Slower Than Light

It was a slow, hot summer day and Jill was out in the garden running about and playing when one, then two, then three strange creatures in space suits appeared on her lawn, flickering like the picture on a broken tv set.
"Greetings, Slowling", one of the creatures said to her in a voice like a record played at the wrong speed, "We are from the world of Zzub that is faster than light. We have slowed ourselves down to sub light speed to enter your world".
"You're really faster than light?", asked Jill.
"Yes", replied the creature with a nod like a flickering humming birds wing.
Jill picked up a ball that was lying nearby and threw it over to the other side of the garden.
"Can you get that ball for me?", she asked.
The creature moved as quick as a blink over to where the ball was and, snatching it from the ground almost as quickly, blinked back to standing infront of her again.
"You really are faster than light", said Jill amazed.
"Yes", buzzed the creature.
But then, quicker then any quickdraw cowboy in an old fashioned western, the man snatched a strange looking gun from his side and pointed it at Jill.
"Now I must accelerate you so that I may take you back with us and study you", he said.
Frightened, Jill started to run; she ran in the direction of her house but then, before she could get to the door one of the creatures, moving like a blink again, appeared in front of her.
Frantic, like a rabbit being cornered by hounds, she changed direction running towards her gate but, in another blink, found her path blocked again.
"Do not try to run, Slowling", said the creature infront of her with a grin and, with a flicker, drawing and pointing his gun at her, added, "You cannot hope to move faster than us".
But then, just as she had seen people do on TV when they were under arrest, Jill put her hands in the air and froze.
The creature pointing the gun at her looked confused.
"Where has she gone?", it asked, "She's disappeared".
"I don't know", replied another of the creatures sounding equally bewildered, "She was there and now she's vanished".
"They can't see me", thought Jill, "Because I'm standing so still".
And so, remembering a game that the children played at her school, standing as still as statues, Jill held her breath and tried not to move even when the creature opposite her, waving a flickering hand around infront of him like a man in the dark almost touched her.
She didn't know long she could hold her breath for though but then, thankfully, she heard one of the creatures say,
"This is no good. If beings in this world can disappear like that we will never be able to catch them. We must return to our faster than light world and think of another idea".
Then, just as quickly as they had all appeared, she saw the three creatures start to blur and then fade away all together.
Sighing with relief, Jill ran back into her house and lay on her living room couch.
"Its not like you to be lazing about", said her mother, entering the room, "Wouldn't you rather be outside, running about and playing?".
"Oh no", said Jill, shaking her head, "Its the slow life for me now".