Self-Review – Prom Night Was Never Like This

A Review of Prom Night was Never Like This

It’s time to look at Prom Night was Never Like This.

I wrote this story during the second quarter of 2021. The original prompt word was just the word kick.

Background

The prompts are more or less random. My only requirement to myself was to keep them in alphabetical order in 2021. But once I fulfilled that need, the idea was that I could do with the prompts whatever I pleased.

In this case, my first thought was about Kathleen Kennedy, who was known as Kick. And I mean the older one, the one who died in the 1940s. But I didn’t really want to write about her, per se.

However, one great idea that came out of this story is the one about translating programs assigning almost random words for unpronounceable alien names. I pick this idea up again in Alien Allies from 2023 and The New Kid from 2024.

I truly love this particular idea of our translator program just sort of doing this, so I will undoubtedly use this method again.

Plot

A young Yttrianite known as Kick buys a diary to record their innermost thoughts about a human teenaged boy asking them to the prom.

The details of a prom date are causes for confusion in Kick. These details include whether they should wear a gown or a tux or something else. And, what should they do with their vestigial wings?

These are just so many puzzlements for an exotic yet extremely friendly species.

Characters

The characters are Kick, a Yttrianite, and human Kevin Chandler. But I never show Kevin, and Kick doesn’t describe him in their diary entries.

Er, sorry, Kev.

Memorable Quotes

I’m called Kick, just like Kathleen Kennedy was. But my real name isn’t Kathleen or anything like it. And I’m not human. And I’m not even what humans would call female. Or male.

I’m just … Kick.

The whole Kennedy connection comes from our ancestors landing in the Charles River, lo these many centuries ago. I know that in the nineteenth century, Boston was called the Hub of the Universe. But I think Oliver Wendell Holmes was just joking around.

Except now it really is.

We had to study all that junk in school. Brahmins and Yttrianites like me. The name stuck—we’re the same color as Yttrium. Silver and black. I guess humans wanted something that sounded kind of alien to their ears, as our real native name is impossible for them to say. I think they also chose it because Yttrium is toxic to Earth life.

I guess they were afraid of us. Little did they know that we’re harmless, really just exploring. Cosmic creampuffs. A bunch of us settled here, a bunch of them settled there, and we’re kind of the species equivalent of peanut butter and jelly these days.

That reminds me, I need to get a snack.

So, diary, I bought you—old-fashioned paper and cover with a lock and all—because I need a place off the grid to record my inmost, deepest thoughts.

Which are—Kevin Chandler asked me to the prom.

What am I gonna do? It feels so… weird. More later.

Rating for Prom Night Was Never Like This

The story has a K rating. Even though Kick’s gender does not correspond to any of ours, nothing untoward or even terribly odd happens.

In fact, about the only thing that’s strange is that I say Kick is a Yttrianite. But otherwise, these could pretty much be the diary entries of any teen or tween human.

Except for the wings.

Takeaways for Prom Night Was Never Like This

If we are ever in a position where we humans are more or less equivalent in technology and understanding to an alien species, then issues like Kick’s could become almost commonplace. And if those are our toughest problems to solve with aliens, then we would be exceptionally lucky.

I like Kick, and I think the story could have had some potential. There is a lot that’s undiscovered here. But unless I want to write more in this universe/scenario, then I have no idea how I’ll revisit them.

However, it is kind of cool that Kick references the hub of the universe, thereby neatly dovetailing with Ceilidh’s world.

And there’s no doubt that prom night was never like this before.

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Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.