Okay, people, I'm back to answer some more of your letters, and I'm trying to do it within decent time this time rather than waiting forever to respond. I hope that this is good enough. Brother's pacing around upstairs at the moment which makes me a bit nervous as I don't have any idea what he's doing up there, but hopefully he'll leave me alone long enough to do this.

Dear Alphonse Elric,

It's so nice of you to answer people's questions, and you've been very
patient will all the silliness. I'm glad you like Germany and it reminds you
a little of home. I visited there once and it was so beautiful. And they
have a great train system! Or at least, they do now...not sure when it was
built. You're very resilient, and I'm glad you're making the most of things
the way they are, but I hope you find a way to go home some day. What types
of books do you like to read, given the choice?

Sincerely,

M.

Yes, I suppose that Germany's train system is fairly good. I haven't really had much opportunity to compare train systems between different countries, as I haven't really done much international traveling. Well, not before I came to this world, that is. I keep forgetting to count this world as an actual 'world' and not merely a 'place'. This world feels a lot like a dream that I'll wake up from any minute and find myself back in Amestris. Sometimes I wonder if I really will just wake up and find out that all these experiences the past few years have just been a bad dream. That would be nice, but I admit that I'm a little scared of how I would live afterward if it turned out that none of these experiences had been real. What would I make of reality if this wasn't real, all these things that my brother and myself have been experiencing together? Needless to say, I'm a bit confused as to what I want. I wish I could have the decision-making ability that Brother has. He rarely ever doubts himself.

My favorite books? I prefer the ones that are highly philosophical and delve into the mysteries of life and existence. I like to ponder questions that no one has successfully answered yet. Perhaps that's part of the reason I was so drawn to alchemy. In my world, it was accepted and labeled a science, but even scientists didn't claim to understand how it really worked, they only knew that it did work, so they accepted it. I've been noticing the same pattern in the scientists here, except that they haven't accepted alchemy yet. I hope they do soon. I know it works, but I'm not exactly sure how to work it in this world.

Hi Al, hi Ed.

How are you? I hope you two are alright. You hadn't answered in a while,
so...

Anyways, thanks for answering again! Boy, you must be getting tired of
hearing from me. (Seeing as how the crap that I end up writing is getting
through.)

Sorry about the last letter. Headaches usually make me feel all funny, and I
end up babbling like a moron.

Listen, I hate to be a bother, but I've been asking people about this, and
I've been getting a lot of different results. It's about a friend of mine. She
gets bullied a lot at school by these better-than-you type of girls and it
really irritates me that she won't do anything about it. I try not to worry,
but it's pretty bad when you see a really good friend of yours reduced to
tears by people who aren't worth anything. She won't let me do anything about
it either. Normally, I try not to be so violent, but those girls are asking
for it! Even some of the guys decided to mess with my friend, another friend
of mine (who happens to be in crutches at the moment), and her boyfriend. The
cowards even went as far as trying to knock over our friend in crutches.
Teachers won't help us at all, and if we try and take matters in our own
hands, the best thing we can hope for is getting sent to Juvie (juvenile
detention center). What would you do in a situation like that? I'd really
appreciate it if you could help me out.

Well, hope you guys are okay:)

Amaya

Yes, sorry, I haven't answered in awhile. Even the difference between the first letter and this one took quite some time. Brother came downstairs a little while after I had started writing to find out what I was doing. He was apparently pacing around up there because he was bored, and so he came downstairs to find out if I could entertain him. Needless to say, once I put this project down, it took me a few weeks to get it started again. Sorry about that.

I'm not exactly sure how good my advice is, but I'm always willing to help if I can. I know that in similar situations, when someone is hurting a friend of mine, I tend to completely lose myself to my emotions if someone like my brother isn't around to control me, and even he doesn't always succeed. Obviously, that isn't the right way to behave in such situations, but it does illustrate that I understand how you feel.

The times when I actually get a positive result from such a situation are when I respond calmly yet firmly. As one friend put it, instead of fighting fire with fire, I fight fire with water, and it works better. Instead of showing your anger or shouting insults at the girls, you might want to try looking them squarely in the eye and saying something that calmly exposes who they really are, something that they can't retaliate against. One idea might be to say something like:

"I'm sensing fear from you. You're feeling inadequate with your own lives, and you're trying to bolster yourselves by attacking others. Why? What are you afraid of?"

