A fireball falls from the sky onto a sleepy little town in Peru. The ground starts to bubble and hiss and debris and ash are flung through the air. A noxious gas wafts from the newly opened crater, sickening the residents of the little town. In all about 600 people were sickened by the gas emanated from the crater. When a crew of experts came to investigate several days later, they too complained of sore throats and itchy eyes. The residents of the town refuse to drink water from the infected area, claiming that it may be poisoned.

It's a crazy world. I just finished reading Lovecraft's 'The Colour out of Space' when this story hit the news stands. Lovecraft's story was a little more omnious -- with vegetation in the area glowing dimly at night, and a monster at the bottom of a well. Aside from those details the stories are oddly familiar. Perhaps there just hasn't been enough gestation time for the monster in the well -- Watch out Peru! The alien may have come from space to join forces with it's old ally, Chupacabra!

Oh, and the article said that mineral deposits in the meteor were likely responsible for the boiling water. Sodium, Potassium, etc. And the stink was probably sulfur, perhaps given off during the boiling. But really, the 'experts' are just guessing.

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