Dear sister,


I feed your absence very heavily today. I now sit alone at my favorite coffee shop, watching the passing traffic out the window. Your presence sits beside me, but it is not the same as having you here. It is only a creative anime, entertaining me with animated stories about our childhood and occasionally throwing in an anecdote from our father’s vast library. Although it was long ago that we lived within the same general area of each other, the fact that I cannot hop onto a transport and be near you within a few hours is disheartening. I do not even want to mention the total lack of communication abilities we now face. So I sit here alone, imaging your face and drink my coffee in solo.


The college is out for spring holidays and I have taken this opportunity to enjoy a much quieter Oxford. Most students have vacated for warmer climates this week and I was actually able to grab a seat at my favorite haunt. The coffee has only improved since you your last visit and I am now on my second cup. I will need to return to the lab shortly, but it feels good to enjoy some time away from my calculations.


My appointment with the entomologist was postponed till June since Professor Simona was caught up in a battle against a bacterial outbreak in the bee population in South America. I gathered from her correspondence that the threat has now been contained, but over a third of the facilities inhabitants have been lost. Such a tragic occurrence since they were finally making strides in balancing the hives across the southern continent. She will be back on this side of the globe in late May and we can then make the final arrangements for her stowaways. She shared a model of the creature’s molecular structure with me. The DNA complexity is incomparable to anything I have seen in the related species native to the Earth. There are hints of advanced brain function beyond the capabilities of their Earth counterparts. I hope to have time on my outbound journey to study this feature thoroughly. From the narrative of your journey, I gather I will have several idle weeks during my own trip to the outer reaches of this solar system to do some extracurricular activities. I think I will fill it with something completely different to occupy my brain functions.


Well my cup is empty now and I will head back to my realm. I hope when you arrive in New London there is a pleasant coffee location waiting for you to discover.


Love Annalis