02557cam a22003613u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000260011324500230013926400510016230000470021333600260026033700260028633800360031249000630034850000310041150801080044252013600055053400450191065300200195565300180197565300390199365300380203283000630207085600430213399900190217661424UtSlPG20260610134421.0mcr n260607r2020||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aProulx, Annie,d1935-14aThe Customs Lounge 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2020  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 1963  aRelease date is 2020-02-16  aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Customs Lounge" by E. A. Proulx is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative is set in a surreal alien world where customs inspections take place for Earth immigrants and explores the interactions between these extraterrestrial inspectors and the bewildered human newcomers. Overall, the story delves into themes of cultural misunderstanding and the absurdities of immigration.  In the Customs Lounge, a group of alien customs inspectors share anecdotes about their experiences with Earth immigrants, whom they view with a mix of disdain and bemusement. The inspectors recount stories filled with humor and absurdity, highlighting their frustrations with the Earthlings' ignorance and the clever tricks they try to employ. As the inspectors learn of a new policy that will reroute Earth immigrants through Livestock instead of Immigration, they celebrate this decision, reflecting their deep-seated biases and stereotypes. Meanwhile, two human characters, mentioned to have been altered by robotic engineering, navigate the space, providing a glimpse into the strange coexistence of humans and aliens. The humorous exchanges and bizarre customs of the inspectors frame a lighthearted yet poignant commentary on the complexities of identity and belonging in an alien context. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aExtraterrestrial beings -- Fiction  aHuman-alien encounters -- Fiction 0aProduced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, September 196340uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61424  c102250d102250