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(7.20) Lonely Hearts
(7.20) Lonely Hearts
Guest Quarters
Southern Palace
Kingdom of Lorta
22 August, 1938
Dia Zall knelt down before her wardrobe trunk, placing her hands in the center of the top surface. She slowly ran her teal hands back and forth across the smooth leather covering. She then moved her hands to the front, dangling her thumbs over the brass clasps which secured the trunk lid closed. Simultaneously, she gently grazed the metal in circular motions before releasing them with a double clicking sound. She opened the lid of the trunk to uncover several of her favorite robes, headdresses, and jewelry pieces. One by one, she removed each treasure, and placed it neatly on the carpet next to her. At the bottom was a bundle of purple cloth secured with twine. She stared at the bundle, then sighed before removing it. She stood up, securely hugged the parcel against her chest, and slowly walked across the room to her tidily made bed. She took a seat and held the parcel in her lap. She carefully pulled the ends of the twine, undoing the bow on top of the packaging. She unraveled the twine, then closed her eyes as she ran her fingers over the cloth, reminiscent of what it was like to caress her father's shirt when it was warm against his chest. She breathed in deeply, trying hard to recall his scent, before exhaling and opening her eyes. She then placed the purple bundle next to her on the bed and slowly unfolded the cloth, revealing that the purple fabric was a scarf, which was wrapped around a book.
The book was a copy of The Light, written by her father, Xan Zall. She took great care in picking up the book, as if it were an ancient tome. She turned the book over and placed it next to the scarf. The front cover was facing downward, exposing the back of the dust jacket, which had a rather handsome photograph of Xan printed on it. She picked up the scarf and wrapped it around herself, covering her arms. She wrapped the ends around her hands, clenching them as she crossed her arms over her chest. The scarf squeezed her tightly as she closed her eyes and drew air deep within her lungs. She was desperately trying to remember exactly how it felt to be embraced by him, and to have felt so loved. She cherished the purple scarf, for he was wearing it on the cold day they met. He removed it from around his neck and draped it over her shoulders as he promised to help and take care of her. “It looks beautiful on you,” Xan said to the child dressed in rags, “It matches your eyes, which are my favorite color.”
Dia loosened the scarf and draped it over her neck as she lightly touched the back cover of the book with her fingertips. She softly stroked the photograph of her father with her thumb and gazed toward the entrance to her temporary quarters and if he could walk in at any moment. She picked up the book and carefully opened it, but not too wide to avoid damaging the spine. On the first page, there was an inscription: “24, August 1937, To Dia, my beloved eldest child, on the day of your very first performance, I present to you the first copy of my first book. There is not a father in the galaxy as proud as I am today. I love you with every fibre of my being. Love, your father, Xan Zall.”
Dia's amethyst colored eyes began to leak tears. She closed the book and held it with the side that showed the photo of her father facing inward against her breasts. Her mind transported her back in time, to exactly one year ago, the day he first presented the book to her. As she closed her eyes, her face began to feel the heat of the stage lights that were shining on her that day. It was very bright as she stood on stage, but she could still see her father sitting in the back of the audience, lightly shrouded by the white veil effect created by the lights. She did not sing to the audience, but only to him. As the orchestra began to play, she was nervous, but the audience began to dissipate once she met the gaze of her father. As far as she was concerned, only the two of them existed in the galaxy.
Her face lit up angelically as she sang the words, “I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood,
I know I could, always be good, To one who'll watch over me...” She tried hard not to smile. There was an image she was attempting to convey, which was that of the the little lost lamb she was singing about. She couldn't help but show how ecstatic she was to see the pride on her father's face as he watched her sing. She hoped that he wouldn't view her smiling face as a failure, but all fear was extinguished once she saw his pride as he nodded in approval along with the slow tempo of the song.
Her heart started to race as she approached the end of the song. She felt as if the final note would never end, although she nailed it. Her eyes never left Xan, who's eyes never left her. As the final note faded, the audience began to roar, giving her a standing ovation. The crowd may has well not have been there. Her perception of time slowed as she watched her father stand up, screaming “bravo!” as he applauded. Dia wanted nothing more in life than to please her father.
“Join me again in welcoming Dia Zall, the eldest of Senator Xan Zall's adopted children! This is her first, and hopefully not her last, appearance on the Dinky Droid Show,” announced the host, with great enthusiasm. Dia was disgusted by the insinuation that she was adopted, although she obviously was not his biological child. Her gut was wrenching over how tasteless she felt it was for the host to point it out. However, she smiled pleasantly and bowed gracefully to the crowd of children. Her eyes were no longer fixed on Xan, who was nudging his way through the crowd toward side of the stage. She channeled her excitement about her approaching father into laughing and acting ecstatic to have been appearing on the show. She watched as Dinky Droid spun in front of her like a top and bleeped and flashed with excitement, while several other mascots danced and applauded around her. She looked around, smiling and shaking hands with each one of them.
The Dinky Droid Show was a G-Net affiliated holovid program, disguised as an educational show, but designed to subtly brainwash children to hate the republic. The premise was centered around a lovable droid, which was embellished to resemble a clown with a propeller on the very top of his trash can shaped body. The droid frequently malfunctioned as part of the show, which was written in as a result of having been victimized by a republic attack ordered by Chancellor Daz Murl. The malfunctions were part of Dinky's charm and the other characters would foster the children's critical thinking skills by engaging them in helping to solve how to fix Dinky. Once the problem is diagnosed, the children are enlisted to help find the three parts needed for the repairs. Then the special guests place the parts onto the droid as the children scream out where they think each piece goes. Once the pieces are in their correct places and the repairs are complete, Dinky reboots and his propeller spins, as he beeps and flashes lights. Everybody then joins in to interpret the beeps and lights to decode the daily lesson Dinky has to share.
