But I'm A Cat Person

Maria wildly underestimates how much staying power these rumors have.

To be fair, “will be a blockbuster hit in 2000+ years across formats that haven’t been invented yet” is a lot to guess.

…also, I’ve pointed out by now that Unshaped Being is a literal translation of “golem”, yes? If this wasn’t rendered in English by translation convention, they’d just be saying “golem.”

2000+ years later, all the present-day characters keep making their own guesses for what adjective should go before “Being”, since the original one got lost in the shuffle at some point.

María: Josh? Am I interrupting?

Josh: Nothing important. Just looking at the stars and wondering about our place in the universe. Come on up and join me.

Thanks again for letting us stay with you and your brother and sister, by the way. I know all the rumors about us have been hard on you . . .

María: Don’t worry, I’m resigned to that by now. Have you heard the latest guesses? Either I’m a prostitute that you redeemed through your incredible teaching, or I’m your secret wife, and that little-boy form Saxon takes sometimes, he’s our secret son. I’ve given up trying to discourage it. At this rate, there’ll still be a few years’ worth of gossip left after we’re both dead and buried.

Josh: Yeah . . .

You know what else will continue after our deaths? Saxon. Unless I erase certain clauses in the text that gives him life, he’ll keep right on existing as an Unshaped Being for . . . I don’t know how long. Maybe indefinitely.

If he’s like the Beings I modeled his script on, he’ll find a new Lord after I die, but the loss will be a huge, painful shock. And I don’t have the power to transform him into a person who can stand on his own, no Lords at all. Do you think letting him go on like that is the right thing to do?