Two Reporters Report Abduction
By Jim Simmons, East Sierra Branch
[From a writing exercise at the East Sierra Branch meeting on Thursday, September 5, 2019 – “with James Edward Treacy Simmons and Donna McCrohan Rosenthal from scratch, no prep, tight deadline of mere minutes, totally extemporaneous”].
A unique and horrific blast of light and a deafening boom of explosion suddenly impacted the entire parking lot and surrounding neighborhood of St. Ann’s Catholic Church as mourners passed out of the church following the funeral.
“The Day has come,” called out one shell-shocked parishioner. “It’s the end of days,” echoed a second, still half-blind from the light blast.
Had a Navy jet crashed? Had a natural gas pipeline ruptured? Or, had indeed, the Second Coming occurred following the funeral of the distinguished and loved author, speaker, and man of the cloth?
His eminence had brought Donna and Jim to attend the service. Their “A Class” status as journalists was well established. Perhaps news lurked…the words of the service…who was present?
But, suddenly, there, to the two writers, appeared a most strange apparition indeed. No one else seemed to move or speak now. The strangest object, right in front of them was, shockingly, absolutely, a flying saucer. Right from Roswell. Or, the Twilight Zone.
A hatch opened, and a long, bony arm-like appendage presented itself and aimed, yes, of all things, a ray gun…right at Donna and Jim. A ray emanated and quickly enveloped them, making them paralyzed and immobile. It lifted them up, up, into the air and toward the hatch, bringing them inside the craft. The hatch silently closed.
Jim blinked and turned to Donna, who returned the look.
Later, perhaps, everything was gone but the two of them. No hearse, no cars in the lot, nothing…just the two of them, wondering “OK, now…who’ll get the story, whatever it was, to the copy desk first?!”