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The lightning cell door shimmered in its frame rather menacingly. It whirred and sizzled with the threat of: *touch me and you'll become a pile of bones*, or maybe: *touch me and absolutely nothing will happen*. I wasn't really sure seeing as I had decided early on in my imprisonment to avoid it entirely.

I had never been in a spaceship before, but I reckoned this one was rather nice all things considered. It had a bit of an "avant-garde" feel to it, a lot of strange shapes and seemingly nonfunctional pieces in the room. But also a toilet with a privacy screen...or at least I had been using it as such, a few square meals a day of unknown pink slop, and the chance to be the first human to introduce myself to a new species. Wasn't much of a feat though really, considering that no other humans were around to know it. That plus the introduction phase hadn't exactly happened yet. It seemed my captors were more of the "we'll ask the questions" types.

I heard some footsteps coming down the hall that signaled company, that or a lunch of pink slop. The being that rounded the corner glowed yellow on the other side of the frame, to which I couldn't tell if it was from the frames shimmer or its own skin. You know the saying "When you're only able to look through a yellow shimmering light prison everything seems yellow."

The alien being counted aloud in surprisingly good English: "Fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, stop!" he turned towards the light screen to face me. He..she....it? Was an odd thing to be sure. Four armed, rather lanky, feathered, to some confusion by me, and smooth faced. Rather than eyes the spaces where I'd assumed they be were instead flat, I hesitated to question where its actual eyes may have been.

"Did you just count? What's that about?" I spoke first, seizing the moment to take any ounce of control.

"What, you don't when you're in a new place? Well then how do you know where to...Nevermind! I was saying!"

"Prisoner! I have heard some...interesting rumors from my constituents. Some rather sad news. I am sad to hear that you, and therefore humans, are neutered of the most useful sense: telepathy. This is a terrible shame. Let us engage in sadness." the four armed bird man began what I assumed sadness looked to be for them, which consisted of a rather deep bow and shake of feathers. I awkwardly tried to mimic the action but without feathers it seemed much less graceful.

"Ah, quite alright. Still got the other five. Thanks though mate, happy for ya."

The bird man hesitated on the other side of the shimmering wall. His "sadness" slowly ceased as he rose to face my general direction. "You must be mistaken. The senses are: smell, touch, telepathy, hearing, and taste. So you have four earth walker. I can see how you would be confused. As I began to reply another voice echoed loudly down the hall

"Fifty-two, fifty-three, fifty-four, stop!", another, slightly shorter and vastly more colorful being showed up.

"Greetings earth dweller. I have heard some... who is this to my right?"

"Ah it is just me, Kromulos." as he spoke he began feeling in the air around him, to which the other copied the gesture until they felt one another.

"Ah yes. Did you tell the earth walker we pitied him yet?"

I interrupted before I had to live out even more deja-vu, "Yes. We're caught up. I was just saying I have five senses too. "Smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste."

They both grew quiet this time. Then the first turned to the second. "Group huddle!", and both turned.

*This is concerning- yes most concerning indeed- he is- why yes I know* as they chatted I grew closer to the grid keeping me within the ship. Just as I went to touch they turned back around. "Human...tell us of this...sight."

"Hm?" I jumped back at their voices, assuming I'd be repremanded for thinking of escape, but instead their faces looked right through me.

"Sight is like...seeing you know? Seeing the world."

"Ah yes, I heard of seeing that one time, remember Kromulos?"

"No. You did not you green bean."

"Ok fine what is sight?...Earth Dweller? Are you there?" the alien man walked forward absentmindedly into the grid and jolted back "Ow...that hurt."

It may still have killed me, but I took my chance and leaped through to feel the tiniest jolt prick me on my backside. The two aliens continued looking around "Hello? Earth Dweller? I hope he didn't get lost", one scooted around the room like a kid trying to locate its toddler.

"Are you here?". A voice warbled into my mind, calling out in the space right between my ears. It lingered for a moment: "Human? Are youuuu here!? No? Well....that sucks."

By the time they realized (which I assumed to be never) I would be in the vents. Now I just hoped their ships were meant to be piloted by someone with eyes.

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Submitted by GrunkleStanwhich on Thu, Aug 11, 2022 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

Telephathy is the most common 5th sense among the Alien Races of the Galaxy. When Humans are first discovered to have no telepathic abilities, the other Races feel pity for them. That is until they learn of the Humans 5th Sense, something called "Sight"