The Fallen

Teenager Billy Swackhamer hates raking leaves with a passion. So, when the strange girl appeared and asked if she could have his leaves – and even paid him for them – he jumped at the chance. He was concerned how she, on her own, could complete the job on time so he wouldn’t get in trouble with his parents, but she did. Not a single leaf was on the lawn, and none of the compost bags had been used. How did she do it? Roughly 25 years pass. Mom is in the hospital with cancer, and Dad is going to see her. The girl appears again. . . and she hasn’t aged a day since their first meeting. She pays Billy and takes all the leaves while he is away from the house. Another 25 years pass. Both of Billy’s parents are dead, and the house is up for sale. The realtor surprises Billy with an unexpected customer who will be by to see the house in the early morning. One problem: Billy has to rake the lawn since no professional can be hired at this late hour. The girl appears again. Billy isn’t sure he recognizes her until she jogs his memory with a touch to his forehead. She takes him on a trip to her world – Kymar. Long ago, the planet was in desperate need of atmosphere. Their ships gathered oxygen-producing leaves from many, many planets, and all is now well. The Earth leaves, however, are dead and, unlike the others, produce no oxygen. They need to be taken away. Billy shows the aliens what fun can be had with dead Earth leaves by jumping in them. Soon, many of the aliens are copying him – having fun for likely the first time in their lives. They decide to keep the leaves and even return to Earth for more. The alien ship brings Billy home and sucks up all the dead leaves from the house’s lawn. As the ship flies off, Billy wishes the Kymarians fun.