Lydia, 15, Tallahassee, FL
LETTER 1
Lora,
Surprise!
I hope this reaches you alright. Our Ker’shi buddies (give me a sec and I’ll explain) assure me sending mail via “gechm,” (some particle that travels faster than light) works, but I find it hard to believe. I had to give them some sort of universal coordinates for our house so they knew where to send it, and it was mostly guesswork, so hopefully this doesn’t materialize inside the sink or something.
But I’m okay. I know you’ve been worrying -- have you worn a hole in the rug yet? Please say yes. That means we can finally throw it out and get a new one -- maybe not dead lizard green this time?
All jokes aside, I hate knowing how much stress I’ve had to put you through. Especially with your hands already full with Dani and Luthe. Some bigwig’s probably already fed you the official story, but it’s bound to have been nothing but air, and wouldn’t have stopped your pacing for a second.
Starrunner got pretty banged up passing through the E-69 asteroid belt -- took out comms and some of the equipment, but thanks to yours truly and his stellar piloting skills, we survived alright. We were attempting repairs when the Ker’shi found us.
Yes, Lora, that means exactly what it sounds like.
We’ve made contact with alien life.
There’s so much to tell you. I don’t know where to begin!
But that can wait. For now, the most important thing is you knowing I’m alive and well -- for the sake of the rug, of course.
Write a reply, and (if I’ve managed to get the address right) leave it in the envelope-looking thing this letter appeared in. They’ll zap it back up here for me right away.
Saying it like that makes it seem like you’re so close. I’m tempted to put myself in the gechm-mail thing. Na’Dai (I’m butchering the poor Ker’shi’s name) says it doesn’t work on organics, but I wouldn’t mind, so long as I could say hello before my molecules disintegrate. I probably shouldn’t though -- don’t want to scare Dani. I bet Luthe would think it was cool. Tell them I said hi and I love them very much, by the way.
As for you, well, I wish it was that easy to tell you…
I miss you so much, Loreli. Every time I see something new, everything I do and try, I find myself thinking, “Lora would love this!” or “I have to bring one of these home to show her!” I don’t know how I’m going to fit it all on the ship -- I want to bring half the planet!
They have ships here that travel using a watered-down version of gechm, basically meaning a trip that took us three years takes them three weeks.
I could see you again in three weeks.
We’re finishing up establishing some basic diplomatic junk, us teaching them some things and them teaching us more things. The top dogs back home have been informed, and they’re setting up to receive some Ker’shi ambassadors -- and I’ll be on their escort.
I’ll be home soon, Lora.
I love you.
Your Spaceman Husband,
Derrick
PS. The other Starrunners are okay too, in case you were wondering. And no, being one of the first humans in history to make contact with alien life did NOT make Jerron less of a jerk. Na’Dai and Shi’rei don’t like him either (I’ll tell you more about them later).
PPS. I’m going to send my mom a gechm letter, too, but in case she doesn’t get it, will you make sure she knows I’m alright?
LETTER 2
Der,
I regret to inform you that the rug has indeed survived my pacing. It'll be here waiting for you right in the front hallway, along with me and Luther and Dani and Nancy and half of the town to boot.
The bedroom carpet, on the other hand…
Do they have rugs on Ker’shi? By the way, do I pronounce that “kershey” like the chocolate or “Ker-she” like…? You get the idea.
So you’ve made contact with the aliens. Are we talking little green men, or big furry Wookies? Though, I wouldn’t even mind a Jabba the Hutt or two so long as they brought you with them. I ask because Luthe wants to play “alien meeting” and we can’t agree which costumes to wear. He’s rooting for green men, and Dani won’t go anywhere without her Chewbacca boots. Help me, Derrick-Wan Kennedy, you’re our only hope -- or else our house falls victim to intergalactic cross-fandom warfare.
