The guard threw me a new empty bag.  The filled bags were taken to the truck at the edge of the field.  As my empty stomach growled I opened a perion-seed pod that was a-food  long.  There were green seeds that were thrice larger than the peas in it.  I ate them.  They were sweet and nutty.  I ate some more.

“Don’t eat the seeds, you pig!”  the Makumban guard barked.

I fought not to pulverize him, for I knew the consequence of my action.  I didn’t want to be killed and become a wandering ghost in  this field.  Stay alive, Marlon.      

“Eat this,” #268 gave me his sandwich from the bag.

“Keep it for yourself.”

“Come here,” he whispered to me, moving toward a nearby shady area where several pickers were smoking.  He rolled the dried perion leaves in a piece of paper, grabbed a dried stick of perion branch from the ground and rubbed it vigorously against the side of his metal ankle-cuff.  A minute later the stick burst into a flame.  He put it to the rolled cigaret and puffed.  “Perion stick is the best,” he said.  “Other sticks don’t burn easily.”

I bent to feel my ankle-cuff.  It was hot, heated by the scorching sun.  My socks protected my skins from getting burn.

He gave me the cigaret but I didn’t take it.  Perion-cigaret was highly addictive, stronger than marijuana.  I used to smoke marijuana when I was in high school and knew it made me lazy and unmotivated.  I didn’t want that now.  I must stay sober if I want to survive.

“This is how we cope with our misery,” #268 said.

(from THE SPACE HERMITS)

“You are a seed-picker for the rest of your life,” Clive said angrily.  He pressed the button on his coat to call a security guard.  A minute later the guard came in.  “Take him to the Perion Field One,” Clive ordered.  “He’s a picker from now!”

Outside, the guard thrust me into the rumpom.  “Get in!”

Half an hour later, we reached to the field suburb of the city, the same field I had visited the day before.  As we walked toward the guard station, a tall security guard appeared at the door.  “I brought you a new picker,” the guard who brought me told him.

The guard looked confused a second then nodded.  “Start working!”  He threw me an empty bag.

So, my days as a seed-picker began just like that.  I went toward the workers in the field.  “Stupid son of a machine!”  I cussed, picturing Clive’s cold face.  “I could save the leader’s life by caching wannabe assassins from Rakutan some day.  If he knew what you did to me, he will kick your ass.  You will lose your job!”  I began to pick the seeds.

“Mr. Brumba, what in the world are you doing here?”  The middle-aged man I’d met the day before came toward me, his eyes wide.

“I’m not Brumba.  Call me Marlon.”

“So, what went wrong, Marlon?”

“I didn’t accept the job.  Simple as that.”

“How come you threw out such good opportunity?”

I told him what happened.  “If he’s smart, he will come back for me.  But again he might not come.  His head is all screwed up.”

(from The SPACE HERMITS)

 

After visiting the human slaves in the field, I knew exactly what I should propose to Talumon, the leader:  One, stop producing human clones.  Two, give the existing humans freedom to choose their occupation.  Last but not the least, allow humans who wish to return to Earth to do so.  As for me, after serving as a brumba for two years, I should be permited to return to Earth also.

That was what I exactly told Clive when he came to my room that evening.  He laughed hysterically.  “That’s one heck of a proposal!  That’s just too much for us to even consider.”

“Then I won’t serve Makumba, Talumon, whatsoever.”

“That’s too bad,” he said coldly.

(excerpted from THE SPACE HERMITS)

(Excerpted from THE SPACE HERMITS)

“Tell me where you hide my friends,” I demanded.

“In fact, I don’t know where they are either,” Clive said.

“I cannot take the job, unless you take me where my friends are.  Do not freaking force me into doing anything, got that?”  I stormed off as if I had a place to go.

“I’ll give you two days to join us,” he said, following me.  “Or you will die.”  He glared at me with blue sparks in his eyes that made my skin crawl.

The following day, Clive came to my room to tell me, “I will show you around today.  I’m a busy person but took the time just for you.”

His condescending tone irritated me but I managed to not burst into punching his face.  All     I was concerned about at this time was the whereabouts of Wes, Lyle, and Camilla.  I told him that million times before but he ignored it.  I gazed out the window toward the dreamy, dorm cityscape, and changed the subject.  “How can Rakutans make themselves invisible?”

“I won’t tell you unless you promise me that you will take the job and be  loyal to us.”

“Tell me what you did to my friends first,” I demanded.

“If you keep on asking, I have no choice but to kill you.  Understood?”  He glared at me.

Clive elbowed me hard.  Reluctantly I got up, went to the stage, and took the microphone.  I searched hard in my head for the right thing to say.  Millions of eyes were watching me.  I had never spoken in public before, not even for my high school events, and I felt like I was about to swoon.  I cleared my throat.

“Thank you,”I said perfunctorily, “for accepting me.”  I was about to return to my seat when I heard Clive in my head telling me to repeat him:  “I am honored to carry on my duty as a Brumba.  I promise to fulfill my duty to serve this nation.”

The audience stood and applauded.  As I returned to my seat Clive gave me a nod.  The MC said something in Makumban, which the translator skipped translation.  Attendees roared in laughter.  Clive told me, “The MC said that humans are ugly but you are exceptionally handsome because you’ve breathed Makumban air for over two weeks.”

Whatever, asshole, I cussed in my mind.

Clive went up the stage and began to speak in Makumban.  No translation this time either, which made me feel insulted.

I promised myself to relinquish my duty later.  Then again, I might as well keep the job to expose myself to high-ranking government officials for my advantage; it might open an opportunity for me to return to Earth.

(from THE SPACE HERMITS)

I looked out the window toward the distant cityscape.  Dorm-shaped buildings and trees were seen through the pink fog.  Several, bubble-like vehicles were flying toward the city.

“The flying thing is called rumpom,” said Clive through telepathy.  His voice was so clear that I thought he was in the room.  “By the way, what do you think of the Director of Research Center?  Isn’t he generous?  Stopping by to see a humble one like you?”

“That tells how important I am to him.”

“You should feel honored.”

“Whatever.”

Seconds later, Clive came in the room, ordering, “Follow me.  I will show you your temporary quarters.”

I followed him out to the hall.  While walking across the hall toward a corridor, he said, “This is the Research Center for Extraterrestrials.”

I was rattled by a fresh anger that they tested on me without my knowledge for several days.  I fought my impulse to grab his neck and shake.

“Just be grateful for our hospitality.”

When we reached a door he said again, “This is your quarters.  Take a look.”

I took a swift glance around the scantly furnished small quarters.  So much for an Assistant Chief of Security Department of Makumba.  I scoffed.  “What did you do to  my…?”  I was going to ask him what they did to my friends then I realized I was supposed to not remember anything.  Not my friends, nor my past.

(–from THE SPACE HERMITS)