2041. An incredible gift

(The opening sentence for this story was suggested by Craig, a great supporter of this blog.)

It was an incredible gift, to be sure, but there was the minor matter of how to safely store something so unquestionably dangerous!

For years Planet Earth had been Planet Tut-Tut’s most dangerous enemy. The Tut-Titians could have blown Earth to smithereens in seconds but they had always exercised restraint. Planet Earth had insulted them and ridiculed them and laughed at their incapacity to imagine things. A Tut-Titian could not imagine his or her own mother. They had no picture. Nature had evolved them totally bereft of imagination. That’s not imagination in the creative sense, but imagination as being able to picture physical things in the mind.

The Tut-Titians had grown tired of Earth’s scorn. To appease Earthlings they presented Earth with a gift. It was a weapon. Drop it on Tut-Tut and it would blow Tut-Tut to bits. “Now we are equal,” said the Tut-Titians.  “You have the power to destroy us as we for years have had the power to destroy you. You must learn to safely store something so dangerous with restraint. We look forward to working with you in peace and harmony.”

“Oh goody,” said Planet Earth’s President, and pressed the button.