Chances are good that they'll respond with some rude comment, but don't give in to it. They are starting to sense your strength, and that scares them, so they're trying to knock you from your foundation. Continue talking in the way you are talking, calm, firm, and almost sounding like you care about them. Oddly enough, they'll often turn and run off within a few minutes because they couldn't find anything to say in response to you.

I can't guarantee the results of this method, as it is different between people and circumstances, but if you do it right, you may find that these girls start leaving you and your friends alone. You might not ever get along with them, but if they leave you alone, then that's really all that matters. If they begin glaring at you from across the room, don't worry about that either. That means that they hold a certain respect for you, and they hate the fact that they do, because they don't want to respect you. If you can get to this point, you'll know that you have won the battle. If not, it's at least worth a try.

Anyway, I hope that the situation with your friend works out soon. I wish you the best of luck.

AH! I am so sorry for the typo! I meant to say I'm starting to sound stupid.
Something along the lines of that. I have no idea what I was even trying to
say. Well anyway I don't really have much to say this time. Thank you for
replying again.

Yeah the viola isn't actually that popular in my band class. That is why I was
so surprised about you coming across another one. So strange. I know many
people who play the violin.

Viola is smaller and has different notes. I'm not very good at explaining
things, sorry.

It's okay about Ed. I actually thought he would say something like that so I
will take that as a compliment.

Okay I guess I need to ask a question. Well I don't know if this has been
asked before. If is has just don't answer it.

How much did you remember about Ed after you lost your memory? Did you
remember anything at all?

Thank you!

Hmm...well, I don't remember whether that question has actually been asked or not, but I know that I answered this question, at least in part, without being asked. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to expound upon it a little bit though, if I can remember. It seems like my time of amnesia was so long ago.

But first, in case you're confused, I remembered my brother after I had lost my memory quite clearly. The only years I had forgotten were the ones since that tragic day when we had tried to resurrect our mother. All the years before that were completely intact. That was why I knew how and where to study to look for him, because even though I didn't remember the details on what had separated us, I knew what had led up to it.

But, assuming you knew all that, and were really asking how much I remembered of those four years I had forgotten while I had forgotten them, I'll move on. I occasionally had flashes of memory where I would see him, fully dressed in red and black like he liked to wear during those years, and letting his hair grow out. That was the reason I had started dressing like he had, because in doing so, it helped me to feel a little bit closer to him...a little more connected. My memory flashes had still managed to bit a bit fuzzy, even so, so I hadn't realized that he had been wearing his hair in a braid. I only knew that he had grown his hair out and tied it back, and so I did the same thing in an attempt to imitate him. It brought a piece of him back to where I was.

Most of the rest of the things I remembered from that time period were not conscious memories, but more along the lines of feelings. I would know that something was the right thing to do in a particular circumstance, but I wouldn't know why. I quickly learned that following my hunches helped me succeed at getting what I wanted in life, so I kept doing what seemed illogical because I knew it would work out. That was what started me in my transmuting my own soul. It was just a hunch, but it turned out to be a correct one, and it worked well for me in the end to be able to do that. Most of the memories of that time period were conveyed in that way.

True enough!
(To the video person shakes fist and mumbles to self about harassing the
brothers.) How do I know about that... Uhhm. I broke into your house? Haha,
nah.. I'm happy today, a book I've been waiting for has finally come out.
The last one in the series too!
PS: You're too modest! Oh yes and I take back the comment about the cold.
It may not always be but when it comes it comes and then some! Especially when
you don't have any heating in your house. Sigh
Sincerely Illyalil. I hope you and your brother have a lovely day! Thanks for
replying to my letter!

Hmmm...I'm coming up with an idea...Brother says that I should quit doing that. He says it's dangerous when I start thinking, though the same could be said for him.

Anyway, here's my idea. You claim that you broke into our house? That's a little bit disturbing, but that video person has been claiming the same thing, and seeing as how you obviously are against the video person's behavior, would you go and teach them a lesson for us? I'm sure that you can somehow sneak into their...hideout...whatever they have...if you are indeed sneaking into our house. Just please, as a favor to us, don't continue sneaking into our house...unless it's to save Brother from the video person.

Okay, now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go and lock myself in my room and laugh myself silly.

Hi Al!

