Writing They Stole The Child: Review Or Die (<---title suggested by Charles)

[Brasil]

?The Baby Was Alien To Them?

His name was just a place-holder. They didn?t know what they were going to name him. They didn?t want him to begin with. But there he was, on their doorstep. They had to take him in; what were they going to do, leave him there? They named him Davey. Davey was just a temporary name, of course, until they could find him a proper home with people who knew how to care for him.

They had no idea what they were doing. They couldn?t even take care of themselves. When Davey sobbed, they could only hug him. When he cried, they gave him food but he wouldn?t eat it. They tried to make him fall asleep by rocking him in their arms, but the movement just made him cry louder.

His screams were high-pitched wails that pierced their sensitive ears. They had never needed to listen to anything that loud before, as the other volumes in the house were kept to low hums and soft buzzes. Even the media screen volume was muted. Davey was a shock to them. They marveled at how long Davey was able to sustain such a high-pitched screech.

They tried to comfort him but he continued to scream. It seemed that every touch and stroke elicited more and more intolerable noise.

The neighbors began banging on the walls, yelling obscenities in a variety of dialects and demanding that they shut Davey up. After two nights, the complaints starting amassing in the landlord?s mailbox. The all requested the same thing: that the screaming stop.

Mr. Lackland, the landlord, trudged over to the apartment as fast as his stubby legs would allow and knocked on the door with a fat fist. There was no answer but the crying continued. Mr. Lackland slipped an envelope through the mail slot. The word, ?URGENT,? was written in bold, red letters in as many languages as were customary.

A very haggard young couple entered the living room and picked up the newly delivered notice.

The letter notified them of the forty complaint letters filed against them. Ten were enough to have them evicted from their apartment. The looked at each other and sighed a heavy sigh. The screaming continued. They realized they could not raise Davey. They were only fifty-two cycles old, which roughly equaled about nineteen years on a human scale.

They both knew what they had to do. Later that day, Edgar and Cassandra left Davey at the intergalactic adoption clinic, knowing Davey will find a good home with people who understand the needs of a human baby.

?Don?t worry, honey,? Edgar said, ?someday we?ll have our own child and know how to do things correctly.? A tear began to roll down Cassandra?s blue, scaly cheek and Edgar dabbed it away with a Skarloin handkerchief.

?Everything is going to be all right, Cassandra.?