Author:
We're at the end now, Kerra's true nature has been revealed, Astra has escaped, presumably to Earth, and the fate of Ereen is uncertain. All that's left now is an epilogue, but it won't be giving you the answers you want, at least not all of them. There are a lot of questions, for example, what happened to Astra's mother, is Astra ever reunited with her? How does Callie feel about the whole situation? The thing is, I could go on, I could keep writing, and writing, and revealing more as I went, but if I did that, it would get stale, the story would dry up, and it just wouldn't be the same. I've told the story of a little girl freed from slavery and living as her true self in a society that was incredibly hostile to her, and in the end, her escape from that world.
There are a lot of things that I want you to take away from this story, the first being that sometimes the people who appear to be your enemies are just trying to help you. Kerra's tough love was to prepare Astra for an eventual escape; she had to train her without giving her even half a hint as to what she was doing. A lot of people hated Kerra, at least one person nearly stopped reading because they were upset by her actions. You can't imagine the satisfaction I felt when I put the last piece in place knowing that all the clues were there as to whose side Kerra was on. Let's look at the facts. Kerra was a bitch, but everything she did had a purpose. Walking Astra on the leash was to get her to stay in a straight line with the heels; as soon as she took it off, Astra nearly walked into a wall. She made her run the obstacle course over and over again, but only because she knew that the spaceport at Luna only had one cell and if they suddenly needed to get Astra out, she would need to be able to navigate the vents and maintenance passageways on her own. She made her exercise so that she would be able to make longer jumps, and so that she would be able to climb that wall no matter what state she was in. In addition to that she made her practice lunging so that she would get a better jump distance.
Then you have Donna who sang Astra a lullaby, which was later used to draw her out of the cell. The point is, everything I wrote had a purpose, and I hope it all came together in the end. Finally, for those who actually want to hear Donna's lullaby, feel free to google the lyrics, it's an actual song :)
Comments
Just a little bit more please?
This is a really challenging story yet carries a strong message.
Thank you so much.
Gwen
Ending Thoughts
It is not often that a story continues to echo in my thoughts after I have finished it. It was not always enjoyable but it was always thought provoking. I doubt that Astra was transgender. When he said, "I exist because you say I can."
As I grew up, I had to try to be as masculine as I could, or he would surely have killed me. Astra just had to face it from the other direction.
I think that Astra deserves a chance to reunite with her mother. It was very harsh that the father was mercilessly murdered by a bunch of man haters. I don't think it can be excused by saying, "it is the culture". I agree that there are some very strange customs throughout the world, and I've seen some of them, though it is painful to talk about some of them. Afghani and Amish are two.
I could see the Federation completely punishing them, Though Tuareg culture and another near Bangladesh are strange enough. You did mention that you work in a Hosptial so perhaps you have seen enough pain?
Thank you...
For finishing the story; for wrapping up the loose ends and being so forthright with information. It is fascinating to have essentially, a “behind the scenes” / be able to read your intent and learn what I am to take away as a reader!
Thanks a thousand, million, bazillion times! Amazing writing, perfectly crafted story, superb author...