August 16, 2025 • 15 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Second landing by Floyd Wallace, a gentle fancy for the
Christmas season, an oft told tale with a wistful twistful
of something that left the Earth with a wing and
a prayer. Earth was so far away that it wasn't visible.
Even the sun was only a twinkle. But this vast
(00:22):
distance did not mean that isolation would endure forever. Instruments
within the ship intercepted radio broadcast, and within the hour
early TV signals. Machines compiled dictionaries and grammars and began
translating the major languages. The history of the planet was
tabulated as facts became available. The course of the ship
(00:47):
changed slightly, it was not much out of the way
to swing nearer Earth. For two days. The two within
the ship listened and watched with little comment. They had
to decide soon. We've got to make or break, said
the first alien. You know what I'm in favor of,
(01:09):
said the second. I can guess, said Ethaniel, who had
spoken first. This place is a complete mess. They have
never done anything except fight each other and invent better weapons.
It's not what they've done, said Baal, the second alien.
It's what they're going to do with that big bomb.
The more reason for stopping, said Ethaniel. The big bomb
(01:33):
can destroy them without our help. They may just do that.
I may remind you that in two months twenty nine
days we're due in Willeforce, said Bo. Without looking at
the charts, I can tell you we still have more
than a hundred light years to go. Kay week. We
can spare a week and still get there on time.
(01:54):
A week, said Bo. To settle their problems, they've had
two world wars in one generation, and that the third
and final one is coming up. You can't help feeling
in everything they do. It won't take much, said Ethaniel.
The road diplomatic move or a trigger happy soldier could
set it off and it wouldn't have to be deliberate.
(02:16):
A meteor shower could pass over, and their clumsy instruments
could interpret that as an all out enemy attack. Too bad,
said Beal. We'll just have to forget there ever was
such a planet as Earth? Could you forget so many people?
I'm doing it, said Bell. Just give them a little
time and they won't be here to remind me that
(02:38):
I have a conscious. My memory isn't convenient, Saidnathaniel. I
ask you to look at them Beal wrestled, flicking the
screen intently. Very much like ourselves, he said, at last,
a bit shorter, perhaps most certainly incomplete except for the
one thing they like. And that's quite odd. They seem
(03:00):
exactly like us. Is that what you wanted me to say?
It is the fact that they are an incomplete version
of ourselves, touches me. They actually seem defenseless, though I
suppose they're not tough, said bal. Nothing we can do
about it, there is. We can give them a week.
In a week. We cannot negate their entire history. We
(03:22):
can't begin to undo the effect of the big bomb.
You can't tell, said Oathaniel. We can look things over,
and then what how much of authority do we have?
Very little, conceded Ethaniel. Two minor officials on the way
to Villeforce, and we went directly into a problem no
one knew existed. And when we get to Villaforce will
(03:43):
be busy. It will be a long time before anyone
comes this way again, a very long time. There's nothing
in this region of space our people want, said Oathaniel.
And how long can our last? Ten years? Even ten months?
The tension building by the hour. What can I say?
(04:04):
Said Bal, I suppose we can stop and look them over.
We're not committing ourselves by looking. They went much closer
to Earth, not intending to commit themselves. For a day,
they circled the planet, avoiding radar detection, which for them
was not difficult testing and sampling. Finally, Ethaniel looked up
(04:27):
from the monitor's screen. Any conclusions. What's there to think?
It's worse than I imagined? In what way? Well? We knew
they had the big bomb. Atmospheric analysis showed that as
far away as we were, I know, we also knew
that they could deliver the big bomb, presumably by some
sort of aircraft. That was a mister certainty. They'd have
(04:51):
no use for the big bomb without aircraft. What's worse
is that now I find they also have missiles range
one thousand miles and upward. They either have or are near,
a primitive form of space travel. Bad, said Nathaniel, sitting
there wondering when it's going to hit them. Nervousness can
(05:13):
set it off. It could, and the missiles make it worse,
said Bal. What did you find out at your end?
