HFY Stories_ Humans Are Weird! [033]– Short, Absurd, Science Fiction, Stories

Space Stories | HFY SciFi

#scifistories1977 #hfy #scifi =================================== This story is written by a human author and adapted with care into a visual audiobook format by our team. How This Video Was Made: – Narration is performed using AI voice technology (ElevenLabs), guided and edited by a human to preserve tone and pacing. – Visuals are created with AI image tools, but every image is manually prompted and selected to match the story’s themes. – The story format and video structure are fully planned and produced by humans.  This is not automated or mass-generated content. ==================================  *** Special thanks to the new author to the channel, Betty-Adams for granting permission to narrate these amazing stories. *** This is a great collection of Humans are Weird tales for you to enjoy.

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00:00Humans are weird old jingles.

00:02The harsh light of three suns was filtering through the roof of the basking dome

00:07and giving the earth plants that grew from the hydroponic tubes a warm green glow.

00:12All things considered, the dome was the most comfortable place to be in the searing afternoon,

00:17at least when your options were the stagnant pools and barely moving streams of the base.

00:23Tumbles Right was cuddling comfortably with the newest addition to the base,

00:26a rather phlegmatic nurse fresh from the Central Xenobiology University.

00:31Given that they had been silent for nearly an hour,

00:33Tumbles Right shifted and decided some light conversation was in order.

00:37Have you heard human friend O'Connor today? Tumbles Right asked.

00:41He is the human who glows the brightest, correct? Shifts indifferently asked.

00:45Yes, Tumbles Right confirmed. His outer membrane is optimized for solar collection.

00:51That is why he has to be so careful about going out of the base shielding.

00:54What happens if he goes out without his protective gear? Shifts indifferently asked.

01:01I note that none of the other humans are quite so strict about layering on the oils and material

01:05shielding. That is a good sounding, Tumbles Right said. They have informed me that the rest of the

01:11humans on base have a biochemical gradient in their outer membrane that offers some protection,

01:17but reduces their ability to produce certain chemicals necessary for their immune response.

01:22Without such a great concentration of this chemical human friend, O'Connor suffers from

01:26increased damage from the ultraviolet light spectrum. Tumbles Right reached up a gripping

01:32appendage and padded the uppermost portion of Shifts indifferently's core in a preemptive

01:37gesture of comfort. Several weeks ago, he felt the need to rush out of the base without his shielding

01:42to prevent one of the smaller repulsor transports from drifting away in a particularly heavy wind we had,

01:48Tumbles Right explained. Once he was out, he realized that all of them were being moved and so he felt

01:54obligated to secure them to the ground with sturdy cables. Why did he not simply deactivate the

02:00gravitational function? Shifts indifferently asked. Oh, he had by that point, Tumbles Right said with a

02:07dismissive wave. Apparently the wing form of the transports meant the wind gusts were capable of

02:13moving them without assistance. Shifts indifferently gave a hum of respectful appreciation at the natural

02:19forces. With one thing and another, human friend O'Connor was out in the solar radiation for nearly

02:25a quarter of an hour, Tumbles Right went on. When he came back in his exposed skin, and even that

02:30covered by his duty clothing, was glowing with a fantastical and rather ominous light. Was his fear

02:37causing the change? Shifts indifferently asked. Oh no, Tumbles Right said. In the rush of the duties

02:43to perform, he had actually forgotten about his danger entirely. He was quite pleased with the

02:49results when he came in. What was causing the ominous glow then? Shifts indifferently asked.

02:55The uppermost layer of his external membrane had taken terminal damage, Tumbles Right said,

03:00making sure to give his companion a soothing stroke with the information.

03:03The glow came from a large percentage of his cells. You know those strange little bodies most of the

03:10other species seemed to be made of, simply self-destructed to prevent tumorous growth.

03:15He lost a large portion of his outer membrane? Shifts indifferently demanded, stiffening his

03:21appendages in horror. It was gradual, Tumbles Right assured him, slipping several appendages of his own

03:27into Shifts indifferently's in a comforting grasp. Their bodies have mechanisms to limit the danger

03:33of this very thing. However, he was in such pain that he could not stand to be touched for days

03:39afterwards. Shifts indifferently gave a prolonged shudder and snuggled closer to Tumbles Right.

03:46He was well enough to jest about the situation, Tumbles Right said. He called the process lobstering

03:52up for dinner. What is that reference to? Shifts indifferently asked. Apparently, Tumbles Right said,

03:58humans have a tradition where they boil certain crustacean species alive to prepare them for

04:04consumption. It occurred to Tumbles Right that that little human tradition might not have been a

04:09comforting bit of information to add to the situation as Shifts indifferently stiffened.

