Chapter 5
Relations
Author's Notes: Hmm, yes another few weeks flew by. I am finally done with the quarter and get a whole weekend before the new quarter starts. A WHOLE WEEKEND! And then I get to spend summer learning Japanese. Yeah, it will be intense, and I don't think I'll be getting to writing for a while. I'm not just learning Japanese, I'm going to be learning Taiko, dancing, and working on a landscaping project for a local Zen Center. After that I'm going to have a six week break and will be doing a lot less, but will probably write a lot more. I will probably have the next chapter written soon though because I've really been looking forward to writing Chapter 6. It's going to be really funny and it will have a real twist at the close of the chapter. I'll say this: James will be coming over to Melissa's house.
Oh, yes, I also skipped the actual surgery because I have no idea how they are done. You slice and dice and stitch and hopefully everything lines up and stops leaking. But it's ok, the surgery works and AJ wakes up with a caste.
Anyways onto the story….
Paralyzed numbness was all that he could make out. He was aware that he existed, but all his senses felt dull and muted. He was awake, but he wanted to fall back into the numbness, back into dreamless unconsciousness. But something told him to push himself awake, and he commanded a slight movement to make sure he was alive and whole. Suddenly his body felt seared, tense, sore, achy, pained, awashed in fire. After a moment he could feel it radiating from his foot, but it felt different from before. It hurt, everything hurt.
Then he realized there was a dull banging. Did MNU track him down or was it Emmie annoyingly banging on the door again? Memories came flooding back as he recalled the few days. Hit by a car, rescued by a human (or just having the human take responsibility for their actions, still amazing), eating her cat (which he still secretly thought was the most delicious meat he ever tasted) and then realizing the true nature of the world he was stranded on. And then there was the surgery, which he was just waking up from. The banging continued, but it was different from others. It was quieter and quicker, an urgency behind it. AJ sat up, by now the pain was radiating from his injured foot and subsided otherwise. He looked around for something to prop himself against when he found some crutches in the corner. They were already set up for someone with height, and realized Melissa left it there for him. He looked at his foot and saw that it was no longer bent at an odd angle and in a proper cast. He guessed it worked.
He got the crutches and slowly pulled himself up, supporting all his weight on his left leg and then placed his weight on the crutches and hobbled to the front door. The door was still rattling, still being banged. If it was MNU they would have broken the door in by now, and Emmie would have been screaming her lungs out. He looked through the peep hole and saw nothing.
He slowly opened the door, and when there was enough crack for the little grub to fit through he suddenly found something clinging to his leg, his poor, raw, injured leg. He screamed, letting out a primal roar. He suddenly covered his mouth, Melissa had neighbors. He leaned against the wall and wanted to cry. Was that for the cat he ate?
A few clicks came from the child hiding behind the oven. "Daddy?"
AJ took a few breaths before he spoke, "I'm sorry Edwin, you grabbed my hurt foot."
"I'm sorry."
"Wait a minute; let me sit down before I look at you."
AJ slowly hobbled to the couch and sat down, setting the crutches down. He didn't like the couch, it was cushy, but so short that he had to bend to fit and couldn't stretch out. Then again all human furniture was like that, a bit too small for comfort. "Come here, Edwin."
The little Poleepkwa bounded across the living room right into his father's lap and hugged him tightly. "Where were you? Why are you in a human house?"
"I was in an accident and a human helped me."
"But I thought, well, you said all humans were bad."
"I meant that MNU humans are bad."
"But you said all humans were bad."
"I was wrong."
"Oh." Edwin kept hugging AJ for a few minutes and then whispered, "I'm hungry."
"There is a big metal box in the next room with food in it. Just open it, find some and eat."
"But if I go you might disappear again."
"Where would I disappear to? I'm right here. When I disappeared last time you ran off without telling me looking for something. As long as you tell me where you go I can look for you."
Thankfully Melissa bought plenty of meat, and a variety to choose from. Edwin tore two chicken legs off a whole chicken and AJ took half a steak for lunch and they quietly ate it raw on the table. He wondered if Melissa would be mad but didn't give it much thought.
After they got done they threw the scraps in the garbage and then AJ noticed a note on the coffee table. He read it.
"Emmie and I have left to go to class and we should be back at around 7pm. We got plenty of food in the fridge for you. Please clean up after you eat and if you need to go please use the toilet. The surgery was successful and we recommend that you stay on crutches for the next few weeks so it heals properly. You should also do some walking around in the crutches to stretch your muscles and get used to their function. If you get bored while we're gone go ahead and use the computer and TV. Oh, please bury my cat in the backyard when you have the time. We'll put up a proper marker later."
AJ thought for a moment. How was he going to dig a hole with his bad leg? He couldn't think of how to dig a hole with less then all four limbs. A leg to hold the body up, another leg to put weight into the shovel, two arms to lift the dirt out. There was no other way to do it.
