Enoz the Alien : Origin Story

Enoz never meant to come to Earth.

On his home planet of K2-531b, he was just a small, unremarkable alien — too dreamy to focus, always staring out the window instead of paying attention. One night, while tinkering with his little pod ship (a hobby his parents definitely did not approve of), he hit the wrong button and launched himself into deep space.

He crash-landed in the parking lot of Zone 28 just after closing time. No one saw it happen. Not even close.

He was terrified for about six minutes.

Then he pressed his face against the glass.

Inside, the arcade games were still glowing. Flashing lights in every color he had never seen before.

Beeping, chiming, the low mechanical hum of something waiting to be played. He didn't know what any of it was.

He just knew he had Never wanted anything more in his entire life.

He found an unlocked side door.

By sunrise, he had figured out how to play every single machine. He wasn't very good at most of them. He didn't care. He pulled out his journal, and wrote his very first Earth entry:

"Lights. Sounds. Small joystick. Cannot stop. Do not want to stop. Earth is wonderful."

That was three years ago. He still hasn't fixed the pod. It's parked out back, behind the dumpsters. Nobody has noticed yet.