Southern Cross - Novel

Ok here is a novel from a dream I had a while back. I hope you enjoy it.


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Southern Cross


In the state of Michoacan, Mexico there is a little village by the name of Las Oilas which is small almost primitive community of thirty-four residents. They live a simple life with no modern appliances, no cellphones, no tv, nothing to connect them to the world as you and I know it. They have been there for three generations living in an arid, desert area with no real discernable form or landmark to speak of. They perform their daily tasks of growing vegetables and tending to animals for their livelihood and food stores. One well in the center of town provides all the life giving fluid they need. It is simple but in certain ways paradise as no one bothers them from the outside.

Everyone is content to not question their lives except for 12 year old Miguel. His uncle who recently passed away went to the city and brought back a book of astronomy for Miguel, since he has always been intrigued by the stars. Most of the people in Las Oilas cannot read or write, they have had no need to. However Miguel’s uncle did as he frequented the city being the rebel he was it seems. Uncle learned to read in school in the city trying to make an alternate life for himself there. However in the end he came back to his village to live out his life. Miguel’s parents were not too happy with uncle giving hopes in things that are too difficult to reach. It did not matter Miguel was caught up in his dreams to be an astronomer.

Miguel would tell people in the village what constellations he is seeing each season. It was refreshing for everyone to see such an enthusiastic kid. There is work to do and life to live for Miguel, he will just have to keep dreaming, hoping, wishing.

Miguel sat out on his favorite large rock in the desert away from everyone late at night looking at the stars. The view was beautiful as always being no city is near to give light pollution. In the horizon he sees a light moving in the sky. Too slow for a falling star, what could it be. For a long time he watches as it slowly moves and realizes it is coming towards his village. It seems to just hover in the sky. “Could this be visitors from another world?” he thinks to himself. He watches it but sleep just starts overtaking him. He tries to stay awake but the object in the sky and the stars go blurry as he drifts off uncontrollably.

It is morning and everyone at the same time starts getting up. Miguel wakes up and runs home. As soon as he gets there, the whole village seems groggy and disoriented. No one seems to be interested in the object last night as Miguel tries to encourage interest. After a bit everyone starts getting into their routines noticing they had all slept too late as it is almost noon. However life continues as it must. Everyone works and does the jobs they are so used to each day.

Night falls and Miguel is anxious to watch the skies and see if the object reappears. He looks and looks but no object. However he does notice something odd, very odd. He sees the constellation southern cross. He is baffled and looks at the other constellations and stars he is familiar with. The night sky is totally different. He runs and tells his parents that the sky is wrong tonight. They look as most of the villagers come out to see what the issue is. No one seems to understand what Miguel is telling them. His dad explains that stars change with every season. No one seems to be listening to Miguel that all the stars have change in one day. Miguel goes to plot everything he sees.

The next day Miguel gets his astronomy book out and finds the hemisphere of sky they are looking at. He calculates in his head where they would have to be to see these stars at this time of year. It frustrates him trying to understand what some people go to college to began to know. However he finally estimates where they are and a rush of emotion comes over him wondering how this could be. He tells his parents and the villagers that the book shows these stars at this time of year to be only visible in these places on earth. He tries to explain that we are in the country of Australia. Everyone laughs as he keeps insisting they are not in Mexico anymore. Some of the villagers become angry at the thought of this and tell his parents to get control of their child. Some become concerned that Miguel studying the stars so much might be demon possessed with black magic. Satan could be playing with him as he has learned things he shouldn’t have. Miguel’s dad is not concerned for that but bothered that some think it. He tells Miguel to put the book away and do his chores. Miguel is depressed and walks away with his hung low.

Everyone is working as normal into the evening. Miguel saddened by no one believing him has no interest in the night sky now. His dad sits at his bed and tells him that maybe he is right, but all everyone knows is what is here on the ground. His dad puts his book aside and covers Miguel. As his dad is about to leave, Miguel says, “Dad.” His dad pauses and looks at Miguel. Miguel asks, “How will we ever know where we are going if we only look at the ground?” His dad perplexed by the question stares and walks off silently.

