§HermioneSims§ Stories: Chapter 2.11: Bans

From Luna's diary

Today I have to open my diary on a sad page.

Daisy, our cat, has passed away. Recently she was often sick, she had been to the vet just a few days ago... Papaya seems really inconsolable, she will need lots of hugs. And we would need some too...

But we are just not given the luxury to focus on our loos for too long, we have even more urgent things to worry about at the moment.

TV: ... latest news: for reasons of public safety, the parliament approved the so-called "aliens act", which finally implemented the complete ban on disguises on the alien inhabitants of the country. The new law, loudly requested by the population, was also positively received by Mr S. and his party, who commented...

Hermes: the more that Mr S. talks, the worse it gets. They're discussing banning telepathy too, you know?

Hermes is increasingly frustrated by the evolution of the political scene and, evidently, I am too. Until now, aliens like us have always had the freedom to choose whether to show their true appearance or to use a disguise, just like everyone else has the freedom to change their hairstyle or use plastic surgery, why not?

They talk about public safety concerns, they fear that we may decide to disguise ourselves or modify the memory of others to cover up for crimes. As if we all were criminals, or we were all able to use telepathy to erase memories, they just don't know what they are talking about...

Luna: (checking the clock) Oh my, I'm late for work! See you tonight!

Luna: It seems like a bad case of flu, Mr Xander.

Xander: (sniffling) This is the third time I get sick since when I moved on Earth, is that normal? This has never happened to me before...

Luna: Here on Earth, viral species seem more common than on Sixam. However, if you want to prevent this from happening again, you should take a look at the vaccination schedule. Better to be safe than sorry, isn't it?

For some reason, we aliens seem particularly prone to the flu, often when we get sick we end up in bed with a fever for weeks. And our fever rises much higher than that of humans, it's definitively not pleasant...

Another patient: etchoo!

That sneeze made me realize it was time to focus on the next patient. She had a high fever, but she insisted on having an antipyretic and leave without even being examined. Um, suspicious, to say the least.

Luna: Ouch, this is a very high temperature!

Patient: Can't you just give me some antipyretics? I have to return back to work too, you know...

Luna: With your symptoms, I can't let you go without passing a quick check-up. Either way, most likely this is going to take just a few hours, you don't have anything to worry about.

Patient: I see...

She seemed so tense and reluctant to follow me, but at least she stopped complaining. She gave me the impression she was trying to keep a low profile to avoid getting noticed, but this only made my mind rush in trying to find an explanation for that funny behaviour.

Patient: (suspicious) Isn't this exam a bit too invasive for simple flu?

Luna: It's a new hospital policy, nothing to worry about.

Patient: ...

Of course an X-ray scan was not needed for diagnosing flu, but it was the only reliable way to clarify a doubt I had since when I spoke to her for the first time.

Luna: Lady, you are wearing a disguise. You must tell your doctor whether you are an alien or not, the treatments required are a bit different.

Patient: ... you won't report me, will you?

I stared at her for a moment, confused. The news of the last approved law and the fact that it was officially forbidden to wear a disguise hadn't crossed my mind.

Patient: ... I do it because, otherwise, I would lose my job, you know?

In that moment, I couldn't avoid thinking that our life had been really weird. Until less than ten years ago, we were hiding from humans and wearing realistic disguises was the norm. Showing ourselves for who we really are had been a real achievement for us, or at least it had been at the beginning. In recent years, however, people's fears and prejudices had increased dramatically, I did not find it hard to believe that some employers could discriminate against employees of our species.

Even in the hospital, I had the distinct feeling that no one was complaining about my presence here just because they needed someone capable of treating the other aliens, and no other doctor at the facility knows our anatomy and physiology as well as I do.

So, I didn't have any doubts about the answer to give to that lady.

Luna: Don't worry, I won't report anything to anyone. But you can't take common paracetamol, you'll need a higher concentration.

So I took a pack of those pills from the shelf behind me, and handed it to the lady. She just thanked me, before leaving the hospital to return back home and rest a bit.

Meanwhile, I took a few moments before turning my attention to the following patient for shaking my head, this whole situation felt so wrong at that moment...

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Our children are very different from each other, despite being so close in age and spending a lot of time together.

Aster, the youngest, doesn't talk much. On the other hand, he spends a lot of time playing with a block of clay that he moulds into the most unexpected shapes.

Leo, on the other hand, is very cheerful, and he likes to talk with everyone around him. Of the three, he is also the one who spends the most time with Papaya, our cat.

His twin brother Orion might seem similar to him, at the surface. Deep down, however, he is also the one who is causing us the most headaches...

You must be wondering what could he have ever done to make me write this, isn't it, my dear diary? It all started a few days ago, when we all went to the park together to let the children play a bit outdoor and enjoy the weather.

Other kid: Hey, why are there so many aliens here in the park today?

Orion: What do you mean?

Other kid: My mother doesn't want me to be alone when the ones like you are around, I'm better returning back home...

Orion: (sarcastic) Blah, blah, blah, are we ugly aliens so scary to you?

Leo was following the scene from a few meters away, he was getting more and more worried. I hadn't noticed anything yet, I was on the other side of the playground grilling a chicken for lunch, but when I saw Leo running towards me waving his arms I immediately realised that Orion was again misbehaving again...

Other kid: Scared of what? We just don't want to have anything to do with the ones like you!

Orion: How dar...

Luna: (Strict) Orion, stop fighting with the other children immediately!

Orion: But mum! I was just...

Luna: What were you doing this time?

Orion: It's not my fault, he said that...

Luna: It doesn't matter what he said, it's never right to talk to people in that tone!

Orion: But it's not fair, they treat us like this only because we are aliens! They are insulting us every other day, I can't stand it anymore!

I hesitated a moment before answering him, even for us adults that kind of situation was becoming more complicated every day.

Luna: If they're wrong, it doesn't mean you're allowed to do it too.

Orion didn't seem convinced at all, he looked at me sulkily and went back to playing with his brothers, in silence. Seeing him being silent is never a good sign, I hope he's not planning something new...

I and Hermes kept thinking and discussing about what had just happened until we returned back home, when the felines welcomed us with another of their surprises.

Papaya, after returning covered in leaves and insects from who knows what exploration of the neighbourhood, had just given birth to a wonderful little kitty!