Extra Terrestrial TC

May, 1998.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real TC?!?", I belligerently questioned the alien that had abducted TC's body.

He just stared at me from his place on the floor, just inside the door to my house, and played dumb, of all things...

I knew this could not be the real TC, because when TC gets home he always runs for a toy...  Then he runs to the kitchen to check his water and food bowls...  Then, and only then, does he climb on the couch.  He does not walk in the door and lay down on the floor.  Not once.  Not ever.

The alien stared back at me, with pathetic eyes, as if claiming to be tired.  Ha!!!  They may know Earth culture, but they obviously didn't do their homework when studying individuals to abduct -- TC never gets tired!!!  How could such an advanced civilization make such a simple mistake???

My deepest fears were confirmed...  TC was in fact now an alien.

I had started to suspect that something was amiss when TC did not take is usual "kid looking out of the airplane window" stance in the front seat of the car on the ride home...  He behaved the way that someone who had only read about dogs -- perhaps in an intergalactic newspaper -- would behave...  He did not behave like TC...  He slept!!!

What to do???  I had an alien from an unknown civilization, likely possessing death ray technology and Vulcan-style mind melding techniques, sitting in my living room?  He was covered in thick fur and hiding behind vacant looking eyes that betrayed nothing of his devious intentions!  I knew I had to be cautious...

What would they expect me to do???  A dog owner on TV -- perhaps they intercepted our TV broadcasts -- would notice that his dog was tired and baby it!  That was it!

Besides, "dog" was classically referred to in the media as man's best friend, not as the Energizer Bunny...  How could they have known TC was the Energizer Bunny Reincarnate???

OK, I decided to play along with the poor pathetic dog story... I brought his bowls into the living room.  Ha!!!  He ate!!!  "They're buying it", I thought to myself!  After he ate, I invited him up onto the couch.  He lumbered into place on the cushions and laid down...  In a minute, he was asleep, breathing deep breaths...

I only hoped they would return TC when they were done with his body...  Maybe when he woke...  Maybe tomorrow...  At least I haven't let on that I know who they are...

(This after a 20 mile mountain bike ride on steep, rocky, dirt Forrest Service roads, in the shadow of Longs Peak...)