Who Are You?

"The blue alien turned to me." Cola read.

--- *---

The blue alien turned to me.

"What is your name, Earthling." He asked.

"I'm a Buck. " I said, a little offended by his naming. "My name is Herbert Rodgers."

"You're a Buck." The alien said, amused, "Not an Earthling?" I nodded.

"Correct."

The alien looked thoughtfully to the sky. "You're a Buck. Your name is Herbert Rodgers." He rolled my last name around like a marble in his mouth. He clapped me on the shoulder. "We'll call you Buck..." He paused and I could see him weighing up the possibilities.. I cringed.

"Buck Herbert" He finally said. I breathed a sigh of relief.

--- *---

"That was close." Cola thought.

---*---

"And this is our ship." The alien said pointing at the monstrosity filling the clearing.

"Does she have a name?" I asked. The alien nodded grimly.

"We call her 'TB'" He said quietly.

"TB?" I asked, "Funny name."

"Its' short for 'That Bastard'" Nice name, I thought. He continued, "Which, in turn, is short for 'That Bastard Iain Gave This Ship A Bloody Long Name'".

"I think I'll call her 'TB'" I said with a wrinkle of my nose.

"If you ever have a ship of your own," The alien said as he led me on board, "Be very careful whom you let name her."

I could see his point.