{"id":32,"date":"2020-07-03T09:23:45","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T13:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/artsreviewviii\/?post_type=chapter&p=32"},"modified":"2020-07-06T12:53:54","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T16:53:54","slug":"the-sighting","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/artsreviewviii\/chapter\/the-sighting\/","title":{"raw":"The Sighting","rendered":"The Sighting"},"content":{"raw":"\u201cShould we call the police?\u201d\r\n\r\nHudson and Abe stood looking at the spot where it had hung in the sky. They were still a little buzzed. It being a warm summer night, and short on cash for a cab, they\u2019d been walking home from the pub and were by the outskirts of town when it caught their eye. They\u2019d never seen anything like it\u2014probably no one had.\r\n\r\n\u201cMan, what do you expect them to do?\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. Just seems like the thing to do.\u201d\r\n\r\nIt\u2014a big metallic thing<\/em>, about the size of a car\u2014had been floating, silent, above the field. Hudson had noticed it first, stopped short, nudged Abe, and pointed upwards, agape. The two stared wordlessly. It remained overhead for almost a full minute as they watched. More silence. The thing seemed to watch back. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it shot off, diagonally upward, headed northeast at incredible speed. In less than a second, it was out of sight. They\u2019d glanced at each other, tense. The evening was supposed to be just a couple old high school buddies catching up over drinks, but this? This wasn\u2019t the sort of thing most people are prepared for.\r\n\r\nHudson took off his hat and tried to steady his breath. Scratching his head, he began again, \u201cBut like, shouldn\u2019t the government know?\u201d\r\n\r\nAbe snorted. \u201cDude, I work in the public service now. I\u2019m <\/em>\u2018the government.\u2019\u201d He ran his fingers through his thinning hair. \u201cBelieve me, the government\u2019s a bunch of morons. We\u2019re all just as clueless as the next folks\u2014only in a slightly fancier office.\u201d\r\n\r\nHudson considered this for a while. They\u2019d sat down on a wooden fence that ran alongside the empty street and were looking into the now totally empty field. The tall grass swayed in the soft breeze, oblivious to the turn of events. It was a rural area, the houses few and far between, and all the windows along the street were dark as far as Hudson could see. No one else was around; no cars came by. They were the only witnesses. The sun had long since vanished over the hill, and the only light now came from the silver moon and the dim yellow street lights on telephone poles sparsely dotting the road. Their low electric hum mingled with the crickets. Abe pulled out a cigarette and lit it, offering a pittance more light. It was his last one. He puffed quietly. They felt a chill despite the warm night air.\r\n\r\nEventually, Hudson grew uncomfortable with the silence. \u201cBut like, we gotta alert the military. They\u2019ll know what to do.\u201d He wiped his palms on his faded jeans.\r\n\r\nAbe was shaking his head slowly. \u201cWhat, you want \u2018em to... shoot it? Cause, uh\u2014\u201d he gestured to the empty air. Ash toppled off his cigarette. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing there to shoot.\u201d Abe still got smarmy under stress. It was starting to get on his friend\u2019s nerves.\r\n\r\nAbe, meanwhile, was reflecting. A UFO. Well, it was certainly unidentifiable. That much was obvious. Even a basic description was a challenge. The brilliant light the thing emitted had distorted its shape, giving it an eerie unfamiliarity. Abe tried, but couldn\u2019t remember what colour it had been. It revolved slowly as it hovered. Its movement was uncanny\u2014it floated loosely in the sky, not like a bird or a drone or even a balloon, but more like a jellyfish, aimless, without intention. It didn\u2019t do <\/em>anything. It was just there.\r\n\r\nAnd then it wasn\u2019t.\r\n\r\nNormally, Abe would have immediately grasped at a plausible explanation for the thing\u2019s appearance, but none came. No question about it: whatever it was, it was unmistakably not-of-this-Earth.\r\n\r\n\u201cWell, damn, I dunno, call CSIS, then. The RCMP, the PM. The Queen!\u201d said Hudson.\r\n\r\nAbe shook his head more vigorously and took a drag. \u201cI\u2019m telling you, man, I think... I think we gotta drop it. Go ahead, call the newspaper, call the Pope for all I care, no one\u2019s gonna do shit about this. You wanna be just another crazy farmer who saw a UFO?\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cDon\u2019t give me that! This shit could be dangerous\u2014the authorities oughtta know! And you saw it too!