Todd decided to take a break from the report he was writing and get some air. He set off across a field near his house, his mind still running over the conclusions he was trying to formulate. Coming towards him on the footpath he noticed an unfamiliar figure, a youngish man, carrying a large book. As the man got closer Todd could see that the text on the cover was in a script he didn’t recognize. The figure slowed as they drew level. ’Can I ask you a question?’ the man said. Rough sleepers often bivouacked in a nearby copse, and some could be aggressive, so Todd was wary. But the stranger didn’t look like one of the rough sleeping types. There was something odd about him. His skin had an almost luminous hue. ‘What do you want to know?’ Todd asked. The script on the cover of the book was unlike anything he had encountered before. ‘Have you ever seen an alien?’ the man asked, looking earnestly at Todd. ‘Not that I’m aware of,’ Todd replied. ‘You’re looking at one now,’ the stranger said. ‘We’re here on a special mission. I’d like to give you this book. It’s all about the solar system I come from.’ ‘I won’t be able to read it,’ Todd said. ‘Don’t worry,’ the stranger reassured him, holding out the book. ‘It’s in a universal language. You just have to open your mind and you’ll find it makes perfect sense.’
Simon Collings
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