Submitted by SnippyTheDeliveryFox t3_11pdqfg in WritingPrompts
mja1993 t1_jc0puj1 wrote
The air seemed to crackle with tension as the Intergalactic Security officers approached the human. His haggard face, decked out in a few days' worths of stubble, betrayed his state of exhaustion, while his eyes glinted with a mix of fear and desperation. The officers had been tipped off about a human attempting to smuggle a mysterious container of caustic liquid past the warp gate, and here he was -- standing awkwardly in front of them with his suspicious cargo in hand.
The lead officer stepped closer and spoke in a slow, menacing tone. "What do you have there, citizen?" His voice echoed eerily through the near-empty spaceport as he gestured at the container.
The human gulped nervously and looked from side to side before stammering out an explanation. "It-- It's not what it looks like! I was just trying to get home after a long trip and my… my stomach was feeling kind of empty, so…" He trailed off, realizing the gravity of the situation too late.
The officers exchanged dubious glances. "Your stomach?" one said slowly. "What is this 'stomach' you speak of?"
The human blinked in surprise, realizing he'd made a mistake. "Ah, right. Um… well, you see, a stomach is what humans have inside their bodies to… uh, digest food and--"
The officer's face twisted in confusion. "What are 'bodies' and 'food'?" he interrupted.
The human sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. He was beginning to understand why these officers were so suspicious of him -- he was speaking an entirely different language! He quickly tried to explain the concept of living organisms and eating to the increasingly baffled officers, but it was no use -- they simply couldn't comprehend.
After several minutes of confusion, the officers eventually realized that the human wasn't attempting to smuggle anything after all. He'd simply been trying to get some much-needed nourishment after a long journey through space. With a few embarrassed apologies, they left him alone to buy his food and head home.
As the human watched their retreating figures, he couldn't help but shake his head in bemusement at the situation he'd just found himself in. He'd come so close to getting arrested for something he hadn't even done!
Still, one thing was certain: from now on, he'd never take for granted the simple act of eating ever again.
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