Robbie asked him where the gypsies live. Savva showed him in his mind a picture and Robbie asked why, why live among broken down factories and abandoned warehouses, when there is land with grass and trees where they can camp. Savva explained they need to be close to the metro so that they can travel to the suburbs for earning some cash.
If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 10, use this link button to open the LC Book Index:
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“Do you mean they hold jobs?”
Savva chuckled. “They go from house to house offering to read cards or ward off the evil eye some person has placed on them. There are still a lot of gullible people who believe gypsies can foretell the future. While they do so, they are also examining what the people own and how easy or difficult it would be to break in. The tsinganni (gypsies) are abandoning their old ways and now many of them are just common criminals.”
“Is that because they are not allowed to beg?”
“To a large extent, yes.”
“I don’t think that is a good trade off.”
“The authorities are working on it Roberto.” His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why? What are you thinking?”
“I think Greece is throwing away a great tourist card. They should issue licences for the tsinganni to beg with certain conditions attached. To give you an example, most people still have a romantic picture of what gypsies are like. They should be induced to wear the colourful clothes gypsies are supposed to wear and be allowed to perform, play music and dance at tourist areas. Instead of fighting them, we should be integrating them, making them a part of the culture.”
“It probably would have been a good idea thirty years ago, but I doubt that many of them can play their traditional music or dance to it anymore.”
“If they can’t, they can be taught. If it is done in a nice way and we help them get started, they could become useful members of our society.”
Savva groaned. “You are actually going to do something about it.”
Robbie had only been talking, but when Savva said that, he decided he would. Late in the afternoon, he changed himself so that he would not be recognised and jumped close to the area where gypsies live. He walked the littered streets until he saw a place with chairs and tables with a number of gypsies sitting as a group, enjoying an animated discussion. There was instant silence when he grabbed a chair and joined them. He ignored their emoting and smiled at them.
They insulted and threatened in their own language and then some of them did so in Greek. He nodded, as if agreeing with some thought he’d had and then spoke to an elderly man who seemed to be a figure of importance in their community. “It must be very sad for you, seeing how your people have changed. Do any of the younger ones remember your traditions? The tsinganni may be thought of as thieves and many other unpleasant things and you may have thought of us as being stupid, but we each had our place in the scheme of life. Even when you stole, cheated and lied, you did offer something back to those whose money you took. Now, what do your young ones do, just steal? Let me tell you a little story of what happened to me years ago when your women still sat on the pavements with their children.
In Kifissia there was a woman who sat on the pavement between two coffee shops. She had a baby and a little girl of about five years old. Let’s call the child Maria. Maria was not made to sit by her mother all the time, she would run off to the kiosk or just walk around, always staying within sight of her mother. The mother begged from me, but I was not willing to give her money. I offered to buy food for the child. She agreed, so I bought a small milk, a small chocolate and a hamburger. I gave them to Maria and insisted she eat and drink while I am there. I ignored the looks everyone was giving me and crouched in front of Maria. She refused to eat and I was suspicious, thinking maybe the mother would take the food and give it to her man, so I insisted. Maria shook her head, refusing, and told me she cannot eat if her baby sister doesn’t have any food. I’d thought the baby was still breastfeeding so I asked the mother and she suggested a small yoghourt. I brought it and Maria ate her food. I was laughing inside me, thinking the mother had trained her daughter well.” A few of the gypsies chuckled and commended the child for her cunning.
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“I walked past them two or three times a week. I’d always get some food for Maria with a few sweets or a small chocolate for afterwards. One day another little girl was with, a cousin I was told. I’d seen her sitting with her mother further up the street. I asked whether the girls could come with me to the hamburger shop to choose their food. It was close to lunchtime and there were two long queues. We joined the one queue and I talked with the girls. Their faces and hands were filthy, the younger cousin having snot all over her nose and upper lip. I imagined the girls clean and dressed nicely and I decided they would be sweet little girls. I mostly enjoyed their spirit and liveliness as they talked to each other or me. As we drew close to the counter I looked back and saw the other queue stretched all the way out into the street while there was no one behind me.” Some of the men laughed and nodded while others looked even angrier. Robbie grinned, “May I order a beer, talking makes me thirsty.” They brought him a beer and one of them offered him a cigarette. He sat back with a smile.
