Alton One: Capsule 3

"Dinner last night was great," Rick said into the receiver.  "I really appreciate what you did for me yesterday."

"What do you think that was," Missy said.  "Was that really a U.F.O.?"

"That seems to be what they think in the Shoreline Daily News," Rick said, holding the paper out on his couch.  "There's a picture of a man looking up at the sky, and there's a U.F.O. up there.  It's clearly what we saw yesterday."

"I wonder if it's real.  I wonder what the experts will say.

"It says here that they blew it off as a weather balloon," he said.

Carrie started crying.  She and her sister were sitting on the couch next to Rick watching Cinderella on the television.  It was late, like past 10 p.m.  It was way past their bedtime.  He was so rapt in conversation he forgot to put his kids to bed.  Yet now Carrie was setting of her alarm.

"I gotta go," Rick said.

"I understand why.  I can hear the little sweat heart," she said.  "Bye.  And take care of yourself."

"Goodbye," Rick said, and clicked end, and set the phone on the side table.  He picked up Carrie and took her to the rocker.  "I want to rock too, Clarice said. And she climbed up next to Rick on the rocker.  He sat there, watching Cinderella.  After a scene a commercial was on, and Rick could hear deep breathing.  Carrie's head was limp on his shoulder.  And, just then, he felt a thud on his side.  Looking down, he could see Clarice was also out.

He slid Clarice's head carefully so it was resting on the arm of the chair, and got up with Carrie.  He carried her to her room, turned on the white noise of beach waves, and kissed her cheek.  He tucked her in, and covered her with her blue Cinderella blanket.  He closed the door and picked up Clarice.  He took her to her room, kissed her cheek, and tucked her in.  He turned on a fan on top the dresser, and softly shut the door.

A petite man with a pale, white face and black tights was standing in the middle of the living room. Startled, Rick screamed.