What the aliens found out

Once upon a time in a land that you have not yet been to lived a family. They were superficially very happy, but, as most families do, each had their own pervasive concerns which tended to prevent them from deeper collective happiness. Unfortunately, this land was invaded by aliens, and the governmental structures which had been instated democratically soon fell at the might of these alien invaders. The aliens announced to the public that they had come to choose select few of the population to experience the ‘wonder’ of life on their alien planet, and the remaining inhabitants would be destroyed along with the land they lived in. The family was selected to send one member to this alien planet. In order to make this monumental decision, they held a family meeting, where they contemplated what beneficial traits each member possessed, in order to isolate a family member with exceptional merit. As they sat around the table, each gazed disbelievingly at the faces they had come to take for granted. In fact, in sad human fashion, each had paid little importance to family, for it is a pathetic human assumption that one’s family will always be there, and is not to be considered very often with regard to the social sense. To each member, a sudden dawning of their collective stupidity occurred, as they weighed and measured the qualities of each member. The father was helpful and good tempered, the mother clever and perceptive. The older son was intellectual and knowledgeable, the daughter kind and sweet, and the younger son brave and confident. The parents realized, for the first time, the caliber of offspring they had produced…each of their children possessed remarkable traits, and each had endless to offer any imaginable type of civilization. The children saw, for the first time, the exceptional parents that had raised them, and knew that they both were endlessly equipped to guide and fashion any population as they had skillfully guided and fashioned their offspring. They all sat, silent, immobile, knowing fully well that no fair decision could be made. They knew that no member was superior, and furthermore, they knew that they could not bear to be separated, having just truly seen each other for the first time. The following hours were the most perfect of their familial lives. They existed seemingly wholly, as never before.

When the time came to make the final decision, they knew what difficult task must be done. Their new knowledge validated their existences, and as t hey each stared imminent destruction in the eyes, bravely and valiantly, they sent their beloved dog to the alien planet. Days went by with the threat of destruction hanging overhead like the mythical sword of Damocles. It came as a great shock to the land’s population, when one day, an alien messenger arrived with profound and miraculous news. The alien race had been enlightened and reformed by a foreigner they had taken from the human land. He infused into them the values of love, sacrifice and truth that he had learned one day as he lay under t he family table, scratching his ears. The family’s dog then went on to become king of the alien planet, and a timeless intergalactic legend.