I know, I know. For all of you who know me and are reading this, I apologize. I really need to finish "Close Your Eyes". But, I just got this idea and coudn't resist. I would also apologize for the seemingly randomness of the first chapter. But believe me, it gets better after this.

The night was still and calm. Not a single sound could be heard in the freshly harvested field of the rural farm. There was only the tedious drum of the lonely, metal windmill that stood next to the wooden house which laid opposite of the red silo which had a rusty weather-vane proudly mounted on top.

On the railed porch of the two story home, two farmhands sat lazily chatting with one another.

"You think it will rain tomorrow?" the fat one on the rocking chair asked as he whittled away on a small stick he held in his palm.

The scrawny one, who sat on the lowest step of the porch stairs, looked down from his observation of the stars. "I don't know Bill" he groaned "I'm not the weather man."

"Sure does look like it." he said not looking up. "You still thinking about marrying Candace yet, Jake?"

He looked down again with a hint of frustration. "You ask me this everyday and everyday the answer is the same: she won't marry me until she gets her ring."

"No need to get all riled up now." he said in his monotone grunt as he pulled the straps of his sun bleached overalls, "Just trying to make small talk. You think we'll have a better corn yield next year?"

Jake sighed."That's all we ever talk about around here is rain and corn and marriage! I'm sick of this place! I wish something exciting would happen here for once! Or heck! I wish I could move to the city! There's all kinds of stuff to do in the city."

"Not me" his compatriot replied casually, "I'm perfectly fine right where I am. There ain't nothing in the city but trouble anyhow. Get shot and killed or robbed. No thank you sir, I like the country."

"Ah damnation!" Jake said throwing his arms. "You ain't nothing but a farmer. All you know is corn and rain. But not me. One day, I'm gonna be one of those fancy lawyers. Then I'll buy me and Candace one of those great big houses the rich folks live in. You'll see. One day I'll make it happen. And when I do, you can bet I'm gonna get Candace a proper ring too."

Bill sighed and resumes his whittling. "If you say so."

Suddenly, from the deepest veil of the night sky a small dot of fire raced across the heavens. "Look Bill! A shooting star!"

"What?" he looked up from his task to see the shimmering radiance of a tiny orb trek its path across the celestial bodies. It was like a great sun, glowing purple, seemingly suspended in its course as it gently floated by. "Well, you saw it Jake. Make a wish."

Jake closed his eyes in silent anticipation and reverence. "I wish...I wish..." he found it difficult to produce the words. "I wish something interesting would happen."

He opened his eyes to see the violet orb still fixed within the sky. He curiously scratched the day old whiskers on his chin a bit as he pondered. "Bill, I don't think that's a shooting star."

"Why's that?"

"I've never seen a shooting star hover that long. Could it be planet?"

"Nope."

He glanced back at the fat farmhand, "How do you know?"

"The Almanac says so." he produced a crumpled magazine from his pocket with the faded title: 'ALMANAC' on it. He flipped to the page and traced it over with his index finger as he searched the night sky. "Yeah...Mars is over there!" he pointed to the east, "And Venus is over there!" he pointed in another direction. "No other planet is out tonight. Almanac says so."

He gazed back at the strange object, "A UFO?"

"Now listen to yourself!" Bill started, "You've been watching that 'Mysterious Mysteries' again. There ain't no such things as UFO's. That's just hogwash."

Just at that moment, the curious object they had been discussing descended in a fiery inferno that blanketed the entire sky in a veil of smoke and dust as it fell to the Earth and exploded in the nearby woods, beyond the field.

Jake cursed under his breath, spitting out the dry dirt which he had received from his evasive dive. "What the hell was that?"

Bill, still sitting his chair, nonchalantly answered, "Probably a meteor."

"Well lets go take a look!" Jake said eagerly brushing himself off.

"Why? Ain't nothing but a little old meteor."

"Fine, you're just yellow. I'll go and look at it!" Jake rushed over to his dilapidated pick-up truck and started the engine. It back-fired once, then came alive with a gentle hum. The gear cranked into place and the gentle hum gradually increased as the truck sped slowly away into the night.

