The Visitor

 

I was puttering around in the kitchen with the fruits of my labor, chocolate chip cookies still hot and gooey piled up on a platter resting on the island. It seemed that the height of the pile of cookies was receding even though I was home alone. I left the water running and watched the platter out of the corner of my eye. Suddenly I saw a thin green hand with purple fingernails snatch a cookie and disappear below the far side of the island. I quietly stepped over to see a small alien creature eating my chocolate chip cookies!

“Do you like them?” I asked.

The alien was startled but responded,” I apologize for eating your fuel but I needed a little something after my long journey “

Flor as he was known, explained that a malfunction on his space voyager had caused him to land on earth to make repairs before he could continue on his way.

“These are even better than the gravely salve which the Munlobs of Voldar 5 infuse through their hides!”

 This was apparently high praise putting me among the highest echelon of bakers in the Galaxy and I thanked him for the compliment. I made him a Starbucks hot chocolate which he seemed to enjoy, washing down the cookies.

Next, we went down the creaky old stairs to the basement so that he could fix the silvery metallic disks that he had pulled out of his pocket. I brought him drawers of used parts and jars of miscellaneous hardware, tools, batteries, wire, electrical tape and a soldering iron. I left him to his task and went upstairs to clean up.

After about a half hour he reappeared on the main floor explaining that the job was accomplished and the disks repaired.

“Oh, I built you a Megatronic transformer with some of your parts and a spare disk I had. Your electricity will be self-generating from now on to thank you for your kindness,” said Flor.

I thanked him and put some chocolate chip cookies in a zip lock bag for the ride home as well as another hot cocoa in a traveling cup. We walked out to the ship which he had parked in the yard behind the house. After a quick goodbye during which I invited him to stop by for a hot cocoa and cookies anytime he was passing through this quadrant of the Galaxy. He boarded the ship and after a short time the ship lit up and shot away in a flash.

Upon returning to my basement, I found one of the curious disks welded to various pieces of hardware and attached to my power box. The bench had been tidied up and organized. I found a note in perfect English which read as follows:

 

Dear Jim,

               Cancel your subscription to the power company as this disk will provide all the electricity you will need at your current rate of usage for at least a thousand years. Keep it a secret and be well.

                  Till the Universe ends,

                  Your Friend Flor

 

Jim

Dec 2020