I want to hear everything about the Ker’shi. I don’t care if you send me enough ramblings to fill a textbook… as long as it’s by you. I expect lots of late night rambling about aliens when you come home. You might even convince me to come with you next time if you play your cards right -- I’m sure your mom won’t mind taking care of a headstrong preschooler and a clingy three-year-old, right? I mean, she raised you and Max…
Poor Nancy. Your letter just about gave her a heart attack. I could hear her shriek from all the way down the street. It popped up right on the stove where she was cooking dinner. Mine was right where you knew it would be -- nestled between the pillows on the bed. And don’t give me that “Oh, wow, guess I got lucky,” Mr. “So smart he got picked to fly Earth’s first inter-galactic diplomatic spaceship” -- I know you and your wicked ways. Finding it there was one of the biggest shocks of my life, but the good kind. I think I scared Dani when I started crying. She gave me a big hug and said, “It’s okay, Mommy,” and I scooped her up and twirled her in a circle and I said, “Yes, Dani, it’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
Tell the Starrunners I said hey, and that includes Jerron. Be nice. And the Ker’shi you mentioned, Na’Dai and She’rei (who I’m assuming are friends), and anybody else I’ve missed, tell them I said hey, too. I can’t wait to hear all about them.
I have a confession to make -- as soon as I finished your letter I sprinted to the store (Luthe and Dani were with their grandma, don’t worry) to buy a big old calendar and a huge Sharpie and I’m counting down the weeks, Der.
WEEKS.
I love you to Ker’shi and back 1,100 times, once for every day you’ve been gone and then some for good measure.
I miss you, too.
Love from Earth,
Lora
--★★★--
LETTER 9
Lora,
I understand how important it is we do this right, and we’ve got to be careful and diplomatic and polite and we don’t rush, but as much as I’m enjoying Ker’shi and as proud as I am to be part of this historic mission, I just wish the whole thing wouldn’t take so gosh-darn long.
The Ker’shi arrival on Earth has been pushed back again, Lora. I’ll be here another month. I’m seriously considering getting Na’Dai to help me hijack a ship and just get it over with -- he’d be a much better Ker’shi representative than those stuffy Sheh’ren anyways. I hope he’ll get to come -- I can’t wait for him to meet you. He’s heard ALL about you.
Other than just the SLOWNESS of everything, alien relations are going fantastic. We could do without Jerron the suck-up, but you know, other than that. Do you remember me telling you about how he tried to convince She’rei that not saluting when the president's name is mentioned is punishable by death? I managed to rescue Rei, but yesterday Charles and I were talking about ol’ “Big Man America” Adamson in front of one of the Sheh’ren and he almost took out his eye with the pen thing he was holding in his hurry to… vigorously...salute. I’m worried about what else he’s told them. If it were up to him, we’d come home with other-wordly die-hard patriots to put on parade, instead of new friends and allies. But the rest of the Starrunners are keeping an eye on him, especially Natasha and Pierre.
I can picture Luthe in his little Starrunners uniform. When I read the part about his “we come in peace” speech to little Ker’shi Dani, I laughed so hard Na’Dai asked if he needed to call Isabella to give me medical attention. When I explained, he and She’rei and some of the others wanted to make sure I asked you for all the details about Dani’s costume. Na’Dai’s curious how “she fixed the [knees] and changed the [skin].” I told him you probably just sewed a purple PJ suit and put the feet on the back instead of the front. She’rei wants to know about her antennae. I'm curious about that part, too, I’ll admit.
I’m afraid that calendar of yours will need a better home than the kitchen table -- but it’ll only be for a month, tops.
Give the kids and Nancy a kiss from me, and tell them I’ll be home soon.
And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you -- I’m saving yours for when I can pick you up and hold you tight and spin you around our room.
I’m impatient to be home for many reasons, but seeing you is the most important of all.
All my love,
Derrick
LETTER 10
Der,
Sorry I don’t have much time to write today. But another month?! Tell you what -- make it home before then, and I’ll buy a new rug, no matter how offended Lilly gets. Sound like a plan? Sure, interplanetary relations are a big deal, but I think getting a long-lost husband back to his impatient wife and kids is even bigger. Alien-Earthen relations waited thousands of years, can’t it wait three more weeks? I know I’m being selfish, but I don’t care.
Anyways, I'm not surprised Jerron's pulling stunts -- he always was Adamson’s lapdog, but I don’t doubt Nat and Pierre can keep him in check. You just ignore him and focus on your work so you can come home.
Let Na’Dai know you were right about the costume, and tell She’rei I used the cardboard tube from our toilet-paper rolls for the antennae. I can tell her more next letter, when I’m not scrambling to get everything down before running off to a meeting.
