The aliens shed their skin, as they always did. It was as though they were shedding skin - it was only a metaphor, a way of expressing the challenges they faced. Their language worked through metaphor and they understood that the challenges they faced would require ingenuity, creativity and a certain kind of integrity in their efforts to return home.
'We have fallen. We have come to Earth and we have metabolised it. We have enjoyed it. We have come to Earth and it has become our home.'
In his younger days he had spent many happy hours exploring the planet. There was so much to learn and see and experience in the thick red atmosphere and the great forests of plant life that covered the plains. So many trees to see in every direction when he gazed out over the open plains.
'The oxygen that causes the redness in our veins we imbibe as food. We drink the oxygen like we drink water. We breathe it in like we breathe air.'
Pilots who explored their newly found home said the plains stretched out forever while forests covered the rest. They had stayed a long time. It was hard to leave. They remained on the planet and enjoyed its pleasures until they surpassed a certain point of fullness, of capacity.
'We always do. We always reach high levels of fullness. We have to be careful not to grow too full and too satiated. We do not want to overfill, overfill and explode. We want to be careful. We want to be safe; this is our goal and our purpose.'
Pilots had told him all about the planet. Pilots and people. They, too, had a long time to explore their new home. The planet was a rich discovery and it was their home.
'This is our home. It is wonderful.'
'This planet is full of life. There are the plants. There are the animals. There are the women. There are the small, furry babies.'
'The Earth has large and varied men.'
'There is much to love and to learn about.'
'The simplest things are the most beautiful. The sky is blue; the sky is clear. The air is warm and full of oxygen, which affects the blood and makes people – vibrantly, brightly alive. There are deep, intense blue lakes that provide the fish and the water we drink. The water has a certain hue to it and has a certain smell and taste. It is as though it has a tangible richness and life force of its own.'
The planet was very full and it was beautiful.
'It is as though we have been completely replete, fully established and mature.'
'The feeling of richness and completion and maturity is natural and normal.'
'The plants, the trees, the water and the air and the sky are our own mother and we are her children. Her children, who have made the right choices.'
The planet gave them so much and they had taken much to carry back to their own home.
'We had to come here and take, take, take.'
'There is a passion, a burning desire to explore and to enjoy. The natural impulse is to grab and ingest. To move in, to explore and to sample. To seize and consume.'
'We did not save the planet. It is not our planet. It is not our home. We do not belong here.'
'We are taking what is rightfully ours.'
'This planet is here for us and we are here for the planet.'
'We have taken this planet as our own. We have not hurt it. We have not destroyed it or used it. This is our own planet.'
'It is ours. It is ours.'
'This planet is ours.'
'This planet is ours.'
'It is our planet.'
In the past they had gone to other planets and pretended to not be aliens.