Butterfly Funeral

Butterfly Funeral

On October 14th, 1946, Bureau of Enforcement Task Force 12-09 Phoenix had been summoned to infiltrate a home believed to be occupied by a major anomaly, probably a Herald-Idol. Today was December 10th by Senior Agent Collins’ count. They had been lost for two months.

He and his team infiltrated the building almost immediately. The doors were unlocked, the perimeter barely protected, save from a wooden fence that might have given someone a splinter if it wasn’t for the tactical gear they all wore. The home seemed unoccupied. Only when Agent Odonnell discovered a hatch in one of the house’s many closets did things get interesting. Down into the secret complex the team went, rapidly clearing every abandoned room. The whole place was coated in dust, except for a few obviously lived-in rooms. Closing in on the last room in the complex, the team paused. The place had begun to radiate a feeling of unease. As they stepped close and closer, a geiger counter clipped to Agent Roach’s belt began to go off. Nothing crazy, and nothing they hadn’t dealt with before. They continued to approach, preparing to encounter whatever it was that lay behind the door…

...when the floor was wrought with glowing cracks and fell out from beneath them.

When Agent Jeremy Park awoke, he noticed the plants. Foreign flora and fauna as far as the eye could see. The bizarre life sealed the deal for him. He knew that this was not Earth. The other agents were all unconscious nearby, but at least the atmosphere was breathable. He began to wander, staring briefly at the sky before the realization hit him. Another planet. Way too close to this one. In the distance he could see the point where they almost met. By his estimation, the distance between the two was barely fifteen miles at its smallest. Rocks floated, trapped between the gravity of the two celestial bodies. Plants bridged the gaps between chunks of soil, creating a stem that extended between the twin planets. They were conjoined. Park immediately returned to his team, waking them. “This is a little bit bigger than the briefing told us.” was all he said at first, overwhelmed as he was by the physical impossibility of what they were witnessing. And it was at that moment that something moved.

A monstrous, quadrupedal creature. Unnaturally thin and indistinguishable at first from the trees around them, it took the team completely by surprise. The being’s legs tapered to a point- one of which impaled Agent Jeremy Park at that very moment, as Mobile Task Force 12-09 “Phoenix” opened fire.

Agent Park knew he was dying. The blackness encroaching on his vision, and the sudden overwhelming calm told him so. He noticed every glorious detail of the strange world around him. The colors were beautiful. He could hear the life all around him. Senior Agent Collins was shaking him, telling him to stay awake. Park looked him dead in the eyes. “Collins, I need to tell you something.” The other members of 12-09 were gathered around him, now. Park couldn’t think of a better sendoff. How had he never noticed the butterflies before? “You’re a great team leader, Collins. But your cooking is terrible.” His attention strayed again. Park never had a family, but his team filled that void. He was glad that his last mission wasn’t a boring one. He had no regrets, not right now. Those butterflies were so pretty. The light shone just right so that they looked like they were glowing. Agent Park blinked, taking in the sight again. The butterflies were all around him now, moving in a colorful, swirling, mournful dance. How honored am I, to witness such a beautiful thing, he thought. And he got up, and followed the butterflies.

Senior Agent Collins closed Park’s eyes. “I’m not sure how we’ll get out of here, men.” He said. “But we will.” As he set up the long-range radio, Collins noticed a single blue butterfly, lazily flying out of the clearing where Park’s body lay and into the woods beyond.