Sam’s alien encounter
This is an entry in Junior Dispatch’s alien short story contest. The effort earns the writer a free book from the York Emporium and a chance to win a $50 movie gift card and a $50 gift certificate from The York Emporium. The submission deadline was Aug. 1.
By Jasmine Null
Age 17, Hanover
The sky was a beautiful clear blue. It seemed like the night could go on forever. Sam rolled over and patted his pillow to get more comfortable. The camping trip with his family had been terrible, but the night sky seemed to make up for every argument that had come to pass. Mykayla, Sam’s younger sister, slept soundlessly in their parents shared sleeping bag. At age 9 she still seemed to be treated like a baby. The tent was set up behind them on the only even ground for miles, and yet is was so much more comfortable to sleep under the night sky. As a shooting star shot over head, Sam closed his eyes and slowly drifted into a light slumber.
~*~*~
About an hour later, Sam opened his eyes in surprising brightness. He lifted his head and held an arm up in an attempt to see. The light was coming from right above him! He swallowed audibly and looked up. It was like a nightmare come true. There were four humanoid looking beings hovering above and gawking at him.
“Umm … hello?” Sam managed. All that they responded with were a series of clicks and grunts, glancing back and forth amongst themselves.
“English? Can … um … you speak English?” he asked.
One descended and stood right at the foot of his sleeping bag, narrowly avoiding his toes.
“Yes, Samuel. I can speak your native tongue. My family and I were wondering if you would come with us for a spell,” the being spoke in a very feminine voice, it could almost be called shrill. There seemed to be no other indicator of gender however. They wore no clothes and all looked exactly the same except for a few slight variations in height.
“Are, are you going to …” Sam swallowed noisily again, “kill me?” He stared at his feet, sure that his heart would burst from his chest at the drop of a pin. Did he really want the answer? Wouldn’t it be better not to know?
The female laughed heartily. “No, dear Samuel. We wish not to harm you, only to examine and observe.” She held out a hand and motioned with her head for him to take it. Hesitantly, he reached up to her strangely human hand. He figured if he didn’t go willingly, they could easily over power and force him.
As soon as their skin touched he was whizzed through the air. He lost his breath back on the ground, and didn’t get it back until he touched the solid floor of their space ship, at least that’s what he assumed it was. The female released his hand and smiled, and Sam fainted.
~*~*~
Sam awoke to soft whirring and buzzing. He looked around the room for the female that had touched him, but couldn’t tell the difference between the several alien creatures in the room. There was so much technology and machines everywhere. The walls were covered with buttons and doo-dads. One of the aliens stepped right into his line of vision. It smiled, and Sam realized this was the female from before.
“Hello Samuel. How are you feeling?” She gently sat him upright, and some paper crinkled under him. He hadn’t noticed it before, the bed he was resting on was just like a doctor’s on Earth. “Oh, we thought the familiarity might make you slightly more comfortable.”
Sam jumped back, putting the bed between them. “You can read my mind?” he whispered. His throat suddenly closed.
Again, the female smiled. She pointed to a screen beside the bed. It was showing flashing images of death by alien. “This shows your thoughts. It helps us to analyze your dreams.” She paused, thinking. “Who is the short woman with the brown hair?”
Immediately Sam’s face turned bright red. “Ummm … just a friend. We go to the same school … and stuff.”
The images on the screen now showed Emily, a girl from Sam’s grade. She was dancing with a figure that looked slightly like Sam. Then the images started flashing faster and faster, always with the brown haired girl and Sam.
“Do you humans kiss all of your friends and …” she paused awkwardly. Sam’s face was now deep
scarlet.
“No, no, no … she is just a friend. I wish she was more though,” Sam finished quietly. Great, now everyone in the galaxy would know that he loved Emily. Sam jumped at the laughter of the female.
“Why should this trivial gossip bother us? Samuel, we really mean you no harm. These observations are for scientific research, not to dissuade your love interests. I am Vancheza, by the way. I saw the curiosity on your face.” She reached out her hand.
Sam shook it, saying, “Nice to meet you,” without ever meeting her gaze. He backed up against the wall behind him. “I’m sorry for … umm …”
“No need to apologize dear Samuel,” Vancheza interrupted.
“We are finished!” shouted a researcher from across the room.
“Can … can I go now?” Sam asked hesitantly. The last thing he wanted was to tick off a horde of superior beings. However, he really wanted to get back into his sleeping bag and pretend that none of this had happened. Maybe if he closed his eyes hard enough …
“Yes, Samuel. You are free to leave. However, if you wish for a ride anywhere in the world we could gladly take you for a visit before you return to slumber.” Vancheza smiled happily.
“Could we go to China? I’ve always wanted to see the Great Wall!” Sam exclaimed. It was totally worth it to be examined by aliens if he could see the wall.
“Of course!” Vancheza clicked and grunted at one of the other aliens. “Away we go!”
~*~*~
“Sam? Sam? SAM!”
“What the …” Sam sat up with a start. “Where am I?” He glanced around. The tent, the sleeping bags. “Whew …” he let out all the air he had unknowingly held in.
His mother helped him get up, and pack the sleeping bags. They folded the tent, loaded up the car, and began to drive away. Sam hadn’t said a word all morning, and looked extremely tired. They hit the highway, and Mykayla started chattering about her dream. It always involved ponies and rainbows.
Right as they pulled into the driveway, Sam saw it. There she went, a giant space craft. Oddly close to ground, and once it hit the skyline it could have passed as a shooting star. Sam waved, ignoring the questioning looks of his neighbors and parents, and silently wished Vancheza a safe journey home.
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