A. L. Kaplan

Tag: aliens

  • SHORE 3: HOSPITAL SHORE

    “They were aliens.”

    “You told me they were cats,” said the doctor. He tapped a pencil on his note pad.

    I glared at the doctor and raked my belly. I’d been relegated to the psychiatric ward ever since they found me unconscious on a barren island in the Pacific.

    “They were alien cats and they walked on two legs like we do.” The irritation on my stomach continued to irk me as much as this conversation. “I swear. I’m not making this up.”

    “I’m sure you believe that’s true. Tell me again how your ship sunk.”

    My teeth pressed together until they hurt. At least it distracted me from the damned itch. I’d told the same story for a month. No one believed me. Had I hallucinated Catherine and Tom? Had I really been that sun mad to have concocted the whole story?

    “We hit something during a storm and the ship sunk. I was the only survivor. Tom found me washed up on their spaceship disguised as an island. He and Catherine fed me the best seared fish I’ve ever had. That’s all I have to say.”

    The doctor’s brow wrinkled. “Looks like you’re not ready to face reality yet. I’ll have an orderly bring you back to your room.”

    The lock clicked behind me like a doomsday chime. Maybe I was crazy. Maybe I really had imagined the whole thing. I scratched my stomach again, then looked at the irritation. A tawny gold and black pattern decorated my skin, just like the spots on Catherine’s fur. My heart jumped. It was real, and I’d been tagged and released.

  • SHORE 2: HOSPITABLE SHORE

    “Tom, please get our guest another drink while I fix supper.”

    “By all means, Catherine.”

    The prim and proper manner of my hosts still struck me as odd. They sounded like an English couple, yet looked… well, they looked like huge cats. I was fair pickings when they found me washed up on their doorstep, but instead of being supper, they invited me to the meal.

    “Here you go,” said Tom. His long tawny tail swished back and forth. “I’ve added a restorative. Wouldn’t do for you to get sick after Catherine prepared such a lovely meal.”

    I took the cup, thanked him, and turned away. Tom’s luminescent gold eyes made me shiver. They’d been nothing but kind and gentle, but it was hard to ignore long sharp fangs. Not to mention, the retractable claw Catherine used to gut tonight’s dinner. The pan seared fish smelled magnificent, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was on tomorrow’s menu.

    I pushed that thought away. It wouldn’t be good form to turn into a bowl of quivering Jell-O.  “Where are you folks from?”

    Catherine’s golden bronze fur rippled as she cooked, making her dark spots move around. “We originally came from planet Mau, although Tom and I grew up just outside of London. Our ancestors have studied your species for several thousand years.”

    I put the cup of juice on the table before it spilled. My mind struggled to wrap itself around aliens and sentient cats. “A tiny, pacific island is a long way from London.”

    “This isn’t an island, dear,” said Catherine. “It’s our spacecraft. London got too dangerous with all the cell phones and cameras. That’s why we don’t go outside until after dark. Humans have come a long way, but you are still way too unpredictable and violent.”

    Sad to say, but she was right. And I was nothing but stray dog, a wild animal.

  • Greener Pastures

    Swallows flitted across the meadow on the far side of the fence. Henrietta leaned her head on the barrier and watched them soar. It was so much greener over there. Of course everything else looks greener when you’re stuck in prison. Gertrude and Mildred didn’t care. They were too dumb to notice, but Henrietta noticed. Ever since the night those strange creatures flew down from the stars and poked at her, Henrietta had begun to look at her life in ways she never even considered. It was as if a door had opened in her mind.

    Most of the other cows thought only of chewing their cud, content to be herded to the machine that stole milk meant for their children. They didn’t even realize they were in a prison camp. All the other cows saw was limitless food. No matter that their children were taken away. Even Henrietta had forgotten about her calf until the strangers helped remind her.

    And when the cows stop producing milk, what then? There was no happy retirement for their lifetime of slave labor. Dried up cows got trucked away, never to be seen again.

    Well, Henrietta wasn’t going to wait to be taken to the slaughterhouse. She was going to escape and fly free like the swallows, maybe even find her calf. The plan was ready. Her rabbit friends had loosened the fence post. All she needed to do now was convince the bear to yank it down. Shouldn’t be hard at all.