The wet sand crunches beneath her asshe desperately tries to hold her position. Her feet, raised andperfectly exposed, are easy targets for those alien hands: long,thin, cold as metal but incredibly agile. One of them cocks his headto the side, watching her with that expressionless face and thoseblack eyes like bottomless pits.
Another alien makes a sound…almost like a synthetic giggle.
The girl holds her breath, herfingers digging into the towel as the first touches graze the archesof her feet. It’s as if the alien fingers follow no earthly logic:they go straight to the most sensitive spots, as if they can read hermind… or her nervous system.
“Ahh–no no no!” shescreams between gasps, laughter exploding out of her uncontrollably.“You can’t possibly do this so well!”
An alien takes asmall device from his belt. She activates it, and a blue light shootsout from it, dancing around her toes, tickling them without eventouching them. The sensation is worse than before: electric,ethereal, irresistible. She screams and laughs, her eyes filling withtears.
One of them leans in close to her ear and whispers inan incomprehensible language… and yet, for some reason, sheunderstands.
“Specimen reaction: 97% susceptibility.Hypersensitive. Data collection ongoing. Subject: stable.”
Thegirl tries to protest, but can only laugh harder, unable to stop theshivers that run down her spine.
Present – Beach, night.
Shelaughs, writhes, tears streaming down her face while the aliens showno signs of stopping. Their fingers seem to multiply, as if timeitself no longer follows the rules. And while she tries in vain toscream “enough,” her mind betrays her…
Flashback –Afternoon, same day.
The sun high, the sea calm. She hadchosen that stretch of beach because it was deserted. A little hiddencorner that only the locals knew about.
She put down hertowel, took off her slippers, lay down on her stomach, her feetmoving slowly, raised toward the sky. No thoughts. Just the heat onher back and the sound of the waves.
Then, a strangereflection.
Like a mirage. A slight ripple in the air a few metersaway.
“What the hell…” she said to herself, liftingherself up slightly.
Nothing.
Then she saw it: a kindof shadow… no, not a shadow. A being. More than one. Appearing asif from nowhere, with silent but confident movements. No sound. Nosignal.
She had just started to get up when one of them lifteda small object… and everything went dark.
Present –Beach, night.
The blue light continues to pulse, while shewriggles, her feet raised in the air, completely exposed to the“research”. Every now and then she manages to shout somethingbetween laughs:
“But... why the feet?! What kind ofexperiment is this?!”
One of the aliens turns his head. Heresponds in a synthetic voice, metallic but clear:
“Extremestimulus point. Optimal for behavioral study. Emotional reaction:intense. Results: excellent.”
Flashback – a few minutesbefore the blackout.
She had grabbed her cell phone to take apicture of that “something” in the air. But as soon as shepointed the camera, the screen went black. Then overheated. Finally…nothing.
He had only heard a whisper in his head. A voice thatseemed to be his, but wasn’t.
“Don’t be afraid.Laugh.”
Present – Beach, night.
“I… can’t…breathe anymore!” he exclaims between laughs, his body shaking, histoes opening and closing in an uncontrollable reflex.
Anotheralien approaches. He pulls out a second instrument, larger, with softtips that begin to vibrate.
She looks at him, pale, eyes wide.“No… please… what is that?!”
“Level two. Intensivestimulation. Prepare.”
Present – Beach, night.
Thegirl’s laughter echoes through the night. She’s not just writhingfrom the tickling, but from the absurdity of it all. Her feet aresurrounded by at least six alien hands now – or tentacles? Maybeboth – that alternate with surgicalprecision.
Vrrrrrrr—zzzzzz—tik-tik-tik!
The newinstrument vibrates as it touches her soles. It’s as if every nervelights up, and she jumps, screams, laughs, and shakes herhead:
“No-no-no-no, please! Stop! You’re reading my brain,aren’t you?!”
An alien emits a pulsating light from itschest. Its eyes narrow slightly, as if in a “smile.”
“Confirmationacquired. Subject selected based on neuro-emotionalprofile.”
Flashback – A few weeks earlier.
In thesilence of her room, the girl was lying on her stomach, scrolling herphone. She was surfing through science fiction sites, mysteries, butalso through forums… peculiar.
She had ended up in a curioussection, with a cryptic name: “Sensory Studies & AnomalousInterests – S.S.A.I.”
A thread had caught her attention:
"Whatif aliens were attracted to what makes us laugh, tremble, react inextreme ways?"
She had commented.
She had saidsomething.
Even a small personal detail.
She laughed thinkingit was a game.
"Well… if they ever came to get me, theyshould just aim for my feet… mission accomplished in tenseconds."
A phrase thrown out there. Ironic.Harmless.
But that forum… wasn't human.
It wasbait.
Present – Beach, night.
The girl understands.Her eyes widen as another instrument, similar to a pen withflickering lights, lights up near her toes.
“Did you… didyou read the post?!”
“Volunteer. Access with implicitconsent. Activation code detected in text. Relevance: maximum.”
Oneof the aliens approaches her face. He strokes her hair with adelicacy you wouldn’t expect from an emotionless being.
Then, ina calmer voice:
“Your body’s reactions… are more complexthan expected. The protocol will evolve.”
The girl isexhausted. She laughs again, but every breath is shaky. And as herfeet are still being stimulated by that strange light pen, she feelssomething change.
