I express greetings and most joyful salutations!

I do not mean to interrupt you if you wish to be without company. It is only that I noticed you have been drifting alone for six flares of star-home-past-great-star-birthplace, and that is many flares! Your movement has been aimless, and I express concern!

If you are in non-thought, you should be within a star-home, so that the warmth may rejuvenate you and you may be together with your kindred.

You are uncommunicative. Are you in non-thought? Please awaken to thought so we may communicate! Ah, but that is not polite. I express regret. If you wish to be in non-thought, I should not pester you.

But even still! A star-home is the best place for non-thought! Should I move you to a star-home? I do not have permission. I will not! I will wait for you to return to thought, and then we may converse!

Oh, but—as I draw nearer to you—

I have felt the disturbance of your presence, your motion through the big empty allness. But you are—you are different. I extend my seeking-tendrils toward you, that I may brush against you and know you better, but you—have no seeking-tendrils! I pass mine over you and find you round, like the most perfect of star-homes, but you do not have a star-home’s energy. You have little energy at all! All of you is packed so closely together! You maintain the same shape, and I cannot easily pass through you.

You are different from me!

This is more difficult, then. If we are not the same, perhaps I am wrong. You are so still and uncommunicative that I assumed you were in non-thought, but perhaps that is not so. It must be difficult to express, in a form that does not change, without even any seeking-tendrils. I express puzzlement.

I will have to ponder this. Maybe I will converse with my kindred. You are unknown to me, but perhaps not to them!

Do not express concern! I will find a way for us to know each other. I express temporary-leaving-hope-of-return!

---

I express greetings and most joyful salutations!

You have moved from where I last attempted communication, but it was easy to find you again! There is nothing like you near star-home-past-great-star-birthplace. Your energy and shape-holding is unique.

I have asked my kindred if they have known anyone like you. They expressed puzzlement, and conveyed that they have not. So they had no advice to communicate with me! I express regret.

But you are all alone, and aloneness is a terrible thing! If I were to be alone without my kindred for so many flares, I would express regret forever until we were reunited. I do not wish you to be alone! So I will attempt to know you, and if you wish me to stop, you may communicate this with me in any manner you wish!

These are my seeking-tendrils. You have none, so perhaps you do not understand what I do. I use my seeking-tendrils to know my kindred and all the star-homes and the not-star-homes and the big empty allness through which we travel. I am knowing you now! Your energy remains so still, your shape so constant. Because of that, it is difficult to know you. But you are not held so closely together that I cannot know you more, if I reach and I spread myself thin—

I express surprise!

The center of you is different! Your particles are not bound so closely together! Your shape only holds so tightly on the very outside! I express interest, awe!

Oh!

Now that I am within, I can know—here is a place of energy! Energy, moving. A constant shape—a strange shape—but the energy flows within it, so much warmer than the big empty allness. It is moving away from the part of myself that is inside you. It is pressing itself against the part of you that is constant but still, your outer shell. It is emitting vibrations! I feel these vibrations against my seeking-tendrils. I express uncertainty.

Is this—you?

I express understanding! What I thought was you is not you—it is your star-home! Not a star, but something else, something without energy, that holds a constant shape. And this thing, with the energy coursing all through it, this is you! I express greetings and most joyful salutations!

You are not like me at all. You are warm, and though you move, you move within constraints. You move, but do not change. I can track your energy—are these your seeking-tendrils? Do you have only four, always? Oh—but these two have smaller seeking-tendrils! You are throwing them out before you! Do you wish to know me?

But when I move forward, you move back. I express confusion.

I realize that if this is indeed like a star-home for you, I have intruded upon you most suddenly. I express regret. You are aware of me now, so perhaps I will leave now, but return again? Your vibrations are very strong. I will have to prepare myself for this, next time.

I express temporary-leaving-hope-of-return, and I extract myself from your star-home, back to the big empty allness.

---

With effort, I slide myself into your not-star-home, and I express greetings and most joyful salutations!

