A short story about an other-worldly sightseer
239 took a deep drag of her cigarette, leaning on the railing of the balcony as she stared down at the people below.
Midday. The sun bathed her skin in warmth. She closed her eyes and focused on it, basking underneath real UV rays. Whenever she got the chance, with as much skin as she could expose without breaking local norms, she soaked up as much sun as she could.
Though built to survive the harsh rays, 239 kept in mind the fragility of the human body. She didn’t want to ruin her vessel—there was still so much she wanted to experience before it expired. So much data to collect and report on before she drew her last breath.
A sweet, delectable smell cut through the acrid scent of burning tobacco. She tilted her head to the side and then glanced back down below.
She spotted the only face upturned in her direction. A woman whose features were mostly obscured by distance. But 239 could clearly see the woman wore a black cap and had her long, dark braid slung over her shoulder.
And the brown of her skin turned golden underneath the sun’s gaze.
239 stared at the woman and took another drag from her cigarette. The woman looked away and adjusted her cap, entering through the doors of a local gym.
239 smiled.
She savored that sweet smell wafting from the woman’s pores, so strong it reached her all the way up on her hotel balcony. She ran her tongue over her teeth, a hunger settling low in her belly.
239 finished smoking her cigarette, rubbing the butt into the makeshift ashtray she set up beforehand, eyes glued on the entrance of the gym. She supposed she could take a walk. Have a delicious coffee and continue to bask in the sun’s rays as she people-watched and waited for that woman to exit.
And collect data, of course.
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