Our New Human

4

      Elsie had told me that when humans miss out on sleep, they act differently, but I didn't understand what she meant until this morning. She'd found me and told me good morning, but then she wandered out to the fleet dining hall. I've only just found her.
   "Do you think anyone has a machine so I can make coffee?" Elsie asks.
   "We have plenty of machines, I don't know if we have any for manufacturing things, however." Elsie's eyes are much smaller today and I'm not sure why. She acts as if she is grasping for something, but instead she opens her mouth.
   "Is there like, a coffee pot or something?"
   "I'm not sure. We can ask the kitchen!" I say. Elsie stumbles after me to the kitchen, where some delighted Yuritan chefs scramble to find something that will create this coffee that Elsie needs. When the staff can't find anything to make this coffee, Elsie produces a small black paper bag out of her backpack, pours out a few small pebbles, and crushes them up with a tool a chef hands her.
   "What will those do?" I ask. Elsie shakes her head and pours some boiling water into a jar, and wraps some thin culinary metal around the top. She pokes a small hole in the top, moves the grounds into a thin, bowed piece of paper and places it over a cup. Then she quickly flips the jar on top of the paper and a light dripping sound begins to come from inside.
   "What exactly have you made?"
       "Coffee. It's a plant from Earth that contains an ingredient that gives humans more energy. I did go to bed two hours late last night. Sorry for being a little rude earlier." Elsie says quietly. Her voice is lower and quieter, but after witnessing the total silence of sleep I deduct that it's a natural occurrence.
   "That sounds nice, I hope you enjoy your coffee."
   Behind Elsie, the Yuritan chefs are going ballistic over this strange new substance.
   "We will purchase a coffee maker and some of the beans next time we arrive at a market!" One exclaims. Elsie laughs and watches as another sips some of the leftovers.
   "It's very bitter!" he whispers.
     "Will you describe the taste to me?" I turn to my human.
   "Have you ever tasted anything?" Elsie replies.
  "Once as a child I fell and accidentally ate some dirt. I've never eaten anything since, because it's got nowhere to go but back up."
"Ok... coffee is like dirt, but instead of being ground up earth it's a seed. It tastes bitter and slightly overwhelming, but warm and comforting at the same time."
   I nod and pretend to understand.
      "Would you like to try a little bit?"
   Elsie holds out her cup.
     "I will try a small sip."
   I grab the cup and attempt to sip, but instead I spill part of it down my lips and chest. The coffee is hot but its taste is new and exciting. However, it's really hot.
    "Elsie, your coffee is very good."
  I smile and hand her the cup.
     "Oh my god! Xil, are you okay?!" Elsie shouts. Her smile has went somewhere.
   "What? I'm fine." I say.
"No Xil, this was a bad idea. We're taking you to the infirmary now, I shouldn't have given you that! I'm so sorry!" Elsie grabs my wrist and starts to sprint. I fall down.
   "Elsie, nothing is wrong." I reply from the floor.
   "Your mouth is bright red and your irises are completely black!" she says as helps me up.
   "That is how I react to heat!" Elsie's eyes widen and she makes a smile again.
   "I'm sorry, Xil. I didn't mean to overreact."
   "No, I should not have scared you like that even though nothing was wrong. You did the right thing, and that was a really good try." I tell her, repeating the reassuring words she told me last night.
    "I guess we both are a bit overprotective of each other." she exhales loudly and makes eye contact with me.
   Before I can ask her what this sudden breath means, our wristwatches beep loudly.
   "Xil, will this planet we're going to be extremely cold?" she asks, reading the bright TEN MINUTE WARNING, PREPARE FOR NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES IN THE HUNDREDS flashing on her wrist.
   "Yes, it will be extremely cold, why?"
   "I need cold gear, do you know where I can get any?"
   "I imagine our commander has a jacket."
   "No, I need extreme cold gear."
"Why is that?"
     "If I don't, I'll freeze to death."
   "That's strange! We must alert the commander immediately." I smile and we begin to walk to the takeoff zone. I'm not sure what freeze means, but I would not want our Human to experience this death sensation either.