By the way, I’m holding you to that promise of a kiss -- I’ve been saving a few of my own for you, too.
Love you.
See you soon,
Lora
PS. The president just called. He says you’re dead. Care to explain?
LETTER 11
Lora,
How did I die? Was it Jerron?
I hope you weren’t very fond of him, because he is currently on trial and will most likely be sentenced to death by the Me-Ren, the judges, for being a traitor, and that is not a joke.
Anyways, how are you? How are Luthe and Dani and Nancy? Tell them I said hello.
I hope you know I love you very much.
Your Husband,
Derrick
Ps. Na’Dai and She’rei say thank you, and they very much want to see the costume in person someday. They were confused by your description of toilet paper and cardboard tubes, and how you can make “antennae” out of them.
LETTER 12
Der,
There was an explosion on some ship, I think. All very vague, very much soft soap, and very fishy. They never mentioned Jerron.
So, Jerron’s a traitor. What on Earth--or Ker’shi, I guess--did the man do this time? Does it have anything to do with why you’re supposed to be dead?
More importantly, how does all this affect your voyage home? Am I buying a new rug or not?
Nancy’s a mess. She took the official story without batting an eye, and she’s been in mourning all week. I’ll be glad to tell her the news. I hadn’t mentioned anything to the kids yet-- I didn’t see the point until I’d made sure first, so they say “hello” back with a sloppy kiss from Dani and a Starrunner salute from Luthe. He’s vowed not to take off the uniform until you come home-- but after a few more days of mud pies and cobwebbed clubhouses and spaghetti, we’ll see if I can’t change his mind.
I hate this, you being so far away. The waiting, yes. The loneliness, yes. But can you guess what I hate the most?
I have no idea what’s going on out there. All I know is what I’m told, and, as I’ve just seen, I can’t even trust that. I can’t see what you’re facing. I can’t begin to understand everything that you’ve told me about the Starrunner and the Ker’Shi, and every day of my life for the past three years has been this fear, this knowing that I can’t know what’s going on and I can’t be there with you, and if something happens to you I can’t be there to say… goodbye…
I know you love me, though. And I love you very much too, Derrick Kennedy.
Your Worried Wife,
Lora
LETTER 13
Lora,
I think the rug is there to stay. The Ker’shi tell me I can’t travel by gechm for a while because of my injury.
Jerron, working with an important American (we don’t know who), had added a line to the treaty with the Sheh’ren diplomats that would have made Ker’shi into an American colony and forced its people under American rule. The Ker’shi are people of honor and would have obeyed the terms of the treaty even to servitude and humiliation. But, having listened to the Starrunner’s diplomatic team read it the night before and not remembering hearing that line read, I pointed it out to one of the others, who realized what it meant and stopped the Sheh’ren before they could sign it. No one would have noticed if I hadn’t said something, and I only noticed because I knew Jerron would try something like that. At first, the Sheh’ren were upset and hurt, but the Starrunners were able to explain that Jerron wasn’t acting for Earth, or even America. And so the traitor to the good name of the People of Earth was stopped.
The Sheh’ren requested he stay in his living quarters until the “Me-Ret,” the trial, but he didn’t listen to their order and snuck out to get back at me. He shot me in the back, like a “det,” the Ker’shi word for coward, while I was working on the Starrunner. The president didn’t invent the explosion, though. Jerron tried to blow up the ship as a cover story for how I died. It was poorly done, however, and the bay where I was working was unharmed.
I’m in the medical center right now, but don’t worry about me, Lora. Everything will be fine.
You are an amazing woman to put up with so much for so long for me. They call me lucky, and I am lucky, but not because of my good fortune or escapes. It’s because through it all I’ve had you supporting me.
Don’t be scared, Lora. There’s still more time before you have to say goodbye.
Your Husband,
Derrick
PS. Tell me more about what’s been happening on Earth. You’ve heard all about Ker’shi, and now it’s your turn to ramble about Luthe and Dani and Nancy and meetings and rugs and everything else.
PPS. Don’t tell anyone, or let Nancy tell anyone, that I’m alive. We don’t know who Jerron was working with, and we don’t want them to make more trouble.
