Linda Mueller - Glow

It was two nights in a row that I saw the glow in the sky. It hung there, waiting. At least to me it felt like it was waiting. Waiting for what? I did not know.

By night four I decided I was going to wait. For what? I did not know. My eyes started to droop just as the glow expanded to the ground. Then a three-legged creature walked toward me. It also glowed from top to bottom, so much so that it was difficult to discern its features other than the three legs.

“Hello,” I said, not really expecting a response but the glow dissipated and a bulbous head with huge lips smiled at me. Eyes protruded outwards.

Smile, you ask? Well, there was no other explanation for the expansion of its lips.

“Welcome to Earth,” I said, the typical alien movie response.

The smile expanded again.

“Do you come here often?”

The lips twitched and its head shook. Was that a laugh?

“Ah, you have been here before!”

It nodded its bulbous head.

“Why do you only visit at night?”

An arm appeared. I hadn’t spotted it before because it appeared to be hidden inside its body. It put a hand up to its eyes as if it was protecting its head.

“Ah, too bright during the day?”

It nodded again.

“My name is Lucy.”

Another nod. The arm appeared again and pointed to a nearby tree.

“Your name is Tree?”

Again with the nodding head. Then it sniggered. Well, I don’t know how else to describe it.

“You’re not really called Tree?”

It shook its head, then the lips parted and it poked out a bright blue tongue.

“Oh, we have a comedian here. I bet you’re a lot of fun on your planet.”

Yet another nod and it placed a hand on its belly as it shook.

It was then that the glow appeared again and in a blink it was gone. I looked up to the sky expecting to still see the glow. Instead a word appeared. Tomorrow.