“A woman with two children must have noticed my queue did not exist, as we were waiting for the food to be delivered to us and I was paying. She started walking towards us, stopped and returned to join the long queue, but her little son ignored her and walked towards us. The mother called out to him, ‘Stay away from them, they are full of germs.’ I did not show my anger because of Maria; she did not understand what was said. I looked at the people in the queue, expecting to find hostile faces, but they were all pretending we did not exist. I called out to the woman, ‘We all have germs, but not all of us have hearts. When you see on television children starving, flies walking over their faces, you speak with such compassion and maybe even send some money to a charity for them to help. You tell your friends what a terrible thing it is that such misery exists and you think it shows what a good heart you have. Children that suffer and hunger, right under your own noses, you do not want to help, they are just things with germs and disgusting. I’ll tell you something, just as you treasure the hearts and minds of your children, so should you treasure these. They are trapped in a cycle, forced to grow up as their parents did, if we don’t extend a hand to them. It is not good enough to say the government must take care of them, every adult is responsible for all the children of the world and we should each do what we can.”
There was a stony silence as the gypsy men stared at Robbie. They appreciated he was speaking out of kindness and had not meant to insult them, but they did feel insulted, for they are a very proud people. Most people do not realise that, for they do not understand that what pride demands is not the same for everyone. They may beg, but to them that is just a game they play with the stupid non-gypsies and if they can cheat us or steal from us, it is only because we are stupid, superstitious or greedy, not because they are dishonest. He pretended not to notice. “Why have I come here? Was it to tell you my story and make myself seem to be a good person? I’m not good, I’m an artist and artists are allowed to be crazy. I’ll tell you what I am, I’m a man who does believe that every adult is collectively responsible for all the children of this world. I am a man who sees our cities have grown and nobody wants to help others because they think that their governments should help. I also see a people who were proud of their traditions, proud of their way of life and their independence, refusing to bow their heads to any government or king. I see the Tsinganni and I see a way of life dying. I want to do something to stop that.
I have a plan I want to discuss with you, but before I do, let me finish with Maria. She had touched my heart and I decided I would help her. I would offer to pay her parents what the mother would lose from her begging if they would allow her to go to school. I would agree to pay all expenses, buy her clothes and take care of any medical expenses as needed. To start off I went to a pharmacy and asked for multi vitamin tablets for a small child. The pharmacist asked me the age and I told her I did not know. I explained and she chose the vitamins and sold them to me at half the price. Do you see how doing something good did not only help me? That woman was touched by my caring for a tsinganiko child and did a good deed. That is the way of love, it spreads out and warms hearts, just as hate does the opposite. I should mention that one day I saw an old man call out for Maria and when she ran to him he gave her a milk. The mother told me he came every day to give her a milk. I wish I’d talked to him for he was the first Greek I’d seen who showed he cared.
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A few weeks later the family disappeared. I was told that since it was summer they probably had gone to an island to make money from the tourists. I am glad they did for that saved me from making a fool of myself. Only after a long time did I see that I was wanting to change that little girl into a Greek. That was foolish of me. Being a tsinganiko child is a precious part of her.
Here is my plan for helping you become the people you used to be. I will buy a piece of land, put electricity, water and sewerage and all tsinganni are welcome to stay there for free. I will expect your elders to control the people so that there is no crime in the area, so that people do not fear you. I will pay for one hundred caravans of the old style, but with modern amenities added, to be built so that you live as your parents did. I will also pay for clothes. I want your women to sew them in the traditional ways. You must look like tsinganni to all the Greeks and foreigners. Teach yourselves the old music and dances so that you make money from showing others what it means to be a tsinganos, make money from showing them you are proud to be tsinganni. I will provide the places for you to put on your shows and do your fortune telling.”
