As he stood within the trees, watching the road snaking up the hill and savoring the tart scent of the pines, a glint of light caught his eye. Looking up, he saw an object in the eastern sky.
The object hovered in the air like a silent helicopter, floating near the ridge a thousand yards away. He strained his ears and heard a slight hum. The woods were quiet with no other sounds, only the faint humming sound.
Now, he saw the vehicle clearly with clean, well-defined lines, glinting in the twilight like burnished metal. He was unable to discern any seams in the object.
There was the light. The netherworld of dusk, presaging nightfall, began to engulf the mountain. The object remained bright, a self-contained amazing slightly pulsating source of glowing light.
The craft’s movements reminded him of a leaf falling, catching updrafts as it fell. Then it settled onto the surface. The man watched as three small beings came around from the far side of the vehicle and moved to the clearing’s edge. He strained his eyes to see the creatures silhouetted against the craft; they were small, humanoid, and moved strangely with a gliding motion.
Two more beings appeared and joined in the exploration of the area outside of the craft.
Suddenly, the craft shook. First, the left side dipped a little, about three feet, as far as the man could tell; the right side soon caught up. As the quicksand took hold, the craft began to sink into the ground. Despite himself, the man chortled.
The occupants glided toward the other side of the sinking craft, disappearing.
Suddenly, the disc began to glow brilliantly, becoming more and more intense as the craft shuddered. It lifted slightly.
The light dimmed. The vehicle settled back into the bog.
Again the light glowed, becoming brighter than it had before and the ship began to vibrate, shaking the earth around it. With a plop, the craft freed itself from the bog and hovered two hundred feet in the air.
The man didn’t hear the sound; he was too busy laughing. He continued to laugh, laughing so hard his sides hurt. Tears streamed down his face.
He continued to laugh, closing his eyes, bending over, and holding his sides. He paused and opened his eyes but the craft wasn’t in view. He looked around to find it had moved to the north, about three hundred feet from him.
Apprehension rose.
“I’m scared.”
He turned in the direction of the path leading him to the safety of his house. He started to run but was unable to move.
“My legs are wooden, dead.”
No matter how hard he tried; his legs wouldn’t operate.
Fear turned to terror as he heard a voice inside his head.
“DO NOT BE AFRAID!”
The End
Thank you for reading