Zarlo, a green-skinned alien tourist from the planet Pleekon, stepped out of his spaceship and stretched his tentacle-like limbs. He had heard that Earth was the ideal place to study curious anatomies. But, of all the strange things he could focus on, Zarlo was utterly enthralled by elbows and shoulders.
During a casual stroll through Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens, Zarlo couldn’t help but fixate on every passerby. “Why do they have such a hinge in the middle of their arms?” he pondered, tapping his notepad. The elbow’s function seemed both trivial and invaluable to these humans. They could pivot their forearms to access food, scratch their heads, and even, as he noticed with a teenager nearby, execute a “dabbing” motion with finesse.
But it was the shoulder that genuinely baffled Zarlo. “Why have two separate joints when one could suffice?” he wondered aloud. Trying to blend in (and failing spectacularly), he approached a jogger, “Greetings! I would like to inquire about… ahem… uh… what is shoulder arthroscopy? My Pleekonese databank suggests it’s a peek into the Earthling’s shoulder. Is that right?”
The jogger, blinking in surprise, replied, “Well, sort of. It’s a minimally invasive surgical procedure where a tiny camera called an arthroscope is inserted into the shoulder joint to inspect and sometimes repair it.” She then added, “If you need more information, you might want to consult the best shoulder injury specialist near Melbourne. I’ve heard Dr Finch is fantastic.”
Flustered, Zarlo sketched out the jogger’s shoulder structure, adding exaggerated bolts and levers in his notes. “So, they can tighten or loosen it at will? Fascinating!” he mumbled to himself, misinterpreting the entire conversation.
As the day turned to dusk, Zarlo, now decked out in a makeshift cape (actually a picnic blanket stolen from the gardens), announced to a bemused crowd: “Fear not, humans! For I shall harness the power of your shoulders and elbows, uniting the galaxies in joint harmony!”
Amid the chuckles and camera flashes, one thing was clear: Earth would be seeing a lot more of Zarlo, and Melbourne’s shoulders and elbows had never been more celebrated. The adventures of the misinformed Pleekonese tourist had just begun.