For a long time the cactus just sat there. “Are you lonely?” Emma asked it one day. “Sometimes it’s okay to be lonely. But sometimes, you just need...”

Emma brought her hand close to the stem of the cactus. The tiny spines looked sharp but at the same time soft. “You’re not going to prick me, are you?” Emma asked. Cautiously she touched the cactus. Her hand trembled. Slowly she let her finger caress upwards along the stem. She felt a mild tingle, not just in her hand but throughout her body. “Does that feel good?” she asked. She repeated the caress. The tingling swept over her, like the mildest electric shock. “Nice boy,” she said, stroking upward gently, again and again.