WordPress: Daily Prompt: Use it or Lose it

Write about anything you like, but make sure the post includes this sentence:

"I thought we'd never come back from that one."

“Look mum, what’s that machine for?”

“That’s that new system they have in the shops to save time. After shopping you don’t have to wait for the lady to ring it up on the till. You just run that thing over the bar code on the wrapping and it does all the work.”

“You mean you won’t have to pay any more. That’s a good idea, everything for free.”

“Not quite Sara, you put your credit card in the slot at the end and it takes the money from your account. Just makes things a lot quicker.”

“Aha, but what about the lady who does the work on the till?”

“What do you mean Sara, the lady is still working on the till, but she does the work for the people that do not want to use the new machine.”

“But mum, if everyone uses that new machine, then she won’t have any work any more. I don’t think it is such a good thing.”

“The lady will still have work with the people that will not be using the machine.”

“But mum….”

“It’s modern Sara, think it comes from America. Don’t ask questions, you can even help mummy by doing it for her. I will collect the shopping and you can scan it with the machine.”

“What’s scan mum?”

“Don’t be complicated, just run it over those black stripy lines on the packing and it will register on the list. OK?”

In the meanwhile Sara and her mother were being watched by Chug and Flig on their screens on planet Floggle. They were quite excited.

“What do you think Flig, will it succeed?”

“I am sure Chug, we beamed our workers into the supermarket during the last earth night when the shop was empty. They planted the Floggle made chip into the device at the bottom left and that is exactly the one that Sarah’s mother took” said Flig.

“We only have to hope that they buy the right food. I am so looking forward to my Floggle food with mayonnaise. Earth mayonnaise tastes so much fresher than Floggle mayonnaise. I am sure it is because earth chickens lay round white eggs. Our eggs are so complicated being square and green” answered Chug.

“Probably has something to do with earth chickens looking special, although I could never understand that chickens have feathers and a beak. Ours are much sweeter covered in scales with nice pointed teeth. Look Chug, the smaller earthling is walking around with our beamer, looks like we will have success.” Flig was happy, now the miniature earthling just had to choose the right article.

Sarah was quite pleased with her new toy. Now she could do the shopping for mum.

“What do we need mum?”.

“Coffee, there is a jar, just hold the machine over the bar code. See it has now registered so now to the next one.”

“That’s easy mum.” And so Sara and her mother made their was through the supermarket scanning this and that until they arrived at the shelf where the mayonnaise was.”

“How many mayonnaise do we need mum.”

“Just one.”

“But mum, something is wrong. Everytime I press mayonnaise, it turns into a hundred.”

“Perhaps you are pressing too hard.”

“Silly machine” said Sara and there was a puff of blue smoke and Sara was gone, accompanied by one hundred tubes of mayonnaise. She had quite a soft landing on planet Floggle.

“Chug, I think our technical people have made a mistake.”

“I think so as well Flig.”

“Who are you, where am I and I want my mum.” Shouted Sara.

Chug and Flig had to do some quick thinking, they could hardly keep up with the words being uttered by this minature earthling. The simultaneous translating chip in their brains was working as fast as it could.

“Don’t worry little earthling, we seem to have had a small mistake in our beamer.”

“What beamer, and who are you. I have never seen anyone with three eyes before. You both have three arms as well, and just one leg with three feet attached in a sort of triangle.”

“We are just normal Floggles, you humans look funny with your two eyes, two arms and two legs. We only wanted the mayonnaise, not a human into the bargain. Seems there was something wrong with the beamer.”

“All I was doing was shopping with my mum and using this new thingy for buying the stuff. I want to go home” and Sara started to cry.

“What shall we do Chug?”

“Looks like we will have to return this extra terrestial to her planet earth, back in the supermarket” answered Chug.

“You mean beam her back” said Flig

“It is the only solution, but we will have to go with her. Let’s put her to a forgetful sleep. We don’t want this miniature earth specimen telling her fellow creatures about us, now do we?”

So Flig and Chug beamed themselves to earth with Sara. Sara was happy to be back on her planet once again.

Flig and Chug were not so happy. When the people in the supermarket saw two three eyed, three armed, one legged Floggles with three feet arranged in a triangular way, they were not treated in a friendly way.

“Sara, thank goodness, I wondered where you were” said her mother.

“I just sort of fell asleep” said Sara “don’t now why”.

“Did you find those two specimens. Look like they are in a fancy dress.” Everyone in the supermarket was staring at the two Floggles and then the chase started. Flig and Chug started running as fast as their three footed one leg could carry them.

“Where’s the beamer Chug? Beam us up.”

Chug searched in his head box (all Floggles had a box set into their head for important objects). He found the beamer and switched it on. They fell into their office again on planet Floggle, squashing a few mayonnaise tubes as they landed.

“I thought we’d never come back from that one.”Said Chug as he licked the mayonnaise from his three feet.

Of course Sara’s mother did have an argument with the saleslady at the supermarket when she found that she had been charged for one hundred tubes of mayonnaise that she did not buy. She only wanted one tube.