Field Notes on Planet L-726 • Part 3
Several males, upon over-hearing my inquiry about human mating behavior, were willing to participate in the ritual with me, but ... A FIVE-MINUTE READ
Field Notes 1 is HERE
Field Notes 2 is HERE
Field notes 4 ( final ) is HERE
Field Notes Three
Planet L-726
From: Reena Bejj - Scout, Level A, ♀︎
I’ve been here on Planet L-726 for fifteen days now. My base of operations, in the abandoned building on Broome Street, is bleak and bare. I hope to find a more salubrious worksite very soon. I’m pleased to report, however, that I have become somewhat oriented to this alien settlement, this … Manhattan, as it’s called. The mysteries of this strange place, day and night, have captivated me.
I sat on the sidewalk again this morning with a male human who is comfortable talking face to face — one of the few I have found. Albert has chosen not to take part in Screen-Life, he has no embedded chips, and he wears no ear-buttons. I believe he may be part of a more highly-evolved class of humans who are self-determining — those who are immune to and independent of the insidious influences of the leader.
Every day Albert sits on his corner and offers what he calls a blessing to others. He says it’s his mission to give his brothers and sisters the opportunity to demonstrate their kindness and generosity every day. I believe Albert uses the terms brothers and sisters to symbolize the concept of humanity as a whole.
Those who pass by don’t look at Albert’s face, and rarely speak to him, but many throw small metal tokens, called coins, into his bucket. He thanks them and blesses them when they do. He assures me that those who give him a coin benefit as much from the act as he does. He also blesses those who step over him or insult him without giving a coin, which I find remarkable. He says they need blessings even more than the others. I’ve learned several things from Albert, although there’s so much I don’t understand in these early days. For example:
1. Coins are a kind of currency which people collect but do not want. Albert uses these coins to trade for food and beer. Where do these coins come from? Why are they collected when no one seems to want them? What else can one do with coins if they don’t trade them for blessings?
2. Beer is a kind of mood altering, fermented beverage made from grains. Many humans drink it daily. Albert says there are many kinds of fermented and distilled liquids that humans imbibe frequently. When I asked him why, he said it was to lower their stress and to enhance their emotions, or sometimes to ease their psychic pain. A wide variety of other mind altering substances are used as well — it’s accepted behavior in their society. Why do humans crave to alter their moods and feelings? What’s the meaning of psychic pain? Are there any detrimental effects to this practice?
3. Albert tells me that music, too, is used for mood improvement and is an agent for bringing relaxation. He makes music on an instrument called a guitar, and sings as well — singing, being a form of harmonic vocalization. His particular kind of singing evokes great sadness, and yet it’s highly valued. How does hearing sad music enhance human emotions?
As yet, I haven’t been able to observe the human mating ritual, which is one of my primary assignments. I’ve inquired about it in several sectors, however my questions were met with a measure of hostility and also with laughter. Apparently this ritual is seen as a private thing, so I’ve eliminated that particular objective from my course of study for now.
However, I did find several males who volunteered to participate in the ritual with me! I was intrigued, as you might imagine. After much consideration, I selected one male whose name is Logan. He smelled good. Some sort of spicy botanical. He is an interesting specimen, of indeterminate age, and of the type with long hair on his head and facial hair as well. He spoke softly. His outer coverings were simple, but generally clean. I agreed to take part in the demonstration with him. For the sake of research.
I went with Logan to his rooms on lower Mott Street. We climbed four long, dark flights of stairs. He spoke very little. I was relieved to see that his rooms were much more habitable than my current space. There was no dirt, no rust, no many-legged creatures skittering across the floor. His rooms had more furnishings than mine, and, though it was primitive, it was comfortable.
He opened the window to allow entry of the night air. He graciously offered me a mood-altering drink, served in an odd little glass bowl that stood on one leg. He clicked on a music machine. This combination did, in fact, produce a curious change in my consciousness. I welcomed it.
Logan has a special room with a fixture that rains warm water. He invited me to remove my outer coverings and join him. Standing under this warm, falling rain, elicited an exquisite sensation. He said he’d never seen a body quite like mine, but he didn’t seem reluctant to examine it. On the contrary, he said it was a “very colorful work of art.” I’m not yet sure if that’s a good thing or not.
Based on this recent experience, the mating ritual of humans is curious, to say the least. It is a heated and somewhat damp experience, but not unpleasant. It’s athletic and varied, characterized by spontaneity of action and reaction. I found it to be both amusing and surprisingly stimulating. We’ve experimented several times now, and he’s generously offered to continue teaching me.
Logan wants me to move into his rooms with him, but I hesitate, as I’ve not yet told him where I am from, and what my mission is here. Will he change his mind when he knows who I am? And, indeed, what I am? How will he respond when he learns what our great plans are for annexing Planet L-726 — his planet?
Reena Bejj - Scout, Level A, ♀︎
Bremer/McCoy Dråber [ Drops ]
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Just curious, Sharron — is Reena driving the series, or do you come up with a new scenario and go from there?
Asking because I and other writers (on Substack and Medium) have discussed how sometimes we think of a plot, then add characters; sometimes we think of a character, then give them something to do; sometimes a character shows up out of nowhere and starts annoying the living crap out of us until we write down their story (into which other characters may wander uninvited and with no warning).
I had a story that started as a plot idea. Then another plot idea came up, so I continued the first story a few years later, with the original characters but adding a couple, including a young kid. Then the kid had her own ideas, so Part 3 happened... and I no sooner got that posted than I have the now-grown character start nudging me with more things she needed to tell me. NOW. Readers commented that they liked Part 4 better than Part 1, and TBH they barely resemble each other.
I love observing Earthlings, and their habits, from an alien's point of view! Who knew we could be that interesting? Logan certainly appears to be a great "teacher!' I surmise that the picture of him. I think I could use a few "refresher sessions..."