Phillip Westover was no ordinary man although he was loathe to think of himself as anything but ordinary. He was easy to ignore because he purposely made himself that way. He chose a nondescript color of brown for hair and eyes. He set his height at 5′ 11″, which was reasonable for a man of his chosen weight – 175 lbs.
People who knew Phillip liked him. He was intelligent, kind and fun to be around because of his easy going manner. However, he wasn’t what one would call “popular,” especially with the ladies. What people didn’t understand was Phillip chose to be that way. After all, how could a human and an alien mate?
Phillip liked Earth women. He found their curves intriguing. He liked the fact that they had hair too. Women on his planet were bald just like the men. While that was more expedient, it wasn’t nearly as interesting.
Phillip arrived on Earth in the late ’90s. The visit was not a planned one. His space craft crashed and, although he tried, he was unable to fix it. His homing beacon was destroyed as well, which meant his people could not easily locate him. That’s how Earth became his home away from home.
The Ceterans liked Earth. They often visited to check on the progress of humanity. They believed that sooner or later, humans would take to the stars to explore multiple plants. At least that was their feeling before the space program was all but shut down.
Still, the Ceterans continued to keep watch in the event other alien races grew worried that Earthlings were getting too advanced. Many of them had policies against such things. They would not hesitate to destroy the planet in an effort to thwart such advancement. Centary would not allow that to happen.
It was a beautiful spring day. Phillip decided to have lunch in the park. He enjoyed watching parents play with their children. That was foreign to him. On his planet, children were not raised at all. They were cloned and grew to adulthood within a matter of weeks.
Phillip had particular affection for the wee ones. He found them utterly enchanting. He could watch them for hours.
On that particular spring day, however, things did not go as planned. A little redhead girl of whom he was particularly fond fell from the top of a climbing tower, landing with a thud to the back of her head. She did not move.
Phillip moved forward as quickly as the child’s mother. She screamed her daughter’s name, begging the child to awake. When she did not, the woman looked at Phillip with panicked eyes.
Although he knew he should not interfere in any way, Phillip could not help himself. He quickly reached to take the child’s pulse. When he found none, he sprang into action with mouth to mouth resuscitation. That failed to yield results.
Phillip knew the ambulance would arrive too late. He had to decide what was more important; the child’s life or his exposure. Ultimately there was no choice.
Phillip placed his hand over the girl’s heart. He focused to shut out the sounds around him; the mother’s screams, the growing crowd’s mumblings.
‘Heal.’ The thought continued over and over in his mind. ‘Heal and be well.’
After a few moments, the child stirred. Phillip reached out to prevent her from arising. He feared she had several broken bones.
The mother looked on with awe. She reached out to touch Phillip’s hand.
“Thank you!” The words were more than a whisper yet they made Phillip’s heart soar in a way he’d never felt before.
The paramedics arrived at last and took the child away. Phillip hoped she would make a full recovery.
People surrounded Phillip and barraged him with questions. He tore himself away and made a run for it. Several people followed him. However, once he was out of view long enough, he made himself invisible. Those chasing him ran right by, unaware that he was there.
Phillip made his way back to his hidden craft. He knew he’d have to change his appearance to avoid detection. He hated that but it was necessary. There was no way people could know who or what he was.
Upset with his decision, Phillip altered his appearance. This time, he aged himself and went with spectacles and a semi-bald head. There was no way anyone would associate him with the savior in the park.
That night, over dinner in a café, Phillip watched the news. He was surprised to see the girl’s mother pop up in an interview.
“So you don’t know who the man was?” The newscaster asked the question in her usual fashion.
“No. All I know is that he saved my baby’s life. He’s out there somewhere and I want him to know he has a friend for life. Without him, Caroline would surely have died.”
“If he happens to be watching, what would you say to him?”
“I’d say that heroism comes in different ways. What he did today was heroic.”
Years passed and Phillip continued his journey on Earth. He intervened more than once in occurrences that should not have happened. By the end of his life, he’d saved over 100 human beings.
Although he sometimes wrestled with his interference, he firmly believed that God would have stopped him if the need arose. He saw his helping as nothing but an extension of what his people would do to protect the planet if need be. As it turned out, he was right.
Some 26 years later, Phillip was hurt when he tried to stop a mugging. His alien body changed to another human look before it reverted to his natural state. It was then that woman he saved became witness to his true being. She gasped in surprise.
“It’s you,” she whispered. “I prayed to see you again someday, but not this way. Now I know why you keep saving me.”
The woman rushed forward and softly caressed the dying being. Tears blurred her sight.
“You’re so beautiful. Somehow I knew you would be.”
Laying her head down to Phillip’s chest, she searched for a heartbeat. She listened as it began to slow. Eventually, it stopped altogether. That’s when she began to sob uncontrollably.
“Don’t leave me, my angel,” she begged. “Come back.”
Sadly, it was too late. Phillip was on his way home; back to the stars from whence he came.
