Nuclear Winter

A Story by Dylan Mabe

Human Translation: Edean preparing.

I held my questionnaire that I was to present to the human scientists on Earth when I arrived. The neon lights gleamed all across the transport area aboard the starship "Scouter." A capitol class vessel belonging to the AHEI or Association of Human and Edean Interaction.

I had spent a good eight of my one thousand and nine years on this ship preparing for what lay ahead on my scouting missions to Earth. Preparation which included knowing the functions of human society.

The study of human life and culture perplexed most of my people. However, the epic that is human history and the adventure that is humanly present stimulates me to no end. I find myself intoxicated by human entertainment and pass times. I have recently become a fan of the human sport soccer. How they possess such coordination and leg control is beyond my imagination.

Literature is my ultimate joy in my time in training, The stories that their minds produce keep me entertained endlessly. I have even selected my human name after my favorite author: Terry Pratchett.

However, many things do perplex me about human culture. Movies and television being some of the top contenders. Why watch a human do human activities when you have the ability to perform them yourself? I have found myself getting quite used to the idea however. I take part in viewing the show " The Golden Girls" often. Something about elderly human females getting into difficult situations is humorous to me.

Sexual orientation and human relationships also confuse me. Why would they limit themselves to just one gender to mate with? However, out of wanting to keep a low profile, my human form will portray the straight male. Which I would not be able to take a mate until the age of three thousand either way. Throughout all my study of the ways of the blue planet, I have found that there is no greater opposite to the world of my upbringing, Roux Pyle.

A planet of naturally occurring sand and small shacks for taking refuge against the constant sandstorms. The only thing differing cities from small towns were a few upright, stone buildings apart from the land. My parental figures worked diggers all their lives. Arachnid-like objects with several elongated legs so the machines don't sink into the endless sand so quickly. The workers spend their lives pulling sand and grain from the wasteland so that it wouldn't overflow with the merciless element. They were like everyone else. I needed something else to fill the years to come. I needed adventure and this was my ticket. Now I was making my debut as an ambassador of knowledge.

My parental figures of course wanted me to stay planet-side, at least until I reached the age to take a mate. Since our species had a low birth rate and a harsh environment to live from, my parents dubbed it my responsibility to our species to wait until I produced young. Waiting until the appropriate age of three thousand would not be much of problem seeing as I was already well into my four digit ages. However, I felt something else calling me. Something more important than home.

Human translation: Transformation process beginning.

It seemed as if I was the only one in the room. The other Edeans focused all their attention on the buttons and knobs that powered the behemoth craft. I knew I was another piece to a larger puzzle, maybe one of the bigger pieces with myself being a scout. Especially since we had not had contact with the Earth scientists for approximately fifteen years.

Human Translation: Transformation process commencing.

Here came the painful part. My extremely large limbs and cranium had to be shrunken down to human size by a beam of light containing chemicals by which to shrink my body down to human size. Then, my body injected in both arms, legs, chest, and cranium. In a matter of minutes the injection would travel through my veins and transform my body to the likeness of a human in his prime. Only few human scientists knew of our existence, so it was best to work in camouflage.

As my limbs and such began to shrivel and the injections coursed through my body, my appearance began to drastically alter. My legs and arms were taken down to half size and my head to a quarter of original size. The body was even, which was more than I could say for my original form. My body would not catch up with my limbs until my three thousandth year.

My weight stayed at a constant with only a subtle change from one hundred and thirty eight pounds to around one hundred and thirty one. My height faltered from a reasonable ten foot and nine inches, which is rather humble for an Edean, to a solid size of seven foot and six inches. A bit over-board for a human, but it would have to subvise. My pride was injured a bit by the loss of sheer size of my cranium and ears. The only good out of it was that now with my ears taken down to a smaller size, I was able to take part in an activity I wasn't able to do with my highly sensitive ears, house music.

With my now stronger human taste buds I could still savor the last meal I ate before the preparation began. I had been on a diet of strictly human food, including chicken, fish, and dog. Of course, they briefed me on the controversy of the consumption of dog in certain countries. How humans could resist such a temptation is beyond my understanding.

I was also told that I had to keep my new body hydrated and I had been introduced to different human beverages, alcohol being my hydration of choice. Having witnessed it take a toll on human motor skills and other functions in holo-videos of human behavior. It has no effect on the minds or bodies of Edeans, however.

As the injections gave birth to my human eyes, an explosion of color took hold of the room that had before been shadeless and bland. Flashing lights and noises now had color companionship. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around seeing this beauty at all times. The now green neon sign began flashing again.

Human translation: beaming process to begin

The time I had been training for was before me. I had fulfilled my quest in life and it was now sinking in for me. I was making a difference for two species for the greater good with no more than myself, and my holo-record, which I was to transmit my actions and discoveries into. The excitement and exhilaration made me lightheaded. The scientists said it was an expected side effect of my new body. I would have three years before the "Scouter" would come back for all the missionaries, so I have a while to get used to it. I tied my blue scarf to my neck because my request of sending me during Winter had been granted. I raised my chin high. I guess it was too late for weak stomachs now.

Taking one last look at Earth beyond its atmosphere, I faced forward to meet my fate. At the last second, catching a glimpse of light coming from the planet.

Human Translation: Beaming commencing.

* *

One year and three months later.

Holo-log number forty-seven

So cold, so alone, nothing is left. Everything I had worked for and dreamed about was gone. I am being selfish, but I don’t care. I needed this life to stay sane, and now sanity was leaving by way of which it came.

Oh, the buildings. The grand structures that once towered over each other, competing over who could outreach the others, were decimated by the hands that created them.

Other humans must have found out about the operation, or someone on the inside leaked it to them. They must have felt threatened. With each territory having enough fire power to take the whole world apart time and time again. It was only a matter of time before a country realized another was getting a step up and retaliated.

I am surviving by scavenging what is left of buildings and small shops across the city. The loneliness is what takes you apart. That and the blistering cold that ravenged my body with pain was enough to break me.

I am tired. I want to sleep. I was told that my human body can't take sleep in temperatures like this, but my mind no longer takes death into account. As I'm looking around at all the devastation, I can say one of my achievements in life is being the only one to survive nuclear winter.

Holo-log interrupted.