A pungent chemical smell filled the room, which Richard assumed was emitted by the crimson liquid-filled vessels. He crossed to the left-hand tier of transparent containers and examined in closer detail the object he’d noticed inside. Suspended by tubes was a creature that seemed to be a species of alien insect twice the size of his hand. Though tinted by the red fluid, its bright-blue, fat body was easily distinguishable, but there was no obvious sign of a head, only four black, claw-like teeth, each serrated with tiny sharp protrusions. No eyes, ears or nose was evident. A row of various sized spikes travelled along the ridge of its back that ended in a tail split into three. Ten short feetless legs were its means of movement. Richard tapped the glass, but it produced no reaction from the floating monstrosity. An examination of nearby specimen containers revealed each housed a variety of unearthly creatures.
Richard walked along the wall until he reached a gap between the tanks that led off to the left. A strange metal contraption, which looked as sinister and as frightening as the specimens, hung from a rail that stretched along the ceiling. Cables and pistons fixed to various parts of the frame and the long metal arms that currently hung limp at its sides, gave the impression it could spring to life at any moment.
Alert for any sound or movement, Richard headed along the side passage. He passed rows and rows of container-walls that reminded him of the layout of a library with hundreds of shelves crammed with books. The specimen jars ranged in size from small to very large, and all contained some form of hideous alien creature that by the fleeting glimpse he gave the nearest one, seemed to have evolved to hunt, kill and feast. Though there may have been some in the containers not in his line of sight, he’d seen none of the more docile creatures present on earth. No rabbits, deer, sheep, cows, hamsters, in fact nothing that could be labelled as cute or anything you’d be willing to risk a hand stroking. It was evident the planet, or planets, they originated from, would not be calming places to visit or popular tourist destinations.
Something crunched underfoot. He stopped and looked at his feet. Slivers of what looked like glass littered the ground. The trail led to the next row in line. He stepped clear of the glass, cautiously advanced and peered into the row where the shard trail led. Shattered glass was strewn across the floor amidst faded red stains. The tier on the right leaned at a slant against the one next to it and contained smashed specimen jars. A gaze at its top revealed the broken supports that once held the heavy tiers of specimens in place. A glance inside one of the lower smashed jars revealed no sign of an occupant, dead or alive, and no bodies or remains on the floor. A rush of fear swept through Richard. He surveyed the room with dread-filled eyes. There was no sign of the creatures he expected to see creeping up on him, but that didn’t mean they weren’t doing that very thing.
Richard gazed at the door he needed to reach thirty yards away, and the spaces between the rows where the missing horrors might be concealed. He could do it in two ways—slow and stealthy, or fast and furious. So far his cautious journey through the room had failed to alert anything that might be in the room of the tasty snack in their midst, so unwilling to bring undue attention to his presence, he chose the former.
Each time he approached one of the colossal racks of specimens, he paused to peer into each aisle to check nothing waited to jump out at him. His confidence grew when he’d travelled a little over halfway to the exit. Soon, he would be out of this spooky specimen library.
His frightened scream that followed his glimpse down the next aisle echoed through the cavernous space. It was joined by the surprised squeal of the creature responsible for Richard’s frightened outburst. In his haste to flee the monster, Richard stumbled and fell to the floor. His gaze returned to the creature that had surprised him. It hung from the rack, shaking and whimpering. It was just as scared by the unexpected encounter as him, which was something he found comforting—if hard to believe.
While he studied the small creature, which had seemed much bigger when he’d first come face to face with it, Richard’s fear slowly subsided. It was only the size of a kitten, and if you overlooked the two horns that protruded from its skull and its two large rabbit teeth growing over its bottom lip, just as cute. Its small body was covered in red velvet skin, which combined with the horns, gave it a devilish appearance. Its large, bald, wrinkled head, framed a baby face. It had a human-like nose, except more rounder and glossy black, and a crinkled mouth that currently trembled with fear. Perhaps the most dominant feature that contributed to its cuteness was its two large, round eyes, which looked like two hypnotizing balls of lovability. Even Richard’s normally hard emotional shell weakened. Sensing the small creature presented no threat, he climbed to his feet and approached the tiny alien with an outstretched arm.
The creature whimpered and cowered from the offered limb.
“It’s okay, little feller, I’m not going to hurt you.”
The creature, comforted by the soft voice, stopped trembling, but continued to stare timidly at the hand moving slowly closer.
Though nervous the creature might bite, Richard placed his hand gently on the back of the cowering creature’s head and stroked it. After a moment of apprehension, the creature purred like a cat from the attention, its red skin faded into bright green.
Richard smiled. For a few moments, the hectic, life-threatening atmosphere of the ship was replaced by a sense of calm. “You like that, do you?” He moved his hand to tickle under its chin, eliciting another satisfied purr. It sniffed Richard’s arm and balked at the stench.
Richard laughed. “Sorry about that. I do stink a bit.”
Without warning, the cute creature leapt from the wall and ran up his arm. It perched on his shoulder and nuzzled his face, careful to avoid scratching him with its horns.
The smile remained on Richard’s face when he cocked his head to look at his new friend. “You’re the friendliest creature I’ve met since stepping aboard this monster-infested vessel, and the only one that hasn’t tried to kill or eat me.”
The creature purred.
Richard remembered where he was, glanced over at the door and walked toward it. “Sorry, little feller, I have to go.” He plucked the creature from his shoulder and held it in front of him. The creature smiled; at least he thought it was a smile. “You have to stay here. I have my own life to worry about without adding you to the mix. Your scent might attract unwanted attention from creatures a lot less cute than you.”
He placed the creature on the ground, but when he removed his hands, it jumped onto his arm again. Richard pulled him away and placed him on the floor again. “Stay!” he said, forcefully. The creature’s eyes grew even larger when it achieved a sad look that reminded Richard of the cat in Shrek. “You can stop that, it won’t work. You got on alright without me and will do so again.” He ignored the creature’s sad whimpering sobs and turned away. He opened the door and stepped through into a corridor. He turned as the door closed. The creature’s skin had turned blue and its sad face watched him. Though it was hard to resist, Richard did.
He hadn’t gone more than a few steps before he realized what a big mistake he’d made. He was wrong to have left the creature. It was small enough to smuggle off the ship and absolute evidence that aliens exist. It would back up his unbelievable adventures and everything he’d seen on the alien spacecraft. He needed the tiny alien. There were also the merchandising prospects the lovable creature offered. Every child would want a toy version. It would make him millions. He quickly spun around and rushed back to the specimen room.