"But we believe in punishing criminals, too.”
So now, every day, all day long, I sort boxes and place them on the rails to the right or to the left of me. The boxes are color coded, so I don’t need good eyesight. And I am not angry anymore. But day and night, terror consumes me. #talesoftheragoon

“But won’t that reduce my value to your conglomerate?”
“Not for the job we have selected for you.”
“But I thought you don’t believe in punishment, just rehabilitation.” I was almost in tears.
“You misunderstood. We do believe in rehabilitation." #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion

"They change your vision in a way that prevents your fear from turning into anger. There are similar implants in your ears and nose. All your senses except for your sense of touch have been modified this way. Go ahead, Jane.”
“What a puny person,” the woman said. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

I lifted my head and swung my legs off the bed. To my surprise I saw another alien and a young human female. I had not heard them enter the room, which seemed to have dimmed. I stood up, and stared at the others, but I was having trouble focusing on their faces. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

Cursing under my breath, thinking of ways to chop off its scaly head, I did as I was told and stared resentfully up at the rainbow. Minutes passed, and my anger did also. I was feeling sleepy and having trouble focusing on the rainbow.
“That’s it. You can stand.”
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

I would show this repulsive reptile how a chicken pecked to death a loathsome scaly lizard. My normal, human, brown eyes stared into its bulbous green lenses.
After many minutes, calm began to return to my body. I realized that the lizard was staring back at me. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

"The mere sight of a human standing alongside a road. Any kind of sound above a whisper. The smell of flowers. All these terrify you, and this is what causes you to become angry.”
“You think I’m afraid?” I was becoming annoyed. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #shortstory #alien

I think I detected surprise in the mechanical voice when it spoke again.
“Oh, no. It should be just a couple of minutes more.”
I heard a ding, and the alien psychologist stood. It had to stoop, so as not to hit its thick head on the ceiling. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #alien

“We will make a determination as to the reasons for your anti-social behavior, and then we will employ methods to address those reasons.”
“How long will I have to wait? Weeks? Months?” I was impatient to get back on the street.
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #shortstory #alien

I had spent years learning to control my body language, so I allowed myself to feel glee, knowing that the alien would not see through my façade.
“You favor rehabilitation over punishment?”
“Successful rehabilitation adds value to our company. Punishment does not.”
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

It was a mechanical voice, but every now and then I seemed to catch an intonation, as if the machine had slipped and had accidentally conveyed an emotion that betrayed the feelings behind the alien speech.
“What does the machine do?”
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #shortstory

It was a big, white, donut shaped machine with lots of blinking LED lights, and the main bulk was positioned directly over my head. Even without the Lasik surgery my vision was 20-50, so I had no trouble focusing on the flashing rainbow. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #shortstory

I was wary that an alien who studied the psychology of humans might have a different take. Still, I was a great communicator, and people tended to trust me right up until the moment I choked the life out of them. Would an alien be any different? I didn’t think so. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

Three actually, although the third killing had come after I broke out of prison. Thank you, prison psychologists and medical personnel. Though, I really should have let them perform the Lasik surgery first.
Of course it is one thing to face a human psychologist. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

I didn’t even take much note when it was announced that the Earth’s women were being forced into slavery. If I had owned a woman, it would have only been a short time before she annoyed me, and I killed her. That’s why I was doing a life term. Three actually. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alien

Perhaps if I had been one of the prisoners on Death Row, I might have become uneasy when rumors spread that the Ragoon were eating Death Row inmates, but I was serving a life term, so I did not give the pseudo-lizards a second thought. #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #shortstory

“The girl is the property of the Ragoon. You will transfer funds to his parents’ bank account to cover her costs. Then you will notify Nicholas Thompson that he was never the girl’s owner.”
“Very well. What will happen to her?”
“I will consider her situation.”
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

It explained the situation.
“I see,” Jane Laurence said after she read the forms and had accessed the personal data of the parties. “Marty’s parents are lower middle class. They may not be happy to have acquired a houseguest.”
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon #alieninvasion #shortstory #alien

“If I have to move here, will I get my own room?”
A woman entered the room as Cecilia was speaking.
“I will consider your situation. For now, you will live with Marty. I must return to my work. Go to the entrance to this building. You will be escorted to a vehicle." #lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon

"Your souls, if you have them, are incomplete due to your multi-gender nature. Therefore, it is fitting for the Ragoon to require the weaker gender to be the property of the stronger gender.”
The explanation did not make sense to either child, but they didn’t argue.
#lookinmybriefs #talesoftheragoon