The Closest of Encounters

Marty was content as he relaxed in his hot tub. He enjoyed the fruits of his work. He built a cabin on 400 hectares of pristine woodland. The cabin had just enough amenities to make it feel real. The hot tub on the cool autumn night was the best feeling he ever had. He tilted his head back and enjoys the brilliant stars as the jets massaged his muscles.

A shooting star caught Marty’s eye as it streaked across the sky for just a fraction of a second longer than he thought falling stars should light the sky. The afterglow almost looked like it reached to the ground. It all added up to the most peaceful moment in Marty’s life.

The sound of the jets and bubbles in the water drove Marty to the edge of sleep when a soft whine emanated from the surrounding woods. At first Marty thought he was dreaming. A pale blue flickering light in the distant trees brought Marty full awake. The light came closer as he sank deeper into the water.

Minutes later three strange men looking like alien grays from TV approached his hot tub and dropped a powder into the water. The water began foaming around Marty. When the foam dissipated Marty was a woman. The alien said, “You are Greta. We need you to come with us.”

The aliens took Greta with them to their ship. On the voyage to their home world Greta posed for thousands of photos. Upon arrival on Mintex IV, Greta discovered he was a gift for the king of this planet. The marriage between the king and Greta would be the first step in forging a relationship between Earth and Mintex IV. Greta was honored to serve as queen.