Overture (Earth Song) Read Free Page A

the first time in five years she was beginning to enjoy herself again. 
    As she left the last mini mall behind she passed a large hill on her left. She did her best not to look, though as usual found her head turning to gaze up at the peak. She saw the same concrete domed observatory every day. With it came the same feelings of loss and resentment. As Mindy continued south she stole a final glimpse of the structure in her rear view mirror before turning a corner and leaving the view behind. There were times that being a customs broker felt like the worst job in the world.
     
     
     
    Victor sat on a bench just out of range of a streetlight, curious about what was going on in the center of the meadow. One of the park’s largest open areas, it was more than two hundred yards across and from where he sat, all Victor could see was a bright glare of light. There didn’t seem to be anyone else watching, but it was hard to tell because of the stark difference between light and dark. With the casual indifference of a person still under the influence, he stood up and strolled across the damp grass.
    The closer he got, the more intense the light became. As he got closer, Victor could hear strange humming and buzzing sounds coming from near the source. The brightness of the lights and the unusual way they seemed to move made him think it was a movie set. There were film crews around Central Park almost every week. He and his friends were experts in mooching snacks and other perks from the Hollywood types. The thought of free food emboldened him, so he moved still closer. The light was now so intense it held him back like a physical wall. It left him even more confused.
    He began walking around the source to see if it was less intense from the other side, but instead found himself back where he started. It was uniform from all sides. “This is strange, man” he said. Victor looked around to be certain no one was watching him, then he closed his eyes and tried to walk toward the light. It was so powerful it hurt right through his eyelids. In a few steps, he fell to his knees and covered his eyes with his hands.
    “It can’t be that bright,” he mumbled, getting up and turning before swiping at the dew clinging to his worn jogging suit. Frustrated, he yelled “Who’s there?” Instantly the lights went out. Plunged into sudden darkness, Victor spun and stumbled backwards, preparing to run.
    There was a whine followed by a bone-chilling reverberation and then all was silent. Emboldened by not having a security guard come running at him, Victor yelled, “What are you doing in there? I’m going to call the po-po!”
    His night vision was slowly returning. Where the lights had been blazing, now appeared one of the many Central Park statues, and a lone figure standing beside it. The figure was not quite as tall as a man, had a body that somewhat resembled a horse, and was using strangely jointed arms ending in three digit fingers to hold a glowing rod. Its head turned toward him and Victor felt a jolt of fear and disgust as he found himself looking at a head with no nose, no mouth, and a pair of lidless almond-shaped eyes.
    “What are you?” Victor moaned. The thing regarded him briefly with its shiny eyes before turning. It walked fluidly on its four legs to the statue, which resembled a marble column and pointed the glowing rod. The center of the statue pulsed deep purple. Victor was becoming less terrified and more amazed by the moment. He’d seen this kind of special effects in movies, but some part of him knew it took many hours and a powerful computer to make it believable. This was live, here, in Central Park.
    The statue became a dais fifteen feet wide and ten feet deep, and shaped somewhat like the eyes of the strange creature. The sloped sides were smooth and only interrupted by cuts up both long sides for three steps. “What are you?” Victor asked the creature for the second time.  The creature took several steps