One of the men, a dark-eyed and fierce looking man of about twenty five, came to his feet with a knife in his hand. He demanded Robbie stand up and fight because he had insulted them with his charity. Someone placed a knife on the table by Robbie. An old man stood up and spoke to the young man in their language, telling him that if he attacked he would be exiled, no longer a tsinganos. That caused many arguments to break out. Robbie stood up and the old man ordered him to leave.
“I’ll leave, but I will return for you to tell me whether you want to be known as tsinganni with a culture of your own or whether you want to be known as thieves and criminals. I’ll return in three days.”
As he turned to leave, a knife was thrown. Robbie leant over and it flashed by harmlessly. He nodded to the man who’d thrown it and walked away. Now that I write of it I’m amused at the thought that for once the tsinganni paid for the beer instead of us paying for them. It probably upset them more than his words did.
As he’d promised, Robbie went to them three days later. The crowd was enormous, but only the elders sat at the tables. Robbie spread out some maps on the table.
“This is the land I have bought for you. It will take a few months for the facilities to be installed and for me to get a permit. Here are designs from the museum of gypsy carts and drawings of gypsy clothes. I do not know whether all gypsies in all countries wear the same, so you do not need to use these to create your clothes. I am providing for a private bus to take those of you who wish to work into town and take you back home at the end of the day. The metro station is about twenty minutes away if you prefer to use that. After three months you will have to pay for the bus.”
He spread out another map. “I cannot get permission for you to perform in public, so I’ve arranged for you to be given space at these places. The one of them is the Cherinian embassy, they will make available space in their lobby. In the summer you will perform at various tourist areas thanks to various friends arranging for tavernas and restaurants to give their permission.” He smiled. “The Cherinian embassy considers your appearance there as of benefit to them also, so you will be paid by them, but you will also be allowed to make collections from the public.”
Robbie tried to present it as something simple, but it was not. There were many arguments and once he’d convinced them to try his ideas he had to call in for various professionals to help. Laughingly he calls it the Gypsy Movement, so Wendy and Candy wrote a lively piece of music with the same title and Lua danced to it in the gypsy style. The girls then came up with the idea of putting on a show for the gypsies at the land that is still being prepared for them. Even the authorities were astonished at the number of tsinganni who turned up for the show, they had not realised how many of them there are in Athens. If the girls did not inspire them and make them proud of their heritage, I don’t know what more can be done for them. A side effect of all of this was that they learnt that the Greek they’d met is actually Robbie.
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From our side, we were proceeding faster than we’d expected and soon had carpenters, electricians and plumbers at our camping site. A number of assistants joined us in corvee, claiming it feels as if they are helping in something good. Although the ADFI is paying for everything, we always encourage volunteers because of the goodwill it creates. We insisted on putting up a little kiosk for selling sweets and ice creams. We wanted the children to be given a small amount weekly as pocket money and they should then spend it as they want. I suspect most of them will keep their money if their food machines can provide them with what we sell. Oops, that gave me an idea and I ‘spoke’ to a Unation scientist. I asked for a small recorder that can keep recipes, taking them from food machines and programming them back in. That way people can have hundreds of recipes instead of being stuck with the same boring stuff without losing the recipes they want to keep. The Unation, Inguel and Anadir found the idea exciting and are working hard at producing what is needed.
It is now the month of March and a celebration of the general Cherinian anniversary is being prepared. Our problem is how to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Robert, Cherine and Dommi. Dommi herself came up with an idea we liked. As Robbie and Cherine have done in the past, so will we do for their wedding. Solomon prepared their World, extending Athens to include the mountains surrounding it and the ruins of the church they got married in.