The minutes passed by, one right after another. Bill continued his task until he got a nice tip on his point. He looked down at his watch and noted the time. It had been 15 minutes since Jake had left and he still hadn't returned. "I'll give him another 5 minutes." Another 5 minutes passed and there was still no sign of Jake was to be seen.

Suddenly, there was a distant explosion, like a gun shot. Bill sighed as he hauled himself from the rocking chair, "Idiot. Probably shot his own foot off when he spooked himself. Better go get him and see if he's okay." He got into his own pick-up truck and started out on the road that led across the field into the woods.

The newly barren mounds of soil whisked by as he made his way down the gravel road. When he got into the woods, he turned off on a smaller dirt road that led in the general direction of where the anomaly had fallen. As he drove on, he mindlessly started taping his finger on the steering wheel and humming to himself as he cautiously examined the road in front of him, looking for Jake's truck.

He rounded curve after curve, but nothing was to be seen. Further and further he drove into the foreboding wilderness until he was far out of sight of any sort of clearing. Finally, though, he managed to find Jake's truck It was haphazardly parked on the side of road.

Bill put his truck in park and switched the lights off. He grabbed his flash-light and proceeded to examine the abandoned vehicle.

He eyed the cabin over carefully, making sure to examine each nook and cranny. He saw that his shotgun was missing from its normal place mounted on the window. "Well, that explains it." he said to himself, but he noticed something else: there wasn't a sign of the meteor. "That's funny, why would he park here?"

He shone the flash-light into the cabin and saw a splatter of blood on the edge of the driver's seat. One thing became clear to Bill: Jake was hurt. But where was he? It just didn't make any sense. If he was hurt, why didn't he stay in his vehicle?

Bill shook his head and yelled out into the night, "Jake!" Over and over again he yelled out his name, eagerly awaiting a response. No one responded. It was just the pained silence of the ancient trees that swayed back in forth in the icy autumn wind.

He was worried. It wasn't like Jake to just run off like this. He could have been in serious danger. What was he to do? He couldn't just leave him out here. After all, there were wild predators. But with no sign of Jake, he really didn't have much of an option. He hastily took a piece of paper from a note-book he kept in his truck and scribbled out a note telling Jake that if he returned he should stay in his truck, he'd be back to get him in the morning.

As he placed the note on the steering well, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. It was just a quick flash, a sudden blurry shadow, and the snap of some needles. Bill held the flash-light into the woods, "Jake? Is that you?" No answer. There was only the eery moan of the wind that swept through the pines and caused them to creak and crack.

"Jake, if this a joke, it isn't funny!" Again, no answer. At that moment, Bill felt a cold chill run down his back and his skin crawled with goosebumps.

"Alright Jake! You be that way! I'm going back to the farm!" He felt his courage draining away as he continued to yell into the abandoned forest. He quickly raced to his truck and eagerly shut the door. Not bothering to buckle himself, he hurriedly started the vehicle. The engine came alive with a bang as the lights suddenly pieced through the darkness. Without delay, he did a three point turn and started back towards the farm, letting Jake's truck fade between the groves of trees behind him.

Before long, he was back onto the main road and towards the farm house; back to his nice bed where he could get some sleep. As his mind drifted, he found himself questioning his actions. "Did I do the right thing?" he asked himself. He thought it over more and more as he drove on. "He'll be fine." he assured himself, "Nothing to worry about. Tomorrow morning he'll come through the door, and say 'I got ya', and we'll all have some nice laughs."

As he thought it over, he looked into his rear mirror. Suddenly, a silhouette of a figure rushed out of the woods into the road and started chasing him. Bill smirked to himself, "I knew that's where he was."

He put the truck in park and waited for the figure to catch up. The black silhouette made it's way to the front of the cabin. "So where you been Jake?"

The features of his fellow farm-hand revealed themselves in the pale moonlight than shone overhead; his eyes obscured behind the veil of a shadow. He answered in a voice as cold as the wind "Get out."

Bill just stared at him. "What?"

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