I understand... I'm just curious. I don't think there's anything wrong with
being curious about something...

Have you wondered if we're alone in this universe? Just curious (once
again)...

You're just like my cousin in some way... You even look like her, except your
hair is brown and your eyes are grey... I've always wondered why...

I don't know what it is, but it seems that everyone around me seems to enjoy
teasing me, even those that I don't personally know. For example, my
substitute teacher for Trigonometry (oh man, did I spell that right??) started
to call me 'Auntie Em' (my name is Emily and he was basically doing a parody
off of a musical made in the 1950s) and started to harass me about other
things until the point where I was harassing him back. It was very
educational. But, I was just wondering if you were having a pleasant holiday
season. No one ever seems to ask you that. Plus, have ever ridden in a car with
Edward? Or have you attempted driving yourself?

There's nothing wrong with being curious. I'm curious myself about a lot of things. I do know that we're not alone in the universe though. Well, I admit that I haven't explored beyond this planet, but you know very well that I'm from this planet in another world. If other universes have intelligent life on them, who's to say that other planets don't?

Heh, people that get teased a lot are usually people who react in an amusing way to being teased, either in the way that they lash out in a ridiculous way (like my brother) or in the way that they tease back, like it sounds like you do. People enjoy teasing other people. It seems to be part of the human condition. I wouldn't worry too much about being teased unless the teasers are going too far and actually saying hurtful things. If they are doing so, then I would recommend that you calmly approach them and tell them what they did to offend you, and politely ask that they stop. That usually gets results. If they're not doing that though, then just have fun with the teasing and tease back. Everyone needs to joke about something, but there is no law that says the teasee can't be the teaser as well.

Yes, we had a decent holiday season. It was different, to say the least. We didn't have Christmas as this world perceives it back in our world. We celebrated the winter solstice instead, which incorporates all sorts of legends and rituals involving the spirits of nature. Most Amestrians don't treat nature with such respect as our ancestors did, but we've kept the holiday traditions alive all the same. I wonder how our country would have turned out differently if the belief structures would have been kept as well.

No, I've never attempted driving myself. I don't look old enough for anyone to let me behind the wheel of a car, and I don't know how to explain to them that I really am old enough, so I just let them assume that I am several years younger than I really am. It's easier that way. But yes, I have ridden in a car with my brother. He drives well unless he gets distracted...which unfortunately, happens a lot. He nearly crashed the other day when a rabbit jumped in front of the car unexpectedly. I don't think that that person is going to let him drive their car again anytime soon. Cars aren't cheap.

(Another video)

Hello, this is Nitro coming to you from...wherever you are staying right

now.

I am indeed in front of the current place Ed and Al are staying at. The

video clearly shows the house.

Now, I will torture Ed by pressing this button. It should get Ed's flesh arm

to slap himself over and over again for 48 hours, thanks to the serum the

tracking device injected into Ed earlier.

Nitro presses a button on a remote, and suddenly...

SLAP

Ed's vioce form within the house: What the-

SLAP

Now, I leave you to your torture...

SLAP

Nitro comes up the camera, reaches for it...

SLAP

(The video ends, and displays the following words:

From, Nitro)

Hmmm...we get another message from the idiot. I hope you all will forgive me for sounding rude or out of character, but I believe it's justified when someone truly IS being that way.

Brother does stupid things sometimes, slapping himself included. Though as for slapping himself for 48 hours straight...well, sadly, there is a logical explanation, though I'm not proud of it. We're living in a really bad house right now, and there are fleas. It's only natural that he would be slapping himself. I've been doing that too, and scratching myself and trying to pinch the things dead with my fingernails since they're so flat that you can't just step on them. I hate it, and so does Brother. Neither one of us is used to such living conditions, so naturally we'd be slapping ourselves relentlessly for a few days, if not longer. I hope that we can move to another house soon, but you take whatever you can get when you're being pursued. I don't like being reminded of my terrible living conditions at times though, so please don't mention it again.

Al,

You may have had this question before, but after going through Germany, where

are you guys going to go next? Our world on this side of the gate is quite

diverse. Each hamlet, country & region has different customs & things to see.

So where? My older sister & I want to know.

Kiarra-Chan

In all honesty, we don't know where we're going next. We never do, from one day to the other. We flee whenever we have to, and we go wherever there's an opening. There isn't much room to plan ahead when you're living this kind of life. We've been spending most of our time in Munich because it's hard to leave, but we've gone to other places before when the opportunity arose. It just depends on what happens.