It was suggested they start from the morning they asked Alki to marry them, but then Robbie chickened out, afraid Alki might convince them not to get married. The re-creation would start with everything in place, including clothes and rings and with them walking up to the ruined church. As could have safely been predicted, everyone wanted to share and since there were no ‘private’ moments, we took hundreds of thousands of Normals to the Sparkler World. They have to watch from large screens, while the rest of us share with/from the participants. We did send the emoting on to the Normals so that they can share their feelings secondhand. After all, that is what this day is all about, their feelings, not the political importance that so many newscasters ascribe to it.
Cherine had little devils dancing in her eyes as she prepared herself for the re-living of such an important day and we guessed she was anticipating the shock of Alki and the embarrassment of Robbie. They arrived at the circle in Politia and their memories were blocked to the same moment from their past - we did not saddle Robert with the debilitating weakness he suffered from at that time and he believed he’d physically recovered a few weeks ago. They were positioned so that neither of the three would see the other as they ‘came to’. For a moment they looked bewildered, as if coming out of a daze. They then looked at each other and their excitement resurfaced. Robbie will write of it.
The sun was bright as we climbed the mountain and the refulgence of the shards of marble that glittered like mica made us feel the whole world was rejoicing with us. The crepitation of pebbles dislodged and the snapping of thin dry stalks from thyme bushes as we stepped on them and the peculiar scents of thyme gave the moment an additional beauty for us to remember. I’ve always preferred the view of mountains and cliffs to that of the sea, but I would have preferred it a little more green and less stony. As we arrived by the ruined church, we saw Alki waiting for us.
“You brought a camera! Thank you, I didn’t think of it.”
Dommi smiled. “He’s only used to thinking of painting, I bet he doesn’t even have a camera.”
I gave the girls the two parcels I’d been carefully carrying and they went behind the remains of a wall to change into their wedding dresses. Alki stared at me and I felt uncomfortable and guilty. “I guess it looks stupid to you.”
“God help me if it becomes known.”
I felt a surge of guilt. “Alki, we’ll perform the ceremony on our own. Just stay to share this special moment with us.”
He scowled at me, his voice harsh as he tried to hide his feelings. “How does that help? Anyway, I promised the girls I’ll marry you and I don’t break my promises.” He saw that my attention was not on him, that I was concentrating on our surroundings. “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry? Oh, nothing. Alki, something new has happened.” I told him about how I’d healed the girls. I didn’t need any gifts to sense his awe.
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“I keep forgetting how special the three of you are.” He stared at me and it felt as if his eyes were boring into my soul. “Someday the whole world will know about the three of you, you won’t be able to keep your powers a secret forever Roberto.”
I shivered. “They won’t see the promise Alki, they’ll fear us and try to destroy us.”
“Some will, but some will adore you, especially Cherine.”
The girls came out and I was struck by their beauty all over again. Cherine had been making Dommi laugh and the happiness on their faces, the sparkle in their eyes and the love that filled my heart humbled me.
Alki took his place before the remains of the altar and the three of us stood beside each other before him. I handed over a paper. He read it, gave a small smile and a nod of approval. I took out the rings and opened a small box I’d been carrying. I took out two gardenias and placed them in the hair of my loves. Alki took photos as I did so and then he switched on a small tape recorder.
“Are you ready to take your vows of holy matrimony Dominique?”
Barely above a whisper she answered, “Yes I am.”
“And you Cherine?”
Frozen like a statue she said, “I’m not sure, I mean, I am only a little girl, how can I get married?”
It felt as if my heart had spasmed and the shock on our three faces as we all concentrated on her seemed to clear my mind and I saw how wrong I had been. Quickly I knelt before her. “I’m sorry my love, that was stupid of me.” She stared into my eyes, hers serious for all of ten seconds and then they came alight as she burst into peals of laughter. She pulled away to almost double over as she screamed with laughter, trying to speak but not able to. For a moment I feared I’d pushed her over the edge, but she kept on backing away.
