The universal phenomenon of chasing the laser pointer dot.
“Stay there. When I say ‘run’ you leg it.”
Barstaw boggled at the human. Their colourful phrases had no discernible end… and yet they were instantly understandable. For all her deathworlder status, she was extremely helpful to have around for this escape.
She hunkered down, ready to run at the door that was currently being supervised by one very bored guard. Barstaw half expected the human to happen to them in a typical deathworlder blur of shouting and violence. And, perhaps, explosions.
What did happen was a spot of anomalous light on the floor.
It jittered around in interesting squiggles until the guard noticed it. And then made very obvious play-with-me motions.
Even Barstaw, concealed in the shadows, had to control her impulse to chase it.
The guard did not, and left hir post to investigate the little wiggling dot. Which jinked away by a few Standard Distance Units before it wiggled some more.
Bit by bit, the guard got further and further away from hir post.
Then, abruptly, the light began to run about in a standard pattern.
Approaching footfalls. “RUN!”
The human smashed through the door that should have held any other known cogniscent firmly on the prisoner’s side. Barstaw scrambled to keep up.
“What was that?”
“Laser pointer. It works on kittens, ducks, babies, drunkards and now the obligatory stupid guard. Wooo!”
Barstaw boggled anew as she followed the human. She would never understand these mad apes.
[Muse food remaining: 41. Submit a prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!]