Catherine Broderick story-response to drawing

Catherine Brokerick

Riding the lightning bolt down to earth, Jim marveled at the strange land before him. These strange two eyed people flew their cloths on strings and distorted their faces to show their chewing instruments and insides. They had a strange sort of fur atop their heads instead of an antenna and they covered their bodies with cloths similar to the ones they flew in the air. Jim’s people removed the earth’s livestock and nobody seemed to care, they just continued to stare at their flying clothes in ignorant amazement. “Are these beings so oblivious,” thought Jim, “that they know not of our plan to command their planet? Can they not see that we are overtaking them?” As a ship in the sky began to beam up an earth cow, the rays distorted its figure into one with wings and a single horn on its head, much like the single eye placed in the middle of Jim’s face. Being lifted into the air by electronic, not physical, means frightened the cow and milk began sputtering into the mouth of an earth being lying below it, eyes closed and bearing its teeth as it flew its cloth contraption. The cow squealed in fear as it was beamed closer and closer to the ship, but the earth being continued to smile broadly, allowing the cow’s delicious milk to trickle into his mouth. Jim was still riding the lightning bolt down to earth as this occurred and he thought, “Does this earth being not care for his livestock? Does he blissfully ignore the creature’s calls for help, only taking what the cow provides him and ignoring his frightened screams? It must be this way with all earth beings, they must take from their earth and its creatures, giving nothing in return and offering no assistance. ” This thought puzzled Jim because on his planet any livestock that were used where used wholly, no part was wasted and the creatures were treated with respect and gratitude for their service in furthering the strength of the people. Jim took further notice in the cow with the dripping milk and saw that it was not only squealing out of fear from being lifted off of the ground but also from its collar that was still attached to the spoke in the ground. The higher the cow was lifted the tighter the collar became and the more furiously the cow tried to squeal to the human below, enjoying its milk but ignoring the source. Eventually the squealing stopped, the cow produced no more milk, and the spoke was ripped out of the ground, putting the cow out of his misery. The blissful kite flyer below felt around his mouth with his tongue, confused at the absence of milk. “Where has the milk gone? Why am I denied my rightful joy?” Thought the earth being. Becoming angry and confused he started on a rampage, carrying his kite over to another earth being. “Where has my milk gone?” Cried the first earth being. The second earth being replied he did not know. The first earth creature thrust his kite into the hands of the second and pushed him into the line of lightning that Jim was riding to earth upon. The lightning shocked the earth creature and rendered him lifeless. As it was Jim’s lightning bolt that killed this second earth being, he saw the whole scene. Jim decided he did not want to conquer this planet anymore.