"Starbucks."(Kevin Hughes) I looked over at him…er…it…er…whatever. Ever since the Aliens landed it has been like this. The minute you step outside your door…there is an Alien waiting to accompany you. They aren’t to picky about where you are going, and they sure as heck don’t care if you want to be alone. I mean it seemed like a good “Trade” at the time.

The Aliens told all the Governments of Earth that they would help us with Technology and Social Structure so that we could turn the Earth back into a Garden of Eden AND put an end to all War. So of course we all agreed. All they wanted was complete access to us Humans. We didn’t realize it meant all of us. Yep. Every single Human being, no matter their ages, was greeted the moment they stepped out of their home, apartment, tent, whatever….by a smiling Alien.

If you just stepped out the door to throw your trash in the garbage bin…you had an Alien with you for those four or five steps. It unnerved many of us Humans, especially since the Aliens rarely spoke. Just stood by your side as you went about your day, or got to you car. Ten steps or a Marathon, it didn’t seem to matter. None of us had a clue how they seemed to know when you were going to step out, and how in they world they just appeared next to you at that exact moment the door opened seemed like Magic.

A whole lot of people were developing Anxiety over leaving their own homes. The Governments of the World basically told us all to suck it up…because the kinds of things they were giving us : cures for most diseases, machines that could truly think (and did!), fuels that didn’t leave a Carbon Foot Print, or cause Radiation concerns, the list was both endless and incredible. So we just “sucked it up” for the good of all Humanity.

We even tried an experiment. The largest synchronized movement of Humans - ever. At precisely noon, all over the Earth, every single living Human being from a day old to a hundred and nineteen (that being the oldest Human alive when the Aliens came) stepped outside…all at once, all over the world. To our surprise, there they were. Yep.

One Alien for every single Human that stepped outside. Could there really be seven and half billion Aliens on our Planet? If so, where did they go when we stayed inside? Nobody ever saw one unaccompanied by a Human. If you went to the Park, there would be dozens of them milling around with their Human right next to them. But if you kept everyone in your house, you could look out your front door (don’t open it, one will show up!) and see nothing but grass. In fact, your whole neighborhood would seem to be devoid of life; Human or Alien.

Until you stepped out your door…then, well, one would appear. It was almost comical to see the doors open in the morning when folks left for work, to suddenly see Aliens popping into existence on every doorstep…walk with you to your car…and then disappear when you closed the driver’s door. When you got to work, parked your car…as soon as you opened your door…there one was. Was it the same one? A different one? One that stood by you before?

Who knew?

Not us. That’s for sure.

Every Alien looked exactly the same. Same color. Same Shape. Same Scent. Same height. Were they all clones? Or were they like ants, and somewhere a glorious Queen directed them all around. We didn’t know. Maybe we will never know. It still grated on a few of us, but for most it just became a part of life. Some folks were even able to adapt enough to ignore them.

Some folks could just walk around as if there wasn’t an Alien at their elbow. I don’t know how they pulled that off. I couldn’t. I was always aware. I tried to talk to the Aliens that appeared on my walks, or bike rides.Yep, they showed up if you were riding your bike, skiing, skateboarding, parachuting, or surfing. Believe me, that had to startle you out of pretending they weren’t there.

Imagine catching a wave, and seeing an Alien standing on your board. Or riding your bike at thirty five miles and hour, only to see an Alien racing along side at you with little effort to keep up. I stopped riding my bike for that reason. How in the world did it know I was going to turn unexpectedly? I don’t know how they did it. I tried to catch my Alien off guard several times…no luck. If you were outdoors…they were there.

They never invaded your privacy …inside. I guess that is what they negotiated with the Big Wigs around the word. Home was a sanctuary for all of us. Can you imagine parachuting though, and seeing an Alien (without a chute) gently floating down next to you? I have seen it with my own eyes. It creeps me out.

So I looked over again at the Alien next to me. I decided to speak.

“Hey Buddy, I am going to walk for an hour. Is there any particular place you want me to go?”

I never expected an answer.

And the one I got was totally unexpected.

He…it…whatever…said:

“Starbucks would be nice.”

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