The Windmill

The Windmill

“Will you marry me?” There was no way she could say no.
Mike had seen to it that everything would be perfect. And it was. It couldn’t have been more perfect if he had bribed God Himself for the evening’s ambience. The meal had been exceptional, the wine expensive, the weather pristine, and the sunset absolutely stunning. Of course, what else could be expected from central Illinois in early June, he thought.
In the daylight the fields were planted with new wheat a shade of green so fresh that the color almost burst from the stems. After the sun had sunk behind these rolling hills a gentle and graceful breeze had sprung up. Under the bright specks of the stars they could see the form of the wind as it strolled through the fields that stretched before the porch. It was absolutely silent this far out but for the breeze. The only sign of civilization besides Mike’s own rambling farmhouse was the shimmering sparks of light on the horizon symbolizing the nearest town to the east.
Mike could see these points reflected in Sarah’s eyes as she looked down into his face in the dark. He was on one knee before her. In his hand he held a tiny black velvet box that was open to an object only she could see.
They had sat silently in the creaky old swing together until after the last threads of red on the horizon had faded to purple and then to blue and then into the colorless space between the stars. They didn’t bother to get up to turn on any lights as the night descended. His arm was around her and she snuggled closer as the warmth escaped into the void. His heart was hammering inside his chest so hard, but still he could almost hear the smirk of understanding on Sarah’s face. Finally he could take no more for fear of his heart bursting and jumped in with both feet.
“And if I were to say no?” Yes, that was surely a cocky smile that graced those naturally red lips, though he could only imagine it in the dark.
“Then, milady, I would have to take ye by force and make ye my slave.”
“Oh, dear.”
“Indeed. Ye would be subjected to all manners of horror unbefitting of a lady of breeding such as yourself.”
“Then I’ll have no choice but to throw myself on the master’s mercy and pray he is gentle in our nuptials.”
“Arr, expect no gentleness in the sack, if that’s what ye mean.”
“Haha, of course I’ll marry you. What took you so long? I’ve been freezing here!”
“Hey! You know how much it takes for a guy to ask a girl a question like that? And the ring, don’t forget about that.” He slipped it over her finger and his heart skipped a beat when it settled perfectly into place.
“You kept the receipt, right?” she asked, the cockiness back in her voice.
“Eh, why?”
“So when I run off with the milkman in the morning I can get a refund on it.”
“Ouch. I’ll just have to chain you to the bed, then.”
“Ooh, you are a scoundrel.”
They fell together in a kiss to end the world and then eased back into the swing again. Mike had enjoyed all the nervousness he could handle for one evening. This had been months in the making and he almost couldn’t believe it had all gone off without a hitch. Emotional exhaustion robbed him of all energy even while thrills of excitement raced down his spine. He couldn’t wait to tell the guys at Joe’s Tavern tomorrow night but he had not planned out a speech yet. He hadn’t quite allowed himself that small bit of hope for fear of jinxing it. He was drifting off into a quiet reverie of cracking up everybody in the bar while looking like he had expected nothing less than immediate and unequivocal surrender when Sarah shook him back to the cool Illinois night.
“What’s that?” She was peering up at the aluminum windmill that was planted squarely at the corner of the property before the road. It spun lazily in the breeze, no longer being attached to the pump that had drawn water in Mike’s grandfather’s time. Now, like everything else, that task was taken care of by the wonders of electricity.
“What? The windmill? I don’t see anything…”
“No. Behind it, in the sky. There, see it?”
He followed her finger towards a point below and to the left of the vanes.
“Those lights, see them? They look like geese flying in a V.”
“Ah, those. Probably just the running lights on a… say, those are pretty close aren’t they?”
“Yeah, it is. And it’s moving. I’ve been watching it for a minute or so and it’s headed this way. But it’s moving really slow. I can barely see it but it is. What do you think it is?”
“Beats me. Could be helicopters moving in formation or something. Or maybe even geese being lit up by the town below them. I saw that once in the newspapers. A whole lot of people thought they sighted a UFO over the highway but that’s all it was. The photos showed silvery grey blobs but they were the bellies of the birds reflecting billboard lights.”
