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The shimmering sphere glided out of the smudgy sky, sailing like a graceful bird over the patio’s edge. It landed silently only a few paces from where Alec stood frozen in disbelief.

The sphere came instantly to rest as it touched the patio stones. A brilliant field of rings appeared to unfold from the glowing object. Then, rings of light rapidly expanded upward. And on top of the cone of light, like some cosmic organ grinder’s monkey, an alien animal silently appeared. Dancing, sputtering colors, and counting on its certainly-not-human fingers, the creature seemed to be looking directly at Alec with a gentle but intense stare.
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The creature’s single, small central eye fixed intently on Alec. There was no malice or cunning emitted by the eye, and Alec felt emboldened to return the alien’s gaze with his own, piercing green eyes. Surrounding the alien’s eye, roughly oval, concentric rings of color shifted and flashed in bewildering patterns. Mesmerized by the shifting colors, Alec still had the presence of mind to note that certain color patterns seemed to repeat.

A faint tingling came over Alec and then passed quickly, leaving a sudden conviction that the being was trying to introduce itself. It’s gestures were graceful and gentle, and Alec sensed that it was actually happy to see him…him…Alec Booner. Alternate waves of excitement and uncertainty flooded into him. Could this possibly be some kind of really close encounter...really happening now...to him? But a close encounter with what? No, this was all crazy—this couldn’t be real, he told himself. This was just heat exhaustion talking. Just some kind of weird summer mirage, he thought. But instead of drinking some water or taking a salt tablet, Alec moved his push broom for the first time in many minutes.

No longer his crutch, he raised the broom toward the mirage. Slowly, he reached the brush end toward the arms of the monkey mirage. But just outside the field of light that sprang from the sphere, the broom came to a squishy stop. He pushed harder on the broom but with no effect. He slowly walked around the sphere’s field and determined that the creature moved in three-dimensional space as it turned to face him. Slowly, Alec concluded that this was no mental projection or perceptual distortion. This was something real but utterly strange.
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