04:15Has he been so injured recently? Shifts indifferently asked.

04:18Oh no, Tumbles Right assured him. That is not at all why I brought him up. Indeed,

04:24he is feeling very well. That is what led to his singing.

04:27Singing? Shifts indifferently said, relaxing and raising an appendage in interest.

04:32I have not yet had the pleasure of hearing a human sing in person.

04:36It is was quite odd, but it was singing, Tumbles Right went on. He only appears to do it

04:41unconsciously and stops when he notes he is observed.

04:44Does he wish to conceal the singing? Shifts indifferently asked, with a set of disappointment

04:50down his core. I asked him and he assured me he did not, Tumbles Right said. He simply only feels

04:56the pulse of the song when he is distracted and moving. You will probably have a chance to observe

05:01it randomly. If you do not, I noted that he almost always starts singing when he passes the communal

05:06rest perch for the winged at the end of their shift. He says something about the way they hold their

05:11wings inspires a particular song. But how can he feel the pulse if they can observe him?

05:17Shifts indifferently asked in confusion. Humans are very contradictory creatures,

05:22Tumbles Right said. They chatted for a bit longer before swimming out to their duties.

05:27As fortune would have it, they met again just as the shifts were changing and the winged were

05:31settling into their perches for the early afternoon communal. It was quite pleasant in itself to watch

05:36the mutual grooming ritual. Although the hundreds of swift and minute movements were far too much for

05:42an undulate to follow in detail, the sense of camaraderie and peace translated quite well from

05:48the flight of winged to the pair of undulates watching from below. In them the flight settled

05:53down and hung from their perches, wings enclosing their bodies. Some time passed, but soon enough the

05:59odd double thumping of the human's locomotion filled the room. Human friend O'Connor entered the

06:04building, his massive carrying container slung over one shoulder. He wasn't singing when he crossed the

06:09corridor, but as he turned the corner and passed the rest tree, he began humming. And before he passed

06:15through the other door, he had broken into soft song. Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny,

06:21two a penny, hot cross buns. The soft music followed the human down the corridor as they watched him go.

06:27Beautiful, shifts indifferently observed once the sound died away. What is the history of that song?

06:32Oh, it's quite ancient, Tumblesright assured him. Centuries, if not millennia old. I am told it was

06:39an advertisement for one of their baked foodstuffs at its conception, but it has long since lost that

06:45meaning. Curious, shifts indifferently noted. What about a tree full of winged could remind him of

06:51baked goods? Humans are weird, just shy, just a little shy. Have you heard the news, Eighth Sister?

06:59Fourth Cousin demanded as she came skittering around the abrupt ninety-degree corner of the base.

07:04Eighth Sister flared her frill in warning a moment too late as Fourth Cousin smacked her joint against

07:10the wooden beams with a sickening cracking sound. Fourth Cousin's long, luxurious frill clamped down

07:16around her neck and shoulders, the pretty turquoise colors of joyful excitement on her membrane fading

07:21to dull gray as the pain reached her primary processing nodes. Eighth Sister did bother scolding

07:27her hive mate for her carelessness. The cousin was barely old enough to have molted her legs more than

07:32once. It wasn't the place of an eighth sister to question the wisdom of three mothers and two

07:37grandmothers, but for the life of her, she couldn't see why they had sent this pretty little bud out for

07:42her required civil service at all, let alone so early in her life. With dozens of elder sisters and

07:48cousins, and even more than one brother, outdoing their duty for the community at large, a cousin who

07:54might have been a second sister in her own right, was really better suited to playing with the petals

07:59in her father's garden than braving the dangers of the galaxy at large.

08:03It does hurt, Fourth Cousin managed to click out in mother as Eighth Sister examined the damaged joint.

08:09It know it does my green one, Eighth Sister clicked softly back.

08:13Just stay still.

08:15I think I can walk to the medical ward, Fourth Cousin said, as she tried to stand from where

08:20she had slid down against the wall. Do not bother, Eighth Sister said, letting her antenna curl in

08:26amusement. You would not want to make the humans feel useless, would you? I've already radioed for

08:31one. Why would my walking to the medical ward make a human feel useless? Fourth Cousin asked.

08:37Her pain-tight antenna relaxed a bit at the curious statement, and Eighth Sister took that as a good sign.

