Saturday 20th August 1994
(C) Joona Palaste


                A SUMMER ROMANCE


Itzrah stared at Harzti. Harzti stared back at him, briefly closing the left
eyelid of her centre eye.
  Itzrah and Harzti were, of course, citizens of the planet known on Earth as
Epsilon Muscae IV, and locally as Zwokion. It was summer (also perihelion) on
the local year 38572, or the Earth year 2222. And Itzrah and Harzti were
falling in love, on the planet which had been colonised by humans two Earth
years earlier.
  The colonising had been an unpleasant process for the Zwokionians to
withstand. They had had to move into new homes, for the humans had found it
artistic to erect their colony in the same place the Zwokionians' houses had
stood. And the Zwokionians could not argue with the humans, being tiny, and
armed only with the hooks they used to cut Zwokionian rice.
  Zwokionian rice was the Zwokionians' only food. The humans had cut down heaps
of it and claimed them for themselves, which forced the Zwokionians to take
emergency action. The price of Zwokionian rice increased ninefold.
  This made Zwokionian school dinners free, for the Zwokionian schoolchildren
could not afford food outside school, and thus had to eat free dinners to
prevent starvation.
  Itzrah and Harzti had never eaten in their school cafeteria before. Both had
favoured a different restaurant, for unknown reasons. But the thought of free
dinners brought them both to the same cafeteria, and they fell in love.
  "I love you", said Itzrah. "I love you too", said Harzti. And they both lived
happily ever after.