Cover by Rocky Kelley

As we barrel toward the August 29 premiere of Rayguns Over Texas at LoneStarCon 3 (aka the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention) in San Antonio, I am presenting book excerpts, one contributor per day.

Today’s selection comes from Joe R. Lansdale‘s “Rex.”

Joe R. Lansdale delivers his twisted take on the classic tale of a boy and his dog and aliens.

Benny moved the telescope, shrugged out of his pajamas, put on his clothes, and climbed out the window. “Rex, come on, boy.”

Rex got off the bed and bounded through the window. They raced like wind blown shadows across the yard, ran toward the great line of trees beyond. It took a while to get there, and when they did, they had to ease down a hill and cross a creek. They went through the woods, Benny thinking on things, trying to figure where the ship might have landed.

The forest trail was narrow, but Benny had been down it many times before with Rex. Rex was always with him. Rex never failed as a loyal dog. Rex even took the lead, Benny thinking it was because he was hoping he might startle a sleeping bunny, scare up some low nesting birds. Then, smack dab in the middle of the trail, where it widened, right before the trees broke into a clearing on the other side, they saw it.

It was at an angle. It had knocked down a couple of trees and smacked part of the way into the ground. The wound it had made in the earth was what was holding it up. It was a small space ship, a saucer. It was maybe the size of Benny’s bedroom.

There was a round portal in its side and it was open. A bit of white smoke drifted out of it, but that soon turned clear. Benny could only see darkness through the gap. A thought occurred to him. Whoever had flown the machine might have gotten out of the saucer and was wandering about. Or maybe it had only opened the portal and had not been able to get out. Maybe whatever had been in the saucer was still there, and injured.

Benny looked around, found a bit of limb that had fallen off a tree. It was small enough to handle, big enough for a club. If he could get on board and bean him a man from outer space, kill him, then he would be hero. He could say it had a ray gun or something. No. They’d look and not find one. That wouldn’t do. Whatever. There was a good lie to be told, all he had to do was tell it, because the rest of it was real. There was a space ship in the woods and he was here with it. Him and Rex.

Easing up on the ship, Benny came to the gap and looked inside. Dark. Nothing else. Just dark. It was scary.

Benny put a hand on the ship to step up through the hole, and found he could lift it. Lift the whole thing, the entire ship. It occurred to him it might be cardboard, that he may have seen a special kind of kite fall, and this was it. He had been fooled.

No. This was no kite. Too big for that. The answer was simple. It was made out of very light material; some kind of super space science. Benny sat the saucer down so that it rested in the middle of the trail, where the clearing started.

Rex put both paws on the gap, looked inside the ship and growled.

“Its still in there?” Benny said.

Rex wagged his tail.

“Go get it,” Benny said. “Kill it. You get it down, I’ll come in with the stick.”

Rex turned his head and looked at Benny.

“Go get it,” Benny said again.

Rex didn’t want to go, that was easy to see. But Benny kept urging him, and faithful as always, Rex climbed inside with a bit of a boost from Benny. Benny could hear Rex running around in there, hear his paws scuffing over the floor. After awhile Rex barked. Then there was silence.

Benny called for Rex, but Rex didn’t come out.

All of a sudden, Benny didn’t want to hit the space man anymore. He didn’t want to be there. He felt sorry for Rex, but in a case like this everyone was on their own.

Benny threw down the limb and darted back the way he had come, over the creek up the hill, across the clearing, and climbed back through his bedroom window.

 

Excerpt from “Rex” © 2013 by Joe R. Lansdale.