08:42It helped distract them both from the fact that interstitial fluid was leaking out of her damaged

08:47joint. What is the point of having the base crawling with giant mammals who love nothing

08:52better than carrying people around if you don't let them carry you around when it is useful?

08:58Eighth Sister asked, quirking her mandibles in wry amusement. Do they really enjoy lifting and

09:03carrying people all that much? Fourth Cousin asked, even as her proboscis lolled out of her mandibles.

09:10They don't string their young, you know, Eighth Sister said.

09:13They don't, Fourth Cousin demanded, the shock of that statement actually putting some color back

09:19into her frill. No, Eighth Sister assured her. They carry them.

09:24Fourth Cousin's charmingly wide-set eyes sparkled with fascination, and Eighth Sister couldn't help

09:30smiling. The home gossip was true enough. Fourth Cousin could easily lure in some second or third

09:36brother from even the best of hives with those eyes. Her pleasant musings and unease were both cut short

09:42by the sound of pounding footfalls as the requested human came rushing around the corner, pulling his

09:47massive form up just short of them and quickly darting his bright, bump, tiny binocular eyes over

09:54them. What do you need? he asked of neither or both of them. I seem to require a trip to the medical

09:59ward, Fourth Cousin said, gesturing at her damaged joint. Would you carry me? I think I can walk,

10:06but my sister is very overprotective of us younger cousins as you can see. The human gave a laugh and

10:12exposed the blunt serrations of his mandible to them. Sisters can be like that, he said with a

10:18nod as he bent down and following Eighth Sister's instructions formed a couch with his arms and

10:24tenderly lifted Fourth Cousin. Do you have sisters? Fourth Cousin asked as they started to move down the

10:30corridor. Three, the human said. I'm the oldest. Fourth Cousin clicked in approbation at the robust

10:37little hive. But how do you know what older sisters do? she asked. I've got five older cousins, he

10:43explained. In your father's garden? Fourth Cousin asked. The human glanced curiously at Eighth Sister

10:50for explanation. Did you share the same living conditions or live separately? she explained, as Fourth

10:55Cousin's frill pulsed alternately between apology, gratitude, and flashes of pain.

11:00Oh, the human said with a nod. Separately. They were the next province over. We'd visit a couple

11:06times a year. The human kept Fourth Cousin distracted with friendly chat, but was distracted

11:12when they had to navigate a series of raised support struts that extended above the floor of

11:17the base. Eighth Sister saw the pain dominating again in her cousin's frill and took up the conversation

11:23line that had been dropped in the corridor. What was the news you wanted to tell me? Eighth Sister

11:28asked. The question effectively distracted Fourth Cousin, as her frill flushed with ensnarement.

11:34But she spoke with a commendably motherly courage in the common language the human understood.

11:40That the new human has brought a musical instrument with him and is said to be quite skilled in playing,

11:45Fourth Cousin said quietly. The human holding her glanced down with a pleased smile,

11:51and Eighth Sister easily concluded that this was the new human of which she spoke.

11:55Do you like music? He asked. I do, Fourth Cousin admitted, and I have heard that this acoustic

12:01guitar music is very safe. Safe as can be, the human agreed. Would you like me to drop by and

12:08play you a little Something Earth while your leg's in the mender pod? This injury hardly requires a

12:13mender pod, Fourth Cousin said, but I would welcome some music. It's a date then, the human said.

12:20I'll check my off hours with your sleep schedule and see what's what. They arrived at the medical

12:25ward and were quickly ushered in by a third sister, who seemed positively delighted to have a non-human

12:31injury for once. The human gently set Fourth Cousin on the bed and strode off with a promise to return

12:37with his instrument in due time. Eighth Sister noted that Fourth Cousin watched him go with focused

12:42curiosity. What focuses you, Fourth Cousin? Eighth Sister asked.

12:46When I approached you in the corridor, Fourth Cousin stated, I was planning on asking your aid

12:52in convincing that first brother to share his music. I had been told that he was quite shy and

12:57very hesitant to share his skill. Perhaps your source of information was inaccurate,

13:02Eighth Sister suggested. I do not think so, Fourth Cousin said.