\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cYeah, I did, but man, it\u2019s hopeless! What do you expect? No one\u2019ll buy it. No one\u2019ll do anything. No one would know what <\/em>to do.\u201d Abe turned his face to the stars and sighed. \u201cPeople always want to believe that there\u2019s someone running the show, that some asshole\u2019s back there pulling all the strings. Man, I get it, too. Conspiracies are comforting\u2014they are. But truth is, we\u2019re all just making it up as we go. Some just hide it better than others.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cOh, shut up,\u201d said Hudson. He was now chewing on a piece of long grass, eyes closed. \u201cThat can\u2019t be right. Gotta be somebody, somewhere, has their shit together.\u201d\r\n\r\nAbe smirked. \u201cNext you\u2019ll tell me you still believe in Santa Claus.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cFor all we know, that <\/em>thing coulda been goddamn Santa Claus.\u201d\r\n\r\nThat got a much-needed chuckle, and the tension lessened. The two sat for a minute with their thoughts, feeling a little less alone. Hudson looked around some more. The night sky was clear and deep, full of powdery stars. Rustling lupins were overgrown in ditches along the road. It almost felt like any other summer night.\r\n\r\n\u201cI never believed in Santa,\u201d said Abe.\r\n\r\n\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s anything to be proud of.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m just saying, man. My bullshit detector is top-of-the-line.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI bet you never believed in aliens, either.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cStill don\u2019t. Not really.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat? Shut up.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cYou shut up. Who knows what that thing was? Coulda been anything. I\u2019m <\/em>sure as hell not saying it was an alien<\/em>.\u201d\r\n\r\nHudson couldn\u2019t believe his ears. \u201cYou\u2019re a real piece of work, you know that, Abe? Think you\u2019re so smart \u2018cause you don\u2019t believe in shit. You\u2019re not. Makes you just as close-minded as anyone else.\u201d He huffed and hopped off the fence into the field. \u201cI\u2019m heading home. Gonna cut through here. See you around, buddy.\u201d\r\n\r\nHudson had only gone a few metres when Abe, uncomfortable being left on his own, stepped down to follow.\r\n\r\n\u201cHey, man, wait up.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI said I\u2019ll see you around.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cHang on a minute. Look, I\u2019m sorry. Just a bit shaken up.\u201d\r\n\r\nHudson couldn\u2019t stay mad. \u201cAlright. No hard feelings, buddy. Hey, you wanna come with? Crash at my place tonight?\u201d\r\n\r\nAbe was relieved. After what had happened, he hadn\u2019t wanted to spend the night alone. \u201cSure, man, thanks.\u201d\r\n\r\nThey started off, the crunch of their footsteps in the grass adding to the ambient noise. It had gotten quite late, and the night was still. Even the chirping of crickets ceased, but neither took notice. They walked for a while before Abe stopped short.\r\n\r\n\u201cWait up.\u201d He was trying to remember something.\r\n\r\nHudson slowed, looking over his shoulder. \u201cWhat?\u201d\r\n\r\nThey stood facing each other in the field, knee-deep in the tall grass. Abe rubbed his eyes, looking around. Was he still drunk? \u201cDon\u2019t you... don\u2019t you live the other way?\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\r\n\r\nAbe stared at Hudson\u2019s moonlit face and was struck with a hazy recollection of having left his friend back at the pub. Of leaving the bar alone after they had laughed and parted ways. Of catching a glimpse of a strange object in the sky out of the corner of his eye on his way home\u2014but no, that was impossible. Something was off. He blinked hard and looked closely at Hudson\u2019s face. A sudden chill gripped his spine.\r\n\r\n\u201cHang on. You\u2019re not\u2026 do I know you?\u201d\r\n\r\nHudson\u2019s mouth smiled. \u201cWhat?\u201d His voice was soft. \u201cCome on, Abe. It\u2019s me. We\u2019ve been friends since...\u201d\r\n\r\nHe trailed off, still smiling. Abe\u2019s terror rose. He took a step back. Hudson advanced.\r\n\r\n\u201cTake it easy, Abe. It\u2019s cool. Trust me. You\u2019ve been through a lot. Come on. I\u2019ll take you home. Come home with me. You\u2019ve been through a lot. Trust me.\u201d\r\n\r\nAbe\u2019s throat constricted. He backed away, stumbling, chest pounding, dropped his cigarette. \u201cGet away from me. Stay\u2014\u201d\r\n\r\nBehind him, a brilliant light flashed.\r\n