“Wait a moment.” Still laughing she ran behind the wall. Empathia, quick! Empathia appeared and blocked her (she had not been blocked before), leaving her with the memory of what she’d said, but with the impression she’d done it as a joke. The rest of us did not know what was happening and took her seriously. She came back to us, still laughing. “Gotcha! You should have seen your faces!”
The problem is that Cherine, I think, had ignored or forgotten how uncertain I was of myself at that time. I now saw our idea of marrying as wrong and potentially damaging her. I saw from the faces of Dommi and Alki that they felt the same way. Her laughter died as she sensed us and then she burst into tears. The more she tried to explain that she’d done it as a joke and that she did want to marry us, the more certain Dommi and I became that we should not marry.
We all suffered from the emoting of Cherine, but I could not see how to change what had been undone. When something that is not logical, just appearing to be so out of emotional thinking, is swept away, it is impossible to curtain the mind again. I could see it was not right that we perform the ceremony and was aghast at my prior intentions. What was I thinking! How could I make plans to marry a child!
My loves were watching and sharing and they saw the change in me and knew that nothing Cherine did would allow me to relent, for my thoughts were all for her protection. Empathia, who had been aware of the trick Cherine wanted to play on us, since she had to pretend to block Cherine, called out to Aganthi. “Be a gypsy girl and foretell their marriage. Give them a prophesy that changes his mind.” Aganthi projected her appearance and walked up the hill without a clue as to what she should say.
With dismay we saw a gypsy girl climb the last few yards towards us, her face covered in sweat and her eyes scrunched up as if not wanting to see us. I thought to myself that we were lucky, if she had appeared while Alki was performing the ceremony, our secret would have become public. Her climb brought her to the center of us where she stopped. She seemed to be in a trance so none of us spoke, only Cherine’s sobs breaking the silence. The gypsy girl straightened and suddenly we sensed a power that even silenced Cherine.
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“Stop crying!” she ordered. Her eyes locked on Cherine’s and it was as if the rest of us did not exist for either of them. “You must return to the city as one family, with him as your protector, and your tears will prevent the future from happening if you do not stop now. The day will come when those who honour you shall name themselves after you and they shall be counted across the stars. Your wives and children will be your shield so that you can bear the pain of your gift. Weep like a child and darkness shall fall across the future.” She gave Alki one look, nodded as if he’d spoken and turning, walked down the hillside. Shocked we stood watching her until she was out of sight. Alki crossed himself.
“Roberto, how could she know, it must have been a true prophecy.”
I looked at Cherine and was stunned by the change. With face set and eyes daring me to challenge her she spoke, “Pappou, my answer is yes, I am. Now ask Robert.”
I wanted to question what had happened, but who should I question? I saw I had no choice. “Yes, I am.”
Alki hesitated until the words came to him. “Very well, we will then proceed. As represented by me you are being married today in accordance with the traditions of mankind. As represented by this church you are being married today in accordance with the Laws of God. Those Laws are that you marry with love in your hearts for the others, with no reservations. That you will bear witness to His love for mankind by your love for each other and for the rest of mankind. That you will be fruitful and multiply until the earth is filled with the love you three have. Do you so agree to and vow?”
We all three of us gave our answer from our hearts, from our hearts that were this moment as one single heart.
“Robert will you give your vow and promise to your brides?”
“I will.
The rest of the wedding went as planned. The three of us were shaken when suddenly Dommi started weeping and as we rushed to her she held on to us, “I never knew I could be so happy. I never knew I could be so proud to belong to someone else.”
When we found Alki halfway down the mountain side, sitting on a marble rock shaking his head, his red eyes betrayed him.
“Come,” he said gruffly, “we go to my house. We have our wedding feast.”
Once we were home, I carried my brides across the threshold, stealing kisses from them as I set them back on their feet. If I had any lingering doubts about the wedding, I did not have any with regard to my need to love both of them until morning. I left them in the bedroom hugging each other and rushed to have a quick shower. Within a minute they both joined me. I had never seen Dommi in such a boisterous mood and the two of them ganged up on me, teasing me verbally and with their sweet bodies. I dried both of them while they tried to dry me. I picked up Cherine and with her naked little body deliciously squirming against me I carried her to our bed.
