Persona Non Grata
His nostrils flared with agitation, sending little electrical signals upwards to the inverted valleys and blue-gray ceilings in his skull, and he realized another was reaching for the same item he was reaching for on the shelf housing the three inch screws. Dead in his tracks, the ape very briefly considered slaying the man's offspring but the old human-thinking whispered caution, and he resolved his composure quickly and simply took the box on the shelf behind his. His path to the counter was slow, requiring tremendous concentration, but he experienced a certain pride after the clerk informed him of the total and the ape reached a large fist into his pants for his wallet, then paid, then left the store sucking on his teeth. The air of the city was humid for October and the thick hair on his back and appendages...