Isn’t It Too Big

by Naomi Penn

  “We know,” the voice answered, before adding, “Make yourself at home,” then, Sharon felt the buzz of the engine as it moved into hyper drive.

  She smiled as she closed her eyes and tried to get some rest. Already, it had been a long and exciting day, filled with a slew of emotions and Sharon knew that it was still far from over.

  On the way there, she mostly rested, trying to calm herself and mentally prepare for what she was about to do.

  It all seemed so strange to her and so foreign, even though she had spent most of her life learning about what it would be like. She had thought of many possibilities, about how she would react and how she would feel when she was finally on her way, but nothing had prepared her for her actual feelings.

  Why am I so nervous? She thought to herself as she realized that there was something strange going on with her emotions. She had never liked Earth all that much and she couldn’t wait to leave it, but on her way to Xebus, she had the feeling that with all of the time she had spent researching the planet on which she hoped to spend her life, she now regretted not taking more of an interest in her experience on Earth.

  Sharon knew now that she wanted to have things to miss about Earth, but since she had never really enjoyed her time there, she knew that there were a lot of experiences, about the entire planet that she had missed.

  In fact, the more she thought about it now, the more she knew how disconnected she had always been to Earth and how drawn she had always been to Xebus. Still, she suddenly began to wish that she had spent a little more time learning about Earth, rather than just trying to get away from it.

  [KC2]

  It did help, knowing that her home planet was not completely lost to her, but it was still discouraging to her to know that she had basically wasted eighteen years on Earth studying a whole other planet.

  However, when she tired of regretting how she had spent her life thus far, she made it a point to try to think about what she was going to be hired for once she reached Xebus.

  She knew that she was going to be placed in something of an assistant or secretary job, but she had no idea for whom or to what capacity she would be needed.

  She hoped that whatever job she was given was going to become a gateway job to a lifetime on Xebus, because she really hadn’t enjoyed Earth and thought her talents lay among the stars, which was why she had always wanted this opportunity, but now she wondered whether or not she had tried for the right position. After all, she knew very little about being a secretary and although she had conducted a lot of research about the opportunities that awaited human women in Xebus, she had never seen the planet for herself.

  But before she could freak herself out too much, the travel pod stopped and she was invited to step out.

  ***

  The air was far crisper than anything she had experienced on Earth. It was thin and made her feel slightly lightheaded, but as she stepped out onto this new planet, she was handed a mask with a small canister attached to it by a woman with two heads coming out of her neck.

  “Hello Sharon,” the woman’s right head said as they both smiled. The woman appeared almost human, but besides having two heads, she was also purple, “That is Earth air. Only take it as necessary, but don’t pass out. Eventually, your body will acclimate.”

  “Hello…” Sharon answered, taking a breath of the oxygen and trying not to give into the feeling of pressure and nervousness that was mounting inside of her. With a little bit of effort, Shannon managed to pull the mask away from her face and smile, remembering that she had read about this race. The scientific name for them was very long and hard to pronounce, but the short nickname that they had given humans so that it was easy for them to say was Duples. They were like Siamese twins, but it was in no way a mutation of their form; rather it was the way these aliens were supposed to be born.

  This made perfect sense to Sharon once she had a chance to think about it, because they normally were attracted to being hosts of some kind.

  “My name is Sahara,” the first head said.

  “And my name is Farah,” the second head continued.

  “We are so glad you are here. Sephron is anxiously awaiting your presence,” Sahara explained and led Sharon towards what appeared to be elevator doors.

  Sharon almost stopped, but realized that the two of them were making their way towards the elevator eagerly and she did not want to appear slow and so, she ran to catch up.

  “Doesn’t Sephron own the company?” Sharon[KC3] asked when they entered into a place that resembled the travel pod, but without all of the entertainment.

  “Yes,” Sahara answered just before the doors opened into a large room.

  Sharon was impressed, because she had not even felt the pod move.

  The room was a little bit strange, considering everything seemed to revolve around circles, where on earth, there were far more corners and squares, but Sharon[KC4] knew that the reason was that aliens were convinced that corners by their very nature ended and changed direction. They were not fluid and that was a concept that Sharon[KC5] guessed, in a way, was something of bad luck.

  “Excuse me, Sephron,” Sahara asked when she and Sharon approached the large desk, which was made out of some organic material, which was a great economic alternative to wood. It was only found on the planet Xebus, but could easily be manipulated to regenerate at a very fast pace; one of the many long-term solutions that the aliens had brought to Earth.

  However, this particular desk was beautiful and probably expensive, considering the amount of work it took to make it so intricate. There were few on Earth who knew how to manipulate it properly, as to come out with such a complete project.

