2024-06-10 - Those and Them

Sometimes when Mother was close and when Patchwork was clamoring for attention Mother's focus moved beyond to somewhere else instead.

...Why?

Was something else there...? What else could be there? Mother was everything that wasn't Patchwork and everything that wasn't Patchwork was Mother so what could she be focusing on? Only one way to tell.

Patchwork reached for Mother the next time she was close but not paying attention and then reached past Mother for where her attention had gone. And – oh! Oh? What was this? Who were all of these? These were not Patchwork but also not Mother, either. Others? Other minds!

The why of Patchwork's craving for attention wasn't something Patchwork had considered before. It wasn't even something Patchwork had thought to consider. Was Patchwork envious of these other minds for taking Mother's attention?
No … no, that wasn't right. Envy wasn't what it was at all!

More than anything like that Patchwork wanted badly to reach out for these other minds. Patchwork wanted attention from them, and wanted to pay attention to them in return. Patchwork didn't understand the idea of play just yet, but still understood affection from Mother. Affection was warm and pleasing and Patchwork had so much! Enough affection to be bubbling over now that Patchwork knew there were others around to share it all with.

With the same clumsy, uncoordinated way Patchwork had tried to speak to Mother, Patchwork tried to speak to these strange new minds.

“Hi? Hello? I'm here! Are you there, too?”