Ready to Go Home! Photo Challenge #256

Agent Xerxes looked out at the lightning that threatened his life, and he wondered when the authorities would allow him to return home. It has been ten long years on this abominable planet, and he just wants to return to his people.

Admittedly, he had volunteered to come to Earth to see if he could find enough people to supplement their population. His organization, CCCP, which stands for Cool, Calm, and Collected Personages, had sought to increase their population with individuals from Earth who had the same laid-back and uncritical attitudes that served to make his home such a pleasant place to live.

But, to his amazement, the general attitude here was not one of abidance to the rules. Transgressions and violations of laws were explained away according to one’s ideological beliefs. Arguments regarding what was moral or ethical filled whole comment sections on social media sites, with people referring to others who disagreed with them as morons, snowflakes (?), and unpatriotic.

After the first seven years, the agreed upon time for the operation, when he had told the Supreme Minister that there were not enough people on Earth to fill the bill, his superior had told him that he must be wrong. He had found it difficult to believe that peoples with so many places of higher learning and religious institutions were unable to find common ground.

So, he ordered Agent Xerxes to remain a few more years, certain that he would be successful. The inability to communicate across political and ideological views was worse today. Agent Xerxes was ready to admit defeat and go home, knowing that his people would not ridicule him or harass him for failing. Now, he just had to wait for the signal! Hopefully, it would come before the next election on Earth!

Fictional story written for The Photo Challenge #256 from Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. Photo from Google. Also the Story Starter Challenge #24: “Ten long years.” The Opposites Attract Challenge #23: Abidance, Transgression and Violation. The Last two challenges are from The Haunted Wordsmith.