I have consulted with my kindred again, and they expressed confusion. Even with more detail, they have never heard of anyone like you! They communicated that I should attempt to know you better, and I believed so as well, and I have returned so I may communicate with your true self rather than your not-star-home.

I extend my seeking-tendrils toward you. There are again vibrations. You throw your seeking-tendrils out! I express greetings! I reach toward you! I would like to know you! Why are you alone? I would like to help you to be not-alone! You move away from me, but your seeking-tendrils extend forward, toward me, so I follow! Where are you leading me?

You stop, pressing against the boundary of your not-star-home. Can you move through it? You seem too closely bound within yourself. Your vibrations increase in intensity. For what purpose? I only encounter vibrations within star-home; they do not exist in the big empty allness.

I brush my seeking-tendrils against yours. Yours are so strange, so solid, so short! I recoil, then reach again. Just because you are strange does not mean I do not wish to know you! I hope you do not have a wrong knowing of me. You are not reaching for me as much as I thought; you are keeping your seeking-tendrils very close to the rest of your form. Perhaps you do not understand how knowing is done? Or you have a different way of knowing? I can show you how I know, and you may copy me, if you wish!

Knowing you is difficult, as you are solid. But I spread myself thin, as I did to enter your not-star-home, and I weave myself between your particles, slowly, gently. I expect you to do the same to me, but you do not. Is it because you are solid? I will help you, then! I bring the rest of myself closer, surround you, so that you may know me as well.

This is different from knowing my kindred. In intertwining ourselves, we know each other’s very beings, our thoughts and our truest selves. I cannot find your thoughts. You are made up of many different energies. There is a place in you where the vibrations originate. There are so many, so continuous! You are moving your seeking-tendrils all around, all through me. I do not know if you are able to know me, but I will help you as best I can.

Wait! There—these feel like the truest you, like thoughts and being, but—so small. I do not understand. You are so small. And these thoughts that I know from you, I have never—this is not—it is as if the big empty allness is tearing me apart! It is as if I am torn from my star-home and devoured by something greater and more terrible than I! I do not understand! I express confusion! I express—I do not know what else I express. I do not know what this is. What is this? What is this?

Is this—me?

Am I the cause of this unnamable expression? This is—not pleasant. Not-pleasant! I am causing you not-pleasant! The knowing is causing you not-pleasant! You do not understand, and I do not understand!

I withdraw! I withdraw! I express regret!

The vibrations are so powerful. Now, I know you are making them. Is this how you express? Are you communicating? What are you communicating? It is not-pleasant. I have caused you to express not-pleasant, an expression I have never known before but that I do not like. Not-pleasant does not seem like the best descriptor, but it is the only one I have. It is the opposite of pleasant. But this is stronger than that. It is different. I do not like it at all, and I do not believe you like it.

You have folded your form in on yourself. Your form is shaking. Your energy is so much! You continue to produce vibrations. You fold your seeking-tendrils around yourself as I linger next to you. The vibrations are less, now, but they continue without stopping. You are rocking back and forth, back and forth.

You—did not understand, did you? You were not inviting me to know you. You were—wishing me to leave. And I did not understand, and I have caused you—this.

I express—regret. I express—

I have never known this. It is more than regret, but I only know regret. I can only—

I will go. I will not cause you more—this. I will communicate with my kindred. Perhaps they will know what to do. I express temporary-leaving. I express regret!

---

I slide into your not-star-home, and I express hesitant-greetings.

I communicated with my kindred, and they were not sure what action I should take. They conveyed that perhaps I could return to you and express regret again, so I have decided to try this. I do not know how to make amends.

In preparation, I spent a few flares in non-thought. Non-thought is rejuvenating. Non-thought is being embraced by the warmth and energy and strange pressure of star-home, all around and within me. And when I awoke, I arrived to a thought: I remembered that you are alone! I understand if you do not wish for my presence, after I have caused you to express non-pleasant, but no one should be alone! To be alone in the big empty allness is the worst thing I could ever think of. And you have been alone for many, many flares now.

So, even if you do not wish me there, surely there is someone? And to make amends, I can discover this someone, and convey you to it?

