ALIEN?
Rangers were prepared to cite SHS student Cyrus Krupp for this junk pile found in Gaultree Forest.

By Brandon Lauritsen

Smallville High student Cyrus Krupp lies in a catatonic state after suffering an emotional breakdown at the site of a homemade transmitter he erected.
It started several months ago with an unexplained inferno at The Talon. Then there was the extraterrestrial symbol torched into the Kents' barn. Now, a mysterious fire at the high school's electronics shop has some citizens linking all three incidents together. Is it "The Invasion of the Fire Starters?"

The speculation revolves around Krupp who appeared to have the power to start fires spontaneously. And while this arson-minded teen is generally similar to others his age, he does have one major difference from the average pyro predator: He claims to be an alien.

Last month, when the Kent farm was scorched with graffiti in the form of a unique symbol, UFO enthusiasts from around the country appeared on the scene to investigate. The claims by Krupp, a boy with powers seemingly beyond those of a mortal man, helped pique their interest in the town. "I'm sure he's alien. We all know that Absolomians use fire as a weapon and as their primary way of communicating," said Richard Bickmore, a self-proclaimed UFOlogist. "That symbol meant that the rest are coming. The great burning is at hand!"

Unfortunately for Bickmore and his friends, this "great burning" was actually the result of magnesium strips placed earlier in the electronics shop and then activated by a remote hidden on Krupp's person. The Sheriff's Department has not commented on whether the fires at The Talon and the Kents' barn were caused by similar devices, but it appears so. Krupp has not been charged with arson yet, perhaps claiming some sort of interplanetary immunity.

Social workers who have dealt with Krupp's case in the past say that he has made drawings of the spaceship he supposedly landed in and on at least one occasion, was attempting to build a transmitter to contact the mother ship.

A small number of UFO faithfuls keep an unwavering vigil in the fields between the Kents' land and Cyrus' foster home, where they believe Krupp's family of fire-starting extraterrestrials will reunite and begin their conquest of Earth. "Principal Reynolds has doomed our planet by suspending Cyrus Krupp!" yelled Matt Young when the group heard the news. "Bring our leader to us! Let our people go! Let our people go!"
Krupp has been transferred to Metropolis General, but his initial prognosis is not good.

WEDDED BLISS

By Kathy Romita

In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. Alfred Lord Tennyson ...And an engaged woman's thoughts turn to a wedding--hers. If weddings ever had a season, it would be summer. And summer is quickly approaching.

How much does the average wedding cost? Approximately $20,000. Depending on the size and type of nuptials, planning the big event can take more than a year. After selecting the date, the couple secures the church or ceremony site and then hopes the reception hall is available immediately following the wedding. Then the bride encounters the seemingly endless list of decisions: type of food, caterers, flowers, invitations, centerpieces, jewelers, favors, cake and photographer. And the groom gets to handle the rehearsal dinner.

Even Smallville brides have many options when choosing a wedding reception theme. Legion halls, converted barns, tents on a farm and banquet halls can be decorated lavishly or modestly. Color, flowers, lights and fabric can turn any room into a magical oasis. For a simple motif, small floral arrangements can set the tone.

Looking for a wedding gown should prove to be a piece of cake. Bonnie White of Bonnie's Bridal and Tuxedo Shop downtown remarked that she's friendly with the other wedding boutique owners in nearby Edge City, Bludhaven and Grandville. Stated Bonnie, "We owners order a variety of gowns and know which shop carries what style. It really is all about the bride and not about selling the gown. If a bride comes in with an idea of the type of dress she wants, and I don't have it, but I know Ruthie [Grandville Gowns] does, then I'll send her over to Ruthie. It's reciprocal. And I can always order the gown from the manufacturer. With the Internet, the selection is endless."

Entering the reception hall with no dancing ability can scare any groom. Many young couples opt to take ballroom dance lessons so they don't embarrass themselves on their wedding day. Recent groom Lance Stern reported, "My wife and I took lessons at The Ballroom Dance Club before our wedding. I think our parents and some of our relatives and "We owners order a variety of gowns and know which shop carries what style. It really is all about the bride and not about selling the gown. If a bride comes in with an idea of the type of dress she wants, and I don't have it, but I know Ruthie [Grandville Gowns] does, then I'll send her over to Ruthie. It's reciprocal. And I can always order the gown from the manufacturer. With the Internet, the selection is endless."

Entering the reception hall with no dancing ability can scare any groom. Many young couples opt to take ballroom dance lessons so they don't embarrass themselves on their wedding day. Recent groom Lance Stern reported, "My wife and I took lessons at The Ballroom Dance Club before our wedding. I think our parents and some of our relatives and friends were shocked to see us dance our first dance together because we knew what to do. It saved me from lots of ridicule, and my bride was so proud of me. I scored a lot of points for that one."

No one can argue that in terms of sheer splendor, the most inspirational wedding that took place in Smallville's recent history was held at the Luthor Estate. Lex Luthor's marriage to Desiree Atkins, an alleged murderess, was almost as brief as the wedding ceremony--only a few short days. Too bad the Luthor mansion can't be rented out for receptions.

Of course, if all of this sounds a bit much for your taste, Judge Ross performs marriage ceremonies at the courthouse by appointment.

