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traffic circle across from the church. He hadn’t slept the night before. The metaphysical matters Pastor Baker had brought up worried him, and he’d spent hours on the Internet reading about angels, aliens, and Jesus. Particularly worrisome was the quote from John 10:16, where Jesus says: “I have sheep that are not of this sheep pen.” Some people thought the “other sheep” Jesus was referring to were aliens on other worlds. Olsen wanted to talk to Baker again and see how he interpreted John's words. But when he arrived, Olsen saw there was a damn wedding starting with bridesmaids and families streaming in. He’d wait until it was over and then talk to the pastor. Olsen tilted his hat down over his eyes and craved a nap. For now, he’d rest his eyes behind mirrored sunglasses for two minutes.

    •••

    Inside Grace Baptist, George Tanaka let his daughter Erin take hold of his elbow as the notes of Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” boomed out of the church organ. Every eye was on Erin. She walked gracefully down the aisle, her bouquet clutched in a trembling hand. Her father beamed, nodding to uncles, aunts, and key lettuce business partners. Through the gauzy veil, Erin saw all her friends, college pals, and the women from book club. Most importantly, at the end of the carpet, stood her future husband, Gary Sherman. He looked damn handsome in a tuxedo, far neater than when she first met him. He was the service manager at Toyota of Santa Maria on the fateful day Erin brought her Camry in for an oil change. He was funny and asked if she wanted to go on a date. “Only if you wash your hands first,” she answered. In two months they knew it was a love that could last forever.
    Walking down the aisle, Erin blushed wildly, enjoying every second. Then her father left her standing beside her husband-to-be. The church grew quiet, and Pastor Baker came to stand before them.
    “Everyone please be seated, and let’s pray,” Pastor Baker said. “Father, we thank you so much for the opportunity to celebrate this exciting event, the marriage of Erin and Gary. Please bless us, in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

    •••

    A flash of light woke Sheriff Olsen, and he felt his heart start to race. What was that? Then he heard the distant rumble of thunder roll across the valley. Lightning in a clear sky? Very odd weather. He craned his neck to peer out the window, scanning for clouds. His sphincter tensed in raw animal fear at what he saw. He opened the car door and stood, tearing off his sunglasses for a better look at the strange optical phenomena growing in the sky. He’d seen rainbows before, but never four simultaneous rainbows and certainly never four rainbows of such deep rich color moving across the sky, each one arcing down to intersect upon Grace Baptist Church. Now the whole building glowed with bizarre rippling color, like center stage at a rock concert.

    •••

    Standing at the pulpit, Pastor Baker faltered in his prayer and stopped speaking. Everyone looked around, trying to understand the crazy cosmic light show. Surfaces glittered and beamed with every hue, and the air held pulsing strobes of pure white.
    And then, the visitors were among them. In the blink of an eye, a row of a dozen men appeared on the altar. A pirate. A centaur. Kurt Cobain. An Italian prince. Big Daddy Rose. A knight in shining armor. And more. Each one was an alien figure representing an ultimate sexual fantasy.
    The crowd gasped in unison; a few women screamed orgasmically, as if they were teenagers at a Beatles concert. But no one moved. Whatever else the strange lights were doing, they also paralyzed the congregation.  
    A brighter spot of light focused on one of the strange men, singling him out. He was tanned and handsome, in the crisp uniform of a commercial airline pilot, with gold captain’s bars on his shoulders. He wasn’t too young or too old. He looked a lot like a famous Hollywood actor. His voice, when he spoke, was