Nothing worth? While I was looking at the people, while
you were investigating their weapons, you must think something. I
wish I knew what to think. There's so little time,
(05:34):
Nathaniel said. Language isn't the difficulty. Our machines can translate
their languages easily, and I've taken a cram course in
two or three of them. But that's not enough. Looking
at a few plays, listening to advertisements, music, news bulletins.
I should go down and live among them, read books,
talk to scholars, work with them, play. You could do
(05:56):
that and he'd really get to know them. But that
takes time, and we don't have it. I realize that
a flat yes or no, said Boo. No, we can't
help them, said Nathaniel. There is nothing we can do
for them, but we have to try. Sure. I knew
it before we started, said Bao, it's happened before. We
(06:19):
take the trouble to find out what a people are like.
When we can't help them, we feel bad. It's going
to be like that again. He rose and stretched, Well,
give me an hour to think of some way of
going at it. It was longer than that before they
met again. In the meantime, the big ship moved closer
to Earth. They no longer needed their instruments to see it.
(06:41):
The planet revolved outside vision ports. The southern plains were green,
coursed with rivers, the oceans were blue, and much of
the northern hemisphere was glistening white. Ragged clouds covered the pole,
and a dirty pall spread over the mid regions of
the North. I haven't thought anything brilliant, said Ethaniel, nor
(07:03):
I said Bo. We're going to have to go down
there cold, and it will be cold. Yes, it's their winter.
I did have an idea, said Bo. What about going
down as supernatural beings? Hardly, said Nathaniel. A hundred years
ago it might have worked today. They have satellites. They
(07:23):
are not primitives. I suppose you're right, said Bo. I
did think we ought to take advantage of our physical
differences if we could, I'd be all for it. But
these people are rough and desperate. They wouldn't be fooled
by anything that crude. Well, you're calling it, said Bo.
All right, Saidnathaniel. You take one side, I'll take the other. Well,
(07:45):
tell them bluntly what they have to do if they're
going to survive, how they can keep their planet in
one piece so they can live on it. Oh, that'll
go over big. Advice is always popular can't help it.
That's all. We have time for special instructions none. We
leave the ship here and go down in separate landing craft.
(08:05):
You can talk with me any time you want through
our communications, but don't unless you have to. They can't
intercept the beams we use. They can't. Even if they did,
they wouldn't know what to do with our language. I
want them to think that we don't need to talk
things over. I get it makes us seem better than
we are. They think we know exactly what we're doing,
(08:27):
even though we don't. If we're lucky, they'll think that
bell looked out of the port at the planet below.
It's going to be cold where I'm going, You too, sure?
We don't want to change our plans and land in
the southern hemisphere. It's summer there, I'm afraid not. The
great powers are in the north. They are the ones
we have to reach to do the job. Yeah, but
(08:50):
I was thinking of that holiday you mentioned. We'll be
running straight into it. That won't help us any I
know they don't like their holidays interrupted. It can't be helped.
We can't wait until it's over. I'm aware of that,
said bal fill me on on the holiday anything I
ought to know, perhaps religious in origin. That's so, it
(09:12):
was religious long time ago, said Nathaniel. I didn't learn
anything exact from radio and TV. Now it seems to
be chiefly a time for eating, office parties and selling merchandise.
I see it has become a business holiday. That's a
good description. I didn't get as much of it as
they ought to have had. I've been busy studying the people,
(09:32):
and they're hard to beIN down I see. I was
thinking that there might be some way we could tie
ourselves in with this holiday, make it work for us.
If there is, I haven't thought of it. You ought
to know you're running this one. Bal looked down at
the planet. Clouds were beginning to form at the twilight edge.
(09:52):
I hate to go down and leave the ship up
here with no one in it. They can't touch it.
No matter how they develop in the next hundred year,
they still won't be able to get it or damage
it in any way. It's myself I'm thinking about there
down there alone. I'll be with you on the other
side of Earth. That's not very close. I'd like it
(10:13):
better if there was some one in the ship to
bring it down in a hurry. If things get rough.
