Zarlo, now a known figure among Melbourne’s medical community, had one final quest before he could proudly claim to understand human upper limbs. His next stop? The renowned Melbourne Arm and Limb Center. Armed (pun intended) with his previous learnings, he approached the centre with a bounce in his step –or whatever it was that Pleekonese did to express excitement.
As he entered the facility, he was immediately guided to a seminar room where a presentation on rotator cuff repair surgery based near Melbourne was about to commence. Zarlo diligently took notes, occasionally nodding at terms he recognised and gasping at the live demonstrations of the procedure.
The highlight of the session was when Dr James Watters took the stage. “Now, let’s switch gears and discuss something a bit different: what is distal biceps tendon repair?”
Zarlo, who believed he’d mastered the realm of shoulders, suddenly felt out of his depth. Distal what? Biceps who?
Dr Watters explained, “The biceps tendon can sometimes tear at the elbow. When that happens, we need to reattach it – a procedure known as distal biceps tendon repair.”
Zarlo’s eyes widened, absorbing this new nugget of information. He imagined the biceps as a sort of elastic band, snapping and requiring mending.
As the presentation concluded, Zarlo approached Dr Watters, showing him sketches and notes, trying to get a better grasp of the procedure. Dr. Watters, amused and impressed by Zarlo’s passion, gave him a mini-tour of the facility, showing him actual recovery rooms and state-of-the-art surgical tools.
Zarlo’s trip to Earth, initially fueled by casual curiosity, had transformed him into a quasi-expert on human arms. As he prepared to leave, he left behind a Pleekonese manual, a gesture to show gratitude and exchange knowledge.
The sun set over Melbourne’s skyline, casting a silhouette of Zarlo’s spaceship as it made its way back to Pleekon. While Earthlings continued their daily lives, somewhere in the vast universe, an alien shared tales of a blue planet’s incredible ability to heal and mend.