Dexter Gray and Alex Dalton strolled along the storefronts in the quaint shopping area near Serenity Park, and the afternoon passed quickly.
Every so often, the peculiar alien tourist they'd met earlier would show up in the oddest places and invariably ask either Dexter or Alex directions to some other location in and around Serenity City, and each time would reward their answer with one of the ubiquitous treats from its never-empty pouch. No two morsels ever tasted the same, but all were good, and usually reminded Dexter of something he'd just been thinking about.
After a few hours of this, they began noticing police officers on street corners. The uniformed men always seemed to be doing something else, but whenever the alien tourist showed up their eyes followed it, and when the alien left, so did the police.
Dexter wondered how Hroooou was able to get around so quickly; some of the destinations it had asked them about were clear across on the other side of the city. It would normally take a week to see all the sights this one alien tourist had visited in just one afternoon.
His idle musings were interrupted by Alex.
"I'm getting a little hungry," she said. "How about we go to El Taco for dinner. We haven't been there in a while."
"Okay. It's just around the corner."
Of course, just as they rounded the street corner, there was their big alien friend. It was standing in the middle of the sidewalk holding a bunch of colorful helium balloons in its paw and staring skyward with a mixture of wonder and sadness on its fuzzy face. Alex shaded her eyes against the late afternoon sun and looked up, but couldn't see anything. Hroooou spotted them and grinned. "A request?" it rumbled.
"Of course," replied Dexter.
Hroooou's fearsome smile grew wider. "Good. Stand here. Take picture."
Dexter wasn't quite sure what the big alien meant, but Alex immediately skipped over to Hroooou's side and struck a pose. Dex followed in a more dignified manner and took up a position on the opposite side of Hroooou from Alex. He wondered who was going to take their picture if all three of them were standing here. He needn't have worried.
Hroooou held out its hand, palm up. The tiny camera flew from its master's paw like a little blocky bumblebee. It came to a stop about five feet away and pivoted to face its subjects. Hroooou placed a massive, furry arm around Dex's and Alex's shoulders, being careful to keep a firm hold on the balloon strings.
A tiny pixie voice issued from the floating camera. "Say schplict!" it piped.
Dex and Alex smiled. Hroooou grinned. A light flashed in their eyes, and the tiny camera floated back to Hroooou's waiting hand.
"Thank you," it rumbled with its customary politeness. But no sooner had the words escapes its lips than the happy smile it wore turned upside down.
From around the corner, a squad of four police officers was approaching. All pretense was gone; their stride was purposeful, their course direct, and their intentions obvious. Alex spun, instinctively seeking escape even though she knew they weren't after her, but more police squads were converging from every direction. Not once did it enter her mind that maybe Hroooou was dangerous and that there was a very good reason that every officer was armed with a stun baton.
Hroooou rumbled a deep, soulful sigh that sounded like earth shifting. "This happens every time," it grumbled in disappointment. The big alien's sad eyes met Alex's and Dexter's briefly, then it said, "Well, goodbye."
As Dex and Alex watched, the eight-foot-tall alien floated straight up in the air. For a surreal moment, it seemed to Alex as if Hroooou was being lifted by the colorful helium balloons it still clutched in its paw. Then it picked up speed, and less than two seconds later was out of sight and was gone.
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