"Okay, Pearl, I'd like you to show me how to find a home with someone. When I lived with Emily I didn't have a cat door, so I didn't really have the freedom to decide when to come and go, so this will be fun. Emily always said it was dangerous to roam freely because of diseases, cars, dogs, mean cats, and wild animals. I used to go outside sometimes but I always stayed close to home so I could run home if something bad happened."
"You won't have to worry about those things here, Alex. In this place you will be safe. There are some dangerous places that you could wander to if you don't know what you're doing, so make sure you check with me or someone else if you're not sure, at least until you learn more about how things work here. In the meantime, you can wander and see the sights, chase birds if you want to, or just lay around the house. I would advise you to check with someone before deciding to visit someone from your past. I can show you how to do it without getting lost or in over your head, but let's wait and do that another time."
"For now, just follow me and I'll introduce you to Ruth, the person you'll be staying with."
Alex followed Pearl through a grove of trees and past a pond filled with fish. After a short while they came to a small grouping of houses forming a sort of neighborhood, but each house was separated from the others by charming gardens and low stone fences. A lovely young woman with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and green eyes walked toward Alex and Pearl. Looking straight at Alex, she said "So you're Alex. I heard you were coming, so I've been preparing my house to m ake you feel welcome." Alex was taken aback by this, since he hadn't known he was coming himself until a few minutes before. Ruth smiled and winked at Pearl. " Pearl is one of my dearest friends and we don't have secrets from each other. Also, you and I are old friends though of course you don't remember."
Alex looked at Ruth wonderingly. "Can you hear my thoughts too?"
"Yes, Alex, I can. Not all humans here can, but I'm one who can. Some people don't believe it's possible to communicate with other species, and so they block it out, but for those who are open to it, yes, telepathic communication is the normal way of communication."
"What do you mean we're old friends? I don't recognize you." Alex thought Ruth was very nice and felt comfortable around her right away, but was a little put off by the fact that she seemed to know things about him he didn't know himself."
"I knew you before you were Alex, before you were even born. You don't have any memory of that time yet, but don't worry, Alex, you will. And don't worry about me being too intrusive. I will give you all the space you want, you will have complete freedom here to be yourself, and to be alone when you want to be."
They had walked into the house and Alex looked around. He liked everything about the place. There were perches up high and sunny spots to stretch out in for naps. He looked around but didn't see any litter boxes. He was about to ask, when Pearl said "No need for litter boxes here, Alex. Your body works a little differently. You can still eat if you want to, and by the way, you'll find the food more delicious than anything you've had before, but food is not digested or eliminated. It's all just energy here. You don't even have to eat at all, but I'm sure once you taste it you'll want to. And you can eat as much as you want without any negative effects."
"Can I have some now? It seems like it's been days since I've eaten. Oddly, I'm not really hungry but I'd love something to eat. Do you have shrimp? That's my favorite."
Ruth walked into the kitchen and returned shortly with a dish of shrimp and some tuna and placed it in front of Alex, and another dish for Pearl. They both ate voraciously. Alex asked to be excused after the meal that truly was the most delicious he'd ever had. He wandered around the house and explored all the nooks and crannies before finding a comfy cushion on a windowsill and stretching out on his back in the sun.
Pearl said, "I'm going to leave you now to get settled in with Ruth. I have some other things I want to do, but I'll be back tomorrow to show you some more cool stuff.
"Thanks, Pearl!" Alex said as he was dozing off.
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