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The Plough And Orion
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3
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I was still pondering this thought when I saw the spaceship. Id
like to say it looked like a saucer or maybe a cigar and then perhaps
youd believe me. All those people in America who've seen them say thats
what they look like. But the thing is, it looked far more like a
lollipop to me than anything else. Or maybe a tennis racket. It was just
like a round bowl shape with a long handle to it. I suppose you could
call it a flying frying pan but it doesnt have the same ring. It just
sounds kinda stupid.
At first I thought the strange arrangement of lights in front
of me was a constellation I hadnt noticed before, some stars arranged in
a freakish geometric pattern. But then they kinda moved a little bit
forward, almost by accident, as if it had sneezed, and I realised I was
looking at not stars but windows. I couldnt see anyone inside the
windows and the ridiculous thought came into my mind as to whether or
not they had curtains they could close when they wanted to sleep. I
thought they probably had blinds. Curtains seemed too cheap.
The spaceship kinda freaked me a bit to begin with, but then I
smiled at the thought that I might actually get to meet the owners and I
stood up and waved at it, urging it to land so I could go inside. I
guess I thought, in my arrogance, that maybe the reason it was there was
to see me, and I felt kinda awed at these alien beings here on my
account.
I suppose you'd like to know lots of silly pointless details,
like how big it was, and did it have any markings and how many windows
there were. Well to tell the truth I don't notice things like that. I
noticed the way the moonlight seemed to cling to it, like a protective
skin. I noticed a kinda sweet pungent smell which I thought probably
emanated from the ship. But as for size, no idea.
I dont mind telling you I was transfixed by the thing. I thought
it was the most beautiful thing Id ever seen. I wanted to touch it and
see if it was warm. I wanted to lay my head on its metallic sheen and
embrace it. I ran down the hill towards where it was hovering. But all
the time it seemed to move away from me the way a rainbow does. I ran
and ran, stumbling over the grass and the bracken, clambering over
hedges and gates. But however fast I ran it always stayed the same
distance away from me, just out of reach. It kinda hovered about twenty
feet up in the air; it seemed like it was teasing me. Finally I caught
my foot in one of those snags in the grass where rabbits lie, and I
tumbled over till I was lying on my back with my feet facing up the
slope.
I stopped then, gave up trying to move. There were tears in my
eyes at the beauty I felt I'd lost and I lay there staring up at the
sky. There was a redness in the air Id never seen before, and I guess
this was related somehow to the ship. I decided I'd never move or close
my eyes again, just lay there till I died. And then suddenly the ship
was above my head and I could see it as clear as day. It was the colour
of a winter frost and yet not cold at all. It just kinda hovered above
me for ages, perfectly still. I felt like a giant eye was staring down
at me and then somehow, don't ask me to explain how, it was as if it
kinda winked at me, just for one second. It made me so happy I thought
I'd burst and I clenched my eyes shut to keep the emotion in. I held
those eyelids shut for a long time and all the time the image of the
ship seared itself into my mind. When I opened them my spaceship had
gone and so had the sweet pungent smell.
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