Prompt and Circumstance

A Different Planet

"Empathy"(Jan. 13-15, 2017)

"What's a 'different planet', Grandpa?"

"Well, it depends, sonny." Grandpa ruffles my hair, his eyes all soft and marshmallowy. "Seems like the only thing those scientist fellows agree upon is that every planet is different from the rest... just like folk, I guess."

I fold my arms across my chest, just like he does when he's thinking hard, and I lean against his funny, bony old knee. I love when he runs his fingers through his hair, making it stand up every which way. And the big wrinkles in his face deepen into great crags as he pushes his specs a bit higher on his nose - JUST before they fall off. Sometimes I nearly forget what I've asked him, I get so fascinated watching those specs teetering on the very edge of a fall right off his face.

"Do you mean like people coming from different countries? And they're other colours and things? And some have funny squinty eyes, and some slant right up into their hair. And it's polite to like them, even when they're 'different', Grandpa?"

"Well-ll yes... but there's another kind of different with people." And he tilts his head to one side and raises his big bushy eyebrows so high they nearly touch his hair. I like when he does that. "You know how all those whirly lines on your fingertips?" And I look, and I have. He's right AGAIN! But he just keeps talking like that's nothing new to him. "There aren't two sets of fingerprints the same in the whole world, even though there are over seven billion different people on Earth—"

"Did you count them, Grandpa?" I can't help interrupting him. I feel my eyes stretch really wide, and my mouth drops open.

"Mmm, no..." Grandpa looks like there's a blush on his smooth old cheeks. "Actually, I uhr... 'Googled' it."

"REALLY, Grandpa?" Wow, I know he messes around with his computer, but he only looks at the weather... I think. And he likes Facebook and seeing what the world is doing on his favourite news places. Oh... and playing card games. He loves card games on the computer. He does lots of that.

"Did you Google 'different planet', too Grandpa?" And I can see by the twinkle in his eye and the smirk that twists one edge of his mouth up, that he did. "What did Mr. Goo say, Grandpa? What?"

"Ah well-ll-ll...." Grandpa strokes his chin. No beard there, but he didn't shave today and there's lots of white stubble over the whiskery part of his face. Could be one of Father Christmas's helpers if he starts growing his whiskers now.

Suddenly I'm tired of our little chat, and I say, "but, Grandpa... I can't remember all of that to say next time."

"Next time what, sonny?" Grandpa scrunches his eyebrows together, looking a tiny bit annoyed.

"Next time I don't understand a maths problem and teacher tells me it's like I come from a 'different planet'!"

*Author's Note: This may seem a little oblique from the prompt - but here's what I said in the notes about the story -

There are all kinds of empathy, even between generations.

Was it a primal lesson in empathy that saw us ALL given fingerprints - apparently the same and yet no two totally alike?

Uncanny how they're seen first at the moment of birth - and yet their formation was complete 3 months before!