by Nick Edinger

I was in the forest when one of the Tall Ones abducted me. I had heard about the Tall Ones before, but had never seen one of these hairless, gangly, sweet-smelling aliens up close.

The Tall One grabbed me and placed me in its shuttle. It took me far away from my homeworld.

Our shuttle landed inside a large dome. Inside the dome were rows of cages. Each cage held people like me. Some yelled at me, the newcomer, as I walked past. Others cried for help.

Every day, a Tall One threw pieces of meat through the bars of my cage. My only comfort from the ground was a scratchy blanket. Tall Ones would visit me every day. I demanded that they take me home, but they didn’t understand my words. Each day, they’d let me and the other cellmates walk about in an enclosed yard. Otherwise, I had little to do but sleep.

One day, a Tall One restrained me. It held a needle in its hand. I cried out, shook my limbs, tried to bite it. But it injected the needle into my leg. I passed out.

I woke up in a new place, with softer ground. I was surrounded by various ropes and sticks on the ground. The lower half of my body felt like it was burning. A hard cylinder, attached to my neck, limited my view.

I was now in the company of two Tall Ones, and three Not-As-Tall Ones. The Not-As-Talls were quicker and louder. Unlike the Tall Ones, they tried to talk with me. We couldn’t understand each other. They waved fuzzy objects of different shapes and scents in my face.

As the weeks went by, I made peace with my new homeworld. With time, the burning sensation went away, and a Tall One removed the cylinder from my neck. It held out a piece of meat in its hand. It motioned for me to approach, used a tone of voice both gentle and excited. I wagged my tail and moved closer.