As AJ read the note Edwin wondered around the one bedroom apartment. It was very simple, crowded with boxes and furniture. The apartment started with the front door, which lead immediately to every part of the small dwelling. To the right was the bathroom with only the essential toilet, shower and sink. To the left was the kitchen, with the refrigerator right next to the front door, next to the sink, a stove across from the sink and some tables and cupboards to hold supplies. At the end was a small four chair table. And then the kitchen opened up to the living room. The couch against the wall a few feet from the table, a coffee table was in front of the couch and on the other side of the room facing the couch was a plasma TV mounted on the wall. Behind the wall with the TV was Melissa's room which had a bed and a dresser and there was some clothes in the closet. All around there were boxes filled with whatever Melissa brought from wherever she came from. There were no pictures on the wall, no extra furniture, no appliances. Melissa had not yet had the time to unpack, but already the tiny apartment had much more than any slum. The roof wouldn't leak, there was running water, a place to keep food cold, and a cushy place to sleep that was only too small. Despite the cramped couch and the wounds he sustained he had slept better in the past two or three days then he had in months.
AJ sat on the couch looking at the note on the coffee table wondering how he was going to dig a hole with one leg. All he could think is he would have to use both legs and bear the pain of using his bad leg. When Edwin came back he chirped excitedly, "are we living here? This is really nice!" Edwin jumped on the couch and started bouncing on it.
"I don't know. I don't know what the human is doing. Perhaps we'll be going back to the forest tomorrow, once she knows the foot will heal well."
Edwin stopped bouncing, disappointed. A few seconds passed and then he chirped,"I know! They'll think I'm cute and will let us stay. Humans like babies and stuff."
"They like baby earth creatures."
"Oh."
AJ struggled to his feet and then walked with his crutches to the sliding glass door. He moved the blinds to get a look at what kind of work he would have to do. For a moment he choked. He clumsily pulled the blinds to one side and opened the glass door. He went outside to make sure he was really seeing it correctly. There was a hole already dug, with a pile of dirt to the right of the hole. It was about three feet deep and a foot in length and width. How late did they stay up? Last night he killed her cat, they argued about … something, everything. Then they did the surgery, which they thankfully knocked him out for. Then they must have dug the hole and done other work before getting any sleep. How long did that all take? And all he had to do was move the cat in the hole and put the dirt on top.
They could have just made him bury the cat, but Melissa took care of everything herself. She just couldn't bear to bury her cat herself. He went back inside the apartment and picked up the bag, and made sure it was lined well enough to not drip any blood. He then placed it in the already dug grave and over the next half hour carefully buried the remains. Once he was done he went back and sat on the couch. It would still be several hours before Melissa and Emmie returned and he didn't know what to do.
He turned on the TV which brought up a brilliant display of static. He looked around and figured out that a DVD player hooked up to the TV, and then he started looking through DVDs Melissa owned to find something to watch. There were TV shows such as Lost, Firefly, and documentaries about economics, politics, human anatomy, evolution, and philosophy. He found something that seemed like something Edwin would like. It was some cartoon called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
He put it in the DVD player and started playing the first episode:
The theme song started playing:
Angeli i demoni kruzhili nado mnoj
Rassekali ternii i mlechnye puti
Ne znaet schast'ya tol'ko tot
Kto ego zova ponyat ne smog
Nalybuites' nalyubuites
Aeria gloris, Aeria gloris
Nalybuites' nalyubuites
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris
I am calling, calling now
Spirits rise and falling
S toboi ostatsa dol'she
Calling, calling, in the depth of longing
S toboi ostat'sya dol'she
Nalybuites' nalyubuites
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris
Nalybuites' nalyubuites
Aeria gloris, aeria gloris
Stand alone . . . Where was life when it had a meaning . . .
Stand alone . . . Nothing's real anymore and . . .
Beskoneshnyj beg . . .
Poka zhiva, ya mogu starat'sya na letu ne upast'
Ne razuchit'sya mechtat' . . . lyubit' . . .
. . . Beskoneshnyj beg . . .
Calling, calling, for the place of knowing
There's more than what can be linked
Calling, calling now, never will I look away
For what life has left for me
Yearning, yearning, for what's left of loving
S toboi ostat'sya dol'she
Calling, calling now, spirits rise and falling
S oboi ostat'sya dol'she
Calling, calling, in the depth of longing
Soboj ostat'sya dol'she . . .
Nalybuites' nalyubuites
Aeria gloris, Aeria gloris
Nalybuites' nalyubuites
Aeria gloris, aeria glories
It opened with some computer animated scenes and a song with lyrics in English and some strange language he never heard before. It was somewhat pretty and even though the language was weird it captured Edwin's attention. AJ felt very tired and fell asleep to people talking in foreign language. He heard talking, running, shooting, the sound of helicopter blades and he faded into strange dreams.
A few hours later Melissa and Emmie returned from class. AJ stirred from his sleep, slowly lifting himself to a sitting position.
