Kevin was standing up on shaking legs when he quickly looked out his window. What was on his front lawn looked like it belonged in a science fiction movie, not a small town. Kevin’s eyes widened in fear as he realized this could only mean one thing.
He knew every single person and enjoyed the quiet lifestyle. All it took was one mysterious evening to turn his world upside down.
Kevin knew the noise he heard was unlike anything else, and he was sure it had come from the dense forest behind his house. He took a deep breath and began to walk into the dangerous unknown. What was he searching for?
While he had been sitting at home, Kevin was rocked by a loud bang. He looked out the window and saw a cloud of smoke coming from the forest. He decided to wait until morning to investigate, but his mind was running wild with what could be hiding behind the trees. That night, he tossed and turned, dreaming of what he would find tomorrow. When he finally laid his eyes on it, his life would never be the same again.
Kevin lived in a small town in Alaska, where numerous wildlife and other factors made it extremely dangerous if you weren’t careful. No one else wanted to explore the mystery with Kevin, but could he handle what he found by himself?
In the morning, Kevin leaped out of bed. He dressed carefully with many layers and even brought a hunting rifle. When he began walking into the forest, it felt like he was walking into a completely separate world. Kevin had grown up exploring the Alaskan wilderness and felt confident that he could handle anything that crossed his path. But what he found challenged all of his expectations.
Kevin knew it might take a couple of days and packed an overnight bag. What he didn’t expect was to be exploring the forest for three full days before finally finding something interesting. After camping in the cold for three days, it felt like a dream to discover these mysterious items. They obviously didn’t belong there, and Kevin didn’t know if they were weapons or something even more sinister. He bent down to examine the parts scattered all over the forest. They clearly didn’t belong, and he suspected this was exactly what had made the loud noise days before. Kevin didn’t want to touch anything, but his curiosity slowly got the better of him.
It was hard to tell what the parts were, and they seemed to be all over this one area of the forest. Kevin decided to continue walking into the clearing but was stopped in his tracks by his next big discovery. Kevin saw a large metal object and couldn’t believe it. After all his years living in Alaska, he was used to seeing wild animals or dangerous creatures, but this was something entirely different. It looked like Kevin had found part of a rocket. He didn’t know if he should get closer, but then he saw a hole to get inside the ship. It was now or never, and Kevin knew he had to keep pushing forward to answer all his questions.
Kevin didn’t know anything about rockets, and he wasn’t sure if anything was at risk of exploding. He walked gingerly around the parts scattered across the forest until he came face to face with the body of the ship. It was time to make a big decision. Kevin could see a way inside the rocket, but he didn’t know how secure the materials were. Was he willing to risk it all just to have a peek at the unknown? This big explosion would get a lot of attention soon, so Kevin knew he might only have a few hours until other people arrived searching for this mysterious rocket ship he had located. If he wanted to explore, it was going to be now.
Slowly, he approached the metal ship and put one hand on the smooth shell. It was clearly an older model, but what else would the inside of the ship reveal? Kevin scanned the outside of the rocket ship to look for any clues on why it was here. He thought if he could find markings or at least a flag, he would know more about what he had discovered. While he scanned the outside of the rocket, something else caught his eye. It was partially hidden by the trees, but the closer Kevin got, the more excited he was for the big reveal.
While Kevin began to get excited about looking in the rocket, another thought crossed his mind: who had been flying the mysterious rocket? Was it possible there was someone still inside? What if they were in desperate need of help? There was only one solution. Kevin was going to risk it and just hope he didn’t discover anything more sinister along the way. He was completely alone in the Alaskan forest about to step into an abandoned rocket ship. It was an experience that would haunt him for many years to come.
Kevin walked around the rocket many times, but there was only one tiny entrance. As he stared up at the hole, he knew it would be easy to get inside but had no idea what was waiting for him on the other side. Kevin was completely alone in the forest, and his cell phone had died. If anything happened to him, he would have risked it all for nothing. Before he could hesitate, he made a giant leap into the great unknown.
Even though Kevin had launched himself into the small opening, he had ended up in more of a tunnel within the rocket. He was forced to crawl forward but had no idea if he was walking towards safety or danger. As he slowly crawled on his stomach, he began to see an opening up ahead. It was now or never, and Kevin was sweating with nerves under the sheer weight of this obstacle. Finally, he saw something that made the whole thing worthwhile. Kevin had crawled through the rocket and found the control station. It wasn’t big enough for a person to sit comfortably, and Kevin relaxed, realizing there wouldn’t be anyone to discover in the wreckage.
Kevin had never been inside a rocket and was shocked at how much had survived the crash landing. He continued to shimmy forward and wanted to explore even more until things took a dangerous turn. As Kevin continued to explore, he found an American flag. He was relieved to know the rocket was from the States and felt less in danger of anything exploding or catching him off guard. The rocket was not big enough to fit passengers, and Kevin couldn’t understand why this mysterious ship had fallen out of the sky. He was getting more intrigued by the second and then discovered one item that would answer all his questions.
Kevin saw a plate that looked like it was a model number. He knew he would need any identification for anyone to believe that he had found this amazing discovery. Since the rocket was from the States, who would be searching for this lost property? Kevin decided to take the identification and put it in his pocket. He had to get to a computer ASAP and let someone know what he had discovered. Would anyone believe what had landed in his backyard? It had taken Kevin three days to find the rocket, and he needed to get home immediately. He would have to wait to Google the images and began to think about the chances of a reward for returning important property.
He needed to clearly mark the path to find the rocket again and then had newfound energy to get home. After three days of anticipation, he was finally able to get online and type in the model numbers. As the screen began to load, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Kevin found out that this rocket was actually used to transport satellites into space. When the mission was complete, the rockets were supposed to land in the ocean. It was a rare occurrence that this one had landed so near his house. The rockets had automatic routes in place, and it would have been extremely dangerous if it had crashed anywhere else.
Kevin picked up the phone and knew exactly who he had to tell. Kevin had friends in the armed forces and let them know exactly what had happened. They couldn’t believe his story and said someone would be in touch very soon. He received a phone call a couple of days later from a head engineer of NASA. They appreciated his dedication and even wired him a cash reward for phoning in his discovery. Kevin still has the model plate he kept from the rocket, but the true reward was the chance to be in an object from space.
