Evolved(9)

I stood up, our hands still joined. He rose fluidly, still smiling. I fixed our hands so it was more of a palm hold, and gently pulled him toward the kitchen, but whereas a human might realise I’d need two hands to get myself some food, he never let go of my hand.

“Um,” I said, smiling at him. “I’ll need my hand back.”

“Oh.” He let go, startled. “Apologies.”

I gently touched his arm. “It’s perfectly fine.” I opened the fridge and looked at the rows of neatly stacked prepared meals. Some people still chose to make their own, though the mess of cooking, or even sandwich making, bothered me. All I had to do was take out which ever I felt like, open, and eat. Today’s lunch would be a whole wheat salad sandwich. I took it from the fridge, carefully unwrapped it, set it perfectly on my plate, and discarded the wrapper. When I was done, I took my plate and bottled water. “Will you sit at the table with me?”

He sat in his seat, straight-backed, and smiled. It was a little awkward that he would sit there and watch me eat in silence, so I needed to prompt conversation. I swallowed my first mouthful. “I work at the university, and I teach philosophy.”

“Which are your favourite subjects?”

“I find the issues of applied ethics interesting, but I love the history of philosophy. Ancient Eastern, Greek, Later Antiquity.”

Shaun nodded and glanced at my wall of books. “And you enjoy reading ancient books.”

I smiled. “They’re not exactly ancient. Paper books aren’t popular, but I do prefer them. But yes, I love reading. All forms of literature, from all periods.”

“You prefer this subject of literature over your chosen profession,” he stated simply. “Your pupils dilate and your verbal cues are more animated.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the heat I could feel spread across my cheeks.

He studied me further. “And the capillaries in your cheeks expand to increase blood flow resulting in a slight reddish hue of your face. This depicts blush.”

I took in a deep breath and steeled myself. “Yes, it does.” I distracted myself with another bite of my sandwich and swallowed it while he watched. “And yes, I do prefer the history of literature over philosophy. Philosophy is my job, and I do love it. But literature is my passion.”

“Are the two not intertwined?” He tilted his head in a curious fashion. “Historical literature and philosophy?”

I stared at him. No one had ever been so interested in this before. “Yes,” I whispered. “Quite often.”

“And in the history of literature, which is your favourite period?”

“The beginning, until now.”

One corner of Shaun’s lips curled in that heart-stopping smirk. “Early Egyptian hieroglyphics or ancient Chinese findings are most extraordinary.”

I put my sandwich down, wondering if this was a test or not. I also wondered which information had been downloaded into his CPU; I’d specifically asked to be able to discuss topics of books with him. But for him to choose Egyptian and Chinese literature definitely felt like a test. “There are many who believe hieroglyphics and Chinese scribes are not literature,” I added, testing the waters.

“It might be true that writings and literature, although connected, are not synonymous,” Shaun replied. “And not everything written at that time might be literature as it is known today. Though, can it not be argued that hieroglyphics was literature of its time?”

I fought a smile. I liked this. I liked it a lot. “Possibly.”

“Are hieroglyphs not poetic? Or can literature only be classified as such when it is written on paper?”

“That is still an argument amongst scholars. After thousands of years, there will always be differing opinions.”

“And your opinion?”

“I believe, given the very definition of literature, that if it was written in any form and found to be of cultural value, then it is literature.”

Shaun gave a nod. “And what does the Academia insist you teach?”

I grinned at him. “I teach my students to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions.”

“That’s very reasonable of you.”

I smiled as I chewed the last of my sandwich. “Do you have an opinion?”

His eyes gleamed, and I remembered Myles saying Shaun would like conversation. “I have automated reasoning and the ability to process data, recognising favourable or unfavourable decisions.”

“The ability to distinguish between right or wrong?”

“Yes. If I process historical data, I can determine if human interaction was wrong or right. I have a moral and ethical scale from which I can formulate reasonable conclusions, based on all information available.”

I nodded slowly. That was more than most humans I knew. “I like that. So, back to my original question. Do you have an opinion on what constitutes historical literature?”

Shaun smiled. “Yes, I do. Where you believe any writing of cultural significance is literature, I form the opinion that literature, in its broadest sense, is any single body of written works. Much like you, I believe date and origin are not deciding factors, be it ancient Chinese or Egyptian. And if it predates religious affirmation, that does not discredit it as a source of literature. Just because one scholar chooses to believe his findings superior over a fellow scholar because of religious or spiritual beliefs, does not change the fact that it is literature.”