"I'm nothing."
"Incorrect - you are a seed."
"I'm worthless."
"You are helping many people."
"Why are you giving me this acorn?"
"This is you, and your very, very long life. Plant it in fertile soil, and come back in 20 standard years. Keep helping people as you are, and you will see your answer."
"I don't understand."
"You will, I promise." -- Anon Guest
Ive didn't understand, but did as ze was told. Planting the gifted acorn as directed in the Station Park. Ze returned to hir habitual helping in a multitude of small ways. They were always little things. Small helps.
As an ex-deregger, Ive simultaneously wanted to repay what ze considered a debt, but also to avoid notice or notoriety. Thus, there were a thousand small helps ze could do.
Any moment ze had to spare, ze used hir kind hands for anyone who needed hir. Ze never introduced hirself, never stuck around for gratitude, and tended to make hirself scarce whenever anyone looking like a Deregger CEO turned up.
The infonets named hir "Shy Aide" and unknown to Ive, there was quite a lot of chatter about hir.
It didn't even take twenty standard years. It took five.
With respect for Ive's evident need for privacy, the grateful Alliance population sent gifts and time to Ive's home station. All marked "for the needy" and including some polite letters addressed to The Shy Hygiene Techie.
Inside of ten years, someone had made a sort of altar full of offerings. All contributed by those passing through.
Ive's tree was still a sapling.
When hir guide came back, after the twenty years ran out, Ive was confused by the result.
"Kindness," said the Galactic Guide, "like the acorn... grows."
[Photo by Juliet Sarmiento on Unsplash]
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