Morning breaks and Miguel is wakened by his dad. He says, “Get up Miguel, we are going on a trip.” He tells Miguel they are going on a father-son overnight trip to cheer him up. Miguel’s spirits are coming up and the whole village is happy to see his dad taking and active role in Miguel’s well being. They leave as everyone says goodbye. As they get out of site of the village Miguel’s dad turns the conversation from common things to a new subject. He says, “Son I believe you about the stars and us being in the wrong place.” Miguel astonished looking asks his dad why he believes him now. His dad states, “Miguel after you said what you said last night I went out and looked at the stars. I was confused why the sky is different but gave up trying to understand it. That is till I was looking at our well and noticed something. I noticed a stone was out of place just so slightly. I helped repair the well when a cart hit it. I looked around the village noticed little things are slightly out of place than before. For some reason we are not even in the same village.” Miguel is stunned at his dad’s statement. He asks what they should do. His dad tells him they are hiking to see something that he knows will confirm they are in the wrong place.

They hike for hours taking breaks and began to notice the area and terrain starting to change. Even the soil is different. They come over a hill and there is a large facility with buildings and vehicles parked out front. Both Miguel and his dad are amazed of the find and hide behind the small hill. Dad states they will hide till dark and then look around.

Night falls and they began to move towards the encampment of buildings. They follow like to two thieves a worker and manage to sneak in the door as the worker passes the security lock. They come to a room and see maps of the area and pictures of their village. There are pictures of each person taken from like they were laying on medical beds asleep. The boy can make out some of the English words as he learned from his uncle enough English to read his astronomy book. He reads and tells his dad the whole village is here and they are watching us. His dad says they need to leave right now and they sneak out the way they came in. They manage to make it out of the area and rest. Dad tells Miguel we will keep going in the direction of this road and find a city. We must tell someone about this. Miguel is concerned that everyone might be in on it. His Dad says we have to take the chance it is a secret. He figures if it was a secret from the village, it must be a secret from everyone else not involved.

They hike at night and shelter during the day. Their food and water almost out they come across a large hill and a sizeable town appears. They see a church and enter, tired and worn by the elements. The minister tends to their needs as Miguel in broken English explains what is wrong. The minister gets the local police and they take Miguel and his dad to question them. The police figure where they came from and find someone that can speak Spanish. The interpreter tells Miguel and his dad that from where they came from is government property of the United States. They are in the Australian outback. However that area is a CIA base area. No one is allowed in there. Australian police notify the federal government and word starts to get out. Soon there is a mob of media to find out what has happened. Australian military and police drive Miguel and his dad through the designated US territory and confront US officials. Despite pleas and even orders the Australian authorities seize the base and drive Miguel and his dad to the place that looks like their village.

After all is investigated it comes out in the news of what has happened. A rogue part of the CIA was experimenting in relocating primitive people in various parts of the world to other parts for whatever scenarios they had plotted. The main thing was to see if entire villages could be transplanted without notice. They had gassed this village with sleeping gas and abducted them one night long ago by helicopter and moved them to a base in Australia where they could analyze them. They had reconstructed their entire village down to every detail. The US government had dismantled this rogue agency for it’s crimes and paid restitution to the villagers who are safely back in Mexico. All of this exposed because one child saw the southern cross and knew where he should be. Miguel is granted a full scholarship to any college he wants and schooling to get him there. The US also grants him a job upon completion. Private industries decide to buy him a telescope.

It is night Las Oilas and the whole village is turned out to look at the. One of the villagers ask Miguel if everything looks good. Miguel looks at his dad smiling and his dad looks back proudly as Miguel states, “The heavens are beautiful.” Dad asks Miguel if he will be out all night again with his new telescope. Miguel laughs and starts walking towards his telescope, which happens to be large reflecting professional one inside an observatory building. A plaque outside of it says, “Miguel’s”.