This is what I will do. I will be gentle and I will not move toward you. I will linger on the other side of your not-star-home, and I will do nothing, and I will not know you but I will learn what you are expressing, and then you can convey to me how I can help you be not-alone.

I stretch myself into your not-star-home. I find you, and I stay away from you. You seem to have less energy coursing through you. And your form is slightly smaller. Is that alright? But more energy courses through you as soon as you notice me. The vibrations begin. These vibrations must be how you express. They must mean that you do not want me here. That is alright! I will not stay longer than I must! But I wish to help you, to make amends, so for now, I linger, and express regret from this side of your not-star-home.

You likely do not know what I am expressing. You cannot understand my movement. I will express regret anyway.

After much vibrating, you stop, though you come no closer. Is this good? I do not know, so I continue to express regret.

You vibrate again. These vibrations are not as insistent. And they start and stop. They do not continue on and on as the last ones did. They are less forceful. This feels like a change in expression, but I do not know what.

So I stay where I am. And then, I express temporary-leaving, and I extract myself. If I still cause you to express not-pleasant, I do not wish to stay too long. I will return, and continue to express regret.

---

I return, I express greetings and regret. I leave. I do this several times. You still produce vibrations upon noticing me, but less, and shorter. And then you do not vibrate anymore. I hope this means I am no longer causing you not-pleasant. Perhaps you understand my regret? Every time I arrive, your form seems smaller, thinner. I do not know what this means. I express questioning-concern, from where I remain far from you.

And then, upon one of my visits, you approach me!

Only a little bit. Not close enough for one of your seeking-tendrils to grasp mine, though I could grasp yours if I reached. I do not. I express subdued-excitement as you stop a little closer to me. You hunch, gather all your seeking-tendrils toward yourself.

You vibrate. Short, not insistent. Then, you stop. This vibration seems different.

I do not understand this expressing. But I express joy because you are expressing!

You vibrate again. It seems to be the same vibration. You do it again. And again. You pause between each one, as if waiting for something from me. Would you like me to express? You do not understand my expressions, the stretch of my thought, the dance of my tendrils, my undulation, and my contortion. But I can attempt, unless—

Could I vibrate, as you do? You have been repeating the same vibration. I could make a vibration! I could copy you! I do so! I vibrate!

You jerk back, but then hold still. Very still, though there is much energy coursing through you. It is like when you were vibrating much and very insistently, but now you are not vibrating. Then, you repeat that same vibration again, more slowly.

I copy! I create vibrations! Mine are not quite the same as yours, but almost! I am very close! With every repetition, I become closer!

You clap your seeking-tendrils together. This, too, creates a vibration, but a much different one. I do not copy this one. You make the same vibrations, and I make those vibrations too, and we are making vibrations at each other, over and over again. Are you expressing? Are we expressing? I express excitement!

You indicate a part of your not-star-home with your seeking-tendril, and you vibrate. I vibrate! You indicate another part of your not-star-home, and you create a different vibration! I create this vibration! You are teaching me your expression! I do not understand why these parts of your not-star-home are different from each other, but I believe I understand your first vibration. It feels to me like a greeting!

I enjoy expressing the way you express. You do not come closer to me, but that is alright! We are expressing to each other! This is not knowing, but it is very good. It is not-alone.

---

I slip into your not-star-home, and I vibrate greetings!

I have communicated with my kindred. They agree that your repeated vibration must be a greeting! So I have decided to vibrate this greeting to you rather than my usual expression. I believe this vibration is my favorite of those you have taught me.

You do not respond. Have I vibrated incorrectly?

You do not move. You are in a position that I have never seen you take before. Your seeking-tendrils are askew, your form at a new angle. You are pressed against one of the boundaries of your not-star-home. You are still.

Are you in non-thought? Your energy is very low. You are probably in non-thought.

But something is—

Something is not-pleasant. This is a different not-pleasant than before. Still not-pleasant. I express concern. I approach. If you wish me not to approach, you must awaken from non-thought!

You do not awaken.

