No More Loneliness by Alien Son

[Nigel Gordon]

I have really enjoyed this story, not only for the story it tells but for the way it handles the interaction between the characters. It has also set up a lot of situations which can, and hopefully will be, explored in the future. I hope we see more stories from Alien Son set in this community with these characters as their lives develop.

You can find it here: http://awesomedude.com/alien_son/no-more-loneliness/no-more-loneliness.htm

[Rutabaga]

It's a very lovely story, and it also reflects a profound change in cultures. I worked a bit with deaf kids in the late 1970s and one of the things that struck me most deeply was how when indoors with friends they would be enthusiastically signing to each other but the moment they stepped outside on the sidewalk their hands would disappear and they would try not to do anything to betray their deafness "in public." We seem to be much more accepting of people using sign language nowadays, and more important, the people using sign language seem to feel much more comfortable doing so in public. (I well remember one day seeing a deaf guy in Starbucks using FaceTime on his iPhone to sign a conversation to a friend at the other end.)

It is extraordinarily difficult for someone who is deaf since birth to learn a spoken language. Unlike someone who loses their hearing after a few years, and therefore has the rudiments of the language in their heads from using it and hearing others use it, someone deaf since birth has no real clue how the spoken language of their family works. And it's very difficult to teach. Imagine being in an absolutely soundproof glass booth with people gesturing and pointing, trying to convey meaning. When deaf people use the TDD devices that are available, their communication tends to be fairly crude and ungrammatical, unless they have really worked hard on vocabulary and grammar in a spoken language. Sign language itself is more ideographic, like, say, Chinese, and bears little resemblance to English or a Romance language.

Having said all that, it was a very nice story and well worth reading.

R

[Cole Parker]

Wonderful and heartwarming story. There are people like the town people among us. They do exist. This is a great read.

C

[Lugnutz]

Excellent story. And not a gay themed story to boot.

[JamesSavik]

The more of Alien Son's stuff I see, the better I like it.

[Lugnutz]

I like it more. Mine is bigger.

[Gil Saul]

I'd really like to read more about these characters as well.

[Alien Son]

G'day, everyone. Thank you for all the nice comments! I guess I did something right when some of you are asking for more, but I can't promise anything, sorry. For me, when an idea has run its course, that's it - and I think this one has. However, if inspiration strikes again I'll go with it!

[Graeme]

Coming in late, but, yes, a wonderful story I used to work near the Victorian School for the Deaf back in the 80s and I still remember the kids on the tram signing happily to each other. However, the true delight in this story is simple that of discovery -- learning that there are people who can become friends, and good friends at that.

Thank you!

[JamesSavik]

A lot of BRATs (military kids) go through the constant moving and root-less-ness.

{ BRAT isn't a term of derision. It stands for Born, Raised And Transferred. We are Uncle Sam's misguided children LOL. }

When you are somewhere 3, 6, 9 months tops, you get to where you don't even try to make friends because it hurts too much to leave them.

I was really young but my brother was junior high age. He hated it. I can see how it would be much, much worse for a deaf kid.

In college I met a young guy whose dad was on the fast track to general in the "air farce". He was absolutely terrified of making friends because as soon as he did they were always off to the next posting. We had to let him know- you're a civilian! Now you get to decide who you keep as friends and when you move!

It must have sucked to live that way all through high school.

Writers take note- there is ample room for drama in this area and not much written.

[Graeme]

I'm not sure, but I don't think the ADF moves people around as much as that. My brother has certainly moved a few times, but apart from when he was deployed to the Middle East (his family stayed behind) they've stayed at one place for at least a couple of years. In some ways, he's probably closer to the family in the story, since he's not a combat officer (he's a chaplain) and hence has a different role to play to those that get deployed when needed.

[Pedro]

I was at school in the mid-late 60's. The school had boarding and day pupils. The latter included kids from the state sector as the school acted as the local Grammar School. There was a large RAF base in the catchment area and we used to get a few kids from there each year. IIRC some of these (including one of my best mates) transferred to boarding when dad got posted on, especially if it was an overseas posting. There may have been an element of choice for the parents. In my opinion a fairly enlightened policy. One that I doubt is used today. Selection, boarding and private schooling are all an anathema to the PC brigade in charge of 'modern' educational thinking, and the 'bean counters' will say the cost was too great. Certainly the type of mixed private/state school that it was at the time, no longer exists as far as I know.

[Pedro]

Forgot to say - enjoyed the story. Ta muchly!

[Alien Son]

Thanks for your comments, Graeme and Pedro!

I don't get much feedback on my stories, so all the positive comments here from other authors are very encouraging.

Graeme, I think you're right... I used to live in Sale, which has a RAAF base nearby. I knew quite a few air force families over the years, and they usually stayed for a couple of years before they were posted again.

