Speaker

Says Kid #1 (now 23) to me: "Mom, over the last couple of weeks, I've been listening on audio to Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. You remember, you gave me that book, Ender, to read a long time ago."

Say I, my heart akindling: "Yes. I remember."

Says he: "Great books. Especially Speaker. But it was cool to think about them now from an anthropological point of view."

Say I, my heart aglow: “Really? What do you mean? Tell me about it.”

And so we speak for half an hour about the things that matter most in the world: childhood, societies, history, perspectives, morality, love. Just me and Kid #1 (ahem, Adult #1), who is reconciling the beauty and tragedy of the world, and how history and the future rest side-by-side in the palm of his hand.

Thank you, Mr. Card.