Unwelcome

**note: this story was originally written for a prompt that is no longer accepting submissions (wasn’t finished so I’m just posting this randomly lol)**

"Mina! Mina, come here, I found Riley! She's at the top of of slide!" Kate cried happily. A chorus of elated giggles and squeals rose above the boisterous hum of the busy playground. Rays of sunlight trickled through emerald tree branches as the sun itself made its journey higher into the clear sky. The toddlers played wildly together, as their mothers talked to one another, sharing the untold gossip of the day anew. 

It was that kind of day. A beautiful day. A sunshine and singing birds kind of day. The kind where the air is thick with laughs and energy and benevolence like warm, sweet honey; when the sky, bluer than a robin's egg, seems an endless shield against the evils of the world; and the urge to smile is an unstoppable force that swells in the back of one's throat, making him want to empty his pockets for the beggar on the street corner. A day begins like that and then, it seems, that it usually does not end the same. Time has a way of eluding its users to think that that the joy is here to stay. But, when least expected, one is always presented with the unwelcome surprise of weariness and annoyance; they crash through the gates of emotion with the turn of evening and five o’clock traffic, when joy itself is welcome no longer.

Mina laughed and ran to Kate, the source of the delighted voice. Badum. Badum. Her heart was racing from the chase and excitement. Despite the warmth of the day, Mina felt a growing uneasiness settle in her chest. The feeling was small, very small, but there nonetheless. She shook it away, feeling ridiculous. The two best friends hovered at the bottom of the slide, daring Riley to come down. 

"We got you!" Mina shouted triumphantly. Riley's once happy disposition turned to one of defeat as Kate sprinted to the slide's brilliant metal ladder; she tagged Riley on the shoulder and grinned. 

"Yes, yes, yes! We win!" Kate laughed. Riley pouted, folding her arms, and slid down to meet similarly grinning Mina. Kate followed. A burning fireball of a sun shone high in the sky, signaling the end of morning and the beginning of afternoon. Heat waves floated above parking lots and sidewalks, and shaded picnic tables grew crowded as friends and strangers found refuge from the swelter. The metal slide radiated entirely too bright light and just as much heat.

"Ugh, I'm not gonna be 'IT'," Riley huffed.

Agitation replaced Mina's excitement. It advised her not to unlock its cage. But the feeling was strong and the cage's lock was weak.

"Riley, seriously!? You're the only one--" the words hung in the air. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake. It sparked feelings that seemed foreign on this cheerful day. It trembled with fear, giving loud rumbles of warning. Kate stumbled, falling into the mulch.

"Kate, you ok?" Riley helped her up. Glances of confusion and wonder were exchanged between the three.

"Earthquake?" She questioned, looking at Mina.

"Yeah...I'm sure it's just a small one though," Mina reassured Riley, but she wasn't so sure herself. The wave of uneasiness returned, this time as a hurricane, and flooded over her entire body. 

Awed shouts of "Look!" and "Up there!" were heard. Those under the trees no longer hid in the shade but shuffled out to see for themselves. 

"Nevermind," Mina pointed, her voice a soft croak. 

Like a giant paw blankets its prey, a huge metallic vessel descended upon them. It found itself an intruder in the blue void that Earth called her own. A gray veil replaced the cloudless sky that existed just moments before. Now Mina felt her heart beat double time, and chills, like a spider escaping a worker’s angry boot, scuttle up and down her spine. Badum. Badum. No one else seemed to be feeling the same way. She was alone in her terror. As she looked around, she noticed that all thirty or so pairs of eyes were fixed on the craft, and no pair radiated any sense of fear. Bodies were slumped and relaxed, even amidst the ongoing shaking and thundering. Badum. Badum. 

"Riley," Mina whispered, shaking her friend. No answer. "Riley!" She tried again louder, but without success. Riley gave not even the slightest turn of her head. So she tried Kate. 

"Kate, wake up!" The foreign thing levitated mere inches from the ground. As Mina stood there, helpless, it touched earth, just thirty yards in front of her. Crash. And just like that, the rumbling stopped. A deafening silence took its place, and stillness settled in. 

Mina peered around to see everyone frozen, staring up at the gray sky. Not one bird chirped, nor cell phone chimed; not even a single baby's cry could be heard. Mina heard only the thudding of her terrified heart. Badum. Badum. It was as if the whole world had stopped and was held captive by the sight before them. Intrigued by the unknown. Smoke puffed from under the vessel, completely encasing it. A dramatic climax to Mina’s real-life movie. She leapt in front of a mother and her child, total strangers.

"Ma'am?" She waved a hand in her face. "Hey! Can you hear me?!" Now she yelled to everyone. But her audience was ignorant. They remained unmoving with eyes glazed over. Each stared straight ahead, completely and utterly incompetent. What was this magic that kept hold on her reality?

Mina spun around quickly as a loud crash, followed by a long Creeaaak, filled her ears. A large sliding door was beginning to open. The smoke was clearing. Badum. Badum. The sound of Mina's racing heart pounded in her ears. Badum. Badum. Her breathing quickened and her throat tightened. Badum. Badum. It was the sound of the clock that ticked clicked her last moments. But there was only one thought running through her head.

Run.