From Another Star
In the small, unassuming little town of Strathmore, where nothing much happened, in the calmness of the night, the peaceful sky split open by a bright light.
An object crashed in the outskirts of the town, just a few meters from the O'Donnell's farm. In the morning, Luke, the youngest of the O'Donnell clan, discovered what looked like a spaceship made in a metallic substance he couldn't quite identify. However, his disbelief intensified when, by touching the craft, a small door popped open, and a creature emerged slowly.
The creature wasn't much taller than Luke, who was only ten. It had soft turquoise blue skin, gleaming silver eyes, and spoke in a language that came across as melodious notes. It seemed to be frightened and injured, prompting a wave of compassion to well up within young Luke.
Luke remembered the old barn his father hardly used, the one near the edge of the farm, masked by tall trees and old growth. He thought it would be a perfect place to hide his new alien friend. With the ease of a child's innocence, he named this extra-terrestrial being, 'Echo,' following the vibrant, echoing notes it made.
Days turned into weeks as Luke took care of Echo, managing to communicate through a unique sign language they developed. Echo, despite its alien nature, turned out to be more humanlike than anyone Luke knew, showing emotions ranging from joy to sadness, just like any other child.
Echo's skills were astounding too, it could manipulate any tech device, with just a small little touch. Word soon got around in Strathmore about some bizarre happenings in town. TV remotes acting odd, toasters floating, and radios playing alien tunes. An ominous atmosphere began to loom.
It was Echo. To alleviate its homesickness, it had been trying to contact its spaceship using the town's devices inadvertently causing the anomalies. Knowing the rising panic, Luke felt the need to disclose Echo's secret to his parents, or the town would soon be under government scrutiny.
His parents, after their initial disbelief and slight fear, met Echo and were quickly drawn to its innocence and charm. They agreed to help, leveraging the entire town to protect Echo. The O'Donnell family confessed about their extra-terrestrial guest, asking the town to stand with them, to protect Echo until it could return home.
To their surprise, the people of Strathmore did. The town, once mundane, now united in secret, protecting the small, blue alien and helping it repair its spaceship. As Echo's departure loomed, an unexpected sadness clouded Strathmore.
Echo managed to get the spaceship up and running, and the day came when it had to bid goodbye to its human friends. Luke felt a complex wave of emotions. He was delighted that his friend could finally go home but simultaneously sorrowed because he was going to miss him.
Echo repeated a melodious tune, ruffling Luke's hair, a gesture they had come to regard as love and friendship. The spaceship whirred to life, up into the sky it went, leaving a trail of twinkling, tiny star dust that showered over the entire town of Strathmore.
For the people of Strathmore, their town never seemed 'ordinary' again. It now held a magical, other-worldly charm, an echo of an extraordinary friendship, and a secret they would cherish and pass on in hushed whispers for generations to come.