They don't think much of each other, and I don't
imagine they'll like aliens any better. They may be unfriendly,
Nathaniel acknowledged. Now. He switched a monitor screen until he
looked at the slope of a mountain. It was snowing,
and men were cutting small green trees in the snow.
(10:36):
I've thought of a trick. If it saves my neck,
come for it. I don't guarantee anything, said Itathaniel. This
is what I was thinking of. Instead of hiding the
ship against the sun where there's a little chance it
will be seen, we'll make sure that they do see it.
Let's take it around to the night side of the
planet and light it up. Say pretty good, said bal
(10:58):
They can't imagine we'd light up on men ship, said Ethaniel.
Even if the thought should occur to one of them,
they'll have no way of checking it. Also, they won't
be eager to harm us with our ship shining down
on them. That's thinking, said Bao, moving to the controls.
I'll move the ship over where they can see it best,
and then I'll light it up. I'll really light it up.
(11:19):
Don't spare power, don't worry about that. They'll see it.
Everybody on Earth will see it. Later. With a ship
in position, glowing against the darkness of space, pulsating with light,
Bao said, you know, I feel better about this. We
may pull it off. Lighting the ship may be just
(11:39):
the help we need. It's not we who need help,
but the people of Earth, said Itathaniel, see you in
five days. With that, he entered a small landing craft,
which left a faintly luminescent trail as it plunged toward
the Earth. As soon it was safe to do so,
Boo left in another craft, heading for the other side
of the planet, and the space ship circled Earth unmanned,
(12:04):
blazing and pulsing with light. No star in the winter
skies of the planet below could equal it. In Brilliancy,
once a man made satellite came near, but it was
dim and lost sight bove by the people below. During
the day, the ship was as visible as a bright
spot of light. Adds evening, it seemed to burn through
the sunset colors, and the ship circled on bright shining,
(12:28):
seeming to be a little piece chipped from the center
of a star and brought near Earth to illuminate it.
Never or seldom had Earth seen anything like it. In
five days, the two small landing craft that had left
it arched up from Earth and joined the orbit of
the large ship. The two small craft slid inside the
(12:49):
larger one, and the doors closed behind them. In a
short time, the aliens met again. We did it, said
Bal exultantly as he came in. I don't know how
we did it, and I I thought we were going
to fail, but at the last minute they came through.
Eathaniel smiled. I'm tired, he said, rustling, me too, but
(13:10):
mostly I'm cold, said Bow, shivering. Snow, nothing but snow
wherever I went, miserable climate. And yet you had me
go out walking after that first day. From my own experience,
it seemed to be a good idea, said Ethaniel. If
I went out walking one day, I noticed that the
next day the officials were much more cooperative. If it
(13:30):
worked for me, I thought it might help you. I did.
I don't know why, but it did, said Boo. Anyway,
this agreement that they made isn't the best, but I
think it will keep them from destroying themselves. It's as
much as we can expect, said Oathaniel. They may have
small wars after this, but never the big one. In
fifty or a hundred years, we can come back and
(13:51):
see how much they've learned. I'm not sure I want to,
said Boo. Say what's an angel? Why? When I went
out walking, people stopped to look. Some knelt in the
snow and called me an angel. Something like that happened
to me, said Nathaniel. I didn't get it, but I
(14:12):
didn't let it upset me, said bo I smiled at
them and went right about my business. He shivered again.
It was always cold. I walked out, but sometimes I
flew back. I hope that was all right. In the
cabin bough spread his great wings. Renaissance painters had never
seen his like, but knew exactly how he looked in
(14:33):
their paintings. They had pictured him innumerable times. I don't
think it hurt us that you flew, said Oathaniel. I
did so myself occasionally. But don't you know what an
angel is? No? I didn't have time to find out
some creature of the folklore. I suppose you know, except
for our wings, they're very much like ourselves. Their legends
(14:56):
are bound to resemble ours. Sure, said bo Anyway, Peace
on Earth. End of Second Landing by Floyd Wallace
Second landing by Floyd Wallace, a gentle fancy for the
Christmas season, an oft told tale with a wistful twistful
of something that left the Earth with a wing and
a prayer. Earth was so far away that it wasn't visible.