Dear Alphonse,

Oh, it's so good to hear from you again! I was starting to get worried that
perhaps something had happened to you! Though of course that's silly since
I'm years ahead of you and if you did die, well, there'd be nothing I
could do about it. No time machines here yet, sadly. Though you would know if
time machines were invented because you would be attacked by a mob of girls.

Oh, there's so much to respond to, I'm not sure where to begin. I
remember noticing that you mentioned that you weren't quite sure of what a
viola is. The horror! Allow me to explain… You play violin, so you already
know that violins have a G, D, A and E string, right? And cellos have a C, G,
D and A string. Violas are a little bigger than a violin when it come to size,
but have a C, G, D and A string like a cello, leading to the mellower, deeper
tone that I love. Put simply, violas are what would happen if a violin and a
cello got married and had a baby. And no, string instruments aren't
extremely popular in this time, though as far as I know, they are on the rise.
Most people I know are in band or choir, though.

Also, while I was reading, I had a theory as to why you're getting letters
from my time. Ready? So I've read books about the same sort of thing
happening to other people. Of course, most people dismiss those books, saying
that they're just fiction. But then again, in my world you're also 'just
fiction,' so I'm guessing that there's at least a grain of truth to
them. So the thought with most of those stories is that somehow time is being
thrown off, whether it's by some object, or something like earthquakes. What
I would do is watch your surroundings carefully for the next few weeks. My
currents thoughts are that you might be carrying something that ties you to
this time, something strange is happening to connect you to this time or, the
one I think makes the most sense, you're throwing off time because you're from
another world where time runs differently. Mull it over for a while and come
back to me on it. Maybe try talking to Ed about it, if you get the chance.

Anyway, onto lighter topics, such as replying to all you said. Happy day! My
letter stands out; I feel so special. Is it because of the proper grammar, or
perhaps because these letters are usually over a page long? Hah ha.

I can see now how Ed is perfectly suited to play the guitar, now that
you've pointed it out to me. Of course after being so energetic in public,
it would definitely be nice to be able to play a mellow instrument to relax.
One time I found an old guitar and tried playing it just for kicks. (There's
a common phrase, do you recognize it?) It has a nice sound, definitely, but
it's much too bulky for me.

Yeah, I've definitely become more confident in my German. My dad took it
when he was in school, and I've actually talked to him a few times now in
complete German sentences, which has led to glares from my brothers, quickly
followed by laughter when my dad says the German word for "tank."

I love purple too, in fact, it's my favorite color. What a coincidence,
heh? I never thought I would run into a guy who would willingly admit his
favorite color is purple.

I've really gotten into writing since I last wrote to you. Then I had just
realized it was my passion, now I've known it for a good while. I've
started writing my own book, which is at about twenty pages so far, and I've
only written chapter one and the prologue. I also took a leaf out of the Elric
book and decided to boldly plunge ahead and do things that other people might
be scared to do, i.e., I started a writing club at my school. So now I'm the
president of said writing club, and learning just how hard it is to have
everybody looking to you for guidance.

Adding alchemy into your games isn't so weird, at least not for my family.
We added math into our games, and would race to see who could do math problems
the quickest. To this day we still do stuff like that. My dad once taught me
how to do a proof that 'proves' that one equals two. And Chemistry was so
fun last year! (At least, when we weren't doing tests or homework…) We did
a lab called "The Alchemist's Dream" once, where we made a penny into
gold. Okay, so it wasn't real gold, but we were transmuting one substance
into another, no transmutation circles necessary.

Oh sorry, I forgot that you might not know about yoga. You've pretty much
got the basic idea of it down, at least enough to get my drift. (There's
another saying for you.)

Sparring certainly is a good way to vent. I used to do it with my friend
before gym class. She always beat me though. I've never had any self-defense
classes in my life, and she's slightly taller than me on top of that. I've
been taller than most all of the kids throughout all of school, and then she
comes along and is taller than me. In fact, a good number of other girls are
taller than me nowadays. I think I'm either shrinking or my growth spurt
stopped. It's not fair.

