The Almanzora English Library - by T.A.Fynes

 

Honeycutt stood in front of the library and studied the plaque. His Spanish, and totally baffled companion, General de Brigada Diego Gutiérrez, was standing beside him.

They had secured Albox, as a matter of national security. It was now hermetically sealed off from the rest of Spain. Nothing was moving in or out.

All mobile and Internet communication had been blocked from around a 100Km radius. Spanish fighter jets and US E-3 AWACS where flying top-cover. Nothing was being left to chance.

“OK,” said Honeycutt, “Let’s get in, and get to the bottom of this mess.”

Honeycutt’s security team entered the library and swept the building.

“What’s upstairs?” barked Honeycutt.

“I’ve been told it’s an empty room used by some crazy writers’ group,” replied Gutiérrez.  

Honeycutt pushed through the doors into the library proper. To be met by a group of very frightened elderly people.

“Who are these,”

“These are the people you wanted rounded up General. They run the library.”

“You speak any English,” he snapped at one of the elderly ladies, who promptly fainted.

“Good God,” shouted Honeycutt, “get her some water.”

Gutiérrez grabbed the General by his arm. “General these people run the library.

It’s called the Almanzora English Library. They all speak English.”

A younger woman presented herself in front of the General. “Can I ask what the hell is going on?” We’ve been pulled out of our beds in the middle of the night and dragged down here, by the Spanish army.”

“And you are?” asked Honeycutt.

“Nagata Luminoso, I run the writers group upstairs,” she said, trying her best to remain calm.

“This is a very serious matter Ms Luminoso, Nagata, can I call you Nagata?”

“No, you can’t call me Nagata, just who the hell are you Sir.”

“General Brad Honeycutt, US UAP Group Commander.”

“UAPs? This is about bloody UFOs. You cannot be serious!!!”

Honeycutt continued, “We have a Rover up on Mars. We also have a robo-copter that is flying missions taking pictures.

The crowd in the library had calmed down, as they listened to the General.

“There are very large Lava Tubes on Mars. Big enough to hold a city. Yesterday our Martian copter sent back these pictures from inside one of these Lava Tubes. The General passed around the pictures.

There were gasps from the elderly group.

“Yes,” said Honeycutt. Those are Top Secret pictures from a Lava Tube on Mars showing this building, ‘The Almanzora English Library.’ You can read the goddamn plaque on the wall. This building is on Mars. And we want to know how it goddamn got there.”

“It’s not this exact building,” said Nagata, “It’s a copy, a duplicate”.

“I don’t give a damn, “said Honeycutt, as he glared at her and the group, “Someone here, helped put it there. And we’re going to find out who it is?”

“Can we at least send out for Pizza and toilet paper,” said Nagata to the General. “This is going to be a long night.”