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Contact Day
by Katie Kent
Third Place
‘Happy Contact Day!’
Elexa replies with thumbs up and smiley face emojis, and even just seeing her name on the screen makes me feel all gooey inside. We’ve been dating for over six months and I’ve fallen for her, for sure, and I wonder if today might be the day to tell her I love her. I mean, what better day than the holiday set up to celebrate the first contact by her kind?
That day seems both like it was ages ago and like it was yesterday. Earth came to a standstill when the fleet of spacecraft touched down around the planet. Aliens arrived in London, in New York, Tokyo, and other big cities. There was panic, but there was also excitement. After all, humans had been waiting a long time for this. Those who believed there was life on other planets were vindicated. Those who thought we were alone in the universe were forced to admit they were wrong. Not everyone supported us letting them stay, but a lot of people’s misgivings vanished when they realised that they hadn’t come here to cause us any harm.
In the kitchen, I pour myself a glass of orange juice and stick two pieces of bread into the toaster. Dad is already in the kitchen, reading the front page of the newspaper. The Government goes ahead with Contact Day- but was it all worth it? I stare at the words until my eyes start to go blurry.
“How can you read that rubbish?” I blurt out.
Dad peers at me over the top of his glasses. “They make some good points. Overpopulation, climate change- these things have accelerated since the aliens arrived. Maybe they should have been sent back to their home planet.”
I glare at him. “Montrafa, Dad. Their home planet has a name. And you know that would have been a death sentence. The planet was dying. We had to help them.”
He shakes his head. “Having them here is like a death sentence for Earth.”
I clench my hands into fists. “Can you not, please? You know I’m dating one of them.”
“And you know how your mum and I feel about that.” They’ve not been hostile to Elexa, exactly, but they’ve hardly welcomed her with open arms, either. “We have absolutely no issues with you dating a girl, but can’t you find a nice human girl?”
“I’m not going to listen to this racist crap,” I blurt out. Okay, so it may have taken me by surprise when I realised I was starting to feel something for an alien, but love is love. It’s not like I’m the first human to have a relationship with one of them. Even the Prime Minister’s son is dating an alien.
Mum, who’s on her way down the stairs, stares at me in shock. “Language, young lady!”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to stay here whilst you insult my girlfriend. Whether you like it or not, I’m dating an alien. So you’d better get used to it.” The toast pops up, and I grab it with my left hand, picking up the glass of juice in my right.
“You’re not going to put anything on your toast?” Mum calls out as I push past her on the stairs, but I don’t answer.
In my room I chomp on the dry toast. My mood has soured, but I’m determined to snap out of it, for Elexa’s sake. She’s been a bit reluctant to celebrate this new holiday, but I know she’ll get into it when she’s around others like her. There’s only one other alien in our year group at school, and he’s loud and confident, everything Elexa is not. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for her, but today is a chance for her to let down her hair and see that most people want her here. I remember how I felt when I went to my first Pride. I anticipate today being like that for her.
*
I inspect myself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction. Elexa is going to love this. I rush down the stairs and out the door before my parents have a chance to make any more disapproving comments, slamming the door behind me.
The bus driver does a double take when he sees me, and there are a few giggles from the other passengers, but most of them ignore me. A couple of them are dressed up too, and I smile and nod at them. I get off after a few stops and walk the rest of the way to Elexa’s house. As I press the bell on the front door of her foster house, I flex my fingers.
The door opens, and Elexa stares at me. “Alice?”
“Surprise!” I open my eyes wide, but the grin falls from my face when I realise that she’s not smiling back at me, and that her wings have drooped.
“What have you done?” she whispers. She still has an accent, but she and the other aliens learned our languages much more easily than we would have done, had it been the other way round. Just another sign that their civilization was more developed than ours. I think this is what has upset some people- they think the aliens are going to take their jobs.
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I hug my arms around my body, feeling the weight of the fake wings on my back. “I just… I just wanted to celebrate you, babe.”
She bites her lip. “This is so offensive.”
I scrunch my eyes up. “Offensive? I’ve got us tickets to the big festival in London. I thought you’d be pleased.”
She sighs. “Come in. We need to talk.”
My heart pounding, I follow her into her living room, almost tripping over my fake tail, and sit down next to her on the sofa.
“Drink?” she asks, but I shake my head.
“I’d rather we talk. I want to understand how you’re feeling.”
She picks up her cup of milk and takes a sip. “I’ve studied your history. Have you never heard of blackface?”
“Of course I have,” I say. “But what does that…” My eyes go wide as it dawns on me. “Oh.” I wonder if she can see the blush on my cheeks through the blue face paint. “Look, I didn’t mean… I just thought you might feel less different, if I looked like you. But I didn’t think it through properly. I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me.”
She reaches for my hand. “Of course I don’t hate you. I know you meant well. But it’s not just that. You know I didn’t want to celebrate this day.”
“I know.” I squeeze her hand. “But I thought that was just because you felt different. I thought if you saw all the others like you- that maybe you would feel happier.”
I’m alarmed to see tears in her eyes. “Why would I want to celebrate the day I left my home planet?” she asks. “Why would I want to celebrate the day I was separated from my family?”
I scoot closer to her. “Oh, babe.” I put my arm around her, letting her head rest on my chest, and stroke her silver hair. “I didn’t even think. I’m such a bad girlfriend.”
“You’re not,” she assures me, through her tears. “But you have to understand, this isn’t a happy day for me.”
“I see that now. I’m sorry I pushed you. For me, this day is all about honouring the girl I love. Celebrating your differences, and how glad I am that you came to Earth.”
She looks up at me, blinking through her long eyelashes. “The girl you love?”
I laugh awkwardly. “Shit, I didn’t mean for it to just come out like that.” I clamp my hand over my mouth. “Sorry, I know you hate it when I swear.”
“I’ll allow it, just this once.” She breaks out into a smile for the first time today. “I love you, too,” she whispers, adjusting her position so we’re face to face. She rubs her nose against mine. The first time she did this, I had to concentrate hard so I didn’t laugh, but I’m used to it now. Then she tilts her head ever so slightly, and her lips meet mine. Our first kiss was terrible- it took her as long to get used to kissing as it did for me to get used to nose rubbing- but we’re almost pros now.
“I’m sorry about the tickets,” she says, when she pulls away from me. “I can pay you back.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be silly. It’s my fault I didn’t listen to you. We can do whatever you want today. Let me just take off this face paint and get out of these clothes. I did bring a change of clothes with me, just in case.”
She nods approvingly. “I’d like to mark the day. After all, my parents saved my life when they put me on that ship. And without that, I’d never have met you. But I’d like to do something low-key.”
I bite my lip. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. We could go to the church and you could light a candle for them. Then we could do some baking. Watch a film, and cuddle on the sofa.”
“Perfect.” She bops me on the nose. “Happy Contact Day.”
“Happy Contact Day.” It’s not what I planned for the day, but as long as I’m here with Elexa, I’m happy.
Winning pieces are published as received.
Fiction Potluck
October 2024
Third Place Winner:
Katie Kent
Katie Kent has been published in Youth Imagination, Breath and Shadow and Northern Gravy, amongst others, and in anthologies including The Trouble with Time Travel. She won second place in three Writing Magazine competitions, and first place in Fusilli Writing’s flash fiction competition. Her website is at katiekentwriter.com.