“Mo,” Dave said. “You’ve been here for weeks. What is your plan?”
Mo was squatting over the fire, warming up a squirrel that Dave’s wife had so carefully prepared for him. It was delicious meat and Mo was hoping to dine on more later.
“I don’t know,” Mo said between bites.
“Well what have you been spending your time doing?” Dave sat on the ground next to Mo. Even sitting, Dave was taller than Mo.
Mo didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to tell Dave the whole truth. He had mostly been walking around and exploring nature; it was a luxury he didn’t have back home. Everything was green and lush and he especially liked the water that fell from the tall rocks. the rushing sound of water soothed him and he’d often find himself spending the entire day sitting next to it, thinking about nothing but wanting to stay here forever. Occasionally he’d see a bear and have to run back to the cave. He didn’t like the bears, but everything else seemed friendly.
He took a large bite of squirrel to buy more time.
Dave sighed.
“I’ve been planning,” Mo finally said.
“Have you?” Dave’s voice seemed angry.
“I promise, I have.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
Mo gulped. “Uh…. what would you recommend?”
“I’ve been talking with Charla,” Dave said.
Mo knew Charla was Dave’s wife, but at that moment he realized he didn’t know anyone else’s name.
“We think you should go to this big city not too far from here, called LA.”
“L… A…?” Mo repeated.
“Yes. It’s a large place and you can blend in easily, make a living, and try to figure out how to get back home. Plus, it’s closer to your spaceship, so if anything happens there you’ll be just a short distance away.”
“Hm…” Mo took another bite of squirrel.
“We love having you,” Dave said, “But we’ll all be leaving soon. This is just a pit stop for us. We won’t be here forever.”
“Can I stay here by myself?” The thought of living in a cave, close to the trees and water and everything Mo loved, seemed incredible.
“No,” Dave said.
“Okay… is there anyone else I can find if I need help?”
Dave sighed. “Probably, I don’t know Mo…”
There were other emergency contacts his commander had given him, but he was reluctant to reach out, primarily because he wasn’t familiar with them. Mo didn’t like meeting new species, especially on new planets. In his youth, he had at least seen the planet of Sasquatch and knew their species fairly well. After having spent some time with them, he knew they were harmless. He didn’t know what to expect from others.
“How do I get to this… LA place?” Mo asked, picking off a piece of fur from his dinner.
Dave stood up. “I don’t know, exactly.” He warmed his oversized hands over the fire. They were the size of the remaining part of the squirrel Mo hadn’t eaten yet. “I can give you the general direction, but you’ll have to find it from there.”
“Are there any closer places?”
“Yes.” Dave said quickly. “But they aren’t what you need. You need to blend in. You need to not stand out. You need to disappear until you can figure out how to get back home.”
“Ok.” Mo took another bite of his delicious squirrel.
“When you’re done, pack up your things, if you have any, and I can get you started in the right direction.” Dave stood and left the room.
Mo picked a piece of meat out of his teeth. LA sounded scary and big and intimidating, but if it was what Dave recommended, he’d have to figure it out.