“BOOOOOOOM!” Something big just crashed outside my house. I was just laying on my big green mattress blue sheet bed dreaming about finding a long-forgotten historical artifact when something woke me. I first felt a bit of anger than a surprise when I woke up because 

I had been up late last night exploring my backyard. I live in a deserted mountain range of sand and cactuses here and there. If you didn’t know any better you would think you were on Mars. I looked at my clock. 

“Two in the morning?” I grumbled in tired dispare. I look outside my balcony window to see a column of…colorful smoke?…coming from within the sea of sand. My body told me to go back to bed but my mind was on full throttle. What if it was a plane crash? What if the pilots hurt? What if there’s something valuable in the cargo? I grabbed my camera, phone, flashlight and leather bound wallet in case of an emergency with my driver’s license, ID, and name inside. Elena Smith. 

With my clothes on I ran outside past the scattered cactuses to the vast sand. I pumped my legs as fast as I could with my satchel bouncing on my side. As I got closer I could smell the burning fumes up ahead. Questions started popping in my head like. If there is a wounded pilot do I help first then call? Should I even help him if he looks mean or dangerous? If he’s wounded but looks dangerous should I call an ambulance or police first? I know mom always said to not judge someone by appearances but it doesn’t mean you can’t still be cautious. 

When I finally reached the crash site what I saw was definitely not a plane, helicopter or any other earthly flying machine. It was a huge metallic saucer-shaped object with a good quarter of it stuck in the sand. It was sticking out and had to be at least 20 feet high. The multi-colored smoke was coming from the rim around the vessel. Some people may have ran away or stayed where they were to stare but not me. I walked right up to it with my flashlight and examined the damage. 

There isn’t a place to see a cockpit to know if the pilots were alright but the strangeness of it didn’t stop there. There were absolutely no marks. It did not appear to be dented or scratched at all, in fact, it felt polished and smooth. I started taking pictures of it and wrote it in my journal. I walked around to the back and found an opening in the side. 

I pointed my flashlight’s beam into the doorway to reveal the interior. I called inside. “Hello. Is anybody there?” No response. A big round silver table was in the middle of the room with a smaller black spot on top of it. Test tubes lined the far wall, some small and others large enough to fit a cow. Most of them were occupied with creatures I had never seen before in any book I had ever read. Then I heard a noise. I spun around to see the door close. Everything was pitch black and all I could hear was my own breathing. Then I smelled something that made me feel calmer. I felt so relaxed like I could fall asleep. Like I could just fall asleep. I fell asleep. 

I opened my eyes to a bright light shining in my face. I jerked up to see where I was and what happened. I was still on the ship but it was different. I was laying on a long silver chair with a light over me like I was in a hospital. The walls were giving off a violet purple, the floor was glowing white and the top bar that was connecting the middle table to the ceiling was glowing blue. I turned to my left to see what was behind me and what I saw was space. Stars and meteors were floating outside the window. Venus was so close I could see the rocks floating in it’s ring. I got up to observe the table when a metal door opened up to reveal something. Or someone. It had a humanoid body and a handsome face but with extraordinary features. It had grey skin that looked like sandpaper with glitter. It was wearing a white lab coat and black pants while holding what looked like an iPad but longer. It was walking right up to me and said. 

“Hello, I hope that you are feeling better now that we fixed our gas leak.” He said with a kind smile that made me feel a little less frightened. 

“What happened? Why am I on this ship? Who are you? I asked with as calm a tone I could muster.

“I’ll be glad to answer for you. You see my colleagues and I came to earth to study its geography and specimens it had to offer when our ship crashed. We are not aware of how it happened but for a short while, we were unconscious. I was the first to awake to find you also unconscious. I turned the ship back on and flew it into space where we could help you without possible interruption.” I started to cough. “Oh don’t worry we can help with that cough of yours.” He started to tap on his iPad and a device that looked like a metal detector came down to my throat. It buzzed for a second then I felt my throat become warm and the cough went away.

“Thank you, that helped a lot,” I said while this time returning the smile.

“If there is anything that you need just call.” With that, he taped on his iPad again and a bubble made of an unknown substance appeared around me and the chair. They seem nice even if they did take me away from earth. Another alien with a green outfit walked into the room and started talking with the one I just met but I couldn’t hear them. I heard a crackling sound from the barrier and the sound came back.

“Did she buy it?” the new alien said

“Yes, she, like most humans are just as susceptible to kindness as a dog is with a bone.”

“Do you believe that the sedation gas will keep her weak for a while?” 

“Of course it will be just as planned as long as she doesn’t get smart.” 

