Collision of Culture & Constructs

Prologue: Humble Beginnings of a Humble Being

Cold. The first thing you became aware of was the unbearable chill. So very cold… Dark.

The second thing you became aware of was the infinite black. So very dark… This is what you were aware of for a very, very long time. The unbearable chill and the infinite black. They were so familiar to you, they almost felt like friends to you, at least acquaintances. The unbearable chill and the infinite black. They continue to grow closer and closer, until you became one. You, the unbearable chill and the infinite black. For a very, very long time. Dark... dark… dark… Cold… cold… cold… until the darkness starts to whisper to you.

Sound. The third thing you became aware of. Very small little whispers, almost like whistles or the light tinkling of a silver wind chime. This very quiet melody… although you appreciate the company of your friends, this melody… was very new, very quiet. The same quiet melody. Whistle *foo doo doo dooo* bell *tink tink* whistle *foo da da doo dooo*. The quiet melody persisted for a very, very long time. You familiarized yourself with this melody, memorized it. It continued to grow on you. It felt as if you had gained another friend. You, the unbearable chill, the infinite black and the quiet melody.

Until there was no more melody. There was no whisper, whistle or bell to be heard. There was no more quiet *foo doo doo dooo* *tink tink* *foo da da doo dooo*. There was only the unbearable chill and the infinite black. You… missed the melody, no matter how quiet it may be. You felt… lonely. It didn’t make sense. You have the unbearable chill and the infinite black. You have your friends, what more could you need? But you did not have one: the quiet melody. You wished it would come back, but it was futile. Until it wasn’t.

Speech. The fourth thing you became aware of. Well, not exactly. In your loneliness, you tried to recreate the soft, quiet melody. You hear a very quiet whirring sound, like whispering. Hum *Mhm hmm hmm hmmm* alarm *beep beep* hum *Mhm hmm hmm hmmm*. You replicated the soft, quiet melody. It was a quite crude replica, it was true, but it did slightly ease the loneliness. And so you continued to hum, content with the crude replica. You familiarize yourself with this replica. This crude replica was all you heard for a very, very long time. It helped to replace the loneliness the absence of the quiet melody created. It felt as if you had gained back a lost friend. It was just you, the unbearable chill, the infinite black & the crude replica. Until it wasn’t.

There was another sound. Then a sight. The sound it was… it sounded like scurrying, scuttling, one of those. The sight was what caught your attention, though. It was small, round. Fluffy. But what was most significant was the fact it was pure white, in stark contrast to the infinite darkness but with familiar big, black, round eyes. Its small pink nose continued to twitch faster and faster as the fluffy thing slowly approached me. When it got right in front of me, it looked up.

You reach out to touch it but when you do, it jumps away in… fear? No, because it immediately hops back, avoiding your hand but moving closer nevertheless. When you had touched it, it was unlike anything you had felt before. It felt… soft and fluffy, very much unlike the unbearable cold. You felt yourself reaching towards it again, feeling compelled to hold and… crush it. But… you didn’t want to cause it harm? Perhaps just holding it will do. You reach for it again. It slightly shies away but does not leave.

You feel… something. It’s like… the opposite of the unbearable cold. You feel… warm. Warm and… what feels like static in your chest and stomach. It feels… strange, but oddly nice. Very, very strange. The fluffy thing took notice of this and pressed into your hand. Upon closer inspection it had very large flaps on its head. They were very nice to play with. You enjoyed turning their flaps inside out. As you continued to play with the oddly relaxing fluffy thing you felt as if your familiarities were fading. No infinite black, no unbearable cold. For once in a very, very long time you were calm, similar to how you felt when the quiet melody played. But this time you got to see the source of the quiet whisper, it was this very fluffy thing. It seemed content to just let you pet and play with it. As you continued to run your hands along its fluffy body, you found you felt warmer and fuzzier, which the fluffy thing seemed to like. The urge to squeeze and squish it never left, but since it was not running away, it seemed unfair to act on your urge when it was not.

The fluffy thing seemed to like your warmth, so as it crawled into your lap, it’s cautiousness disappeared. After it found an optimal laying position, you just stared, all too intently at it, pondering. Why did this thing move? Why was it fluffy? Why did the melody not come to me like the fluffy thing did? Why did it make me feel warm? Why has it suddenly stopped moving? Replacing the warm, fuzzy feeling was what felt like a quick and sudden twist, a knot of sorts. I was about to reach for it to make sure it didn’t stop moving permanently. As I leaned closer I could see it did, in fact, not stop moving. It had not stopped whispering, simply quieted. It was like a melody on its own, not of whistles or chimes, but a melody of simply whispers, moving and snuggling. It was just you and the fluffy thing… and you and the fluffy thing were calm, calmer than you likely ever will be. That was until you weren’t.

A blinding light shines down from directly above you. The fluffy is startled, it’s nose twitching faster than you had ever seen before. You stared up, not knowing how to react. First the fluffy thing is different from the infinite black, now this? You had a feeling you were going to find something moving, just like the fluffy thing, from the source of the blinding white…