Confusing Earth - Chapter 4: Stench

Links to earlier chapters down below this chapter!

Chapter 4: Stench

After exploring the grass, Jack, Maree, Max, Bella and Liam went inside. Bella was carrying Liam. They looked at the stuff called money on the table. “Captain Speck said we can exchange it for nutrition at places nearby” said Jack, “I guess we should get to it then.”
“Not yet” said Bella.
“Why not?” asked Jack.
“Let’s look at this place first” said Bella, “We have only seen the outside so far.”
“Okay” said Jack, “Just let’s get to doing that then.”

They looked around the house. They found a room with a bed that resembled a prison that was surrounded by bars. There was little else in the room. Everyone looked at each other. ‘What poor Banbazoidian was going to get that bed’ they all wondered. They continued on through the house and found a room with bright pink walls that contained odd things that looked like they were designed for youthful enjoyment, a dressing table and an assortment of paints for the face and appearance enhancement tools. “I want this room” said Max.
They continued a bit further through the house and found a bigger room with a bigger bed. There was not much else to the room.
“It’s clear who this is for” said Maree, “It’s for the kids. It’s so the brothers and sisters can make sure each other is safe”. Everyone agreed but Jack was unsure. Everyone else seemed so sure though.
They continued a bit further and found a room with a white thing in it. They stared at this thing and could not make head or big furry Banbazoidian tail of it. Jack saw there were buttons on the top and pushed one. The white thing made a frightful gushing sound as if it were going to suck them up. They all screamed and ran away. After a while of hiding in the bigger room, Jack started to walk back towards that end of the house. Max, Bella, Liam and Maree followed, Liam in Bella’s arms. They finally reached a black painted room with posters of humans in it. “I think this should be my room” said Jack approvingly. They looked around the house a bit more and found a room with a smaller white thing that water came out of and a silver thing inside a glass room which they did not touch. They also found a room with a seating device and what appeared to be a primitive holo-screen. Finally, they had been all through the house.

They were just about to go when they smelt something. Nobody knew what it was at first. “What is that?!” said Maree.
“I don’t know” said Max, “I’ve never smelt anything like it.” Jack threw up on the floor and gasped.
“And what’s that?” he screamed pointing at what he just did.
“You seemed to ooze some nutritional sludge” stated Max. Liam stared, eyes open wide.
“Guys, I think I know what that smell is” said Liam, “I think I just disposed of human waste”. Bella grabbed him and pulled his nappy back.
“Oh stars of Saturn” gasped Bella, letting go, “This is disgusting”.
“I know” said Jack, holding onto his sides, “It’s rank.”
“I’m right here you know” said Liam.
“WE know” said Bella, “It’s just we’ve never seen or smelt anything like it. Here” Bella picked Liam up and put him on the seating device. She grabbed a nappy that was next to the money on the table. She changed the nappy, with Jack throwing up again and everyone else just surprised with what these apparently disgusting bodies do. Finally, she was done.
“Thank all the captains in the universe that that is done” said Jack, “Okay, now that we have learned about how these bodies dispose of excess nutrition, let’s go get some nutrition to fill ourselves up, hey privates?”
“Okay Jack” said Max.
“That’s commanding officer Jack to you Max” said Jack. So Jack grabbed the money and they all headed outside and onto the street. They walked for a while and were impressed with the abilities of their new noses. They could smell so many things. Soon they encountered a stench they would not soon forget. They walked towards a shop that sold nutrition and the smell was unbearable from the outside. “What is that?!” said Maree, for the second time today.
“I don’t know” said Jack, “It’s gross”
“Please don’t expel more nutritional sludge Jack” requested Max.
They got to the front of the shop and looked.
“I think it sells nutrition” said Jack, looking at the pictures on the outside.
“Let’s go in” said Jack.
“What are you serious?” said Max, “It smelt disgusting. We shouldn’t inject nutrition into us that smells like that.”
“Well, we will have to Max” said Jack, “In fact I command you to go in. I mean, who knows how far it is to another place that sells nutrition. This might be the only one in the country.”
“Fine” said Max, rolling his eyes.
They walked in and their noses dealt with a new experience again. The stench was diminished and they could smell other smells, individual smells. They were smelling the ingredients in the nutrition they were due to purchase.
“That smells delicious” said Max.
“See, I was right” said Jack, “Always trust your commanding officer”.
“Okay Jack” said Max.
They went up to the counter.
“Can I take your order?” asked a girl at the counter.
“I’ll have five of those” said Jack, pointing at a picture of a meal on the wall.
“Five kids meals” said the girl, entering them into the computer. She typed for a bit and then said, “That will be $26.23” said the girl. Jack handed her two hundred dollars. She looked at him for a moment then said “That’s $173 dollars and 77 cents change”. She gave Jack his correct amount of money. She then walked off and Jack realised he would have to wait for his nutrition. Finally, they got their food. Jack carried it and they went over to a table. They all sat down and Jack pulled out a meal for each of them and gave it to them. They glanced at another table which had people consuming nutrition which was different again to what they had received. They all stared for a moment and the people looked at them, annoyed. Jack looked away and at his family. He quietly said to them, “It looks like we need to use our mouths to consume this nutrition” said Jack.

All five of them opened their meals. They stared at it in dismay. All but Max, that is. He grinned as he saw it. Bella poked at the nutrition cautiously. “It’s so weird” she said, poking it.
“I know” said Maree, “It is all squishy.” She pushed her finger hard into the nutrition and some red sauce and some green round things and red big round slices of things fell out of it.
“I think it looks cool” said Max, “I’m going to consume it.” Max picked it up in his hands.

“Don’t consume it like that Max” said Jack, “It’s obvious this squishy, round and layered thing is not nutrition. It is clearly the plaything that comes with these infantile nutrition packs. This is the food”. And with that, Jack picked up the plastic doodad in the shape of an animal and shoved it in his mouth. He sucked on it for a bit and then began to choke. Maree, Bella and Liam stared at Jack. They had never heard that noise before. Max took a bite from his nutrition – the correct one. Jack stood up and pointed at his throat. A woman from behind them leapt up and grabbed Jack around the chest. She pushed on his chest and her partner called 000. Jack managed to talk. “It’s stuck” he said.
The woman heaved a sigh of relief. “At least it’s only stuck” she said, “You’re not choking to death.” Jack made another funny noise.
“An ambulance is coming” said the woman.

Soon, Jack, Max, Maree, Bella and Liam found themselves in a hospital and Jack had the plastic thing removed from him. Two doctors looked at Jack and asked him what happened.
“I was trying to consume it” said Jack.
“You don’t consume toys that way mate” said the doctor, “I mean I would expect it from him”. The doctor pointed at Liam.
“Yeah” said the other doctor, “But not a grown man. Just remember, you should never eat toys. That goes for you and your kids.”
“Okay” said Jack and he took a deep breath celebrating his ability to do so. They went home and all talked about the day. Finally, Max said how nice the real nutrition was because he took a bite. Jack said he couldn’t believe how much variety there was but then they still got it wrong. Then Max said, “No more living off of nutrition remains and rubbish residues for me.”
Jack stared at him, eyes wide, and said, “You’re one of them.”
Max stared at Jack, eyes wide and said, “You’re one of them.” And that’s when the you know what really hit the fan.

PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:

Confusing Earth - Chapter 3: Value: @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-3-value

Chapter 2: Launch: @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-2-launch

Chapter 1: Splash : @birchmark/confusing-earth-chapter-1-splash

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