ALIEN LIFE

When the aliens came, old Mr. Dunlap was sitting on his porch, eyes to the West, waiting for the sun to set beyond the hills – just as he did every day.

The aliens seemed like regular people – apart from their funny accent. They also appeared to be a bit lost, so Mr. Dunlap told them they could stay at his place. The big old cabin used to be a bed-and-breakfast back when Mrs. Dunlap was alive. Since she’d passed, the guest rooms had stayed empty. Now, the only person who stopped by was the postman with the occasional letters from his daughter in the city, though he never really knew what to write back.

The aliens ended up spending the night. Before bed, Mr. Dunlap noticed them reading what he thought was a guidebook. The thing was filled with strange letters, all little hats and tails, dancing across the pages in a way that seemed just as alien as they were.

The next day, the aliens made what looked like a big tortilla. They called it an omelette à l'américaine and explained the recipe with such earnestness that Mr. Dunlap followed every letter of their instructions as he helped, even finding himself thinking he might try it again someday.

After lunch, old Mr. Dunlap watched as the aliens disappeared in a cloud of dust inside their little electric contraption, amazed at what those aliens enjoyed driving. He then sat on his porch, facing West, and waited for the sun to set beyond the hills.

When night came, he thought there might be something to put in a letter to his daughter after all.

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ALIEN LIFE was originally published in 2021 and rewritten today to integrate the prompt.

©2026 C.E.