Space * The Final Meow!

 

          “Willie, they’re confusing me again,” said Suzie, squinting her eyes up into little green slits.

            “Who’s confusing you,” said her brother.
            “Them. All of them. The ones here, and the other ones. You know. Mostly her!” mewed Suzie in dismay.
            “What is it this time?” he yawned and opened one eye.
            “Well, it’s space. Sometimes she’s talking about needing more space in the kitchen. I get that. Space is a place to put something, or for something to be. Sometimes she’s talking about some other kind of space,” said Suzie.
            Willie giggled, sort of, cat style, and said, “in space no one can hear you meow!”
            “Brrrrrt!” said Suzie and smacked him on top of his head.
            “I’m going to go talk to Toots! She’s not stupid!” announced Suzie. “In fact, Toots is mysteriously wise, and inscrutable, Willie. Slumber on!”
            She left him, napping away, in the living room and headed to the back porch for a quiet moment of communication with her friend Toots.
            “Toots, are you there? Can you talk?” said Suzie with her head bowed and eyes closed, tucked snugly behind the old upright piano where it’s quiet.
            Toots happened to be available for consultation.
            “Yes, Suzie. I’m in the window, but nothing is going on out there at the moment,” returned Toots. “There was some funny business last night, with all that moonlight, but nothing right now, even though the moon is bright again.” As she spoke her busy eyes never left the space outside the window.
            “I decided to talk to you because Willie is being stupid. I was asking him about the other kind of space, and he said, ‘in space no one can hear you meow!’ I know darn well anybody can hear you when you meow in any space in the house! Anywhere!” said Suzie.
            “Oh! He means out in Space!,” said Toots. “That’s where the Aliens live, Suzie!”
            “Hah! There have been Aliens in my house! A little mean black and white one, that we call Charley, who needs a good PowerPurr™, and a big fluffy dummy with long whiskers named something too stupid to repeat! Do I live in Space?” asked Suzie. “I never knew!”
            “Let me think,” said Toots. “We might be mixing things up.”
            “Here, let me send this. It’s online, if you know how to search for it!” said Toots!
 

space (n.)

c. 1300, "extent or area; room" (to do something), a shortening of Old French espace "period of time, distance, interval" (12c.), from Latin spatium "room, area, distance, stretch of time," a word of unknown origin (also source of Spanish espacio, Italian spazio).
From early 14c. as "amount or extent of time," and in Middle English the word was largely used of time (space of an hour, etc.). Also from early 14c. as "a place;" it is attested from mid-14c. as "distance, interval between two or more objects;" from late 14c. as "ground, land, territory; extension in three dimensions; distance between two or more points." It is recorded by early 15c. as "size, bulk," also "an assigned position."

🌟🌎🌖 

The astronomical sense of "stellar depths, immense emptiness between the worlds as a characteristic of the universe" is by 1723, perhaps as early as "Paradise Lost" (1667), but common from 1890s.

 
            “The word sure moved around a lot, Toots,” said Suzy. “I wish my Aliens were out somewhere between other worlds, whatever those are!”
            “It’s a little bit hazy isn’t it? But, in context, it appears that there are other worlds somewhere else! It seems to have something to do with time and distance Suzy, more distance than we have ever considered before!” said Toots at last, very thoughtfully.
            “No wonder then,” said Suzy, “that it was confusing. All that talk of Space and Time and other worlds makes my ears twitch and my tail do crazy things like when that comet was flying over!”
            “I wonder how much space there is in Space?” said Toots.
            “I don’t think any of them know!” said Suzy. “I guess I’ll go tell my very funny brother all about it,”. “Maybe, just maybe, there is enough space in his head to get it!”
            “Good luck!,” said Toots, “and goodnight, Honey! Let’s talk soon! I think I see something moving out there….later!”
            End of transmission.