Seldat the Navigator

The Zen had long green bodies with enormous reptilian eyes. How repulsive, imagine being cooped up with these throwbacks for ten standard units. They were paying tourists who thought they were so superior, treating the Tamteldon like third-rate lackeys. Seldot slammed his fin onto the panel. No more of these insults from the Zen. All he ever heard from them was insults. If they didn’t get off his case they would have to navigate through the vortex themselves.

There must be some way of revenging this terrible behavior, a way that wouldn’t get him in trouble. One more disciplinary mark on his record and Seldot would be swimming at home with his own tads so he had to be careful, he decided on a suitable revenge, reprogramming the dehumidifier to make the atmosphere favorable to himself.

As the atmosphere changed, Zzemotttt the senior Zen in the delegation complained, “Ssyourr doinggg thisss on purposss.”

Seldot who was unable to show emotion with his un-muscled face replied telepathically, “It is necessary for me to have some personal comfort while doing critical maneuvers. Vortex traveling is critical work please understand that.”

Zzemotttt made a curse in Zen. He had either forgot that Seldot was a telepath or didn’t care. He decided to shuffle off to the passenger cabin so that he could be in a good environment.

Seldot was having so much fun tormenting his tormentors that he made a bad decision. He decided to change the atmosphere in the passenger cabin, that should make the Zen sorry they had been so nasty. He would change the atmosphere back after they had been properly humiliated. Just to be safe he decided to research the effects of a wet humid environment on the Zen. He didn’t want to harm them.

Telepathically he accessed the central database including the terms, wet, humid, hot environment. The data return was the worst that Seldot could imagine. A hot wet humid environment put the Zen into the feeding mode. They were ferocious uncontrollable carnivores when this happened to them.

He felt the grip of reptilian jaws on his neck the pain was unbearable. The last he heard was. “Ttamellldon is SSSSooo goood.”

Tommy

Tommy had never learned about school stuff. He had wandered these streets since he was still peeing his pants. The time was getting along pretty late, but it still wasn’t midnight. Tommy could tell because at midnight the lights on the Carleton building automatically dimmed. He didn’t know how the lights knew to go off, but they did. Tommy liked it then, most people were asleep and he didn’t have to be afraid. You know how it is? The dark hides, but who knows what else it is hiding?

  Tonight, he had an especially nice spot under a giant willow tree which had lots of dense shrubs tucked up close to hide in. He had picked up a blanket and a meal at the Salvation Army place, a few cans of food and a loaf of bread. The park was pretty much deserted at this time of the night. You didn’t want the cops to find you, they would shine the light in your eyes and make you get up and leave. Sometimes if they were mad, they would whack you with their stick. Thinking this, made Tommy hide deeper in the shrubs.

  He needed some rest after walking around town all day with his head bent down looking for the money people lose. He had found some too, but when he tried to buy some milk with it the clerk had laughed at him and drove him off. Drifting off to sleep, he clutched a slice of the bread in his hand; it would be handy when he woke up. Tommy wished he knew about numbers. Everyone else had homes and went to school, but since his mommy had dropped him off here in the city, things had been different for him. He had hidden in alleys and learned who the bad people were and how to avoid them. He had nearly starved when he was little untill he learned how to forage out of garbage cans.

  The cops weren’t bad people, not all of them anyway. Once when he was still little one of the cops, who found him, gave him something to eat and asked him a lot of questions. He had even picked him up and gave him a hug like his mommy used to. Tommy had been afraid because the man had funny eyes with wet leaking out. He had escaped that day by climbing under toilet stalls in the station house and following a lady out the door.

  A bright light shone in Tommy’s eyes. A woman’s voice, somewhere behind the light asked, “Who are you?” Thinking it was the cops, he tried to run but it was too late. A hand grabbed him by the wrist. “I’ll leave the park. I promise.” Tommy was thinking that a bed in the jail might be nice at least it would be warm. He was starting to get cold.

  “I’m Tommy,” He said.

  “What’s your last name?” asked the lady.
 
  “I’ve only got one name. I’m Tommy. Are you the cops?”

  “No I’m your mother. Years ago, I dropped you off at the Hospital you were only four years old. You must have been wandering around this town for ten years. I read an article about a child living by himself in the city and thought it might be you.”

  “You’re my momma?” Tommy was starting to get scared. His momma had been really bad to him. She had “stoned herself and was mean.”
Tommy broke from her grasp and ran. He would have to hide better now.

  Tommy had learned how to avoid the bad people.