"Are you an alien? Or an astronaut who lost direction?"

Startled I looked around and instantly my gaze landed on an old man. He was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, his head was covered with a p-cap and he was holding a cane in his hand.

For a second I forgot I was on an alien planet about which I knew nothing. I sighed in relief after everything that I had gone through to hear another human voice. I was about to thank whatever God's were listening but then it dawned on me, that this alien could be dangerous.

So far he looked like a normal old mam but what if the inhabitants of this planet looked harmless to capture prey. I had to stay on guard. My reality was clear to me. I was on alien ground and needed to look after myself.

Due to my inner monologue, I didn't respond to the old man who asked another question looking concerned, "Miss? Can you hear me? Can you understand what I am saying?"

I nodded and with caution decided to ask him, "Hey there. Um, where- where am I? What's it called?"

Without a doubt or hesitation, he answered, "You are in Amnesty Bay, Maine. Are you alright? That crash looked bad."

I had heard of Amnesty Bay. It was a fictional place, I was sure of it. My mind kept blinking that I had read this name in some comic book during my teen years but which one, was a bit hazy.

The old man tried a different tactic, "I am Thomas Curry, call me Tom. I am the lighthouse keeper." He nodded behind me and I turned slightly to see a majestic lighthouse standing solitary on the edge of a cliff. The name sounded familiar too but there could be an alien named Thomas Curry, who was I to judge? Plus, my mind seemed hazy due to the crash. He could see I was struggling with something in my mind and smiled at me, "If you want to make a call or have some coffee, you can follow me. It's gonna get chillier soon."

With that he turned around and began a slow hike down the cliff we were on, towards the lighthouse.

I don't know why but I felt like I could trust this man. He hadn't tried to ask any strange questions or tried to eat me as movies used to make aliens out to be. He glanced behind him once, possibly to check if I had begun following him or not yet. I hadn't. So he still went slowly down, feeling the steps with his cane before stepping.

At that instant, I made my decision.

I went to my crashed shuttle, got my bag, made sure I had that TSRS black box and the rest of my provided stuff, and ran after the old man.

As I approached him from behind I decided it was time to introduce myself too, "Um, I am Anna Richards."

Without turning back he responded, "Nice decision Anna." He was referring to me deciding to follow him.

"Sir? What about my space shuttle?" I asked, even saying it out loud sounded ridiculous to my ears but he seemed unfazed.

"Please call me Tom. And we can come back for it tomorrow if you want. Its doing to be dusk soon and nights at the ocean are wet and chilly. You won't be able to get that thing anywhere. My son could help if you decide to stay for a while."

So, he had a son, old enough to help. This was nice. Family means these guys are probably not violent. Whether I will take advantage of their hospitality or not yet was still undecided.

We walked quite a bit, carrying my bag on the uneven paths, after the crash that I had was hard, but I didn't complain. Soon, we were entering the tough lighthouse.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Tom welcomed me into the place which looked like a cozy little home. It was wholesome. I was surprised to see everything so warm and inviting. I couldn't help but comment, "Mrs. Curry has done a nice job with this place. It's so homely."

He looked at me with a smile and told, "Yes she has. Though my wife and son are away for business, you can rest in the guest room. I'll brew some coffee."

I looked at everything silently in awe. Everything looked so Earthly, it was hard to believe I was on a different planet. He showed me a well-kept, small room with an attached bathroom and left to work in the kitchen.

I locked the door and went to prepare for a shower. Showers always helped me gather my thoughts. Standing under the water like in rain, always helped me sort through my monologues and understand whatever was bothering me.

I took my time and Tom didn't disturb me. Of course, I was still cautious, but I was too tired and my brain needed rest after knowing that aliens existed and they had my mother and daughter, and I just traveled through space to get here in a space shuttle.

I shivered involuntarily at the final thought. My nights were definitely going to be full of nightmares of space.

Thomas Curry's name and Amnesty Bay, kept ringing in my head. They sounded familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. It felt like I was missing something important but what? I couldn't remember.

I had found a medium-length dress in my bag, which I changed into. For a while, I sat on the bed beside the window looking at my stuff and the elephant in the room, the TSRS black box. I had no idea what to do about it and I didn't want to work on it yet. My stomach grumbled and I realized how long it had been since I had a proper meal. Maybe a day or two?

I could see the ocean waves through the window. Its glass was closed but steel shutters were open. Seas and oceans have always scared me just as much as the space. Both because of my human idea that I can't breathe underwater or in space. And now I had traveled through space and was sitting in a lighthouse near the open ocean.

A sudden thought pierced my mind and I was startled.

What if, I am back on Earth?

What if, my planet didn't get destroyed?

This would explain why there were no atmospheric troubles in breathing, how Tom has such an American name and knew English. How his manners were so human.

What if, I had been manipulated away from my family?

Was any of it really? Everything that I saw? The hospital beds, the robotic holograms and arrows, the screen telling me that my planet didn't exist anymore and my species was endangered, and those thousands of space shuttles in the hangar?

Before I could go mad with questions, Tom knocked on the door, "Anna, are you alright? It's been an hour. I was about to set dinner."

I sighed, food comes first, the rest can be figured out on a full stomach. I quickly opened the door to a worried Tom, "I'm okay. Just had a rough day." I gave a tired smile and he didn't ask further questions.

Soon we were silently seated at a small dining table. Tom was a surprisingly good cook. I had never tasted fish the way he cooked it. I complimented him and he smiled. I realized he must be cooking for himself and his family for a while, to be this good at it.

At first, we had small talk. I asked about his life and routine, which he told me was pretty monotonous. His wife and son were often away as they did some business he didn't clarify on and I didn't press.

He asked me again, "Anna, are you really alright? I have a first aid kit, if any crash wound needs help, I can lend it to you." For a second his look was fatherly but I wasn't ready to give up caution yet.

I thanked him for food by doing the dishes, which took little insisting. He seemed tired. Once done, I was walking back to him in the sitting area to ask a few more questions to confirm if I was on Earth or some alien planet, I noticed a family photo beside a vase.

For a second I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. Tom saw my expression and asked, "Anna, you look pale. What's wrong? Should I get the medical kit?"

But I needed answers, not medicine.

I picked up the frame that was holding a picture of a family of three. Tom to the right side and a beautiful woman to the left. A huge man, clearly their son, stood smiling broadly in the middle, arms around both his parents.

Tom saw what I had seen and his demeanor changed, "Anna, I believe it's time, you should rest-"

"This is your family?"

I couldn't believe how my voice sounded, so full of disbelief. My subconscious had probably made the connection but my conscious mind was struggling with the truth.

Tom tried to take the frame from my hand once again, "Miss, please give me the picture and have some rest. We can talk in the morni-"

"We are talking right now."