SECRETS OF A SMALL TOWN

My lips are sealed, that's all I can say. I was sworn to secrecy by the mayor and the town council. I couldn't tell nobody not even my family. If I told anybody what I saw I would disappear that was a promise the mayor made to me.

What the mayor and the council didn't understand is that in a small town, rumors spread very quickly. The mayor nor the council could not have stopped the rumors. People talked and they talked a lot.

The rumors spread like wildfire. I heard it all. The mayor and the council are stealing the town's money. The mayor is having an affair with one of the council members. The mayor's wife left him for another man. So many rumors all of them wrong.

The truth was far more unbelievable. It was out of this world. I never believed in anything like this. But when my eyes saw what it did two nights ago, I started to believe that maybe there is something out there that is so crazy you have to see it to believe it.

No, my eyes were not playing tricks on me. In fact, my eyes are in perfect condition. I saw what I saw. I could never get that image out of my head.

It all happened two nights ago. I was walking to my favorite spot lake Hope. I go to lake hope all the time to unwind after a long day of work. It was at lake Hope where I began to hear voices. One of the voices I heard was the mayor.

I walked to where the voices were. I saw the mayor and the Sheriff. They were talking and pointing. Beyond on them was what I thought was a downed plane but as I looked further that was not the case. It wasn't a plane but something I didn't recognize.

The mayor was talking on the phone so I decided to move closer. I wanted to see who or what was lying on the ground. As I got closer, I saw the unimaginable. It was straight out of a science fiction movie. I saw what appeared to be small human bodies. Naturally, I thought they were human. As I looked closer these human bodies had large heads and large eyes.

No way did these things originate on earth, clearly, they were not human. I couldn't take my eyes off of the crash. I prayed the mayor nor the Sheriff saw me. A little while later, I saw a car approaching the crash site.

Mr. Michaels and Mrs. Taylor head of the town council came out of the car. Mr Michaels is former military. The mayor probably called Mr. Michaels because he probably will know what to do.

I was lucky because no one saw me but my luck was about to run out. I couldn't hear what they were talking about. They kept pointing to the crash site. I was getting up to leave when the Sheriff spotted me.

I was scared that I didn't listen. I got up and starting running. I ran as fast as my legs could go. I didn't dare look back but I knew someone was chasing me. I got to my car in record time. I was opening my car door when one of the deputies tackled me. I fought with him. No luck.

The deputy took me back to the crash site. The mayor, the Sheriff, Mr. Michaels and Mrs. Taylor were waiting for me. They didn't look happy at all. I remember the mayor's exact words. It chilled me to the bone.

"Dani, you saw nothing. You heard nothing. If I hear that you opened your mouth and told your family and friends, I will make you disappear so fast you won't see it coming. You understand."

I had no choice but to agree with the mayor. I couldn't form any words. The dusty took me back to my car. I got in and drove home. I got home quickly. I put my car in the driveway. My legs were shaking. My heart was beating fast. I still couldn't believe what I saw.

When I got into my house it was quiet. Thank God for that. My parents and sister were a sleep. I walked quietly to my room and closed the door. I sat on my bed, took out my journal and wrote down everything I saw. I told myself this will be my testimony if I disappear.

I want my parents and sister to know what happened to me and who was responsible. After I finished, I put my journal in a place only my sister knows about. I also wrote a letter to my parents, sister and friends. I left them in my desk drawer. I didn't go to bed right away. I sat by my window looking up at the sky.

I always wonder if there was life out in the universe. I just never believed it was true and I never believed that it would come to my hometown. I finally went to bed.

Yesterday, I woke up feeling good, feeling happy. I had a bad nightmare, that's all it was. I took out my journal like I do every morning. I looked at my entries and I saw one from the day before. I read it and realized the nightmare was real and the treat from the mayor was real.

So, I took a shower and went downstairs. Everything looked normal expect for one thing. My mother told me lake Hope is closed to the public. She asked me if I heard anything. I told her no.

The rumors started up. I walked out of my house and into a wall of rumors. The mayor and the council are hiding the town's money in lake Hope. They closed the lake because they are running away with the money. The mayor found out his wife is having an affair. He killed his wife's lover and buried the body at the lake.

In a small town like Lake Hope rumors spread and they keep on spreading. The people love to talk and talking about the mayor is their favorite topic. The rumors made me laugh. They had no idea what was happening right under their noses.

I needed to tell someone the truth but I couldn't tell anyone no matter how much I wanted too. I walked throughout my town thinking about what to do next. I couldn't think of anything. Keeping my mouth shout is the only way to keep me safe and my family safe.

My neighbors, the whole town kept on talking about the closing of the lake. They kept on coming up with crazy ideas. For instance, gold is hidden at the lake. But some came up with more reasonable ideas like the water is polluted. Some of the people bought it. The others liked the crazy ideas like gold or murder.

I saw my parents and sister yesterday and just like the town they were coming up with their own ideas. I smiled at then. If they only knew the truth.

Why do people like spreading rumors? I never understood that. Rumors only get us into trouble .I do get that people want to feel important and they need to feel like they belong.

The mayor and the council don't understand what they are doing. They should know people are curious and they will go to the lake to see what is happening and that's exactly what happened.

I woke up today hoping the rumors will go away but they haven't. it got worse. When I got downstairs, I saw my parents and sister watching the news. I already know what they are watching.

The people went to lake Hope to find out if the rumors they are spreading are true. Inwardly, I'm smiling because the mayor and the council are going to get what's coming to them. Outwardly, I'm scared for the people, scared the mayor and the council are going to do something bad to them.

I went to the lake. I saw the people and the mayor. The mayor saw me and I smiled. I know they can't keep this a secret. I sat on a rock and watched. The people are relentless. I saw the mayor getting angry. He can't control it anymore. The mayor calls the Sheriff. He tells the Sheriff something. Next thing I know, I hear pop, pop, pop. The Sheriff shot his gun up in the air.

Oh My God! I can't believe the Sheriff did that. The people left in a hurry so did I. I went back to town where the people are pissed off. Rumors are gone they know something big is happening at the lake. Some of them want to go back to the lake tonight. I think it's a bad idea but I can't tell them that.

I begin to walk back home when I sense I'm being followed. I turn around and I see the same deputy that tackled me is now following me. The mayor is trying to intimidated me. They are losing control and now they are resort to scare tactics.

Rumors, secrets has a way of coming out and that's what's happening. The secret the mayor and the council are trying to hide is coming out but not by my mouth.

The same people who talked about going to the lake went back that same night. They found the crash site. The unknown object and the bodies were still there. They took pictures. The pictures were printed in the town newspaper.

The mayor and the council were livid. I'm happy and relieved the people found out on their own. The mayor followed the wrong person. They thought I was going to spill the beans. They thought wrong.

I finally told my parents and sister the truth. They were happy. I was okay and so is my family. The mayor and the council never recovered from this.

My town is actually happy about all the attention Lake Hope is receiving, We all laughed about the rumors including me. Rumors are bad but in this case rumors exposed the truth.