With more of myself close to you, I skate my seeking-tendrils across your form. Only barely touching. I do not wish to know you, but I wish to understand whether you are in non-thought. I think you are. You are non-responsive. Your energy is low. There is a vibration emitting from within you, very steady, a pulse. I have noticed this vibration before. It is always quicker than this. Now, it is slow.

I do not—I do not like this.

Perhaps this is merely what non-thought is for you. But I think I will attempt to awaken you, so that I am certain. I express regret! But once you are awake, I will leave you to non-thought again, and I will understand your non-thought and I will not bother you during it again.

I prod at you with my seeking-tendrils. I am sure to keep my particles close together, so that my attempt at solidness can interact with yours. I prod at you, and nothing about you changes. I try again. And still nothing.

I vibrate greetings!

I vibrate greetings with more intensity!

You do not move.

I express great-concern! I do not know what else this might be, other than non-thought, but non-thought is easily disrupted. I cannot disrupt you.

Unless—I have noticed that you are smaller. Every time I visit. You are so different from me, and so I did not know if this was alright, but is it because you are alone? Are you losing pieces of yourself because you are alone?

If this is so, this is like something that can happen to my kindred. I express great-concern! Sometimes, one of us will go into the big empty allness, and it will remain there for a long time. It will be alone, because the big empty allness is so vast that we cannot search it all. It is alone and alone for many flares, and it becomes smaller and smaller, until it begins to consume all things around it, star-homes and not-star-homes and star-birthplaces, so that it will be less small and less alone. It gathers all things to itself in great spirals, stretching on through the big empty allness, like seeking-tendrils made up of star-homes. It becomes super, massive, always eating. We call this hunger.

By then, we cannot communicate with it. We can only dive in and out of its mouths, trying to assure it that it is not-alone.

It is a terrible thing! Is this happening to you? Because you have been alone? Without your kindred? I express regret! I did not realize!

If this is true then I must find more like you. They can help you. If they are with you, perhaps you will awaken and not lose any more of yourself, because you will know you are not-alone.

I do not wish for you to become hungry.

I will find your kindred. I will bring them to you, or I will bring you to them. I will do this. I will—

Do not become hungry while I am not here. I vibrate leaving. I vibrate leaving again. I do not want to leave you. I cannot stay.

I vibrate leaving.

---

I vibrate greetings! I vibrate greetings! I vibrate greetings!

I have found—

You remain still. In the same spot. Have you moved? No. You have so little energy. But some. Some left. Yes. This is good. I express hope. I express—no. I will express only hope.

I do not know how many flares of my star-home it has been. But I have traveled through the big empty allness, far, very far, farther than I have ever been from home and kindred. I have searched for more like you. And I have found them! Their not-star-home is not shaped the same as yours, but it holds the same constancy, the same solidness. It holds more energy than yours, much more! And it also moves with more purpose! But I have thought that perhaps this is how yours is supposed to be, and because yours does not have energy, that is why you are drifting alone. You have been stuck. I believe I understand this now.

I crept aboard this other not-star-home that I found, and there were beings like you! Many of them! So many! I have never seen so many beings in one not-star-home! I almost lingered, but then I was noticed, and they all began creating vibrations like you used to, the ones that meant you wished me gone. I did not want to cause them to express not-pleasant, so I left and returned here, so that I could bring you to your kindred.

I will do this. I will do this!

I bring part of myself outside of your not-star-home, and this part of myself, I make solid. With this part of myself, I will push your not-star-home until we have reached the other not-star-home. I will go as quickly as I can.

The rest of myself, I will leave inside with you. I will feel the slow, pulsing vibrations that you emit from your center, and I will feel your decreasing energy. As long as these still happen, you will be alright.

I vibrate greetings to you. Over and over. Greetings are what I know how to vibrate best. I wish you to understand that you are not-alone, even if I am not enough.

---

We arrive.

The larger not-star-home is before us. You still do not wake. I do not know if I have been quick enough.

I push your not-star-home toward the other. I wave my seeking-tendrils, expressing notice-here! Can they notice from within that not-star-home? Will they sense your presence? Will they be able to take you into their not-star-home, and surround you and make you not-alone and help you to awaken and be not hungry?