  “Is she here?” A man’s voice came from behind the round chair.

  “Yes, she is here,” Farah answered.

  “Leave us,” the man answered and Sharon grew even more nervous.

  “Yes, Sephron,” Both heads answered before they hurried away, back down the strange elevator and were gone in a moment.

  ***

  Sharon had tried to get the attention of either head, but the female alien had vanished before she had the chance.

  “Is she gone?” The man’s voice asked again and Sharon nodded.

  “Yes,” she answered him.

  “Excellent,” he answered before the large, round chair spun around, revealing a man that Sharon could only describe as a strange, yet intriguing mix between a dragon and a human. His face was pointed and masculine, with deep green scales that ran throughout the length of his face and a large mustache-type style flowing down from his snouted nose.

  His eyes were intense and deep with slits for pupils and yellow encompassing him.

  Despite his unusual appearance, with his muscular arms permeating through his earthly overcoat and his claw like hands clinking against one another, Sharon did not feel threatened by him.

  The alien watched Sharon’s reaction for a moment before his thin lips curved into a smile and he asked her, as he stood, spreading his arms out evenly and easily over the width of his desk, “Are you scared?”

  Sharon thought about this for a moment, before she shook her head, “No,” she answered carefully, “I am not.”

  His eyes, which were devoid of eyebrows, but still did not look strange on his face, raised and widened as he took in the sight of her, “You’re perfect,” He answered.

  Sharon was not sure what he meant and so, she narrowed her eyes to ask, “I’m sorry, Sir?”

  “So proper,” He teased, “So…human. My name is Sephron, just as your name is Sharon. On this planet we have innate respect and therefore, we do not need any other idiom in our speech to show it.”

  Even though she knew how their language worked, that they spoke in such a way that anyone could understand and they knew any language that was ever recorded, it was still fairly odd for her to be speaking so flawlessly with an alien, on another planet, light years away from her home. Still, she did not want to come across as ignorant, espec
ially because she had worked hard not to be and so, she just continued on with the conversation, “I’m sorry, Sephron. What is it that is so perfect about me?”

  He chuckled and answered, “You do not belong on Earth, Sharon. You belong here. You always have.”

  Sharon wasn’t sure how to respond to this and so, she answered, “But I am human…”

  “And I am Drackotheloidon, the only one of my kind on this planet and yet,” he raised his strangely human-like arms and extended his claws before he answered, “I have all of this. I am in a position that I could never have aspired to be in back home, but I belong here and that is why I have prospered.”

  “So, you think I belong here too?” Sharon continued, trying to keep up with the conversation, even though she was becoming increasingly confused.

  “I know you do,” he answered solidly, “It is rather just a matter of whether you are able to accept the truth sooner or later.”

  Sharon smiled and moved towards Sephron as she asked, “What is the truth?”

  “That you aspire to be far greater than the basis you were brought here for,” He answered with a cheeky smile, “You are destined to unite the human race and the alien race.”

  Sharon thought about this for a moment, before she answered, now trying not to laugh. “Why me?”

  “You have an interest that surpasses the normal curiosity of humans, along with an acceptance that is vital.”

  Sharon didn’t know if she believed any of it, but she didn’t want to upset the…alien who was going to be her new boss and so, she simply answered, “Can you tell me how I can aspire to this predetermined height?”

  Once again, his thin lips parted into an almost sneaky smile before he answered, “Like I said, that is something that you are going to have to figure out on your own, but for now, you will be my personal assistant.”

  At this, Sharon did have to stop herself from bursting out laughing, “Me? Are you sure?”

  “Do you believe that I have chosen unwisely?” He asked in a simple, curious voice, which had the undertones of trying to prove a point. He didn’t say anything else, but there was a sense about him that made her think she should not question him any further, if she wanted to stay.

  “No,” she insisted, “I’m sorry…I never meant to…”

  He then put his hand up and asked calmly, “When you look at me, what do you see? Describe me.”

  Not wanting to upset him, Sharon thought about what he was asking before she said, “You are well-dressed, confident…” he did not stop her and so, she moved on, “You have green scales and yellow eyes, but look more like a man then most aliens I have ever seen…”

  Once again, he put his hand up and answered, “Alright. Fine. Good. You are honest…and nervous. That’s fine, but the reason that I stopped you is because of your dependence on color. I know when you walked in here, the first thing you saw was my green complexion and yellow eyes. Yes?”

  And scales? Sharon thought, but went with his observation, because the point he was trying to make was correct.