END<\/p>","rendered":"

\u201cShould we call the police?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson and Abe stood looking at the spot where it had hung in the sky. They were still a little buzzed. It being a warm summer night, and short on cash for a cab, they\u2019d been walking home from the pub and were by the outskirts of town when it caught their eye. They\u2019d never seen anything like it\u2014probably no one had.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, what do you expect them to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. Just seems like the thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2014a big metallic thing<\/em>, about the size of a car\u2014had been floating, silent, above the field. Hudson had noticed it first, stopped short, nudged Abe, and pointed upwards, agape. The two stared wordlessly. It remained overhead for almost a full minute as they watched. More silence. The thing seemed to watch back. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it shot off, diagonally upward, headed northeast at incredible speed. In less than a second, it was out of sight. They\u2019d glanced at each other, tense. The evening was supposed to be just a couple old high school buddies catching up over drinks, but this? This wasn\u2019t the sort of thing most people are prepared for.<\/p>\n

Hudson took off his hat and tried to steady his breath. Scratching his head, he began again, \u201cBut like, shouldn\u2019t the government know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Abe snorted. \u201cDude, I work in the public service now. I\u2019m <\/em>\u2018the government.\u2019\u201d He ran his fingers through his thinning hair. \u201cBelieve me, the government\u2019s a bunch of morons. We\u2019re all just as clueless as the next folks\u2014only in a slightly fancier office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson considered this for a while. They\u2019d sat down on a wooden fence that ran alongside the empty street and were looking into the now totally empty field. The tall grass swayed in the soft breeze, oblivious to the turn of events. It was a rural area, the houses few and far between, and all the windows along the street were dark as far as Hudson could see. No one else was around; no cars came by. They were the only witnesses. The sun had long since vanished over the hill, and the only light now came from the silver moon and the dim yellow street lights on telephone poles sparsely dotting the road. Their low electric hum mingled with the crickets. Abe pulled out a cigarette and lit it, offering a pittance more light. It was his last one. He puffed quietly. They felt a chill despite the warm night air.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Hudson grew uncomfortable with the silence. \u201cBut like, we gotta alert the military. They\u2019ll know what to do.\u201d He wiped his palms on his faded jeans.<\/p>\n

Abe was shaking his head slowly. \u201cWhat, you want \u2018em to… shoot it? Cause, uh\u2014\u201d he gestured to the empty air. Ash toppled off his cigarette. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing there to shoot.\u201d Abe still got smarmy under stress. It was starting to get on his friend\u2019s nerves.<\/p>\n

Abe, meanwhile, was reflecting. A UFO. Well, it was certainly unidentifiable. That much was obvious. Even a basic description was a challenge. The brilliant light the thing emitted had distorted its shape, giving it an eerie unfamiliarity. Abe tried, but couldn\u2019t remember what colour it had been. It revolved slowly as it hovered. Its movement was uncanny\u2014it floated loosely in the sky, not like a bird or a drone or even a balloon, but more like a jellyfish, aimless, without intention. It didn\u2019t do <\/em>anything. It was just there.<\/p>\n

And then it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Normally, Abe would have immediately grasped at a plausible explanation for the thing\u2019s appearance, but none came. No question about it: whatever it was, it was unmistakably not-of-this-Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, damn, I dunno, call CSIS, then. The RCMP, the PM. The Queen!\u201d said Hudson.<\/p>\n

