THE GIFT FROM SPACE
a science fiction interlude

 

The alien ship came from the far side of Alpha Centauri. By the time it had emerged from behind the Moon, the people of Earth were all watching the skies, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the extraterrestrials.

"We bring you a gift," said the leader of the aliens as it emerged from the shiny craft moored to the White House

"What is it?" asked the President, turning the rectangle over and over.

"FONTS!" replied the alien leader excitedly. "New and better fonts!"

lawn.

"That's a relief," said the President, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a hankerchief. "We weren't certain if you were friendly or not."

"Hah-hah," said the alien leader. "There will be no doubt of it once you take a look at THIS!" With that, the alien handed the Commander In Chief a small, thin plastic rectangle.

"What is it?" asked the President, turning the rectangle over and over, looking for some clue as to its nature.

"FONTS!" replied the alien leader excitedly. "New and better fonts!"

The President stared at the alien blankly.

"They're perfectly compatible with both Mac and PC, and they're fully scaleable on any ink-jet printer!" continued the alien. "It should boost your primitive Font Technology into the next age!"

"I... see," said the President, handing the disk over to an advisor. He scratched his chin thoughtfully, and was silent for a moment. He felt that he should choose his next words carefully. Finally he spoke.

"The people of this planet offer you their thanks for this great gift," said the President, smiling brightly. "It's just that - and I don't mean to seem ungrateful - we were expecting something along the lines of a cure for cancer, or maybe the secret of cold fusion."

"I...see," said the alien, and although its six inhuman eyes were just as inscrutable as before, the President got the impression that it was staring at him blankly.

The two representatives of their races stood on the White House lawn looking at each other for a few moments, saying nothing.

Suddenly the alien leader broke the silence.

"Did I mention that we also bring you an advanced Mattress Spring Technology?" it asked excitedly.

 

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