this morning #1972.

this morning, without warning, something enormous came tumbling out of the sky. started with a rumble like a freight train & ended with a crash landing in the field behind the harpers’ house. shook the earth & came to a rest sizzling in a crater the size of a box truck. the neighborhood, shaken awake by the impact, threw on their bathrobes & began to emerge from their homes. i told the wife to wait inside just in case it was a dangerous situation. for all we know, it’s a UFO. laden with radioactivity. as soon as i stepped outside, a sharp chemical sting scratched my nostrils. i stepped back inside. grabbed my gas mask off of the wall. “what the hell is going on out there?” i kissed the wife. “stay here. i’ll be fine.” went back outside.