Pedro, I was at high school in the 60s also - but in a different hemisphere :).

[Graeme]

One of the things that lifts this story out of the ordinary is simply the subject matter. Writing the story from the point of view of someone with profound hearing loss is a major challenge. You've managed to pull it off extremely well -- he only knew what other people were saying when there was someone there to interpret. Similarly for the communication problems when he wanted to say something to someone else. The point was laboured, but it was there and was a key part of the story.

[Nick Deverill]

I'd not say 'laboured', emphasised perhaps but I do have an advantage in understanding as I'm totally deaf*. What is nice is that this story makes it clear that Auslan is a language in its own right with its own grammer, as is American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL).

One of the nicest Deaf and Hearing stories I've read really.

*I was born hearing, moderately musical even for the first 40 years of life, but I'm now deafened due to a nerve condition.

[DesDownunder]

I was surprised to find no gay characters, but by the time I realised that, I was already hooked by this heart-warming story. Well done.

At the local supermarket near me, I approached one of the staff to ask where the tissues had been moved to. He had his back to me, and it wasn't until he turned that he saw I was asking him a question. He produced a pen and a pad and gave them to me whilst he pointed to his ears. Thankfully I realised he had a hearing problem. I also noticed that he was one of the most stunningly beautiful young men I have ever seen. I wrote "Tissues?" on his pad and he wrote back, "Aisle 16." I thanked him and he smiled at me which made me very light-headed.

As I left the store I stopped to tell the manager how impressed I was with the young man's work, and the policy of the store for hiring him. The manager thanked me and said he wished a few more customers were so appreciative. I don't know what happened, but I never saw the young man or the manager again and can only hope the lad was merely doing work experience, and that the manager moved to another store.

Life's tough enough, and as a lover of music in my life, I'm always deeply moved by the thought of those who cannot hear.

Again, thanks for a really wonderful story.

[Mihangel]

One of the best tales I've read in a long time. I've heard it said that the profoundly deaf are often content with their lot because they have a community behind them in support, and that the people who have problems with deafness are those who can hear. Whether that's true I don't know. Whatever the answer, this was a moving and uplifting story. Thank you.

[Graeme]

I'd not say 'laboured', emphasised perhaps but I do have an advantage in understanding as I'm totally deaf*. What is nice is that this story makes it clear that Auslan is a language in its own right with its own grammer, as is American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL).

One of the nicest Deaf and Hearing stories I've read really.

*I was born hearing, moderately musical even for the first 40 years of life, but I'm now deafened due to a nerve condition.

Arrghh....

I meant to type "wasn't laboured"....

[Alien Son]

It's interesting that some of you have picked up on things I never even thought of as I was writing the story. I guess to some extent each reader interprets what he or she is reading in their own way.

Graeme, thank you for your further comments. You're right - it was a major challenge. I have nerve deafness (that's the old name, I've forgotten what it's called now) and wear two hearing aids when I'm around other people. Without them I miss bits of conversation, and when I wear them I realise there are plenty of background sounds (like birds singing) that I don't always hear when I don't have them in. My experience with my hearing loss, however, is a long way from that of someone like Alex, and the story needed a lot of research. I feared I'd made Alex and his world less than authentic, so I asked Deaf Services Queensland (because the story is set in Queensland) for an opinion. I was gratified when they agreed, and even more gratified when they found little wrong; only a few fairly minor changes were needed after they read it.

Nick, Des and Mihangel... thank you for your kind words! Nick, I've been partly deaf for as long as I can remember, but the loss has increased as I've grown older.

[Rutabaga]

Hooray that this lovely and heartwarming story is back as a Pick from the Past. My extended comments are above. Don't miss it.

R

[Chris James]

This is a good story to read for character development and I am glad to see it return as a Pick from the Past. Those of us in the Americas are always fascinated by foreign landscapes in other countries, but most often discover they are the same as what we have around us.

I originally read the story and wondered where the gay connection might be, but I was not disappointed to realize it wasn't there. As in some of my own work, the love found in friendship can be a mighty source for emotional stories, and Alien Son has just proved that once again. This story was just as much fun to read the second time around....well done.

[Cole Parker]

Such sensitive and emotional writing, without going over the top. You end up loving and pulling for these characters, and they show how very good and kind kids can be. Just the kind of story I love. John did an exceptionally fine job with this one.

C

[Alien Son]

Thank you, Rutabaga, for resurrecting this thread, and for your comments. It's nice to know that you appreciated the story enough to do that.

Thank you, Chris and Cole, for your kind comments. I'm chuffed (and somehow humbled) to receive such praise from two of my favourite authors!

-- John