Sshhh ...

"Sshhh ..." is a science fiction short story by David Brin about humanity's first contact with an alien race.

The Lentili are a race of tall, long-lived aliens who are far more technologically and philosophically advanced than humans, who have only recently ventured to the stars.

Tridden will not reveal exactly what this talent is, but describes it as "something so mundane to us that few human beings ever bother even thinking about it past the age of ten!"

This talent can wreak "untold psychic harm" among the Lentili and he asks the people of Earth to join him in making a "great sacrifice."

But since lingering references and, indeed, copies of his broadcast will survive, the human race must also provide a good "cover story" to explain away this situation.