Even the sun was only a twinkle. But this vast
(00:22):
distance did not mean that isolation would endure forever. Instruments
within the ship intercepted radio broadcast, and within the hour
early TV signals. Machines compiled dictionaries and grammars and began
translating the major languages. The history of the planet was
tabulated as facts became available. The course of the ship
(00:47):
changed slightly, it was not much out of the way
to swing nearer Earth. For two days. The two within
the ship listened and watched with little comment. They had
to decide soon. We've got to make or break, said
the first alien. You know what I'm in favor of,
(01:09):
said the second. I can guess, said Ethaniel, who had
spoken first. This place is a complete mess. They have
never done anything except fight each other and invent better weapons.
It's not what they've done, said Baal, the second alien.
It's what they're going to do with that big bomb.
The more reason for stopping, said Ethaniel. The big bomb
(01:33):
can destroy them without our help. They may just do that.
I may remind you that in two months twenty nine
days we're due in Willeforce, said Bo. Without looking at
the charts, I can tell you we still have more
than a hundred light years to go. Kay week. We
can spare a week and still get there on time.
(01:54):
A week, said Bo. To settle their problems, they've had
two world wars in one generation, and that the third
and final one is coming up. You can't help feeling
in everything they do. It won't take much, said Ethaniel.
The road diplomatic move or a trigger happy soldier could
set it off and it wouldn't have to be deliberate.
(02:16):
A meteor shower could pass over, and their clumsy instruments
could interpret that as an all out enemy attack. Too bad,
said Beal. We'll just have to forget there ever was
such a planet as Earth? Could you forget so many people?
I'm doing it, said Bell. Just give them a little
time and they won't be here to remind me that
(02:38):
I have a conscious. My memory isn't convenient, Saidnathaniel. I
ask you to look at them Beal wrestled, flicking the
screen intently. Very much like ourselves, he said, at last,
a bit shorter, perhaps most certainly incomplete except for the
one thing they like. And that's quite odd. They seem
(03:00):
exactly like us. Is that what you wanted me to say?
It is the fact that they are an incomplete version
of ourselves, touches me. They actually seem defenseless, though I
suppose they're not tough, said bal. Nothing we can do
about it, there is. We can give them a week.
In a week. We cannot negate their entire history. We
(03:22):
can't begin to undo the effect of the big bomb.
You can't tell, said Oathaniel. We can look things over,
and then what how much of authority do we have?
Very little, conceded Ethaniel. Two minor officials on the way
to Villeforce, and we went directly into a problem no
one knew existed. And when we get to Villaforce will
(03:43):
be busy. It will be a long time before anyone
comes this way again, a very long time. There's nothing
in this region of space our people want, said Oathaniel.
And how long can our last? Ten years? Even ten months?
The tension building by the hour. What can I say?
(04:04):
Said Bal, I suppose we can stop and look them over.
We're not committing ourselves by looking. They went much closer
to Earth, not intending to commit themselves. For a day,
they circled the planet, avoiding radar detection, which for them
was not difficult testing and sampling. Finally, Ethaniel looked up
(04:27):
from the monitor's screen. Any conclusions. What's there to think?
It's worse than I imagined? In what way? Well? We knew
they had the big bomb. Atmospheric analysis showed that as
far away as we were, I know, we also knew
that they could deliver the big bomb, presumably by some
sort of aircraft. That was a mister certainty. They'd have
(04:51):
no use for the big bomb without aircraft. What's worse
is that now I find they also have missiles range
one thousand miles and upward. They either have or are near,
a primitive form of space travel. Bad, said Nathaniel, sitting
there wondering when it's going to hit them. Nervousness can
(05:13):
set it off. It could, and the missiles make it worse,
said Bal. What did you find out at your end?
