Dearest Akin,
I am writing you this letter as your mother and protector, but also as the link between the two identities in your being which both unite and alienate you from others. You are special Akin. You are the product of two races of distant origins combining, evolving, growing, and becoming something righteously beautiful. You encompass the hopes, futures, and possibilities of the Oankali race while also assuring humanity’s survival in a universe too vast to support its relevance. You are a bright top spinning toward a glass-smooth destiny of remarkable proportions. Never stop spinning Akin.
You once had a human father Akin. His name was Joseph, Joseph Shing. He was killed by other humans for embracing the differences of the Oankali and human races. You are the product of his death, my labor, and Nikanj’s guilt. Nikanj is your Oankali father. He recognized the razor sharp loss of Joseph in me and sought to heal it by creating you. You, Akin, are a radiant light in deep black nights. You are a vision, too vast to be readily recognizable. You are a whip recoiling around the humanity’s throat, tightening from fear and misconceptions. Loosen your grip Akin and learn from the humans who seem the most distant from you. You are strong, just as I am. Use this strength as a tool for discovery not anger.
Never forget me Akin. There may come a day when humanity’s violent and selfish ways will come between us, but please Akin, please allow yourself to remember the womb, when we shared my body and its nutrients, how we slowly danced toward an elevated, hybridized reality of magnificent proportions. You are a guide Akin. Guide the Oankali and humanity toward infinity. You are a hero simply because you are here, with us—encompassing us. You are loved Akin.
Your mother…Lilith.