Gargoyles are the property of Walt Disney. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a sequel to ‘Sightings: Angels in the Night,’ ‘Sightings: Terror in the Sky’ and ‘Sightings: Defenders of the Night.’ I strongly recommend you read those before you read this. Sightings: Visitors From the Sky by Kelly Weingart Danielle Wagner ran a hand over her hair, making sure every strand was in place. Her clothes were as close to perfect as they got, she’d have to give the new wardrobe woman a raise. Well, except for those shoes... The producer signaled five seconds and she came to attention. She waited until the signal and beamed at the camera. “Welcome back. As you all know, today on ‘The Dani Show’ we’ve been examining the so-called ‘Gargoyle Menace.’ Already we’ve spoken with District Attorney Margo Yale, Detective Matthew Bluestone, head of the NYPD Gargoyle Task Force and two eye-witnesses to alleged gargoyle attacks. This time we’ll be speaking with Abigail Underwood and Davis Harding, the founders of the People for Interspecies Tolerance.” The camera panned to take in the two people sitting opposite Dani. “Welcome.” “We’re happy to be here, Dani,” Abigail replied. “Now, the People for Interspecies Tolerance has been in action for approximately six months. Is that correct?” “Closer to seven months, actually,” Davis answered. “The organization was established in September of 1996.” “And what are the intentions of the People for Interspecies Intolerance?” “Well, that’s pretty broad,” Davis said. “Basically we hope to promote tolerance and understanding between the human and gargoyle populations in this city. We believe that the fighting, hatred and fear that has permeated this city for the last year is unnecessary. Our programs are designed to teach tolerance of the different, and acceptance of the unusual.” “A noble goal, Mr. Harding,” Dani said. “Have you had much success?” “It’s hard to judge something like that,” Abigail admitted. “However, membership has tripled since we began. And the Quarrymen have tried to kill us, umm, three times now, so we must be accomplishing *something.*” Dani laughed appreciatively, as did much of the studio audience. “I’ve heard about one of those incidents. The Quarrymen were accused of attacking your headquarters. What happened with that?” “They were caught,” Abigail stated. “Most of them, anyway. I’m glad to say they’re all in prison now.” “And what about the other two instances?” “The second instance was very much like the first, and once again the perpetrators were apprehended. The gargoyles caught them both times, incidentally. The third time was ah, on a more personal level. My husband and I were approached by four men wearing the Quarryman uniform. They threatened my life, saying that if I did not cease my involvement with the People for Interspecies Tolerance, I wouldn’t live to regret it.” “Were you harmed?” Dani asked. “No. Fortunately they decided not to push it any further.” Dani shifted slightly in her seat. “It’s a very different side to the Quarrymen we’ve been seeing today. They’ve always portrayed themselves as working for the public interest, but our guests today have revealed quite the opposite.” “The Quarrymen claim that they’re working to protect the people of New York, and they’ve recently branched out into the surrounding area. But their actions seem to indicate the exact opposite. Several times the Quarrymen have endangered innocent bystanders while attempting to harm the gargoyles. In one recent incident they actually *launched missiles* at the gargoyles - which didn’t work out too well, because the missiles missed and ended up going into the surrounding buildings. Several people found themselves without a place to stay as a result. In another instance - the one that led to the arrest of their leader, John Castaway- the Quarrymen blew up a building, causing a great amount of collateral damage and endangering anyone in the area. And as if that weren’t bad enough, they later attempted to crash an entire train full of people. If nothing else, they’ve proven that they’re fanatics. They don't care who gets hurt if they can take out the gargoyles.” “Fascinating. Has anything been done to deal with the threat the Quarrymen pose?” Davis nodded. “As a matter of fact, yes. There are outstanding warrants for most of the known Quarrymen, and John Castaway was recently sentenced to more than ten years in prison. The NYPD has announced that they denounce the vigilante actions of the Quarrymen organization and public opinion seems to be swinging away from them.” “I bet you’re happy to hear that.” “I really am. The Quarrymen are dangerous and anything that takes them down a notch, or takes away some of their influence is a good thing.” “Now, you mentioned programs. What exactly do you mean by that?” “First of all,” Davis replied, “we have basic education. A lot of people are afraid of the gargoyles because they don’t understand them. So to get past that we teach about the gargoyles ways of life. For example, Detective Bluestone, who was on earlier, mentioned something about the gargoyles family structure. We also teach about history, basic biology, religion, and of course, ethics. A remarkable number of people are amazed to learn that the gargoyles can speak. It’s ignorance mostly, that promotes this fear between our peoples, and we think we can all get past that through knowledge.” “An admirable effort,” Dani complimented. “Have either of you ever met a gargoyle?” “Of course,” Abigail said. “Several times. Angela and Lexington especially are common visitors. And Brooklyn and Broadway drop by on occasion. Meeting a gargoyle is more or less a prerequisite for becoming a full member of the People for Interspecies Tolerance. Every one of the newbies meets one of the Clan face to face before they’ve been with us very long.” “How did you first become involved with the People for Interspecies Tolerance?” Davis sat up a little straighter as he answered. “It was almost a year ago. The clock tower incident. For the first time there was proof that the gargoyles existed, but due to the circumstances surrounding the revelation, they weren’t exactly being greeted with open arms. I thought it was a shame that the gargoyles were being blamed for what happened, especially since the true bombers confessed to the crime. I knew then and there that there was going to be trouble and that someone had to mediate.” “Davis and I have been friends for a long time,” Abigail continued, “and over the next few weeks we both talked over the situation and we both came to the conclusion that no one else was going to do this, so we might as well. A great many of our friends said that we wouldn’t be able to do it, and it became a ‘put your money where your mouth is’ sort of thing. We won,” she added, “obviously.” She continued. “The People for Interspecies Tolerance aren’t here to preach, we aren’t here to tell you you’re wrong; we’re here to let you know and to let the rest of the city know that you don’t need to be afraid. The gargoyles aren’t here to rampage and destroy. They’re not here to conquer mankind. They don’t eat children. They don't practice blood rituals. They’re not carrying any sorts of horrible contagious diseases. They just want to live in peace, to be left alone to live their lives. And if one day, our two races can live in harmony, that would be fantastic.” Dani blinked slightly, unexpectedly moved by the simple speech. “That would indeed be a wonderful goal to attain. I’m sorry to say this, but we’re ready to go to commercial. Ms. Underwood, Mr. Harding, it’s been a pleasure. I hope to have you back on the show someday soon.” “It would be a pleasure, Dani,” Davis said. Abigail nodded. “Definitely.” Dani turned to the cameras and put on her usual smile. “And when we return, our final guest, Mr. Lennox MacDuff who has studied gargoyles for a good portion of his life.” ________ To be continued in ‘Sightings: Legends of Stone’