The Cornfield Crash

The corn field was  always quiet, the only sound being the wind. It wasn’t so bad at night, when all they could see in front of them were stars shining down on their heads. And they had to admit that it looked beautiful, the way the moonlight danced across the green grass in a pattern that made everything look like it was glowing.

Hector took out a cigarette , lighting it and taking a long drag of smoke as he sat against one of the fence posts. The smell of burning tobacco filled his nostrils, the smoke dancing around him and swirling up into the air before disappearing into the sky. Joe  sat next to him with a bottle of beer, humming a tune that Hector couldn’t quite place under his breath.

He sighed, letting the smoke from the end of his cigarette float above his head.

“This has been a good summer, huh?” Joe asked, his voice low and rough sounding. “We’ve both been working hard these past few months, and I think we’re finally making some kind of difference! That’s what matters right?”

Hector hummed in agreement, “I agree. I can’t wait until September comes and then we have a month off. Just us and our farm, you know?” He took another drag of his cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke towards Joe.

“Well don’t get used to it, because this year we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that there’s not one minute where we aren’t busy.”

Joe finished off his beer and tossed the empty bottle onto the ground. Hector turned his head to look over at him, his eyes scanning the man sitting beside him. His dark hair was messy, strands falling into his face. His face lit up with a smile whenever he caught Hector looking at him.

Hector reached for another cigarette, holding it between his index finger and thumb. Joe watched curiously as he placed the lighter between his lips and inhaled deeply.

“You know what your problem is?” Joe said as he watched Hector take a short puff of his cigarette.

“What’s that?” Hector asked.

“You never talk about yourself. You just sit here staring off into the distance. I guess I didn’t realize how boring you actually are until now.” He laughed, resting his hands on his knees.

Hector rolled his eyes, “I’m plenty interesting. If you’d let me tell you more about myself, I would be much less of an interesting person.” Hector blew out a puff of smoke, watching as it disappeared into the air.

Joe laughed again, “Yeah you probably would. But you’ve always told me too little anyway.

The both were  silent for a moment, listening to the sound of the breeze rustling through the corn. Then Joe spoke once more,

“Do you feel the vibrations and the strange noise”?

Hector looked at Joe, confused, “What vibrations?”

Joe nodded towards the sky, where the wind was beginning to pick up speed, ruffling the leaves and causing a light dusting of sand to fall from above. “Those sounds coming from the sky, do you hear it too?”

Hector squinted upwards, trying to see if he could catch the source of the noises. There seemed to be nothing but the usual clouds passing by above. “No, I don’t…”

There was a sudden flash, bright white light blinding Hector as it hit his vision. He heard the deafening sound of metal crashing against soil and glass breaking, the smell of fire filling the air. He saw Joe stumble backwards, falling on his ass. The corn field was warm and smoldering, the fire spreading quickly.

Hector scrambled forward, crawling closer to the man who lay unmoving on the ground. “Hey, you okay?” He shook Joe’s shoulder lightly. When there was no reaction, he tried again. This time, he gave him a sharp kick to the ribs.

Joe grunted, opening his eyes slowly. “Ow...What happened?” He glanced around, confused. Hector helped him to his feet.

“You fell, that’s what happened. Are you hurt? Did you get burned?” 

Joe held his side, wincing slightly. “No, no, I’m fine. What happened, though? Where are we?”

“I think something crashed into the field from sky” Hector replied, still looking around in shock.

“What?! We should go find out!” Joe grabbed Hector’s arm and pulled him back towards the field.

“Wait! Listen! Do you hear something?” Hector stopped and listened carefully, listening for any signs of the crash. All he could hear was the wind blowing, and the crackling of flames.

They waited, listening intently for a sign of anything else. Nothing. Suddenly, Joe let go of Hector, taking off running towards the edge of the field.

“Joe wait! We need to see if it’s safe! We can’t just leave it out there!”

Joe didn’t respond, instead turning around and waving wildly. Hector followed suit, shouting Joe’s name as he ran after him. Joe slowed down once he had reached the far side of the field, glancing around.

There was a big metal object laying in the middle of the field. It appeared to be some kind of aircraft, the body mangled beyond recognition. Hector walked towards it cautiously, crouching down next to it and examining the wreckage. Joe stood next to him, his mouth open in shock. Hector picked up the small rectangular piece of metal with his fingers, examining it closely.

