From a Distant Star

by Karen McQuestion

This planet, the one they called Earth, was a curious one. A certain percentage of the inhabitants were so highly evolved some of the elders thought they could be contacted directly and invited to join the coalition. But the evolved inhabitants were few, and didn’t seem to hold any power over the masses, who were, by all accounts, brutal. If they couldn’t be trusted to treat each other well, how receptive would they be to outsiders from another world?

You cannot hate or fear what you understand.”

Most of the time, it didn’t make a difference either way. Mrs. Walker saw the world in black and white, while Lucas and I saw every shade. She would always be color-blind, and arguing with her didn’t help.

I had that sick feeling like when you get called to the principal’s office: the sensation of shame and impending doom even without knowing exactly what you did wrong, if anything.

“This is a very confusing planet. People believe things that aren’t true about other people just because of how they look and what kind of vehicle they drive. Why can you not wait and see who they are inside before you make a decision?”