They arrived in their great, gleaming ships. The scientists, priests, and heads of state assembled to greet them. Their message was translated and rushed to the under-secretary who delivered it to the president.
Scanning the communiqué the president said, “They say the bill is overdue. They say they’ve tried to reach us, and now they’re ‘shutting it off.'”
“Shutting what off?” said the under-secretary.
The president quickly hooked one elbow around the railing and, still holding the communiqué, gripped a handful of the under-secretary’s shirt, crumpling the paper.
The president looked the under-secretary in the eye.
“Gravity.”
Historians generally agree that was the day everything started coming apart.
