Marci Gets Abducted by Aliens, and Mr. Johnson Freaks Out

I’ve got a two-pack habit and a motel tan.

—Steve Earle

There are aliens in our midst.

—Wussy

Scene One

One fine day, Marci was abducted by aliens.

That’s right! A mothership just popped down and scooped her up while she was mowing her lawn.

Marci lives in a nice suburban house outside Wilmington, Delaware, with her husband Fred and their two kids.

Next door lived Mr. Johnson and his wife Betty.

Mr. Johnson had recently fallen in love with Marci.

Obviously.

When Marci woke up, she was strapped to some kind of bed in a room with white walls and very bright lights.

Her head hurt.

A tall alien stood over her.

“Hey, Marci. Welcome to our mothership. I’m Bob. I’m the boss around here.”

“Okay, Bob. I want to go home,” said Marci.

“Yeah, pretty soon,” said Bob. “But first we need to run a few more tests.”

“Tests?” said Marci. “What kind of tests?”

“Oh, you know. Blood tests, nitrogen levels, respiration rate, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, really? Come on, Bob, make it quick.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Bob. “And then we also have to give you the environmental spiel.”

“The what?”

“Oh, the environmental spiel. You watch TV, right? You know aliens are always giving the environmental spiel. Like information on how the environment’s dying and it’s bad and everything.”

Marci looked up at him.

“Bob, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Yeah, Marci, sorry. It’s just something we have to do.”

“Why?”

“No reason really”said Bob.

“Huh?”

“Anyways, you’re an important test subject. We’ve got a lot of work to do together.”

“Whatever, Bob.”

Scene Two

Meanwhile, back on Earth, somebody had noticed that Marci was missing.

A random passerby had called the police.

Police Chief Dan Collins got the call. 

He called Mr. Johnson.

“Hey, Mr. Johnson. How are you doing today?”

“So so Chief Collins. What’s going on?”

“Call me Dan.”

“Sure thing, Dan. What’s going on?”

“Well, we don’t know yet,” said Chief Collins. “Looks like Marci was abducted by aliens.”

“Holy shit,” said Mr. Johnson. “Really?”

“That’s what we’re hearing.”

“Well shit.”

“Yeah. I’ll let you know when we know more.”

“I’m coming over,” said Mr. Johnson.

“Wilson, don’t…”

Mr. Johnson had already hung up.

He was increasingly freaking out.

Scene Three

Mr. Johnson got in his Buick and drove to the police station.

Chief Collins went out to meet him.

“Hey, Wilson. I told you there was no need to come over.”

“I know, Dan, but I had to come. You know I’m in love with Marci.”

“Yeah, yeah. I think everyone knows that by now there, Wilson.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

CRASH!

“Hey, Wilson, what the heck was that?”

“I don’t know, Dan. Some kind of car crash.”

“Shit,” said Chief Collins. “Let’s go take a look.”

They walked around the side of the building.

A Jeep 4×4 had run into the side of the police station.

The wall was slightly dented, but looked OK. 

A somewhat older man with long hair tied back in a ponytail and a salt-and-pepper beard climbed out of the Jeep.

He winced and looked around.

“Are you alright?”asked Mr. Collins.

“I think so,” said the man. “I’m sorry about the building.”

“What happened?”

“I was driving home and, well, I guess I ran into your station.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“Maybe just a little.”

“How much?”

“One or two, I think.”

Chief Collins knew this was bullshit, but he let it slide.

“Hey, Dan,” said Mr. Johnson. “I could really use a drink myself.”

“Maybe later. We got to make sure this guy’s alright

“What do you do?” asked Chief Collins.

“Well I’m Steve Earle and I’m a songwriter. Yeah, I write songs and stuff.”

“Well, that’s cool, Steve. Are you, like, famous or something?”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess you could say I’m kind of famous. I mean, I do okay.”

“Well, fucking A, Steve Earle. That sounds pretty cool.”

Steve Earle nodded.

Then he looked up.

About two hundred feet above them, a huge silver mothership was hovering in the sky.

Mr. Johnson’s face went white.

“That’s where Marci is.”

Steve Earle looked up at the ship.

“Marci?”

Then he looked at Mr. Johnson.

“Oh yeah, I know Marci. I think I can get her down.”

SCENE THREE

Mr. Johnson blinked and registered the fact that Steve Earle apparently knew his girlfriend Marci.

Steve Earle lit a cigarette and offered one to the two men. “You boys wanna smoke?”

“Hell yeah Steve Earle” said Mr. Johnson. In addition to freaking out Mr. Johnson was also just a bit stressed. 

“Thanks there Steve Earle. I’ll have one after we get Marci back.” 

Chief Collins was, after all, a professional. 

“Suit yourself” said Steve Earle. 

He walked back to his Jeep, opened up the back, and pulled out a heavy-duty tow cable.

“What’s that for?” asked Chief Collins.

“Getting things unstuck.”

Steve looked up at the ship.

“I don’t know guys” he said. “It’s just sort of hanging there. Let’s see if this works.”

