“I saw them lights again last night,” said Farmer Mills, “and when I got up this morning, there it was again. The message…from up there!” He pointed to the clouds.
Brian tried to look distantly interested with the story, rather than simply annoyed, as the camera swung back to focus on him. “There you have it,” he said to the people watching at home. “Whether elaborate hoax or message from beyond the stars, these mysterious circles will certainly be a talking point in this small town for years to come. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, people much further away are talking about it too.”
Farmer Mills put out his hand for Brian to shake. Not sure whether or not the camera was still rolling, Brian took it and tried to ignore the eye-watering alcohol fumes that came off the man. The scorched, bent corn stalks certainly were mysterious, but he couldn’t help but wonder why aliens would travel all that way only to leave a message that nobody could read. And why here? He had the feeling that Farmer Mills would struggle even if it was in English.
“Alright.” Brian turned to the cameraman. “You got the aerial footage already, right? Let’s go then.”
Farmer Mills waved as the news van left. Brian didn’t wave back.
***
“Check it out,” said Xarthnon, prodding a tentacle against the side of the saucer’s bubbledome. “I cornpainted a graving of a sklungepford on that planet.”
“Xarthnon, that’s rude!” whoomped Skrillda. “Think of the younglings!”
Xarthnon shrumped. “Who’s going to see it all the way out here?”
YOU ARE READING
OCR is Not the Only Font
HumorSilly, surreal and sometimes serious, these thirty-one very short stories cover a vast range of subjects and themes. Written entirely during July 2012, these flash fiction pieces are accompanied by a deeply unscientific analysis of the challenge tha...
