“First Contact,” a short story by E. S. Strout

I just learned about “First Contact” (© 2008), a short story by author E. S. Strout that was published online in the February 2009 issue of Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here’s a short description of the story:

“The Mars lander found something that didn't belong -- an object that looked artificial among the worn and irregular Martian rocks.”

An earlier version of Strout’s “First Contact” (© 2003) was published online in the November 2003 issue of Demensions.

E. S. Strout is a medical doctor. His stories have appeared in Planet Magazine, Anotherealm, Millennium F&SF, Beyond-sf, Static Movement, and Bewildering Stories.

Thanks to Dave Tackett of the blog QuasarDragon for the tip!