some degree of difficulty, to relax.

'So' spoke the doctor, 'this is going to be very easy going, we are just going to chat about anything and everything if that is alright with you? You do not have to tell me anything that you may feel uncomfortable sharing.'

'Sure, not a problem, I can do that.'

'Great, is there anything in particular that you may like to get off your chest right at this particular moment?'

'No, not particularly.'

'How about work? Everything going well there?'

'I would have to say yes. Everything is good. I enjoy my job and I am more than happy to be working within this company. I am doing the job I feel I was always meant to do.'

'And what about life at home?'

'My job is very important to me; I live alone and don't have much family living anywhere close by. I don't have much family at all really. Well to tell the truth, I was living alone, I've recently taken in a kind of lodger, as recently as last night in fact.'

'A kind of lodger?' inquired the doctor feeling as if the man on front of him is about to open up as if there is something important, to him, weighing on his mind.

'I was out driving last night, and I almost hit an alien, I ended up bringing him home and that is where he is right now' spoke Melvin in a manner as to if he did not quite believe it himself.

Melvin too was telling of this more out of having a laugh, as if he were not taking this meeting seriously rather than actually wanting to reveal the events of the evening before and he was not expecting this psychologist to believe him though this Doctor Williams would take what he was told in a more literal manner.

And why exactly Melvin felt the need to do this he does not quite know. It's just sitting there within him in so many ways that he couldn't help but blurt it right out without much prompting at all. Considering any kind of consequence from such a disclosure is something that had not come into the equation at all.

'You must be a very trusting man to leave a stranger alone in your home.'

'Oh, I don't think that he will be going anywhere in particular, not for a little while any way.'

The conversation between the two men continued for a little more than five minutes. Doctor Williams did not want to take too long; he had many more visits to get through and was happy enough to believe that Melvin was in a good place mentally as well as being an asset to the company with which he works for.

He would be sure the term 'alien' refers to a person of a foreign land residing in a place far from which he hails, so he did not see anything being particularly strange or odd in regard to the individual whom had been spoken of. And the man before him is just some sort of good Samaritan, a good guy just wanting to some good in the world.

Melvin went about the rest of his day as usual and when he was done with work he went home being eager to get back and see if Dan was still there, for why wouldn't he still be there? As from when Melvin had left that morning until the moment in which he had returned, it had been daytime and bright.

Upon his arrival home, any expected evening time darkness had yet to arrive. Of course, with this being so, Melvin would enter a house of darkness. Any and all curtains were pulled over. Very little light if any, at this point was making any sort of appearance inside of the house. Melvin didn't mind that at all for the thoughts that he had an intelligent alien life form staying in his house would only really hit him now that bit more seriously.

Everything prior to this point just seemed like a dream, something unreal, and something that had just happened as if it could happen to anyone, and at the same time it felt as if it hadn't actually happened to him. It was happening to someone else and Melvin is no more than an observer. It is however something real, very real indeed.

'Dan?' called out Melvin upon entering through the front door of his own home.

There would be no immediate response so Melvin would call out for Dan once more. A moment or so would pass before Dan would get to respond. He had been relaxing upstairs in the rather large house he had been accepted into, well relaxing in a way that Melvin would not have expected. Melvin's house stands alone, a little way in off of a back road and at least half a mile away from his nearest neighbours.

'I'm up here' called out Dan before the sound of a loud thud sounds out.

Melvin moved upstairs as quickly as he could, and it soon became clear that the sound of the thud he had heard a moment or so earlier was that of Dan falling flat on his face. Dan was not one for being used to looking up at anyone but since he was lying on the floor, he looked up at Melvin and belched.

'What the hell?' asked Melvin.

It appeared to Melvin that Dan was more than just a little intoxicated. Melvin didn't know it was possible for Dan to become in anyway inebriated but then again, he had not known Dan long at all, indeed prior to their encounter the evening before Melvin did not know Dan at all. At that he had invited the alien to come stay with him and he had been comfortable with doing so.

Obviously enough, Melvin does not know the physiology of his house guest. There had been no alcohol in the house so Melvin had to think of the possibility that there may be something else wrong with Dan as in maybe some sort of illness has come his way or quite possibly Dan was suffering effects of some sort of disease or infliction. He had mentioned before that he was feeling somewhat ... dizzy.

With great difficulty, Melvin attempts to pick Dan up and aid him over to a spare bedroom. This alien was most definitely as heavy as he was large. Before Melvin could even think about what he could possibly do next, there was a knock to his front door. Having looked out an upstairs window Melvin could see who it was or is that stood outside his front door and to his surprise, it just happened to be that psychologist with whom he had been chatting with earlier that day.

'Ah crap.'

His address is on file, so it is of no strange means that this Doc fellow knew where to find Melvin. As it is, there would be nothing that Melvin could do to avoid dealing with Doctor Williams as for one thing the psychologist had just heard Melvin speak the 'oh crap' he had just spoken and Melvin's car was also parked not far from the front of the house. So, hoping it would be assumed that he is not home cannot be concluded. Melvin would have to leave Dan and go open the front door and hope that Dan and his current state would not be a problem.

'Doctor Williams ...' spoke Melvin forcing a smile onto his own face in the instant of greeting another visitor to his home. 'This is a bit of a surprise. I didn't know you made house calls.'

'Call me Frederick. I hope I have not arrived at a bad time. I was just a little more than intrigued by our conversation earlier, I do so hope you do not mind me making a follow up visit so soon.'

'Well actually, I will be having some guests over so now really isn't ... err ...'

'That's fine, I won't be staying too long.'

'Alright, please come in.'

That was the last thing Melvin wanted to do, invite anyone into his home at this particular moment in time and this Doctor Frederick Williams, who more or less invited himself in, physically inviting himself whether Melvin had said anything or not, would most likely be one of the last people with whom Melvin would have liked to invite in at this time. The doctor was shown into the living room.

'Can I get you anything?'

'No, I am fine thank you, won't be staying for long.'

'So, you have said' Melvin spoke under his breath, 'take a seat please, so what can I do for you?'

'I have been mainly thinking of your words earlier and the consideration of taking them literally was playing around with me. I am a little worried by the fact that you may be harbouring illegal aliens. I understand that there may be money in that, but it may be a dangerous thing to be getting involved in.'

'Oh, there is nothing like that going on, in fact I was just having some fun at your expense. You know, a little bravado with the fact of having to see a psychologist. I am the last person to need something like that.'

'So, there is no guest ...'

'No. I was ...'

Another thud sounded, the first with which the good doctor would get to witness. And once again, this thud came from upstairs, not quite as loud as the first but a thud it was all the same and indeed, this would be the first and only thud that the psychologist would hear.

'What was that?' he asked.

'Oh, that was nothing; I am just having a few renovations done. You know it's a big house and I am the only one who lives here, so I like to keep it ship shape, nothing to worry about here whatsoever.'

'And there are no aliens, illegal or other living here?'

'Not at all Doc, just me and there is nothing illegal about me. I can assure you of that. Anyway, Doctor I don't mean to be rude, but I better get to seeing how the renovations are getting on. Things are a little hectic here at the moment unfortunately.'

'You are having renovations done right before you are having guests over?'

'That's why it is all such a rush. Thank you for coming doctor.'

The doctor did leave, cautiously and slowing, not all so convinced by what he has been told and saying that he would like to chat some more in the near future with Melvin though as he did leave, he thought things were rather quiet for a place undergoing any sort of renovations. As soon as the doctor's car pulled away, Melvin goes back upstairs only to find that Dan was not where Melvin had left him.

This is a more than a little worrying.