It was a tuesday in Lagos, you know the regular hot, noisy, and restless days. I was stuck there in traffic, right on the bridge. I was just so restless, I was packed inside the bus with other passengers as if we were sardines, the danfo bus next to us also compounded the issue, his bus stereo was blasting a song I can't make a word of, his speaker his bad, yet he increased the volume to the highest.
Suddenly, it happened, there was this terrifying cracking noise, the weather just changed, I peeped out a little since I was near the window, and I saw it, the sky had splitter and dashing white light splitted out, it came rushing, I poked my head back in, everyone froze, we couldn't understand, is this a dream of some sort. It wasn't, those who were hawking all kept running left and right to find a refuge. My phone started making different notification sounds, I know everyone is now worried.
I even thought, is this the rapture, or did some science or government experiment went wrong. Now, the most amazing part, service went totally of, mesagws stopped dropping in, and in that moment, I glanced back outside and ibsae it again, figures started emerging from the lights. They were very tall with blue eyes, they didn't look human at all, are these aliens I thought. They moved with sounds. People couldn't hold themselves anymore, some left their car, bus and all and ran helter skelter, some even jumped off the bridge, I wished I could wake up from this dream, but it wasn't one, it was real.
I stayed rooted to my seat, too terrified to even blink. One of the beings came close to our car, right to my window, the few left with me ran out, but I was just there, looking and my heart pounding hard. Then it spoke to me “Do not fear, we only seek for understanding" I couldn't process it, understanding of what, of Lagos, of human, of Nigeria, of Earth.. Then I responded "whhhhooo whaaahaaaat are you" I spoke very silently with shaky voice, but still it heard me and responded “travelers".
It went ahead to tell me how they have seen and heard a lot of our world from afar and how they wished to learn. It even went ahead to talk of the pain we go through, I couldn't ask but I wonder how they knew, I couldn't talk, I just manage to respond saying “we manage to keep surviving" more like that was the response it wanted, it looked me straight in the eye, I couldn't look it though, I looked away, still shivering, then I heard it talk again “teach us, show us how you survive", this voice was not calm, but deep in it, it shows they didn't meant any harm, they genuinely want to understand us, how we thrived despite difficulties. Then I stepped out, and in that moment, like we planned it, all those remaining around stepped out also.
Some with children held their child close, some came out with their hands up as if surrendering. Some closed their eyes so deeply like to force it out while whispering some prayers. Those beings just moved among us, trying to be as gentle as they could, they touch some people, cars, the bridge and all, they seem fascinated by all they see. A young lad came up to one of them and asked if others are coming while pointing to the sky, the being seemed to get the message and stretched its hand to the sky and slowly the cracked sky began closing up slowly, the being came to me and said "we will come some other time, your word shows your word shows your world is fractured yet beautiful" and suddenly as they came, they returned into the sky as it closes up.
Everywhere returned to normal, people shouted, some knelt thanking God, some flee, some like me were just unsure of what to do. And in the space of an hour, Lagos returned to its familiar chaos, horns blaring, people shouting, life moving on like it always did. The social media was back on, this time it was flooding with different news, I was described as one of those who talked with those beings and would be invite over to know what we discuss and who they were. I just shook my head, knowing no one would truly understand what had just happened, or maybe they didn’t need to, maybe I should just keep mute, but the being mentioned coming back.
Going back home, I can't help but wonder, have they learnt anything in this few minute, why did they go so early, why not wait a little to get to meet others, top officials, would the government give them audience, would soldiers be asked to face them with their Ak47, can we even defeat them, why did they choose Lagos, why wasn't it everywhere. I looked at the sky once again, half expecting it to crack open again. But it stayed same, just as if nothing extraordinary had ever happened.
There are various entries organized by @leogrowth.
This post is in collaboration with the @SciFi-Multiverse community and an entry to day 11 of #marchinleo in #inleo,I am inviting you to also check it out,so as to partake in various interesting writing prompts.
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