Rusty squinted in the bright light, trying to focus on an object floating in the puddle below. Strange thoughts ran rampant through his mind as to what it could be. It could be anything as mundane as a crushed soda can that someone had tossed from their car window as they drove by, or something incredible like an alien life form waiting for nighttime to hatch out of its shiny protective shell and begin working its evil plans of world domination. He could just see the 3 inch-tall green alien with a glassy bubble helmet and metallic suit popping out of the glowing silver sphere demanding the first person it saw to take him to the leader. Maybe Rusty would climb down the graveled hillside, into the dry streambed and sit on the uneven limestone floor, waiting for the stellar event to occur. The object was barely visible, the sunlight transformed whatever it was into a glimmering illusion. The heat was visible today. It rose in transparent waves off the road behind him and the bright rock below, warping the scenery. The heat was so oppressive that he could barely force himself to move from his seated position to walk down to the creek bed and investigate the mysterious floating treasure. He slowly scooted back, scraping his denim shorts against the concrete, bringing his heavy legs onto the bridge. He stood up, using the guide rail to steady his balance. Rusty brushed away the gravel that stuck to the backs of his sweaty sunburned legs, cringing at the sting of his own touch.
He walked to the end of the bridge and climbed over the silvery guardrail into the knee-high grass on the hillside, hoping he wouldn't encounter any of the poisonous snakes that were indigenous to the region. The brittle grass grated against his legs like coarse sandpaper and crunched beneath his feet as he walked down to the flat creek bed. He quickly cleared the grassy slope and stepped onto the gravel-covered banks of the dry creek. He was soon sliding downward on the unsure pebbly ground, arms flailing wildly as he tried to regain his balance. Tiny gravel pebbles cascaded down to litter the sheets of limestone. Rusty regained his footing as he stumbled onto the limestone floor and looked around. He found what he was after on the opposite bank, a dry shrub with long knarled branches that could be broken off to make a poking stick. He walked with purpose toward the bush, contemplating all that he could do with the fancy tool he was about to fashion out of the shrub branch. He could use it to poke the shiny bauble in the shallow pool so that he didn't have to touch it, flipping it over with his new rod if he couldn't figure out what it was. He could play sword fight with his friend Buck from down the road. He could use it as a walking stick. He could use it to pry rocks out of the clay soil in his backyard, looking for bugs and worms to catapult into his bratty sister's hair. He could... he reached the branch and all thoughts were centered on picking out which branch he could most easily break off. He grabbed at the lowest lying branch and yanked upward, snapping it from the thin trunk with a dry cracking noise like a gunshot that echoed down the tunnel of the creek bed. He furtively glanced around, making sure no one had heard the noise. He looked to his left, under the bridge, shading his eyes from the malevolent sun to see into the cool darkness but couldn't see anyone. He turned around and looked to his right, down the twisting creek, but couldn't see beyond the bend. Fairly certain that no one had heard, he walked back toward the dank puddle, swinging his new exploring stick at his side.
He stopped about two feet from the shallow pool and looked down. The mysterious object was nothing but a reversed packet of cigarettes, the shiny foil reflecting the light of the hideous sun that now tormented Rusty as it gleefully played along the water's surface. His dismay at finding such a pathetic bit of fool's gold where he expected to find a magnificent treasure caused him to skewer the wrapper with his stick and fling it into the high grass. The wet wrapper gracefully sailed through the air, landing in the yellowed grass with a wed thud that sounded like a mushy tissue hitting the bottom of an empty waste basket. Rusty looked back at the nasty puddle cradled in the limestone basin. There was something else in the water, something that he hadn't noticed beside the flash and glitter of the foil. He couldn't quite recognize the shape, but it was slowly rising toward the surface of the disturbed slimy water. He crouched beside the pool, mesmerize by the hypnotic sway of the gooey liquid that no longer appeared to be water. A fluffy bunny shaped cloud overtook the evil sun, and the creek was suddenly plunged into a refreshing shadowy grayness. The green viscous fluid now looked quite black, and its movement changed as the sunlight disappeared. Now the water no longer rippled and swayed, but seemed to be expanding from the center, as if a gas bubble were trying to escape the thick liquid.
From the bulging mass that was once a simple puddle of water came an odd humming noise. Rusty's fascination was so intent that he couldn't hear anything but the fluctuating humming noise, nor could he see anything but the black bubble that was rising slowly from the pool. The bubble popped, sprinkling the slimy green substance on Rusty's arms and legs. A small object now floated on top of the remaining nasty fluid. It resembled a green rubber koosh ball, but more solid. Each spiky outcropping looked like thin mossy green quartz crystals. Rusty smiled as he watched this new wonder unfold before him. He'd always known that he would discover something amazing. The crystalline sphere was now turning swiftly just above the liquid, spraying the little that was left onto Rusty and the limestone bed around him. He wiped some of the goo from his face. The sphere began to glow, then there was the sound of escaping air and a cloud of sulfur fumes, like boiled eggs, flowed out from the center of the rotating object, dissipating in the air. The top half of the 6-inch sphere separated from the bottom half and sprang open like a spring-hindged box. The rotation stopped. A small creature peeked out from the open crystal egg and looked up at Rusty. It had large blue eyes, and in many ways resembled a furless cat. The creature smiled, sharp teeth glistening between its green lips. It stood on its hind legs, grasping the edge of the egg, cleared its throat and said, "Take me to your leader!"
Rusty knew this situation couldn't possibly be good. He stood up, towering over the alien creature, raised his mighty staff and brought it down swiftly, crushing the tiny cat-like alien's head into a puddle of green gel. When the stick made contact with the crystal vessel, it shattered like liquid nitrogen dipped rose smashed against a hard surface.. All that remained in the pool's basin was a bunch of broken glass-like shards. It looked like someone had smashed a green beer bottle on the ground. The sun slowly peeked out from behind the mutant bunny cloud and looked down at Rusty and the glitter at his feet. Rusty smiled and began trekking back to his house with his magnificent new poking stick in hand. His friends would never believe this, he'd just saved the world from alien domination!
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