My Prompt Stories - 1. Story 1: Can This be Happening?

I was sitting on the sofa in my living room when I happened to glance out of one of the windows.

“What the fuck?” I gasped. “This can’t be happening!”

I live in the country and I watched as a noiseless vehicle descended out of the sky and landed in the field across the road from the house. I’d never seen anything like it before and it didn’t appear to be something that had originated on earth.

‘Where the hell did it come from and who, or what, is inside?’ I silently debated as I gazed at the vessel and wondered what was going to happen next.

The craft sat silently for quite a few minutes as I theorized where it had come from. It was far too large to be a child’s toy, so possibly it’s a test vehicle that’s being designed and tested by a government agency. The only question left is if it’s our government or that of another nation?

I was enthralled by this anomaly and couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Surely, something has to happen, because it can’t just sit there forever, can it? Will it merely remain where it is or will it take off again? Is it a robotic vehicle or is there something or someone inside that is operating the controls? There was a myriad of questions going through my mind when I caught a glimpse of something happening.

It was almost imperceptible at first, but I noticed a horizontal slit that began to appear. It gradually widened into an opening and slowly grew before my eyes. The opening was several feet (2.1 m) off the ground and didn’t appear to be very large, so what was its purpose. Had one of the occupants opened a door to exit the vehicle, or was it for another purpose?

I was intrigued and couldn’t stop staring at the void when I became aware of something else. Slowly, a ramp was being lowered from the base of the opening and it continued to emerge until it finally touched the ground. Was I about to get a glimpse of whatever was inside?

Suddenly, my mind kicked into overdrive as I wondered if a human was about to emerge or if it would be something else. I guess I’ve always wondered if there could be sentient life on other planets and found it difficult to believe that we’re the only intelligent creatures in the universe. Am I about to observe the answer to this question for myself? If so, will it be a humanoid life form, or will it be something else. Maybe it will be appear more reptilian or possibly even spider-like, but whatever it is, it must be extremely intelligent.

I was mesmerized and couldn’t take my eyes off the spacecraft when something else happened. Two forms emerged from the opening and started walking down the ramp. They each had a head, two arms, and two legs, but they weren’t exactly human. Even from this distance I could tell they were only about four feet (1.2 m) tall with spindly legs and long, slender arms. They were also hairless and even though I could see two eyes and a mouth, their skin tone was grayish-green in color and unlike any of the skin tones of humans on earth. They were definitely aliens!

Since mine was the only house in the area, were they going to come here next or would they merely go about doing whatever it was that they came to do? I felt I should grab my phone to record what I was seeing, or possibly even call the authorities to report what was happening, but I was unable to move. Were they doing this to me or was I just paralyzed in fright?

My mind was in overdrive as I attempted to answer these and other questions swirling about in my mind. Were they going to experiment on me or were they about to take me with them? Was I about to become one of their lab animals, or would they take me back to wherever they came from and make me an exhibit in something similar to one of our zoos? Even worse, were they going to use me for one of their meals, or were they a friendly and benevolent race? The more questions I asked myself, the more worried I became, but I was unable to do anything about it. No matter what their intentions were, it seemed there was nothing I could do about it.

I watched as the beings appeared to glide closer to the house and I realized I was about to get the answers to some of my questions. Would I like what they were or would the situation be worse than I feared? I guess I was about to find out.

Before they reached the house, however, I began to hear a noise that seemed to be coming from the air. Was it another craft joining these two? I immediately doubted that prospect, because their craft had been completely silent. However, the noise seemed to grow louder, but the two creatures appeared to be totally oblivious to it. Why would that be so?

The noise grew so loud that it broke me free of my trance, or should I say it woke me up? I’d apparently fallen asleep on the sofa earlier and the sound I heard was a helicopter flying overhead. I wasn’t sure if it was an emergency vehicle on an errand, a police copter on a chase, or a news chopper covering some sort of story, but I realized this had all been a dream.

As I sat up on the sofa, I breathed a sigh of relief. I also glanced out the window at the location where the alien spacecraft had set down.

“What the fuck?” I gasped. “This really can’t be happening!”

In the field across the road set the same vehicle that I had seen in my dream. I’m not certain if I’d even heard a helicopter now, but I’m sure something had awakened me. Was I about to experience the same events as before, but this time while awake, or was this merely a waking dream?

When I looked in the direction of the spacecraft again, I noticed the opening appearing and the ramp being lowered to the ground. Would the rest play out as it had in my dream, or will the events be better than I’d imagined or far worse than what I’d feared previously?

THE END.