# Literary Maneuvers APR 2020:Alien Visit



## velo (Apr 1, 2020)

Literary Maneuvers, April 2020

"Alien Visit"

650 words, deadline 2359hrs Pacific Daylight Time, Thursday 16APR​


Introduction

This month you will be writing about an _alien visit_. Pick your own title, write about whatever you want, as long as it fits the prompt. You have 650 words of fiction in which to do this.  

If you win, you'll get a badge pinned to your profile, plus the chance to write for our yearly Grand Fiction Challenge which carries cash prizes. Pretty neat, eh?

*NOTE: this month's contest if fully anonymous, both judges and entrants will be unknown until the scores are published, though I haven't changed all the text below to reflect that.  You must PM your entry to me, velo, and I will post for you.  Please indicate if you would like your work posted in the workshop thread to retain first rights and have it be hidden from search engines.  Once I have posted your entry please check that the formatting (font, spacing, etc) is as you intended.  If you would like formatting changed I will do my best to accommodate that, however no changes to spelling, grammar or content will be allowed after posting.  *


Judging

The judges this month are anonymous, as are the entrants.  For those interested in judging, let me know via PM (we already have 4 so disregard). If you wish to know more about scoring, take a look at the NEW JUDGING GUIDE which also includes a template to use for your scoring.  Please use this template for consistency.  


Additional

All entries that wish to retain their first rights should post in the LM WORKSHOP THREAD.  

All anonymous entries will be PMed to velo and please note in the PM if you want your entry posted in the workshop

Lastly, why not check out this ancient text on how to best approach this task.


Rules




All forum rules apply. The LM competition is considered a creative area of the forum. If your story contains inappropriate language or content, do not forget add a disclaimer or it could result in disciplinary actions being taken. Click here for the full list of rules and guidelines of the forum. 
No Poetry! Nothing against you poets out there, but this isn’t a place for your poems. Head on over to the poetry challenges for good competition over there. Some of us fiction people wouldn’t be able to understand your work! Click here for the poetry challenges. Play the prose-poem game at your own risk. 
No posts that are not entries into the competition are allowed. If you have any questions, concerns, or wish to take part in discussion please head over to the LM Coffee Shop. We’ll be glad to take care of your needs over there. 
Editing your entry after posting isn’t allowed. You’ll be given a ten minute grace period, but after that your story may not be scored. 
Only one entry per member. 
The word limit is 650 words not including the title. If you go over - Your story will not be counted. Microsoft Word is the standard for checking this. If you are unsure of the word count and don't have Word, please send your story to me and I'll check it for you.  



There are a few ways to post your entry:

If you aren't too concerned about your first rights, then you can simply post your entry here in this thread.

You can opt to have your entry posted in the Workshop which is a special thread just for LM entries. You would put your story there if you wish to protect your first rights, in case you wish to have the story published one day. Note: If you do post it in the workshop thread, you must post a link to it here in this thread otherwise your story may not be counted.

You may post your story anonymously. To do so, send your story to the host of the competition. If you wish to have us post it in the workshop thread then say so. Your name will be revealed upon the release of the score.


Everyone is welcome to participate, including judges. A judge's entry will receive a review by their fellow judges, but it will not receive a score, though some judges are happy to let you know their score for you privately. Please refrain from 'like'-ing or 'lol'-ing an entry until the scores are posted.


Judges: In the tradition of LM competitions of yore, if you could send the scores no later than three days after the closing date it will ensure a timely release of results. Much later than that and I will have to post with what I have. Again, please see the Judging Guidelines if you have questions. Following the suggested formatting will be much appreciated, too.


This competition will close on:
Thursday 16 April at 2359hrs, PDT (GMT -8), on the dot. Please note any time differences where you are and be mindful of daylight savings time.


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## velo (Apr 9, 2020)

*Tall Jonah - Anon1 - (648w)*

In the midst of a world-wide pandemic, teachers across the United States  were teaching classes online from home. From younger students asking to  see more videos of one teacher's dog, to high school pupils wearing  pajamas and lounging in bed while using Zoom on their laptops, it hadn't  been entirely successful as far as continuing education.

My English teacher, however, came up with the brilliant idea for us to  write a paper dealing with an alien visit, instead of everyday classes. 

That night, I laid on my bed and tried to imagine what an actual visit from another planet would be like. Not an alien_ invasion_  with space ships and weaponry, nor icky aliens attaching themselves to  an earth satellite and being brought back to ravage our cities. This was  a _visitor_ coming to pay a social call.

