"I'm home," she said softly.
"Oh, good. Dinner is almost ready. Time enough for you to take a quick shower."
"Tired."
"Aw," he said, walking toward her. "Rough day?"
She nodded. "Landed on a planet that was spinning. Motion sickness. Plus the beings living there were not happy to see us."
"You'll feel better after you clean up and have something to eat," he said, kissing the front of her helmet.
"I'm on tomorrow as well."
"I thought you had a month off, after this job?"
"Jim caught some kind of virus, or disease, on Planet X, so he's out of the game and in isolation for the time being. He's not doing well. I told him not to go there again. Nothing good can ever come from that place."
"I'm so sorry. A quick bite and it's off to bed."
"After tomorrow, my month off begins."
"Looking forward to it," he said, helping her out of her suit. You seem more tired than usual. Are you okay?"
"Just exhausted," she said. "All the secrecy behind the space program is getting all of us down."
"Why didn't you change before you came home? I've never seen you in your gear when you're not at work. And why are you all black and blue?
"Look. Sorry about your wife, she seemed nice," said the entity. "We needed a way to earth, so we piggybacked, using the crew you so thoughtfully sent to our planet. Don't be afraid. My species isn't as violent as yours, but it would be unwise for you to fight me, since I'm a lot stronger than you are and could fry you to a crisp with a single thought."
"Where is my wife?"
"Right here. She was a bit small for me to squeeze into, so there was some tearing, but I finally managed."
"You killed her, and her crew?"
"Seemed like the right thing to do."
"I loved her," he said.
"That's one of your emotions, right?"
"So is this," he said, shedding his human form. "It's called RAGE!
The moral of the story is: things are not always what they seem to be...
Great photo: Cash Macanaya
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