The Experiment

One day, while looking for arrowheads in a neighbor's pasture, the boys in the tree Fort club discover a dead cow. On closer observation, they discover it had been tampered with Surveying the surrounding pastures of other neighbors, they find similar dead animals. The news spreads rapidly in the town. Large crowds of spectators begin to visit the area. Finally, as the news dies down, a new story develops A huge, round crop circle is discovered on a nearby wheat farm. The boys decide to visit there at midnight when all the spectators are gone. While observing the crop circles, they discover many strange plants glowing in the dark After collecting a few samples to study, the boys are interrupted by a saucer-shape disk that disappears into the lake. Unknown to the boys, the spacecraft is on a reconnaissance mission to collect and harvest genetic implants placed on the Earth thousands of years ago by another alien mission. This eighth book in the Holiday Favorites series concludes with a deeper appreciation of how delicate our children on Earth really are. THE SERIES: Holiday Favorites is a collection of nine novellas (short stories) written by George F. Kohn. Most of the stories coincide with the holiday months of the school calendar year, each of those stories being dedicated to its special holiday. October is Halloween - The Legend of "The Hal-lo-Ween and the Motorcycle Witch" November is Thanksgiving - The First Thanksgiving December is Christmas - The Magic Christmas Tree February is Valentine's Day - A Valentine Dream March is Easter - A Big Surprise for Easter April is a celebration in St. Petersburg, Florida - The Festival of States Parade July is Independence Day - The Big Fourth The last two stories, in addition to the holiday stories, are about exploring the unknown - what if? They involve using the reader's own imagination and creativity: The Experiment - an alien mission harvests ancient implants. Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon - different cultures and skills of two tribes are explored. INTRODUCTION to SERIES: A long time ago, before television, forests grew all around a neighborhood near the edge of the great forbidden Cypress Swamp. The people in the neighborhood all shared their lives, beliefs, and superstitions, creating an atmosphere of adventure throughout the neighborhood. In the neighborhood lived five young boys. There was an old mulberry tree that stood on the outskirts of town. Over the years, someone had built a tree house in the fork of two large limbs that spread out over the cemetery. The tree house, called the Fort, was built large enough for the boys to use as their clubhouse. Inside the tree Fort, the boys had a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Looking out the north window, the boys could see a large meadow stretching out into the distance. Through the east window, they could see far away the top of a bald cypress tree. Everyone knew that meant there was a dangerous swamp nearby. In this series of stories, some strange and incredible things happen in the area to challenge the boys' ingenuity. Utilizing their imagination and skills, the boys successfully solve one problem after another. What is real, and how much is in their imagination?