O is for Only the Only

Written in 1992 Only the Only was a short story produced in two days as a project required by a final night of a course I once attended. The course dealt with our prejudice towards others, be it big noses, tattoos or, of course, cultural differences. I came up with the premise while drinking coffee while various tourists were sitting around speaking in their own languages. I realised how much insecurity could be generated by not knowing whether a person was talking about you or not. So here is my very short story, unedited since 1992.

Only the Only

The solid crystal of the chair bit into his back as he lifted the cup away from his saucer, towards his lips. He looked around, they were all around him, talking about him in their language of shifting tones. He could not understand the language, but he knew they were discussing him, he was, after all the only human on this world of blue scaled creatures. They would know they could utter those changing tones in reference to him, without him knowing. But he knew, he knew what disgusting things they were saying about him.



The cup fell and settled in the saucer. He recognised their noise, he knew it was their weird version of laughter. They were laughing at him, they were taking his strange looks in jest. The walked the same, they wore the same clothes, they even used similar scents, but it was the look of the skin which counted. It was enough that he was the butt of of their conversation, but to be laughed at as well, he would not sit here and take it. Standing up so suddenly, that he sent the chair flying to the floor, he left for the exit, as the crystal chair shattered across the smooth rock floor.


In dark and unpainted tunnels, all through the planet, the blue creatures chattered in their musical voice, they saw his appearance, they saw his different skin, and just because of this they conversed and laughed about him.


Finally he reached the stairway. He followed the stairs up and onto the sanctuary of the planet's surface. Awaiting him was his shuttle, the means of transport to his ship in orbit. He knew exactly what this planet's race of creatures, creatures that laugh at a person because of his being different, needed. This planet was ready for what he had in mind, and his ship was capable of administrating it.


It did not take long to reach the correct position, he pressed the flashing red button under his finger, sending Akswish, a world unique in the fact that every inhabitant was totally blind, into oblivion.

The End