The set was very bright. The floor of the stage was bright green, with a bright blue winding river painted down the middle. The curtains were baby blue to represent a sunny day. Flat clouds hung from the rafters and there were two humans in round, plushy sun costumes, one large and one small, dangling from the ceiling. The sun mascots swung from wires attached to the rafters and waved. There was palace balcony on the side of the stage, with a rainbow slide that led down to the floor. This is how special guests, like Dia, made their entrances.
The regular cast included a second droid who acted as an interpreter who steered the children to the correct conclusions. He was actually a human in a costume. The costume was bright yellow and the exterior was actually cloth. All of the animal characters were played by humans and all of the costumes, with exception for the metallic Dinky Droid, were plump and plushy with exaggerated features. Dia laughed and danced with the cast as she impatiently waited for the director to scream “that's a wrap!”
When he finally did, and the red light that indicated she was being recorded blinked off, she ran to Xan, and jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up and spun her around as she giggled with delight. Once he put her down, he spoke proudly “Dia! My darling little girl! I am so very proud of you,” he spoke intermittently, interrupting his own words with kisses to Dia's forehead. He lifted her to the tips of her toes by grabbing her by her upper thighs. His fingertips were digging into her inner thighs as his thumbs grasped her buttocks. She looked up at his face, smiling, then placed her head against his chest and once again embraced him. He moved his right hand to the small of her back, stabilizing her on her toes, as he stroked her lekku with the left. His cheek was pressed to the top of her head, his lips bussing her skin as he spoke, “Dia, you are my favorite child. I love you so very much. I thank the Light for bringing you to me.”
Xan let her go and turned away from her, motioning to his assistant, who was cradling a very large bouquet, which contained a variety of blue, purple, and white flowers. He also held a gift wrapped in metallic blue paper, secured with a purple ribbon. Xan took the flowers from his assistant and handed them to Dia, who smelled and embraced them. Her face lit up when she saw that her father had brought her a gift, “Oh! Thank you father,” she exclaimed with excitement, “You are the best father in all the galaxy!”
Xan gently pulled the flowers away and handed them back to his assistant in exchange for the blue package. He knelt down on to one knee before his impatient daughter, “Darling, this is very special. Do you mind if I open it for you?”
Dia smiled and vigorously shook her head back and forth, “No! No, not at all, father!”
Xan carefully pulled the ends of the purple ribbon and tore back the blue metallic paper with care, unveiling a book. Dia slowly read the title aloud, “The Light, by Xan Zall!” The pitch and volume of her voice raised as she read his name. Her amethyst eyes sparkled as she questioned in disbelief, “Father! You wrote a book?”
“Yes, my love!” he stood up and twisted her around, so that he was then positioned behind her. He pulled her in tightly, pressing himself against her backside, and placed his chin on her forehead. With his arms encircling her, Xan held the book up to her her face and peeled back the cover, revealing an inscription, which he read to her, “24, August 1937, To Dia, my beloved eldest child, on the day of your very first performance, I present to you the first copy of my first book. There is not a father in the galaxy as proud as I am today. I love you with every fibre of my being. Love, your father, Xan Zall.”
Dia twirled around and embraced him, “Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, father,” she screamed with delight! “I am so proud to be your daughter and I am so proud of you too!”
Xan handed the book to his assistant, who was looking away as if he didn't notice the scene that was transpiring between the father and his daughter. He turned back to Dia and kissed her on her forehead as he fondled the length of her Lekku. Once he reached the ends, he lightly tickled the tips. He placed his blue hands onto her teal cheeks and took a step back away from her. “Darling,” he sullenly explained, “I have a meeting I have must get to...”
“No, father!” Dia screamed, “No! You can't!” Her eyes began to tear up, “Father, you just can't! You just got here and now you are leaving me again!”
Xan wiped Dia's eyes with his thumbs, then slowly moved his hands down her face, down her neck, and stopped when his palms rested just above her breasts. He gently thumbed her collarbones as he kneaded her shoulders with his fingertips. “My dear,” he softly explained, “this is senator business. You would be bored. I would take you, but...”
“Take me!” She screamed, tears streaming down her face.
Xan pulled a purple handkerchief out the breast pocket of his business suit and wiped away her tears. He handed the handkerchief to her and placed his hands back onto her cheeks as he agreed to her demand. “Okay,” he said as he pulled her lower lip down with his thumb, which she lightly kissed. He took her by the hand and left the studio. Trailed by his assistant, who still held the book and bouquet, they headed toward a conference room. On her way out, Dia met a lot of positive feedback for her performance, from both the show's personnel and the child audience. Many members of the staff stopped to greet both Dia and Xan. Most of the staff was composed of Senator Zall supporters.
Once they reached the conference room, Xan held the door open for Dia. She walked in, followed by her father and his assistant. Inside, she saw representatives of at least 50 different species. Many she had never seen before. Xan stood beside her, placed his hand upon her shoulder and announced, “Allow me to introduce my eldest daughter, Dia. She was in the studio recording her first holovid performance. She has decided to come along today to observe so that she may follow in my footsteps.” He looked at her, and smiled with pride. With his arm around his beautiful trophy child, he continued, “Now, tell me more about this organization you call the RAH.”
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