The Curious Village

It was a small country town, Pascal didn't want to stop in but his car had broken down leaving him little choice. The mechanic said it would not be ready for a couple of days leaving Pascal to find lodgings at the local inn. The local villagers all seemed very nice, but out of the corner of his eye Pascal could see them attacking him with their eyes, he also heard the whispers although he could not make out what was being said.

It was a curious little village, the shops all covered the standard fields, but they only sold necessities. There were no souvenirs and it was then that Pascal realised he didn't even know the name of the village. There was a mountain to the north of the village; Pascal could see it clearly from the balcony of his room. The village offered very little excitement so Pascal decided to climb the mountain during his stay.

That first night, as soon as it got dark Pascal noticed the villagers disappearing from the streets, within half an hour the village was like a ghost town. Pascal a little concerned returned to the inn for dinner and then retired to his room. At about 2am Pascal was awoken by a loud sound, he couldn't quite tell if it was real or if he had dreamt it. His room was filled with light coming from the window, it was a bright blinding white light, but like no man-made light he had ever seen. Pascal rose, opened the balcony door and was momentarily blinded from the immense brilliance of the light. As his eyes grew accustomed he could slowly make out the village and the mountain behind it. Pascal couldn't tell whether the light was coming from the top of the mountain or just on the other side of it. The power of it was enough to light up the whole sky. Pascal was mesmerised, he dragged a chair out onto the balcony to provide him comfort while he observed this curious phenomenon.

How long he sat there before he drifted back to sleep is anyone's guess though it couldn't have been more than an hour, for when he opened his eyes again the sun shone brightly on his face and the village was as if the light had never occurred. Pascal tried questioning a few of the villagers, but none of them had seen it or they just denied it, Pascal couldn't be sure. That morning he bought himself a canteen, a first aid kit and a few supplies necessary to climb the mountain. By the time he had acquired his goods it was too late to set out. Pascal was disappointed, but he knew for a climb like that he would need a whole day, so he stowed his new belongings in his room and went to the one place he thought he might get some answers; the local tavern.

They were a rowdy bunch, but they listened to his story of the light in the sky with keen interest. He even got quite a few suggestions of what it could be, aliens, ancestral ghosts, a meteor shower, reflections off a satellite, etc. Each suggestion was as weird as the next, but Pascal decided some were plausible, the meteor shower he completely discounted. That night he waited up till one, the light had not returned, he knew it would come if he waited but he had a big task the next day and he wanted to set off early, so he turned in without seeing the light.

The sun was just breaching the horizon as Pascal emerged from the inn ready to face the mountain. It was a warm day, but the cool breeze blowing through the tall pine trees refreshed Pascal enough that he barely noticed the suns rays shining down on him. It was just after noon when he reached the summit; he looked around in hope of finding something unusual, something that might explain what he saw. He discovered some interesting markings on a rock face, but soon after noticed a plaque nearby crediting the local school for the work. Saddened and dismayed he began his journey back down the mountain.

It was a long journey, made even longer by his saddened mood; he was so sure that he would have found something. When Pascal returned to the village it was just after dark, an eerie haze had formed in the warm night air and was blanketing the village. The villagers had once again retreated in doors, rather than join them Pascal decided to lie down in the middle of the main street. He was waiting for a car, anything, but after a few hours nothing had happened so he went back to the inn for dinner.

Whilst dining, Pascal was informed by the innkeeper that he had received a phone call earlier in the day saying Pascal's car was ready for pick up. Pascal would have to leave in the morning; he was already a few days late, that night would be his last chance to witness the strange phenomena of the curious little town.

When Pascal got back to his room he put the chair back inside, he wanted no comforts to lull him to sleep, he would stay awake all night if he had to. The night wore on as Pascal stood watch on the balcony, his eyelids hung heavy as he fought back sleep, but he would not give in. It was just past two thirty when the light appeared, as beautiful and entrancing as the first night he saw it. It lit up the sky once more. Pascal watched for an hour, as the light got brighter and intensified, then when it felt like it could get no brighter a round object emerged from behind the mountain.

Pascal's heart sank, had this been all it was? Was this what he had wasted his time on? Wounded by his stupidity he went inside and collapsed on the bed. From his bed Pascal looked out the window and stared at his so-called phenomenon. What did he see? Nothing more than a country style full moon, the illusion of brightness coming from the fact that there were no city lights for it to compete with.