Eden Read Free Page A

of Eden. The track become more slippery and uneven and without warning the buggy gave a violent jolt and was sent up on its side for a fraction of a second, before bouncing back down.
    Jenny laughed, exhilarated. The tall trees loomed above, swaying with such force they seemed dangerous to be beneath. The foliage was sparse, and large nests were clearly visible in the branches.
    Matt pressed his foot to the floor; the going was uphill. And Bodie stood, holding onto the top rail of the window screen.
    “I can hear a waterfall or something,” said Jenny, peering around Bodie ’s standing form. She pointed. “Head over there, Matt.”
    The buggy climbed over rocks with ease but Matt stopped the vehicle so quickly Jenny was thrown forward and Bodie was almost sent sailing over the top; the land in front of them opened out into a wide crater.
    “What the...?” exclaimed Matt. His face had turned a strange shade of red.
    Looking where his eyes were transfixed, Jenny felt a jolt of fear.
    Bodie sank down in his seat slowly. “Looks like a spaceship. Jenny,” he said without turning, “the “scope.”
    Jenny handed him the telescope wordlessly, her own eyes glued to the manifestation. It was massive, but its bulk was hidden beneath a carpet of moss-type grass, which grew on the roof and up the exterior walls. It lay close to the forest in the crater, possibly made by its own impact. Naked bush climbed the ship ’s burnt facade, as though trying to hide it from their eyes.
    “Christ!” said Matt. “Wonder how long it has been there?”
    “Forever by the looks of it,” she said.
    “It ’s overrun with mould and foliage; part of it is completely destroyed,” Bodie said, his eyes pressed hard against the telescope. “It looks as if it ’s been in an explosion. It ’s nothing but a shell.” He pulled the telescope away, and Jenny grabbed it and placed it to her eye.
    Matt began to edge the buggy forwards, but Bodie stopped him.
    “Let ’s not rush this. For years we’ve had no indication of extraterrestrial life anywhere else in the universe, and now we’ve got evidence of animal and intelligent life all in one day!”
    “You don’t think alien beings could still be in the ship?” asked Jenny incredulously. “It doesn’t look possible anybody could’ve survived the crash. “
    Bodie looked around at her. “But we ’re not talking any body, are we?”
    THREE
    All thought of Eden and their mission had disappeared. The massive spacecraft that lay before them overwhelmed everything. They rested on the crest of the hill in silence, and looked at the sunken UFO. It was huge. Larger than their first impression, and it made Taurus XI look like a child ’s toy in comparison. Part of it was buried in the wall of the valley, as if the ship had crashed there and the environment had developed around it.
    The surrounding area was littered with debris for kilometers around and covered with the remains of burnt trees and shrubbery. But new growth was mingling with the dead. The ground was still scorched in places, and the craft itself was charred beneath the newly growing moss.
    “OK,” Bodie nodded his consent, and they cautiously ste pped out of the buggy. “A quick look, and then back to Taurus to get armed u p.”
    “Should’ve brought them with us,” Matt said, but began to walk and slither down the decline.
    The others followed. It wasn’t a steep hill, but steady. Bodie and Matt approached the craft together, while Jenny moved around it alone, totally awe-struck.
    Parts of the ship that had been free from fire were smooth, and the walls appeared to have no visible means of entrance. She couldn’t circle the ship completely, debris and abrasive branches preventing her but her eyes were for the strange vessel alone, as she walked around oblivious to anything else. Kneeling, she inspected the lower walls and to her surprise saw a metre-long gap at the base of the ship. She lay on her stomach and peered