a story by Dennis T Baker

Back when I was a boy working on my father’s farm.
I had one of the strangest experiences of my life.
Getting up early just before sunrise every morning
Was a normal thing for me, as I had to feed the cows,
Chickens and other live stock before I set off on my
Long walk across the fields for my day at the local school.
Little did I know that getting up to feed the livestock
Today was going to change my life forever.
Getting up just before sunrise I got dressed put on my boots
And headed for the old barn just across from the house.
The barn seemed very quiet this morning normally I could hear
Daisy and Mary mooing away waiting for me to bring in their food.
But today not a sound could be heard, as I reach the barn door I noticed
A strange light coming from under it, what could it be I thought?
A fire ..I quickly grabbed a bucket from the side of the barn filled it with
Water and hurriedly opened the barn door, what I saw made me drop the bucket
And stand wide-eyed with wonder there on the floor of the barn I could see
A very small round saucer shaped object spinning with all the colours of the rainbow
Shining out from its middle. Then suddenly it just stopped and the lights disappeared
And everything went quite dark so reaching for the old oil lamp I quickly got a match
From my pocket and lit it up, and there in the light from the lamp was the saucer
Shining quite brightly under the light from the lamp. I quickly picked it up
And with a little bit of trouble managed to put it into my jacket pocket.
Then I carried on as usual feeding the cows who seemed none the worse
For there little encounter. After finishing my chores I went in to have a shower and
Get ready for my day at school but first I took the saucer out of my pocket wrapped it
Carefully in an old shirt and put it at the back of the old wardrobe.
Undressing quickly I dived under the shower had a quick wash dried then
Got into my uniform and headed for the wardrobe, just as I was about to open it
It started to shake and light started to shine from every little gap and crack.
I opened the door as quick as I could and as suddenly as it had started the shaking stopped and the lights went out. I reached in grabbed the old shirt and lifted it gently
Out on to my bed, it felt very warm to the touch so I unwrapped it very carefully
Took out the saucer and placed it on top of the shirt. This was the first time I had looked at it in any great detail, I bent down and looked real close it seemed to have
Small windows all round its edge and I was quite sure I could see movement inside
I knew I had a magnifying glass somewhere so I hunted high and low until I found it
Then bending down over the bed I put it up close to one of the windows, what I saw
Made me jump back away from the bed I just could not believe what I had been looking at, I sat on the end of the bed for what seemed like an hour then just as I was
About to take a second look to confirm what I’d seen my mother called up Dennis
Your breakfast is ready come and eat it while it’s hot, and when mother calls in this
House you have to go so down I went to have my breakfast, as I walked into the kitchen mom handed me a bowl of hot porridge and said what on earth you been up to
In that bedroom, you been moving your bed around again it sounded like an earthquake down here good job your father is out on the tractor or he would have been
Up there giving you a clip round the ear hole for making such a racket this time of the morning, hay you better get a move on your bus will be pulling up at the farm gate in 5 minuets upon hearing this I put down what was left of my dish of porridge on to the kitchen table and ran up to my bedroom grabbed my magnifying glass and the saucer
Put them into my school bag with my books closed it up ran down the stairs
Through the kitchen shouted a goodbye to mom and reached the farm gate
Just in time for the bus, almost missed me again Dennis one of these days your
Going to be walking I could hear Jim the bus driver saying as I headed for the back
Of the bus. then bang down I went with a thump I just managed to put out my hands
To save my chin hitting the floor of the bus, pick your feet up Dennis shouted Jones the school bully as the bus burst into laughter, sod off Jones I said to myself as I reached my seat suddenly I noticed that my school bag was getting rather warm
So I thought I’d better take a look inside, as I opened the bag a narrow beam of green light shot out hitting the roof of the bus then ricocheting right onto the seat where Jones was sitting, suddenly he glowed bright green and vanished. The strange thing was no one on the bus seemed to notice a thing.
What a wonderful thing to happen I thought to myself I must take another look inside that saucer, making sure I was the last to leave the bus I headed straight for the cloakroom and locked myself in one of the toilets then taking the saucer out of my bag I got hold of the magnifying glass and held it once more up to one of the small windows of the craft I was very surprised to see the face of Jones the bully he seemed to be frozen solid inside the craft with a terrified look upon his face.
What kind of thing is this I thought to myself, then to my surprise a voice from inside my head said ‘we are the collectors thank you very much for your contribution you will be rewarded “ it was reward enough to get rid of Jones I thought. Putting the saucer back in my school bag I left the cloakroom with a big smile on my face thinking who else can I get rid of.
At last my school day was coming to an end, it had been an interesting day
I had got rid of four teachers and seven six formers who had upset me and been told
That I will be richly rewarded, seems all the talk on the bus home was about missing
People I wonder where they could be. Now where did I put my magnifying glass?
But I just knew things was to good to be true, that night I had some terrible dreams
I kept seeing the terrified faces of the teachers and the others they seemed to have all been transported to a strange world full of little green beings who had put them into some sort of zoo with lots of other strange creatures. I awoke in the morning feeling
Very guilty about it all but what could I do about it I thought to myself.
I had an idea I had to get in touch with the beings; I locked myself in my bedroom
By putting a chair against the door and then got the saucer out from my school bag
I got hold of my magnifying glass and bent down close to the saucer then calling out softly I asked to talk to the leader of the little green beings. I heard a voice in my head
Saying oh so you want your reward and the next thing I knew I was inside the saucer
Surrounded by the little green beings.
Then suddenly the group parted and the leader of the group came forward
He was slightly larger than the others and in his hand he held a small glowing orb
Of some kind that seemed to be very important to him as he held it very tightly
In his three fingered hand. Hello Dennis he said in a strange low voice that seemed to come from way down in his feet “so you’re here for your reward “well to be honest
With you I’m not I had a very strange dream last night and I want to know if what I dreamt was true do you plan to put all the people you took into a zoo.
Why do you worry what happens to them are they not people who you have no need of in your world he said in his deeper than deep voice, we are from one of many parallel worlds yours is but one of many that we have visited and you Dennis are the first to ask this question all the others have just taken their reward and left their fellow beings to their fate. You are going to make a very special attraction in our diamenunal zoo. The next thing I knew there was a flash of blue light and I could not move a muscle.seems I was trapped just like the rest of them.