Lost and Found

I am walking through the forest in a mid America state. The last memory I had was sleeping in my bed. I don’t know how I got here or when I was at home the last time. It may have been last night or months ago. Lost and confused, I am trying to find someplace where I can ask where I am. I continue to walk yet not finding a road or town. I maybe should be afraid but for some strange reason I am not. I keep looking for a trail in the forest but I don't see one. The sun is directly overhead so I can’t even tell which direction I am going. I wandered about for what seemed hours until I came to a wide gorge. How far down I could not tell and I knew I couldn’t go down the edge. On the other side I saw what appeared to be a barn. It was there by itself with no other buildings. I thought it strange that there was a barn out here in the middle of nowhere, yet I decided it was the first sign of civilization I had seen. I looked both directions to see if there was a way to get to the other side. They both looked like it would be a long hike so I went to the right, hoping I would find a way to get across the gorge. The sun was going down and I knew I would have to make a shelter for the night if I didn’t get across to the barn.

I followed the edge for about thirty minutes and found what seemed to be a way to the bottom. I figured I had three more hours of daylight and I hoped there would be water at the bottom. Food and water were my priorities now. Carefully I made my way down. There were several places that I had to go to the right and then back to the left. Zig zagging back and forth I finally was near the bottom. After a few more maneuvers I was at the bottom. There was a small river flowing that had some pools where I could see fish. The water was cool and refreshing. I wished I had something to put some in for my journey up the other side. I planned to spend the night and continue the next morning.

I was able to catch a fish from one of the pools and saw that there were others I could catch in the morning. I found that some of the stones were flint, so I gathered some wood and kindling to build a fire. As I was gathering I saw a small cave just big enough for me and the fire. I was losing daylight and it was getting cold. I built the fire and put a stick through the fish to roast it. It was dark except for the flickering of the fire.There was sand in the cave and I had extra wood to keep the fire going. I was able to fall asleep and had dreams of my home. I wanted to wake up and be there.

As the fire burned down, I would wake up and put more wood on the fire. I could sleep for an hour or so between the need for more wood. Each time I would have different dreams, some were fearful about being abducted by captors as if I was in a war. Others were gentle about being home in my bed and waking up to my family and friends.

Not knowing what time it was, the sun peeped over the edge of the canyon. I kept the fire going and went to the pool where I had caught that fish. I picked the largest one and finally got it between a stick and the edge of the pool. These fish were trapped by the river flowing into the pools yet being too big to get out. I reached in and grabbed it and was able to wrestle it out of the pool. My shirt got wet but I didn’t care. I had a meal and some to go with me. I dried my shirt at the fire and drank some water. I was ready for the trek up the other side.

I had to guess where the barn was and wanted to find the most direct way to get there. Walking along the bottom, I saw a way that seemed I could maneuver to the top. Taking a few deep breaths, I start up the other side. It was easy at first until I came to a spot that was straight up. Only a small ledge went to the right so I crept along it till I found a crevice I could climb up to the top. Once I was there. I looked across the gorge to see where I was when I saw the barn. I saw a certain tree that I remembered so I knew which way to go. I followed the edge of the gorge until I knew I was close to where the barn was located. Then I started my journey inward, stopping occasionally to climb a tree to see if I could spot it. After about a half hour I spotted the barn. I could reach it in another fifteen minutes.

I walked up to the barn not knowing what to expect, but realizing it was a key to my getting home. It was the biggest barn I had ever seen. As I approached the front door, it opened automatically. I was hesitant but entered anyway. The door closed behind me and the lights came on. I didn’t see any light fixtures that shed the light. It was as if there was a glow that emulated from the air.

As I looked around I saw three beings like I had never seen before. They were tall and very thin and had long arms and legs. I wasn’t afraid though, I had an inner sense of peace. One of them “spoke” to me though not audibly, it was as if I heard him in my mind. It told me that they were from a planet in a different galaxy and had come to earth to get to know the inhabitants here.

They had been studying us from space and this was the first outpost they had established. They chose me to do this trek to see how resilient earthlings were. They were glad I had passed the test. They were also wondering if all earthlings would be open to meeting them. They could give us a lot of technology that we had not yet experienced. I did not need to speak, I knew they could hear my thoughts. I told them it might be years before mankind would be able to meet them though there were some that would be willing.

Over the years since, many of the technological advancements have been shared from this outpost. Maybe one day humans will be ready to meet them.