Mo was always exhausted after using his boosters, and today was no exception. He landed, face-first, in a pile of sand.
“Gross,” he mumbled to himself, standing up and shaking it all off. He would need to rest, but looking around, he realized he didn’t have that opportunity. Sand appeared to be all that existed, and the heat of the sun seemed to be cooking his skin. Without his human skin, he didn’t realize how vulnerable he’d be. This place reminded him of where he crash landed, and for that reason alone, he wanted to get out as fast as possible.
He picked a direction and walked. He came across a tall, pointy, green thing that looked edible. It was not edible. It hurt his mouth instead, like it was protecting itself. He kicked it, and then ate one of the bananas he packed instead. The mushy yellow substance caked his mouth, and he realized he’d need something to drink soon. He tossed the peel onto the sand and kept walking.
“Are you going to leave that here?”
He froze.
Had he been identified?
Had his cover been blown already?
Was it…? He spun around. It was! A Chupacabra. A species he thought was extinct.
“Surprised to see me?”
His species and Chupacabras hadn’t necessarily been friends, but they weren’t enemies either. They weren’t known for helping others and had mostly isolated on Earth, which is why Mo thought they were extinct. So yes, he was surprised to see one.
“What are-”
“You thought we were extinct?” The Chupacabra picked up the banana peel before waltzing over to Mo. “Well, we ain’t, okay?”
Mo nodded.
“And I can help you. I know, I know, we’re not known for that, but you know what, sometimes the stereotypes are wrong, okay?”
Mo kept nodding.
“Besides, you look lost, and anything or anyone lost out here eventually dies. It ain’t friendly. Let’s go to my cave, then you can tell me all about what the heck you’re doing wandering the desert.” The Chupacabra headed the opposite direction, and over his shoulder yelled back to mo. “By the way, you can call me Blendo.”
Mo swallowed the rest of his banana and followed Blendo. It wasn’t long before they reached a cave in a rock outcropping that appeared almost out of nowhere. Mo thought it wasn’t real; it seemed to out of place. But the cool air once he stepped in made it a reality.
“Feels good in here,” Mo said.
“Yeah, I bet it does. So why the heck were you out there, anyway?” Blendo disappeared into the darkness of the cave, before reappearing with a can full of water, which Mo quickly consumed.
“Ahh,” he inadvertently verbalized. “I came here from LA.”
“Los Angeles? What the heck are you doing there?”
“I crashed in a desert place, and, well, just kind of ended up there. I met some sasquatch which-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Sasquatch? You took advice from those bums?”
“Bums?” Mo wasn’t familiar with the term.
“It don’t matter, but I’d never take their advice.” Blendo shook his head and made a tsk sound with his teeth.
Mo trusted Sasquatch more than Blendo, or any Chupacabra, but maybe that’s why Blendo made those remarks. Nobody trusted Chupacabra. Mo didn’t know what to say, so he kept talking. “And while I’ve been there, I’ve tried to figure out how to get back home. Since I lost my ship, it’s a bit harder.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Blendo remarked.
“And at work the other day-”
“Whoa! Hold on again. You work somewhere? You don’t just hide out like the rest of us.”
Mo thought about the question, and didn’t realize it was odd he tried to blend in. But now that he realized none of the other species had, it did seem odd. He shrugged. “Seemed like a good thing to do.”
“All right, fine. I guess it doesn’t matter now. Anyway, you were saying?”
“Work, yeah. I was at work and I heard a man on TV talking about going to the moon, so I wanted to try and speak with him and see if I can… I don’t know, get a ride, or help in some way.”
“Who was this man?” Blendo asked.
“They call him Kennedy.”
“John Kennedy? JFK? The President?” Blendo started to laugh. “Man, you ain’t ever going to be able to talk to him.”
“Pres-i-dent?” Mo stuttered.
“Yeah, he’s like, the leader here. Tough guy to just walk up and talk to.”
“I have to try.”
“And that’s why you’re here?”
Mo nodded. “Tomorrow, he’ll be in a place called Dallas. Can you show me how to get there?”
Blendo sighed. “I suppose I can.”
I see nothing but trouble ahead. 🧐
🤭