When Emmie saw Edwin watching the TV she gasped, "Oh my God, he's so fucking cute!"
Melissa's head shot down, and she rubbed her forehead lightly. Of course Emmie had to emphasize alien kid cuteness by using a curse word. Melissa watched the series playing on the screen for a few seconds. "Ghost in the Shell, nice choice," she said.
Emmie chimed, "Yeah, if you love cosmic scaled confusion. Five minutes into that shit and I'm lost."
"Oh, you'd love it. This stuff is all about exposing a corporate scandal. And there's plenty of guns and violence. Too bad you can't pay attention to keep up."
"Oh sorry if I like story plots to be coherent."
"You just have to watch and keep track of what's going on."
"You know I normally do that, only problem is this one is too thick."
"What about Neon Genesis?"
"The only thing I could figure out was Shinji's a pussy."
"What did you think of Asuka?"
"She was awesome."
"Hmmm."
"What?"
"She's a psycho bitch and you can identify with her."
"She wasn't psycho. She just gave Shinji a bunch of shit because he pissed her off."
"Okay, Dr. Asuka."
"Hey, I'm a lot cooler then Asuka."
Melissa laughed, "Oh we are lame arguing over anime."
"So, AJ, is this your kid?"
AJ was fully awake by the time their strange fight … or discussion was over and Edwin was hiding behind him. He nodded."How did you know?"
Melissa looked at Emmie, "Ok, where's the translator book?"
"Wait, I think he asked how did we know, right?"
AJ nodded.
"Are you already picking up on their language? That means I'll have to study more!"
"No, I just guessed. And the answer is on my iPhone. I got an app from our superior at the hospital. It gives all the information MNU has on the Poleepkwa they have on file. I just used the number on your head." Emmie handed her phone to AJ and AJ looked at it. "Based on the information given we both concluded that since you were a runaway with no prior criminal record you must have gotten an egg."
Melissa asked, "What is your son's name?"
"Edwin. Emmie, why did you say my son is 'cute'?"
Melissa looked at Emmie. Emmie sighed, "Fine, I'm getting the translator book. It's in your car, right?"
"It's in the book bag in the back seat."
A few minutes later Emmie returned. AJ repeated his question and Melissa and Emmie thought for a few minutes.
Melissa answered first, "It's basic evolution, actually. Human children take a very long time to develop and without protection from the parent they cannot survive. Babies have the characteristic of big eyes, and a low head to body ratio which adults feel tender affection for. This affection increases a child's chance of survival. Not only that for some reason almost any animal exhibiting juvenile characteristics will be seen as cute and will win the affection of humans. I guess you could include kittens and aliens in that."
Emmie then added, "And to add to that humans can get emotionally attached to anything. Cars, people, scenery, pets, rocks, jewelry, furniture. In fact I found an organization online with people who have actually adopted orphan aliens."
"Really?" Melissa asked.
"Yeah. They find them when they're still eggs or still young and then just grow attached to them and raise them."
"Don't they get rid of them once the 'cuteness' wears off?"
Melissa translated the sentence and then passed the translation to Emmie.
"Nah, once they get emotionally attached they become family, I guess."
"Yeah, to be frank the way MNU treats you guys is not how normal humans are."
"I don't know about that. Any homeless bum can tell you how much apathy he gets."
"I think that would be a little different. I think most people passing by don't think that they can help the homeless guy on the street. Most of them are there because of addiction and mental illness to begin with."
There was a bit more talking, and then Melissa told them what the living arrangement would be like for the next few weeks. "AJ, if you ever want to leave you are free to do so, but you are welcome to stay here until the cast is removed and some physical therapy is done. Until then I'll be staying at Emmie's house and we'll be coming here right after our classes to see how you are doing." Soon after Melissa and Emmie left.
AJ was filled with a sense of strangeness. What was going on? How could he and his kind be so abused for his whole life and then suddenly be treated with such hospitality all of a sudden? He always assumed humans were barbaric, bloodthirsty and greedy, but now he didn't know. Oh, they certainly could be ruthless, but now he saw a totally different side to them through the bad luck of being hit by a kind person. And now, to hear about humans secretly raising orphaned Poleepkwa as their own. How can humans be so cruel and at the same time so kind?
End Notes: Ok, so everyone knows this was written on accident and off the cuff. Chapter 6 should have been Chapter 5, but then Chapter 6 takes place two weeks after Miss Muffin's Funeral and Edwin had to show up before then. And Edwin couldn't just pop up, he kinda had to be explained. And then I just started typing away and it got too long to be Chapter 5 and 6 combined. So if it seems poorly written that's why. I just typed off the top of my head. All character interaction was thought up as I typed. Tell me what you think. Did you like it or should I stay away from impromptu typings?
Oh yeah, and about Ghost in the Shell. I just had to throw in one of my favorite songs "Inner Universe." Look it up on youtube, it's full of awesome!