On Display

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the line: "These people are insane."

On Display

“And here we have the Screeching Fire Kittens from Andula Five; a species known for their hypnotic purring. They’ve been known to cause entire platoons of armed men to drop their weapons making them easy prey for the beasts. You’ve all heard about the famous case where General Mattkins was consumed down to the bone in a matter of seconds; his famous last words…”Who's a good kitty?”

The guide, an Elephant Slug from a nearby system, slithered on down the expansive hallway as the tourists scurried to keep up.

“Up ahead we have our Earth exhibit. You will notice the wide variety of animals and plant life found on this water world.”

There were “oooo’s” and “aaaah’s” aplenty as the groups crowded around the various exhibits. This was the newest addition to the Galactic Zoo and so far, it had been a smashing success. Nowhere in all of the explored systems did such a diverse world exist.

“Can we see the people? You know, the humans?”

“Certainly,” said the slug as she/he waved towards several large windows that instantly became transparent.

“As you can see, we’ve gone to quite an expense to create a natural environment for them.”

The tourists began firing off the normal questions: “Can I buy one? Can they do tricks? How do they reproduce? Do they bite? Can I pet one?”

Eventually came The Question – the one without an easily understood answer.

“What about those people gathered around that flat screen watching something that appears to say…my translator might be getting this wrong but…Fox News?”

The slug could only shake her/his head before gesturing towards the group in question and saying, “We’ve had our best people working on that very question. The best we can come up with so far is that these people are insane.”

Word Count 300