Slatka watched the machines churning up their ground and loading it onto their transporters. The ground once belonged to her people and her world but since the Earthlings landed a sunrise away, most of the surface of her planet had been removed. Large holes where there once were hills, everything pulled into a negative it seemed. She wondered if the earth also looked so disfigured.
“Day dreaming again Slatka?“ her mother was standing at her side.
“Not really, just looking at the reality. Why do we allow those aliens to destroy our planet?“
“Oh, Slatka, we don’t allow them to do anything. They just take what they want and it seems to be our earth that they want; strange people, strange customs.“
“But why? They even put it on their earth food that they brought with them and eat it.“
“Your father said to be patient, they will get their just rewards. And now hurry to school. The next sunrise will come soon and you will have to spend enough time underground before it has passed.“
Slatka had to walk past the earthlings on her way. She did not like them. Such strange creatures, their smooth pink skin, sometimes white or red, but nothing like the brown of her own with its creases and folds. They even smelt so strange, a sickening damp smell.
“I wonder if I smell for them“ she thought. If she knew the truth, she would know that she had no smell for a human nose. It was this that bothered the humans. This strange people who never seemed to show any feelings and all looking the same. It was the characteristics that the Earthlings had that frightened Slatka, sometimes shouting, sometimes even fighting “If only they would go“ she wished.
And so life continued on their world, until the season changed. This planet only had one season, but it could be a dangerous season. This was the reason why the inhabitants would disappear beneath the surface when it arrived.
“Slatka, come we must go“ called her parents. She bundled a few possessions together and they departed and joined the trek to the tunnels underground. The Earthlings laughed. “At last that strange folk are leaving us and now we can take the salt that we so badly need on Earth, since our own resources have dwindled to a minimum“ was the thought going through their heads.
It then started to rain, not just rain, but salted rain. It poured, measured in earthly terms for at least a week. The salt in the ground was diluted and the alien world became a world of saline seas. The Earthlings were not prepared for this and hid in their spaceships. Many died, but for the survivors there was no escape. After the rains the sun came, a golden ball with its intensive heat, drying the saline seas and leaving behind a rejuvenated salt surface. This was too much for human skin and the remaining humans just dried out.
The sun left again, it only shone for a day on this planet and the inhabitants of the Salt planet appeared once more from their tunnels beneath the surface. It was their way of life, and had always been. The human remainders were cleared away by the machines they had left behind and the population of the Salt planet were glad.
That evening when Slatka was sleeping her mother and father were discussing the events.
“You were right“ said her mother to her father “the humans have gone again. Every so often they try to destroy our lives by taking the salt.“
The father answered “but they have never succeeded. We have our way of life and they have theirs, but the salt always wins.“
“Day dreaming again Slatka?“ her mother was standing at her side.
“Not really, just looking at the reality. Why do we allow those aliens to destroy our planet?“
“Oh, Slatka, we don’t allow them to do anything. They just take what they want and it seems to be our earth that they want; strange people, strange customs.“
“But why? They even put it on their earth food that they brought with them and eat it.“
“Your father said to be patient, they will get their just rewards. And now hurry to school. The next sunrise will come soon and you will have to spend enough time underground before it has passed.“
Slatka had to walk past the earthlings on her way. She did not like them. Such strange creatures, their smooth pink skin, sometimes white or red, but nothing like the brown of her own with its creases and folds. They even smelt so strange, a sickening damp smell.
“I wonder if I smell for them“ she thought. If she knew the truth, she would know that she had no smell for a human nose. It was this that bothered the humans. This strange people who never seemed to show any feelings and all looking the same. It was the characteristics that the Earthlings had that frightened Slatka, sometimes shouting, sometimes even fighting “If only they would go“ she wished.
And so life continued on their world, until the season changed. This planet only had one season, but it could be a dangerous season. This was the reason why the inhabitants would disappear beneath the surface when it arrived.
“Slatka, come we must go“ called her parents. She bundled a few possessions together and they departed and joined the trek to the tunnels underground. The Earthlings laughed. “At last that strange folk are leaving us and now we can take the salt that we so badly need on Earth, since our own resources have dwindled to a minimum“ was the thought going through their heads.
It then started to rain, not just rain, but salted rain. It poured, measured in earthly terms for at least a week. The salt in the ground was diluted and the alien world became a world of saline seas. The Earthlings were not prepared for this and hid in their spaceships. Many died, but for the survivors there was no escape. After the rains the sun came, a golden ball with its intensive heat, drying the saline seas and leaving behind a rejuvenated salt surface. This was too much for human skin and the remaining humans just dried out.
The sun left again, it only shone for a day on this planet and the inhabitants of the Salt planet appeared once more from their tunnels beneath the surface. It was their way of life, and had always been. The human remainders were cleared away by the machines they had left behind and the population of the Salt planet were glad.
That evening when Slatka was sleeping her mother and father were discussing the events.
“You were right“ said her mother to her father “the humans have gone again. Every so often they try to destroy our lives by taking the salt.“
The father answered “but they have never succeeded. We have our way of life and they have theirs, but the salt always wins.“
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