A New Dawn
As the first rays of the sun broke through the darkness a significant crowd had already started to gather in the streets. People were touching and hugging, holding onto one another without asking, without speaking… Muslim was holding onto the shirt sleeves of a Christian and black men were hugging their white counterparts, children were being picked up and comforted by the closest human to them, regardless of color, sexual orientation or financial standing. Was this the utopia, the wonder the earth had been hoping for, for hundreds of years, or was this the beginning of something so sinister that no human brain could yet comprehend it?
The words of ex-president Ronald Reagan echoed through the minds of those old enough to remember it; yes, he said that perhaps it would be a good thing for malevolent aliens to visit the earth, as perhaps, with a common enemy the earth and its people could finally come together and work together towards a common good…or something to that effect. As people huddled together in the streets of New York at daybreak, so were many others in other parts of the earth, some in the darkness of the night and others in broad daylight.
The people, all acting and reacting the same, no matter where they were. They were silent, except for the odd cry from a child here and there. The silence was deafening, not a single chirp from a bird, not a single dog barking. Other than the movement of more and more people joining the crowds nothing else moved, all buses, trains and even private vehicles had come to a halt.
As the sky started to slowly fill with hundreds, if not thousands, of dark triangular objects, blocking out the sun in parts where it was already daylight, some people opted to stay indoors, huddled behind semi-drawn curtains. As hard as they tried, not a single television or radio station emitted more than eerie static.
The earth’s people were completely ignorant of what was happening. In some homes fathers or mothers had taken to reading passages from their Bibles or the Koran or whatever scripture they had from whatever religious belief they followed, many certain that it was the second coming of their god. Scientists were equally flabbergasted. Although they were relatively certain that this was an invasion by an alien nation, they had, up until this day, believed that such an event was pure fiction set out by conspiracy theorists and therefor were now scrambling in silence to try to collect evidence the evidence which will prove that their new-found theory was correct.
However, there was no evidence as yet as all telescopes and satellites had gone dark and they, the cleverest of all humans, had to wait like anyone else. Hours had passed and in New York the sun was now well and truly up. In other places dusk had fallen while millions of people stood watching the sky, still hugging, touching and comforting one another.
Not a single person had felt any hunger or thirst, such was their fear and wonder of this new and rare phenomena. Just before noon a thunderous cracking sound filled the air, a sound which grew so loud that the people had to cover their ears as best they could.
The air became static and sparks from an unseen source penetrated the crowds, sending them scuttling for safety. Finally, as the deafening sound subsided, the crowds once again became silent, staring up into the sky. To the east and miles up into the sky a wondrous object loomed, an object which shape could only be described as similar to that of a mountain. It had no definite shape and not one specific color. From it came more and more dark triangular shapes which dispersed in different directions.
Although most of this could be seen in most countries, there was one significant difference in the sighting in New York. Shortly after the appearance of the large object one single shining oblong shape, larger that the dark triangular ones, but much smaller than the mountainous shape, descended towards New York. In seconds it stopped its decent and hovered over the Empire State Building. What can only be described as a hole, started to form in its center and eventually a platform or disk of some sort slid from the gaping hole. It was however the being standing on the platform that had everyone’s attention. As the disk lowered itself to barely meters from the crowd, the being became visible to even the smallest of humans. To say that he was tall would be an understatement in a society where 6 foot or even 7 would be considered tall.
Although he had perfectly human features his height was definitely not that of any known human and to venture a guess would have been to tell a lie and at that early stage of understanding no one wanted to risk being guilty of lying. The being’s white hair billowed like a cloud behind him, while his silver and white garments glowed and formed a halo around him. His skin was pale and even from a few meters away his piercing blue eyes were only too visible. Another amazing thing was that contrary to human nature not a single person yelled out, fainted or started crying, no, once again all were silent. As the disk came to a standstill, hovering meters off the ground, the being bowed to the crowd, but as he straightened up he shuddered slightly and a gasp of surprise and awe rippled through the crowd as there, in front of their eyes, the being spread a pair of magnificent wings spanning many meters. As the gasps of surprise died down, the being began to speak.
“I am HE, the one you had been waiting for. I am IT, the voice of the heavens. I go by many names, but you may call me HIM.”
His voice was smooth, but at the same time as loud as thunder and even those huddled in their homes on the edges of the city could hear every word he spoke. Many started to cry, though not noisily sobbing, but with tears streaming down their faces. It was as if the floodgates on all sorrow were opened, at least in and around New York as the rest of the world were still unaware of the significance of what they were observing.
In other places around the world the skies were gradually filling with triangular craft. The crafts were black, a shiny black which shimmered regardless of whether it was light or dark. The crafts made no detectable sounds but the air was filled with a static buzz as they glided through clouds, across mountains or over tall buildings. Finally, the crafts stopped moving and hovered in place. Unbeknown to the millions of observers they stopped moving at the same time as the being in New York started speaking. The being called HIM bowed again and then continued his speech.
“I am here to save the righteous, to give life to all, to give a voice to the smallest of creatures, to bring you a message from the universe, but first I need to speak to your leaders…I need three of the bravest of men to accompany me to your leaders…”
A ripple went through the crowd once again, one human willing his neighbor to step forward. Minutes passed and finally a bedraggled homeless man stepped from the crowd and bowed to the being.
“I am but a poor man sire, I have no family, no home and nothing to lose, please allow me to be your guide.” Seeing this man’s bravery another stepped forward.
“I am a retired soldier, my children are grown and independent and no longer need me, thus please allow me to accompany you, sir.”
Finally, a third man stepped forward. “I am but a humble grocer sir, but my community had supported me and my family for years, it is now time for me to serve them. Please allow me to be the third man in your party sir.”
“Very well men, kindly move closer and into the light.”
In Washington the president and his top military advisers had started to gather in the oval office. As there was no satellite communication, nor any radio or television broadcasts, they were still unaware of the impending visit, however, there was no denying the black crafts which were filling the skies over Washington, as it did everywhere else.
The trip from New York to Washington took mere seconds and the men accompanying the being on his disk had to rub their eyes in disbelief when the White House suddenly loomed beneath their feet. Then the light once again delivered them safely to the ground. Within seconds they were surrounded by armed guards and soldiers. The homeless man was the first to step forward. He raised his hands just in time to stop the soldiers from grabbing them.
“We are here with the leader of these crafts. He asked us to come and request an audience with the President.”
Lowering their weapons mere inches, the soldiers gestured for the men to step closer to them. Dutifully all three men did what they were told. Once enclosed in the ranks of the soldiers, they turned back to the disk. The being had once again opened his impressive wings which glistened in the afternoon sun. It was clear that the soldiers were unsure of what they were to do next. One of them tried his two-way radio, but it barely made a crackle. Communication with senior personnel in the White House was impossible. After conferring among themselves a senior member stepped forward and addressed the being.
“Please step off your craft and join us and we’ll accompany you to our President.”
The being gave a slight nod and stepped to the edge of the disk before floating to the ground. His stature dwarfed the men waiting for him, even the bulkiest among them looked like an insect compared to him. The group hesitated for a moment before starting to move across the lawn towards the White House. Finally, they reached the steps, and as the group started to ascend the steps, they stopped and turned with the intention of allowing the being to pass and enter first, a common curtesy among humans. Shock brought the group to a standstill. At first they thought the being had disappeared as there was no sign of the impressive human-like form of which they were in awe of only seconds ago, but then from seemingly nowhere his voice filled his vacated space and there at their feet they found … a rat, its beady eyes mesmerizing them and willing them to move on.
In other parts of the world men, women and children alike started to shriek as streets and homes filled with mice and rats of varying sizes.