Short Fiction · Chapter
I'm a Stranger Here Myself explained
The narrator, calling himself Rupert, sits at the Café de Paris in Tangier and meets Paul, a fellow expatriate.
What happens
The narrator, calling himself Rupert, sits at the Café de Paris in Tangier and meets Paul, a fellow expatriate. They discuss the possibility of aliens secretly living on Earth, disguised as humans. The conversation ranges from flying saucers to the idea of a Galactic League, and the narrator reveals that Tangier, with its cosmopolitan and indifferent populace, would be the perfect hiding place for an alien. The chapter ends with both men revealing to each other that they are, in fact, aliens from Aldebaran and Deneb, each with their own motives for being on Earth.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Self-Worth
The chapter explores the theme of hidden identity, as both the narrator and Paul conceal their true alien natures behind human disguises and false backstories, reflecting on the nature of self in a world of masks.
Technology and Alienation
The discussion of flying saucers, space flight, and the Galactic League highlights the alienation of humanity from the cosmos, as well as the potential for advanced technology to create distance between beings.
Characters to notice
- Paul Koslov
An easygoing, sallow-faced little man from Liverpool, met at the Café de Paris. Engages in a speculative conversation about aliens and reveals himself to be an alien from Deneb, researching Earth for a meat trust.
- Narrator Meets Paul in Tangier
The narrator, using the alias Rupert, meets Paul at the Café de Paris. They discuss the possibility of aliens on Earth, and both eventually reveal their true extraterrestrial identities.
Key passages
“This world is so deep in police, counterespionage outfits and security agents that an alien would slip up in time, no matter how much he'd been trained. Sooner or later, he'd slip up, and they'd nab him.”
Paul argues that Earth's extensive network of law enforcement and intelligence agencies would inevitably catch any alien spy, no matter how well-trained.
Paul expresses skepticism about the possibility of aliens hiding on Earth, given the pervasive surveillance and security apparatus.
“It's the one town in the world where anything goes. Nobody gives a damn about you or your affairs.”
The narrator explains that Tangier's laissez-faire attitude makes it the perfect hiding place for an alien, as no one questions anyone's background or business.
The narrator identifies Tangier as an ideal location for an alien to blend in due to its cosmopolitan and indifferent nature.
“I felt your mind probe back a few minutes ago when I was talking about Scotland Yard or the F.B.I. possibly flushing an alien. Telepathy is a sense not trained by the humanoids.”
Paul reveals that he sensed the narrator's telepathic reaction, indicating that both are aliens, as humans lack this ability.
Paul uses his telepathic sensitivity to detect the narrator's alien nature, leading to their mutual revelation.