Story: 'Knock, Knock'

'Tick tock', went the clock, as I entered the house. It was six o'clock in the evening. The door creaked, my shoos squeaked, and my stomach rumbled. Even the cat meowed. It wasn't an auspicious start, so I moved on quickly. Food time couldn't wait much longer.

The kitchen was warm and welcoming; a haven in blue and orange. The spaceship seen through the window didn't make any difference at all to my improving mood.

Hold on. I thought for a moment. 'The spaceship'?

Yes, it was a spaceship.  My mind raced, but not for the reasons you may have predicted. No, I was worrying whether tourist season had begun early? Had I missed the official date? I didn't have any crackers in the cupboard yet! Nor apple pies! The long Winter had seemed like it would never end.

Some steps were approaching the back door. A pulsing light speckled the walls of the kitchen. Some moments later, five precise short raps sounded on the door, which shuddered a little.

Tourist season already! It had to be! I checked the kitchen over quickly, and noted the washing up that still waited to be done, sadly. Then, before the guest rapped again, I opened the door.

"Welcome, welcome." The visitor was the usual excited mess. He even had an extra arm, and wore a baseball cap. At his feet (thankfully, only two), there was a large bag. The bag had a number of stickers, presumably emblems of previous holidays. "Yes, you can come in."

"Blarp. Blap blip. Clak!" The visitor smacked himself in the nose, and then continued. "Sorry about that. Did you get my reservation?"

"No. There must have been a mix-up of some kind. However, there is a room available. I will just get a form for you to fill in. Here, have a seat."

The alien took the chair and held it confusedly.

"Oh, umm, we usually sit on those. 'Take a seat' means to sit down. Like this?" I demonstrated.

"Woo hoo! Civilization! Local customs!" The visitor looked excited. He took a photograph. "It's like a whole new world! My mother said to take lots of photos. What's this?" He pointed at the cooker. The visitor took another picture.

"That's what we use to heat and cook food. Okay. Let's fill in this form and check you're up to date with inoculations, vaccinations. And other things.''

Plainly, it was going to be a long week...