THE EZRA SMALL CONUNDRUM
Part One of a Six-Part Series
By Christopher James Beppo

Like delving into a great detective novel, studying the written legacy of our town's founder, Ezra Small, only presents more fascinating mysteries the deeper one goes. Early segments of his diary offer a fairly straightforward description of a typical trapper's life. The only hint of things to come is his occasional mention of "spells," periods of lost time when he would experience increasingly disturbing dreams and visions.

But as the journal progresses, Small's writing takes on an almost metaphysical tone. He gradually shifts from straight expositional prose to a sort of odd prophecy constrained by three-line text fragments. Some of the early verses seem to simply be laments or reflections on his existence:

Night and cold
Twin enemies mine
Take me to your breast
Fill my heart and mind
O drown the voices forever
Someone, somewhere, sometime

Not exactly Walt Whitman, but intriguing nonetheless. Further on, the reader may begin to question Small's sanity, which surely must have been tested by the long winter months alone in his cabin:

Between 37 and 40, 94 and 102
Great shifts occur
Time and space collide
The yellow bounty swells
The green torment spews
The black heart smirks

And as the later diary pages chronicle the steady deterioration of Small's mental state, seemingly random strings of letters and numbers completely cover the margins of every sheet, even lacing among the poems:

hdzm mlg nfgv ivw gfork xirvh 36 vckozrmh 89 ifov gsv uozdvw zovczmwvi zg gsvyvh wzb rh xlnrmt povrm gl hkivdvoo izl nzwv fh

No matter the literal interpretation of these strange writings, several broad conclusions can be drawn from them. One, Ezra Small was a complex, dark and deeply lonely man. Two, alone in the unsettled Kansas wilderness, he was forced to give free rein to his occasionally terrifying demons, whatever their source. And three, by so painstakingly committing his memoirs to paper, Small plainly meant for these thoughts to be read and speculated on by future generations--even while he may not have understood them himself, he sensed their significance.

Therefore, without any further editorial comment, here is the first group of fragments from Ezra Small's diary from the fall and winter of 1838, written as he sat on the cold ground of the land that would someday be known as Smallville.

One eye looks down
Upon the gentle animal people
Do not defile their spirits
Near Morris, Rice and Sedgwick
A great fire will fall from the sky
Not the first time nor the last
On wings of flame
Descends the last son
None shall overcome him
Weak brains ridicule
Those who see truth
There are many flocks
The glove conceals a fist
From good to evil
He will not escape his path
By the bones of her ancestors
She meets an angel
Who would be a man
Eightfold survivor of millennia
Spins destruction and mayhem
Eats, molts, dies
Attention Albuquerque
Cease transmission
National security item
Break free
From boundaries
By flourishing
The trembling sufferer expires
His saddened spouse mourns
Now comes the third level
The divine wrath overtakes the great prince
A short while before he will marry
Both supporters and credit will suddenly diminish
Prepare yourselves
Tzaruch shemirah hasof bah
The end is near
One perfect, weightless moment
At the twilight of a too-short life
Two brothers bid farewell

LOOK OUT BOYS!
SHE'S THE SHERIFF

By Gena McGuiness

Her no-nonsense, by-the-book style has twice won her Kansas state's Lawman of the Year honors. "Law enforcement has far too few women. I have to be tougher than the guys and that, in some ways, is both good and bad. It's gotten me where I am today, but it's hard for people to see beyond the tough surface," laments Smallville's newest and finest, Sheriff Nancy Adams. Appointed by the governor, Adams temporarily assumes the office left vacant when former lawman Ethan Miller turned outlaw. "Sheriff Adams comes to us with over 15 years of law enforcement experience. She's Lowell County's first female sheriff and highly qualified for the job. I'm quite confident in her abilities and comfortable with the governor's appointment," says Mayor Tate.

Adams graduated from the Siegel County Law Enforcement Academy in 1987, finishing in the top one percent of her class, and for the past 5 years has been the second-in-command of the Sheriff's Department. An avid golfer, Adams says she misses Siegel County's courses but finds Smallville a "familiar yet mysterious town. I grew up in Edge City," she continues, "so Smallville

feels a little like home. I'm not sure what to make of it, though. You all have a lot of strange cases on the books." The sheriff has rented the Thatcher property off Route 90. "I like it out there. Mr. Thatcher gave me a great deal on rent in exchange for doing some repairs. I'm pretty handy, so the arrangement works out well." Asked about her personal life, she shared that there is "someone special back in Siegel County. As it stands, I'm only here until Smallville's next open election, so it doesn't make sense for 'em to move here with me."

Just what does this superwoman plan to do for the bruised morale of Smallville's sheriff department? "I know a lot of deputies were disillusioned by Mr. Miller's arrest. I think the best thing I can do is set a high standard and be a role model that my deputies can have confidence in." Adams continues, "Smallville has a lot of unsolved cases. I'd like to get a few deputies working some of those cold cases. We need to rebuild the community's confidence in us as well. I'm a big fan of diligence." If you see the new sheriff around town, give a wave and a warm welcome; but whatever you do, make sure you're not violating any statutes or ordinances.