‘How are we looking, Margarluus?’ - Said a blue and green skinned alien with golden eyes and a black slit like a reptile’s.

‘Everything is set up nicely’ - said Margarluus, or Annabelle.

‘And the new exhibit?’ - Asked the the alien.

‘In place and ready’ - Annabelle replied.

They were in an office at the Museum of the Galaxy. The museum was on a planet called Anraastlaax on the far side of the Milky Way from earth. The museum collected specimens from all over the Milky Way - and was a major tourist attraction on Anraastlaax.

The Alien that Annabelle was talking to was Director Harsvaaluus, Annabelle’s boss at the museum of the galaxy. They were expecting a very important guest - Madame Androoluus, one of the patrons of the museum who had funded Annabelle’s mission to earth.

‘Good - Madame Androoluus will be here shortly, and I have promised her a sneak peek of the new exhibit. She is bringing her grandson as well - Porticuus.’

A light flashed on the director’s desk - ‘She’s here! How do I look?’

Annabelle walked over to the Director and adjusted his collar - ‘You look wonderful Mr. Director.’

The director hurried from behind his desk and opened his office door. Another blue and green alien was waiting in the lobby holding the hands of a shorter alien.

‘Madame Androoluus - such a pleasure to see you!’ - Said the director, hurrying over to the two aliens.

‘It’s good to see you as well Mr. Director - this is my grandson, Porticuus.’

‘A pleasure to meet you too, Master Porticuus - said the director, bowing to the young alien.

The young alien looked bored.

‘Madame Androoluus, this is Margarluus Margarlaux - whose mission you funded for the new exhibit.’

Annabelle bowed her head.

‘Mr. Director here tells me you had quite an adventure Margarluus - and have brought back quite the specimen!’

‘It certainly was quite an adventure - Madame Androoluus’ - said Annabelle, smiling.

‘Shall we?’ - The director said, extending an arm.

Madame Androoluus, Porticuus, and Annabelle followed the director through the museum. He gave Madame Androoluus a running commentary on all of the improvements the museum was undertaking, and how expensive they were - as well as how they were always on the lookout for new donations.

They arrived outside of the entrance to an exhibiting room - ‘And here we are, the Planet Earth exhibit’ - declared the director.

‘What’s Earth mean?’ - Porticuus asked.

The director thought for a moment - ‘Well, the literal translation young man, is Dirt. The Planet Dirt exhibit.’

Porticuus giggled - ‘That sounds like a wank name for a planet!’

His grandmother cuffed him across the head - ‘Watch your language young man!’

‘Sorry gran.’

Annabelle chuckled.

The director led them into the exhibit. The exhibition was filled with golden treasures from the time of the Pharaohs, Roman centurion uniforms, Volkswagen beetles, machine guns, refrigerators, table lamps, Coca Cola vending machines, lawn mowers, dentist chairs, a London double-decker bus, an F16 fighter jet, and all manner of curiosities from earth.

In the middle of the exhibit were tall cylindrical tanks, and the director led them to the tanks - ‘Now Madame Androoluus - this was the last exhibit that your most generous donations had funded.’

They stood in front of a tank that was filled with a kind of transparent jelly - and floating in the jelly was a brain, with the eyes and spinal column attached - and the central nervous system. The eyes attached to the brain flicked and twitched.

‘Heinrich Müller - a senior member of what the people of Planet Earth called the Nazi party, and the head of the gestapo!’

The eye’s of Heinrich Müller twitched and moved slightly.

‘Margarluus here - with your most generous funding - was able to capture Heinrich Müller, in the wild, in an Earth city called Berlin in the Earth year 1945. Margarluus had tracked these Nazis for many years - and at a time of great confusion she was able to track him down here, and bring him to be exhibited here for all eternity.’

The director knelt down so that he could speak to Porticuus - ‘This Nazi here - Müller - was the head of a group called the Gestapo. The Gestapo were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of other earthlings. The Nazis were responsible for the deaths of millions of other earthlings. What do you think about that, young Porticuus?’

Porticuus looked up at the twitching eyes of Heinrich Müller attached to his brain.

‘Is it alive?’

‘Yes - very much alive and well. The brain and consciousness of the exhibit are preserved by the substance it floats in. The substance also provides nutrition and stimulation to keep the subject’s mind active and healthy - well, as healthy as a deranged killer can be! And it will stay alive here in the Museum of the Galaxy forever - thanks to the generous donations of people like your grandmother.’

The director stood and walked past the other tanks containing brains and eyes and central nervous systems - and as they walked past all the eyes twitched and moved slightly.

‘And here it is, Madame Androoluus’ - said the director.

They looked at the tank, and a brain with the eyes and spinal column and central nervous system attached to it floated in the transparent jelly.

‘A real Earthling serial killer!’

The eyes twitched and moved slightly.

‘Oh, how wonderful!’ - Madame Androoluus clapped her hands - ‘Isn’t it spectacular! I have read so much about these beasts!’

Annabelle smiled.

‘What’s a serial killer?’ - Porticuus asked.

Annabelle stepped forward - ‘Earth is a very strange place young man - and some of the earthlings like to kill other earthlings.’

‘For food?’ - Asked Porticuus.

‘No - for fun’ - said Annabelle - ‘This particular serial killer managed to kill five other earthlings - all females of the species - for his own perverse gratification. Before I caught it - in the wild, I might add. It was very difficult to find this specimen, and it took years of careful and patient hunting before I was able to locate it and finally capture it.’

‘Gross’ - said Porticuus.

‘But now it is here in this exhibit - for all eternity’ - said Annabelle, walking up to the tank and tapping on the glass, smiling at the two eyes floating in the jelly.

The eyes twitched and moved slightly.

‘I thought we might have a spot of lunch before you head off Madame Androoluus’ - said the director.

‘Well done Margarluus’ - said Madame Androoluus - ‘A really quite splendid job, and a wonderful addition to the exhibit. Thank you for all your work!’

Annabelle bowed, and they all left the exhibit with the director giving Madame Androoluus a running commentary of all the improvements to the Earth exhibit he would like to make - and how much money he would need.

When they had left, Annabelle stood in front of the tank and took a packet of earth cigarettes from her pouch. She lit one and stared at the twitching eyes staring back at her. When she finished the cigarette she dropped it on the floor and stood on it. She then walked around the corner and returned. She hung something on the wall opposite where he was, and then stepped back. It was the portrait he had painted of her.

‘Something to remember me by’ - she said, and she turned and left the exhibit hall.

His two twitching eyes stared at the portrait of Annabelle - and Annabelle stared back at him - reclining naked with her legs crossed in a velvet chair, holding a cigarette and smiling at him. Smiling at him for all of eternity….

The End