…you discovered a lost civilization?

Well, I don’t want to brag but I can tell you exactly what I would do because as it happens, I do have experience in this field.

   I stumbled upon a lost society, when I finally commenced the long promised clear out of all the junk we accumulated and stored in our garage. They didn’t notice me and I was able to sneak really close. I was literally looking inside their round-shaped dwellings. As I observed them, I realised they don’t have eyes and therefore can’t see me. This gave me a boost of confidence and I began researching these creatures with the utmost seriousness of an amateur science enthusiast.

    They appeared to be having a heated argument, you could see the different fractions and attacks at each other. They differed in colour though not much as they were all kind of yellowy grey and green, the strongest parts blackened but still clearly of the same family. To be quite honest, they were rather ugly with their fluffy miniature tentacles reaching and spawning out farther. And they were noisy, not loud noisy but boisterous noisy and their living standards were fairly low, not to mention their behaviour. Definitely not appropriate for apparently advanced civilization. After some time I could make out what the argument was about as they spoke a simple language and used only limited vocabulary. There was a vote being challenged about abandonment of patriarchal system and a debate about pros and cos of establishing a democracy at the same time. And possibly a brawl about a most suitable textiles and whether or not textiles are suitable environment for something.

   As I mentioned, they settled down in our garage, to be exact on the borders of the northern and eastern wall and the adjourning corner. The wall they possessed was the one with the leaking gutter outside.  Now when I’m thinking about it, what if they were not survivors of a lost civilization but  mere mutants? Who knows what hides in the gutter. Maybe I will find another community out there. Doesn’t matter. I would do exactly what I did with the folks inside. Decimate. Kill. Wipe out. My wife hated them. There were clear signs that they were planning a complete takeover of the area, and possibly the whole house. She was convinced their plan to slowly spread out over the walls and under the carpets, poisoning the air with their fumes and choke us in our sleep would work out if I hadn’t discovered them. I think she was right. I should check the gutter. I think I will need more bleach.

What if February Challenge 

you discovered a spaceship in your neighbour’s garage?

I have moved into my parents house when my father passed away. It is a quiet suburb. It suits me. The hectic lifestyle of the city brought me only ulcers and a heart attack. Now I work from home as an accountant. I have a dog. Benny. He was my dad’s. He is twelve. I walk him every morning. It is usually dark when we go out. We meet the young kid from across the street with his puppy labrador. I think his name is Max. The boy, not the dog.  Sometimes we see the nurse who is renting a studio at the end of the road. She wears that ugly blue uniform that somehow looks really great on her.

I also help Mr and Mrs Parker to do their bills. Mrs Parker doesn’t talk much. Mr Parker even less. I go over to their house once a month to sort out their invoices and receipts. Their house is immaculate with tasteful decorations. It feels almost like entering a catalogue picture. Mr Parker always sits in the library, reading. The books there are arranged in rows and rows of librarian perfection. He barely lifts his eyes to acknowledge my presence. Mrs Parker always prepares a tea. Exactly the way I like it. The cup remains full and the liquid pleasantly warm during my whole stay in the study room. Mrs Parker must be keeping an eye on it. She has the gift of moving without a sound.

One day I finished the paperwork earlier than usual and went to the polished kitchen to find Mrs Parker. It was empty. I thought she must have just taken a cup of tea to Mr Parker so I made my way to the library. It was equally empty. I was not familiar with the rest of the house and it felt wrong to raise my voice to shout for their attention. I was lost in the eerie uncertainty of my next action, when I heard a noise from the garage – beeping and humming noise at the same time. I turned around and walked through the back door.

My first instinct was to scream and run but Mr Parker looked at me with his placid look that gave you no chance. My body was moveless, frozen in trance while my thoughts desperately fought the incomprehensibility of the situation, my sanity on a brink of extinction. He kept his gaze locked until I finally felt calm on the inside. After all it was not that crazy. It was actually rather understandable and most definitely really cool. Mr Parker owns a spaceship. I asked: ‘Could I have a ride?’

What if challenge January