Mail Sorting Station-722

-This story touches on verbal abuse-

MSS-722 aka Mail Sorting Station-722. Location: The Deoos Galaxy, specifically the Veta sector. These floating space stations are responsible for mail for that specific sector. A mail transport ship will arrive each day with all the letters, packages, and other items needing deliveries. Most stations will have at least fifteen employees sorting all the mail.

But MSS-722 is a smaller station and thus has one employee. Meet Juliuos Devlobisi. Julious is a jolly, pink blob with one blue eye and multiple tentacles. He wears a green and yellow mail uniform. Julious is of the Bicoe species. The Bicoe have a passion for labor-focused jobs. A lot of them are truck drivers, cleaners, builders, and plumbers. Because of Julious's tentacles, he is able to get a lot of work done. Plus, Bicoe rarely tire. This is because of their blob-like nature.

Each day at 12:05 p.m., the shipment shuttle comes in. Julious is eagerly awaiting as the large red door opens and outcome several hover carts filled with mail. A blue wolf-like alien wearing a space jumpsuit enters. His name tag reads Zones. He has a clipboard.

"Julious, good to see you."

"Zones, how's the wife and kids treating you?"

"Good as usual. Enjoying the Cityscape life."

"I bet. It's quite the city."

Zones hands the clipboard to Julious. Julious looks it over. "Six carts. Looks good to me."

"Plus, a special thing for you."

"For me?"

Zones grabs a square shaped red envelope from one of the carts. It has a blue crown seal. "Yup. Feels like a letter."

"Strange. I’ve never gotten mail here. It always comes home." Julious signs the paper on the clipboard and then gives it back to Zones. Zones hands over the envelope.

"You know what they say."

"A first for all things."

Zones smiles. The carts have unloaded the mail. "OK carts. Let's roll out." Zones waves at Julious who smiles while holding the envelope.

Julious is working at a station with multiple bright buttons. Conveyor belts behind a glass window sort packages into green boxes. Each green box has a different planet name. Some of these names include Sui, Grimo, Riggel, Skilio, and Chomop. Julious pushes a few buttons. Other tenacles are pulling levers and turning valves. Julious keeps eyeing the red envelope.

He's trying to ignore it, but his one eye keeps looking over. "Damn you, Reddie!" Using one of his tenacles, he puts it into a filing cabinet. "I’ll look at you on my break." Julious continues to push a few buttons. After a while, he's finished. He goes into a bigger room. This room has a couch, a fridge, and a TV like device called the Galaxy Screen-9000.

Julious pushes a button to turn it on. A dancing blue bear with a golden eye is dancing around. A funny voice speaks. "Blue bear! Blue bear!" Then the blue bear drinks a red liquid. "Blue bear pop! Available around the Deoos Galaxy.!"

Julious flips to another channel. A green skinned man in a suit sits across from a silver skinned female in a warrior outfit. The green man yells. "We can’t allow the Majesto to move to a new planet!"

"And why is that? Do you fear us?"

"Yes, your species is a warrior race!"

"So? The Medah Warriors are a warrior race! The Sonicis are a warrior race!" They argue in the background.

Julious remarks. "Politics." Julious pushes the button. This time, the TV changes to a relaxing image of blue water and a sandy beach. Lofi music plays. "This is better." Julious sits down. He grabs a purple-colored drink from the fridge. As he starts to drink it, he thinks about the envelope. "Grog, ham it!"

He sends out his tentacle to grab the envelope. He sighs. "Well, I am free for the day." Julious opens it slowly. He takes out a blue letter with gold text.

-The Letter-

To my handsome baby boy, Julious!

I hope you are doing well. Me, your father, and Myrian all miss you. As does the rest of the castle. We regret how things ended last time. It was a mistake to yell and berate you. We had a lapse in judgment. I think we just always wanted you to be a part of the royal family here on Chango-S.

But you always wanted to be a mail person. Even though we did our best to support you, we still could have done better for you. I’m realizing now that we took small jabs at you throughout your life. They were not needed. Sometimes we even got nasty with our words. We verbally abused you. For years, we wondered what we had done wrong.

We were slow to realize it. But now we are paying for that mistake. We supported your sister, Myrian, in opening up a clothing store in the town square. But we didn’t support you because you wanted to leave us. That was a stupid choice by us. This letter is an apology and an invitation. Even if you can never fully forgive us, we still want to be a family once again.

If you don’t respond, we’ll understand. We are trying to get better. No matter what, we love you.

Signed The Royal Family

-Back to it-

Julious is looking over the letter. He puts it away in the envelope. "I need to sort the mail."

Julious goes back to sorting mail. Time passes as Julious lies awake in his bed. He is looking up at the open window into space. Frosty rocks float by. As do three giant red snake like creatures. They look to be made of various different gems and stones. "The Betaarakes of the Ultrov Nebula." He pauses to stare at them. "Each one has unique gems, crystals, and stones. Marvelous creatures."

They float above and start to do a type of dance. Julious then falls asleep.

Julious wakes up. Despite not needing sleep, he still enjoys it. Plus, he loves to dream. "I’ll finish nice and strong. Then maybe I’ll watch a film."

Julious enters the mail sorting area and starts his day. He ends up finishing pretty quickly. He got most of the mail done yesterday. He puts the last purple package away.

Julious then goes back to the living space area. The envelope is still on the table. He smiles. "You know what. People make mistakes, I can give them a chance." Using his tentacle, he grabs a piece of paper and a pen. He starts to write.

-Julious's Letter-

To my family,

I thank you for this message. I know we have butted heads over the years. Our species is a curious. Scientists discovered that our evolution has actually created two separate but unique DNA strands. On the one hand, most Bicoe just enjoy working. They actually find true joy once they find their passion. Then you have very few who are considered royals. Much like our family.

Once I found my passion, I found those who loved me for who I am. I realized that the royal strand of our DNA wasn’t missing a working gene, it was missing a love gene. But I get the feeling that you all have discovered that love gene. It takes a lot to own up to one's mistakes.

I will also own up to my mistake. Running away to a far-off mail station. Over the past few years, I have wondered if I should write to you all. I never did, until now. I want to visit on my vacation. I want to hang out as a family. No verbal jabs, just us having fun. I’m free, in Docmito, from the 18th to the 32nd. Maybe you all can prepare your famous Captain Ego Brownies.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great day. See you all soon.

Love Julious

Julious puts the letter in a blue envelope. He looks at a mail slot. "Maybe it's time I hand-deliver this one." Julious looks at the calendar. It is Docmito 12th. He pushes a few buttons on the living space wall. A small hatch opens up, and a few small silver bots come out. They are circular and have one green eye. They are making small beeping noises.

"I need you all to hold down the fort." They make a few more beeps as they get to work. Julious pushes another button on the wall. "Computer, send word to the head mailers. I’m taking a much-needed break. The first in four years. I’ll be back after the 32nd." The computer beeps a few times. "It's ok for DNA to be different." Julious smiles as he leaves.

A small blue circular shuttle leaves the station. The ship warps through a red mist cloud as the story comes to an end.