“It’s going to be difficult to explain this… but I will try my best: The truth is, this body has nothing to do with who I am and it isn’t even real. I generated this body in order to simplify the process of contacting you and having you adapt to me. I could have generated a tangible body if I wanted to, but I chose to be intangible so that it would be easier for you to believe me. In fact, here, touch me now.”
The stranger stood up and extended his arms once again. Jem curiously reached over, indeed, he was able to hold his hands! Wait a minute, Jem thought, perhaps I was fooled the first time. The stranger replied “Don’t think that way. You couldn’t hold me the first time because I didn’t want you to. I can choose not to want it now, too, just like this” suddenly the stranger’s hands had dissolved and disappeared from Jem’s hands. Jem faltered back to his seat completely awe-struck.
“Please explain what this is all about?” Jem asked his guest with a confused and helpless tone.
“I will try to explain. However, please stop me if I say anything that you don’t understand so that we cover everything and leave nothing unanswered.”
Gonul cut him off:
“Are you real or are you imaginary?”
“Perfect place to start! In terms of my image I can be considered as an imagination, yet in respect to my actual being, I am absolutely real!”
Jem seemed confused:
“So, are you saying that we’re imagining you now?”
Alph tried to explain:
“I am essentially a real being; I’m not the product of your imagination. However, my being, unlike yours, doesn’t comprise a material body. I guess we can say it’s beyond matter.”
Gonul asked:
“How about the body that we are seeing?”
“That is your imagination.”
Jem needed reassurance:
“So we’re not actually seeing your actual self, right now?”
“No! I simply took this familiar form so that you wouldn’t be terrified. In reality I don’t have a body like this. In fact, if I want, I can simply choose to make this body disappear.”
Suddenly the sofa Alph was sitting on was completely empty.
Jem and Gonul exchanged befuddled looks. They both began to talk, then each decided to let the other talk first, but then they both went quiet again.
At this point, the stranger who had introduced himself as Alph reappeared again.
“So, as I was saying… I am an immaterial being, that is, I am beyond matter. When I wanted to make contact with you, however, I projected this body image by sending certain waves to your brain’s sight center. Interpreting this data by comparing it to all the other things that you see, you infer that I exist in material form.”