“Do geese fly at night? And wouldn’t we see the glow from the billboards? There isn’t a highway over there. There isn’t anything over there except miles of fields. I think it’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Then we’ll get to--,” but he cut it short when a bright white flash in the distance to his left caught his attention. He turned his head but nothing seemed out of place in that stretch of emptiness. “You see that?”
“Heat lightning?”
“In June?” he said. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet. And heat lighting looks really weak. That was a definite spot, like someone flashing a—there it is again. Over there.” He pointed back out towards the fields in front of them, all thought about the strange formation in the sky forgotten. A smile played over his face briefly. They both leaned forward in their swing and their feet touched the rough painted concrete of the porch for the first time in minutes.
“There! I see it.” Sarah pointed and this time the flash lasted longer than two seconds and they both got a clear view of it. This one was to their right in the north. It was a tight white beam that was so bright it left them both seeing a purple bar that perfectly mimicked its proportions. It reached from the ground up into the sky for a short distance. They did not have the depth of perception in the night to tell how far away it was or how high it reached. It lit up a striking portion of the field in the wash of hot light. But the center was so focused it seemed that it might burn a hole through the crops.
They both mouthed a quiet ooh at the sight. There was a sudden burst of activity as three points lit up almost simultaneously. They flickered briefly and then were extinguished. No sound accompanied the strobes. Their eyes twinkled like children’s at a Fourth of July display.
All the lights winked out. They were both silent and expectant. Their heads swiveled to see more. For a full minute they could hardly even blink while they waited. Finally they both eased back into the swing with a sigh and looked at each other. Sarah started.
“What was that all a--”
A lance of light slammed down from the sky from directly over the house so brightly it washed the color out of everything. Mike and Sarah both screamed and jumped up so quickly that the treacherous swing rocked and dumped the both of them directly out. Sarah landed on all fours with a slap and leaped up. Mike rolled right off the side of the porch and into the grass onto his back.
From all around he could hear a deep humming. The tone was so deep Mike could feel it his eyeballs pulsing. He had his eyes squeezed shut against the glare and still could clearly see the source of the light even through his eyelids. He shielded his eyes with his forearms and scrambled to his feet.
In the sheltering darkness of the porch Sarah screamed his name. He was all but blinded for the glare and could not see her. The cascade of light that fell from overhead made a palpable divider between his world of light and hers of dark. He readied himself and leaped through the divide.
His foot caught on the edge of the porch and he crashed to the concrete, taking her down with him in a jumble. In that instant the light winked out and they were left blind as newborn kittens in the dark. They fumbled for the screen door and ripped it open. It made an absurd squeal as the spring stretched. It squealed once more as the flimsy door slammed shut behind them. Mike locked the door, engaging a double lock that had not been touched in years.
“What the hell? What the hell?” Sarah panted as she held tight to Mike’s back.
“I don’t know, couldn’t have been lightning. No way.”
They peered out the glass of the front door but Mike’s eyes were sun shocked and had not yet readjusted. The night was as empty as the space between worlds. Sarah ran for the picture window and looked out from that better vantage point.
“It’s almost here!”
Mike was lost to what she meant and stepped to the window beside her.
“What is?”
“The lights in the sky. The triangle thing we saw a minute ago. It’s right in front of the house. It’s big, Mike. I think we should call the police right now.”
“Yeah, the police.” Mike went for the phone. He could place it with or without the aid of the lights. He had the receiver in his hand in seconds. There was no sound.
“Damn thing’s dead!” He reached for the lamp switch. He heard the click but there was no corresponding light. “Power’s out too.”
“Oh, Jesus. What do we do?”
A blast of light from outside the window locked the words in his throat. The windmill was frozen in the light. Decades of rusty streaks from iron bolts were washed away by the brightness. It became a gleaming ivory tower in the eye. The light evaporated and then lit up the cars in the driveway. Mike saw his own Ford coupe and Sarah’s Isuzu SUV under the harsh glare. Then they disappeared too as darkness fell.
