A HARD LIFE

As I walked towards her, I felt something unthinkable was about to happen. My face turned red, and we started to get closer to each other. Finally, I was going to score with the girl I liked for so many years!

Just when it was about to happen, I heard fast footsteps, and out of nowhere, a green fellow got between us, and started fighting with Joyce. It was to my amazement when Joyce herself turned green, grew antennas and lost skin in replacement for scales. Suddenly she looked just like the new arrived stranger. Their clash was ferocious both wielding a strange weapon I had never seen before. When they were fighting close to each other, it took shape of a longsword but when they parted, both were holding pistols.

Of course, I hid like a bunny, in a bush a few yards from them, due to the fact of being very fond on staying alive. Can’t be sure how much time passed, but eventually one of them chopped the other’s head off. He then put away his weapon and took out of his satchel a kind of orb. The orb was big, as it took him both hands to hold, but as I thought it couldn’t be big, or it wouldn’t fit in the satchel. The creature then dropped it right on the other one’s chest, and immediately, a blue flash came out of it, blinding me.

When my visions returned, the dead body was gone, and the orb was small. Putting the orb away, the creature then turned to my hiding spot and called my name. Scared, I went to him, and nearly suffered a heart attack when he turned into my best friend. He then told me his real name was Flermion, from a far-away planet, NC-17, where technology had evolved much faster than in Earth.

I was given a short lecture on the planet’s history, and then things got serious. Jake told me he was given the mission to protect me from NC-18’s spies. NC-18 is NC17’s neighbour planet, much alike in culture, technology and even physical attributes of the population. He explained me that in the prophecy, given to the first of NC-17’s leaders, a human named John Heath, who would turn 18 in 2020, would unite Earth and NC-17, and eradicate the evil NC-18 planet. And that was why they tried to kill me, according to Jake.

We then had to take care of the incident report, explaining the situation, and Jake sent it to his home planet, along with a request for backup. After that, he escorted me home.

- And that, Mom, is why I arrived at 5 am from Joyce’s Party. -

- You are lying. Why did Jake have to carry you on his shoulders to your bed? -

- Because I was injured from the fight Mom! -

- But according to you, Jake is the one who fought. You, sir, are grounded. -

Henrique A.