I sat up and began to type on my computer . . . _A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, an alien boy named . . .
_
Through a fog in my head I heard, "Jonah. My name is Jonah." I sat up.  There was someone else in my room. "Who are you? How did you get in  here?"  

"We came from Ceres. It's a planet in the Orion Belt, like here, but  much smaller. My Dad brought me. It's part of an outreach project  someone dreamed up, to visit Earth with a parent." He shrugged. "It's  supposed to be a bonding thing. We've been traveling for a really long  time, so we've had plenty of time for that."

"You look like me, but taller."

"My Dad wanted me to blend."

"Blend?"

"Yeah, you know, not stick out." He laughed when he said this.

_I must be dreaming, _I thought.

"What do you look like when you don't look like me?"

"Gross. We mostly live underground, so we're quite pale; no muscles to  speak of. The one thing we have going for us is height. We're a really  tall people."

I offered him a half-eaten candy bar.

"Um, Dad told me not to eat anything or drink the water." He made a face when he said this.  

"Why?"

"Not sure, but it might make me sick." He began looking around my room and noticed my phone.

"What's this?" he asked as he picked it up off of my desk.

"It's my phone. You know, to text people and stuff. Hey, let me take your picture!"

He stood with his hands on his hips, chin up, smiling, looking at the  phone. I clicked. In the minute it took for me to bring him the phone to  show the picture, it had changed from what I was seeing to his _real_ self. It was my turn to make a face.

"What's the matter?," he asked.

"Is this . . . is this what you really look like?"

He bent over the phone. "Yep. Told you it was gross."

Jonah laughed and then I did too. I sat down on the bed and got  comfortable again; he sat on my desk chair and we faced each other.  There were suddenly so many questions I wanted to ask, and he seemed  more than willing to talk. I looked down at my phone to see the picture  of his bad self again, and when I looked up, he was gone.

"Jonah?"

Suddenly, my phone only held a picture of me, chin up, hands on hip, looking amazingly tall.

_Crap_, I thought. No one would believe that there was an actual alien in my bedroom! I have no proof!

I looked at my computer screen. _A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, an alien boy named . . . _I typed "Jonah" at the end of the sentence.

_This is going to be a great story_, I thought. I _hope I can finish it before I wake up_.


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## velo (Apr 12, 2020)

Every Word of This is True - Anon2 - (648w)


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## velo (Apr 13, 2020)

*Expedition to Earth - Anon3 - (648 words)*

Honoured fellow scholars,


  The following report is a brief rundown of the ongoing studies of the  third planet of V-35087, provisionally designated V-35087-3. I am proud  to report that the age-old question of whether we are alone in this  universe can now be definitively answered. Unfortunately, it turned out  impossible to establish first contact with fellow sapients for reasons  described in this report.


  The initial survey crew was already suspecting the presence of an  advanced civilization on V-35087-3 after long-range spectrographic scans  indicated a high atmospheric concentration of short-lived radionuclides  not normally found in nature. After approaching the world, orbital  scans confirmed the presence of derelict settlements, but were unable to  detect any signs of sapient life. The presence of radioactive isotopes,  the high concentrations of massive craters in patterns far too regular  to be a coincidence and remnants of infrastructure connecting these  sites suggest a series of highly destructive events involving runaway  nuclear fission.


  Our scientific team was initially divided over whether this event was  some form of malfunction in interconnected power generation facilities,  or the result of intentional sabotage. One of my more pessimistic  collegues, Dr. Queeg, even suggested military conflict with unrestrained  use of fission-based systems as highly-destructive weapons. Although  violent inter-tribal conflict has indeed occurred in the ancient history  of our species as well, most of us were disinclined to believe that  atavistic tribal violence could continue to exist in a highly-advanced  civilization such as this, much less lead to its extinction. At this  stage, however, it is too early to speculate, and more studies will be  needed to confirm or disprove the disturbing implication that scientific  advancement does not necessarily co-relate to social harmony.


  Survey drones were deployed to the derelict settlements and recovered  numerous artifacts, including abundant skeletal remains of what appear  to be the planet's former denizens. Bipedal, with an upright posture  similar to ours, and curiously without a tail (_detailed anatomical assessment included in the appendix_),  many of these creatures were found with elongated metal tubes with  attached mechanisms in their possession. While their heavy state of  corrosion initially precluded us from determining their purpose, Dr.  Queeg suggested they could be simple projectile-based weapons. His  theory proved to have substance after one of the survey drones attempted  to dismantle a well-preserved specimen for further study and was  damaged by the explosion of a small self-contained explosive charge  inside the tube that drove a small aerodynamic metal projectile through  the machine. Since many of the discovered skeletal remains bore visible  injuries consistent with high-velocity impacts by projectiles of similar  size, Dr. Queeg's theory of widespread intra-species violence in this  civilization must be seriously considered as the ultimate cause of its  extinction.