--★★★--
LETTER 24
Der,
Your memorial service was today. It took them a LONG time to set up, but I suppose they were trying to smooth things over with the Ker’shi about Jerron and all first, so I guess we’ll count “avoiding Earth’s first intergalactic incident” as a valid excuse. You would’ve been proud of the turnout-- I’m pretty sure half the country and then some was there. I was offered condolences by the Prime Minister and the Russian president, as well as the French ambassador and our very own Adamson.
Much to your mother’s dismay, I wore a bright blue dress-- your favorite, remember? People were giving me all sorts of weird looks, but I didn’t care, and I knew you wouldn’t have either.
Luthe and Dani didn’t really grasp what was going on, I think. They knew we were celebrating you, but past that they just saw it as a party. Luthe ADORED the limo they sent, and Dani was just basking in all the attention. I’m afraid between my dress, Dani’s laughter, and Luther’s endless chatter, the Kennedy family was the disgrace of the Derrick Kennedy Memorial Service.
But you would have found a way to out-disgrace the three of us put together, and at your own memorial, too. You always were such a one-upper, and I love you for it all the more.
This is sort of a morbid question, but it’s been a morbid morning, so if you had died on Ker’shi (which you didn’t), what sort of burial would they have given you?
Now that your death is official and everything, can you come home? You’ve been resting up for months. At this rate, I’ll have to buy a new calendar, and this one was expensive. If this keeps up, I might find myself tempted to go ahead and collect that insurance money anyways. Who knows, there might even be enough for a new rug, too.
Letters are nice, but they don’t make me miss you any less.
Luthe is loving kindergarten, but I think Dani’s a little lonely without her big brother bossing her around. She doesn’t know what to do with herself, so it’s lucky I’m here to keep her entertained. Nancy swings by every other day, hoping to hear you’ve sent another letter. You must be terribly busy to neglect writing her, by the way. She understands how it is, but she is just as concerned about you as I am, though sometimes I don’t think that’s even possible.
So Jerron’s gone, then. I don’t think I want to know what “Me-Aye” is, but from what I’ve heard of the Ker’shi, it was probably just what he deserved, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Now that Me-Ret is over, does that mean that the diplomacy is back on? Please tell me that the official Sheh’ren slowpokes are ready to make their grand alien appearance on Earth. They better, or else they’ll arrive to revolution and war by the Impatient Spouses and Parents of the Spacemen (and women). Trust me, the Ker’shi’s dramatic entrance will be a lot cooler if there’s not an ISaPotS revolt going on, led by yours truly.
I miss you more every day, Der.
Can you send love via gechm? Probably not, but that might be a good thing--you’re still in recovery, and I’d send you so much it’d smother you in your hospital bed, and then I’d have to wait even longer.
XOXO,
Lora
PS. It’s just a cough, Der. I’ll be fine. “Don’t worry,” remember? I’ll get it checked out when all the craziness dies down. Deal?
--★★★--
LETTER 30
Der,
Hey, so. Big news.
I finally went to see the doctor about that cough, and it turns out it was just a tad bit worse than I thought. He says it’s lung cancer.
They’ll do what they can, and et cetera, et cetera, but it’s pretty obvious things aren’t looking too great. Dr. Stevens thinks I’ve got two months or so, which is a hard pill to swallow, but it’s nice to have some warning, you know? It’s easier to accept when you have time to prepare.
By the way, it’s been really nice, these past few months, getting to pretend these letters were actually from him. Maybe I shouldn’t have been encouraging you, whoever you are, but even though I knew from the moment Der set off in that ship of his there was a very good chance he’d never come back, I still wasn’t quite ready to believe it.
So thank you. For helping me (and Nancy, who also knew) steal a few more months with him. It meant the universe to us. The kids didn’t get to pretend, we never told them about the extra letters, but Der was mostly just stories to them, the heroic spaceman father everyone said existed, and they didn’t need our extra letters to say goodbye. This was for me and her, and just maybe you as well.
But it had to end sometime, and before I go and die, too, there are some things I’d like to know.
Who are you, really? Why did you pretend to be my husband? Is there something you want from me?
How did he die?