13:06If I might suggest, the third sister medic offered. Eighth Sister and Fourth Cousin twitched

13:12their antenna respectfully at her. Humans have distinctly different rules for injured

13:16cadre mates than healthy cadre mates, the third sister said. Since you are injured, the human

13:22is all but socially required to offer you the entertainment of his music. Curious, Eighth Sister

13:28said. Convenient but curious. Humans are weird heads up. No matter how well a space station was engendered,

13:36no matter how far technology advanced, at least so far as it had advanced so far, an inhabited

13:42space station was never quiet. The atmosphere had to be purified. Plants rustled and filters

13:48hummed with air movement. The air had to be circulated. There was no such thing as a perfectly

13:52efficient fan. The very materials of the hull and superstructure would flex and bend minutely,

13:59as the differences in temperature caused even the most stable of molecular bonds to expand and contract.

14:05Even when the frames were vented and ghosted along without air, any species that had a concept of

14:11sound could hear the movement whenever their bodies, or rather spacesuits, made contact with

14:16the material of the station. Most psychologists noted that this was probably for the best.

14:21They had as yet found any species that thrived in a truly silent environment. Even so-called deaf

14:26species were used to the stimulation of some sort, carried on the gas or water they breathed.

14:31Even the space whales that the humans loved to observe could feel the pinging of the thinly spread

14:37atoms when they wandered out of the nebula and into the void. However, if they lingered there too long,

14:44they developed various neuroses that were nearly indicative of sapience. They were so close to some

14:49of the common failings of more advanced brains. The various schools of psychology would occasionally note

14:55this, and for a few cycles the various universities would be a twitter with fears of humans going mad

15:01from lack of audio stimulation and flights of winged dispersing into the sound void.

15:07They would suggest solutions and experiments, and it would usually all peter out as the various

15:12engineering departments would each in turn gently but firmly reminded the psychology departments

15:17that they were as far from developing a perfectly silent space station as their psych friends were from

15:22actually understanding human nature. All of this was idly passing through the mind of Quilksich as he

15:28pattered along with his companion. The particular space station that had brought all of this to the

15:33base of his mental pounce, as it were, was a shiny new thing that the humans had built to their own

15:39specifications and tolerances, and funded entirely from their own planet's economy. The situation was

15:46hardly unexpected. With a mass three times that of the second largest species in the alliance,

15:51the humans who chose to interact with the other species had needed to make accommodations that were

15:56often painful, if not outright medically inadvisable. Now Quilksich wondered if the Trisk bases the humans

16:04had visited felt as strange and imposing to them as this one did to him. He somehow doubted it.

16:10The mere sense of massive spaces all around him was intimidating in a way that no confinement could be.

16:15He caught the sound of his own appendages striking the spider walk echoing back at him from the distant

16:20walls and gave a shiver. His companion shivered in agreement and twitched his legs in the direction of

16:26the common room. Shall we find some companionship fit to fill this void? His companion suggested in

16:32forcibly cheerful clicks. Quilksich tapped his paws in agreement and they accelerated a bit in the direction

16:37of the outer hull. It was an odd design, but the human insisted that all living quarters be on the

16:43exterior section of their great round structures. Their engineers said it was something about

16:48redundancy and being able to keep their calciferous inner skeletons functional with rotational momentum

16:54if the artificial gravitational generators ever went out. Given how simple and nearly indestructible

17:00even human anti-grav systems were, that was an odd reason to forego the protection of being in the

17:06center of a craft offered, but the humans insisted. Quilksich angled himself upward to glance at the indicator

17:12light and clicked in dissatisfaction to note that it was a deep amber. The humans in the common room were doing

17:18something dangerous enough to prevent the immediate entry of the smaller trisk. That something was also producing

17:24a repeated pounding sound that was vibrating the deck plating beneath his paws. It was intimidating to be sure,

17:30but it was also the very welcome sound of live beings doing something. He and his companion passed into

17:36the safety lock and peered through the plaza steel barrier at what the humans were doing.

17:41Basketball, his companion noted gleefully, raising his volume to be heard over the resounding noise made

17:47each time the ball stuck the floor or the wall. I have never had a chance to see it performed before.

17:52Quilksich clicked in agreement and crouched back on his rear motile appendages to watch the exchange.

17:57It was a very simple game in principle. He could think of pawfuls of example of similar games he

18:03had played in his youth, all of them several times more complex. The goal seemed to be to get a ball

18:08about the size of the human's head into a vector meat that was only two body lengths above the ground

18:14and in perfect parallel with it. A hatching game at best, if it were not for the fact that the game

18:20seemed to require another human or set of humans to actively provide challenging interference.

18:25Two humans were currently dodging about the flat surface which currently displayed comically

18:30oversized guidelines. Do you really think those vector and limiter lines are really necessary?

18:36His companion asked. Are they that vector blind?

