Chapter 2

     The boy stepped back and almost fell in disbelief.  This strange being that was emanating with light mere seconds ago was now raising to his feet in front of him.  The boy was anxious, but unafraid.  He tried to speak, and couldn't.  The being was not alien at all as the boy suspected. he was very much a man.  He wore all white robes and had jet black hair.  As the man stepped closer, the boy realized that the man had red eyes! He had never known anyone to have red eyes before.
     Again, instead of being afraid, the boy stepped forward and asked "Are you human?".  The man cleared his throat and looked down at the boy.  He gave the boy a puzzled look and hesitated.
     "I am as human as you are, child." the man replied.
     "Why are you in my barn?" asked the child.
     "I've travelled a long way.  Can I trouble you for some proper clothes?"
     The boy nodded and ran from the barn.  He darted up the stairs to the top floor and right to the attack access.  He jumped up, pulled the string, and brought the ladder access down.  He scampered up the ladder and shoved a couple of boxes aside.  He grabbed a box labeled "Derek's clothes" and pulled it open.  He grabbed a pair of paints, a shirt, and a jacket and headed straight back to the barn.
     The man thanked the boy and got dressed.  When the man asked the boy whose clothes they were, the boy became visibly upset.  The boy slumped down on the bench outside of the barn.  The man followed and sat down next to him.
     "They're my dad's clothes.  They....were...my dad's clothes.  He died a few years ago.  Mom packed all of his stuff and put them up in the attic.  I'm not supposed to mess with them."
     "I won't tell.  I promise.  I lost someone too.  In fact, that's why I came so far.  Say, do you think maybe you can help me find him?"
     The boy brightened a little.  He nodded and allowed himself to smile.  The man stood and stretched his hand toward the boy.  The boy grasped it firmly and stood alongside the man.  They started off for the woods, leaving the barn behind.

Chapter 1

"It came from another planet!" by Joe McNeil

     It is fantastic stories of other worlds that kept young Wally Princeton awake all night.  He lay in bed, flashlight in hand, way past his bedtime.  His blankets were pulled over his head in defiance of the dark room around him. He was not going to be bothered. He had the most recent issue of his favorite comic: "It came from another planet!".  He read frantically from page to page, following along with every picture of monsters from outer space and the foolish humans that stood up to defy them.  It was science fiction at it's very best. He read religiously every night, and would often read each new issue that came out several times over while he anxiously awaited the new issue to come out.  Twice a month felt like an eternity for an 8 year old.
     It was one particular August night that an event happened that would divert Wally's devout attention to his favorite story.  Wally was reading as usual when the dogs outside starting howling all at once. This was eerie, even for an 8 year immersed in tales of horror and creepiness.  He had to investigate!  Maybe this would be an encounter that he had only thus far read about.  He peaked out the window just in time to see a burst of light flash from the side of his barn in the backyard.  Something was in there! 
     The light was quick and bright and definitely up to no good.  He quickly grabbed his coat and headed outside.  The uncharacteristically cold weather brought a dusting of snow that crunched under his feet as he hurried to the barn.  As he approached he noticed a dim light emanating from inside the barn.  He could just see a little bit through the cracks in the wall that there was something moving around on the inside. The boy was taken aback as he reached for the handle.  Why wasn't he afraid?  There was a potentially dangerous being on the other side of that wall, and he was seconds from pulling the handle to the door. He shook the sudden shock off and pulled the handle. 
    As he opened the door he realized that the being itself was causing the glow and it was fading.  As the light faded, he could start to make out the shape of the creature.  He inched forward and reached out his hand to touch the being.  As soon as his fingertip landed on the being, the light stopped and the being looked right up at him.