It was Jerron, wasn’t it? He shot Der, like you said, but he didn’t survive it. Am I right?
Please don’t try to deny it, don’t try to play games -- I’ve known you weren’t my husband from the first letter you sent me, the 11th one in our gechm mail correspondence. I’ve enjoyed it while it lasted, but now I just want answers.
Your Earthen Pen Pal,
Loreli
LETTER 31
Loreli,
Yes, Jerron killed him. On [ᓢᕥϑᑈᑳ], what you would call “Ker’shi,” we have a machine, [ᑝᐯ], that recovers final thoughts and memories. When we heard the explosion on the ship and found him there, we did not know what had happened. We weren’t sure the [ᑝᐯ] would work on a human, but we tried anyways. We were able to recover an earthen minute. In it, he heard Jerron enter and say his name, started to turn, and was shot. We used this to “testify” against the murderer at the [ᒦᕰᕯ], Me-Ret, the trial.
I am [ᔐᗭᗈᔦ], the one Derrick called Na’Dai. He was my friend and I would have done anything for him. It was for him that I began to write these letters. Because of his final thoughts, as shown in the [ᑝᐯ], which were of his family, his wife, and a rug.
He was very worried about you finding out. Human minds are… chaotic, but his thoughts were focused on an image of men in black suits, “government agents,” perhaps, who were telling you he had died. He was very upset about the image, and we could tell there was something about it he didn’t want to happen. We assumed he didn’t want you to know he had died so you wouldn’t worry.
There is much we do not know about Earth customs, but not telling you seemed wrong to us. We thought if you did love him as much as he loved you, you would want to know, but we cared about Derrick very much and felt it was our… duty to obey his final wish. I was chosen for the job, and I am very glad you know, because I did not like “lying.”
I have liked conversing with you, however. You make me want to see Earth very much. The “Sheh’ren”, as you say, have requested I come with the envoy, which is planning to leave in two weeks, though with the way things have been going I doubt it will truly be so soon.
When I come, may I visit you? I would very much like to meet you in person, as well as Luthe and Dani, and Nancy, too. I want to tell them all my stories about their hero spaceman father, and see their faces when they meet a real “alien” who was really there at Derrick’s famous “we come in peace” speech.
Did he tell you about how during that speech he fell down the steps and knocked me over? That is still my favorite memory of him.
Have I answered all of your questions? I have a few of my own now.
What is “cardboard tube from toilet paper”? What is “lung cancer,” and what does “I have two months” mean? I don’t like how it sounds.
Also, what is so awful about the rug in your entry hall?
I’m sorry to have pretended, but I am glad you’re not upset. I was worried you would be, and that is exactly what Derrick did not want.
He loved you very much.
Derrick’s Ker’shi Friend,
[ᔐᗭᗈᔦ]
(Na’Dai)
PS. How did you know?
LETTER 32
[ᔐᗭᗈᔦ],
Yes, you answered my questions, and I’m very grateful for it. I’ve got to say, I’m not at all surprised to hear it was you writing the letters. Derrick talked about you all the time, you know. He couldn’t wait to introduce us, and look at us go -- already writing every other day like old friends.
He was a hero, wasn’t he? Luthe, even though he can’t quite understand it all yet, is already so proud of his daddy, and it makes me so happy to see. He would LOVE to hear your stories, and so would I.
And no, by the way, Der did not tell me he fell down the steps. He mentioned the wonky gravity and how he “ran into” you, but I hadn’t taken it as literal. That does sound just like him, though.
I knew it wasn’t him writing because I knew Derrick Kennedy better than anyone else in the universe. I could spot a fake letter a hundred miles away, or rather, a hundred miles and three weeks by gechm travel. Don’t beat yourself up, though. You did a very nice job pretending to be him. I think even he would have been impressed.
I do, however, think you may have misinterpreted what it was he wanted. He knew I had prepared for him dying in space, and he knew how much I hate not knowing what’s going on, so as much as he hated making me worry, I doubt his final wish would’ve been to keep me in the dark. Rather, seeing as you mentioned government agents, I think he was worried they wouldn’t tell me the truth about how he had died, and I would know something wasn’t right, but would never find out what the right thing actually was.
Which, by the way, is exactly what happened.
