Andrew was sitting on the edge of his seat by the time the movie was over. It was an action film, with guns blazing and lights flashing from beginning til end. This was his favorite kind of movie. You could just turn off your mind for an hour and a half, he'd say, and worry about your problems later. Society--It wasn't so cold hearted after all. Whoever wrote these scripts, and put up those commercials knew exactly what people needed. Escape. Constant, unrelenting escape, and Andrew was glad to be a customer. There was something so horrible, however, that not the scariest film, nor greatest comedy could ever make him forget It would cover the earth in a matter of minutes, and not the most remote part of the planet would be able to avoid the engulfment of terror; at 5:52 PM on December 3rd, a planet emerged out of the abyss and began to rapidly approach Earth. As Andrew and others left the theater, they couldn't help but see a golden sphere in the sky, complementing the moon and sun. Store owners and drivers were all in the streets, pointing, taking pictures, calling their friends and family. The bars and local shops began to fill up--anyone who had a TV had it turned to the news stations. NASA was clueless. Whatever it was, it had not been evident until now. Astronomers and physicists searched in vain for any prelude to the object’s appearance. There was none. Normally, scientists were aware of dozens of objects that could or would hit earth. Most of them were small asteroids, sometimes they were comets. An object of this magnitude would have been noticed years in advance. Why then, was it only discovered right before it was about to collide with Earth? Within the hour, military was flying in over Washington in case of an attack. Citizens of were told to remain calm, and that “this could be a natural but very bizarre case of dark matter and worm holes.” At least a dozen theories were developed over the course of the afternoon. Most of them proved to be false, by the sheer fact that the object stopped its approach when it was halfway between Earth and the Moon. No natural causes could be used to explain this. Whatever it was, it had to be intelligent. "I urge my fellow Americans to remain vigilant and keep their eyes to the stars." The last message from the President, before communications went dark. II Andrew was running home. His house was only down the road from the theater, and nobody could drive because everyone was in the street with binoculars and telescopes. His stomach felt queazy as he opened the door, finding his mother, father and sister huddled around the television. "You know what's going on?" Asked his father. "Of course Dad. I saw the thing." "They're saying they don't know what it is." "It's pretty big whatever it is." "At least twice as big as the Moon," noted his sister. Their mother remained quiet, her hand pressed against her lips. She was always feeling anxious, and this certainly wasn't helping. "Why don't we pack our bags and head someplace less populated, in case of an attack?" Asked Andrew. He'd seen the movies, just about all of them. The best thing to do was to get away from large populations, and wait it out. "We don't even know if they're hostile. Hell, this thing could be a barren rock that washed up for all we know." Andrew went to the fridge and grabbed a coke. Reports began to pour in about a missing President. The family quieted down significantly, and Andrew's hand began to tremble. “As you can see, the White House is in a panic. Reports are that the president has vanished.” Seeing the image made Andrew's stomach jump. He put his coke down and ran to the window in utter fear. "Further updates: Russia, England, China and Australia are all missing their heads of state! World leaders have apparently vanished off the planet. May God have mercy, have mercy." Outside, the neighbors began to shout. There were loud noises as families frantically packed, cars screeched down the road and, back near the movie theater, windows were smashed. Utter chaos had broken out, and the new glowing satellite remained utterly silent in the wake of terror. Andrew was collecting comic books, socks, pens, paper, health bars (he never ate them before, but they seemed appropriate now), and a digital camera. "What else should we bring?" he shouted to his father. “Just pack lightly, we’re getting out of here fast!” "Clothes, honey! Bring that sweater!" his mother shouted from across the hall. One by one, the streets began to empty out. People were heading west, away from the coast. Andrew wondered what good that would do. After all, no matter where they went, the terrible sphere would remain in the sky. The T.V. was on full volume and blasting throughout the house. In a few minutes, the family was outside, packing the van for an aimless trip. When they were about ready to leave, Andrew's sister quietly placed her mp3 player on the hood of the car, and tugged her brother's shoulder. "Andy, it's opening up." His eyes shot up to the sky. In the center of the glowing sphere, a swirling void began to open up, followed by what appeared to be a geyser of golden particles shooting towards the Earth. They shimmered in the sun rays, gradually getting bigger. Andrew's father was furiously watching with binoculars. "They're, they're--" "They look like spheres." "You're