Apocalyptic fiction; Human-alien encounters -- Fiction; Mothers and sons -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
Slowly Helen opened her eyes. She sat up slowly, taking in the scene
around her. She sat that way for a moment, thinking, her mind far from
there, somewhere in southern France where her aunt and uncle were. She
wondered if--
"Robbie," she whispered. She nudged his shoulder gently, trying to
awaken him. Finally his eyes opened. He smiled wistfully.
"Get up, dear. We've got to be going now."
"I'm hungry."
"I know. So am I. We'll find something to eat pretty soon. You will
have to wait."
"But--" Tears came to his eyes. One ran down his dirty cheek, making a
rivulet.
"Please Robbie," she pleaded. "Don't cry. Remember what daddy always
said, 'A smile blocks up the tears.'" He smiled weakly. "Now buck up,"
she added.
She took his hand and they started walking.
"_Reading her mind, I see that she is more concerned over her
child's welfare than her own. This is very unusual in primitive
races._"
They entered a small town. Down the main street they walked. The town
was deserted, but showed no sign of being bombed or burned. In the
street, numerous automobiles were parked. But she saw no people....
They entered a restaurant. Inside, the tables and chairs were in good
order except for a half inch of dust and a few dirty dishes. She
inspected the kitchen and found what she had been looking for. Canned
food.
"Robbie," she called. "Where are you?"
She walked back to the door of the kitchen and looked into the
restaurant. Robbie was not there.... Then she saw him through the
restaurant windows, standing on the street outside. She called
"Robbie--I've found some food!"
Robbie turned, his small face twisted with hunger. He started back
toward the door.
She returned to the kitchen and looked for a can opener.
"_We will drop down a few hundred feet and pick up the young one
with our magnetic-force-field. We shall examine him._"
One moment Robbie was standing at the restaurant door, and the next
he was floating upward in the middle of the air. There was a strange
sensation in his stomach. He was scared. He started to cry.
"_Notice the noise he makes with his mouth. This is not a form of
communication, but rather he is using a primitive form of expressing
his thoughts, which is called crying. Reading his mind, I find only
confusion and fear. He wonders where he is, but knows that he
doesn't like it._
"_Another interesting fact about these aliens is that they feel
pain. It is hard to understand and even harder to explain. But I
will try. We are aware of touching something or somebody only as a
sensation on the skin. These people have more than that. Now watch.
As I cut the skin of this young one slightly, notice that he jerks
and screams louder. He is feeling pain. It is a strong sensation
that leaves a sharp impression on the brain. That does not fully
explain it, but it is the best I can do along with this
demonstration._"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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