It was a cold day in June. I hurried home after my shopping which had left my spirit high and purse depleted. It was dark, the shadows overlaying each other on the floor as I walked on the sidewalk, before entering my garden pathway. It was chilly and I was very hungry having resisted the snacks and ice creams at the mall eateries. Somehow the mounting hunger made me irritable and I hurried to my house.

Just as I walked up the steps that led to the doorway a sudden dazzle hit my eye. A torrent of light had capsized upon the house and I felt the glow of a thousand suns cascading upon me. The glaring white blinded my eyes. I dropped my shopping bags around me and shielded my eyes from the deluge. I stood still panic stricken.

Looking up I saw a fascinating sight. It was a UFO. It was an exact replica of the ones in comic books and fiction movies, so I couldn’t possibly have mistaken it for anything else. And sure enough my eyes wandered around the craft to see if any aliens emerged.

At the same instant I felt a tug at my saree pallu. I was wonder struck at the sight of an alien, very humanoid in appearance. And of course he was sea green, as they were always portrayed, and he stood there with his strange enormous eyes straining to see me, eye lids fluttering as though he were myopic. His eyes were watery with rainbow shades floating in them very strangely, and I felt magnetized. He wore a glowing silver metal helmet which was actually his head. The inevitable antenna (like the two tentacles found on the head of a snail) glimmered and shone in florescent shades of green and red as though it were traffic lights. He became too interesting a spectacle for me to feel afraid of, as my eyes explored this fascinating intruder.

His head was mango shaped and his mouth widened and contracted on and off in a perpetual grin that stretched wide to right behind his head. I was relieved he wasn’t scaly, like some of them from comic books. I gathered up courage and said, “Hi!”

The alien nodded as though in acknowledgement, but it was not to be. He nodded all the time even when I hadn’t spoken to him. Since he seemed to be of a congenial temperament I grew braver and extended my hospitality by asking him if he needed food. He grinned and nodded, and I doubted that he understood me.

This time I softly prodded him stomach and was surprised to find it sounded very metallic though it didn’t look it. It was almost a drum.

Still he repeated the grin and nod.

By now I was enjoying this strange encounter, considering he wasn’t harmful, and I really wished to communicate with him. I was afraid he would take off abruptly, as it always happened in movies I had seen. I prodded his tummy again and

said, “Food?” I made a chomping sound as if I was munching away. Grin, nod. Grin, nod.

“Drink?” And I made a gulping sound.

He stared bewildered, the rainbow hues swirling wildly in his eyes. I was transfixed at the sight, for it was a truly spectacular sight. I picked up a tetra pack of Amul Lassi from the shopping bags I had dropped open and punctured the silver blocker. I offered this to my alien friend.

I just stood there asking myself if i was having a psychic experience. Have I turned paranormal? I hoped my sighting of this humanoid was not some sort of change in electromagnetic energy in its immediate vicinity.

However, he stopped moving once we were in the veranda. He turned himself to face his space craft and emanated a few of his beeps and static sounds. I heard a soft crackle from the craft in answer.

I wandered into my house like a zombie, and looked out the window to see a tiny spot twirl and vanish like it always did in my books. I fell in a faint.

Yes it was eight in the morning, and here I was pining away for my alien in my dream!

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