Wesley the robot who, despite initial trepidation, turned out to have been engineered with a warm heart, did not like the green men visiting at night.

They made him squeamish, he said. That stuff inside them – their innards – was not normal. It was purply-red and gloopy instead of being nuts and bolts and tidy soldered pieces.

Jane and Julie both wanted out. They were homesick. Jane for her mother and Julie for Alan, the guy who worked at the local dépanneur. He was a new immigrant to Quebec and spoke neither French nor English but when had that stopped anyone falling in love?

Jane and Julie should never have come. When they’d asked the Big Man which path to take and he’d said “That one” they’d thought it would be a lark to go where he’d pointed. They’d land, take a few selfies to beam back to earth, then head straight home. Jane was supposed to have been back at work two Mondays ago.

The green men shimmered before them, purply-red innards visible through their green bodies, pulsating and vibrating.

Breath in, ordered the green men.

Wesley gazed at the green men with his one rectangular eye. I don’t trust them, he whispered to Jane and Julie.

Jane and Julie didn’t trust them either.

But what choice did they have?

They breathed in.

*****

Blurt 52. A huge thank you to those of you who’ve followed me through my Year of the Blurt. I really appreciate your support.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Path

The hand was sighted at the 2016 Rogers Tennis Cup in Montreal.