right son. They must be spaceships. Thousands of them." The dazzling light show was brighter than any fireworks, despite it being the late afternoon. Each tiny particle gradually grew larger as they approached, surrounded and then enter Earth's atmosphere. Clusters of lights in the sky began to swarm in giant clouds of sunshine. Across the planet, everyone now watched in silence. These "clouds" began to pour down along the coastlines, heading vertically towards the Earth. Dozens were reported over the skyscrapers of New York, London, Chicago, Mexico City--They gently hovered over the inhabitants below. Andrew fiddled with the car radio. Most stations were dead by now. A handful continued to broadcast sound bites between the waves of panic. "The most peculiar thing is happening right now," spoke the anchorman. "Across the globe, these golden spheres seem to be heading towards China and India, culminating in a massive swirling pattern. Those aboard the the International Space Station tell us how it looks from above," Jutting into a recording, "--Like the golden hurricane, complete with the eye of the storm and everything. I can't believe it." "More updates to follow soon. Stay tuned, fellow Americans, and remain vigilant." Though vigilance had little to do with what was going on. Humanity was helpless and facing a cosmological event as great as planetary collision. iii A Message The golden threads began to compact, forming arches and platforms that stretched for miles. As the hours passed, it became clear that a massive structure was being assembled, with a spiraling "eye" heading down into major Asian and East-Asian cities. "It makes sense," muttered a scientist watching an old television in the Pentagon. The conference room was dark except for the flickering screen. His colleagues anxiously sipped coffee.Some cried shamelessly in their seats, others seemed devoid of emotion, utterly in shock. The rest of the building was in chaos, with phone calls ringing and files being transferred; all in a desperate attempt to maintain social order. "They are going to the most densely populated areas of our world. Those spheres, whether they're 'manned' or not, seem to have probed our civilization. Probably trying to figure out the best place to build this thing." "But, build it for what? Invasion? Or is this their way of saying hello?" Asked a woman sitting across the table, nervously tapping her fingers against a coffee cup. “I don’t think this is your typical invasion story.” The scientists remained quiet for a while and watched the golden archways on the screen, barely able to comprehend the sheer magnitude what they were seeing. By the end of the first day, the spheres had stopped quivering and became motionless. The many arches converged at a single point in the sky, linking Earth to the golden planet. "A bridge between worlds, and I think that's all we can say about it," mentioned Kenneth Jones, the director of NASA. The third day began with an uncomfortable silenced. The structure made no sounds and no movements until 12 noon, when suddenly the ground began to tremble. Thousands gathered closer to the spiral, as three cylindrical doors opened. From them, a golden stairway silently descended into the city. The world watched in terror and anticipation, and at ground zero, no one spoke. What emerged from the three doors were three beings, and they were in no way humanoid. They appeared to be a smaller, redundant copy of the greater spheres which built their structure. Upon reaching the ground, a humming sound could be heard, followed by light patterns emitted from their centers. Strange thoughts began to filter through the minds of the crowd, and some people began to weep. Others laughed hysterically and began to ramble. The crowds were panicking. Another low hum came, and the crowd began to have a different reaction. In a strange control of the vibration, the visitors were able to both excite and relax a crowd in seconds. Those closest to the spheres were getting notably calmer. They stepped closer and placed their hands on the golden spheres. Those that touched the beings began to speak. "They are here to help us!” A wave of microphones clustered around a teary-eyed woman. She was the first to talk. “How do you know?” a voice asked behind the jutting microphones. “They are speaking. Not in words. It’s difficult to explain. They--they want me to relay a message.” She smiled and seemed to look off into the distance. “They’ve come to take us away, I don’t know how else to say it. Humans, and life, it’s been a very long process. Years and years, they see stars and galaxies like seasons.” “Who does?” “These beings. But there are so many more.” “Where are they taking us?” “Off of Earth. To a place that is like our home. You see, um--we can’t live here much longer.” The woman’s pupils were so dilated that her eyes seemed black. “In a matter of a few years, an event will be taking place that will render life on Earth unsustainable. This is unfortunate, they say, and they believe that if we are careful, we can be cultivated very delicately into the next stage.” The crowd had now huddled around her, trying to her voice under all of the great commotion. "Madam, can you speak clearly?" “Yes, sorry.” “How is it they know this? Can you tell their story any clearer?” “They are ancient