Strange Suspense Stories #73

A delegation from the planet Xherto arrives at Earth to demand immediate surrender, confident that Earthlings' emotional nature will make them easy to intimidate—but what they witness during their tour proves far more unsettling than any military force ever could. As Alpha, Earth's leader, casually shows off the civilization's ruthless practices, the visitors from Xherto begin to reconsider their entire mission. What started as a conquest becomes something far more troubling when the delegates realize they may have encountered something truly alien to their understanding.

In northern England, an old country road carries a sinister legend: over centuries, a few carriages traveling its path have vanished without trace, swallowed—according to local lore—by a mysterious whirlpool that opens at one particular spot. When a man named Mathew fails to arrive at his destination, the legend takes on an unsettling proximity for those waiting for him.

Ed Jones receives an impossible message through his television set: a creature from the planet Gakton warns him that Earth will be destroyed at noon the next day—unless their leaders decide the planet won't interfere with their orbital path. Desperate to know if the warning is real or a product of his exhausted mind, Ed waits through the morning as the deadline approaches, unsure whether he should believe an alien force he can't prove exists.

A whaling ship departs from a New England port in good spirits, its crew hopeful for a successful hunt on the high seas. After months of silence, the vessel mysteriously reappears in her home harbor—in perfect condition, yet utterly devoid of any crew member. What happened to the men aboard remains one of the sea's most puzzling unsolved mysteries.