RP3: If Children Can Understand

Once upon a time there was a being named Forshee.  That is what their ancestors and the other beings that populated their life called them.  Forshee, was not made by the merging of two people, they had always been alive since the beginning of time.  The place where Forshee lived was one of harmony and learning. When two beings met each other, they would say “hello” in whatever language they spoke and wait to hear a response.  If the response was in a language that was foreign to them, they would turn to dancing or drawing to express their greetings. Then the two beings would look at each other with curiosity.  They did not wish to understand one and other but instead find the questions that could explain what they shared and what they might never understand about one another.  They would ask by what names they should call one another and understood that each being had a different story of creation. 

Forshee, had heard stories of a world in which not all beings were asked what name they should be called.  Instead this world had come up with “categories” for beings based off of how they looked.  The people of this world rarely asked beings questions when they met for the first time.  Instead they used the “categories” they had created to decide for themselves what the story of creation for the knew people they met was.  This world was spoken about in scared whispers by the elders that Forshee knew.  Forshee did not understand what about this world made the elders scared.  He wished to find out for himself.  After all he had always been told; “you can never know, until you ask, and even then you must question what you hear.”

Forshee decided to explore this new world and see for itself what it was like to have a language of “categories.”  When Forshee arrived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the first being they met said their name was David.  When Forshee introduced itself the David looked upon it questioningly.  Forshee, thought this was because the being had not understood its language so Forshee began to dance.  David looked scared, then confused and then began to laugh.  David laughed and laughed, then David ran out of sight.  Forshee stopped his dance, he did not know what he had done to scare David away.  Minutes later David returned with three other beings, David pointed his finger toward Forshee and much to Forshee’s surprise performed the dance Forshee had just finished, laughing the whole time.  The new beings laughed as well and Forshee watched for this was the polite thing to do during a performance.  Then David stopped abruptly and waved his hands at Forshee “dance, dance, dance!” David shouted.  Forshee smiled, he liked how excited this being seemed so he jumped and shouted his name in celebration. “David, David, David.”  David stopped his shouting and took hold of Forshee’s wrist “who are you boy!?” David demanded. “I told you my name is Forshee” Forshee replied  Then Forshee stopped, they could not think of anything else to say.  Who am I?  “What do you mean” Forshee thought? Then Forshee said “Who am I in relation to who?”  This made David look even angrier, “where are you from, asshole?”  Forshee, stepped back, they understood. They knew that word, which David called them, which was not their name.  David did not want to know the story of Forshee’s creation, David did not care to understand that.  So Forshee said with a disappointed sigh; “My name is Forshee and I come from elsewhere.”