That's a really nice thing to think. It's always nice to know that at
least one person in the world loves you that much. I know that both my
brothers and my parents love me very much, but that currently isn't the
center of my stress, so I had to come up with something else to comfort
myself. It's usually something along the lines of "High School doesn't
last forever," or "They only seem like idiots because I am smart."
Sometimes it's hard to be nice to people when you wonder how you can be from
the same species, so those thoughts usually help me not act like a jerk just
because nothing seems to be working for me. And also the thought that if I
approach a good day with a frown, it will seem like a bad day, but even a
horrible day approached with a smile can seem like a good day.

A counselor? Well, I actually managed to work this out on my own. We parted
peacefully and are still friends now, and he has a new girlfriend. And even if
you were the one who suggested I go see a counselor, I probably still
wouldn't have done it. I hate the thought of going to some complete stranger
and baring my soul to them. I don't really trust my teachers enough to talk
to them like that, and while I am religious, I haven't gone to the youth
group for months because I've been so busy. I did talk to my best friend
about it though, and she gave me the courage to go face my boyfriend at school
the next day, as well as a shoulder to cry on if I needed it. She's like my
big sister, only we're not really related.

Our concert did go pretty well, thanks. We're actually having our winter
concert tomorrow night. That's how long it took you to reply! We're
playing The Nutcracker Suite, which I love. Of course it's not the entire
Suite because that would be insanely long, it's just three of the songs. I
love the Russian Dance (Trepak).

Well, some girls are crazy in this time, though thankfully not all of them.
But I think that part of the reason it's easier for me to make sense to you
is the fact that some people say I'm a little "old fashioned," since I
don't do a lot of the things that are considered "normal" now and would
sound like complete gibberish to you. And the fact that I don't swear and
would like a boy to do simple things with me before we start dating, such as,
oh, maybe TALK like civilized people!

I suggest changing your last name if you plan to live until my time, since
some girls will run after you even if you are both old men. And maybe get a
good security system while you're at it. And some German Shepherds.

Ugh, too late. I already got sick once while I was waiting for your reply. I
have a weak immune system. But luckily for me, getting sick can be no big
deal. The problem with you two is that getting sick could put you in serious
danger.

I've also been a little curious about the idea of parallel worlds recently.
Considering that you probably know a good deal about the subject, could you
please explain it to me a bit? I totally understand if it's too complicated
to put into words, though.

So first of all, I can understand if the two parallel worlds started with
alters that looked almost exactly alike, but I don't understand how it
continued to stay that way what with genetics. Wouldn't the couples have to
be the same in order to even have a chance of having children that look
exactly the same to their counterparts in other worlds? So your mother and
father's doubles would have to have been together in order to have your
doubles exist. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case, because I got the
impression that yours and Ed's doubles weren't actually brothers.

And secondly, even if the same people ended up together, considering the
probability concerned with genetics, (you know genetics reasonably well,
right? The traits of a mother and father getting passed on to their kids and
the chances of what the kid will end up with?) the chances of getting two
children that look exactly the same in two different worlds is really high.
Does this have to do with the parallel worlds theory? I'm afraid I don't
really know much about it, but I got the impression that it was proposing the
theory that two separate and yet strangely similar worlds could have some sort
of link between them. There wasn't bunches more to it, was there? You guys
were always alchemy geeks, and I've always been strangely attracted to
genetics.

I have no idea what season it is in your time, but in this time we're
creeping up on Christmas. My family has already put up our nativity, and
hopefully we'll put up the tree soon. And part of what I love about
Christmas is that my German class goes down on a field trip to this place
where they sell authentic German food and crafts. One year there was
glass-blowing there, which was absolutely gorgeous. And we also sing German
Christmas songs. I saw that your favorite song is Stille Nacht. That's one
of the songs I certainly enjoy singing, but I think that my favorite Christmas
song is O Come, All Ye faithful.

I wish I could actually send you more than just a letter, but it doesn't
seem to work. I know what I would want to give you if you were here, now. I
got this beautiful wood carving of a cat that is about the real size of a
young cat. The artist was really good at carving too. The cat is staring up at
something above his head, and he looks like he's could come to life and
pounce when you look at him. Not as good as a real cat, I know, but it's a
wonderful carving.

Anyway, since I can't send you the cat and I want to give you and Ed both
something for Christmas, I decided to write a little something. And since
I'm not sure when you'll reply to me, I'm sending it to you now so that
I know you'll have it for Christmas. So a very merry early Christmas to both
of you. (I know Ed will read over this eventually) Your present first Al,
since you are the one actually writing letters to me.

