It was a calm peaceful morning at the shore. The sun's warm red orange rays beamed down, illuminating the mist from the waves hitting the rocks below. Seagulls were flying around in swarms, scattered over the bay, scouting around for schools of fish, for food. The sand pipers were running along the edges of the shore-line, back and forth as the waves broke to avoid getting wet, while collecting bits of food deposits that washed up on the damped silk-like golden sand.

I was fishing on the jetties for black bass. The huge, grey rocks, weighing about one and a half tons each, were covered by a slippery film of green algae. I previously had poured sand on top of the rocks to prevent slipping off of them.

Suddenly, large flocks of seagulls flew over head, as a hungry school of blues, breaking water and flashing their silver sides like diamonds in the sea, swam about the sides of the jetties. I put my favorite blue fish lure on my surf casting rod and cast it out as far as I could.

As the lure hit the surface of the water, a giant fish struck it, taking the drag on my reel out furiously. Every time he tired out, I reeled him in but whenever he saw the jetties he swam out again.

About forty-five minutes later, I was tiring, but I knew he could not fight any longer as I finally landed him in between two dry rocks below me. To be assured that it would be safe to walk on the rocks below I observed several wave cycles.

I walked cautiously down to where the fish was, that I did not view to well, since he had fallen into the ledge.

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As I kneeled down to lift him up a giant wave hit me and washed me into the water! I struggled as a strong consistent under-toe forcefully pulled me out and under the water. I hit a rock that was rather long and narrow and unconsciously gripped it, keeping me anchored and from being further pushed out into the shark inhabited bay.

As the under-toe gradually decreased I released the rock to surface. The plentiful air was like a gift from above, as I took many deep breaths. I looked around and found, that I was about a mile from the jetties , and a half mile from land.

Air trapped in my densely woven nylon fishing jacket helped to keep me a float. Gradually, I swam to shore but the cross-currents angled me far away from where I originally was. I was able to touch the bottom, and crawl to the shore line.

I was wishing that I was home, sleeping on a soft comfortable bed because I wouldn't have lost my surf rig, and almost my life.

I woke up on the beach the next day and saw giant craft that was shaped like a starfish. It must have been observing me, because when I tried to sneak away it shot out a line with a net on the end of it that entwinded me. As I tried to resist, it pulled me in like a fish on a line.

Eventually, it pulled me inside the craft. I saw many strange looking aliens on board the ship. I thought that they would appear to look like what my idea of a space creature would look like, a monster with a body similar to man's. To my surprise these aliens were in form of aquatic life mostly resembling fish, and were

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able to speak our language. They had two sets of lobster like legs, and their bodies and heads were like that of a fish.

I saw many machines and computers with infinite numbers of lights and dials mounted on them. The strange looking aliens must have come from a planet where fish must have evolved into intelligent forms of life.

One of the creatures came up to me and said, "Do you remember me?"

I said, "No, I don't, who are you?"

He said, "you caught me on a line."

He opened his mouth and my lure was in it. I pulled my lure out of his mouth and apologized to the alien for hooking him.

He said, "Don't apologize: on our planet, five galaxies away from here, we hunt a low form of man for food, as well as for sport."

He took me to a room where there were people mounted on the walls, like the way we mount fish.

He said, "Don't be afraid of my trophy room because we don't want to hurt, mount, or eat you. We just want to study you because humans on your planet have evolved into the highest form of life on this planet.

He began telling me how life on his planet was.

He said, "On my planet a low form of man exists, averaging about one hundred and fifty pounds, that travels around in herds. They live on the sandy land, the way the fish, close, primitive relative of our kind live in the sea."

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Then, he explained to me that on the sand he cannot survive because he would dry up in about five minutes. The reverse of man, who takes in water and drowns when submerged for a long period of time. He said, "I can live out of the water where there is enough water in the soil for a tree to grow."

He told me that his intelligence level was about the same as ours.

I said to him, " If your I.Q. is about the same as mine is, how did you manage to travel this far?"

He replied, " Good question. On your planet we have discovered a way to stop the aging process, and how to structurally combine magnetic ores in a way that the give off a consistent form of energy that is used to power our space ship, while humans on earth are inventing lasers, war missiles, and nuclear bombs that could blow up the world several times over."

The alien then said, "On our planet, the most potent weapon ever invented was the bow and arrow."

I asked him, "Will you release me or will I have to remain here?"

"By observing you," he said, "we have found that humans on our planet eventually will evolve into into a intelligent for of life that will be beneficial to our planet. By communicating with you, we both now know that it is possible for humans on our planet and us, to live together, not just today, but in future years."

The alien then asked, "What did you learn from our visit with you?"

I replied, "Your ability to travel from your galaxy to mine, has proved to me that the mind is the the key to opening doors to all the mysteries of the universe."

The alien then said, "You can leave, whenever you want to, or stay

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with us and come to our planet."

I replied, "This is my home, I belong here, I'm ready to leave."

Then he opened the port on the floor of the craft, and a ladder lowered down from the ceiling and stopped when it reached the floor level of the ship. I got on it, and it lowered me to the ground.

The alien cheerfully waved.

I got about one hundred feet away from the ship and turned around. I looked at the strange craft once more as it suddenly zoomed up into the air, at at increasing speed that reached a velocity undetectable to the human eye and radar, after rising about fifty feet above the ground!

I finally got to my car. I looked inside and saw my rod! It had my lure on the end of the line.

A small space craft or starfish shaped object was hooked on the end of the barb of the lure's hook.

I opened the door of my car to look at the object. It was a note, which read: Goodbye friend.

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