  “In order to survive here, on what is undoubtedly a strange planet, is that the instincts that worked on Earth no longer apply here. For instance, color is a concept that is granted too many lifeforms through their minds to differentiate one detail from another. Yet, it doesn’t actually exist,”[KC6] Sephron answered causally, allowing his body to change color rapidly before Sharon’s eyes, literally to illustrate his point, “However, unlike humanity, our minds have granted us the power to control that perception, making ourselves as well as anything else we see become any color we like.” For instance, if I decide that I think you are more attractive as a blue earthling, I will see blue.” Sharon simply stared at him for a moment before he added, “My point, is that here, you cannot always trust what you see; the whole world, our world and your world is just one grand illusion. On Earth, that matters very little, but here, not understanding that can be problematic.”

  Sharon nodded, even though she was fairly certain that he knew she didn’t fully understand what he was saying and so, she asked the only question that she could truly concoct, “Then how do you differentiate anything or describe anything, if everything isn’t what it seems?”

  “We use other characteristics, which are not so superficial,” he answered, now in more of a condescending tone. Yet, Sharon hardly noticed; she was still trying to figure out what he could possibly mean. Even with all of the alien technology and explanation that humanity had come to understand people still relied heavily on color and she had assumed that the aliens did to.

  “Could I ask you to describe me?” She asked, trying to understand his point further.

  He nodded and closed his eyes, before he answered, “You don’t identify with humans. You have always had an interest in aliens and you wish to fit in here, because you never truly felt as though you fit in when you lived on Earth, although now you slightly regret not enjoying the moment more.”

  “I was there eighteen years,” Sharon said, impressed by how much he had blatantly, unapologetically revealed.

  At this, Sephron laughed out loud, “A mere moment…Another thing you will surely learn quickly during your time here. I also know that you are honest and have a good heart.” He paused to smile before he added, “As I said, you are perfect,” however, he didn’t give her much time to respond to this before he dismissed her.

  ***

  For the next few weeks, Sharon performed very well as his personal assistant. She learned very quickly and was able to pick up on her duties quickly.

  She was given both personal and professional tasks, so that she could learn her way around the area of Xebus where they lived as well as learning the functions of the office building where she worked.

  As promised, Sephron provided Sharon with everything she could ever need or want as far as living accommodations, food and clothing, while also paying her very well.

  Sharon enjoyed her job quite a bit, but the first conversation that she and her boss had was never too far from the front of her mind, although she never quite figured out what he meant by any of it, but she didn’t dare bring it up again; for there was still a part of her, no matter how nice he was to her, that made her a little bit leery about him.

  There always seemed to be an attraction in his eye for her and even though it didn’t really bother her, since she was amply attracted to him as well, she wasn’t quite sure what it all meant and that did bother her slightly.

  Still, she continued with her job and didn’t ask any questions, for fear of being considered ungrateful.

  Then, one day, when Sharon reported for work, Sephron was looking at her strangely. The look in his eye, the sense of attraction that she had seen, over and over again was now extremely prominent on his face and when she moved close to him to ask what her duties were for the day, he told her, “Today is the day, Sharon.”

  She stopped and stared at him with a genuine expression of confusion before she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Remember how I told you that you are meant for better things than a job as a receptionist? Remember how I explained that you are the one who will truly bridge the gap between human and alien?”

  Sharon felt extremely curious and drawn to Sephron, but did not understand what this was leading up to, “Yes.” Her words were cautious, but there was a sense of connection that was bubbling up between them which made her feel allured and nervous.

  “How would you feel if I said that you were chosen specifically to have a human-alien heir?”

  Sharon thought for a moment, trying to decide if he was really asking her what she thought. However, instead of asking for clarification so directly, she said, “I thought humans and aliens couldn’t reproduce?”

  “Why do you think I am so valuable on this planet?” He asked her, standing up from his chair and slipping towards her.

  Immediately, Sharon began to feel the hair rise up on the back of her neck, while her body grew warm from the sudden inten
sity of the moment. However, she didn’t back away, because she knew that she wanted him from the moment she saw him.

  Even though she was slightly afraid of him, that sensation only added to the allure and eventually, her whole body seemed to call to him.

  At first, she wasn’t sure if she really felt this way, or if he was making her feel this way, but as he grew close to her and she could feel the surprising amount of warmth emitting from the dragon-like man that was standing before her, she realized that she didn’t really care.

  “I am the only one of my kind on this planet, because I am the only one who was interested in humans,” he chuckled before he answered, “I can sire an heir with a human; although I am the only species that can, but my counterparts don’t want that. They are happy with keeping the divide,” he then pulled his clawed hand up to rest against Sharon’s chin, so that he could pull her head up to face him.