Reading the Visitor’s Emotions
Julia uses her superpowers to read the visitor
I was getting ready to leave for school when my phone rang. “I am Peter Seeger, the Chief Scientist at NASA. Could I speak with Julia?” the voice at the other end said.
I blinked. Why was NASA calling a middle school history teacher? “Yes, this is Julia,” I said, trying to sound calm.
“Sorry to bother you…but I got your name from Dr.Thomas Dalton. He says you have this superpower to see emotions…what do you call it?”
“Aura Vision…I can see the emotions that others are feeling. They show up as distinct colors on their faces.”
“Perfect…we need your help urgently. I am sending a vehicle to your place to pick you up. Can you get ready in…ten minutes? I can tell you everything when we meet.” With that, he disconnected.
I sighed and collapsed on my couch. I knew this day would come when the authorities would want to put my superpower to use.
Since I was a child, I have had this ability. I could see different colors on my friends’ faces as they went through strong emotions. It never occurred to me that I had any special powers. I believed everyone could see what I was seeing. Over the years, I realized that wasn’t the case. I tried to keep my powers a secret as long as possible but I had to come clean one day. Dr.Thomas was the one who studied me and published a paper on the inner workings of my superpower.
Peter was waiting in the lobby when I arrived at the NASA building thirty minutes later. He greeted me and took me to the tenth floor. He didn’t say a word till we were inside his office and the door was closed behind us.
“Julia, what you are about to see here…we need you to keep it strictly confidential. Can we have your word?” I nodded silently.
“Good. Three days ago, a spaceship from another planet crash-landed in a wooded area about fifty miles from here. There was one visitor on the ship and he escaped with minor injuries. Though he looks different from us, he seems to have the same physiology as us. Probably life on their planet evolved similarly to life on earth. But all our efforts to communicate with him have failed. That’s where you come in. We need you to look at him and identify his emotions…can you do that?”
“I can try…I need to have a clear view of his face and I need to be within five feet from him.”
“Sure,” with that Peter got up and opened the door behind him to reveal another room and a gurney in the middle. The visitor was lying on the gurney with his body fully covered except his face. It looked like he was tied to the frame. He couldn’t move.
I moved closer and looked at his face. His head was small and bald. His eyes were unusually large. We both stared at each other for one full minute and then his eyes slowly turned away.
Peter asked, “His face looks gray to me. Do you see any other color on his face?”
“No, I see gray too. That means his emotions are not showing up on his face,” I said disappointingly.
We both fell silent for a few seconds. Peter then turned and walked towards the door, indicating the interview was over. As I was about to turn back, I heard a distinct tapping sound.
I froze and asked, “Peter, do you hear it?”
“No, I don’t hear anything,” said Peter with a furrowed brow.
Suddenly, the sound reached such a high pitch that it became unbearable. I pushed Peter away and dashed out of that room.
I was used to seeing the color of fear on people’s faces. For the first time in my life, I heard fear loud and clear.
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