The sky over
“Look daddy! What’s that?”
The father looks up. The camera hits the ground, the lens shatters and the casing cracks open, exposing the film to the harsh summer sun. What it appears to be is a giant dinner plate. Dark silver in color and not a true circle, but ovular. It casts its huge shadow over the ancient city, blocking out the sun and blocking out the sky that just moments before had gone unseen by the people below. It continues to move toward the center of the city until it hovers over the
“Damn!” Recovering from his shock, the father is not happy. “That camera store guy told me I should by a strap. I could have made millions off the pictures of that thing!”
A few thousand other tourists were not so stingy in their dealings with camera salesman, and pictures of the extra-terrestrial craft quickly make their way into every news outlet in the world.
“At this point we really don’t know just what it is, Brian. But I can tell you that no-one here has ever seen anything like it.”
“Jennifer, what has been the reaction of the people there in the streets? I imagine it must be pandemonium.”
“Yes Brian, there is a certain amount of panic for sure. But since the craft first appeared, about 15 minutes ago, much of the chaos has died down. And now, most everyone here is just very curious to know where it came from and just what it’s doing here. Some are saying it’s a sign from God.”
“Speaking of God Jennifer, what does the Church have to say about this? Has the Pope issued a statement?”
“No… no Brian. So far the Pope has remained silent. But we understand that… yes in fact my producer is now telling me that the Pope is about to appear in St. Peter’s Square. Apparently he’s going to try to communicate with the inhabitants of what we can now only assume to be a space craft from another planet.”
“Ok thank you Jennifer, it looks like we’re now going to cut to the Pope who we understand has just appeared on a balcony in St. Peter’s Square.”
The Pope was a large man. Over six feet tall and powerfully built, he remembered his first visit to this balcony upon his coronation; they had had to use to largest of the three identically prepared sets of robes, and even those had looked several sizes too small when stretched across his broad shoulders. The vestments he wore now were quite different than those he’d donned that first time. He looked out over St. Peter’s Square now through dark tinted sunglasses. They were unnecessary in the mid-day darkness created by the giant ship over head, but he never appeared in public without them. His massive biceps hung free and exposed, the sleeves having been cut from of his robe. The Pope was glad to have made that particular change to his garments now. If he had to fight what ever came out of the ship overhead, he didn’t want cumbersome sleeves to impede the progress of his mighty fists toward their targets.
The Pope lifted his head skyward. The underside of the massive craft filled his vision.
“You in ‘dere!” He yelled in his accented English, arms raised slightly too either side. “Come out and face me! Are you afraid ‘dat my massive a’ms will make yo’er little green bodies look puny and weak? God commands ‘dat you come down and speak to me, face to face, man to alien!"
In his tenure as Holy See, the Pope had found that threats of physical violence and insults to manhood were quite effective in dealing with other world leaders. He saw no reason why they wouldn’t work with other-worldly leaders as well.
So far, his strategy appeared to be a success. A small hole irised open on the underside of the ship and a bright light shone down on the floor of the square.
To Be Continued…
1 comment:
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