IT WASN'T THERE, I WASN'T THERE!

A Story by Willys Watson

Not hidden within a tightly secured hanger at an air base I was never stationed at was not a plane similar in appearance to the one that was not forced down over Russia when the pilot was not captured. No, this plane was not at the air base. Yes, it was never parked on the fueling ramp or left in seclusion in its own hanger on those nights it was never in the air. Whether in flight or in the hanger, the plane was never there.

How could it be? Our government did not acknowledge its existence in Southeast Asia back then and every man, woman, child, oxen and monkey within fifty miles of the base knew the plane wasn’t there.

The security guards, maintenance crews and POL personnel who constantly did not come into visual contact with the plane that wasn’t there were very fortunate that they did not see this strange-looking aircraft that would not have reminded them of a black glider.

Like the average guy, I suppose, I soon lost interest in the plane that wasn’t there and my thoughts became directed, once again, towards a young lady back in the states who, I can assure you, was all there. And most of the men I worked with easily accepted what was not there and focused their thoughts elsewhere. All of us except poor old Will, who had great difficulty accepting what wasn’t there, here or anywhere.

Will was a close friend, a drinking buddy, until one day his obsession finally overcame him. And he soon became not my friend when he decided to photograph the plane that wasn’t there.

The plane was not sitting inside the open hanger that was not supposed to be open and Will was not assigned to guard it while it wasn’t there. The camera that he did not take the photographs with and the film that did not exist was quickly confiscated. Then Will was taken by two men, certainly not military personnel, into a hut at the far side of the base. This building did not house the pilots who did not fly the plane that wasn’t there.

And no one remembers seeing Will come back out of the building.

The last we heard of Will was that he was no longer a security policeman at the base and he had orders sending him back to the states even before he had orders sending him back to the states. And the only thing I’m totally sure of is that Will was no longer here and wherever he is he probably isn’t there, either. God rest his once-curious soul, wherever it may be.

After the disappearing Will incident anyone who had any doubts about the plane actually being at the base quickly learned to accept what wasn’t there. This included an enthusiastic me, of course. And I hope, should you ever find yourself face to face with government non-entities, this lesson will help discourage you, too, from seeing what isn’t there.

Still, years afterwards, safely away from prying eyes, I sometimes wondered what did happen to the hapless Will, assuming, of course, he ever existed.

And by the way, I did not write this story that I did not write because I wasn’t there.

© 2020 Willys Watson

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Corset

this must have been during the alien investigations that never happened or before the stealth bomber that didn't exist before it did, or existence was released to the public, in any case it definitely rings a government bell :D or the invention of top secret decoder rings that don't exist either...I dunno I wasn't there or here either! :D cute twist on unmentionables, you don't see me either.