Nothing worth? While I was looking at the people, while
you were investigating their weapons, you must think something. I
wish I knew what to think. There's so little time,
(05:34):
Nathaniel said. Language isn't the difficulty. Our machines can translate
their languages easily, and I've taken a cram course in
two or three of them. But that's not enough. Looking
at a few plays, listening to advertisements, music, news bulletins.
I should go down and live among them, read books,
talk to scholars, work with them, play. You could do
(05:56):
that and he'd really get to know them. But that
takes time, and we don't have it. I realize that
a flat yes or no, said Boo. No, we can't
help them, said Nathaniel. There is nothing we can do
for them, but we have to try. Sure. I knew
it before we started, said Bao, it's happened before. We
(06:19):
take the trouble to find out what a people are like.
When we can't help them, we feel bad. It's going
to be like that again. He rose and stretched, Well,
give me an hour to think of some way of
going at it. It was longer than that before they
met again. In the meantime, the big ship moved closer
to Earth. They no longer needed their instruments to see it.
(06:41):
The planet revolved outside vision ports. The southern plains were green,
coursed with rivers, the oceans were blue, and much of
the northern hemisphere was glistening white. Ragged clouds covered the pole,
and a dirty pall spread over the mid regions of
the North. I haven't thought anything brilliant, said Ethaniel, nor
(07:03):
I said Bo. We're going to have to go down
there cold, and it will be cold. Yes, it's their winter.
I did have an idea, said Bo. What about going
down as supernatural beings? Hardly, said Nathaniel. A hundred years
ago it might have worked today. They have satellites. They
(07:23):
are not primitives. I suppose you're right, said Bo. I
did think we ought to take advantage of our physical
differences if we could, I'd be all for it. But
these people are rough and desperate. They wouldn't be fooled
by anything that crude. Well, you're calling it, said Bo.
All right, Saidnathaniel. You take one side, I'll take the other. Well,
(07:45):
tell them bluntly what they have to do if they're
going to survive, how they can keep their planet in
one piece so they can live on it. Oh, that'll
go over big. Advice is always popular can't help it.
That's all. We have time for special instructions none. We
leave the ship here and go down in separate landing craft.
(08:05):
You can talk with me any time you want through
our communications, but don't unless you have to. They can't
intercept the beams we use. They can't. Even if they did,
they wouldn't know what to do with our language. I
want them to think that we don't need to talk
things over. I get it makes us seem better than
we are. They think we know exactly what we're doing,
(08:27):
even though we don't. If we're lucky, they'll think that
bell looked out of the port at the planet below.
It's going to be cold where I'm going, You too, sure?
We don't want to change our plans and land in
the southern hemisphere. It's summer there, I'm afraid not. The
great powers are in the north. They are the ones
we have to reach to do the job. Yeah, but
(08:50):
I was thinking of that holiday you mentioned. We'll be
running straight into it. That won't help us any I
know they don't like their holidays interrupted. It can't be helped.
We can't wait until it's over. I'm aware of that,
said bal fill me on on the holiday anything I
ought to know, perhaps religious in origin. That's so, it
(09:12):
was religious long time ago, said Nathaniel. I didn't learn
anything exact from radio and TV. Now it seems to
be chiefly a time for eating, office parties and selling merchandise.
I see it has become a business holiday. That's a
good description. I didn't get as much of it as
they ought to have had. I've been busy studying the people,
(09:32):
and they're hard to beIN down I see. I was
thinking that there might be some way we could tie
ourselves in with this holiday, make it work for us.
If there is, I haven't thought of it. You ought
to know you're running this one. Bal looked down at
the planet. Clouds were beginning to form at the twilight edge.
(09:52):
I hate to go down and leave the ship up
here with no one in it. They can't touch it.
No matter how they develop in the next hundred year,
they still won't be able to get it or damage
it in any way. It's myself I'm thinking about there
down there alone. I'll be with you on the other
side of Earth. That's not very close. I'd like it
(10:13):
better if there was some one in the ship to
bring it down in a hurry. If things get rough.