“The cars! We have to get out of here. We’ll take mine, it’s faster.”
Sarah screamed.
“What? What is it?”
“There’s someone on the porch. I just saw them run past.”
“Mike leaped for the window. His eyes were adjusting again but outside he could see nothing but the undisturbed night. There was no sound and no movement.
“You sure? I don’t see anything.”
“It was there! He ran past before I could get a good look at him, but he was definitely there.”
“He? A man? How big? Was he armed?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a woman. Looked like a kid though. Short and skinny.”
His fear evaporated. “Must be high schoolers playing a prank. I’ll bust their asses for this.” He suddenly felt stupid for being so spooked by a group of punks who were playing tricks. He would sue for all they were worth if they did any damage to his property.
“Pranks? Those lights, I’ve never seen anything like that. No way high school boys could get a hold of a helicopter or whatever it took to do that.” Sarah put a hand on his face and turned him to look at her. “Mike, I want to get out of here. Now.”
“Alright. Let’s go.” He looked out the window again and plotted the path to the car. There was nothing moving between them and the vehicle. He kept it unlocked because there had not been a single incident of theft or serious vandalism this far out in the plains in decades. His eyes drifted up towards the shadow formed by the windmill against the stars.
The shadow was gone. A huge triangle of the night sky was completely missing, obscured by something far larger than a helicopter. It would, he imagined, probably be larger than a 747. At the edges small silver lights burned dimly. In the distance they had appeared to be like the running lights of a far off aircraft. Up close he realized they were just misleadingly small. The thing was barely higher than the windmill. If it were any closer to the ground it would undoubtedly rake the vanes off the wheel.
He felt the skin on the back of his neck drawing tight.
He took Sarah’s hand and they walked to the door. His feet felt heavier than lead. The door was too far away. The darkness was unrelieved. He thought he would be sick.
“Your keys.”
He leaped in his skin. He reluctantly let go of her hand to reach in his pocket and pull out the keys to the coupe. Then he grabbed her hand even tighter and unlocked the door.
He snatched the door open. They were on the porch and running before either of them had a chance to think about it.
From behind them, within the house, he heard footsteps following them. Something crashed to the floor and shattered. They vaulted the steps and then were sprinting through the yard. The car door opened too slowly under his hand and he was shocked to see the interior light come on. Sarah had the other door open and was in the seat in a flash. He slammed the door shut and scrambled for the power locks. They thumped reassuringly.
He fumbled the key into the ignition.
He prayed as he turned the cylinder. The engine started without hesitation.
“Thank God! Oh, please, just get us out of here.”
The black rectangle of the open front door was shattered by a beam of light. It was a fine purple bar of light no thicker than Mike’s index finger. He had never seen a laser that color. His eyes locked on it. The laser wavered and ranged slowly over the hood. It was so thin he could barely see it. It slid up the hood and through the windshield. Another beam came from the picture window by the door. This one was golden yellow. It traced its way up Sarah’s door. Mike was watching this one so intently that he did not notice when the purple beam settled onto his forehead. It did not hurt. He could not feel it at all. He saw the yellow beam hit Sarah across her breast. She hissed and squeezed back into her seat as if afraid it might bite. She turned and looked at him. Her chest rose and fell spasmodically. Mike could almost smell her fear, and was sure he could his own.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too.”


The fuel tank was full. The car continued to idle for nearly a day and a half before anyone came. The sheriff’s deputy arrived first. He noted that the doors were locked from the inside but that the keys were in the ignition and the engine running. As he watched it sputtered its last and died. After the engine died there was only a low screeching in the air. It came from above his head. He looked up and saw that half the vanes on the windmill had been bent down and out. The screeching was the wheel turning slowly on its slightly warped shaft. He wondered when the last time they had seen a tornado was.
Folks had figured the couple might up and get married any day now, as they had been seeing each other for more than two years. But nobody had expected them to vanish into thin air. He got on the radio and requested a forensics team and the state police.