I was drag ass tired. All that I wanted was the deep velvet of sleep. My eyelids wanted to close and I fought it, winning part of the time and losing the rest as the dividing line in the middle of the road faded in and out. My mind wavered between awake and REM. When I started seeing things, I knew it was time for me to find a safe spot to pull over and give in.

   The problem was that I was nowhere near a "safe spot." Nothing but farmland, hills and woods lined the road. I hadn't seen a gas station or store in fifty miles and knew that unless I took a side route, there wouldn't be anything for another seventy-five. If I didn't stop, I'd be asleep at the wheel and end up in a ditch somewhere. I started looking for areas to pull the car onto or little side roads that just ended in areas where people dumped rocks that were plowed up in the fields. Doing that was against my better judgment, but sometimes, options are limited and it becomes necessary to pick the lesser of two evils.

   I spotted a dirt road that ended in a grove of trees and pulled in. I maneuvered the car so that it was facing toward the highway and made sure that my doors were locked. I scanned the surrounding landscape. I didn't want to end up the victim of some serial killer and made sure that my Bowie knife was in place on the visor in front of me.

   I don't know how long I had been sleeping when I heard a loud humming sound that resonated through the metal of the car. I could feel vibrations in my teeth and bones. I awoke with a start to a light so white that I had to shade my eyes with my hands. Looking from between my fingers, I tried to determine the source of the light. It was directly above me.

   At first I thought it was a helicopter. Maybe someone had spotted my car and thought that something was wrong. I leaned toward the windshield and looked up through the glass. A chill ran from my scalp down to the tips of my toes. I had to be dreaming. God, I had seen enough UFO movies in my lifetime and I figured that my brain's hard drive was defragging while I slept, but when the light just went away and left me surrounded in darkness, I became so afraid that my hands shook. The humming noise still persisted and I reached for the keys that still hung in the ignition. I turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. Not even a click. I tried again. Nothing. I looked at the dashboard panel in front of me and realized that even the digital clock in the dashboard was not on. No blue glow, just darkness surrounded me and filled my heart.

   I had been concentrating so hard on getting the car started that I hadn't
noticed movement outside my car until I turned my head to look out of my window.

   I screamed as two hooded figured approached the car. They were over 6 feet tall and the garments that they wore covered their bodies from head to toe, very similar to monk's robes. One of the figures reached for the door handle. My relief at having locked the doors was short lived as I realized all that they had to do was break the window to get to me. As I looked at the figures, I felt as if every ounce of strength had drained from my body and I fell unconscious.

   When I awoke, I was in a purple, circular room lying on a plush tie-dyed lounge chair. In the background, I heard "Purple Haze" coming from some sort of speaker system. I sat up and to the right of me, sitting on leather recliners, were the two hooded figures.
"Chill, Baby. We come in peace, " one of them said as he removed his
hood and then let the robe fall to the ground.

   He looked human, sounded human and was dressed in faded levis, a
black chambray shirt and Nike sneakers.

   "What's going on? Who are you and where am I?" I asked with trembling
voice.

    "You are aboard the 'Starship Peace Maker'," he said, smiling. "It's similiar to the Enterprise except without Captain Kirk, Spock and Bones."

   "Is this some kind of prank?"

   "Hardly. Look, we've traveled millions of miles to get to this planet because we knew it was inhabited with humanoids much like ourselves. Our ancestors landed on this planet eons ago and many stayed behind setting up colonies and blending with the people of Earth. They have transmitted much information over time about your culture, your successes and your failures to maintain peaceful existence with each other. We're here to establish contact with the people."

   "Why did you choose me? I'm not a politician or anyone important in the scheme of things. I'm not in government service. Hell, I'm an admin assistant in a construction office. How can I help you? What can I do?"

   Both men laughed.

   "We don't want to establish contact with politicians, governments or world leaders. We tried that in the early 1940's. The military killed our crew and then made up stories about what was found and to this day, not one shred of truth remains about our attempt to start communication with the people of Earth."

   "We want to talk to as many people from all walks of life on your planet as possible, but it seems that we have a public relations problem. A lot of  propaganda has been put out to the people regarding who we are, our intentions and our goals. That terrifies people. They think that we're going to poke needles in their eyesballs and experiment on them. They get so scared, that we can't even talk to them. "

   "What we need to do is to build relationships with people who are willing to listen to what we have to say and to see what we have to offer. You know people in your family and circle of friends who would be open to our message. We will need your help in bringing those people to us so that we can let them hear for themselves what we have to say."

   I couldn't believe my ears.

   "If you want me to do that, you're going to have to convince me of your
intentions. And, I want to know about your world, your planet, your beliefs and all that before I will bring people to you. I'm also a product of this culture and I share many of the same fears."

   "Not a problem. We can begin right now, if you're up to it."

   "Yes. YES! I always knew that we weren't the only ones out there. Right now, I have so many questions that I could explode with curiosity!"

   Both the men smiled.

   The one who had done all the talking, extended his hand and said, "Let's
begin by introducing ourselves. My name is Tabor."

   We shook hands. The warmth and touch of his hand was human.


   Tabor turned to the other man and said, "I'd like you to meet Sadev, my brother."

   After I introduced myself to Tabor and Sadev,  they walked with me to the control room of the spacecraft. My heart almost stopped in my chest when I looked out of the huge  window of the craft and saw my home, Earth, in the distance through space.

   "It's beautiful, isn't it," Sadev asked.

   I couldn't say a word as the awesome sight filled me with so many emotions that I couldn't begin to identify them. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined such an adventure.

   When Sadev spoke, I reluctantly turned away from the window.

   "So, are you ready to go where no earthling has gone before?"

   I smiled at yet another Star Trek reference and replied, "Beam me up, Sadev!"

   With those words, my marvelous adventure began and continues to this day. Through their technology, I have seen worlds that are beyond imagination and wonder. We have shared ideas, beliefs and laughter. The people of our planets, though millions of miles apart, share  hope for the future and the ties that bind our hearts to each other. Hundreds of others have joined us in gaining knowledge and understanding of each other. Through these learning experiences, we have gained the knowledge that gives Earth a chance at peace and true unity if only we can continue to find people with open minds and trusting hearts.