2024-06-12 - [2.2] Hark! Who goes there?

Wordsneedsfeels. Pause. Morewords. Longerpause. Longstreamofwords. Tonechange. Comfortingstreamofwordsgentlesad.

Fascinated with language now, the growing creature in the egg shapes words and phrases, still mimicing the stream of language from Mother, but it continues when she is far as well as when she is near. It is a stream of babble - unable yet to understand 'inside voice'. There are periods of less or slow activity as well as periods of greater activity. Not yet labelled sleep and waking, but the cells and blood and physical being understands rest.

As well as broadcast, there is also some listening, maybe in the rest cycles. There is at least growing awareness of other input, mindvoices, chirps and babbles. Not mother, and ... not I (that last comes later, perhaps the hum and static of them had been background noise, or was it also me, were they me). But the others are not me.

When the eggling stops broadcasting (rare, it likes its own voice now it has discovered one) it is distracted and fascinated by these others.

And yet, the discovery of 'they is not me' is also a form of sadness. I was we? I am me. They (numbers are not a concept - more than me and more than me and mother) are other. Nutshell egg speaks out clear and strong to those around it, but there is among the babble a tone of melancholy from one who does not know if it wants to be a lone creature yet.

"I am. Are you?"