They don't think much of each other, and I don't
imagine they'll like aliens any better. They may be unfriendly,
Nathaniel acknowledged. Now. He switched a monitor screen until he
looked at the slope of a mountain. It was snowing,
and men were cutting small green trees in the snow.
(10:36):
I've thought of a trick. If it saves my neck,
come for it. I don't guarantee anything, said Itathaniel. This
is what I was thinking of. Instead of hiding the
ship against the sun where there's a little chance it
will be seen, we'll make sure that they do see it.
Let's take it around to the night side of the
planet and light it up. Say pretty good, said bal
(10:58):
They can't imagine we'd light up on men ship, said Ethaniel.
Even if the thought should occur to one of them,
they'll have no way of checking it. Also, they won't
be eager to harm us with our ship shining down
on them. That's thinking, said Bao, moving to the controls.
I'll move the ship over where they can see it best,
and then I'll light it up. I'll really light it up.
(11:19):
Don't spare power, don't worry about that. They'll see it.
Everybody on Earth will see it. Later. With a ship
in position, glowing against the darkness of space, pulsating with light,
Bao said, you know, I feel better about this. We
may pull it off. Lighting the ship may be just
(11:39):
the help we need. It's not we who need help,
but the people of Earth, said Itathaniel, see you in
five days. With that, he entered a small landing craft,
which left a faintly luminescent trail as it plunged toward
the Earth. As soon it was safe to do so,
Boo left in another craft, heading for the other side
of the planet, and the space ship circled Earth unmanned,
(12:04):
blazing and pulsing with light. No star in the winter
skies of the planet below could equal it. In Brilliancy,
once a man made satellite came near, but it was
dim and lost sight bove by the people below. During
the day, the ship was as visible as a bright
spot of light. Adds evening, it seemed to burn through
the sunset colors, and the ship circled on bright shining,
(12:28):
seeming to be a little piece chipped from the center
of a star and brought near Earth to illuminate it.
Never or seldom had Earth seen anything like it. In
five days, the two small landing craft that had left
it arched up from Earth and joined the orbit of
the large ship. The two small craft slid inside the
(12:49):
larger one, and the doors closed behind them. In a
short time, the aliens met again. We did it, said
Bal exultantly as he came in. I don't know how
we did it, and I I thought we were going
to fail, but at the last minute they came through.
Eathaniel smiled. I'm tired, he said, rustling, me too, but
(13:10):
mostly I'm cold, said Bow, shivering. Snow, nothing but snow
wherever I went, miserable climate. And yet you had me
go out walking after that first day. From my own experience,
it seemed to be a good idea, said Ethaniel. If
I went out walking one day, I noticed that the
next day the officials were much more cooperative. If it
(13:30):
worked for me, I thought it might help you. I did.
I don't know why, but it did, said Boo. Anyway,
this agreement that they made isn't the best, but I
think it will keep them from destroying themselves. It's as
much as we can expect, said Oathaniel. They may have
small wars after this, but never the big one. In
fifty or a hundred years, we can come back and
(13:51):
see how much they've learned. I'm not sure I want to,
said Boo. Say what's an angel? Why? When I went
out walking, people stopped to look. Some knelt in the
snow and called me an angel. Something like that happened
to me, said Nathaniel. I didn't get it, but I
(14:12):
didn't let it upset me, said bo I smiled at
them and went right about my business. He shivered again.
It was always cold. I walked out, but sometimes I
flew back. I hope that was all right. In the
cabin bough spread his great wings. Renaissance painters had never
seen his like, but knew exactly how he looked in
(14:33):
their paintings. They had pictured him innumerable times. I don't
think it hurt us that you flew, said Oathaniel. I
did so myself occasionally. But don't you know what an
angel is? No? I didn't have time to find out
some creature of the folklore. I suppose you know, except
for our wings, they're very much like ourselves. Their legends
(14:56):
are bound to resemble ours. Sure, said bo Anyway, Peace
on Earth. End of Second Landing by Floyd Wallace
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.