A is the first letter of the alphabet, the one that always ends up leading
the way. You lead the way too, setting a good example for those who follow in
your wake. Sometimes it can be very stressful to know that others may be
mimicking your own actions, but you continue to lead the way, humbling others
who watch your tale unfold

L is the first letter of the word love, in both the English and German
languages. And you do show love to almost everyone around you. It's rare to
find someone with a heart as big as yours, so treasure it and take good care
of it. Some people will return your love, others won't, but either way,
it's still a wonderful thing to have and give.

P is the first letter of the word Prince. You have come across good fortune
during your life and better off than a lot of people your age. But P is also
the first letter of pauper, and you have also certainly seen your fair share
of hardship. Of course, knowing about hardship makes you an even better
prince.

H is the first letter of honorable. Just like the Knights of the Round Table,
you are a very honorable person that makes sure to keep to your set of morals.
These morals are part of what makes you the hero rather than the average guy
on the street and what makes others admire your choices.

O is the first letter of owl. Most people think of how the owl stays up
through the night when they hear the word, and while this was true of you at
one point in your life, there is another important characteristic that people
also associate with the owl, and that's wisdom.

N is the first letter of novelty. You have the rare gift of being able to
take something old and turn it into a novelty that people enjoy doing. Just
something as simple as your presence can turn an old activity into something
completely new.

S is the first letter of scratches, which you've managed to collect a few
of through your life. But the good thing about scratches is that while they
may hurt for a while, they do heal and then we can learn from them. And
you've managed to turn the bad experiences of your past into valuable life
lessons that you can pass on to others.

E is the first letter of enthusiasm, which you seem to be filled to the brim
with. You manage to keep looking at life through bright, eager eyes even when
it keeps slapping you in the face. You also get excited over future plans,
which can make even the grumpiest people around you happy.

Put them all together and they make you. A-L-P-H-O-N-S-E.

Sorry if that was a kind of weird Christmas present, but it was the best
thing I could come up with, next to poetry, and I'm afraid I'm not really
in a poetry-writing mood at the moment.

So the next present is for Ed, who I don't want to leave out. I actually
wrote this a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to put myself in Ed's
shoes. Then I later went back to it and changed the words a little, but not
too much in the end since it also applied to parts of my life. I figured Ed
might like this because it was originally based off what I would consider
along his thought-line at times. Sorry it's a little bit of a depressing
Christmas present, or whatever adjective you want to apply with it.

One Wing

You may say I'm broken,
And I wouldn't disagree.
I am shattered,
I have had it,
There is nothing left in me.

And yet I still continue,
And yet I still keep up,
One foot after the other,
But I'm barely hanging on.

Is one wing ever enough?
How can I still survive?
I just keep moving forward,
And never, never, never
Look back.

My life has fallen to pieces.
What happened to things I once knew?
Nothing is what it seems anymore
Illusion is reality

Is one wing ever enough?
Can I still fly south?
I'm looking for warmer weather,
But all I find is
Snow.

I'm in pain
I can't go on
I want to sleep
And never, never, never
Wake up.

One wing
I've only got one wing
The other is gone forever,
Lost many years ago.

I remember the sky,
I remember the clouds
It seems oh so long ago
That I soared with the birds

One wing
I've only got one wing
The other is gone forever,
Lost many years ago.

There is no going back
I'll never be the same
I'm not the kid you once knew

I'm lost
Where are you?
No one can find me
And I'll never, never, never
Get out.

One wing
I've only got one wing
The other is gone forever,
Lost many years ago.

You may say I only continue for you,
And I wouldn't disagree.
You are pure,
You are kind,
You do not compare to me.

One wing

One wing
One wing is beautiful in your eyes.
I doubt I'll ever see it like you,
But I trust in what you say.

So I'll keep going forward,
I'll face each day with a smile
It's exactly what you would do

I won't lose myself to the
Snow.

I hope you two have a great (or as great as you can get) Christmas if it's
coming up soon, and if it's not, then just consider this very early
Christmas greetings. Or when you think about it, technically very late,
considering that it's 2007 here. I wrote a really long letter this time
around, but that was partly because of the Christmas presents. Oh well, more
reading material for you, Alphonse!

