Alien Army (standard:Fan Fiction, 1101 words)
Author: Juggernaut	Added: Jul 22 2014	Views/Reads: 2347/1672	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Salvation army members were confused for an alien army force in a rural town.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

the railway station was one of the only two busy main roads in town 
with shops and restaurants on either side. On reaching the train 
station, they decided to walk over the tracks rather than take  the 
overbridge. On other side of the tracks, the road suddenly turned into 
a narrow dirt lane with open sewer drains on either side. Juggernaut 
felt funny walking alongside Murali. Every time Murali took a step 
forward, his knee joint buckled down as if he has loose joints; he took 
long strides, swinging his skinny hands back and forth too far from his 
body, giving an appearance as if his limbs took lead over the rest of 
his body while walking. 

On reaching a large yard with open gates next to the church, Murali
stopped across the gates. A large signboard in the  shape of an arc 
connecting the two sides of the entrance read Salvation Army , boldly 
written with large letters. There was nobody inside visible from the 
open yard or on the veranda of the long old masonry  building. 

“Last evening I saw the soldiers standing in the yard,” said Murali,
looking into the yard. Neither Murali nor Juggernaut ventured into the 
yard. 

“Salvation Army  doesn't sound like an invading army to me.” Juggernaut
was not sure what Salvation Army meant. 

“The people I saw last evening were in black army uniform with hats.”
Murali was still looking into the property. Juggernaut turned back 
without taking any chances of entering the Salvation Army yard, not 
knowing the unknown risks. 

Several days after visiting the Salvation Army site across the railway
tracks, while Juggernaut and Murali were strolling on the main road, 
Murali suddenly pointed toward  few people in uniform buying fruits 
from a roadside vendor. 

“Look at the soldiers in the uniform I was talking about,” shouted
Murali. 

Juggernaut walked cautiously along with Murali toward their direction.
The three men and two women were foreigners in black uniform and 
military-style hats, a red band on the arm and around the rim of their 
hat with a bold letter S . They appear to be making a friendly 
conversation with the vendor. 

“Those soldiers can't be an invading force,” said Juggernaut, standing
not too far from the soldiers. 

“I am not sure,” replied Murali, looking at them in a strange way. 

“If these soldiers came here as spies,  why were they walking in public
in uniforms?  Don't you think they should wear regular clothes?” 
Juggernaut expressed serious doubts. 

“They look different no matter what they wear anyway.” Murali made an
important observation. 

“They look like soldiers making a friendly visit than spies or part of
an invading force to me.  Besides, the word salvation doesn't sound 
regular army to me.” 

Juggernaut walked past  the people in uniform with Murali. The incident
took over five decades ago. Now living in the United States, every time 
Juggernaut comes across Bell Ringers, the members of Salvation Army in 
black uniform collecting donations on the roadside or near shops— 
particularly during festive season—his memory goes back to the incident 
that took place decades ago when his friend Murali confused visiting 
Salvation Army members in uniform to an alien-invading force. 


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