A reply to: A letter from Dove
Dear Dove,
Thank you for writing! I really enjoyed your letter. How wonderful that your littlies are up and walking! Of course, it’s been a while since I’ve written, so who knows? Maybe by now they’ve graduated from high school!
That’s interesting that you mention that you’re not sure how time flows between our two worlds. It’s something I’ve been wondering about.
It was my uncle Jasper, actually, who got me thinking about it.
Jasper asked me if I thought time was more like a ball of string or more like a blanket.
I said “string,” because I know that for me, I always feel time is all wound up, and I keep circling around and around and ending right back where–and when–I started! Story of a mother of a toddler, I suppose!
I asked my brother Norman, who actually is a scientist–like you!–what his answer was.
Norman said, “Even though they call it ‘string theory,’ it would be more accurate to call it ‘fabric theory.’ Space-time is a smooth fabric that can be bent, bunched, and twisted in a variety of ways.”
And then he lost me.
Let’s just say that I’m open–and very interested–in your explanations about space, time, and your understanding of how both affect us in our heres and our nows.
I tried your suggestion of telling a story about aliens to Jena! Actually, I don’t have a book about aliens, so I read Maximus Menagerie to Jena, but I made up an alien story to go along with it.
Unfortunately, the only alien story I know is an old urban folk tale about this alien that somehow got inside some space explorer’s stomach and then popped out of her belly button!
“Owl story, Mommy?” Jena asked.
So, I went back to reading the owl poem in the Menagerie book.
Jena’s new favorite toy is a squid. She says that it belongs to Mrs. Goodenough, who is her imaginary friend. Mrs. Goodenough started out being our guest for tea, but now she also comes whenever Jena needs something put right.
She pulls the squid out from the toy chest and tells me, “Mrs. Goodenough coming! Squid says!”
“What does Mrs. Goodenough want?” I’ll ask Jena.
Usually, she wants cookies.
But sometimes, she wants to dance! And not to kiddie music. To Tchaikovsky! Mrs. Goodenough has great taste in music!
By the way, what do you mean that I know someone “from all the way past Mars”?
I hope all’s well with you, Maki, and your littlies (who may now be biggies!). You mentioned you might be moving. Did you?
If so, I hope the new place is lovely, and I hope all’s going well with your amazing discoveries, and I hope that life is happy and full for you and yours!
Lots of love,
Meadow
Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology 