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Enterprise Asides Part 9 - The Very Very Small
It had no name, for it was not sentient, and yet it understood one thing: love. The Large Being protected it, kept it safe, fed it. It knew that the Large Being should not have noticed it, normally. None of the others did. In the wild, large creatures all wanted to hurt it. It knew fear, but as a dewdrop fears the warmth of the sun, not as an emotion, but as a simple reaction to an outside stimulus. Large and moving meant predators, and it knew in an abstract way that large things hurt it and it must run, must hide. But the Large Being was not like any other large being. It was a shield and a nest and a source of life. The Large Being went against the laws of instinct and life in order to make sure that it was kept safe.
It was a rhyl. It didn’t really know the actual word, but it knew itself. It was surrounded by large beings. It was fragile and soft. It needed hiding places, dark and cool and safe. If it had the capacity to understand language, it would know what the large beings called it. But in its limited capacity, it knew that the specific combination of characteristics meant that a being was another like itself. It had met others, its parent, for example. But it had been abandoned early on as all were, left to survive on instinct amid the towering plants and terrifying animals of its existence.
It knew to hide, and could outwit any predator. But when it had first encountered the Large Being, it knew something was different. There were no sharp movements, no bared teeth, no pursuit. It had watched it, and then it had offered out a hand filled with food. The correct food. The food that was often hard to find.
The being’s hand was warm, the skin gentle as it had crawled into it, sniffing at the pile of food. There were no movements, only stillness and the gentle breath of the Large Being as it studied it. Once it had eaten the food, it retreated, but noticed the Large Being remained, watching.
And then the winged creature had appeared, sharp beak gleaming in the sunlight. It had hidden from the winged creature, but not well enough. It dived toward it, cornering it against an unyielding stone. The presence of the Large Being had distracted it. But then the Large Being moved suddenly and contained it between its massive hands, forming a safe contained space. The winged creature could not reach it now.
It sensed movement. It began searching for a place to escape from its confinement, but the large hands remained in place. It began to panic, sensing that the Large Being had trapped it. The Large Being must be a predator.
But then the hands opened and it saw that it was now in a sheltered place, far away from any winged creatures. The rock was filled with many small holes, good places to hide. The hand moved to the ground and it was freed, able to run away . There was still food in the hand, but it did not need food. It moved away and slipped quietly into a hole in the rock, finding it safe and cool.
Time passed in which the rhyl survived, but then it felt a new compulsion to go find food. It moved to the entrance to its hideaway and saw the winged creatures high in the air. If it moved out to find food, the winged creatures would get to it. Its instincts kept it in place, even when it began to feel hunger. It could not move. It was trapped.
But then the Large Being returned and once more offered food. This continued over time, and it began to feel a sense of comfort when the Large Being was around. It was entirely safe from all things when with the Large Being.
Soon, it began to prefer to stay with the Large Being, cupped between hands, or hiding in the folds of a warm pocket. It always had food and was safe.
Over time, it began to realize that the Large Being was a protector for no reason other than it liked to protect the rhyl. It gave nothing yet got a safe and comfortable life. The Large Being moved gently and was always aware of it.
Once it fell from the warm pocket while the Large Being was walking. There were other large beings around, but none noticed. None stopped. It was alone, exposed on a rock in the dark. It didn’t know what predators lurked in the cave. Its instincts were to hide, but an urge to wait overrode the instincts. The Large Being may still be present. It had grown dependent on the Large Being. It could not protect itself.
It waited, alone, growing colder. The world was quaking and the sounds of the shifting rocks hurt its ears. It knew it needed to hide, to run. But it wanted to wait. It had to wait.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
And then movement. A shape in the darkness. It could not see. But then it felt the soft hands, and it recognized the smell of the Large Being. It had returned. It was now safe. It would have food and be protected. It was once again whole.
It was loved.