PLEASE IMAGINE THE FIRST TIME AN ALIEN HAS ONE OF THEIR HUMAN FRIENDS DIE
βso hey, that was a great funeral, cool outfits, always glad to learn more about your culture and stuff. So, when is she coming back?β
βShe- sheβs not coming backβ
βYeah, not as Megan, but when is her replacement coming back?β
βWeβre- not hiring anyone new for a couple weeks???β
βno no no, youβre not getting what Iβm saying- I want to ask her about that book she lent me- can I keep it for another week or two, or does her new version want it back?β
The humans stare at the alien and just. slowly start to figure out what the alien is saying. The alien shuffles nervously, their six spindly legs making a skritching noise that echoes in the cold chapel. Finally, the kindest of the humans takes the alien aside and-
βhey. so. Us humans donβt come back when we die. Not like you do.β
βwhat? No, but you clearly talk about reincarnation, and-β
βThose are just stories, Six. When humans die, weβre gone. We donβt come back.β
The alien laughs βNo, see, cuz that would mean that- that would mean. That Megan- Megan is-β The alien cuts off the hissing noise that is their equivalent of a sob. βI have to go.β
The alien spends a week in their spaceship, the only place they can send communication to their Mother. When they come back, their carapace is a glistening new shade of red, and theyβve ended up as a different gender. When the lab adviser asks them how they are feeling about Megan-
βMegan? Oh, yes, my previous version was very fond of Megan.β The alien cocks their head, like a particularly thoughtful bird. βI suppose that I regret her loss. She was a valuable member of the team.β
The lab adviser lets this be- they are aliens after all. But later, when lab hours are done, the adviser notices Six double and triple-checking all the lab equipment, especially- well. The accident that took Megan will never happen again.Β Β
The book is never returned.
areudirty
origamiaround
theartofmadeline
dededos
turnnoffyourmind
gummygunk
blakekathryn