Sincerely,
Petra

Hello again, Petra. Yes, indeed, you wrote a very long letter this time, but it was quite an enjoyable read. Now I just have to respond, which will probably take awhile, but at least it gives me something to do. As always, I put this one off until the very end, saving the best for last. I even took a break from the last letter I responded to in order to clear my head before responding to yours, so I'm writing in the middle of the night. If you've never written anything by candlelight, you should try it at least once just for the sake of doing so. It's rather a magical experience. Even go so far as to read something you've written aloud, particularly poetry. There is something powerful about reading poetry by candlelight that I can't explain unless you've actually done it.

I appreciate you worrying for me, though it's rather unfounded, since we live in different times. They appear to be parallel though, since I received your letter before Christmas of last year. It's the new year now. You said that it was 2007 where you were. Is it 2008 now? If it is, then I'll know that our times are indeed parallel to each other and running at the same speed.

You had quite an interesting theory about my receiving these letters though. Connected to your time somehow, hmmm...there are so many crazy ideas as to why that might be the case, but none that sound perfectly logical, so I suppose that it must be one of the crazy theories that is the real one. I can't think of any object I possess that might connect me to your time, unless you count Brother's auto-mail, which hasn't been invented in this world yet. That would connect him though, not me. As for unusual circumstances that might connect me...the only thing I can think of would be Nazis running around, but that doesn't seem to be the sort of thing that would connect someone to some other time. The theory about the connection resulting from my being from another world is plausible, though I don't see why that would throw off my time reference, since the times between the worlds are parallel, but you never know. The Gate sent Brother to a non-parallel time the first time he came here. Another bizarre thought worth considering is the fact that a lot of the eastern religions in this world seem to believe in reincarnation. It sounds a little bit crazy, but since all of these thoughts are, I should consider it too. If I reincarnated in your time, I suppose that that could establish a connection to my time, though I don't know how that would cause the letters to show up.

Anyway, leave it to say that it's a mystery and probably never will be solved, but that won't stop me from asking questions and trying to find answers. The greatest joy I get out of life is trying to find answers to questions that really don't have them.

So that's the difference between a violin and a viola. Thanks, I had always wondered that, but had never bothered to actually find out for myself what the difference was. My mom just had me and Brother each pick an instrument that we wanted to learn to play, and then she got us a teacher. I had never even heard about the viola at that time, and since the only stringed instrument I could think of when I was little was the violin, that was what I asked for. That's pretty much why I play that one rather than any other kind of stringed instrument. I was just too young to realize that there were other choices, though I'm not sure whether I would have chosen differently had I realized. I really do like the sound of the violin, though I'm sure that I would like the sound of the viola too. If I manage to live until your time by some miracle, you'll have to show me somehow.

So you haven't invented time machines yet. That's too bad. One of those things could come in quite useful. Oh well, I'm already used to a completely linear existence, so I'll be fine. Well, a linear existence plus a few Gate experiences and regressing in age four years. I guess that that's not completely linear, but it's closer to that than actual time travel. I wouldn't know if time travel had never been invented though. If it had been invented in your time, I assume that we probably would be assaulted by all these crazy girls that keep writing me, but if it came from a time in your future, maybe nobody remembers us anymore.

Maybe people are traveling through time as we speak, and none of us are aware of it. Have you ever wondered if time is truly linear as it appears or if it really occurs all at once? If it does, then time travel is absolutely possible, but no one has discovered how to leave the linear and jump to another point in the time-space continuum. I know that one can certainly bend the rules of time when traveling through the Gate. Brother proved that, albeit accidentally. Maybe in the future, someone will discover how to do it deliberately, but hopefully without the use of the Gate.

I'm glad to hear that you're getting better at your German. Everyone should learn, or at least try to learn, a second language. You never know when that knowledge will be useful. And yes, I know how pronouncing foreign words can be quite humorous. When I first came here and tried pronouncing the words in the German language, my accent got in the way a lot and Brother had to correct me constantly...when he wasn't laughing. I still have my Amestrian accent, I'm sure, but people understand what I'm saying now, which is the most important thing.

