At that moment there was more, unexpected, information came over NewsNet; they rebroadcast a transmission received by old style radio hams in Northern Australia. The transmission repeated the coordinates and then added the following words: “We are located in a forest. The first group has gone out in search of people. We continue to receive your broadcasts. We are astonished by the lack of contact….” At that moment contact was broken off entirely.

The idea that the visitors were invisible was immediately accepted by several score million more people.

I could see from my perch on the terrace the chain of people stop, turn, and head back again toward the forest. And at that moment Alice came up the steps with a small basket of strawberries in her hands.

“Why are they all running around?” She said before even saying hello.

“Who are ‘they?’ And one says ‘Hello’ if you haven’t yet seen your only paterfamilias since this morning.”

“Since last night. I was still sleeping when you left for work. Hello, papa. What’s going on?”

“The Labucillians have vanished.” I answered.

“I don’t know them.”

“No one knows them, yet.”

“Then how did they get lost?”

“They were flying to Earth. They flew here and got lost.”

I felt like I was talking nonsense. Alas, it was the simple truth.

Alice looked at me with suspicion.

“Does that happen all the time?”

“No, it doesn’t. Not usually.”

“And they couldn’t find the space port?”

“Evidently.”

“And where were they lost?”

“Somewhere in the area of Moscow. Maybe not very far from here.”

“And everyone’s looking for them on foot and from the air?”

“Yes.”

“And why don’t they just come themselves?”

“Then they must be waiting until people find them. It’s their first time on Earth. So they wouldn’t go very far from their ship.”