The Visitors (short story)

by Matthew Holley

for five days with plenty of food and other supplies they would need until it was certain that the spread of sickness was over. Toomol and Talamorsa were present when the visitor’s craft was finally opened. They stood outside for a few minutes waiting for the visitors to exit but none did. Talamorsa was the first to step inside the craft and make a gruesome discovery. The visitors were all dead!

  Talamorsa knees became weak as if suddenly the weight of her body was too much for them to hold up. She had to look away for a moment and find comfort in Toomol’s arms. She began sobbing lightly. “We… killed them…I killed them!”

  “You did what you were ordered to do. No one knew it would kill them,” Toomol said trying to comfort Talamorsa.

  “We didn’t care! We only wanted to save ourselves!”

  Talamorsa forced herself to look upon the dead visitors and noticed that the female visitor whom had been so interested in learning their language was stumped over a desk located against the back of the craft. She approached the female visitor and discovered several school books scattered about the desk along with a writing tablet. The female visitor had died where she sat but not before finishing a note she had written in Talamorsa's language. The note read:

  We once had a planet we called home as lovely as yours, but after years of abusing her, it began dying. We had to leave it, so we built thousands of great ships and left our world, scattering in all different directions to seek out a new home. Each of these great ships sent smaller crafts, like the one we arrived in, ahead of them to try and locate a planet that could sustain us. We discovered your planet and observed it for several days. When we were satisfied we could live here, we sent word to the rest of our people that we had discovered a viable planet and sent them coordinates. Then, one of our fuel tanks exploded taking out our propulsion system and our communication array. We managed to land safely where you found us.

  I now fear for your people. We realized we are the reason your people were dying. We are carriers of something your people have no immunity to. In just a couple of days, we twelve nearly destroyed an entire village. Now, thousands of my people are heading for your planet and we have no way of stopping them for we’re dying from the treatment you gave us. I suspect we’ll not make it through the night, but be assured we do not blame you for our deaths. The souls of many outweigh the souls of a few. It was necessary to save your people. But now, I fear the arrival of my people will mean certain death to yours. I’m sorry I can do nothing to stop them. Please forgive us.

  Lieutenant Sarah Polland

  Science Officer

  United States Navy

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