People from another universe, secretly living among us. Invisible and imperceptible to the naked eye, only users of a drug known as powder are able to interact with them. As if that weren't enough, there are also rumors that these visitors are able to predict the future.
It sounds like science fiction, but incredibly, it is all true.
"We've been aware of them for some time," says Dr. Lucas Parcell of the Institute for Applied Research. "The so-called outsiders are a definite reality."
Dr. Parcell was unable to clarify how long the outsiders have been here, but he did stress that the Institute is actively investigating the situation. He added that there does not appear to be any immediate threat, and that there is absolutely no cause for alarm.
Samantha Usher, a student at Newt Run University, agrees with him.
"I took some powder just to see what it was like," she says. "At first I was kind of scared, but I didn't need to be. The outsider I talked to was really nice."
Samantha says she met the outsider, who declined to give his name, at a bar in Northside. She claims they talked for an hour, and that he was "just like a regular person." Although she asked him about her future, he refused to tell her anything.
"He told me it wouldn't do any good," she adds.
While the fact of their existence is apparently beyond question, the outsiders' reasons for coming here remain a mystery.
"It does seem doubtful they'd come all this way just to sample the beer," notes Parcell.
The recent trouble in the capital has plunged the outsider question into confusion. The Ministry of Interior Security issued a hastily drafted statement last month stating that they are "aware of the situation." We were unable to reach the Ministry for comment.
However, not everyone is buying the official line that there is no cause for concern.
"The whole idea that they're out there is frightening," says Margaret Allende, 42. "I'm worried about letting my children outside. You can't see them, these people, and who knows what's going through their heads?"
As to the sale of powder and its reported wide-spread use among local youth, David Cummings, superintendent of Newt Run Police had this to say:
"It's extremely difficult for us to do anything. As of yet, powder is not illegal. As far as the law is concerned, our hands are tied."