“Oh, look at the cute little jewelry box I picked up at a yard sale. Isn’t it darling?”
“It certainly is. And it looks wonderful on your dresser.”
“That’s why I got it. It matches beautifully. I put all my earrings in it yesterday.”
“Very nice. Well, grab a pair and let’s go.”
“All right. Wait. It’s empty! How can it be empty? I put every earring I own in here.”
“They’re certainly not on the floor. Is there a hole in the box?”
“No. It sure got dusty under there in a hurry, though. What could possibly have happened to my earrings?”
* * *
Scientists tell us that, fiction aside, extraterrestrial life will not have a head, two arms and two legs. Eating and digesting are assumed to be universal, however.