An excerpt from “In the Beginning – 1979” a story in the upcoming Cat Among Dragons short-story four-pack. (C) Alma T.C. Boykin 2014, all rights reserved.
“Colonel Hohen-Drachenburg, have you seen these?” Major General Karl Weizenfeld handed his chief-of-staff a file folder, sat back, and watched the Austrian’s reaction.
Joschka glanced at the contents, then stopped and stared at the black-and-white photographs. Well, he thought, they are classified images; that much is obvious. And how much does anyone else know? Yes, he had seen those creatures before, but it had been over a century before, very far away from the army base near Graz, Austria. So he lied, a little. “No sir, I’ve not seen these pictures. Where are they from? And what were, or are, these things?” He pointed to the hexapedal, feather-covered beings.
The Bohemian general shook his head. “No one knows, except that they apparently tried to move into North America, near the Great Lakes. Fortunately for the Americans and Canadians, these things approached an Air Force base and the Americans fought them off, then tracked them back to their landing ship.”
“Lord have mercy,” Joschka breathed, trying to act impressed and amazed.
“Apparently all those crazy science-fiction writers are not that crazy, since these things really exist. So,” Weizenfeld announced, “You’ve dealt with the bizarre before. I want you to find out if this is the first time something like this has occurred. If not, gather all the information available regarding other incursions and strange things.” He tapped the file. “Verifiable strange things, that is.”
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