From Encounters on a Strange Planet--a book

still to be written--we share with you the following:

~ . . They stood there, in all sizes and shapes, not

seeming to take much notice of each other s misery.

There appeared to be about 150 of them but I found it

hard to count, even though they barely moved. Their

contorted facial expressions and the gasping and groan-

ing sounds they made were very disconcerting to me.

More than anything else , though, the coats were

what first caught and held m.y attention. They were

much too small. Buttons add zippers were being

strained to the limit and seams threatened to tear at the

sides. Their bodies bulged against the overstretched

fabric as if the contents had been stuffed in with tre-

mendous effort.

When I approached one particularly pitiful-look-

ing creature and extended my hand (as is our custom

when greeting a friend or introducing ourselves to a

new acquaintance), she could not lift her arm even as

much as two inches. Her jacket was so constraining as

to render her practically immobile. Her face was quite

puffed and rather bluish and she was struggling for

breath. She eventually whined an apology. "You see, I

can t move my arms," she got out between gasps. I

thought tears began to appear in her eyes.

"It s your coat," I said.