"Daddy, what is it?" the raven-haired child asked, peering into the booth with wonder.

"It's not real son," the man replied tiredly, wishing his odd child wouldn't drag him to these oddity sideshow events. "It's just a man in a costume."

His dad moved on to the next booth but the boy lingered, staring through the bars at the creature seated in the middle of the small viewing box.

The alien lifted his head to look back, magenta eyes shining in the dim light. He smiled slightly. The child smiled back, then turned to run after his father as the next set of humans came by to gawk and point.