     “But I tell you sir, we REALLY SAW it!”
     “I didn’t say that I didn’t believe you. Tell me again what you saw.”
     “Well, sir, we saw these weird alien creatures, sir! They were about 3 foot, and… what did you call that color again Jon?”
     “Puce.”
     “Yeah, that was it, puce! They looked like those Roswell things you hear about on TV! Only puce!”
     “Umm-humm,” said the one in charge, “and you said that at first they looked like humans?”
     “Yessir. They looked like humans, and they were in a clearing in the woods. We started to walk up to them, but they didn’t see us. Then they tapped their wrists three times and turned into puce little Roswell dudes!”
     “And then they… flew off.”
     “Yessir.”
     “You see, that’s the only thing wrong with your little joke. If they looked just like ‘Roswell dudes,’ then they didn’t have wings, and nothing can fly without wings. They couldn’t have even been jumping enormously high, because Roswell aliens have little stick arms and legs. It’s not physically possible. Also, puce is not a color for any life form, not even an alien. Finally, according to science there is no reason to believe that any life exists outside of earth. Therefore, I do not believe you, and you should consider yourselves lucky that I don’t fire you for your little joke.”
     “But sir, you couldn’t bring in the harvest without us.”
     “True. Still, I should like for you to leave for tonight. Get some rest.”
The man in charge, the farmer, went into the barn. His help left, and he was alone.
     “Idiots,” he said. Then he tapped his wrist three times and flew off to join his friends.

David is a high school freshman who enjoys playing piano, chess, and the game "Killer Bunnies." He also loves acting in school plays. The following story and poems were written for our annual Traff Summer Writings book.

Very Close Encounters
By David Traff

Dachshunds
By David Traff

Dachshunds are amazing dogs,
Even though they’re shaped like logs.
They run quite fast, despite their size,
And they all have quite cute eyes.
You can’t tell when a Dachshund’s fat,
Because they all look just like that.
Yes, Dachshunds are very cool
They rarely even ever drool.
They are quite fantastic pups,
And have fewer downs than ups. Ms. Magoo's Shoes
by David Traff

The left shoe of Molly Magoo
Asked of the girl, "Is it true?
Do you love the right shoe more?
Is it him that you really adore?"
Then the right shoe observed to the left:
"It's not you who is of love bereft."
They argued for hours on end
Whose doom Miss Magoo should portend
Then she bawled out, "Be quiet!
You are both making a riot!"
The shoes made peace with a nod
And always together they'll plod
For the wise Miss Molly Magoo
Taught peace to her arguing shoes.