The Travellers

One flash of light was seen in the sky and then a big bang was heard. I walked out the back door and saw something that looked like a saucer, lying between the trees in the back yard, partly covered in snow. Chester whimpered and ran back inside, his tail between his legs. Half of me was tempted to follow the worthless mutt, but some impulsion drew me onwards.

Realising that maybe it wasn't the cleverest of ideas, I looked around for some kind of weapon. I reached down and picked up one of the kids' baseball bat, weighing it carefully in my hands. I tried not to think what would happen if whatever the hell was in there was armed to the teeth with lasers.

As I approached, suddenlt visibility dropped. I noticed the clouds of steam shooting from the ring of vents on the rim of the saucer covering the whole backyard with a layer of mist. I suddenly became very scared.

A hand touched me on the shoulder, and my heart almost leapt from my chest.

"What's happening Pa?"

"Jeez John, you scared the hell out of me. What were you thinking?"

"I dunno, I just saw the flash in the sky as I was driving back from Sue's. What in God's names is it?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and relaxed a little. Not only had I company now, but John had had the foresight to bring a shotgun with him. I was about to ask him where the others were when we both froze. The hatch on the saucer had opened. John readied the shotgun, and I grasped the bat purposefully. A voice came from the hatch.

"Hey guys, would you mind putting down the gun and the bat?"

John and I looked at each other, what the hell? It had been my voice. In our confusion, we had lowered our weapons and as we did so, a head popped out of the saucer. It was my head! As I watched in amazement, the other me gently lifted himself out of the saucer, and reached down to help someone else out. My God, it was my wife!

As they began to approach I felt a wave of panic overcome me. I turned around to look for my son's support, but he had gone leaving the shotgun in the snow. Turning back, he/I was right in my face.

"Please don't worry," he said, before jabbing my arm with something.

I began to reply but as I opened my mouth I collapsed.

***

I came around slowly from those dark voices of unconsciousness, gradually getting my bearings back. I was in the town church, as was everyone else, as was an identical twin of everyone else. He/I stood on the pulpit looking down on us all, whilst the others filled the choir stalls. A couple of the kids sat impudently on the altar. I appeared to be the leader, and now I began to speak.

"Hi folks, I guess you're wondering just what's going on here. I know you're looking at us and thinking: who are these people, these dooplegangers, these imposters? To cut a long story short we ARE you, but we have travelled throughout time and space, seeing wonders and tradegies, wars and revolutions, the ugliest and the most beautiful sides of the multiverse. And now that we have voyaged for longer than eight lifetimes, we're returning home. We've come back."

People all began to talk at once, a hundred questions asked at the same time. I stood up and silenced the cacophony, turning to my other self:

"You're home? What are we supposed to do?"

"You have the ship - it's your turn to travel now."

"But how the hell did you get it in the first place?"

He looked at me, and began his story.

"Well, let me see. One flash of light was seen in the sky and then a big bang was heard. I walked out of the back door and saw something that looked like a saucer..."