The hammock had been there for years, tied between two old gnarled trees, high above the now empty, stagnant koi pond. The garden itself was unkempt and overgrown. In the moonlight, late at night foxes could be seen stealing into the garden, hunting for food among the rotting bits of rubbish that passers-by had thrown over the fence. The house had been empty for years and was very dilapidated. Windows had been smashed and grafitti daubed on walls.
No-one knew who the owners of the house were, or why they had disappeared so suddenly, nearly twenty years before. Of course many stories went round the village and my favourite was this one.
It was a cold, clear Winter’s night, when a light appeared in the sky. At first it looked like a star but it seemed to get closer and closer, brighter and brighter. As it neared the village, a strange deep pitched hum could be heard, similar to the sound a fridge makes. The light, which was now the size of a tennis ball seemed to drop out of the sky, though where it went, no-one was sure. Everyone talked about UFOs and because the owner vanished that same night, it was said that he was abducted by aliens.
©Nina Simon 2005
