It's been a while-a new baby takes up a lot of time. Hope y'all like it-I feel rusty.
She grasped the old-fashioned doorknob through the white mist and pulled the door open. Beyond lay an office, a quaint Victorian affair. She stepped in hesitantly.
“Close the door, child, close the door.” The middle-aged man behind the ornate wood desk beckoned her forward. “Come in, please. Let me see you.” His salt and pepper beard and mustache complimented similar hair while blending into a grey suit representative of another age.
She stepped forward hesitantly. “What is this place?” The books in cases on the wall were cloth-bound and worn with the affection of a repeat reader. The heavy green felt drapes blocked any hopes of sunlight, but the gas lamps on the walls brought a cheery glow. A fire in the adjacent fireplace crackled with a rhythm all its own.
“You had a…complaint, I believe, with your Creators. Since they are not currently equipped to address your concerns, I have stepped in.” The man smiled, tiny lines around his eyes showing that it was a common practice.
The young woman drew herself up. “And who might you be?” She lifted her chin defiantly.
“Consider me your Creators’ Creator. You had a complaint and I stepped in to deal with it.” His voice took on a gentle, familiar tone, a hint of someone’s uncle creeping in. “You may call me Heinreich, if you feel the need for a label. Now, tell me what ails you.”
The girl caught a glimpse of herself in a small mirror on the fireplace mantle. “Oh,” she said, looking at the long and flowing black hair that framed a porcelain-skinned face. “This…isn’t how I normally look.”
“Isn’t it?” Heinreich asked rhetorically. “Beautiful white skin surrounded by gentle black?” He grinned at her. “Consider this an avatar, a convenient form for us to interact.” He began loading a pipe, methodical and economical in his movements. After he struck his flame he waved the stem at her. “So what seems to be the problem?”
“It’s him,” she snapped out, and then paused, abashed, with her hand over her mouth.
“Go on,” Heinreich encouraged her. Small puffs of smoke wafted up from his pipe.
“He…he puts me in harm’s way. He demands so much, when I’ve already given him everything.” She pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in her white frock and began twisting it nervously between her fingers. “I don’t understand why he asks more, so much more, when I’ve already given him my heart and soul.” She cast her eyes downwards for a second. “Isn’t it ever enough?”
Heinreich didn’t answer for a moment, instead picking at his pipe with a scraping tool. Then he met her eyes as she looked up. “Do you love him?”
She blushed and cast her eyes downward once again. “I, I can’t say. I’ve never had a man like him in my life before.” The handkerchief took the brunt of her pent-up emotions. “He just demands!” She paced to the fireplace and back. “Can’t he say if he cares for me?” The handkerchief was much the worse for wear.
Heinreich grinned. “Ah, the age-old refrain of women everywhere! Let me ask you this. Does he have others, women, come aboard?”
She seemed startled by the question. “Well, yes, actually quite a few.” Her face flushed with anger. “While he ignores me!”
“And how many stay?” Heinreich watched her as she paced some more, her emotions propelling her to and fro across his office. “How many stay?” he repeated.
She drew herself up, shuddering with contained emotion. “Many.”
He shook his head slowly. “Not really. You know this. Are there, is there, any one that still remains?”
“Well, no, I guess not,” she conceded.
“But he is always there with you?” She nodded silently. “And he always comes back, no matter where he’s gone?” She nodded again. “There, you see?”
“But he –“ She bit her lip. “Is that love?” She flushed again, this time with embarrassment. Softly, “Does he love me?”
Heinreich looked deep into her eyes.
“Child, love is anything that draws two or more together. “
She considered for a moment. “I wish I could tell him.”
Now it was Heinreich’s turn to consider. After a moment he said,
“I think I can help you communicate what you need to.”
Her face brightened into a smile. “Oh, could you? That would be grand!”
He chuckled at her enthusiastic response. “Yes, I think I could grant you that.” He waved his pipe at her. “Now why don’t you get back to where you belong.”
James T. Kirk settled into his chair and glanced down at his helmsman. “Mr. Sulu, ahead Warp factor 4.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Another voice echoed in his mind.
“Yes, dear.”
Kirk glanced at his First Officer, startled. “Mr. Spock, who said that?”
Spock raised an eyebrow in response. “Said what, Captain?”
Kirk opened his mouth and then closed it again. He looked around the Bridge, and a warm affection spread through him. He felt his love for the great ship, stronger than ever, as if echoed within his heart twofold. “Nevermind. Mr. Sulu-the galaxy awaits.”
“Yes, sir,” the helmsman replied, busily punching instructions into his control board.
In Kirk’s mind a whisper trailed across as the Enterprise leaped to warp. “For you…”
The ship sailed out amongst the stars.
