Southend U3A

Writing for Fun

August 2015

Visitors From Space - Diane Silverston

Joshua was laying flat on his bed, staring intensely at the brightly coloured stars and planets depicted on the ceiling.

He loved his bedroom, his own special place, where he could imagine all sorts of adventures, away from everyone else, his sanctuary. As he lay there he noticed a red flickering light, getting bigger, more prominent, getting closer. His eyes fixed on it. What could it be? He was mesmerized.

His bedroom furniture disappeared into the shadows. Just him on this moss covered slope, staring at the ever increasing red light. It landed nearby and the flickering red glow died; a small silver metal disc was lying there. Suddenly it opened and six minute figures came out. Joshua wasn't very big, only four years old, but he seemed gigantic.

There they were, staring at him, a bemused look on their faces. So different, alien, but they appeared to be contented to be there in his world.

How could he communicate with these beings from another world?

Suddenly they moved.

'Weird! Very strange! It's so large,' they muttered to each other as they each stared at him with their large eye.

'You can speak English,' Joshua exclaimed in amazement.

'Of course we can; do you think we are stupid?' 'No,' stuttered Joshua, 'but who are you? Where doi you come from?'

'The red planet in your space,' came the reply. 'We have been there for some time.'

'How did you know my language?' Joshua asked.

'What do you mean, your language? It's ours. Everyone on our planet speaks it. We gain our knowledge through the air waved travelling from here across the system.

'The rectangular eye that suddenly bursts into life is out tutor. From it we learn everything. We know you do the same.'

'What eye?' whispered Joshua, nervously.

'The one on the wall in your family hall.'

'Do you mean the television?'

'Television? Is that the name of our tutor? Te-le-vsion . . . what a magnificent name.'

'So why have you come now?' Joshua couldn't help himself. He was quite bewildered.

'Our elders felt it was time for us to meet our tutor first hand,' one of the minute figures said, 'before we graduate and become ambassadors for our planet.'

Joshua was totally confused, it all seemed so farfetched. He was out of his depth. Surely no one would believe the TV was an all powerful being, would they?

'Joshua! Joshua!' a female voice broke into the scene. Who? What?

Suddenly the little figures and the spaceship disappeared and Joshua was back on his bed staring at his ceiling.

Had it all been a dream?

Just then he noticed a faint red flickering light disappearing into the darkness.