They Came

Bobby smiled at Jill, and her wet mascara-lined eyes shined back. Bobby was in his own dreamland. Here he was in his father's new '58 Chevy up on Makeout Cliff with Jill Wilkenson, the best-looking girl at his high school. The car was new enough that the upholstery still had its showroom aroma. And when he had asked Jill if she wanted to ride in his dad's new Chevy, she said it sounded like a good idea. And when he added that maybe they could "stop somewhere and look at the city lights", she giggled and said she'd like that, too. Bobby knew then he had it made.

Jill had never ridden in a new car before, and since Bobby also had manly, short hair that shined when he wet it back, she had accepted Bobby's offer.

Bobby sat with his arm rubbing Jill's side, his fingers crawling closer to her front. Jill, having remembered the films she saw in health class, was preparing to prevent Bobby's next advance, when a large, orange and red flash screamed across the sky. Both Bobby and Jill's eyes unlocked from each other and watched the bright mass crash down the hill from where they were parked.

"Was that a meteor?" Jill blurted. "I've never seen a meteor. Let's take a peak."

Wanting to please Jill, but also return to his romantic progress, Bobby quickly answered, "Sure, let's go see what it is."

Bobby held Jill's hand as they walked down the grassy hill, using his free left hand to keep his balance on the steep decline. At the bottom of the hill, behind a grove of trees, lay a box-like colorless object the size of a two-story building, pounding with a heartbeat and crackling like a fire that would become loud then soft with each pulse. First one giant brown tentacle slithered out from the side of this object, then another tentacle quickly followed beside it. Then the brown head of some creature with one eye rose between the tentacles. This eye was the size of Bobby's head, and as the creature finally stood above them, it was four times the size of Bobby and Jill. Four tentacles waved around its chest and it stood on four pedestal-like legs, each leg almost the size of a full-grown man.

"What is it?" Jill said, her palms quivering and sweating in Bobby's hands.

The crackling static from the object formed into a distinguishable voice: "Are you Earthlings? I have come to take Earth specimen to my planet."

"An outer space bounty hunter!" Bobby shouted to Jill. "We've got to get out of here."

Their hands still intertwined, Bobby pulled Jill up the hill to the car. After almost throwing Jill into the car, Bobby started the car and drove back toward town. "I know where we'll be safe," Bobby reassured Jill. Bobby was thinking about Lover's Leap, another view point of the city, where he would hold Jill and use some excuse she might believe, like he was protecting her from the alien from the pulsing space ship.

As the car dropped down from Makeout Cliff, Bobby checked his rear-view mirror and saw some tentacles rising from the cliff behind them.

The breathing of the two teenagers slowed to normal a few minutes after they had sped onto the main highway.

Remembering his intentions for Lover's Leap, Bobby proposed the idea to Jill "We should hide out from that monster for a while. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you."

"I don't think so, Bobby," Jill said, straining to talk because of the shock. "We better go home."

"But the monster said he wants to take us back to his planet. And he saw our license plate, so they probably have some intergalactic DMV to trace where we live. No Jill, we'll be safe if we park up here for a while. By then the monster will find someone else."

"But shouldn't we warn someone. Go to the sheriff or something."

"No, they'll never believe that we saw a space ship land and that a huge monster popped out. They'll think we're drunk or something. No, we just need to lay low. I can protect you Jill." He grasped her hand and tightened his grip around her shaking fingers.

Since Jill didn't say anything, he continued to Lover's Leap. His confidence returning, Bobby was thinking that he could use the monster to his advantage. This I'll-protect-you-from-the-evil-monster plan could earn the extra points that could help him get further with Jill.

A half dozen other dark cars were parked on Lover's Lane. Bobby felt proud that none of these cars were as new as his dad's '58 Chevy. Bobby turned off the car engine and put his arm around Jill. "We'll wait here. I'll make sure you're safe Jill. Don't you worry."

After Jill let out a sigh and Bobby felt she was calm, he began to plot his next move. He wanted something to show he was protective and deserved appreciation. Jill laid the back of her head against Bobby's chest as he put both arms around her. This was progressing nicely, Bobby thought.

... end of sample ...