Tiny Cyclopean Alien

The tiny cyclopean aliens are a diminutive alien species who attempted to invade Earth using trickery.

Biology
The tiny cyclopean aliens are humanoid, and stand no larger than the length of the average Human thumb. Their most notable feature, aside from their stature, is their single eyeball, which appears to dominate almost all of their heads, which appear almost perfectly spherical in shape. Strangely, their faces appear to lack any features aside from their eyeball, and yet they are able to speak in high-pitched voices that can be easily heard and understood by Humans. It is possible that their mouths are located on another part of their bodies, or that they have an alternate way of gaining sustenance, such as absorbing nutrients through their skin, or possibly through their eyes. If they lack mouths entirely, then it remains unknown how they speak, although it could be an audible form of telepathic speech.

Culture and society
Little is known about the society of the tiny cyclopean aliens. They appear to have a single supreme leader, presumably a monarch, and despite their small stature and presumed inability to wage a frontal war, they appear to be an invasive species, utilizing trickery to make larger beings believe that the aliens are giants instead. They take advantage of the fear that other beings display towards the giant figures to further their goals, which is presumably using the giant figures to threaten planetary governments into surrendering, although it is unknown how they maintain the charade for prolonged periods of time, making it possible that the tiny cyclopean aliens quickly strip planets of resources or other wanted assets and move on before anyone can catch on to their true nature. They test these strategies on isolated members of a target population before moving ahead with any invasion plan. However, if their targets show no fear, the tiny cyclopean aliens reveal that they are truly afraid of larger beings, quickly abandoning invasion plans and retreating before being potentially crushed underfoot.

Technology
The tiny cyclopean aliens have achieved advanced space travel, utilizing tiny spacecraft shaped like flying saucers, although these crafts appear to lack weapons, or at least any capable of reliably harming large objects or beings such as Humans. To compensate, they utilize technology to trick observers into believing that giants are stalking them, such as using magnets to move vehicles, and some sort of spray paint to spray giant fingerprints onto surfaces, as well as using an unknown technology, potentially an excavator deployed from their ships, to carve craters and an image of a giant footprint in the ground. Their most notable "giant" technology is an inflatable figure that is made in their image, standing at about 50 stories tall. While this figure is described as inflatable and will deflate if shot by ballistic rounds, it is capable of minor movements, implying that there are mechanical parts somewhere within it, possibly as a spindly endoskeleton. Their ships are also capable of emitting bright lights and loud sounds, also able to cut off telephone communications.

History
In the mid 20th century, a ship carrying at least two tiny cyclopean aliens was dispatched to Earth to test their invasion strategy on Humans. Landing somewhere outside a remote mountain cabin, lights from their ship were sighted and reported to the Highway Patrol. The next day, the aliens begin to terrorize the occupants of the cabin, a highway patrol trooper named Robert Franklin who was sent to investigate, and a recovering New York City magazine editor named Charlotte Scott. They use magnets to move the trooper's car while he and Charlotte aren't looking, turning it upside down and breaking its radio, also creating craters. Later, they move it back into an upright position and spray giant fingerprints on it. As the pair sleeps, the aliens create a giant footprint in the woods outside the cabin. The next day, Robert and Charlotte go into the woods to search for the giant they assume is stalking them, coming across the footprint. Charlotte wants to find help, although Robert admits that there is no point in running, as a giant being could easily catch them, but Charlotte starts running anyways. As she runs, the aliens inflate the giant figure, and she stumbles right into view of it, believing that the giant is real. Robert arrives and tells her to get to safety while he tries to hold it off, but realizing that no one will believe their story and come to help, they decide to face the giant themselves. Robert shoots the giant, causing it to deflate and fall on them, revealing its fake nature. Robert and Charlotte then find the tiny spaceship and peer in, seeing the true aliens within. The tiny cyclopean aliens plead with their leader to allow them to retreat at once, saying that Humans are not afraid of them and will crush them if they stay. Their leader accepts, and the tiny cyclopean aliens quickly take off.

Appearances

 * The Twilight Zone, s05e35, "The Fear" (1964)