Good evening. This happened back in 1978. March, I think it was. I was running a sheep farm about twenty kilometers outside of Ladybrand, right near the Lesotho border. Remote area. Just me, my brother Piet, and about three hundred head of sheep spread across maybe 400 hectares. That night I'd been up late checking on a ewe that was having trouble lambing. Got her sorted around half past midnight, washed up, and I was heading back to the house. Clear night. No moon, but you could see every star you can imagine. The kind of night where you feel small, you know what I mean? I was maybe fifty meters from the house when I heard this sound. Low humming, like a generator running, but smoother. More constant. And there was this glow coming from behind the equipment shed, orange, pulsing kind of light.
I walked around the shed, and that's when I saw it. Sitting in the field maybe a hundred meters away, right near the irrigation dam. Shaped like an acorn, that's the best way I can describe it. Maybe ten meters across at the widest part, tapered at the top. The whole thing was glowing this dull orange color, and the humming was coming from it. I just stood there. Couldn't move at first, couldn't even call out. My heart was hammering in my chest. And then I saw them. Four figures near the dam, moving around. They were maybe a meter and a half tall, thin, moving in this jerky way. Quick movements, then stillness, then quick movements again. I got closer, don't ask me why, I just had to see. Moved along the fence line, staying low. Got to maybe forty meters away before I stopped. That's when I got a proper look at them. And here's the thing, their heads were shaped like strawberries. I know how that sounds. But wide at the top, coming to a point at the chin. Textured surface, not smooth. Dark reddish color.
They were at the edge of the dam, and one of them was holding something, looked like a container of some kind, maybe metallic. It knelt down and dipped it in the water. The others were standing around, and they were making these sounds. Clicking, chirping sounds. Just like grasshoppers, but more deliberate. Like they were talking to each other, if that makes sense. The one with the container stood up, and they all turned and started walking back toward the craft. That smooth, jerky movement again. I could see they had four fingers on each hand, long, thin fingers. No shoes that I could see, but it was hard to tell in that orange light. They reached the craft and one of them touched something on the side. An opening appeared, just materialized, no door swinging open or anything. They went inside, one by one. The opening closed up behind them. And then the humming changed. Got higher pitched, louder.
[ Story continues in the full game... ]