18:40Remember, Quilksich said, they only have two eyes, their vision is binocular and severely limited,

18:46and their hairs are almost useless for practical directionality.

18:50And of course the mass of the ball itself is a factor, his companion continued.

18:56Still in proportion. His companion's voice stilled as the duo of humans began a slightly

19:03more intricate set of maneuvers that saw possession of the massive ball change several times without

19:08the humans once even brushing each other. Yes, Quilksich continued the dropped thought.

19:14In proportion to their mass and size, it is a very simplistic game. Note, however, that they do not

19:20touch sensory hairs so that increases the challenge for them. His companion clicked in understanding as

19:26one of the humans suddenly broke away and bolted for the target vector meat. He tossed the ball and

19:31it failed, rebounding from the edge of the vector meat. The second human was right behind him and

19:36snatched the ball before tossing it up towards the vector meat. The human under the vector meat needs to

19:41move. Quilksich suddenly clicked in horror. What is he doing? Human face structure is not sturdy

19:47enough to take such a blow, his companion called out as they both darted for the emergency override on

19:53the door. They could only watch in horror, however, as the massive ball arched up and dipped perfectly

19:59down through the vector meat, just as the human below lifted up his binocular eyes to watch its

20:04trajectory. The human's slow reflexes meant that the ball slammed into his protruding nasal sensor just as

20:10it was fully extended. The blow first turned the human's head to the side and then twisted the

20:15entire bipedal form to the floor. Quilkich burst through the door, clicking in distress with his

20:20companion close on his paws. However, they stopped short as the sound the humans were making struck

20:25them. Both of the humans were laughing heartily as the uninjured human helped the injured one to his

20:30feet. Do you require medical assistance? Quilksich asked. However, it appeared that neither of the

20:36humans had noted their approach. To Quilkich's dawning horror, the injured human was beginning

20:41to leak bright red blood out of his nasal cavity. But instead of calling for the base medic, he only

20:47reached up to compress the exterior of the cavity in a membrane-crushing grip.

20:52Yo! the uninjured human called. Why are the indicator lights red? The injured human gave one of those deep

21:00grunts that could only come from mammalian lungs and swept his vision around the room before alighting on

21:05the two trisk. Lil' Buzz! the injured human slurs out as his smile caused a fresh line of red blood

21:12to streak down his lips. Wadzu? He said, what's up, little buds? the uninjured human said cheerfully as

21:18he strode over and held out his hands for them to jump up. This is a dangerous game for you, so I gotta

21:24get you back to the observation lock. This is a dangerous game for you, Quilksich insisted, so overwhelmed

21:32by the sight of the compressed membrane and the flowing internal fluids that he forgot his manners.

21:38We need to get the injured human to the medical ward. For a stupidity-induced nosebleed? the

21:44uninjured human scoffed. We have gravity here. It'll stop in a bit and we can limit the spread of

21:50biohazard fluids by staying here. The injured human nodded in agreement, causing the blood to smear

21:57further over his hands. Quilksich stared at them both in horror, and it apparently showed in his

22:02stance and the humans preformed that odd form of communication that only binocular species could.

22:09You're puffed out like a kitten in a room full of rocking chairs, little guy, the uninjured human

22:13finally observed. Aku hapai o edi? the injured human tried to speak. Would it calm you down if I took my

22:20friend here to the medical ward? the uninjured human translated. Yes, yes, it would, Quilksich said firmly.

22:26The uninjured human lifted them up to the spider walk, and the injured human waved at them as the

22:32pair left the room. He used the hand he had been compressing his external sinus with, however,

22:37and this resulted in a fresh flow of blood from his nose that spattered on the floor,

22:41triggering the biohazard alarms, and gave them a good view of the internal fluids spread all over

22:47his hand. Quilksich shuddered as the A.I. began to insist that they leave the contaminated common room

22:52until the automated cleaning systems had sanitized it.

22:56And, didn't know what's happened, really?

22:58I was wondering if, like, what if the officers could sit on the outside of the

23:00view of the vox or the enemies and the leather Guevara? its

23:00handstander in the water?

23:02This is a supernatural?

23:02Watch out, that will be pretty good.

23:03I'm sorry.

23:05You can't see what am I going to see if you did?

23:05The mainframe on the inside of the outside of the outside of the outside of the outside of the

23:07room and the outside of the outside of the outside of the outside of the outside of the

23:08wide.

23:08I was wondering if you could just cancel each other jet Blake.

23:10For the reason why, if you're walking by this way, I was wearing the

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