[ WP ] In 1977 , the Voyager spacecraft was sent out into deep space with a message from the people of Earth . Today we had it sent back to us .

`` Daddy, do n't!'' But it was too late. Mr. Isten came crashing through the little snow fort the kids had constructed, and the three little girls inside squealed with delight. Nearby, Mr. Fort was tending to their little fire, hot dogs sizzling upon a little grate. It was well past the girls' bedtime -- their mothers would not be too happy to see them sluggishly walk home the next day. 
 
 `` Dinner is served!'' shouted Mr. Fort, and the four snow warriors eagerly scrambled to get some grub. `` There's ketchup and mustard in here,'' said Mr. Fort, and hauled an empty six-pack of beer. The bottles of alcohol had been replaced with two kinds of ketchup, mustard, and relish. The remaining three slots held eating utensils and napkins. 
 
 `` That's actually really cool,'' remarked Mr. Isten, examining the six-pack. `` Where'd you get that idea?'' 
 
 `` I saw it on Lifehacker dot com or something,'' replied Mr. Fort, ketchup dribbling from his mouth. He wiped it away with a napkin. `` Stacy, remember that story you told me about? The one with Callisto and Arcas?'' The little girl nodded, her pigtails bobbing with her head. 
 
 `` Those stars over there, that form the big dipper, that's what happened to Callisto. And right nearby, there's a few other stars,'' He took a big bite of his hot dog, and pointed out the twinkling constellations to the gaping girls, `` That's her son, Arcas.'' He mumbled, through a mouthful of hot dog. The girls ooohed and aaaahed. 
 
 `` Mr. Fort, look! A shooting star!'' Penelope pointed with her little finger at a light searing through the night. The girls started to scream with excitement again, chanting, `` Make a wish! Make a wish!'' 
 
 Mr. Fort smiled, and focused his attention back on his quickly-shrinking hot dog. Mr. Isten was taking out the materials to make s'mores, a tasty surprise for his daughter and her friends. 
 
 `` Daddy, it's getting *bigger! * Look, daddy, look!'' Sure enough, the light was increasing in size. 
 
 `` Must have been a big one,'' said Mr. Isten, offhandedly. `` Most would have burned up.'' But the comet slowly kept coming. It was now the size of a baseball in the night sky, and gaining speed. 
 
 They heard a deafening roar as the thing sailed over their heads, and crashed into the ground a quarter of a mile away. The girls screamed in delight and excitement and confusion, and before their chaperones could get up, they scrambled and ran towards the landing site. 
 
 The two dad's took a moment to register what had happened, before they too jumped to their feet and ran to catch their daughters from whatever dangers lurked inside of that new crater. 
 
 They panted as they ran through the woods, never slowing down. The girls could n't be much farther ahead, they just could n't. The two fathers cautiously approached the glowing wreckage, still running. 
 
 The three girls were watching something in the crater in awe. The two fathers ran up to them. `` Girls!'' Mr. Fort sternly whispered, `` We have to go! *Right now! *'' The girls did n't flinch or move. Mr. Fort grabbed Penelope's wrist. It was as cold and unmoving as stone. After a few more attempts, he soon discovered that all three little girls were statues. 
 
 It was then that he felt a warm, pleasurable sensation at the base of his neck. *Do n't worry, * a voice seemed to whisper into his mind. *They're safe, and so are you. I'll just need your undivided attention for a few minutes, and then you and your friends can leave. * Mr. Fort did not feel safe at all. Either the voice could n't hear his thoughts or it did n't care, because it manoeuvred his body to gawk into the pit. As he moved, Mr. Fort saw his friend Mr. Isten frozen, just like their kids. 
 
 *Now that I've gotten your attention... * whispered the voice, wickedly. *Here comes the real show! * A gigantic, green, blob of an alien burst through the ground. It had four large tentacles holding it up, and two more at its sides, like arms. Its head was a shiny, black dome, with a small top hat perched atop it. It wore a tiny tuxedo that was obviously not tailored to fit six-tentacled aliens. 
 
 The alien took off its hat, bowed, and pulled a slimy, mangled thing out of it. The thing squeaked, and the alien made an odd noise with its dome. The mangled creature leapt to the ground, and hopped away. *And that, ladies and gentleman, was FIEO #'s famous `` Rabbit in the Top Hat'' trick! Thank you for your time, have a lovely evening! * 
 
 The alien slurped into the ground like it had been sucked through a straw, leaving the four people standing breathless and confused. They started, wordlessly, to walk back home. Stacy finally piped up to break the silence. 
 
 `` He was n't very good, was he?'' 
 
 `` No,'' replied her father. `` I saw him holding the bunny behind his back when he bowed. 10 points for effort, though.''
