The ship finally came to a stop.

It had fallen at a steep angle, skipping off the rocky terrain and skidding to a stop in a dry, grassy field. 

The creature inside was relatively unharmed, and the craft’s engine shut off as the hatch to the outside world opened. 

The creature was short, pale, and unfit for the duties of surviving on such a sharp-edged planet, all alone and without communication. It stepped haphazardly onto the dusty landscape, scuttling to the back of the craft.

Its wide eyes never blinked as it looked at the black spot on the saucer. 

Suddenly, beams of light danced across the grasses, and far in the distance it could make out rows of halogens coming down an old farm road.

The creature closed the hatch to the craft and waddled to the bushes.

It had come to the planet to redirect a specific group of off-planet beings. There was a clamoring in the stars for resources, and this planet had a few of the key elements that were so desperately rare in the far corners of the galaxy. 

But, collaboration was key.

The creature’s species, the small and gray, could transport these valuable assets. 

Others, like the tall and hairy variety, could investigate and find them. They were much more subtle, blending into the landscape and surviving the harsh conditions. More primitive for the most part, other than the way they traveled. 

They weren’t advanced, but rather born with the innate ability to open and close portals at their discretion, and this efficiency was valuable in itself. 

The headlights were now much closer, and as the creature heard the soft crunch of gravel beneath the rubber tires, it darted away, staying in the treeline and stumbling over the small cedars and dead, rotten limbs.

Voices echoed over the prairie, spurring the creature onward.

Helicopters buzzed overhead, and as it fell to the ground in the dark forest, it could hear the engine of its craft power on. 

Fumbling for balance, it encountered a short, barbed wire fence. 

With its face in the dust, it wriggled underneath the bottom wire. 

As it struggled to its feet, it heard a soft gasp. 

Turning, it saw two of the natives.

They were about as tall as it was, obviously very young. They held their rectangular devices, both of them shining small LED lights in its direction. 

They stared at each other for a long time. One of the children held a dark, polished rifle, but never raised it. 

As the kids rose to run, the creature ran in the opposite direction. 

The moon, almost full, illuminated the grassy plain and the creature, too, its small head bobbing just below the height of the wild grasses. 

The helicopters sent waves of wind through the fields, getting closer all the time. In the distant, dark sky, other craft floated silently high above, monitoring the crash and feeling the immense terror of their fellow explorer. 

The large, black eyes of the creature searched for cover, and finally found it in a giant, hollow log, washed up by a recently flooded creek. 

It crawled inside, the sounds of insects burrowing into the musty wood around it occupying its mind. 

Hours passed, and the creature waited.

A rescue was unlikely.

The government agents still had many lights bouncing across the prairie, and the risk of exposure was still far too high. 

When the sun rose, the flashlights disappeared, and the creature still waited. 

Then, a loud thud, nearby. 

After a few minutes of silence, the creature quietly poked its large head out of the hollow log.

A craft had landed only a few meters away from the creature’s hiding spot. 

It crawled out of the log, its small hands caking with mud. The hatch to the craft opened.

As the creature rushed to get inside, it noticed the back of the craft had a large, black mark.

Exiting the craft, although clumsily due to its much larger size, was a native, dressed in all black.

The man crawled out through the small hatch, his hands in the dirt, dragging the rest of his body out behind him. 

He stood up, rubbing his hands together to get most of the dust off. He was tall, with dark hair and a radio pinned to his jacket. 

The creature stood silently, knowing it was unable to make an escape.

The man looked at him for a few, long seconds.

“Lost?” he said, smiling slightly. 

He pointed at the craft.

“Won’t reach more than a few thousand feet. Lightning got you, huh?”

The creature stood silently.

“Your buddies up there,” he pointed to the blue sky above them. “Left you for dead, it seems.”

The creature could hear the trucks pull up behind it. Several more men surrounded the craft, pointing their handguns at the creature.

“We won’t hurt ya,” the man said. “Just have a few questions is all. Meaning of life and all, standard stuff,” he said smiling. 

The creature began to shake as the men moved closer.

Then, the creature felt it. An electricity forming in the air, yet the men seemed oblivious.

They watched as the creature stepped to the side, disappearing through an invisible wall.

It found itself in a forest, surrounded by giant pine trees, a soft rain falling through the canopy. 

A tall, hairy creature stood beside it. 

It motioned to the trees, indicating to the ships that sat at a distance, in the midst of a dozen short, gray beings that waddled back and forth between them.

Then, the tall, hairy creature was gone.

The men stared at where the alien had been, their handguns lowering.

“Happened again,” one of the men said into the radio. “Stepped through a portal.”

The man who had been talking to the alien shook his head, then smiled and turned to the others.

“Bigfoot strikes again.”