Home Is Where the Hoth Is.

The worst feeling in the world is hearing someone scream and not being able to do anything about it.

Strike that.

The really worst feeling in the world is hearing someone scream, and know that you’re going to be eating them in less than an hour.

Times are tough; I’m the first to say.

The summer isn’t really what it used to be, and our food source seemed to disappear overnight. We tried living off of the lichen in our cave. Whatever nutritional value that had does nothing to stave off the cold.

My sister died. Sometime during the night.

Mum, Pa, and Sis, and I were all huddled in a ball, trying to conserve our energy. The cave that Pa and Uncle made for us all those years ago seems an ostentatious waste.

We are dying.

Pa tried to quietly pull her frozen corpse out of the way and cover it with snow. Mum and I both saw but pretended we didn't.

That lump of snow over there is Sis.

Overhead the sounds of the Aliens and their big metal ships rattle our teeth and hurt our ears and make parts of our cave collapse in. The big room where we had our Life Party is now collapsed in.

The Aliens. They took our food, and they are destroying our homes.

Uncle told the tall tales of when our food, the warm meat, used to run along the ice packs in more numbers than you could count.

The giant Alien ships leaked bad air that killed the herds of warm meat. Those that didn't die were taken by the Aliens, and turned to beast of burden.

Uncle said he was going to talk “Being to Being” to the Aliens in their frozen cave. Their huge metal ships came and went from their great cave.

That was two weeks ago. We might have to eat Sis just to stay alive.

Pa came into the cave. He was happy. We were saved! 

He was walking and found one of the warm meats with and Alien riding on his back! He killed the warm meat so it would feel no pain, and the Alien fell off its back.

We ate well.

Though, less than we usually did. Our stomachs were full quickly. Mum said it was because we haven’t eaten very much in quite so long.

I hugged Pa and Mum, and thanked them. Pa said it was nothing to be proud of; he was just taking care of us.

No one mentioned Sis. No one looked at the mound of snow that hid her.

Pa said one of the Aliens that was riding the warm meat was still alive. That he put it up in our cave.

Pa and Mum argued. Pa said he didn't kill the Alien. Just hung it up in our cave.

I was eating, and heard them arguing. Pa wanted to kill it, and Mum said we could reason with it.

I could hear It, in our old Family Room. It was breathing and moving.

Pa said we should eat It, and leave its little legs in front of their metal cave to show we weren't beaten.

The really worst feeling in the world is hearing It scream, and know that you’re going to be eating It in less than an hour. I could hear Its panic every time Pa yelled.

The dumb animal warm meat died so easily. The Aliens made so much noise.

I bet if I let it go, it would just run away. 

I could hear its pain.

It wasn't like the warm meat. It was calling out for one of its own. It was calling for help.

Slowly I walked into the Family Room, and tried to calm it down.

The Alien was trying to reach for something on the ground that fell off it.

I tried to break it free from the ice where Pa hung it upside down, and that’s when it fell.

In one motion the Alien fell to the ground, and a bright blue light appeared in its hands.

I’m not sure what happened. The Alien stood there looking at me, and I realized my arm was gone.

The Alien was holding the long blue light.

And my arm was on the ground.

I screamed for Pa.

And then It ran.

It ran yelling "Ben...Obi Wan...Ben!"