INTRODUCTION & DISCLAIMER - Doris, Violet, Kim, Michael, Johnny and Ralph are six very different young Americans whose lives are thrown together in an extraordinary way on a summer's day in 1943 when each sights a mysterious object in the sky.
What happens to New-England WAC recruit Doris, tough Jersey girl Violet, Midwest farm girl Kim, naval officer Michael, GI Johnny and failed army recruit Ralph? Read Watch the Skies in World War 2 to find out!
All of the characters are from locations in America known for great mysteries, like all my works has a past setting and I hope you enjoy the first installment of this Science Fiction story. All characters and events are fictional, and only characters aged 18 years and over are involved in sexual activity.
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SATURDAY, 10th JULY 1943
BENNINGTON, VERMONT, USA
The first rays of the dawn sunshine shone through the forests that grew in abundance around Glastonbury Mountain. At the start of the Long Trail, a young man and young woman stretched in preparation for the long hike.
"This is like a stroll in the park, compared to what your training will be like Doris," said the young man, a handsome 21-year old GI with short, light-brown hair, clad in khaki army trousers, a matching shirt and boots.
"I'll be fine, Bill," said Doris, a very pretty slim 18-year-old red-head who wore an old cream-colored blouse, blue jeans and hiking shoes.
Bill laced his right boot. "Well, you can't blame me for worrying about my kid sister. The army is tough, even in the WAC."
"That's what Mom and Dad said," said Doris, recalling their parents were less than impressed by their daughter's declaration of joining the Women's Armed Corps as soon as she turned 18. "But if you can survive Rommel's forces in North Africa, I'm sure I can survive in the WAC." She tied her hair back into a pony-tail with a blue ribbon.
"Well, while I'm on leave, the least I can do is get you a little prepared," said Bill. A grin came across his face. "Stand up straight, about turn, quick march! Now Carter, I don't have all."
Doris also laughed as the siblings set off on their hike, talking about Bill's army experiences and how things were at home while he was serving overseas. About an hour and a half into the hike, Bill could see that with his army experience his superior fitness to that of his younger sister was beginning to show, and decided to test Doris's competitive streak.
"Come on, is that as fast as you can walk?" asked Bill, quickening his pace.
"I can out-run you any day," said Doris, picking up her pace, to which Bill likewise increased his own. Doris broke into a run, over-taking her brother who also began to run. Doris, who had enjoyed track and played baseball in high school, increased her pace to a sprint, Bill running after her, the brother and sister laughing.
Rounding a corner, Doris vanished from Bill's sight. "I'll soon catch you and then its twenty push-ups," he called, but this promise seemed to be an empty one when Bill suddenly found himself short of breath. A dizziness came over the young man's head and before he could try and shake off this feeling blackness swept over him and Bill fell to the ground in a faint.
In a clearing, Doris of course had no idea that her older brother had passed out and waited for him to catch up with her. She had shown him, anything boys could do girls could do just as well, if not better. Slightly uncomfortable at her panties riding up, Doris adjusted them through her jeans and glanced upwards at a passing silver aircraft, before a puzzled expression filled her face as it came to a stop just above the forest tree-tops. Airplanes flew in straight lines, they did not hover like a damsel-fly. And this was too big to be a proper aircraft, and definitely the wrong shape - circular like a giant saucer, with a turret on the top. Most noticeably was the complete lack of sound from the craft, the silence so complete it was eerie.
Before she could do anything more, Doris like her older brother before her felt dizzy and blackness swept over her as a peculiar beam of blue light descended from the underside of the aircraft towards the young woman...
On the trail Bill blinked awake, furious at himself for passing out. Men did not faint, especially not GI's who had survived the menace of U-boats when crossing the Atlantic, served in the North African campaign and assisted during an air raid upon London when waiting for their platoon to return to America, again through the dangerous waters of the North Atlantic. His only consolation was that at least Doris had not seen this; his kid sister would never let him live this down!
Bill felt as though he had been asleep for hours, but when he looked at his wristwatch he saw that no more than a minute had gone by. Getting to his feet and dusting himself down, Bill continued around the corner and into the clearing where his sister should have been waiting ... but was not.
Slightly puzzled Bill glanced around and looked further along the trail in case Doris had continued, but there was no sign of her. Then the obvious solution came over his mind. Doris was hiding, playing some sort of joke with him. "Okay Doris, you can come out now," called Bill.
No response. Bill called out again. "Doris, you've got me, now come out."
Still nothing, and the first feelings of worry began to cross Bill's mind. "Doris, come out, it's not funny now," he called.
There was no response from his sister, just the dead silence of the Long Trail woods. Bill had hiked here before, and found the silence tranquil, peaceful. This was not the case now. The silence was eerie, frightening. Doris could not have gone ahead and moved out of view in such a short period of time, and had she turned back she would have seen him passed out and stopped. And while his sister did enjoy jokes and games, she would not have let him worry like this.
"Doris, Doris, Doris!" called Bill, running around frantically, glancing behind trees looking for any sign of his sister.
Further up the trail appeared a middle aged couple, both dressed for hiking. They saw Bill and could tell even from this distance that the young man was in some sort of distress, so hurried down.
"Is everything okay, young man?" asked the husband.
Bill shook his head. "No, I can't find my sister Doris. We were hiking. She turned the corner into the clearing, but now I can't see her." Although Bill knew deep down it could not be the case, he asked the couple, "You haven't seen her? She's slim, medium height, long red hair ..."
The wife shook her head. "No, we haven't seen anyone this morning."
"She can't have got far," said the husband with confidence. "Let's just have a look around, and I'm sure there is nothing to worry about."
The trio began to search the clearing, looking into the woods trying to find any trace of the missing girl, their voices calling her name breaking the eerie silence of the Glastonbury woods and the famed Long Trail of Bennington.
Suddenly Bill paused, seeing something on the ground near a tree trunk. He rushed over, the married couple behind him and held up the blue ribbon with which Doris had tied back her hair before commencing the hike ...
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, USA