But you cleared things up nicely, so thank you for that as well.
The rug was a gift from my sister, and it’s a hideous greenish color. I’ll make sure Nancy shows you when you come (along with the toilet paper rolls), and you can judge for yourself.
Lung cancer is where cells -- do you know what cells are? They’re the little things that form everything in the human body, like tiny bricks or building blocks or something-- anyways, the cells in my lungs aren’t behaving right. Cells that aren’t supposed to be there are growing and multiplying in a way that’s damaging my lungs -- and my lungs are what I use to breathe, and subsequently live. “Two months” means I have two months to live.
I hope they don’t put it off again. I’d like to meet you before I die.
Your Earthian Friend,
Lora
PS. I barely know anything about you, and you know almost everything about me. Tell me about yourself. Do you have family? Kids? How did you decide to become a diplomat? I want to hear everything you want to tell me, if you don’t mind.
LETTER 33
Lora,
Derrick asked me once if he could send himself to Earth by “gechm.”
I said no, he’d disintegrate moments after arriving, but he said it would be worth it. I didn’t understand his need for hurrying. On Ker’shi, there is rarely any need for haste.
Now, I think, I understand a little better. I am doing everything I can to “shove them out the door,” as Derrick would say. Two months is much too soon, and everyone is moving so very slow.
What you said about the cancer and the “cells” sounds like something we have here on Ker’shi. It is “mil-min-ee”, “much small life,” and is very common. More importantly, it is very easily treated.
Hold on just a few more weeks. I’m coming, and I’m bringing as many medical Ker’shi as I can find.
Your friend,
[ᔐᗭᗈᔦ]
Na’Dai
PS. You are probably right about Derrick. I had not considered that possibility.
PPS. I will tell you more when I see you, but no, I do not have a family at home, just me. My sister, She’rei, however, lives nearby. I am training to become a Sheh’ren diplomat because Ker’shi is very small and the universe is very big and I want to see everything. I want to understand all of the peoples and cultures, and I want to help make peace.
LETTER 34
Lora,
We’re leaving today.
I will see you and Luther and Dani and Nancy and the rug in three weeks.
Please, hold on.
-[ᔐᗭᗈᔦ]
--★★★--
[TWO YEARS LATER]
[Translated from Ker’shi]
Dear Sister She’rei,
Good news for you -- you won’t have to make the gechm trip to meet Lora. She is coming to Ker’shi, along with Luther and Nancy and small Danica. I imagine they will be just as bad as Derrick was, wanting to see everything and everyone, so be ready.
The bad news is I need you to see if you can find mother and father’s [ceremonial robes] before we arrive, because we want to have the ceremony as soon as possible, before more reporters can get involved.
Earth customs are so very different from our own. I had to wear a “suit” and stand by a large stone as Lora walked between rows of people holding colorful plants. I know she will find our [ceremony of partnership] just as odd, but she says she doesn’t mind.
I know that you think I am strange for falling in love with an Earth woman, just as you thought me strange those years ago, spending so much time writing her letters. I know you have many worries, but I am not rushing into things, She’rei. I have thought about them, too.
I am suspicious of living part time in America because of the business with their president and Jerron. I am unsure how to assist in raising human children. I do not like the thought of all the trips we will have to take back and forth between there and here.
But when you love someone enough to fill all the space from Earth to Ker’shi and back again, everything else is worth it.
Derrick said something like that once. He was always saying things like that, and about how he wished he hadn’t left, hadn’t left her alone with two little children and a long-gone husband who might never return. He was always saying how she deserved better than that, she deserved to have someone standing beside her, with her.
I often wonder if marrying Lora is wrong, if he would be upset. But he just wanted her to be happy, to be safe, and not to be alone anymore, and if I can do that for her when he can’t anymore, I think that might be just what he would have wanted.
Lora says marrying me doesn’t mean she loves him any less, that I am not stealing her or hurting him. She says that there’s more than enough space between Earth and Ker’shi to love us both “there and back 2,200 times, and then some for good measure.”
It is indeed a very long way, so I will see you in three weeks.
Love,
Your Brother Na’Dai
PS. I remember you were complaining about how cold your floors were a few letters ago. Would you, by any chance, like a very nice green Earth rug?
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