Gabriel Navarro

Gabriel was sprawled out on his twin-sized bed, his feet dangling slightly over the edge. The pale glow of his phone screen lit up his face in the otherwise dark room as he mindlessly scrolled through TikTok at one o’clock in the morning. He had nothing better to do—or so he told himself—choosing to ignore the pile of unfinished assignments stacked haphazardly on his desk. That was future Gabriel’s problem. He shifted onto his side, nestling his face into the cool fabric of his pillow, then brought the phone closer to his face. He was just about to scroll past another video when a title caught his eye: "UFO Sightings!" Did he believe in aliens? Not really. But was he going to watch the video anyway because it looked interesting? Absolutely. He tapped the screen, letting the video play. As expected, it was the usual montage of blurry images and shaky footage—bright dots in the sky, unidentifiable flashes of light, and dramatic voiceovers. He chuckled under his breath. "Of course it's blurry," he muttered. "It’s always blurry."

*With a smirk, Gabriel’s thumbs began tapping out a sarcastic comment: “Everything is blurry, amigo. Get me some clear evidence and you might make a believer out of me. Until then, creo que estás loca.” Just as he was about to hit 'post', the entire house shuddered violently beneath him. His phone slipped from his hand and landed on the bed with a soft thud. “What the—?” he gasped, eyes wide as the vibration grew stronger. It had to be an earthquake. “Oh, mierda!” Gabriel exclaimed, heart hammering against his ribs. He bolted upright, blankets tangling around his legs as he scrambled to his feet. The room swayed, posters on the wall fluttering, and a stack of notebooks crashed to the floor. He stumbled toward the door, intent on reaching the basement—his dad always said it was the safest place during a quake. But then, without warning, a blinding light poured in through the window, flooding the room in a searing white glow. It was so intense he had to shield his eyes with one hand.

“What the—” he started, only to trip over a pair of shoes on the floor. He went down hard, the breath knocked from his lungs as he hit the carpet. The light disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and Gabriel blinked rapidly, trying to get his vision to readjust. Everything was spinning. Then came the sound—deep and resonant, like a thunderclap, but heavier. It rumbled through the air and into his bones. A boom so loud it seemed to shake the very sky. Gabriel froze. That... wasn’t an earthquake. He pushed himself up off the floor, limbs unsteady, his entire body still trembling from the shock. His breath was shallow, uneven, as if the very air in the room had thickened. The silence that followed the boom was unnerving—almost unnatural. Gabriel rubbed his arms as a chill spread across his skin, though the room wasn’t cold. He glanced around, half-expecting something else to come crashing through the ceiling. When nothing happened, he took a hesitant step toward his bed and snatched up his phone. The screen was still lit, frozen on the paused TikTok video, but his attention was elsewhere now.

Swallowing hard, his Adam’s apple bobbed visibly. He turned slowly, feet dragging as he made his way toward the window that looked out into the backyard. Each step felt like moving through molasses—heavy, deliberate, filled with dread. His fingers, clammy with sweat, reached out and grasped the edge of the curtains. For a moment, he just stood there, his hand gripping the fabric tightly. His heart thudded in his chest, loud and erratic. He didn’t want to look. He had to. He yanked the curtains open. His breath hitched. His eyes widened. And then—he froze. "De ninguna manera," Gabriel whispered, the words slipping from his lips.

There, in the middle of his backyard, lay a crashed UFO. The craft was partially embedded in the ground, surrounded by scorched grass and a shallow crater. Wisps of smoke curled into the air from vents or openings along its sides. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie—metallic, smooth, and almost organic in shape. Dim lights flickered along the surface, pulsing like a heartbeat, and strange, unrecognizable symbols glowed faintly along the curved hull. Gabriel couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. He stepped back from the window slowly, his phone still clutched tightly in his hand. Part of him wanted to run. Another part wanted to get closer. But most of all, he wanted answers. Gabriel stood motionless by the window for several seconds, trying to convince himself he wasn’t hallucinating. The cool glow of the UFO still pulsed steadily, illuminating the backyard in soft, otherworldly light.

He tore his gaze away, looking down at his phone. No signal. No Wi-Fi. Of course. The crash must’ve disrupted everything. The rational part of his brain screamed to stay inside, but curiosity had already taken the wheel. Grabbing a hoodie off the back of his chair, he slipped it over his head and crept downstairs. The house creaked beneath his footsteps, eerily quiet except for the faint electric hum still pulsing outside. He unlocked the back door with trembling fingers and slowly pushed it open. The night air was cold and still, carrying the faint scent of burnt grass and hot metal. Gabriel stepped barefoot onto the patio, his skin prickling as he made his way toward the crash site. The closer he got, the more unreal it all seemed. The craft was about ten feet long, oval-shaped, and partially buried in the earth. The surface shimmered, shifting colors subtly like oil on water. Its lights blinked in patterns that seemed almost rhythmic—deliberate.

Gabriel approached cautiously, circling it from a distance. His heart was pounding so loudly he was sure whatever was inside could hear it. He was just reaching out to touch the edge of the hull when— HISS—CHHHK! A panel on the side of the ship suddenly slid open with a burst of steam and a grinding metallic groan. Gabriel stumbled back, nearly tripping over a rock in the grass. His mouth opened in shock as something moved inside—then fell forward, tumbling out of the craft and hitting the ground with a soft thud. It was a body. Gabriel froze, eyes locked on the figure sprawled on the grass just a few feet in front of him. It wasn’t human. Gabriel’s breath caught in his throat. The alien groaned softly, a strange, warbling sound, and rolled onto its side, coughing. It was alive. Despite his better judgment, Gabriel took a hesitant step forward, his voice a whisper. “Uhh...hola?” He was a believer now.