Proper Care and Feeding

It took 100 generations for humankind to plumb the depths of space. It was another 50 generations before we could travel in time. And then only 20 generations before we were able to seek out our makers.

There were clues, hidden in our DNA, about where we came from. Clues that indicated that at least part of our origin was not from Earth. We traced those clues across the universe and back through time, and found the alien race that had placed us on our home planet. I was lucky enough to be chosen for one of the initial interviews with a representative.

We talked at length, about space and time, invention, the soul, and many other things. But in the end, there was one question that I had not asked yet. The question that burned in the heart of all people.

“So, with all your technology and knowledge, why create humans? Why seed us on our planet?”

Truio paused for a moment, accessing information from the near limitless data storage his kind had connected directly to their minds.

“In your pursuit of knowledge,” he said, sounding a bit hesitant, “you have studied many… organisms, yes?”

“You mean studying animals? Like rats and mice?”

“Yes. A study of lower order organisms tells a species much about the world, the order of things, and even ourselves.”

“That’s all we were? Humanity was just your lab rats?”

There was a pause as Truio searched through information.

“Yes… and no. The study was more like… frogs.”

“Frogs? Why frogs?”

Truio seemed even more hesitant now. “Please understand that no one expected you to evolve to what you are now. We didn’t have the technology then to see what you would grow into. What you could become.”

“Why are we frogs?” I said through gritted teeth.

“You… were not the frogs. But, perhaps you already know, when keeping frogs, they need live prey in order to thrive? Insects that are alive and challenging to catch?”