Nothing else matters except my collection.
For as long as I can remember, all I've been interested in is Pokémon. I know everything about each one – height, weight, type – a "walking Pokédex", as my mother used to call me. But no one else cared. When I tried to tell the other children at school about my collection of various Pokémon – in alphabetical order, by height, by weight – they made fun of me. I still don't understand why the other children didn't want to be with me. "Freak", "retard", "weird"…I've been called that and worse.
My mother was the only one who understood me. She would listen patiently when I told her about my collection, even help me get new Pokémon for my collection. She would listen when I told her about how the other children didn't want to be around me. She was always there for me.
Until she died. Now I'm alone, and I'd rather be that way. But I programmed my computer so that it has my mother's voice. That way, it's almost like having her with me again. I prefer computers. They don't lie, deceive you, or insult you like people do. They're logical and predictable – the perfect companion.
People accuse me of being insensitive because of my so-called "obsession" with my collection and my desire to complete it. I'm not the one who's insensitive – they are. They don't know what it's like to be shunned and ridiculed because you're "different".
But here in my flying fortress, I don't have to worry about that. Here I'm safe. I'm in control of my world. I don't have to interact with anyone except my computer.
And nothing else matters except my collection.
THE END
Author' Note: Right now, I'm sure some of you are scratching your heads and going "what?", so an explanation might be in order.
On Blackjack Gabbiani's web page, she hypothesizes that the Collector may be the way he is because he might be autistic. Autism and the milder Asperger syndrome are neurobiological disorders found predominantly in males that are characterized by impaired social interactions, impaired verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. People with Asperger's syndrome in particular have superior intelligence and a tendency to become very interested in and preoccupied with a particular subject.
Does the Collector have Asperger syndrome? I decided to run with Blackjack's hypothesis for two reasons. One, it's a fascinating idea. And two --
…as the mother of an autistic child, it's a subject about which I know all too well.
This fic is dedicated to my son, Chris, who turns six on Wednesday.