The Light
By J. L. Young

Lightning flashed, filling the sky with brilliant light. A crack of thunder soon followed. As the wave passed, another sound filled the car. It was the rubbery textured flap of a flat tire. Slowly, the truck made its way to the shoulder.

The driving rain made seeing difficult. The trees and starless sky made the driver feel the world was closing around her. She focused on what her father taught her and readied the tools. A flash of light filled her eyes.

Her eyes were open, unfocused. She wasn’t outside. An intense light hung above. The room was cold, inducing a shiver. She could hear water droplets beneath her. Her body felt heavy and paralyzed. A sharp pain flowed through her body as muscles contracted and released. She couldn’t express the agony she experienced. The pain eased unexpectedly.

She awoke and her vision cleared. A man sat atop the ledge of a boxed-in window. He held the curtain aside, peering out the window. His gaze remained affixed as he spoke with practiced calm, “Welcome back. You’re now at Serenity Greene Memorial Hospital.”

“Who are you?” She asked.

“I used to be somebody, but no longer.”

“What is your name?”

“My name is irrelevant. However, Miss Glass, why you’re here is of utmost importance.” He climbed down to the floor and approached a food tray. He collected the Jell-o, pulled the lid off, slurped the contents into his mouth, and tossed the container back on the tray. “The doctors here are under the assumption you were struck by lightning. Except there’s no evidence supporting that hypothesis.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense. What does the evidence suggest?”

He dismissed her dismissive attitude, “Well, let’s break it down. You were driving your pickup westbound on Highway 468. An area of poor cell reception. A particularly nasty weather front had blown into that area at the time. Due to the manufacture date on your tires and the apparent dry rot on them, you should’ve expected a blowout at any time. You, not content with bothering a tow company, decided to change your tire yourself. Given your weight at ninety-eight pounds and the tire and rim combination being roughly thirty pounds lighter, a daunting task in the best of conditions. But that’s not the fantastic part.”

“Ok?”

“After Deputy Gonzalez reported an unconscious woman on Highway 468, you were brought here. I was dispatched to the site to take readings of the area. My findings concluded that a high concentration of radiation harmless to living tissue was found in the vicinity of your flat tire. Your fine timepiece in your pocket had lost exactly two hours. A closer inspection of your X-ray films proved that my hypothesis was in fact, well fact. You, Miss Glass, were abducted by Non-terrestrial entities.”

“You mean aliens?”

“Yes. A particularly benign sect, planetary biologists.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Nobody would believe you if you found out on your own. We have planted the seed of doubt and the tree is robust.”

He turned toward the door, “Your truck, by the way, is in the parking lot. I do suggest you get a new set of tires. Safety first.” He left.

A nurse entered the room, “Good, you’re awake.” He looked down at the tray, “At least you ate your Jell-o.”

“I didn’t eat it. The man that left just before you came in did,” she replied.

The nurse looked puzzled, “What man?”