Abe shook his head more vigorously and took a drag. \u201cI\u2019m telling you, man, I think… I think we gotta drop it. Go ahead, call the newspaper, call the Pope for all I care, no one\u2019s gonna do shit about this. You wanna be just another crazy farmer who saw a UFO?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t give me that! This shit could be dangerous\u2014the authorities oughtta know! And you saw it too!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I did, but man, it\u2019s hopeless! What do you expect? No one\u2019ll buy it. No one\u2019ll do anything. No one would know what <\/em>to do.\u201d Abe turned his face to the stars and sighed. \u201cPeople always want to believe that there\u2019s someone running the show, that some asshole\u2019s back there pulling all the strings. Man, I get it, too. Conspiracies are comforting\u2014they are. But truth is, we\u2019re all just making it up as we go. Some just hide it better than others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, shut up,\u201d said Hudson. He was now chewing on a piece of long grass, eyes closed. \u201cThat can\u2019t be right. Gotta be somebody, somewhere, has their shit together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abe smirked. \u201cNext you\u2019ll tell me you still believe in Santa Claus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all we know, that <\/em>thing coulda been goddamn Santa Claus.\u201d<\/p>\n

That got a much-needed chuckle, and the tension lessened. The two sat for a minute with their thoughts, feeling a little less alone. Hudson looked around some more. The night sky was clear and deep, full of powdery stars. Rustling lupins were overgrown in ditches along the road. It almost felt like any other summer night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never believed in Santa,\u201d said Abe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s anything to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just saying, man. My bullshit detector is top-of-the-line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet you never believed in aliens, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill don\u2019t. Not really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? Shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shut up. Who knows what that thing was? Coulda been anything. I\u2019m <\/em>sure as hell not saying it was an alien<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson couldn\u2019t believe his ears. \u201cYou\u2019re a real piece of work, you know that, Abe? Think you\u2019re so smart \u2018cause you don\u2019t believe in shit. You\u2019re not. Makes you just as close-minded as anyone else.\u201d He huffed and hopped off the fence into the field. \u201cI\u2019m heading home. Gonna cut through here. See you around, buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson had only gone a few metres when Abe, uncomfortable being left on his own, stepped down to follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, man, wait up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI said I\u2019ll see you around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHang on a minute. Look, I\u2019m sorry. Just a bit shaken up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson couldn\u2019t stay mad. \u201cAlright. No hard feelings, buddy. Hey, you wanna come with? Crash at my place tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

Abe was relieved. After what had happened, he hadn\u2019t wanted to spend the night alone. \u201cSure, man, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

They started off, the crunch of their footsteps in the grass adding to the ambient noise. It had gotten quite late, and the night was still. Even the chirping of crickets ceased, but neither took notice. They walked for a while before Abe stopped short.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait up.\u201d He was trying to remember something.<\/p>\n

Hudson slowed, looking over his shoulder. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

They stood facing each other in the field, knee-deep in the tall grass. Abe rubbed his eyes, looking around. Was he still drunk? \u201cDon\u2019t you… don\u2019t you live the other way?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Abe stared at Hudson\u2019s moonlit face and was struck with a hazy recollection of having left his friend back at the pub. Of leaving the bar alone after they had laughed and parted ways. Of catching a glimpse of a strange object in the sky out of the corner of his eye on his way home\u2014but no, that was impossible. Something was off. He blinked hard and looked closely at Hudson\u2019s face. A sudden chill gripped his spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cHang on. You\u2019re not\u2026 do I know you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson\u2019s mouth smiled. \u201cWhat?\u201d His voice was soft. \u201cCome on, Abe. It\u2019s me. We\u2019ve been friends since…\u201d<\/p>\n

He trailed off, still smiling. Abe\u2019s terror rose. He took a step back. Hudson advanced.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, Abe. It\u2019s cool. Trust me. You\u2019ve been through a lot. Come on. I\u2019ll take you home. Come home with me. You\u2019ve been through a lot. Trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abe\u2019s throat constricted. He backed away, stumbling, chest pounding, dropped his cigarette. \u201cGet away from me. Stay\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind him, a brilliant light flashed.<\/p>\n

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