A Short Story on the Website of
the Red Dirt Writers Society

They Are Watching
by Gordon Eskridge (Jan 2011)

        In 1950 things were different, Gasoline cost 17 cents per gallon, bread was 12 cents, milk was 25 cents, and the average cost of a new car was $1,500.00. I was 14 years old with Boy Scout Troop 48 out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at Camp Kickapoo located on the South Canadian River.

On the evening of April 5th, I was standing on a hill overlooking the river where I saw a most wondrous sight. Out of the Southwest there came a monster dust storm and behind it a tornado which was very unusual because tornados normally appear after a rain storm. The tornado was a bright golden amber color with lightning bolts jumping in and out of it.

        Out of this whirling mass came four men like creatures dressed in golden space suits that shown like burnished brass. They wore matching helicopter back packs and they flew only a few feet off the ground. The helicopters had flashing lights of red, blue, yellow and a very bright spotlight that shined before them.

        I watched the creatures buzzing around then I saw a large wheel shaped space ship hovering behind them. Wherever the four men went, the space ship would follow. The heads of the spacemen were covered in a helmet of clear crystal like material that reflected little rainbows and the heads of the men inside were gray skinned with no hair and large eyes.

        The machines made sounds so loud that my clothes shook on my body and I had to cover my ears. When they landed, it became so quiet that it hurt my head. From the space ship a dark red light flooded out and I could hear them speaking in my head. A hologram of someone appeared in the light hovering over head. He spoke to me with a voice like thunder and I was so afraid that I stumbled backwards and fell down.

        He said, “Stand up young man and don’t be afraid. I am here to help you. Here, eat this piece of bread and drink this water. I will give you a book that will be a guide for you and your people.” As I ate the bread it tasted like a cinnamon roll and the water tasted like chocolate milk. It was great.

        He stood beside me, opened the book, showed me pictures of the future and told me of a war that would soon happen in Korea and after that one, another war nearby. He showed me that a cowboy movie star would become President of the United States. He told me that unless the people of the Earth changed their lifestyle and became good neighbors, his people would return and wipe out the Earth. With that he snapped the book closed and they all faded into the spaceship which disappeared into the evening sky.

        Every day I tell someone this story, reread the book and continue watching the skies. Would you like to read their book?