She’d been awake for a long time when the knock came.
“Come in,” she called.
“I’m sorry to wake you, ma’am. We haven’t yet set a schedule––”
“Please. Stop. No apologies.” She threw back the covers and stood, surveying the room as the orderly opened the curtains to let the January sunlight spill through the tall windows. “So much history,” she said.
“Yes ma’am,” said the orderly.
Dressed and breakfasted, she walked into the Oval Office and stood for a moment. So many years to get here, the arduous forever campaign that really started, if she was honest, in grade school.
The Chief of Staff opened the side door. “Good morning, Ms. President.” He held a clipboard. “Before we get started, somebody important is waiting to meet you.”
A most unusual man came in, seven feet tall with a gray oblong head and tilted obsidian eyes. He extended a long hand. “Ms. President.”
I was thrown by the use of the word “orderly,” since I immediately thought of a hospital orderly. So the first female President of the US meets an alien. If he crashed in 1947, he’s been in hiding for over 70 years.
I was thinking more it’s one of those creatures who lived hundreds of years and who has been the advisor to the president ever since Truman
Clever story, Josh. I must confess, though, that when I read it I placed it in the moderately distant future. “Ms President” doesn’t sound likely any time soon, alas!
We can only hope it’s three years hence.
I hope this is 2020. This is a great play on the story that the president gets debriefed about aliens on their first day. I never imagined the aliens were the ones doing the debriefing!
There has to be some rational explanation!
I read it the first time, as Madame President, waking up on the first day of her first term, over-awed by the history of her surroundings, ready for her first appointment of the day. In that scenario you succeeded in surprising me, as to the nature of her advisor.
When I read it the second time, informed of the alien presence, I realized it could be, that the “arduous forever campaign” may not have referred to her own struggles to make the grade and become president, but to the alien takeover of her planet. In which case, who is the advisor to whom?
Great double meaning, whether intentional or not!
Madame President is nice. Who is the person she is meeting first and why?
Her alien overlord.
Dear Josh,
And we might do better with Alien overlords. ;) Have your read or seen The Monitors? Old 60’s film. A little corny but, nonetheless through provoking. Love this.
Shalom,
Rochelle