It was a rainy day when they came and took over. Nothing we could have done could have prepared us for this, because we… well SOME of us were so blind. The government, they made us hate each other. While we fought and argued, they planned. Some of us acted like petulant children and fought against equality for some ignorant reason.

But that doesn’t matter now.

Nothing matters anymore. Like a tsunami, it hit the entire country. But we were the fools. People were expecting them to come with guns, but they didn’t. They came with words and forced us to question everything, even our very existence. Who is our enemy? It could be the person with me, right next to me in bed. Anything to divert attention to what was about to happen.

Today, things are different. Those of us who did not fight back were housed in special compounds. They are guarded day and night by the ones who came from space. Since the government sold us to protect themselves, the other beings gave them power to run free and torture those who did fight back.

But in reality, those other beings own even the government.

Their next step was to enslave the entire world. They started with the country that was the most ignorant to the outside world. The one that no one would help because they really didn’t like us. Treaties that they had signed meant nothing if the enemy came from another galaxy.

Honestly, I can’t believe that no one thought of this before me.

Befriend them, I offered. The young ones, the young adults. They were more impressionable than the adults. I believed that, perhaps, they would help us in some why. What I didn’t plan on was a mutual feeling of attraction to one.

It was one who tended to our bunk. As far as I know, they have no sex or gender that humans could ever understand, but they looked humanoid. This one in particular, had a more male figure and his English name was Luther. He told us that we could not comprehend his people’s voice or language, but they used special devices to be able to talk to us.

Unlike many of the others, Luther was kind. We were given three meals a day, and sometimes, he even sneaked us some treats. A few times, he shared his own people’s delicacies.

Somehow, I could tell that he was saddened at how his people treated us. When everyone had fallen asleep for the night, I stayed up and watched him. Even though we were born in completely different universes, our emotions looked the same. He walked down the walkway separating our beds and tears, real tears, were streaming down his face. As he walked past me, he noticed I was awake and quickly wiped his eyes.

“What are you doing awake?” he said sternly. “You are supposed to be sleeping.”

My heart was racing. Would he turn on me for disobeying rules? “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help to notice that you were sad. Is everything alright?”

“Why would a servant care about their master?” he asked, somewhat intrigued.

“Because,” I said. “Everyone deserves to be happy… no matter where they come from or what position they’re in.”

From then on, Luther would ask me to stay up at night to talk. We grew closer. He asked me questions about my life before and asked what I would do if I were free. I asked him what his planet was like and why his people came here. Over time, he started asking me questions about revolting.

“What?” I repeated. “A revolt? Your people would destroy us.”

“Not if you have my help?”

I was shocked. He seemed so sure of himself. Was this a trap? All this time, was he tricking me? Had I disclosed secret information about humans that his people did not know?

“I just want to be a part of life on Earth,” he seemed to read my mind. “I don’t want to rule it. I want to be a part of life, your life.”

“What are you asking me?” I leaned forward.

“Human Megan,” he said. “I love you. I want you and your people to be free. Let’s do this.”

And just then, Luther held out his hand and a flower formed in it. It was no flower that I have ever seen on Earth. At first, I thought he was giving it to me as a symbol of his affection, but he shook his head.

“This flower is the last of its kind,” he explained. “It is the only thing that can end this enslavement. Our single weakness as a people lies in this flower.”

***

“And that,” I said to my grandchildren. Luther was standing at the door, smiling at their children’s children. It had been almost 60 years since that fateful day. “That was how your grandfather and I got our freedom.”