Garth and the Visitor

"Garth and the Visitor" by L. J. Stecher is a science fiction story that centers on a young, ambitious high school reporter's encounter with an enigmatic alien. This reporter, named Garth, seeks out The Visitor, an ancient being marooned on Earth for millennia after his spaceship crashed. The story investigates how different species can communicate and understand each other, and shows what happens when someone is isolated for a very long time. Garth travels to where The Visitor lives atop a mountain and learns about the alien's sad history. He finds out about the space journey that failed, killing everyone except The Visitor. He also discovers how The Visitor helped Garth's ancestors reach new levels of cultural growth. In the end, Garth decides to help The Visitor find peace, fulfilling his wish to end his long life, which touches on what it means to be mortal, have friends, and deal with the responsibility that comes with knowledge.