Get Your Premium Membership

Report #2


As you well know, report #1, was just now released by the authorities. It is common knowledge that it may contain vital information applicable to our most recent peculiar findings here in Stone Head and perhaps shed important new light on the matters at hand.

The capsulized version goes like this; several months ago a vast lake simply went missing from the face of the Earth in a matter of minutes. The incident occurred in the remote north region, (specific location not disclosed for national security reasons.) The report was titled, “The Lake Incident.”

According to our sources, the expansive body of water simply rose slowing from the ground one sunny afternoon several months ago as one large mass of misshaped liquid, floated for a while above the landscape and then vanished, disappeared and left behind a giant vacant basin. Three days later the body of water reappeared and was sighted several miles away by many eye witnesses. They could only hope and pray that the forces behind this strange occurrence would return the water to its rightful place in nature. (No questioned would be asked. No penalties invoked.) There was so much speculation as to what caused this phenomenon but there is no time for conjecture or speculation at this time.

The science community sent their best specialists from a variety of different fields of study to investigate the event site. Well established figures from geology, chemistry, zoology, seismology and oceanography arrived on scene. Space science experts including hydro biological specialists all became part of the investigative team and were intimately involved in the study. The military and other government agencies were also on hand to unravel the puzzle.

What they discovered was a vast crater, a giant hole, a basin empty of life in the ground and in their midst. Under and on the surface was a lot of nothing and not much more. The soil and rocks were bone dry. There were no living creatures left behind, not a single fish, not an amoeba, not a single organism or virus could be found. There was not one bug on or in the ground. It was like a barren lifeless planet, void of even the basic building blocks of life that came down to Earth to puzzle us.

We encourage all citizens of the realm to read this report scrupulously, with due diligence and soundness of mind. Study its content from cover to cover with the urgency it deserves. Report back to the proper authorities any valuable ideas or findings that might be applicable to resolving this problem so we can facilitate an appropriate collective, authoritative response, a solution for all parties interested, concerned and need to know.

Report #2 is not based on the findings or results found in Report #1. Report 2 is pretty simple, basic and straightforward in its scope, depth and presentation. It begins with Autumn in Stone Head Province and a season that was and should be completely predictable. Something happened to that notion.
Chlorophyll production slows down. In fact it stops in the tree blade like structures in their spidery web like veins, their simplistic flattened state this time of year and then the leaves become alive in color, in richness, bursting forth with light, with bright vivid colors on the deciduous trees. Everything was normal at first according to the laws of nature.

The pigmentation in the leaves, like clockwork, died off at the beginning of each season revealing the oranges, yellows, crimson, royal purples and scarlet kaleidoscopic displays indigenous to this regions foliage at this time. Then things got weird. It has been more than three months now, well into Fall and not one leaf has fallen from any tree. By now the community should be up to their ears in dead leaves. They should have turned to crispy brown feathery light objects covering every square inch of the landscape. They should be swirling up in abundance and floating around on cold breezes through gray neighborhoods like shadowy ghosts on the heels of Winter. Nothing like that happened. Life stood still. It stands still at this very hour. It remains perfectly still. Each and every leaf remains defiant on the branch, holding on for dear life, refusing to let go at any cost.

At first the children became curious. They listened to the adults talking at great length about this perplexing mystery. Some of them decided to take action. Skinny girls climbed maple trees. Boys of all sizes preferred oak. Most of the young ones couldn't wait to get their hands on the cedar tree trunks and branches to fix the situation in child like fashion fast.

Their plan was to torment the trees into submission, to cajole them with brute force to release their colorful little wanna be parachute magic,their flowing projectiles from the living twig like entities. When the prodding and coaxing of the leaves, for the desired results and expectations failed, a severe silence fell over the community.
The by-standers watched in shock and horror as their little ones dangled there among the branches, having not accomplishing the simple task of removing one leaf. A deep rooted fear conjured up from some remote primordial depth welled up within them and set the mood for things to come. It became obvious something was wrong.

The government and science community probably wished for the old days when people were superstitious. Most likely they would have blamed things on demons and witches. People today are apt to blame government and science for un-pleasantries; unexplained occurrences like tampering with nature or contaminating it with devices and chemicals. Nothing would have changed much from the time of Adam and Eve and Mr. Snake, playing the blame game, pointing fingers at one another including in the direction of God, who mediated such matters and childish behavior in the past.

Can we extrapolate or deduce anything useful or make correlations between Report #1 and Report #2 other than the fact that they happen to be odd occurrences? “The Lake Event”, north of here was a water event. The trees in that region were not effected or altered in any way. (They remained in the ground as all good trees should and they remained normal... as normal as can be expected.)
In Report 2, we have a different situation. Only tree leaves are peculiar in some way, some unknown way. How is it possible for trees to do some thing other than what they have always done? How is it possible for a leaf to not constrict its vines within its shape and design this time of year, wither on the branch, break off and tumble to the ground?

The same biologists who worked on the “Lake Event” incident were called upon to study and work on this tree system event. They quickly discovered some very strange things almost immediately. The investigators tried to cut off branches from the deciduous mysterious trees with assiduous persistence, utilizing the newest technologies at their disposal, only to find out nothing worked. They could not remove a single leaf.

They discovered quickly that it was not just the leaf but the entire tree system down to the roots that were peculiar. They tried to remove anything and everything related to the living organism without success. Even the smallest fragile looking baby oak trees could not be effected by their efforts.

Then they got serious....real serious... The big machines came in. Diamond cutting lasers, gigantic land moving tractors, the strongest acids known to man, power drills and awesome military might came to bear. Nothing budged a tree or leaf from their stationary positions on the land.
Extreme heat, extreme cold, atomic particle bombardments were employed relentlessly with force and used with precision and urgent force. All devices utilized to no fruitful end in the end.
A tree could not be moved by these simple life forms and all their gadgets. A leaf could not be budged by the superior creatures. What happened?

Everyone knows that trees do not have legs and feet and therefore can not walk. They are not going anywhere any time soon. The situation is perceived as contained for the moment from all observable evidence. For that we can be thankful. The investigation continues. It will not end. We suspect it will never end.

In the end these anomalies in nature will be itemized,cataloged and stored for future consideration. The results, the findings or lack there of will be classified accordingly. These particular oddities will be reclassified as new unknown species. Reports will continue in proper sequence as ordered or ordained. The good new is; no one was harmed or injured as a result of the undertaking of this project and to that end we conclude this phase of the mission. The trees seem to be innocuous enough, harmless to humans in the environment according to Report #2 so nothing new to report here. Report #3 will follow in short order. It will be forthcoming in the near, if not foreseeable future. Move along now. There is nothing to be seen here! End of report.


*Authors Note: No trees were harmed or ridiculed in the making of this story.

© 2018 Earl Schumacker


Comments

Please Login to post a comment

A comment has not been posted for this short story. Encourage a writer by being the first to comment.


Book: Reflection on the Important Things