Home Sweet Home

One day, as I was contemplating what to eat for lunch, I met with a very interesting individual. For one, they were dressed quite extrordinarly. I think it was a man, I'm not quite sure. I hadn't seen a man in many many years, and hadn't expected to ever again. Not that I didn't mind, he was very interesting to talk with.

First, he appeared out of nowhere. I was just deciding on a lovely plate of greens when he walked up next to me and sat down right near the post I was at. The look on his face told me that he definately wasn't from around here. In fact, he had the audacity to ask me what I was doing by myself in the middle of the city! Naturally, I was slightly annoyed, and asked him who he thought he was to ask ME why I was there!

"What do you think I'm here to do, pull carriages? I'm here to eat lunch!" I told him.

"My, how you talk!" He exclaimed. In fact, after this, he seemed quite out of words himself! After several moments of uncomfortable silence, he explained his presence.

"If you can talk, let's talk. My name is Bryant. I've been travelling the universe for the past 800 years. After we had that great war so many years ago, I thought it best to see what else was out there after our planet was destroyed. I had discovered a type of plant that could add several centuries to one's life, and shared it with the world for trillions of dollars. I called it Longevitius. Unfortunately, it unbalanced everything. The rich bought it, ammassed their money and took over everything. The poor went without, and died. The land all went to the rich. The cities grew fat with riches and old people, and in time, the population started to die off. People just weren't being born anymore, or dying fast enough!"

"What's this got to do with me? Here, you're a man. I don't like men. I was glad to finally be rid of men, and now here you are, interupting my lunch. I don't care where you've come from, as long as you leave!" I said. "I'm not interested in you!"

He put his hand up, a gesture that frightened me.

"Now see here. It's odd enough that I'm here, and talking to you myself! I just figured I'd find out what's going on here, on Earth. That is where I'm at, right?"

"What have you got to do with Earth? We aren't interested in... in... aliens invading us!"

"I'm getting to my point, if you'll let me tell it!"

I stomped the ground, flared my nostrils and settled down after a minute. "Go on," I told him impatiently.

"So I bought a space station, got myself rations, and travelled the universe. I needed to find a new place to leave. It was either that, or be gone long enough for things to settle back down. That," he added, "and I wasn't too popular with most folks anymore. They didn't like what Longevitus did to our world," he explained. "So I left. I traveled a long time. I searched and searched for intelligent life and more rations, and found neither. I also ran out of Longevitius. So I decided to return home, and see if things were settled down yet.

"Well, safe journey," I said, hoping he was done with his story. My greens had been delivered to me.

"No, you don't understand. I AM home," he said, pointing to my greens...

I trotted off. Someone else would have to explain to him what happened to his race and how horses managed to take over. I had a lunch to eat.

I HAD always wondered how the greens got their name.

635 Words