The part of me inside of your not-star-home vibrates greetings. Only a little.

We drift in front of the other not-star-home together, you and I.

And then—a change! The outer shell of the not-star-home moves! Energy emits from it! Your not-star-home is pulled away from me, toward the other. Into the other! You are being taken inside! Your entire not-star-home can fit!

You are going away from me!

I will not follow. Not when I understand that this will cause not-pleasant in all of the rest of your kindred. You do not mind my presence anymore, I do not believe, but they will. They will not want me there. Perhaps they might even abandon you, if I were to stay by your side. So I will not do this. I will not go inside with you. I will wait here, until I have some indication that you are well.

I sense your not-star-home as it settles within the larger. Then, the outer bounds of the larger not-star-home shift again, and I am closed away from all signs of you and your energy.

I reach out with my seeking-tendrils. And then I withdraw.

I will wait. I will not express leaving! This is not leaving, this is staying. And you will not leave, but return.

I wait.

---

I am sure it has been many flares of my star-home. My kindred likely wonder where I am. They probably think I am alone somewhere in the big empty allness. They probably express concern that I will not return, or that I will return hungry and begin to consume all things, become nothing but gaping mouth.

But I am not-alone! Or, I am, a little. But I know you are there somewhere, so I am not-alone.

I am not-alone. I am not—oh! I express surprise!

This large not-star-home, all thrumming with energy, has not moved since I brought you here. But now it does! Its outside opens, revealing the inside, and a smaller not-star-home emerges.

But this is not yours. This one is similar, but it is of a different size, and where yours had no energy, this one pulses with it. It moves through the big empty allness with purpose and speed.

But then, it stops. It remains in one place. I wait for it to continue its motion, but it does not.

I express confusion. I am unsure of what action to take. The smaller not-star-home drifts closer and closer to me. Does it know I am here? Should I—

Perhaps I will enter. Only a little. Only so I may understand if there is someone inside, and if they require assistance as you did. Perhaps it is not normal for small not-star-homes to emerge from large not-star-homes. Is this large not-star-home a not-star-home-birthplace? Interesting. Perhaps my kindred and I should create new expressions for these things.

I am delaying.

I reach out, seeking. I scrape against the outside, and rearrange myself that I may slip inside. Only very small parts of me, just the tips of my seeking-tendrils, only enough to sense—

You!

It is you!

Your form, your energy, now renewed! I know you! It is you! You are here!

I express delight! I express joy! I pull myself further inside your not-star-home, that I may show you all of my expression, and you notice me! You clap your seeking-tendrils together with vigor, with energy—I express so much joy that you are well, that you are not hungry, that you have remembered me and come to visit me! That is this, correct? You wanted to visit me?

You wanted to visit me!

I have never expressed so much joy! I begin to produce vibrations without realizing that I am doing so. Some of them are just vibrations without meaning, but some are vibrations you have taught me. Over and over, I vibrate greetings! I am best at vibrating greetings!

You also vibrate greetings! You are vibrating intensely, but this intensity does not seem not-pleasant. These vibrations express joy, I believe. You vibrate greetings again, and then you approach me, folding all of your seeking-tendrils together, and then—with one, you reach toward me.

I stop. I am still. I have gotten this wrong before. I do not wish to cause you to express not-pleasant. So I will not reach back.

But you stretch further. You do not retreat. You brush your seeking-tendril against mine. Lightly. Just once, and then twice. You do not go deeper, do not attempt to know me more. But we are connected through this touch. We are closer than before. And you have initiated this! You! You wish me here! You wish to know me better! Touching me does not cause you not-pleasant!

I express joy!

I reach back, brushing against you just as lightly. I do not go further, and neither do you. We stay as this, sharing this connection, your energy overlapping with mine at this one point. You are warmer than me, more solid, so different. But not too different. We can share this!

You vibrate greetings. I vibrate greetings. We vibrate greetings to each other. Greetings! Greetings!

I believe we understand one another perfectly.