New to Space Traveler Fargone? Start at the beginning.
The hallway opened into a vast open space. It had several levels with escalators running between them. The floors were lined with shops of various sorts selling clothing, jewelry, and even printed books! There was a playground for children and a fountain that shot water into the air. It reminded me of those malls in movies and photos from the 20th century.
The residents were humanoid in appearance. Except the females had a huge amount of hair that frizzed out from their heads. Everyone wore brightly colored clothing. Our gray TGS jumpsuits were definitely out of place. We should have worn the blue ones.
“Let’s try to blend in and see what we can learn,” I said.
“That is not going to be easy with Flow’s metallum skin. Flow, go wait in the hallway, out of sight, and Far and I will try to find some makeup,” Em said.
“I don’t know anything about makeup.”
“Obviously. Alright, you try to find some clothing for us.”
“And how do propose we pay for it? I doubt they take Earth credits.”
“Hmm. Well, we will just have to steal what we need.”
“I have a better idea than resorting to lawbreaking,” Flow said. “I will transform into a bench. The two of you can explore and report back with your findings.”
“That is a great idea,” Em said.
“Agreed,” I added.
“From what I have seen of the garments being worn, nothing will look out of place. Your jumpsuits will likely not get much notice.”
“We have a plan. Em, let’s split up and meet back here in half an hour. And don’t steal anything.”
“Alright. Your loss. I was going to steal a brain for you.”
“Maybe you should steal a personality for yourself.”
Flow interrupted us. “That’s enough. I don’t want to be a bench any longer than I have to. Go.”
Em and I went in opposite directions. It was fascinating. There were shops selling everything imaginable, including things I had never seen before. There was music playing in almost every shop. One shop even sold discs that played music. The number of clothing stores was unbelievable. Clothing must be very important to these people. How odd.
After walking a while, I came to another open area. This one was lined with food shops. Dozens of kinds of food were available. The center was filled with tables full of people eating. It appeared that anything you would ever need was available in this building. Amazing.
Unknown to me, at the same time I was exploring, Flow was having an adventure of her own.
It wasn’t long after she transformed into a bench that two residents decided to sit on her. They were unlike most of the other humanoids. They had wrinkled skin and gray hair. And their clothing was less colorful than the rest of the humanoids. They began to talk.
“When did they put this bench in?”
“It wasn’t here yesterday. Why would they make it out of metal? It’s hard on the butt.”
“They probably figured with all the donuts you been eating, you might break a wooden one.”
“Hardy, har. Maybe they just wanted something as hard as your head.”
“Or my abs.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Dang it.”
“What?”
“I forgot to take my memory pills.”
“At least you remembered to put on pants today.”
About this time, Emma and I returned.
“How are you doing, Gentlemen?” I said.
“What planet are you from?” One of the old guys asked.
“Uh.”
“No one has called me a gentleman since I was a young man.”
“Oh. I am not from here.”
“How did you get in then?
“Uh.”
Em stepped in. “I’m Emma. What are your names?”
“I’m Leonard, and this is Harold. You didn’t answer my question. How did you get in here?”
“Well…”
“Don’t lie. I know everyone in this zone, and you ain’t one of them.”
“Alright. We are not from this planet.”
“I knew it!” Harold said.
“You did not. Eat your donut and let me talk,” Leonard snapped.
I re-entered the conversation. “It’s true. We are from the planet Earth in another galaxy.”
“You expect me to believe you are actually from another planet?”
“I know it is unexpected.”
“Unexpected? It’s pure fiction. You ain’t fooling me. And you ain’t getting nothing either.”
“We are not asking for anything; we are explorers.”
“How would you like to explore a security cell?”
“Perhaps you will believe me?” Flow said.
“Who said that?” Harold asked.
“What kind of trickery is this?” Leonard added.
“I am Flow. I am Metallum. I can change shape. I am currently in the shape of a bench. The bench you are sitting on.”
Flow quickly raised the bench legs up and down. Leonard and Harold jumped off the bench. Surprisingly fast for elderly men, I might add. They had a look of terror in their eyes.
“Please sit back down. We are not going to harm you. We just want to learn about your planet,” I said.
Leonard and Harold looked at each other and cautiously sat back down. Leonard looked up at me and grunted. “Finally. Something interesting happened in this place. What do you want to know?”
I’m beginning to sense a donut theme in your writing. And also, “we should have worn the blue ones” really made me laugh. 🤣
"even printed books" - Love it!