The concept was new: I sit at a table and talk to somebody who wasn’t from my world. There’d be others nearby doing the same thing. A host would ding a bell, and whomever I was talking with would move to somebody else. If I felt like I’d like to visit their world one day, if I could see myself with them long-term, I would write their name on a piece of paper, and if they liked me, too, we could call eachother the next day.

That’s how desperate we were now, seeking others from different realms. The era of space exploration hadn’t been so great after all.

With a sigh I waited, hearing bustling and chattering around me. We were all separated by thin dividers. I stared in front of me at the empty chair. Then, he sat.

I had never seen anyone like him. So regal in the way he held himself, yet so respectful. His blonde hair was slicked back into a ponytail and his forehead bore no wrinkles, unlike mine. His nose, although slightly upturned, was endearing, and his teeth were a pale white with visibly sharp incisors.

“Mistress?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled. “What do I call you here? Ma’am? Is that it?”

This was all so strange. “You can call me Amelia.”

“Amelia. Pretty name. My name back home is Laughleigh, but you can call me Laugh.”

“Easy enough,” I answered. I was trying not too smile too obviously. I had never felt so curious about somebody, so unsure about who they were.

“What’s this planet like?”

I stared back at him. “It’s nice enough. There’s water, food, shelter.”

“But some things are missing, no?” Laugh tilted his head to the side.

“Companionship,” I nodded. “What about where you’re from?”

“Our essentials are different there. Here, you need food, water, shelter to survive. Not there. In my home, we need, as you say, companionship. We need love. Or we grow thin and we die.”

A bell dinged from across the hall. Laugh stood up, as my heart raced with curiosity.

“Maybe I’ll see you across the mirror,” he winked, leaving me to wonder.