He looked down at the cable and back up at the ship.

“What’s the plan, Steve?” asked Mr. Johnson.

“I’m just making a little fishing line for that there spaceship.”

“You can’t lasso a spaceship Steve” said Chief Collins.

“Well, I guess we’re gonna find out,” said Steve Earle.

Steve hooked the cable to the winch on his Jeep.

Then he slung the cable into the air. Somehow the cable caught around the middle of the mothership.

Steve Earle yanked the winch.

The cable tightened and the mothership began to descend. Slowly at first, then faster.

“Holy shit!” said Chief Collins, as he watched.

Steve Earle kept working the winch.

The mothership came down into an empty field behind the police station with a tremendous metallic WHUMP.

The ship was somewhat  damaged and a door popped open.

Marci stumbled out. She looked around and saw Mr. Collins and Mr. Johnson. 

Then she saw Steve Earle standing beside his Jeep with one hand on the winch.

“Hey, Marci. What’s going on?” said Steve Earle.

“Well, I don’t know, Steve. It looks like I just got abducted by aliens.”

“Yeah figures,” said Steve Earle.

Mr. Johnson was increasingly freaking out.

“Hey, Marci, how do you know this Steve fella anyway?”

“Oh, you know, Wilson. I’m a big fan of Steve’s, and I won this contest thing to have lunch with him.”

“Yeah, Marci’s a real riot there Wilson,” said Steve Earle.

“Yeah, okay, Steve. But, like, Marci—I mean, did you guys sleep together or what?”

“No, no, silly,” said Marci. “We didn’t sleep together. Anyway, I’m married, as you know.”

Steve Earle and Mr. Collins exchanged knowing glances.

“But I’m in love with you,” said Mr. Johnson.

“Yeah, I know,” said Marci.

“Also, I saved you,” said Mr. Johnson.

“No, you didn’t. Steve Earle did. How did you save me actually Steve?” she asked. 

“Well, I guess I just kind of lassoed the spaceship,” said Steve Earle.

“Yeah, we saw that,” said Mr. Johnson. “But that was a pretty weird thing to do.”

“Yeah,” said Steve Earle.

“You just lassoed it with a rope?” said Mr. Johnson.

“Well, technically it was a tow cable.”

Mr. Johnson turned to Marci.

“You had lunch with this guy. You drank brandy with him. He put you in a limousine. And now he lassoed a fucking spaceship and saved you, or something?”

“Pretty much,” said Marci.

“Jesus Christ, Marci.”

Steve Earle reached into the passenger side of his 4×4 and pulled out a mostly full bottle of vodka.

“Here you go, Mr. Johnson. This is the good shit,” he said.

“Oh, hey, thanks,” said Mr. Johnson. “This will really hit the spot.”

Mr. Johnson took a big slug, and then another.

“Hey, you might want to slow down there, Wilson. You have to drive home, right?” said Chief Collins.

“Well, I was hoping Marci could drive me home,” said Mr. Johnson.

“Jesus, Wilson. I just got off this totally random ass spaceship and you’re not even going to drive me home? What’s going on?”

“Yeah, what are you smoking there, Wilson? Something good, I hope,” said Steve Earle.”

“Hey, Steve. I’m not really smoking anything right now. I’m just drinking your vodka. Thanks again.”

“Yeah, drink up.”

Mr. Johnson passed the bottle to Marci who took a big drink. 

“You are gonna drive me home after all aren’t you W?” said Marci.

“No, he’s not,” said Chief Collins. “I’ll call you an Uber.”

Chief Collins pulled out his police cell phone and called an Uber.

A few minutes later, the Uber arrived.

The driver’s name was Jack.

Jack looked at the damaged mothership.

Then he looked at the dented police station.

Then he looked at Steve Earle.

Then he looked at Marci, Mr. Johnson, and Chief Collins.

He decided not to ask any questions.

Marci and Mr. Johnson slipped into the back seat.

Before getting in, Marci leaned over and gave Wilson a quick kiss on the cheek.

Mr. Johnson blushed.

“Hey, Wilson, you were really freaking out back there for a bit,” said Marci.

“Yeah,” said Mr. Johnson. “I guess I was. I’m just happy to have you home, honey.”

“I’m happy to be home too,” said Marci.

They got into the Uber and drove off together.

Steve Earle watched the car disappear down the road.

Then he turned to Chief Collins.

“Hey, Chief. That was quite a day, wasn’t it?”

“Sure was,” said Chief Collins.

He looked at Steve Earle.

“Hey, Steve, what do you have going on there? Some kind of motel tan?”

“Yeah,” said Steve Earle. “Something like that.

FIN

Dedication: For Marci. Hope you got home safe there babes. And for Chief Collins, Mr. Johnson, Steve Earle, and some guy called. Jack. You’re a bunch of bozos, but you’re still ok in my book. Finally got my Middle School French teacher Monsieur Dreyer. You’re getting all outta control again there sir and you’re a bit of a weirdo, but you still rule baby.