Tyger’s Electric Dreams Short Story Contest 17- Meadowbrook by @simgirl

Tyger’s Electric Dreams Short Story Contest 17- Meadowbrook by @simgirl

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This is my entry for Tyger’s Electric Dreams Short Story Contest 17 hosted by @tygertyger.

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Meadowbrook by: @simgirl

When we found Howard Sander’s lifeless body in the bath tub, we didn’t understand the meaning behind his note. The slicing of his wrists suggested depression, anger, or even pride. We chalked it up to suicide; allowing the family to grieve in peace. As a detective my mind couldn’t grasp the concept of Howard committing such a cowardly act and the written words, “I couldn’t fight them anymore” repeated over and over in my brain for months.

The year the UFOs invaded our world I concluded it was not demons that Howard was fighting and that there may have been something more sinister going on in our little town. Far away from any of the major cities, we heard of the government buildings being destroyed through the grapevine. Many of us did not believe the chatter or rumors of the invasion. In fact, it wasn’t until the mail stopped being delivered that the people of Meadowbrook even noticed something was amiss.

Days turned into months and months turned into years. The UFOs hovered over the states and cities of the world and we as sheep had no shepherds. Most people became outlaws and hippies determined to live off the land. They built large communes where the people would gather to preform music and live. Others tried their best to keep the normal routine, but without the organization of the governments, the meetings and plans for any future local development ceased to exist.

The cities were soon abandoned, the major factories stopped producing, and the utilities and luxuries we all came accustomed to were just a memory of how things once were. Meadowbrook remained much the same the past three years as the technology and prosperity of the outlining cities such as New York and LA were out of a sci-fi movie to us anyway. The sun rose and the sun set. We grew our gardens and helped our neighbors much the same as we had before the UFOs came and changed the world’s way of life.

Every few months we would be flooded with flyers describing the new laws and rules set in place by the “current dictator” of the area, but being so far out in the country, the people of Meadowbrook remained safe and somewhat unaffected by the chaos of the world. I myself stuck to my routine of sipping coffee and watching the wild animals scurrying about while Joey enjoyed his weekly Sunday romp with the green street Hookers.

Basketball had become the main recreation for the young boys, and my son Joey looked forward to Sundays because he could spend time with his friends. I tried my best to keep some kind or normality in our daily routine, but Joey often asked me who was in those UFOs and why the beings were here. I couldn’t give him an answer. Truth be told, I was ignoring my civic duties as a detective because the job was no longer relevant to the time I was living. Joey’s constant curiosity was wearing me down to the point that I myself wanted to know the answers.

I had hoped the beings would have blown up the entire earth so we could be done with the drama, but with no communication made with the beings, and with no contact, we were all lost for direction. I decided it was time to escape my bubble of denial and put my detective hat to good use. I started my investigation with the death of Howard Sanders. His note and the words he wrote still haunted me.

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“It’s good to see you detective.” Mrs. Sanders said as she offered me a cup of freshly brewed tea. “It seems like an eternity since I had any visitors.”

“Please call me Frank.” I said. “Again, I am so sorry about the loss of your son Howard. I’ve thought a lot about him over the past few years. With the UFO invasion, I’ve been wondering more about the note Howard left. You wouldn’t mind me taking another look at it… that is of course if you kept it.”

Mrs. Sanders looked off into the distance for a moment and then nodded her head. “I did keep it. I still can’t grasp the notion Howard would end his own life. If I was a less sane woman, I would have suggested Howard’s death was caused by those UFOs. But we all know that is nonsense. I’ll go get the note for you.”

As Mrs. Sanders walked out of the parlor, I was drawn to the framed photos of her family along the walls. Howard was the center of most of them. As the only child of Walter and Gladys Sanders, Howard was the heart of this home and I could tell Mrs. Sanders missed them both very much.

By the looks of her parlor tables, the neighbors had been leaving baskets of fruits and vegetables for Mrs. Sanders. This made me feel better about not checking up on the widow before now.

“Here it is.” She said, and then handed me the note.

The words were the same as the last time I saw it, “I couldn’t fight them anymore.”

“Mrs. Sanders…”

“Please call me Gladys.”

“Gladys, do you know what Howard meant when he said “them” in the note? Do you know who he was fighting?”

Gladys looked around her and whispered, “Them…” while pointing up in the air. “They listen to our conversations and feed from evil. They breed with it. Those cities weren’t abandoned. The people were terminated and absorbed for their negative energies.”

For a moment I too looked around, allowing my mind to be open to this theory. “You mean, the UFOs?” I whispered back.

Gladys agreed with a nod. “They are like vacuum cleaners; cleaning the world of dirt. I can’t say anymore.” She whispered and then began to speak in a normal tone of voice while offering me a refill of tea from the tea pot. “At my age I’m not scared of dying, but I’ve always been a positive person so no need to get bitter over an inconvenient situation. Howard has most of his research out in the old barn. You can look in there if you want to see more of Howard’s notes. I think you may find them… interesting.”

I sipped the hot tea and understood her meaning. Howard was on to something and this wise woman knew what that something was. I had more than enough motivation to seek additional information and find out what it was Howard died to hide.

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As I made my way to the old barn behind the Sander’s home, I began to look around me the same way Gladys did before. Suddenly I became very aware of the invaders and their quiet observation. I wondered if the beings really were farming us for our negative energies. Lord knows there was enough to gather in this world.

I had stopped watching the news more than twenty years ago because of the negative reports. The wars on foreign lands I had ignored, and instead I focused on the sins of those in Meadowbrook. In the many years I’ve been a detective, I’d only had to solve one murder. Many of my cases consisted of minor crimes and the threat of calling the suspect’s mother was enough to scare most of the blooming criminals in Meadowbrook.

The barn was dark, and I used my flashlight to find Howard’s office space way in the back of the old, drafty, and damp building. Cobwebs had taken over the space, and I could tell Gladys had not been out here since her son’s untimely death.

I found an old oil lamp and lit the area where Howard once did his research. Files and papers covered the old metal desk and the drawers seemed stuffed with even more notes. I knew that I would need to gather these papers and with Gladys’ permission I left there with a backseat full of boxes containing what I hoped was an answer to all this nonsense.

What I found in the notes was disturbing and proved Howard understood the beings and their intentions for the people of the earth. The most disturbing part was that these beings had planned this invasion for centuries, and this had not been the first visit. Looking through Howard’s notes I learned more about the invaders and understood why they had picked earth to harvest.

I placed the notes down and checked on Joey as he slept on the couch. “Come on Buddy, let’s get you to bed.”

There was no need for me to continue reading Howard’s notes any more that night. The next day I packed the files neatly in the boxes and set them in the back of my shed. The beings Howard fought were not here for the people of Meadowbrook. I believe the thought of all the people of the world being vacuumed for their negative energy was too much of a truth for Howard Sander to bear. I believe he felt just as helpless as the rest of us felt before this evil was sucked away. In the end we are not our brother’s keeper.

I went back to my routine and told Joey every day that the UFOs would be leaving soon. I left out the part about how the beings came here to use the people’s negative energies as cosmic IVF treatments, but hey what’s a father to do.

It wasn’t long before the UFOs left, and the world continued to mend and rebuild. I only hope that the beings took enough of the negative energy this trip that they won’t need to be back during my lifetime. Unfortunately, that’s a more imaginable thought than thinking the people of earth will stop speaking and acting negatively toward each other.

The End

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