“That looks like a control panel”. He said, standing up.

“So does this”, Joe gestured towards the wreckage with his hands, “what do you think that thing is?”

“Who knows? Maybe the military dropped it from a plane or something” Hector shrugged.

Joe looked around the big  machine, “But who would drop their own planes on someone else’s property?” He frowned at Hector, “It’s pretty creepy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah it is”, Hector agreed, “but it doesn’t mean anything. There’s bound to be some explanation for why it crashed.”

The two men stood together in silence for a moment, staring at the destroyed craft. 

Suddenly a green light flickered, and a small whirring sound came from behind them. They both spun around to see what was happening. A second later a green portal opened, emitting a soft glow. A tall  creature  stepped out of the light. Its skin was black, its arms almost like tentacles, and it’s legs were long and thick.

“Hello Humans”

 The creature spoke, its voice echoing throughout the field, “I am Tolorim, a traveller from Wistock79,  a world that lies on the other side of the galaxy from your own. My mission is to discover new worlds, new civilizations.  And tonight, I found that I was meant to bring you all together in a great meeting!”

It spread its massive arms wide, revealing its long, thin body. “You will help me create a new order!”

“A new order?” Hector exclaimed, “Like what?”

Tolorim cocked his head to the side, “I don’t know yet. But I will find a way to create a better life for all of us. One that will benefit everyone.”

The brothers were  quiet for a moment as they stared at the being.

Tolorim smiled, “You seem skeptical. Don’t worry, I understand. I thought I had already explained myself, but perhaps not. Please don’t be afraid. We are all friends here.”

Hector looked towards Joe, raising an eyebrow. ‘Friends? Is that what we are?’

Joe sighed, shaking his head before stepping away from Hector. “I think I’ll just head back. Nice seeing you Tolorim.” He waved goodbye, then began walking towards the farmhouse in the distance.

“Joe, wait” Tolorim called out, grabbing his hand and pulling him to a stop. Joe turned towards him, surprised by the unexpected gesture.

“Yes?”

Tolorim reached up and cupped Joe’s face with one of his tentacle hands, stroking Joe’s cheek gently. “Thank you”.

Joe stared at the creature for a few seconds before nodding, “Sure. No problem.”

With that Tolorim released his grip on Joe and backed away from him. He then turned back towards Hector, who was watching the whole exchange with interest.

“We have many things to discuss, Hector” he said, motioning towards Joe. “how do you know our names?” Hector  took a step back in surprise.

“What are you talking about? I’ve met you guys before.”

“what?” Joe asked, “When did you meet us?”

“In the future” Tolorim continued, ignoring Joe. “You saved us all from destruction, you and another Human”.

Hector felt his jaw drop. “Wait, what? You mean we saved you from being destroyed?” 

“You will save our world and civilisation, Hector” Tolorim smiled brightly, his eyes glittering. “Your kind has a special gift. A gift that will make our existence worthwhile; I am here to guide you to your future”

.

“I don’t think so” Hector replied, shaking his head, “we’re just ordinary humans. We won’t ever be able to protect you”.

“Oh really?” Tolorim chuckled, “you humans have such wonderful abilities. You could wipe out half the species on the planet if you wanted to. Why, imagine that power...”

Hector frowned. “But we don’t want to destroy anything, least of all the species you call yourselves part of.”

Tolorim laughed again. “Oh my dear human, if you really knew what was good for you, you would change your mind.”

“My planet is overpopulated and we need to reduce the  population as much as possible to survive” Tolorim said in a serious tone, “that’s how we will achieve the greatest amount of peace”.

“How are we supposed to do that? Just kill all your kind until there are none left?”

 Hector asked sceptically.

Tolorim’s eyes widened, and he raised his arms to the sides as if he was hugging himself. “That is why i am here, to teach you, show you your destiny, where all of ours path collide”.

“Destiny? What destiny?”

Tolorim narrowed his eyes at Hector, “Do you think you are different, Hector? You are one of us. Your heart beats in unison with us. You are like us”.

“And what about Joe? Aren’t we like him too? We all share a genetic link to this planet? Isn’t that destiny too?” Hector argued.

“Joe is the sacrifice we make to save my world” Tolorim answered, smiling.

To be continued..