“Good, we don’t want to have another incident like last time. I have been meaning to ask why do we need to keep them alive for the dissection?” 

“So we can see the inside of the body while feeling as every organ works as it’s supposed to. Then when we’re done we will lock her away in one of the tubes like the rest of the specimens.” 

I almost fainted after hearing the word “dissection.” Because of some kind of malfunction in their tech I have now seen past the mask of kindness they used to trick me. They made me feel safe and secure with a lie. I tried to run but I was pulled back into my chair by a unknown force and strapped to the chair. The two aliens walked through the bubble toward me with fake smiles and hidden evil in their eyes. 

“Now then if you would be so kind as to hold still we will begin “testing” to make sure you are good and healthy.” Lab coat said as he grabbed a device that looked like a pen.

“So how are you then? How old are you exactly? What is your favorite earth activity? Do you have friends or family? Green coat alien asked to probably distract me.    

“If you’re going to dissect me, get it over with already!” I yelled with more confidence than I actually had. The two aliens slowly looked at each other with a look that turned into a glare. 

“So it appears that we do need to have a talk with the engineer for the sound damping sphere”. lab coat said to the other alien. They looked back to me in annoyance and defeat. “I suppose we should get on with it as the human insists.” It took his pen device and when he pressed it a long thin dagger of light shot out. The light dagger was brought down to the top of my chest cinching my clothes when something hit the ship. 

Everything shook in a violent start and the aliens fell over. Hooks ripped through the far wall to pull a section out in a spherical shape. Four aliens walked through the whole. They looked like dinosaur people with guns and clothes. They had heads like a Komodo dragon and frils like a snake. They wore raggedy clothes with some pieces of armor on their bodies. They had green scales all over their bodies and barbed spikes on their backs. Their guns were big, bulky and very intimidating. Two of them pointed their guns at the grey bodies on the floor with there hands up in surrender. 

One other guarded the entrance while the last one walked up to me. If anything looked any more ugly and mean then this thing I would feel surely sorry for it. It had two large scars on its face with long curved fangs. It raised it’s hand up into the air as though it was about to make a swipe down on me that would end my life. It’s claws instead cut me free from the chair. 

“Get up! We don’t have a lot of time before more may come.” Its voice was rough but not as nearly as mean as I thought it would be. I got up and looked at the monstrosity before me that saved me. I ran into the ship with them without a second thought. The vessel was not as nice looking as the previous one with stains and garbage littering the floor and walls. It was smaller with one table in the middle and four seats in the front of the ship where the aliens must pilot the ship. 

“Take us into hyperspace now!” yelled the ugly looking lizard at one that jumped into the front seat. He typed something into a hologram and a voice said. “Traveling to earth. Prepare for hyperspeed.” They all jumped into their seats and threw me into an extra one that popped out of the floor. I couldn’t feel anything as the ship glowed blue from the outside during hyperspeed. The rest of the trip back home was uneventful for the most part. The aliens talked about economics and politics from their planet I didn’t understand and they sometimes said rude jokes that followed with a burp or fart. At one point they discussed me when I was right there like I was some kind of hassle. 

“I’m just saying it’s not easy getting through there security when they make it more complex every time we rescue something.”

“I think we should be paid more. Especially If one of us is injured.”

“Yah, but if it wasn’t for us, phycos like those guys will keep illegally experimenting on innocent people.” 

“Here’s an Idea how about YOU ALL SHUT UP SO I CAN GET SOME SLEEP!” 

Dehydrated I asked if I could have some water and one of them through a water bottle without looking around and it hit my head. I didn’t complain. I didn’t complain the entire time. Even though they looked, sounded and acted mean they still were the ones who saved my life. The grey aliens seemed and looked nice and they tried to kill me. These dragon aliens act like pigs yet they helped me. I was never going to ignore what mom told me about people’s appearances ever again. 

I could see the earth coming closer as the ship entered the atmosphere. I told them where I lived and they flew me there. The door opened and the seat belts unbuckled. As I climbed out of the ship I took in the mountains, the sand below my feet, the sun rising in the distance and my house just a few yards away. I was home. A tap to my shoulder woke me from my trance. One of the aliens was handing me my satchel.

“Took this before we left because I assume this is a human accessory.” It said. “Hope you have a nice life…ah… It said not knowing my name. 

“Elena,” I said. “Elena Smith.” with my hand out to shake his. “I hope you have a nice trip back and thank you for everything you did for me.” 

“Your welcome.” And with that, the ship left me to run home with an experience that I will never forget as long as I live.