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Thursday, May 10, 2018

Microstory 839: Alien

My whole life, the only thing I ever wanted was to get out of the lab. The nice people taking care of me taught me all about the world outside, but never let me see it for myself. They recited histories, and read me current events. They let me listen to music, and personal interest stories on public radio. They didn’t let me watch any television or movies, though, which made it difficult to conceive how they worked. Still, they developed me into one of the smartest individuals in the world, simultaneously keeping me the most sheltered, and least experienced. Hell, I never even knew what they looked like. Everything was provided for me remotely, using robots and other automation tools. One mistake they made, however, was teaching me technical skills, which I ultimately used to escape my room. There appeared to be no security in the hallways, probably because they never dreamed I would ever do anything like this, and likely had no reason to believe anyone outside knew this place existed. Once I opened the door to the outside, though, the alarms started blaring, so I had to run as far as I could, as fast as I could. There was no time to waste gawking at all these new stimuli, filling my sense of wonder with brand new encounters, or to savor the moments. I just kept going, all through town. I could see some figures around me, but it was the middle of the night, so there weren’t a lot of people about, and I couldn’t make out any faces. Thinking it best to get off the streets, I ducked into an alleyway, and found an unlocked door to a movie theatre. This is a good place to hide out, I thought. It won’t open for another several hours, and hopefully my trail will have gone cold by the time I have to leave. I sneak into the auditorium, find a row of seats on the end, right up against a large pillar, and try to get some sleep.

When I wake up, I can hear people around me. The lights have risen to a dim, but I’m bleary-eyed and afraid, so I stay curled up, and hope that no one notices me, which they don’t. I must have overslept, but as long as I wait until the movie starts, I should be okay. The house lights go down, leaving us in relative darkness, and I finally feel safe enough to sit up. There aren’t many others in the first matinee showing, and no one pays me any mind. I look around with a smile, glad to be in the real world, and excited to see more. While I’m here, though, I might as well enjoy the film. They’re playing Paranormal Activity 2, which I remember reading about. Supposedly, a lot of people went into the first in the franchise thinking it was real, but I’m not sure I believe that. I really like this one, and don’t have much trouble understanding it, but they never explained why it was billed a ghost story when it’s clearly about aliens. I would have preferred my first time to not be so scary too, but I’m just grateful I didn’t wait to break out until next week when Saw 3D is released. Once the movie ends, the house lights come back up, and I can finally see the other people there. They look completely bizarre to me, with two large ears, and tiny beady eyes. There’s hair on top of their heads, like eyelashes, but a lot longer. Their skin is pink and translucent, and I don’t see a single person with a tail. Is this a theatre for aliens? They look exactly like the ones from the movie. How did they get here, and for what purpose? Then I realize that they’re not the aliens. I am. Now it all makes sense. They named me Géënmu, but I’ve never heard of anyone else with that name, and they even gave me a baby naming book to reference. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. Géënmu. Genetically engineered mutant. I don’t belong out here. I have to find a way back.

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