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At First Glance
by Rita L. Smith

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Inter-galactic Council I have just returned from Planet Earth. I, Jolla Cambini, offer you my observations.

This world seems perfect, no one is sick or dying and everyone lives long lives. The air is fresh and clear with plenty of symbiotic greenery. The oceans, rivers and lakes are blue. Something we in the Andromeda Galaxy have not seen for many years.

I lived on Earth for a year and I see it quite differently than I first thought. There were no sick or dying, because anyone who reached these stages was put to death and cremated. Their ashes spread over the planet to provide nutrients to the soil. It doesn't seem to bother anyone that a friend, lover, neighbor or family member was suddenly gone.

No one questioned this. In fact, no one asked any questions. In the schools, children weren’t encouraged to ask questions. There was no creativity amongst the people of this planet. Children weren’t allowed to play. They were constantly in the process of updating information from their teachers or parents. In short all curiosity was drummed out of the people on Earth quite early in life.

When I took a closer look at the people who had at first glance seemed diverse, they weren’t really. When I traveled to different communities on the globe, I found the same people with the same jobs doing the same things as those in the last area I visited.

Travel would have been a hardship if I had not had my space jumper, since there is no travel between cities or continents. No one in the world travels at all which surprised me greatly.

No one is interested in visiting new cultures or ancient ruins. Nor are they interested in the history of the planet. These are closely guarded secrets that only a few historians know. These people are kept in asylums called libraries. When others asked questions about the past they are committed to these libraries or simply put to death.

Getting into the library was much easier than getting back out. I, finally, made my escape after three months in this wonderful institution. I have brought back several history books that you, the Council will find most interesting. In conclusion, I found the only interesting people on the planet were the historians.

It is my opinion that Earth is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there, unless the people change. Somehow, I don't see this happening.

The council in a unanimous vote decided to eradicate the Earth’s population with the exception of the inmates of the libraries and the very young.