A Recollection

The Non-Human Human

A Recollection

Mia isn't human. I had known this the minute I met her. The memory of that time is still a blur and even now I cannot make out all of the details, let alone understand. Yet even so, I know she isn't human.

Certainly she is 'human'. At least in the sense that she looks like one, she acts like one, she has common sense like one, and feelings like one. Yet those things don't make her human. They merely make her 'human'. 'Human' as in the adjective; 'human' as in the characteristic. Not 'human' as in homo sapiens; as in the species.

Upon meeting her I made this distinction. Or maybe I had always had this distinction and she only solidified it. After all, in videogames, novels, movies, or any form of media or story, there were always, in one way or another, an alien life form, creatures, mythical monsters and such that had the capacity and traits that could only be called 'human'. But they clearly were not. There were also some stories where these human-like creatures had the shape of man, or could change into the shape of man. They were human, but they weren't. And, I suppose, this is where the distinction started. But, regardless of the time of my understanding of the word, it stands to fact that then, at the time I met her, I had already perceived her as a non-human. As someone who was human, but was not.

I thought, at first, that she might be some sort of alien, a spirit or monster. But of course, these thoughts were quickly snuffed one after another. I watched her " though that may sound odd - from afar for many days and yet nothing was strange. I had hoped that something such as that time occurred again, so that I could have a clearer memory in order to figure her out, even a little, but it never happened. I only watched from afar as she interacted with friends and family and with people all around her.

But of course, the idea emerges: 'if she has family then therefore they must also be like her.' That is wrong; absolutely wrong. Her family is human. She is adopted.

I was annoyed and shocked at first. Another lead had dried up and I still could not find out a thing about her. For a few days after I was told I didn't bother to follow her around. I gave up on my quest to find out more. It was pointless to search for information on something right in front of your eyes when no matter how hard you tried, it lead you nowhere. The only reason I began to search again was because she spoke to me.

Perhaps at this point it is important to mention that due to tailing Mia for, maybe, a few weeks and asking about her on many occasions, a rumor had begun to spread that I was infatuated with her and that I was some sort of creepy stalker. I suppose the only reason I wasn't arrested or beat up was because Mia had no problem with it. How could she? There was no way to find anything out.

In any case, she approached me. I was trying to get that memory out of my head, to abandon the feelings I had built up and to get past the fact that I had a rather bad reputation now because I had wasted three weeks of my life following her. She came up from behind and sat beside me. We starred at each other; my heart beating like there was no tomorrow. There was an awkward silence. I wanted to ask what she had come for, but I could only make a few assumptions, none of which I wanted her to agree with. She finally spoke first, her voice was just as that day: soft and melodic.

"Hey, Ethan?" Her eyes bore into mine, unblinking. "Do you want to know?"

When I look back on that moment, where I was speechless and couldn't move, where she leaned forwards and whispered words into my ear, where she stood up, turned her back to me and walked off, I am glad of my decision then. Had I not done what I did, I would not be where I am. I would not have the chance to find out. Neither would I be faced with the constant mental confusion that I have now when watching her and the annoyance of reminding myself every time that Mia is 'human'. But she definitely isn't human.

Author's Note

Please be as honest and detailed as possible; I really want to improve.