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The Visitors came and we realized we are not alone in the universe. But this was not a mission of conquest, a cultural exchange, or an attempt to make contact. After twenty-four hours of silence, they were gone.

In this five-story anthology, humans are left wondering what happened. Were we not worthy? Had we not received or understood the signal? Would they come back? Had some stayed behind? Or had it not happened at all?

In “Tanyan Omani,” a woman’s search for her husband who went missing on the day of arrival leads her to the landing site in the Dakotas and into the orbit of a pregnant teen who’s also searching for answers. “Illustrated News” satirizes cult behavior and the news media’s desire to exploit it. A journalist’s investigation into a group claiming the Visitors bestowed them with magic powers uncovers a local conspiracy. “Umwelt” tells the story of Dr. Laura Codrin, a biologist who’s sent to the landing site to look for any sign the Visitors may have left behind, only to be met with small mindedness and unnecessary bureaucracy. In “Snatched,” a man plummets into a pit of paranoia and bloodlust after he’s convinced his wife and two children have become possessed by the Visitors.

The novella “Glossolalia” tells of the story of Abigail Poplawski, a rich, disaffected prep school student who helps her friends hunt down a car thief. Her search will eventually lead her to the source of a trauma linked to the arrival.