Get
dressed. Come with me. I saw something. A fiery ball come out of the
sky. It ploughed into the ground. Let's go watch it.
Where
is it?
Just
outside that plant-a-tree grove. It narrowly missed ploughing into
the grove.
What
were you doing at this time of night at the grove?
That's
not important. You don't want to know. Let's go. We don't want to
miss that thing coming out of the ground. There! See the----hey!
A
dog?
It's
going to spoil everything. Sniffing around.
It
found something. It's digging.
Oh,
rats. Whoa! What happened?
The
dog fell into the hole it dug.
When
did that ever happen?
Look!
The dog's climbing out.
That's
not the dog that fell in. Look at it.
You
are right. Trying to walk on it's hind legs only? Now on its two
front----.
I'm
telling you, that's the alien. It has taken over the dog. It's trying
to find out how to walk like a dog.
What
do we do?
It's
a small dog. Let's go make friends.
Enid,
it's not a dog anymore. It's an extraterrestrial alien. It could eat
us.
If
it attacks, I will throw myself at it. You run for help.
I
do not like this, Enid.
Then,
follow me from afar. Here, doggie! Doggie!
See?
No doggie that size would resist that call. It's not even wagging its
tail.
Come
on, doggie. There! It's coming. Nice, doggie. It's warm, Esme. Like a
real dog. Here, pet it.
Nice
doggie. Perhaps we should give it a name?
It
might have one already.
Which
it would have forgotten, under the circumstances, don't you think?
You
are right. You are thinking. That's good. Let's call it Youfer.
Youfer?
You
know, short for U.F.O. Huh?
Of
course. So? What are we going to do with Youfer?
Take
him to my apartment.
Your
landlady does not allow animals.
Nor
do your parents. But we cannot sneak Youfer into your home. But if
Youfer is as smart as we know it is, it will help us get passed the
landlady.
Okay.
You go on ahead. I have to go home and let my parents know I am not in
my room.
All
right. Do not take too long. You don't want to arrive too late after
I have been eaten.
Any
trouble with the landlady?
No.
She saw me enter the building, but she seems to not have noticed
Youfer. Did I not tell you? It has powers.
Youfer?
Where is it?
Napping.
In the kitchen sink. I think it loves the cold surface.
Eat
anything?
Not
a thing. I tried everything in the fridge and in the cupboards. Drank
most of the water in the toilet bowl, though. I gave it more clean
water in the largest dish I have. Drank it all.
Responds
to the name?
Like
it gave it to itself.
It's
certain, then. There's an out-of-space alien in an Earth dog in your
kitchen.
Uh-huh.
Where
do we go from here, Enid?
I
don't know. I'm so excited. Any suggestions?
Lock
your bedroom door when you go to sleep tonight.
It's
an alien. Locking a door against it will not help. Can you spend the
night?
Yes.
Tomorrow is not a school day. I asked my parents. They said it's okay
for me to sleep over.
Thank
you, Esme. That is a great help.
I
think that we should take the plunge tomorrow.
Doing
what? What plunge?
Talk
to the alien that has taken over the dog.
You
think it has eaten the dog?
Enid,
it doesn't have to have eaten the dog to have taken over the dog.
So,
when it leaves to return to its own world, it will give us back the
dog?
It
better. There's another, not-so-happy possibility.
Esme,
if it was going to harm us, it would have done so already. It's a
good sign that it so quickly understood and helped with the landlady
problem. Don't you think?
I'm
not thinking about being harmed. I'm thinking, what if it becomes
aware the dog is not the highest life form here on Earth?
Oh.
Wow! What, then?
You
prepared to volunteer?
Volunteer
for what?
Really,
Enid?
No!
Yes,
Enid. Better it be one of us than anyone else. And a volunteer. When
it chooses to exit the dog, nothing will stop it from choosing a
human, volunteer or not.
Are
you willing?
Yes,
to save the dog and someone else. But I have family. That complicates
things.
And
I have nobody.
Look
at it like this, Enid. Of the billions of persons on this Earth, you
saw it land. This is your destiny. I will stand by you all the way.
On the outside, of course.
Of
course. Thank you, Esme. My best friend, ever. Youfer seems harmless.
So
far. First, let's go into the kitchen to see if it's still sleeping
in the sink.
Still
there.
Good.
I have to whisper this into your ear. Let's sit at the table, keep an
eye on it in the sink, while we communicate to each other in writing.
Just in case.
Good.
I'll get the pens and paper.
We
have to tell someone else. And not let it know. Just in case.
I
agree. But not News people or Armed Forces people. Your parents?
I
was about to suggest that. We do not let the alien know. And it never
meets my parents.
Good.
Do
you still have that small portable black-and-white television I gave
you for your birthday a hundred years ago?
In
my closet.
Let's
watch it on this table. If it wakes Youfer, that will be a good
introduction to our world.
Okay.
Let's hope it still works.
It
works. I watched all the Saturday-morning cartoons on this.
No
cartoons tonight. We don't want to give Youfer that picture of
humanity.
A
news channel?
Yes.
Welcome
to this news flash just in. Reports are coming in from different
parts of the world. Meteorites are crashing into Earth. So far, there
have been no reports of fatalities.
And
there will not be any fatalities, Enid. Esme.
Youfer?
At
your service. Thank you for that sink nap. I really needed it. Do not
be afraid. We are here for water. Our world is drying up. This world
has so much in excess. We will pay.
By
the way, your kitchen sink sinks a little to one side. The pipes
underneath are dangerously rusted. And, here, a little something for
you. Whenever you need my help.
Esme!
We slept at the kitchen table?
Looks
like it. We were looking at that primitive black-and-white?
There's
a cute little dog sleeping on my couch. Help me get it out before the
landlady gets wind of it.
Hey!
What's this tag around its neck? Did you notice it?
No.
A tiny keypad. Some sort of tracking device by its owners, no doubt?
Fourey? Must be doggie's name.
Contact
Ezra (Unless
you
type
the
author's name in
the subject
line
of the message we
won't know where to send it.)
Photo by Grace Brauteseth on Unsplash