beings. They have been here for quite some time, growing us. Yes, I see them tending to us like leaves and gardeners. Something unexpected has happened in the stars; an explosion? A great rift. If we do not leave now, it will be too late to save us. This is why they are here; unforeseen problems. They will have to execute their plans far ahead of schedule, but they believe it can be done.” “Where are we going?” “To a place like Earth, far away.” “Are they God?” She paused and smiled, looking directly at the reporter, “They tell me, at least you are asking the right questions.” “Is that a yes?” “Not in the way we have known God. They call it something different, but they understand it more like “Mind.” “Will we all be going?” “Yes, unless you choose to stay. The invitation is open for all. They hope you decide the former and not the latter.” “Why are they taking us? Why not the dolphins or the whales or other animals?” “They will be selecting and recording all life on Earth. The Earth will be saved as--well, it looks like a photograph. They have vast machines that can store everything, make a record of every galaxy and every atom of each star. It’s so beautiful.” “Is the planet above really a planet?” “No, not at all. It’s a starship that moves between space, between time. It has taken great effort to reach Earth. They can move matter like toys, like we can with computer graphics and simulations--only they can actually manipulate reality. This is so, so beautiful. My mind, I am losing my mind into them. Please, let me rest.” The woman fell to her knees, weeping happily. If she were speaking in other circumstances, it might sound like she was “tripping,” on a potent psychoactive. The pupils, the visions, the euphoria-these would fascinate scientists for years to come, unlocking the secrets of higher-mind consciousness and the reason for hallucinogens. A quiet thunder echoed across the land, and the massive structure began to reassemble itself, spreading “vines” across the earth to every major city and population. What could only be seen as a transfusion of life between worlds had begun. Soon, the whole earth was receiving the psychic transmissions, and the beginnings of a mass exodus had been initiated. In a matter of days, seven billion people were now off the earth. There were a few who stayed, to the dismay of the visitors. Their reasons were very simple: To live and die with the Earth, they wanted nothing more. Humbly, the visitors honored their choice. For the rest of humanity, a great voyage was only starting. The wild-eyed woman, who later was known as Treya the Messenger, relayed a brief and final point to humanity. She chose to remain on earth, perhaps, because she had gained a final peace. The following is her last recording: “We have given you a life thread to the stars. When you are ready, you will unlock the secrets of space and time, and when those are mastered you will have no choice but to move beyond the two. There are deeper realms than you could imagine. Human kind is not the first, and will not the last in a great unfolding. Remember this, should you fall prey to arrogance. “We are the same; cosmic dust that has awakened. Though this knowledge has fallen on your shoulders prematurely, we are confident of your ability to adapt and learn. This has always been your coveted skill. We do not regret having come eons ahead of schedule. It is our hope that you discover Mind in all things and all places, as you have in yourselves.” Tears filled Andrew's eyes as he rode up the great system of elevators to the golden planet. He held his sister’s hand, and from what could be thought of as a window, he watched the sunrise over the Earth for the last time. “So Beautiful,” he whispered. “Good bye Earth,” his sister replied. They didn’t understand what was to come, nor even the content of the message Treya had left for them. In the end, that was less important. They only knew that it was all greater than their dreams, their hopes, and nightmares--and something was wonderful about that.. In the final moments before Earth became a distant blue sphere in the window, Andrew was certain that Earth was a part of a greater story, one which could never forget her.
This is a re-make of "It Came From Outer Space" (1953), which is good for a laugh except that writer Ray Bradbury is trying to get a message across. Bradbury is saying that aliens know that we've created nuclear weapons and consider us a threat. Of course, NASA is not clueless. Massive objects which might have an earthbound trajectory can be observed years in advance.
cool, i'll check that one out. though with this the aliens aren't here b/c they see us as a threat. i think you might liken this to Childhood's End, where a race of a 'supermind' is traveling the universe in search of evolving life in order to help it become self-aware. like "sentient life" gardeners, they travel through galaxy after galaxy harvesting and planting the seeds that may become life, and mind. the NASA thing i need to correct. this "golden ship" travels via wormholes, so time/space doesn't take eons to travel through.... and wouldn't be on our radar until it got here. at any rate, i appreciate the comments... thankyou
i've just posted the revised edition. most of it is re written tonight. i've gotta cut out this late night writings
