All Chapters of A Little Empathy Is All We Need: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

 Fortunately, here in the Netherlands I decided not to become a customer of a nursing service, but to have the money from the health insurance transferred directly to my account so that I could look for my own nursing staff. And I liked that very much! A little fresher and more lively, I continued to tell my life story in a relaxed manner after the short break. ›Do you actually see your life as a punishment?‹, Grandma suddenly asked me on this evening, when we were talking about the most diverse religions, and tore me out of my deliberations as to whether the strict, intense belief in a God makes people made superficial. ›No, definitely not!‹ I answered promptly. ›I love my life down to the smallest detail. I am grateful anew every day that I live and may be on this earth. But sometimes it makes me sad to be loved so little by my sisters. I still get the feeling of envy fro

 And then in Sudan it happened that I consciously met someone with hexagonal eyes. Just as I was taking an evening stroll with Emma. Completely unexpectedly, the huge creature appeared out of nowhere. And now I saw this figure from my childhood dreams very consciously for the first time. Because back then, when I was attacked by a giant in my bedroom in Munich, I experienced the whole thing more or less like through a veil. And even now the robbery in my bedroom seemed like a nightmare, especially since this older gentleman had also appeared that night and defended and protected me to the point of blood. But this encounter with this huge creature here in Sudan was definitely not a dream. Suddenly it was in the middle of the way. Grandmother and I were deep in conversation.Out of sheer shock, I couldn't move in the first few moments. Because here I had least expected to meet an inhabitant of the yellow planet. And only now did the thought occur to me that we, Gra

Involuntarily, I thought of Finn, who always tried to find some excuse for the ugly or strange behavior of others. This had made me really mad in earlier times. Yes, I believed that people who behaved impossibly and conspicuously were to blame for their situation and could change from one moment to the next. But gradually I understood that all people were born “neutral”. Even the cruelest mass murderer! Every human and every animal began at some point to reflect what had happened to them during their life. Some who were mentally unstable and could not deal with the unattractive or even cruel they experienced became so-called "villains". But all that these living beings required was attention, security and understanding. We really lived too far past each other. And most of all, it was just not possible for us to listen to each other and to put ourselves in the other person's shoes. Otherwise there would not be so many desperate and sad people who sometimes did very ugly o

During the rest of the time in Sudan, I tried to do as much good and conjure up as I could. For example, edibles, clothes, blankets and medicines. But when I wanted to conjure up normal vitamin tablets, I accidentally conjured up tons of potency-increasing tablets instead. Ashamed, I immediately conjured it up again. Hui, such a terrible mishap can really only happen to me, I thought angrily and immediately felt no good again. I also wished for nothing more than to have you by my side right now, so that I could talk to you about all of my misfortunes. Finn came to visit me in Sudan for a week, but I couldn't tell him about it very well, even if he knew about my "mission".Grandmother was of course furious when she heard the story about the potency-increasing pills. Two days ago she had been so proud of me when my encounter with the giants was very light. And today I had another terrible mishap. It was enough to cry. 'Sometimes I think, Zerlina, you do all

Then suddenly the night came when Ellie and I left for China. At exactly nine o'clock, Elena stood in front of my bed and woke me from a deep but short sleep. Completely sleepy, I looked up at her and yawned heartily. Quickly and skilfully, as my grandmother could, she dressed me, then sat me in my wheelchair and brushed my teeth. ›How is it that witches have a mirror image and vampires, for example, don't?‹ I suddenly asked aloud into the bathroom, as I looked at Ellie and myself in the mirror. ›I don't know exactly either,‹ replied my friend. ›Most likely, because they are no longer made of real flesh and blood, but are only souls of the dead who take shape at night.‹ ›Well, vampires aren't that completely bloodless,‹ I replied with one eye, blinking and laughing. ›Because they drink the blood of humans and animals.‹ "Maybe you c

That night my grandmother came to us. Suddenly she was standing in front of my bed, pinched my cheek roughly and hissed at me, saying that I should be careful and not be so careless again. ›Oh, Grandma, do you seriously believe that Hu would have done it for me if I had confidently told him that I was an alien who had a very specific life task to do?‹ I asked, still very dazed from sleep, but at the same time very amused at Emma. ›Who still believes in true witches and wizards these days?‹ "Oh, quite a lot since Harry Potter again," suddenly beeped from under my grandmother's cloak. ›Momo!‹ I exclaimed, delighted and suddenly perky. And already inthe next moment my fat little cat girl was crouching in the middle of my bedspread and happily licking my face. Overjoyed I hugged Momo, cuddled my face in her velvety fur and caressed her with small, hectic kisses. 

For days I raved and didn't know if I was just dreaming it or if Johanna had actually told me that Finn, my future husband, was a king's son, but couldn't or didn't believe this either. And was it really true that I should tell him that I would have a very heavy responsibility one day? However, I couldn't imagine Finn believing me at all.All of this left me with no peace. I couldn't believe that the most important thing was me. But then it suddenly occurred to me that no one of us could expect Finn to deny himself the role and identity of an alien. So my additional job wasn't planned at all. And this realization made me feel a little milder again.When Emma came to me the evening after next, I tried to lure out of her whether it was actually my second job to make Finn understand who he was and what he had to cope with. To my annoyance, however, it was silent like a grave for the first quarter of an hour. It was only with great effort that I gradually got something out

Then came the night when my grandmother suggested that I could soon go to see the Pope. At first I thought Grandma was kidding me. But then I could tell from the serious expression on her face that it had to be true. I looked at Grandmother with wide eyes when she said clearly that it was true. And although I wanted so badly to meet the Pope, I felt myself starting to sweat with excitement. Unfortunately, I never found out how Emma had organized an audience with the Pope for me. Every time I asked her about it, she just shrugged her shoulders and looked rather mysterious. But I never got an answer!After learning that I was actually going to see the Pope, I spent the next few weeks feverishly thinking about who to take with me on my trip to Rome. With these reflections, I at least managed to distract myself a little from my second and difficult task. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anyone who could accompany me on this trip.Since winter was now advanced and an icy

On an icy night in the last week of January, Janica and I flew to Rome. Only this time we flew in a normal, warm plane. The risk was simply too great that the Vatican would discover our true identity when we traveled our brooms.We found accommodation in the apartment of a nun who lived just outside the Vatican. The apartment was bright, cozy and looked like a normal 3-room apartment. Oddly enough, I had imagined it to be a little different. There was just a cross with Jesus hanging in the living room. Fortunately, the nun's apartment was quite spacious and easily accessible with an elevator. And since Janica and I had traveled in a comfortable plane this time, I was able to take my actual wheelchair with me. I am not at all familiar with the life of a nun or a monk, I mentally apologized to the nun. I thought that in the apartment of a Christian nun or a Christian monk there are many more pictures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and crosses and that you can recognize their strict

When we flew back to Munich a day later, I was still pretty confused. I didn't know if I was happy to come home. How I would have loved to fly to a quiet place with Kira, my best friend, to sort my thoughts. But since this was not possible for me, I just flew back to Munich with Janica.During the days to come, my thoughts turned to you frequently. I had no idea why this was happening. But for some reason I remembered the countless arguments I had with you, all of which were quite amusing. In any case, we never really argued. Oh, I'm really lucky, I kept trying to convince myself. And indeed I was! Because I had a really beautiful life; I should soon marry the man of my heart, rule a country with him one day and then be able to be with my biological family forever and ever. Provided, of course, that I could convince Finn of his true identity! But another voice inside of me said that I didn't want any of this. I tried to defend myself against this certainty for a while, but so