Puppy Love?
by George T. Philibin
Love transcends, endures, searches without prejudice, is un-measurable by the best in
Physics, is un-restrained by fears, hopes, attitudes and family. What can we say about love? Anything fits it, but nothing can really define it, and yet we often bask under its watchful eye!
*****
Millions of stars sparkle every night on Everton like Earth. And on the shore of the Sea of Acroplean, Captain Kevin Von George waits impatiently for Earth's Outer-Galactic rescue ship, Trident III.
"You can't leave. Kevin, think about our time on this beach together.
Wasn't it lovely? Didn't I nurse you back to health and take care of you?" Cindy said.
Cindy's attention attached itself to Kevin with a force that only a sun's nova could topple. He looked away. His eyes searched the shore as is mind raced for a thought, but his needed words didn't come. Only joy at the thought of rescue, but some sorrow also shaded his happiness at the thought of leaving Cindy. A thought that would have been impossible to believe a year ago.
"It's my duty to return. It's my duty to my people----like your brother's duty to protect the dams and weirs that hold back the seas in the Northern Hemisphere of Everton." Kevin said.
"Duty ! Duty! Duty! I hate that word more each day! Duty! It's always----I have duty to do!" Cindy said.
She moved down towards the sea but stopped just short of the waves.
Kkunoittngij, Cindy's father, approached with a device that had been modified to send a homing signal to Trident III.
"This will bring in your rescue vessel," Kkunoittngij said.
"My daughter is foolish… very liberal in her thinking and attitudes; you seem aware of her immaturity and that shows wisdom," Kkunoittngij added.
Kkunoittngij spoke through a universal-translator. He didn't know English. Cindy learned English in about a month. She had a propensity for languages, but with Kevin's language she also had a deep and un-yielding desire to know it! And she learned it very quickly!
"Thank you Kevin for you technology in water vaporization and your Hydrogen generator," Kkunoittngij said.
"I thank you for everything you did for me. I would have died if left unattended. Your society is in the front ranks of kindness and friendliness. Those on Earth will not forget this.
Kkunoittngij made a bow then moved away.
Kevin lowered his head and frowns washed over his forehead. He kicked some sand around, brushed his hair back with his hand, then looked up at the sky. He looked out over the sea of Acroplean, looked but didn't see, listened to the sounds of waves slapping one another, but didn't hear them, and felt the warm breeze rush to meet him.
"I--thought there might be...." Cindy lowered her eyes. Kevin jerked up his head, stepped back but didn't take his eyes of Cindy. He stared not knowing what to utter, but knowing that he must say something, anything that would bridge a true understanding between them. Yet, that bridge was always impossible to build. He didn't want to break Cindy's ....he didn't want to hurt her....
Cindy's eyes turned upon him. All six eyes still watered---actually some type of oil permeated out-- and Kevin knew that all of his attempts at making her see the reality of her love would and had failed.
She shot out a tentacle that reached around Kevin's neck and started to play with his hair. Another tentacle embraced him, gently; lovely while she emitted sweet aromas that surpassed the best that any flower on Earth could produce. Her entire body started to display colors, changing their hues and mixing together in a Kaleidoscope of soft blues and reds and orange-yellows and pinkish-greens that undulated in tempo, it seemed to her heart's beatings. In reality, she had three hearts but they worked in unison.
Two of her eyes looked upward, then she shrieked. Kevin eyes followed and Trident III became visible growing larger as it descended aiming towards a section of shore that had been marked off for landing.
"NO! NO! NO!" Cindy screamed in Evertonian but Kevin understood those sounds. Then in English she said, "You never cared about me! Why Kevin---why don't you love me? All your talk about diversity on your planet with the ...."
Before Kevin could answer, Cindy's color changed into a solid dark-green. She slithered down towards the shore, entered the sea then disappeared beneath the waves.
Kkunoittngij moved back to Kevin soon after Cindy left.
"I take it my daughter's hearts are broken? A saying common to your planet's pre-matting trials?" Kkunoittngij said.
"I tried sir, I really tried but she just doesn't understand how it would be impossible for us to...” Kevin could say no more.
"She will go down into the depths of the sea to be with her many sisters now. That is how young female Evertonians handle sorrow or grief or lost love. She has over six hundred sisters and they will comfort her. It is our way and--my daughter will be okay.
"It was my fault assigning her to nurse you. I should have assigned an older medical tech, but Cindy I thought wouldn't mind taking care of an alien. She always brought home stray Kuotins and Vegiles that were dropped off along our highways when she was younger, so a strange and alien being like you would not scare her, I thought. I should have realized that Cindy might respond in another way, but how can a dad get to really know his children that well. I have over a thousand of them!" Kkunoittngij said.
Kevin raised up an eyebrow, glanced around and tucked in the side of his mouth a little. He lowered is head somewhat then looked straight at Kkunoittngij and said: "And I would have never thought it possible either."
Kevin un-pinned his captain bars and gave them to Kkunoittngij. "Please see that Cindy gets these."
Kkuoittngij bowed.
The End
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