Porthole

"Alone" (in memory of mKoda), Stardate 4148 05

Day 2 of being Awake:

mKoda didn't wake up. I will miss her. She was an engineer and seldom spoke much. She was alone, far from others of her kind.

Once I asked her about being young, like that awkward stage between childhood and adult.

She laughed. "We have so many stages, so many rituals and some stages are short or long for some. When I was [...] I felt stuck."

She obviously needed someone to listen at that stage. Would I have listened?

"The Elders accept that we kKuttaa need diversity. It's what helps us interact with others who are almost stranger than you." kKuttaa do not wink ... was that a wink?

"We are not a tourist hot spot. We're just too damn hot!" kKuttaa do not chuckle ... but believe me translated into Human the colors whirling in her eyes were definitely laughing.

"I like you. Four ears and one mouth. You listen well."

My turn to b.b.blush.

"We have little to trade, but the Elders encouraged me to leave and find my way, perhaps meet others like me. As much as they loved me there was no place for me in our societies. Believe me when I say this pained them deeply. We seldom travel. So I left and after visiting a few worlds realized that I'd never fit in. So I signed up on a starship ... and fell in love with the work and the emptiness and even the crew. I may be alone, but I've never felt lonely. And NO ONE ... I mean ... [in a whisper] no one here is 'normal'." I swear she looked harder into my eyes.

We talked some more but I'll always remember her parting wisdom that day:

"I will tell you the most profound lesson that the Elders taught me at every stage I went through, 'Love yourself so that others may love you too.'"

For:

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Space Blog  (ASR) Cruising WDC cyberspace and raiding ports for blog prompts! #2223838 by Sharmelle's Expressions

From: "Invalid Item" 

"I am absolutely alone in this world with no one to empathize my sorrow."

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30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS  (13+) WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus #1786069 by Fivesixer

Write a letter to yourself at age 15. Nope. No will do. That last line says enough: "Love yourself so that others may love you too."