  Of particular note we found the remains of a juvenile creature, found  in the embrace of a fully-mature being, presumably a female if this  species shared a similar family structure to ours. Next to it was found a  sealed bag of synthetic fibre, containing numerous very well-preserved  artifacts. Most were articles of clothing and metal canisters with a mix  of organic substances, presumably food. The purpose of some others  could not be so easily deduced. One such artifact is a stuffed figurine,  a stylized representation of what is presumably an animal native to  this world. Collegues suggested religious significance, perhaps a tribal  totem of sorts. Attached to it was an image printed on a sheet of  pressed cellulose (_included in the appendix_), depicting an adult  creature in the company of others. Their identical attire that includes  protective gear and possession of projectile-launching devices similar  to the ones found in the field suggests a shared occupation, perhaps  warriors.


  The image was inscribed with "*With love, Daddy*".  Unfortunately, our current knowledge of this civilization's language and  writing system is next to non-existent, so the meaning of this  inscription cannot even be speculated on for now.


  More updates will follow as studies progress.


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## velo (Apr 15, 2020)

Close Encounters - Anon4 - (650w) [language, racial slur]


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## velo (Apr 15, 2020)

*Dont pull when it says push - Anon5 - (650w)*

The whole world was watching and while it watched some of it danced and sang and praised the sky, while some of it burned and plundered and twisted itself into Gordian knots. Forgive me, I still forget that you cannot understand our cultural references. Suffice it to say that this was not our normal state of being, and I was far from my usual self. You say that the isolation from your hive is the hardest thing about visiting us - well perhaps you can imagine billions of such lonely minds all pulling in different directions, and the mind of each being pulled in a billion directions: such was our surprise at your arrival.


But you want to know about this mental state we label embarrassment and how a simple door evoked it in me at our first meeting. Well, as you will learn about us, there is much more to the feeling than its mere manifestation. Let me explain.


It was I who first spotted you craft in our solar system. Soon it became apparent that you were adjusting course to orbit the Earth, and so were made the first mutterings of aliens. It was no more a fluke observation, looking at the right moment in space-time, but I was thrust into the spotlight and considered some kind of extra-terrestrial expert. Soon I had a reputation as some learned scholar. I had world leaders and prominent business people courting my attention, though it was not for my expertise but my new-found fame and what it could bring them.


So, when the dust that your craft had kicked up had settled and the various world leaders had met you, I guess it was natural that I was selected to reveal you for the world to see. I was trained by all manner people; voice and posture coaches, linguists and psychologists, bureaucrats telling me what I could and couldn’t say. They tried to cram the entire knowledge of our species into my skull, all so I could help make a favourable impression upon the world on your behalf. My mind was quite bristling when first we met and I led you to the world’s first press conference with an alien. But to get there we had to get through that door.


Only one cameraman followed us at that point, but through her the entire world watched. I pulled the door - it did not budge. I pulled harder, but still it would not move. You might remember I looked at you then, hoping you might help me. But you stood there, your hive mind no doubt somewhere else and there all at once. I pulled again, with all my strength – I’m sure you can see the strain in my face if you care to watch the replays.


“It’s a door.” I said, for some reason. I looked at the cameraman, but she just smirked.


I went to pull again, just as someone on the other side of the door pulled from their end. The result was that I was pulled forward as I held the handle. Why I didn’t let go I’ll never know. Instead I landed face first in the conference room. No one even laughed, it was that bad. Now, I could explain my turning bright red in terms of dilating blood vessels to a hormonal response, but that would miss the essential point of being human. I staggered through the press conference, but no one took me seriously. Perhaps you can understand it in terms of having traversed the vast light years to reach us, having dodged gamma ray bursts and painstakingly swept the path clear of every meteoric scrap that could burst your hull, only to stumble at the last, bounce off our atmosphere and be ejected from our solar system. And when you returned home, my green skinned friend, what would you feel when you explained your adventure?


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## velo (Apr 15, 2020)

Jumping Jack Jimmy Jam Jones trip to the Moon - Anon6 - (650w) [language]


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## velo (Apr 15, 2020)

Inevitable - Anon7 - (648w)


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## velo (Apr 17, 2020)

The Painting - Anon8 - (646w)


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## velo (Apr 17, 2020)

Here Be Monsters - Anon9 - (559w)


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