Alien

It was when I was laying in bed when I saw it. Do extra-terrestrials even have a gender? If they do, the it was a she. Beautiful, mysterious, yet somehow powerful and intimidating. She radiated fear and grace simultaneously. I was only four years old at the time, holding onto my mother's hand as I tried to fall asleep.

There was a bright flash of light outside, coming from the darkened, large parking garage behind our house. It wasn't the flash of headlights, as I would have heard the car rolling by. The room turned silvery, bathed in an eerie glow. Unable to find my voice, I tried to wake my parents, shaking them with my small toddler hands. They wouldn't budge.

I heard footsteps in the hall, and flew back into the bed, pulling up the covers to my eyes with fright and anticipation. I'd never heard of Science-Fiction, nor the paranormal before that night. I didn't know what I was going to face.

The door burst open, but there was still no sound. I shielded my eyes as a bright orb of light stepped into the master bedroom. When the glow faded, I found myself staring at the most beautiful, ethereal creature I would ever see.

She was tall, graceful, and perfect in every aspect. Fluid, simple, smooth lines were her shape. She was pure white, brighter than anything you could find on Earth. It was as if the four elements -gases, solids, liquids, and plasma - had come together to form a harmonious whole.

She had human features, though not as defined as the people you see every day. She had eyes, but no eyelashes; a nose, but no nostrils; a mouth, but no lips. It was strange, yet perfectly simple to understand. Complex, but easy.

The being saw me cowering under my sheets, and held out a hand. A pealing of twinkling little silver bells rang, and I realized she was talking to me. A strange alien language that I could somehow understand. It was the age of innocence, the age of purity.

"Come," she said.

I opened my mouth, but no words were ever formed. I was scared and entranced by her great beauty, the simplicity almost overwhelming.

"Come," she repeated. She took my hand, and I felt different -light, yet burdened with the weight of the knowledge she had. I knew that if I didn't let go, I would be gone forever.

I drew my hand back, reverting to my normal human child state.

Within a matter of minutes, all the light had faded, and she was gone.

Was it all just a dream?

Or was it something more?

Every day, I ponder whether it had really happened. But all I know is that if she comes back, I'll be ready.