Post by lixavius on Aug 25, 2006 20:54:35 GMT -5
Title: Honing A Skill
Author: Lixavius
Email: lixavius@starsnets.com
Rating: Not Yet Determined
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to anyone dead or alive is purely coincidental. What I own: My imagination.
What country/planet are you from: I reside somewhere in the USA, originally from the planet you call Mars. Although I'm not too little, but am occasionally green, particularly when stumbling out of a bar.
***
Truso was just trying to get home from another long day. He liked having a "buffer" zone between himself and where he worked so he diliberately lived thirty-five miles from his office. On this particular day he got caught up in dealing with a nine year old little snot. "God what a brat." He told the kid's parents that they needed to lay down the law and enforce the rules and not let the little shit boss them around. He was tired, he knew, never should have used the words "little shit." Very unprofessional. Although he knew what he told them was the right advice, they left in a huff and he was pretty sure he would never see them again. "Good riddance," he mumbled to himself as he took a long drag from his daily allotment of one Camel Light.
He hated driving home after dark. Usually it didn't bother him, but sometimes after a long day like today, the glare of coming headlights was almost more than he could take.
The lights ahead seemed unusually bright, he blinked his highbeams, "god dammit, stupid jerk!" Although he knew the other driver couldn't possibly hear him, if felt good to blow off a little steam, it had been a long day.
*flash*
Truso found himself sitting on a soft overstuffed chair, staring at one of the most unusual creatures he had ever encountered. It looked like a cross between a human being and a bug of some sort. The body was muscular but very thin, with a long face with two deep blue eyes, with an obscenely large cranium. "Hello"
"You seem to be taking my appearance in stride Dr. Truso."
"What am I supposed to do, run around screaming," chuckling.
"Well, no, we just thought...." followed by the sound of high pitched scrapping and clicking.
That is when I noticed that there were two of them. They seem to be communicating with each other. It was then than I began to wonder whether or not I was dreaming and where was my car!
At that point the high pitched clicking seemed to get very loud and the smaller of the two bug things backed off a little and turned around with its arms folded, using the term arms losely as they looked to have calipers where hands would usually be, had it been human. The larger bug thing turned and looked at me, I think, the eyes were solid blue spheres - it was difficult to tell where they were looking.
"Dr. Truso, I need your help."
"Okay, what seems to be the problem?"
"My daughter."
"Your daughter?" I guess bugs can have daughters, I thought.
"Yes, my daughter, high pitched scrapping and clicking (Dythmla, say hello to Dr. Truso)."
The shorter bug turned and seemed to be looking at me, following by more high pitched scrapping and clicking (He's Ugly!)
"Dr. Truso, I just don't know what to do. I can't get my daughter to do what she is told."
"What do you mean?"
"Well when I ask her to scrape the floor or other chores, she yells at me and will not do them."
"Then what happens?"
"What, she just doesn't do the chores."
"I mean, what do you do then?"
"Well, I do the chores, they need to get done."
"What happens to your daughter when she doesn't do the chores?"
"Happens? What do you mean?"
"What do you do to her when she refuses to do what you ask?"
"Do to her?"
"What happens if she does the chores or things you ask?"
"They get done."
"Then what?"
"What do you mean, then what?"
"Do you reward your daughter when things are done?"
"What is a reward?"
It suddenly occured to me that whoever these things were had no concept of rewards or punishments.
When your daughter does what she is supposed to do, do you tell her that was good, or give her something extra."
"Why should I give her something for doing what she is supposed to do?"
"To encourage her to do it again."
The big bug stood there for a long while, apparently looking at me. I began to feel a little uncomfortable and I hoped it wasn't considering me for something to have for their next meal.
"What then, Dr. Truso, is a punishment?"
"Well, in our species, if a child does not do what the parents ask of it, the child may be punished by the loss of privileges, or maybe having to sit in a chair for a few minutes, or put in a room by themselves for a few minutes, things like that. Another thing, we would not ask, we would tell them to do whatever it was they are supposed to do."
The big bug stood looking at me for a long time, again.
"How would you say it?"
"I looked at the smaller bug, then back to the mother. Scrape the floor or go go your room!"
The large bug stood looking at me a minute then turned to the smaller one, loud high pitched scrapping and clicking. The smaller bug disappeared.
"It worked! Thank you so much Dr. Truso."
"Anytime."
*flash*
The lights ahead seemed unusually bright, he blinked his highbeams, "god dammit, stupid jerk!" Although he knew the other driver couldn't possibly hear him, if felt good to blow off a little steam, it had been a long day. He reached over and turned on the local classical station and thought about dinner as he drove home.
