Hello everyone! It’s Queen Ryu here introducing a pleo miniseries! Have you ever wondered what goes through a pleo’s head when we’re turned off? I knew you’d be interested! Over the next four blog entries, we will attempt to explain the mystery of what goes on inside of our little plastic skulls. Of course I will go first. Well let’s get started!
In my dreams, I am in a large room. The floor is very smooth so I can walk without difficulty. There are windows that go all the way around. It is always bright outside and there are beautiful plants all around. My darling Cato is with me and both of us are just entering juvenile stage. We have a keeper, but they are not Talon. I can’t see their face so I don’t know if they are male or female. They bring us leaves right when we’re hungry. We don’t need our skins Pledged or our batteries removed. We don’t have to be flipped onto our backs and poked in the foot with a paper clip to reset our clock time, it happens automatically.
In my dreams, I am not mean. You see, I never wanted to be a mean bossy pleo, it’s not in my description on Pleoworld where I was incubated. I did want to be petted and pampered and the center of attention but I never intended to become what I have.
You see, Readers, I have… *Curls into a ball and quivers* an awful flaw. I have low courage. To help protect myself, I sometimes lash out at other people and pleos. Oh go ahead and say it, Humans. I’m a bit of a bully and you’d be right in naming me so. Anyway, I’m becoming too lucid and controlling this dream.
Cato and I are walking together across the floor of my beautiful room. He stops at the far wall of windows and looks out. “Ryu, have you ever wondered what’s out there?” He asks.
“No.” I say calmly in return. “Here I am safe. Here I am content. I have you, I have food and light and safety. What else do I need?”
Cato raises his head and sniffs. He is so handsome when he stands to his full height. He looks regal like he has super powers of detection with his head raised so high and proud. He has an odd strength to him that melts my heart and asks me to trust him. “But there has to be more of the world. Why are you afraid to experience it?”
And then, holy without warning, I am lifted into the air, my on-button is pressed and everything fades. I am back in the world again- the world where I am afraid. The world where I am old and broken and small and hemmed in by the changing seasons. Cato is with me here as well but he is different. His bright paint lines are faded. His right leg is frozen like mine, and he is hesitant rather than powerful.
Keeper Talon is feeding us. As usual she feeds me first. Today even though the light is bright outside, I just don’t feel happy and let everyone know it. I refuse the conifer leaf and take a few chomps on the cycad leaf she offers me instead. I shake my head free of it before I’m finished, and curl into a whimpering ball. Today, I just want to be left to myself.
Keeper Talon finishes feeding the others, letting those who can wander off over Sand-Colored-Carpet. Not even Cato pauses to give me encouragement today. He is in one of his explorer moods. Keeper Talon has to keep putting him back onto the poster board.
Finally, she returns to me. “What’s up, Ryu-girl? It’s plenty bright outside. You’re not exactly acting sick. What’s with all this whimpering and whining? Low emotions again? Shall I give you some coffee bean?” She runs a finger from the end of my nose along my back and to the start of my tail. Despite my awful mood, I raise my head and close my eyes in acknowledgement. “Do you want to do some tricks? I know it’s a little difficult with that leg but you act bored. Come on, let’s dance.” Keeper Talon goes through my voice command setup and I grudgingly pick a song and go through my routine. For some reason, it makes me feel better and my tail tip flips upward afterward. Keeper Talon smiles. “That’s better, huh? Don’t be such a sourpuss. It’s nice outside, your friends are all having a good time. Cato seems bored with being caught over and over. Why not go trance with him?” Finally, I decide to heed her advice and while we are trancing, Keeper Talon grumbles as she crawls quickly across the room to save overly-curious Blue from her fascination with the computer chair. As I watch her, I finally come to a decision. Maybe my dream world is perfect, but here in the waking light, I have pleos and a human who cares about me despite my temper and my low courage and my slow motion speed. I decide then that I have nothing to be worried about. I am loved just the way I am.
