This short story is from <Heartwarming Collection of Short Stories for Seniors: 2 Books in 1> by Bradley Windrow. It is perfect for seniors, even for dementia patients. Be sure to read until the end, as there’s a special gift waiting for you! hope you enjoy it!
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. –Albert Einstein.
“Guys, I’ve seen it. A UFO. Right in my backyard!” Charlie burst into the senior center, practically vibrating with excitement. His friends, Gladys, Arthur, and Doris, looked up from their card game, all raising skeptical eyebrows in unison.
“A UFO?” Arthur scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. “Come on, Charlie. We’ve been through this before. There’s no such thing as a UFO.”
“You better take it easy, Charlie,” Gladys added with a grin. “Or people are gonna start thinking you’re losing it upstairs.”
“Next thing we know, you’ll be saying you’ve been abducted.” Doris chuckled. Charlie shook his head, determined to convince them.
“Laugh all you want, but I swear on my telescope, this was real! Bright lights zoomed across the sky, moving faster than any plane could. I’ve been stargazing for decades, and this was something different.”
“Sure, Charlie. Maybe it was just a satellite or a very lost firefly.” Arthur sighed dramatically.
“It wasn’t a firefly!” Charlie shot back. “I know what I saw! The way it moved? It was like… like something out of a sci-fi movie!” The group exchanged amused glances, but Charlie couldn’t let them off that easily. “You’ll see. I’ll get proof. Then we’ll see who’s laughing.”
Later that night, Charlie set up his telescope in the backyard, armed with his camera and notebook. He scanned the sky, eyes glued to the horizon. Hours passed, the night growing colder, but there was no sign of the mysterious lights. He jotted down every flicker, every distant star, but nothing came close to his “UFO.”
The next morning, Charlie walked into the senior center, yawning but determined. His friends were already waiting.
“Well?” Arthur asked, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “Catch any little green men?”
“Not yet,” Charlie grumbled, “but it’s only a matter of time.”
Days passed, and Charlie spent every evening in his backyard, convinced the UFO would return. His friends, meanwhile, doubled down on the teasing. Arthur even brought in a homemade tin foil hat for Charlie, just in case “they” came back for him.
Finally, one evening, Charlie saw the lights again. They zipped across the sky, flashing in irregular patterns. The UFO was back! He fumbled for his camera, snapping pictures as fast as he could. This was it—the proof he needed. The next day, Charlie triumphantly laid the photos on the senior center table.
“I’ve got it! This is the real deal.”
“Charlie… that’s the Johnson kid’s drone. You can see the propellers!” Arthur squinted at the pictures, then burst out laughing. Charlie stared at the photos, his heart sinking. His friends erupted into laughter, and even Charlie couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well, at least I didn’t get abducted.” Gladys grinned, patting him on the back.
“Maybe next time, Charlie. Maybe next time.”
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