This is a mini-essay thing I wrote about some odd connections I made while watching the episode "Unearthed." This is totally, 100% non-fiction. I didn't make any of it up. I'd cite my sources, even, but I don't know how the people here feel about linking off-site. (I'm assigning myself schoolwork for the show I love- strange.) I tried my best not to make it boring, so enjoy.

(Also, I know that I'm posting this on April Fools day, but this isn't a joke. )

DISCLAIMER: Do I need one of these for an essay? Well, I don't own anything. Not Ben 10, not the quotes, not the comic strip, nothing. I just own the essay. :)

A long, long time ago (it's probably been a few months, but that's a long time in Cavey-years), I was lurking around a forum I didn't have the guts to join, and I still don't. That's when I came across an odd term, which I'm not sure if I should repeat. Not that it's inappropriate or anything, but I don't want to push these people into the spotlight without their consent.

These people, because of their beliefs, often get something called phantom limb syndrome. That is when you feel a limb that is not actually there, like if you got your arm bitten off by a shark but can still feel it sometimes. Only, with these people, they feel ones that shouldn't even be on a human, like angel wings or dragon tails. I didn't think much of it until I saw a comic strip about it, which got me really interested.

It was a lady, who looked very grumpy, taking a walk down the sidewalk. Then a man with a baby stroller passes by, and the baby points at her and shouts "Look Daddy, that person has wings!" Then the dad just says "Yes dear," and walks off. As for the lady, it just made her day.

This is a phenomenon that the author referred to as "Second sight," in which a small child (or a cat! :3) is able to see what others can't, like phantom limbs. And, according to her, this stuff is commonplace in the community that she's making the comic for. I checked out the comments, and she was right about it being common. Here's one that really caught my eye:

"Little kid, open mall, comes running riiiight over to me once when I'm happily entrenched in heavy winter clothes and starts patting me on the butt. X3 Cue very apologetic Asian father, saying sorry, and me grinning as the little kid goes, "Kitsu! Kitsu! Tail alllll ruffled up! Kitsu!!!". Made my week. X3"

Along with that, where were several reports of being called "doggy" or something. I even found it on another website, and it was a report from a person who wasn't part of this group saying how babies always seem to be overly interested in his "wings."

Enough droning. Anyway, this struck me as odd, so I made a decision. I was going to test this. But how do you? Simple.

1. Imagine that you have wings coming out of your back, then go into the minute detail, feeling ever little feather.

2. Keep imagining these wings until it becomes second nature to feel them.

3. Get into some kind of situation with a small child you don't know yet and see how they react.

And that's just what I did. I'm going to skip the part where I get big hulking eagle wings, just for the sake of making this shorter.

I was at karate, in the middle of an instructor training class. The head instructor was talking about something mildly interesting, and we were all doing a good job listening and paying attention. Then, from across the room, his baby son started cracking up and crawling towards me. He stood up on his knees, reached out, and started pawing at my back like a madman. He looked like he expected to touch something, but he kept falling though it. And, his hand was always hitting right where the base of my wing was. He would have been there for hours if his mom didn't come in and take him away.

While the rest of the class was confused, I was about to burst into hysterics. He obviously knew the wings were there. I pretty much just proved it for myself. Whether the wings were spiritual limbs or just mental constructs, some babies (if not all) can sense them. Maybe, like the baby's memory, that sense is removed (or at least weakened) when it reaches a certain age.

Have I proved my point yet? No? Well then, try it for yourself and see if you get the same results. You may have to try a few times, though. (Plus, it doesn't have to be wings- it could be a tail, or maybe you could go Trogdor and have an arm coming out of the back of you neck. xD)

So, as you can see, the second Tiny saw Gwen's true form, "Unearthed" became one of the all time favorites. Not only because of a reference to one of my favorite things, but because of all the questions it raised.

Does this mean that, like the people I was talking about, Gwen often feels like an Anodite rather than a human? It probably wouldn't be too extreme, because they share the same body shape as humans. But what about the energy-hair? Does she often feel that coming off her, even in human form? If she does, I'd guess that she doesn't like people getting too close to the back of her head.

Anyway, I hope you have fun tossing these ideas around. If you come up with anything to add to this, or you try the experiment, please review with your insights/results. Also, if there's anyone out there who is part of this community I keep mentioning (you know who you are), and you have had experience with this, please PM me. We'll talk cats. I want to try this out with our little fuzzy friends. :3