Yglennis enjoyed visiting with her human friend on Mars. They especially enjoyed sitting in her reading nook, looking out on the secondary dome their government had installed for non-human species. Yet they couldnât help but wish that they could take off their breathing apparatus to enjoy the full experience.
The precise mix of gases breathed by humansâprimarily nitrogen and oxygenâwould kill Yglennis, making that experience an impossibility. Still, they could simulate it in their holo-theater within their own home on Xima Four. They felt theyâd done a creditable job of recreating the nook, complete with scattered books and the famous view. It felt realâperhaps too real.
Each time Yglennis entered the nook, they donned their breathing apparatus, terrified, for some reason, that it would somehow contain the noxious air that humans breathed. No matter how hard they tried to convince themselves that they had checked and rechecked the atmosphere, fear gripped them every time they tried to remove the mask.
Today, determined to overcome their fear, they had entered the holo-theater, once again filled with resolve. They connected their farspeaker with that of their friend, Marilyn, and together, yet light years apart, they sat on identical couches, looking out at identical landscapes.
âAre you ready Yglennis?â
âNo.â
Marilyn laughed, which made Yglennis gurgle, their species equivalent. âI didnât think so, but Iâm with you today. Youâre never going to enjoy your nook unless you take that mask off!â
Something fluttered in Yglennisâs third stomach. Marilyn called that feeling butterflies after some kind of Earth insect. âAll right,â they said.
Fighting down the urge to vomit the contents of all their stomachs, Yglennis raised their hand to their breathing apparatus. Marilyn began to count backward.
âThreeâŠâ
Yglennis steeled themselves.
âTwoâŠâ
No backing out now. Not in front of Marilyn.
âOne!â
Yglennis ripped the mask off and breathed in delicious hydrogen. They collapsed in relief, moving only when Marilynâs voice prodded them.
âArenât you going to make some tea? You said you wanted the full experience.â
Yglennis gurgled. âYes, I did, didnât I?â Bidding their friend goodbye, they retreated to their preparation cubicle to make a version of âteaâ that Marilyn would find as poisonous as Yglennis found her friendâs air.
Maybe someday Yglennis and her human soulmate would overcome the differences that separated them, but it wouldnât matter if they didnât. They were forever bonded by their love of reading.
It took me a while to decide on what to do with my Martian reading nook. I decided the proportions on the being in the picture were wrong for a human and that the mask didnât make sense in a dome for human habitation. So I decided to write about someone from another world with a different breathable atmosphere.
Yglennis, though very different from us, is not so different after all. She loves a good book, a comfy space, and a cup of tea. If we could just look past our differences, I think we humans would find that we share so many commonalities that could unite us as a species. May we all look for our similarities and try to learn from our differences!
How delightful that they found a way to come together. Love conquers all? â€ïžđ
Your imagination astounds me! Another great story, Dascha. Wonderful message for sure