The Art of Creativity and Other Short Stories

Visitors

"And in today's news there have been sightings of unidentified flying objects over the metropolitan area. We have multiple reports coming in now, we will get to those after these messages."

Ronnie stared at the old box television set in awe and confusion. How could this be true after all this time. Realizing what this meant she got up from the couch and ran to find her dad. At this time of day, he'd most likely be working on something in the barn, she thought. With heavy footsteps of a 12 year-old, she ran through the field as fast as her feet could carry her. The wind blew across her face and through the tall grass. In the grass there was a path that cut through showing where she ran often. In a hundred yards she reached the barn and pulled the door open with all her might and peered in. 

Unlike a normal barn that might house animals like cows and horses, this one held machinery and outdated technology. The barn was small so everything was cramped in tight spaces; items stacked on others strewn in different places. Ronnie squeezed her way between the various objects, randomly pressing buttons and turning knobs knowing these things didn't actually work as her dad liked to angrily say.

"Dad are you in here?"

No response, but she did hear muttering coming from one of the stalls in the back.

"Dad you will not believe what I heard on the news, its the craziest thing." She smiled as she walked into the stall. All she could see was her dad's back he seemed to be really focused on something and muttering incoherently. 

She walked up behind him and peered around to see what he was working on. 

"What's that? Is that a new alien-finder thingy?"

"Huh?! Oh, its you Ronnie, yeah its a alien-finder thingy." He seemed genuinely startled when he realized she was right next to him, but the feeling quickly went away being replaced by a smile. Ronnie was used to it though for her dad always seemed to have his "head in the clouds" or at least it seemed like that to her. Other people would say that he might actually have no head, that he lost it a long time ago. Ronnie always wondered what people really thought of her dad, until the day when she overheard a very angry man yelling at him over the phone.  Most of it she couldn't clearly hear but she caught some words like "idiot" and "airhead" and the one she hated most, "... this is why your wife left you..." 

Eyes watering she glanced at the piece of machinery and back at her dad.

"The news finally said something about the UFOs," she whispered as if she spoke to loud it would cease to be true. Her dad stopped fiddling with the wires that protruded out of the device and stared at the wall in front of him for what seemed like forever. Ronnie was a few seconds from tapping him on the shoulder when he suddenly awoke out of his reverie.

"Ronnie are you sure?" He stared at her with intense eyes, eyes that held pain and remorse but deep down also held promise and revelation.

"Yeah dad I'm sure they just said it a few minutes ago." He stood up fast and rushed out of the stall and out in the field and Ronnie rushed after him.

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"Reporters have told us that these sightings have come from all across the country and government officials have just responded..."

"We would like to inform everyone that we are aware of this given situation and widespread panic will not allow us to reach any answers any faster..."

"Aliens in my country? I don't think so they're in for a rude awakening..."

Ronnie continued to flip through channels all of which spoke of the same thing. Behind her a man spoke fervently and nervously into a phone all while pacing back and forth and trying to gather what little information he could from the TV.