Ellesha: Deep into meditation, yoga, eco-lifestyles, and vegetarianism, this woman follows an ascetic daily ritual. She believes in "energy-charging", healing, and nearly everything generally regarded as "fringe." Married (at least on paper) to a conservative stock investor on assignment in Tokyo, she's lived in half a dozen cities around the world, but the memories of her first years on a small island in Mozambique are most vivid. Widely criticized for seeming apolitical, she's more interested in how people live – not how they talk. Committed to self-growth, she believes that's the only way to help others. Though often dismissed as otherworldly, she politely ignores that and simply does what she feels is best. "We've got to transform the energy of this planet" she whispers. However, at times she regrets the way so people often dismiss things outside of their comfort zone as bonkers. She is also keenly aware of the contradictions in her own marriage. Her relatively affluent lifestyle is due to the predatory corporate practices of her spouse. |
Elijah: A sophomore at an international high school in Tokyo and Ellesha's only child. Born when Ellesha and her husband were in Brasilia, he seems calm and somehow beyond his years. Skilled at math and trilingual, he dreams about space exploration, time travel, and rocket engines. "Many of the problems of our world will be solved if we venture to the stars." Elijah recently remarked. His mother warns him not to be so naive about the benefits of science nor confident of technology, but how many 16-year-olds listen to their parents? |