The Encounter

The summer of 2025 brought an unusual heat to the small desert town of Azura. For brothers Eric and Daniel Mercer, it was supposed to be another routine night of stargazing—a tradition their late father had started years ago. Armed with a telescope, snacks, and their dad’s old astronomy journal, they set up camp in the backyard. The familiar hum of cicadas filled the air, grounding them in the ordinary.

But that night was far from ordinary.

Around midnight, the constellations above seemed to shimmer unnaturally. Eric, always the skeptic, adjusted the telescope. “Probably just a satellite,” he muttered.

Daniel, still wide-eyed and full of wonder at seventeen, pointed to the sky. “That’s no satellite.”

A streak of light zipped across the heavens, stopping dead center above them. It hovered silently, a metallic craft with a liquid-like surface that rippled as it reflected the stars. The brothers froze.

“Is it… watching us?” Daniel whispered.

Before Eric could answer, a soft blue beam cascaded down, enveloping them. Their phones fizzled and died, leaving them bathed in nothing but light and an unshakable sense of calm.

“I feel something,” Daniel said, clutching his brother’s arm. “Not words—images.”

Eric’s skepticism wavered as their minds were flooded with visions: spiraling galaxies, alien landscapes teeming with life, and finally, Earth. But the Earth they saw was fractured, darkened, teetering on the edge of ruin. The vision shifted again, showing humans and extraterrestrials working together, rebuilding.

A single thought echoed in both their minds: “The choice is yours.”

“What does that mean?” Daniel asked, his voice trembling.

Eric, for once, had no answer. The beam vanished, and the craft shot upward, disappearing without a trace. The night was silent again, as if the encounter had never happened.

The next morning, they tried to explain what they’d seen. Their friends laughed it off, their mother dismissed it as a dream, and the world outside seemed oblivious. Frustrated, Daniel flipped on the news.

“There!” he shouted, pointing at the screen. Videos from around the globe showed the same craft, witnessed by thousands. They weren’t going insane.

Determined to understand, the brothers returned to the backyard that night. But instead of a craft, they found a small metallic object embedded in the dirt where the beam had touched down. It pulsed faintly, glowing blue.

“What do we do with it?” Daniel asked, staring at the artifact.

Eric picked it up cautiously. The same voice from the night before echoed in their minds: “The choice is yours.”

They looked at each other, the weight of the moment sinking in. Whatever this object was, it wasn’t just a gift—it was a responsibility.

And somewhere, far beyond the stars, someone was waiting for their answer.