web-messages

[web-messages]

The sound is annoying me a lot, but I play it cool - it's my fault after all. I never remember to wipe off the bottom of the coffee pot with a towel, so when the little hot plate turns on beneath it the moisture pops and crackles in anguish like a pan of turkey bacon.

My shadow, Zeebzint, turns to me in curiosity. I anticipate his tone well before he vocalizes. "Biixiibibibi bi bibishzi?" I shake my head. "-not normally, no." He tilts, confused. "I made a mistake using the machine. It typically just gurgles." I gesture lazily with my hand, pointing to the pot. "It's not supposed to be wet." He doesn't seem satisfied, but his large dark eyes trail off into the distance, I take it as an okay time to stop explaining.

As we walk back to the lab (each with a mug of black coffee) I can tell he's going to be especially inquisitive today. When this started a few months ago I genuinely thought it'd be like an employment thing. This job isn't great but I've at least worked here long enough that I can explain it. Instead - I don't know how else to say it but it's like he never bothered to read about Earth at all. He asks me about every interaction I have, about the speed I drive and the time I spend asleep, and the frequency has yet to slow. Thank god he at least knows not to follow me into the bathroom.

----

As he promised, Professor Hallgrin has decided to grace our little field expedition with his presence this morning. He's not wearing his usual slacks and jacket. Instead, he's in a t-shirt and jeans that look at once both poorly made and expensive. He gravitates eagerly towards Zeebzint, but despite his availability and interest yet again fails to capture the little alien's interest. Maybe Zeebzint can tell when Hallgrin's institutional pride dulls the usefulness of his answers? Could also just be that Hallgrin's cloying gaze is just as annoying to the green man as it is to me.

After burning my tongue on my stupid coffee I rescue him from Hallgrin's outreach. "I pre loaded the truck yesterday, we can head out as soon as you're ready." He perks up. "Well of course! I'm plenty ready. Lead the way." I don't move. "You said you were going to bring a camera, right?" The professor softly palms his tall forehead and steps out of the lab, returning shortly with a beautiful camera dangling perilously from his pale neck.

I grab the keys and the three of us pace out the building and up the slopes of the nearby parking tower. "Biizeeziisizo bibizi?" I manually unlock each of the doors of the old truck before getting seated. "Well yeah, we do have cameras in our phones but they don't take nice pictures. Hallgrin wants high quality pictures for the website." Zeebzint settles between us.

"Borzoizoibs, bizizizobii? ba biiyo?" I tense up slightly. He has a habit of asking this exact kind of thing in front of people where I can't answer honestly. "No they won't take long." He looks at me, unconvinced. "We should still be able to grab soil samples and spray at each of the sites, might just be an hour or so late back to the lab." He looks at his wrist as if there were a watch. I'm not sure what he's feeling.

----

The 40 minute drive to Rockville was not unpleasant per se, it had far fewer questions with Hallgrin around. I begin to wonder if maybe Zeebzint is nearing the end of his studies. It seems like rather than go for a fixed amount of time most of these work study abroad students simply return to their planet once they're satisfied with what they've seen. Can't say for sure though, nobody has ever given me a straight answer about it.

We arrive at one of our many field sites, an upscale home with rose bushes and little cherubic statues throughout the garden. I knock on the front door. This can be the worst part. Some people are pleased to have an "invasive insect team" personally checking in on their roses - others, though, will object pretty violently to the presence of science. Sometimes you just get a look from someone and you can tell they're worried you'll try to vaccinate them. It's better when they see us more like lawn guys.

A woman no younger than 50 answers the door and recognizes me and my shadow. She seems almost giddy. "Hey miss, it's us from the university again. Gardening going ok?" With two dry palms she clasps my hand. "You're here at the perfect time! We found an egg sac!" My eyes widen and I exchange a glance with Hallgrin. Zeebzint is mumbling something to me, but I can't answer him. "Could you show it to us?"

She leads us into her manicured garage. Large gardening tools hang high up on tool boards. The smooth pavement floor is being loudly stomped as several voices cheer.

Zeebzint tugs on my sleeve but I shrug him off. Dazzling ruby insects dot the floor. From a freshly cut rose branch a clutch of newly hatched Rove Beetles of some kind scramble beneath the eager feet of two children and their father - gleefully stomping out the pests and congratulating one another. The woman watches my reaction carefully, so I keep my eyebrows raised in faux surprise. The children do not stop and attend our arrival, overcome with euphoria as they pop the creatures like pimples.

"Xorzii! Ziibibi? Ziibibi bor?" - Me and Hallgrin make a silent decision. I shake her hand and say "Thank-you for doing your part in science!" and she seems quite proud - wonderful. I sigh as we step outside to begin taking measurements on the bushes. The air was uncharacteristically silent.

----

I have to assume that Zeebzint knew enough about our work to know that the invasive pest we study does not hatch from large clutches, or even from external egg structures of that kind at all. Were it possible to have stepped aside during the event to explain why I didn't tell them - I would have. But he was never patient enough. Always asking questions in the moment, never after. I won't miss the weird urgency with which he interjected into everything.

All that said, I would have liked to get a goodbye. You see all these articles about Martians giving their mentors these heartfelt goodbye gifts, these moments of tenderness where all the education pays off - it's not like I need that but I was curious what it'd look like, what he would have found most informative from his time here.

He was probably upset at me for some weird alien faux pas, I dunno. After that day I didn't see him again. The lab is quiet.