“There are?” Kla asked.

Mel grinned briefly. “You know more about crime in the ancient human city of London than you know about bad behavior here. Of course there are hwarhathwho behave in ways we do not find acceptable; and of course these folk learn to deal with the consequences of their behavior. Doctors know this, though we rarely talk about it.”

“In the stories I have translated, the solution to the puzzle is satisfying. The ending seems neat and finished, though – of course – I don’t understand everything. Humans are alien, after all. I can translate their words, but not their minds. This ending does not satisfy,” Kla said.

“How could it? Most likely the young men will be fine, once they are in a military unit with officers to watch them; and most likely the child will be fine, born in your grandmother’s house and raised by members of your family. But the girl is an unsolved problem. Maybe she will decide to stay here and study photography. Her work is full of possibility.”

“I don’t believe she’ll stay. She is angry, though I don’t know why. Maybe it is shame. She said our lives are full of fear and pretense.”

“We live with rules and obligations,” Doctor Mel said. “Most of us fear what will happen if we break the rules; and we may – as in this case – pretend that a rule has not been broken, rather than deal with the idea of broken rules. Is this wrong? I don’t think so. I would not like to live in chaos, without the net of kinship that holds us all, and without front-and-back relations. The girl may want more honesty. However, most of us want a comfortable life.”

Mel paused, obviously thinking. “The girl is right about one thing. Our universe is changing in ways that people could not have imagined a century ago. Look at your job, translating human literature. It did not exist in the past. Now, through your work, we learn about Holmes Sherlock and the shadows of London, also that irritating woman who lived in her own shadow.”

“Bovary Emma. That translation will never be released. It is too disturbing.”

Mel smiled briefly. “See how we protect ourselves!”

“Rightly!”

Mel gave Kla a look of affectionate amusement, then continued her line of thought, like a sulfollowing a scent. “There have always been people who feel constrained by our rules. Most stay in their families and are unhappy. Others leave, going into the shadows. Some are criminals. Others are outcasts or eccentrics. Doctors know about them, because we must watch everyone – even people who are difficult – for signs of illness. Public health requires that we treat everyone, even those we don’t approve of.

“Is it possible to be happy in shadows? I think so. Holmes Sherlock was happy, though he lived outside a family and made his own rules, and so was Watson John, who was odd enough to enjoy living with Holmes Sherlock. The irritating woman – remind me of her name.”

“Bovary Emma.”

Doctor Mel tilted her head in thanks. “Was unhappy, but she does not sound – from your description – like a person able to live a difficult life. Or even an ordinary life.”

“These are humans, and they are imaginary!”

“We can still learn from them. We can always learn from other people.”

“Are you saying the girl might be happy, even among outcasts?” Kla asked.

“Happier than in her – your – family. I will give you a name. Please give it to Nam before she leaves home. It’s a doctor in the capital city, a good woman who treats people in the shadows and collects art. She can help Nam get settled. If she likes Nam’s work, she can find a dealer-in-art. A good photographer should not be wasted.”

Kla looked at Mel with speculation. This woman she loved, who lived in a small town and treated the injuries of fishers, knew more about people than she did, although she had lived in the capital city and had been translating human novels for years. People were more difficult to understand than she had believed, even the people she loved. But Mel was right. A good photographer should not be wasted. Maybe this situation would work out. Best of all, the disturbing girl would be gone from Kla’s life.

Doctor Mel got up and limped to the room’s window. After a moment, Kla joined her. The street lamps were on, and lights shone on the fishing boats anchored by the docks. High up on the mountain, a gleam showed that the soldiers were home.

THE END

Eleanor Arnasonfell in love with science fiction in the 1950s, while living in Design House # 2 behind the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Growing up in a cutting-edge house-of-the-future may have influenced her. The early TV show Captain Video certainly did. She published her first story in 1973, while living in Detroit. This was the old Detroit, full of car plants and working people. She moved back to the Twin Cities in 1974, but Detroit – the old Detroit — remains an influence. It was the toughest and most dynamic and interesting place she has ever lived.

Since 1973, she has published six novels, two chapbooks and 30 + short stories. Her fourth novel, A Woman of the Iron People, won the James Tiptree Jr. Award and the Mythopoeic Society Award. Her fifth novel, Ring of Swords, won a Minnesota Book Award. Her short story “Dapple” won the Spectrum Award. Other short stories have been finalists for the Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, Kindred, Sidewise and World Fantasy Awards. Eleanor would really like to win one of these.

“Holmes Sherlock” is one of many stories about the hwarhath, a humanoid species that first appeared in Ring of Swords.