Synopsis/Details
Hank needs a large amount of concrete from his little town’s general store. He also wants four gallons of paint. The sample he shows the owner has an odd sparkling effect which, he says, he will add later.
At his farm, he has framed a large square in wood. He dumps in lots of concrete and starts levelling it off.
Two days later, it is dry, and he adds the sparkles.
Hank looks up in the sky and sees a spaceship descending. He marvels at it, but it is soon silently destroyed by the slug-like alien who later slithers from the tall grass to the human’s side.
The destroyed ship belonged to the Dran, the alien slugs’ enemy. It knew the Dran would not be able to resist such a structure. It orders Hank to sweep up for the next ship.
Hank agreed to this because the slugs threatened his life and the lives of everyone in his little town if he refused their demand. The aliens’ limited dexterity made a human slave necessary.
As Hank is reluctantly sweeping up the landing pad, he notices a sharp piece of glass from the Dran ship. He picks it and places it against his neck, but he cannot force himself to commit suicide. He goes to put the shard with the rest of the debris, but thinks better of it.
He puts it in his overalls pocket in preparation for a braver day.