She grasped the old-fashioned doorknob through the white mist and pulled the door open. Beyond lay an office, a quaint Victorian affair. She stepped in hesitantly.
“Close the door, child, close the door.” The middle-aged man behind the ornate wood desk beckoned her forward. “Come in, please. Let me see you.” His salt and pepper beard and mustache complimented similar hair while blending into a grey suit representative of another age.
She stepped forward hesitantly. “What is this place?” The books in cases on the wall were cloth-bound and worn with the affection of a repeat reader. The heavy green felt drapes blocked any hopes of sunlight, but the gas lamps on the walls brought a cheery glow. A fire in the adjacent fireplace crackled with a rhythm all its own.
“You had a…complaint, I believe, with your Creators. Since they are not currently equipped to address your concerns, I have stepped in.” The man smiled, tiny lines around his eyes showing that it was a common practice.
The young woman drew herself up. “And who might you be?” She lifted her chin defiantly.
“Consider me your Creators’ Creator. You had a complaint and I stepped in to deal with it.” His voice took on a gentle, familiar tone, a hint of someone’s uncle creeping in. “You may call me Heinreich, if you feel the need for a label. Now, tell me what ails you.”
The girl caught a glimpse of herself in a small mirror on the fireplace mantle. “Oh,” she said, looking at the long and flowing black hair that framed a porcelain-skinned face. “This…isn’t how I normally look.”
“Isn’t it?” Heinreich asked rhetorically. “Beautiful white skin surrounded by gentle black?” He grinned at her. “Consider this an avatar, a convenient form for us to interact.” He began loading a pipe, methodical and economical in his movements. After he struck his flame he waved the stem at her. “So what seems to be the problem?”
“It’s him,” she snapped out, and then paused, abashed, with her hand over her mouth.
“Go on,” Heinreich encouraged her. Small puffs of smoke wafted up from his pipe.
“He…he puts me in harm’s way. He demands so much, when I’ve already given him everything.” She pulled a handkerchief from a pocket in her white frock and began twisting it nervously between her fingers. “I don’t understand why he asks more, so much more, when I’ve already given him my heart and soul.” She cast her eyes downwards for a second. “Isn’t it ever enough?”
Heinreich didn’t answer for a moment, instead picking at his pipe with a scraping tool. Then he met her eyes as she looked up. “Do you love him?”
She blushed and cast her eyes downward once again. “I, I can’t say. I’ve never had a man like him in my life before.” The handkerchief took the brunt of her pent-up emotions. “He just demands!” She paced to the fireplace and back. “Can’t he say if he cares for me?” The handkerchief was much the worse for wear.
Heinreich grinned. “Ah, the age-old refrain of women everywhere! Let me ask you this. Does he have others, women, come aboard?”
She seemed startled by the question. “Well, yes, actually quite a few.” Her face flushed with anger. “While he ignores me!”
“And how many stay?” Heinreich watched her as she paced some more, her emotions propelling her to and fro across his office. “How many stay?” he repeated.
She drew herself up, shuddering with contained emotion. “Many.”
He shook his head slowly. “Not really. You know this. Are there, is there, any one that still remains?”
“Well, no, I guess not,” she conceded.
“But he is always there with you?” She nodded silently. “And he always comes back, no matter where he’s gone?” She nodded again. “There, you see?”
“But he –“ She bit her lip. “Is that love?” She flushed again, this time with embarrassment. Softly, “Does he love me?”
Heinreich looked deep into her eyes.
“Child, love is anything that draws two or more together. “
She considered for a moment. “I wish I could tell him.”
Now it was Heinreich’s turn to consider. After a moment he said,
“I think I can help you communicate what you need to.”
Her face brightened into a smile. “Oh, could you? That would be grand!”
He chuckled at her enthusiastic response. “Yes, I think I could grant you that.” He waved his pipe at her. “Now why don’t you get back to where you belong.”
James T. Kirk settled into his chair and glanced down at his helmsman. “Mr. Sulu, ahead Warp factor 4.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Another voice echoed in his mind.
“Yes, dear.”
Kirk glanced at his First Officer, startled. “Mr. Spock, who said that?”
Spock raised an eyebrow in response. “Said what, Captain?”
Kirk opened his mouth and then closed it again. He looked around the Bridge, and a warm affection spread through him. He felt his love for the great ship, stronger than ever, as if echoed within his heart twofold. “Nevermind. Mr. Sulu-the galaxy awaits.”
“Yes, sir,” the helmsman replied, busily punching instructions into his control board.
In Kirk’s mind a whisper trailed across as the Enterprise leaped to warp. “For you…”
The ship sailed out amongst the stars.
, this Enterprise was all elegance and poise, though her heart was troubled.
All in all, a touching story. Kudos! 
