Intruder's Beak

Those beaked creatures were intruders on Earth at first, but then we learned to love their quiet presence. I saw one in an alley on my way to work and I just knew I had to talk to it.

It was huge. I have never seen one move, but somehow they got to places. I approached it and looked into its eyes that were not really eyes. Scientists said they did not see and did not have any senses other than the sensitive beak. It was the only way to communicate with them.

I wrapped my lips around the beak and moved my tongue. I instinctively knew how to move it so the creature would understand.

”I need a way to get back to being me,” I said.

”You must find the place you lived when you were in college,” thoughts started popping into my head. Scientists say that the thoughts come from the taste of the slime that oozes out of the beak. “They will have moved the place, but you have to navigate the labyrinth of snowy streets and quaint shops until you find the place.”

I swallowed the slime that had filled my mouth by then. I knew my stomach would hurt the next day, but I could not break communication.

”What do I do when I get there?” I asked.

”You cannot be alone. Under no circumstances can you be alone. Take a female with you. Have sex with her in your old room. You will be yourself again. You can only be yourself in the past. That is all.”

I broke away from the beak and continued to work. My thoughts were still mixed with the intruder’s, swirling like a extraterrestrial tornado.

Posted by: Paweł Kowaluk