A distant sound, like a melody.
A noiseinside her head.
A portal opening.
“Prepare for transfer.Phase two: total immersion.”
Another alien makes a sound…almost like a synthetic giggle.
The girl holds her breath, herfingers digging into the towel as the first touches graze the archesof her feet. It’s as if the alien fingers follow no earthly logic:they go straight to the most sensitive spots, as if they can read hermind… or her nervous system.
“Ahh–no no no!” shescreams between gasps, laughter exploding out of her uncontrollably.“You can’t possibly do this so well!”
An alien takes asmall device from his belt. She activates it, and a blue light shootsout from it, dancing around her toes, tickling them without eventouching them. The sensation is worse than before: electric,ethereal, irresistible. She screams and laughs, her eyes filling withtears.
One of them leans in close to her ear and whispers inan incomprehensible language… and yet, for some reason, sheunderstands.
“Specimen reaction: 97% susceptibility.Hypersensitive. Data collection ongoing. Subject: stable.”
Thegirl tries to protest, but can only laugh harder, unable to stop theshivers that run down her spine.
Present – Beach, night.
Shelaughs, writhes, tears streaming down her face while the aliens showno signs of stopping. Their fingers seem to multiply, as if timeitself no longer follows the rules. And while she tries in vain toscream “enough,” her mind betrays her…
Flashback –Afternoon, same day.
The sun high, the sea calm. She hadchosen that stretch of beach because it was deserted. A little hiddencorner that only the locals knew about.
She put down hertowel, took off her slippers, lay down on her stomach, her feetmoving slowly, raised toward the sky. No thoughts. Just the heat onher back and the sound of the waves.
Then, a strangereflection.
Like a mirage. A slight ripple in the air a few metersaway.
“What the hell…” she said to herself, liftingherself up slightly.
Nothing.
Then she saw it: a kindof shadow… no, not a shadow. A being. More than one. Appearing asif from nowhere, with silent but confident movements. No sound. Nosignal.
She had just started to get up when one of them lifteda small object… and everything went dark.
Present –Beach, night.
The blue light continues to pulse, while shewriggles, her feet raised in the air, completely exposed to the“research”. Every now and then she manages to shout somethingbetween laughs:
“But... why the feet?! What kind ofexperiment is this?!”
One of the aliens turns his head. Heresponds in a synthetic voice, metallic but clear:
“Extremestimulus point. Optimal for behavioral study. Emotional reaction:intense. Results: excellent.”
Flashback – a few minutesbefore the blackout.
She had grabbed her cell phone to take apicture of that “something” in the air. But as soon as shepointed the camera, the screen went black. Then overheated. Finally…nothing.
He had only heard a whisper in his head. A voice thatseemed to be his, but wasn’t.
“Don’t be afraid.Laugh.”
Present – Beach, night.
“I… can’t…breathe anymore!” he exclaims between laughs, his body shaking, histoes opening and closing in an uncontrollable reflex.
Anotheralien approaches. He pulls out a second instrument, larger, with softtips that begin to vibrate.
She looks at him, pale, eyes wide.“No… please… what is that?!”
“Level two. Intensivestimulation. Prepare.”
Present – Beach, night.
Thegirl’s laughter echoes through the night. She’s not just writhingfrom the tickling, but from the absurdity of it all. Her feet aresurrounded by at least six alien hands now – or tentacles? Maybeboth – that alternate with surgicalprecision.
Vrrrrrrr—zzzzzz—tik-tik-tik!
The newinstrument vibrates as it touches her soles. It’s as if every nervelights up, and she jumps, screams, laughs, and shakes herhead:
“No-no-no-no, please! Stop! You’re reading my brain,aren’t you?!”
An alien emits a pulsating light from itschest. Its eyes narrow slightly, as if in a “smile.”
“Confirmationacquired. Subject selected based on neuro-emotionalprofile.”
Flashback – A few weeks earlier.
In thesilence of her room, the girl was lying on her stomach, scrolling herphone. She was surfing through science fiction sites, mysteries, butalso through forums… peculiar.
She had ended up in a curioussection, with a cryptic name: “Sensory Studies & AnomalousInterests – S.S.A.I.”
A thread had caught her attention:
"Whatif aliens were attracted to what makes us laugh, tremble, react inextreme ways?"
She had commented.
She had saidsomething.
Even a small personal detail.
She laughed thinkingit was a game.
"Well… if they ever came to get me, theyshould just aim for my feet… mission accomplished in tenseconds."
A phrase thrown out there. Ironic.Harmless.
But that forum… wasn't human.
It wasbait.
Present – Beach, night.
The girl understands.Her eyes widen as another instrument, similar to a pen withflickering lights, lights up near her toes.
“Did you… didyou read the post?!”
“Volunteer. Access with implicitconsent. Activation code detected in text. Relevance: maximum.”
Oneof the aliens approaches her face. He strokes her hair with adelicacy you wouldn’t expect from an emotionless being.
Then, ina calmer voice:
“Your body’s reactions… are more complexthan expected. The protocol will evolve.”
The girl isexhausted. She laughs again, but every breath is shaky. And as herfeet are still being stimulated by that strange light pen, she feelssomething change.
A distant sound, like a melody.
A noiseinside her head.
A portal opening.
“Prepare for transfer.Phase two: total immersion.”
