ctober came early that year. The frost crept up like a virus coating everything with it’s frozen sheen and you couldn’t tell the smokers from the non as everyone had jack frost dragon breath. Jack laced his boots to the top most notch and added an extra layer before braving out into the corn field. The farmer hadn’t gotten to all the crops in time as he had taken ill and the corn was frozen in the stalk. Such as waste. A path had formed in the field where jack walked every day. Out to the tall oak tree that sat in the middle of the field. Why hadn’t the farmer, the farmer’s father or any of the land’s previous tennants chopped the tree down before? It was a huge tree. It just didn’t belong in an Iowa corn field.

But he was glad that farmer had given the tree clemency for now it reached to the heavens and Jack could see miles all around. In fact, he had climbed that tree everyday for the past 3 months, in the hopes he would see someone, a friend, a car kicking up dust carriening down that long dirt road.

Jack was becoming a teen in an old farming town. Everything about the town was old. Even the new cola machine looked old sitting next to the broken down Coke cooler. The rustic signs and rusted trucks made everything and everyone seem worn in. Like a good pair a jeans, everything was used, but comfortable. The town was old when Jack was born. Now that he was coming of age, he seemed that much more out of sorts.

Traditionally the town had a slow, but steady flow of inbound traffic - those from the city looking to spend an afternoon frolicking in the nature the city had removed to make room for skyscrapers, office buildings and new “modern” apartment buildings. They had their parks, but it wasn’t the same - like a zoo for grass without bars. And so they often would pack their cars and head out for a country cruise on Sundays and picnic in the fields. The farmers never minded any. They were happy for the company and occasional business. Often their wives would set up stands near the road selling pies, bakewares and antiques. The men would sit back in their rocking chairs and puff away at corn cob pipes watching the city slickers fly by - always too fast.

But that was over. The city folk had stopped coming. The few folks rich enough to hear the news over their radios had heard the reports of an alien invasion. It was aweful. The “War of the Worlds” had taken place and the aliens had dominated the cities with death rays leaving them in ruins. The folks of Jack’s country town had quickly assembled at the town hall to come up with a strategy for defense.

Old Barney Peterson had suggested all the men get their shotguns and any dynamite they had and prepare an all out defense near the highway on-ramp. He figured those green men would be following cars trying to escape from the city and might stumble upon their only link to the city. He had shaken his fist in the air and cursed that damn eisenhower and his new national interstate. Billy Gunderson had a more subtle approach. He suggested all the women in the town gather and create the largest feast ever. They would have their world famous blueberry cobbler waiting when the martians arrived. When they tasted Mrs. Gunderson’s rubabarb pie, they would all drop their guns and start eating at which point the men could come from the back and corner them.

Reverand Thompson had even a few words to say. While he could bring folks to tearful cries of repentance with fire and brimstone sermons on Sundays, he was a man of few words outside of his pulpit. “We should remember the words of Christ in a dark hour like this. I suggest we gather on main street and sing hymns. The angalic voices of our womenfolk will give hope for humanity and be a force to change the hearts of outworlders.” Barney grunted he could do more heart changing with his double barrel.

The townfolk eventually agreed that the only way to avoid a full out alien invasion of their town was to eliminate the on-ramp. When all was clear, the county could be called in to rebuild it. With a truck full of dynamite, Barney, his neighbor Bill Joseph, and Gary Peterson went to the on-ramp, which the town had joyously applauded it's completion just a year ago, with the full intention of blowing it and any green men that might already be there to kingdom come.

Not a soul in the county didn’t hear the blast. The windows at the dime store cracked and the shockwave seemed to have nocked Billy’s parking brake out of place. The folks, already outside to investigate the damage just stood and watched as the old ford carrined down main street picking up speed before finally slipping into a ditch at the bottom and bursting into flames. One person said “we aughta put that out”. Another replied “she’ll go out when she’s dun burnin” and that was the end of discussion. We all were about to head inside when we saw the trio come racing back in the truck hooping and hollering like the dickens.

Now I knew full well that Barney had a stash of 'shine in his truck but being that the brave trio had bravely volunteered to defend our town, I kept my mouth shut, especially with the good Reverand present. Barney barely missed the crowd of town folk swerving like mad around the building and into the water shed out back behind the church. By the time we followed the tire tracks there, the three were dancing about like wild injuns shooting their guns in the air and yelling about their run in with the Martians.

“We kicked their green behinds back to mars!” Barney shouted. Billy was nearly passed out by the tree. He looked up, grunted “Yup” before passing out dropping the bottle of corn alcohol by his side. The wives, with stern faces stepped from the crowd to coral their husbands and put them to bed. Jack had clung to his mother’s dress the whole time.

Now he sits up in the tree. Day in and day out, watching for signs of life. Hoping the world was in recovery and that soon, any day now, a car with a picnic basket would come roaring back in with good news. He knew we would win, it would only be a matter of time. Every night before bed he prayed for those in the military fighting off the alien invadors and watched the skies from his bedroom window just in case...