Page 33 of Tis the Season for Tentacles
I remove my glove and hold out my hand, palm down and fingers slightly apart so that she can sniff me.
Studying me with curious, dark eyes, Helgula hovers her head near my hand, her large nostrils inhaling my scent, and then huffs out warm breath on my tender skin. It tickles and I chuckle.
Seemingly deemed acceptable, I carefully begin to rub under her chin. She makes a nickering sound of contentment.
“You’re a beautiful, strong girl, aren’t you?” I coo at her, using my other hand to stroke her neck. “Thank you for ferrying us to our destination.”
She leans her head closer and nudges my ear, making me laugh out loud when she nearly knocks me down.
I turn to Mecknos. “She’s amazing. Thank you.”
He puffs out his big chest in obvious pride. “You’re welcome. Enjoy the festival.”
We say our goodbyes, and a quiet Najar follows me as we begin to walk toward our friends, who are already waiting for us across from the town’s Welcome Center.
Luna comes bouncing over to us—which I’m not quite sure how she manages in her bulky thermal suit, but somehow she does. “How did it go? What did you think? Wasn’t that ride into town amazing?”
I grin at her. “It really was.” I arch an eyebrow. “And Najar and I cleared the air. We appreciate your meddling.”
Najar grunts.
Luna throws her hands in the air in a solo version of the wave. “Thank the freaking galactic gods! It’s about time you two quit acting like idiotic men.”
“Touché,” I say, then rub at my chilled nose. “Enough gabbing though. I don’t know about all of you, but I think I need a hot beverage.”
Her eyes sparkle merrily. “I like how you think, Felix! Follow me. They have a fun holiday market up ahead, and there are loads of vendors selling food and beverages. Let’s all get something to warm up.”
We follow as she leads the way.
Khephren may be the captain of the ship in name, but I’m beginning to suspect Luna is the real shadow captain. Oddly enough, she reminds me a bit of my sister. They’re both feisty and independent, full of a take-no-shit type of confidence that I truly admire.
I can’t wait to tell Gemma all about this planet. She’s going to be so jealous. My sister has always wanted to travel the world but hasn’t had the time or the money to make it happen. An alien planet would be just as cool to her, I have no doubt.
As we stroll down the main street, I try to take it all in. The town itself is oddly reminiscent of a quaint European village decked out for the holidays, although the one celebrated hereis not Christmas. Instead, the decorations adorning buildings appear to celebrate snow and ice.
But I suppose that makes sense on a world that only has one season—perpetual winter.
The residents here are distinctly alien—no pun intended—to me. I see a number of beings who share the same appearance as our sled-carriage driver, but there are others as well. Most of them appear to be from species that have a lot of natural hair or fur covering their bodies, which also makes complete sense for the environment of the planet.
In fact, we are clearly the oddballs here in our thermal suits, but Sasha and I, the lone humans, stand out even more. We get quite a few stares, which isn’t surprising.
I must admit, I’m grateful to have Sasha around. He’s been helping me adjust to life aboard the Sleigh Belle quite a bit. The tales of his travels have been astonishing to hear, but I find myself most envious of his relationship with Khephren. Their bond is full of affection and respect for one another and is beautiful to see. It reminds me a bit of my grandparents, whose relationship was unshakeable. Together, they could weather any storm and conquer any challenge that came their way. I’ve dreamed of finding that kind of connection with someone.
But it hasn’t happened yet, and I’m not sure if it ever will.
Shaking off my moodier thoughts, I follow my companions to the town square, where we find a dizzying array of booths lining the square. Vendors are selling everything from food to clothing, and the scene is lively with the smiling and laughing townsfolk filling the square.
“So aliens have Christmas markets too,” I murmur to myself.
I’m startled when I realize Najar has stealthily moved to my side. “Many extraterrestrial species are not all that radically different from humans. Most sentient beings value community, culture, and traditions. Or so I have found.”
I nod thoughtfully. “I’m sure a fair number of human anthropologists would sell their souls for an opportunity to study extraterrestrial peoples and their ways of life.”
He gives me a wry smile. “Although I doubt most species would welcome such observation. Humans tend to consider themselves the superior beings in the universe. They do not realize they are very young and far less advanced than other beings out here.”
“That’s very true. But we do have a lot of stories that imagine what other folks in the universe might be like. The sheer number of sci-fi movies and TV programs dealing with that subject is astonishing. Although, what I’ve seen so far suggestsStar Trekand its various spin-offs were a lot closer to the truth than most other franchises.”
Najar lowers his voice. “For the love of Thekmis, please do not say anything like that to Sasha. Otherwise, he’ll talk your ear off about human movies.”
