Hats Off To You
Voices From The Heartland • Could A Heart Be So Shallow?
One Minute Wit
Voices From The Heartland
“This is Kansas.
You have to expect some Dust In The Wind.”
Poem
Could A Heart Be So Shallow?
Amber, Auburn, Midnight, Silver
the colors that adorn her features
but don’t express the beauty of her soul
Could a heart be so shallow
to judge her based on the color of her hair?
I pray mine will see only the beauty of variety
Pale, Olive, Bronze, Dark
the colors that adorn her features
but don’t express the beauty of her soul
Could a heart be so shallow
to judge her based on the color of her skin?
I pray mine will see only the beauty of variety
Story
Hats Off To You
A tale of an unlikely friendship
Sarah was raised in a remote part of Canada. Her parents were recluses and had moved as far from civilization as was practical. But Sarah was different. She wished she had someone to play with. Sadly, there were no kids around. In fact, there were no neighbors of any age.
Sarah spent most of her days playing in the fields and woods that surrounded her house. She imagined going on adventures with other kids, but it was just pretending. In her heart, she longed for real connection.
On the day before her ninth birthday, Sarah was out playing in a field when she heard an odd noise. It wasn’t the usual noises of nature, which she was familiar with. It was a new sound. And it was above her. She looked up and saw a spaceship coming out of the sky.
The tiny spaceship was tube-shaped and gently floated to the ground. Sarah stared in disbelief. A panel in the ship slid open, and a small humanoid alien came out. The alien was about the same size as Sarah. It looked quite similar to a human, except it had larger eyes, and its skin was grayer.
The alien walked over to Sarah and said, “I’m Beeree. My parents said I could come and play with you.”
Sarah was a little shocked but also very excited to have someone to play with.
“Hi, Beeree. I’m Sarah. Do you like board games? We have lots of them, but my parents get tired of playing them with me.”
“I don’t know. I have never played one. I play games against my ship’s AI. But I always lose.”
“My parents don’t allow me to play video games. Let’s go to my house, and I’ll show you what games I have.”
“My parents said I can only show myself to you.”
“Oh. Alright. Stay here. I will go get them and bring them back.”
“You can’t tell your parents about me, or I won’t be able to play with you.”
“Don’t worry. It will be our secret.”
Sarah smiled, then turned and ran toward the house.
A few minutes later, Sarah returned with a stack of board games. Sarah and Beeree spent the next couple of hours playing board games. Sarah was happier than she had ever been. At one point, she threw her hat into the air out of sheer delight.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” Beeree asked.
“No, I am fine. I just threw my hat.”
“What is a hat?”
“A hat is something humans wear on their heads. To keep the sun out of our eyes or to keep the rain off. Or just because we like the way they look. I love hats. I have about thirty of them. Would you like one?”
“I think I would like to try one,” Beeree replied.
“Stay here; I will be right back.”
Sarah ran toward the house again. She returned a few minutes later with a wide-brimmed hat for Beeree.
“Here. You can have it. I have plenty. Try it on,” Sarah said with a smile.
Beeree put the hat on and said, “I love it. Thank you.”
Sarah and Beeree became fast friends. Sarah learned that Beeree was also a lonely girl living with her parents. Only Beeree’s parents were aliens on a mission to observe Earth for 20 Earth years. They had already been watching for five years.
For the next few years, Sarah and Beeree grew up together. Their friendship grew strong. They were like sisters.
Then one day, Beeree said, “Guess what? My parents said you can come and see our ship.”
“Really? When?” Sarah replied.
“Right now. Let’s go.”
They both got into Beeree’s shuttle and flew up to the main ship. All the while, Sarah marveled at the sights she saw heading into space. Her home grew smaller, and the Earth grew larger. Soon she could see the curvature of the whole planet.
Once onboard the main ship, Sarah met Beeree’s parents.
“Hello, Sarah. I am Greegee and this is my wife, Staajaa. We are pleased to meet you. Beeree has told us all about you.”
They were very nice, like she hoped they would be.
“Hello. I am so excited to meet you also. Beeree is my best friend in the whole world.”
“That is very nice. I am sure Beeree can say the same about you.”
“It’s true!” Beeree said. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”
“Sarah, We would like to meet your parents. Do you think they would be agreeable to this idea?”
“I don’t know. My parents don’t like humans that much. Maybe they will like aliens a little better. I have an idea.”
An hour later, Sarah and Beeree walked into Sarah’s house. Sarah’s parents were naturally shocked to see an alien girl with their daughter.
“Momma and Poppa, this is Beeree. She is from the planet Heefee.”
Once the shock wore off and some questions were answered, Sarah’s parents decided the best thing to do was to invite Beeree’s parents to dinner. Although they hated entertaining, they figured it was the right thing to do under the circumstances.
Over the next few years, both families became good friends. Sarah’s parents decided they liked aliens far better than humans.
Then the day they all dreaded finally came. The day Beeree and her parents would have to leave to report their findings. Both families were gathered around the dinner table in Sarah’s house.
“Charles, Jennifer, and Sarah. We have grown to care about you all deeply. We owe you the truth.” Greegee said. “We were sent here to evaluate Earth as a second home. Our planet is overpopulated, and our resources are running out. Your planet is rich in resources, with room for our people. If I report honestly, Earth will be invaded by the Heefee, and humans will be exterminated. We have decided as a family that we will turn in a false report. We will tell our people that humans are evil and capable of mass destruction.”
“That is no lie,” Sarah’s father said. “Humans have weapons capable of destroying the entire Earth and people fanatical enough to use them.”
“But we have only experienced kindness,” Staajaa said.
That is because you chose the Canadian wilderness to observe. And our family. We are unlike most humans. Trust me. You do not want to invade Earth. It can only end with the destruction of everything.”
“Then that is what we will report. Thank you, my friends.”
There was a round of hugs, and Beeree’s family headed back to their ship. Sarah’s parents watched from the porch as they left. Sarah walked with them to the shuttle. As they lifted off, Sarah threw her hat into the sky.
Happy Monday. Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
Lovely pieces to wake up to this morning. Thank you, Mark, for giving us something to think about over our coffee. I don't like humans all that much either, as a rule. Okay, maybe five or ten. However. I am meeting exceptionally fine humans on planet Substack, I have to say.
“My parents don’t like humans that much.” 😂 I got a good chuckle out of that one! Nicely done, Mark.