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The Visitor

John Ragusa

    Darby Andru was an old, lonely hermit who lived in a rickety shack on top of a hill. He had no one for company, and he yearned for someone to discover his home and spend some time with him. His solitude was almost unbearable. He needed someone to visit him and alleviate his loneliness.
    Then one day, a rocket ship flew through the sky and landed on the hill beside his shack.
    Darby couldn’t believe his eyes at first. Then he rubbed them and saw that the spaceship was real.
    A human alien in a spacesuit emerged from the hatchway.
    “Hello, stranger,” he said. Darby was astonished that the alien spoke English.
    “Howdy,” Darby said. “Are you from outer space?”
    The alien nodded. “I sure am. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
    “Same here,” Darby said. “I haven’t had a visitor in decades, so it’s nice to know I’ll be having you for company. My loneliness has been bothering me for some time.”
    The alien talked with Darby openly, and the latter was enjoying every minute of it. It was sheer pleasure to have someone to converse with.
    Then came the day when the alien had to travel back to his planet. Darby was heartbroken; he’d expected the alien to be his companion for all time. He told the alien about this, but he had to go back home to his fellow men.
    The alien got into his spaceship and attempted to get it ignited, but it simply wouldn’t start. The alien had no choice but to remain with Darby forever.
    Darby had known this when he’d tinkered with the engine of the spacecraft the night before.

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