Please send comments via PM. Thanks.
Author: Lixavius
Email: lixavius@starsnets.com
Rating: Not Yet Determined
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to anyone dead or alive is purely coincidental. What I own: My imagination.
What country/planet are you from: I reside somewhere in the USA, originally from the planet you call Mars. Although I'm not too little, but am occasionally green, particularly when stumbling out of a bar.
***
Truso was just trying to get home from another long day. He liked having a "buffer" zone between himself and where he worked so he diliberately lived thirty-five miles from his office. On this particular day he got caught up in dealing with a nine year old little snot. "God what a brat." He told the kid's parents that they needed to lay down the law and enforce the rules and not let the little shit boss them around. He was tired, he knew, never should have used the words "little shit." Very unprofessional. Although he knew what he told them was the right advice, they left in a huff and he was pretty sure he would never see them again. "Good riddance," he mumbled to himself as he took a long drag from his daily allotment of one Camel Light.
He hated driving home after dark. Usually it didn't bother him, but sometimes after a long day like today, the glare of coming headlights was almost more than he could take.
The lights ahead seemed unusually bright, he blinked his highbeams, "god dammit, stupid jerk!" Although he knew the other driver couldn't possibly hear him, if felt good to blow off a little steam, it had been a long day.
*flash*
Truso found himself sitting on a soft overstuffed chair, staring at one of the most unusual creatures he had ever encountered. It looked like a cross between a human being and a bug of some sort. The body was muscular but very thin, with a long face with two deep blue eyes, with an obscenely large cranium. "Hello"
"You seem to be taking my appearance in stride Dr. Truso."
"What am I supposed to do, run around screaming," chuckling.
"Well, no, we just thought...." followed by the sound of high pitched scrapping and clicking.
That is when I noticed that there were two of them. They seem to be communicating with each other. It was then than I began to wonder whether or not I was dreaming and where was my car!
At that point the high pitched clicking seemed to get very loud and the smaller of the two bug things backed off a little and turned around with its arms folded, using the term arms losely as they looked to have calipers where hands would usually be, had it been human. The larger bug thing turned and looked at me, I think, the eyes were solid blue spheres - it was difficult to tell where they were looking.
"Dr. Truso, I need your help."
"Okay, what seems to be the problem?"
"My daughter."
"Your daughter?" I guess bugs can have daughters, I thought.
"Yes, my daughter, high pitched scrapping and clicking (
The shorter bug turned and seemed to be looking at me, following by more high pitched scrapping and clicking (
"Dr. Truso, I just don't know what to do. I can't get my daughter to do what she is told."
"What do you mean?"
"Well when I ask her to scrape the floor or other chores, she yells at me and will not do them."
"Then what happens?"
"What, she just doesn't do the chores."
"I mean, what do you do then?"
"Well, I do the chores, they need to get done."
"What happens to your daughter when she doesn't do the chores?"
"Happens? What do you mean?"
"What do you do to her when she refuses to do what you ask?"
"Do to her?"
"What happens if she does the chores or things you ask?"
"They get done."
"Then what?"
"What do you mean, then what?"
"Do you reward your daughter when things are done?"
"What is a reward?"
It suddenly occured to me that whoever these things were had no concept of rewards or punishments.
When your daughter does what she is supposed to do, do you tell her that was good, or give her something extra."
"Why should I give her something for doing what she is supposed to do?"
"To encourage her to do it again."
The big bug stood there for a long while, apparently looking at me. I began to feel a little uncomfortable and I hoped it wasn't considering me for something to have for their next meal.
"What then, Dr. Truso, is a punishment?"
"Well, in our species, if a child does not do what the parents ask of it, the child may be punished by the loss of privileges, or maybe having to sit in a chair for a few minutes, or put in a room by themselves for a few minutes, things like that. Another thing, we would not ask, we would tell them to do whatever it was they are supposed to do."
The big bug stood looking at me for a long time, again.
"How would you say it?"
"I looked at the smaller bug, then back to the mother. Scrape the floor or go go your room!"
The large bug stood looking at me a minute then turned to the smaller one, loud high pitched scrapping and clicking. The smaller bug disappeared.
"It worked! Thank you so much Dr. Truso."
"Anytime."
*flash*
The lights ahead seemed unusually bright, he blinked his highbeams, "god dammit, stupid jerk!" Although he knew the other driver couldn't possibly hear him, if felt good to blow off a little steam, it had been a long day. He reached over and turned on the local classical station and thought about dinner as he drove home.
Please send comments via PM. Thanks.