So your favorite color is purple too? That's nice to hear. Brother thinks that that's funny, since purple is a color that men rarely wear, at least in this society or in the one we came from. I reminded him that it doesn't matter whether a person wears the color or not, I just happen to like it. German people dress in very bland, boring colors anyway, so I might as well like something with a little more depth to it. Brother's favorite color is blue by the way, if you were wondering. He never wears the color himself, but he enjoys it. I never catch him in anything other than browns and blacks, except for that red coat which he used to wear. I don't think he ever gave himself permission to dress in the kinds of clothes that would elicit pleasant feelings from him.

I'm glad that you got into your writing. It's good to see when I can motivate someone to follow their heart's desire. It makes me feel warm inside, somehow. I think that Brother enjoys doing that too, but he tries so hard not to show it. He's afraid of his sensitive side, I think.

That sounds like a fun class that you had. I figured that they wouldn't really be teaching you how to turn things into gold in school. If they did, then I guess I'd have to say that I don't know this world as well as I thought I did. They had similar classes back in my world too. The energy manipulation part of alchemy that played a large role in my world was rarely ever taught in classrooms, since that required a lot more discipline than most people realize. They basically only taught chemistry from an alchemical standpoint. We didn't develop physics as much as your world did, but we certainly know a lot about chemistry and alchemy. I miss our chemistry classes in school. That was the only subject I enjoyed back then, actually.

I'm going to skip a few paragraphs since we've worn out a few of those subjects, and these letters will just get boring if we keep talking about things if we don't have anything to say in response. Not that your letter wasn't interesting, it was. My response might not be though if I respond to topics where I've already said all I have to say on the subject, heh. So, to move on to the next topic I've got something to say about...

Parallel universes. I could probably spend several pages on this topic, but I'll spare you and do no such thing. You brought up an interesting point though. I know how genetics theoretically is supposed to work, but like you said, a lot of our doubles really didn't come from the same families that we did, which would make anyone question the concept of genetics. I'm starting to wonder if genetics plays as big a part in the creation of a person as is normally thought.

What I'm starting to think is that it's the person's soul, more than the person's body, that gives them their distinct appearance, and that soul could have been born into any family. That soul also comes with a name attached, which may or may not correspond to their doubles, but that name is impressed into the minds of the parents, and they name the child accordingly. Yes, that sounds quite unscientific, and I've found no way to test my theory as of yet, but that's the only thing I can come up with at present that adequately explains all the anomalies for me. Maybe you can think of something better.

I do know though that it feels very strange whenever I talk to one of these doubles, so I tend to try and avoid them if I can. It feels almost as if the energy from my head drops down to my feet, and I start to shiver, almost as if I were talking to a ghost. They are flesh and blood, but they are someone I know, and yet don't. It's hard to explain that feeling properly. It's even worse when I talk to Alfons. These doubles feel so familiar that it's eerie. Either they have the same souls and different minds as the people we left back home, or something strange is going on that I haven't thought of yet. Regardless, it is strange.

I won't claim to know all there is to know about parallel worlds. If I did, I would probably be back in my own world, but I suppose that I know more about them than anyone else you'll ever meet, unless you manage to find someone who can successfully travel between dimensions. If you do, put them in contact with me. I would like to know.

That cat carving sounds very nice. I wish I could see it. That was a kind thought you had though, even if we are separated by time, making it impossible. That was clever of you to send those poems to us for Christmas presents instead, since you know that the written word always seems to get through to me. I wish that I had thought to do that. Maybe I can later, when it's not the middle of the night and I can think to put fancy words together. I don't usually write poetry in English though. I think much better in Amestrian, but since you obviously don't speak that, I can certainly try to write in English.

We really liked your poems though. I read them to my brother, and he was actually quite impressed for once. I think he was more impressed that I had an intelligent writer than that the poems were nice, but he liked the poems too. That one that you wrote with him in mind didn't depress him at all, it actually elevated his mood somewhat. I think that it helped to put some of the thoughts he'd been thinking into words, and so he felt a bit of relief. Thank you. Anything one can do to help my brother release his emotions is a wonderful gift. I would get him to respond personally, but obviously, he's sleeping right now, since it's the middle of the night, and I'd rather not disturb him. Maybe the next letter, if he's not busy. We'll see.

Anyway, that's all I can really think of to say right this instant, so I guess that I'll close this for now so that you can finally receive my response and you'll be able to respond yourself. Thank you so much for writing, I really appreciate it.

Take care, and be safe,

Alphonse Elric