Dommi lay to the other side of her, on her side so that she could be part the loving of our little girl. Cherine suddenly felt shy and tried to suggest that we should first love Dommi. We ignored her. I was enchanted all over again by her sweet bump and the promise of the fire I would find in there to burn me in a frenzy of passion. Controlling myself I started with soft kisses over her face interspersed with sweet words of love. Dommi’s slender fingers caressed her round tummy and as Cherine began to emote her passion her hands strayed down to enjoy the feel and shape of her tiny thighs. My lips and tongue teased at her ears, suckled softly but insistently at her throat and nape and as Cherine hummed a soft moan of pleasure I looked up, grabbed hold of Dommi’s head and kissed her deeply.
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My fingers and lips teased their way down the childish body, revelling in and adoring the perfection of childhood. My fingers massaged her bump and then I tenderly pulled open her fire-flower. I raised myself to take a good look. “God! You’re just perfect!”
My old fashioned Greek girl had moved down to also look closely. With a smile but also the wonder of love in her voice she softly said, “We both belong to you Roberto, forever, but we also belong to her. Just the three of us forever.”
“I also belong to you Dommi.” She grinned. “Not forever…I want to have his baby.”
“Not yet love.”
She nodded, but I could see she did not intend waiting for long. God, the thought of her having my baby excited me, but it also scared the hell out of me. Her mother and Alki would kill me - never mind the rest of the world!
Dommi laughed. “You’ve frightened him.”
Gruffly I complained, “You both talk too much” and sealed my lips over her little flower.
As soon as Cherine sensed I was ready she clambered over Dommi. I raised myself on an elbow to watch them, my heart rejoicing at the love I sensed between them. I ran a hand over her thigh, marvelling that despite my adoring the childish and almost boyish thighs of little Cherine, I still adore the trim shape and soft texture of my older lover. Dommi pulled Cherine over to her left breast so that I could reach her right breast. I first reached for her lips, nuzzling and teasing at her lips until she knew I was coming to her with love and then I flicked my tongue through her slightly parted lips. We kissed for a long time and our hands caressed each other’s bodies until the yearning for my body to touch every inch of hers overcame me. Cherine moved out of the way, but still in place to touch both of us and to see every detail of our loving.
We spent a few hours of tender loving, taking a break for something to eat and drink and then, totally satiated and filled with feelings of love and of being loved, we drifted off into a deep sleep. Without knowing what I was doing, my soul tried to leave my body to go to the void. Solomon could not allow that so the girls helped him block me. I was not aware of what was happening, but I had the sense of being oppressed, of being held a prisoner. With the way the unconscious has of interpreting our senses, my dream turned into a nightmare. I fought with all my willpower to escape. I felt a wrenching sensation and bright light stunned me.
I found myself standing, my feet a few inches off the carpet. A man sat before me at a desk, working on his computer. He stopped typing and turned to me, obviously not able to see me clearly. “Robert, is that you?”
“Who are you?”
“You may call me Arthur for the time being, since I’ll have to write of your arrival. Damn, you made it across! I can’t believe it!” He looked as if he were about to have a heart attack or else, do a crazy jig of victory.
“Arthur is not your real name? Why do you need a false name? How is it you know who I am?”
“Names have power Robert, if I speak my true name I could end up in prison.” He hesitated, as if suddenly realising. “You do not know who I am?” He did not wait for me to answer. “From what time in your life have you come to me?”
“Why is that of any importance? What do you mean of what time?”
“Please answer, I promise to explain.”
“It is my wedding night.”
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“Wedding? To who?”
“Cherine and Dominique.”
“Jesus! How is that possible? None of the others exist yet? God, I’m sorry, forget I said that.”
Coldly I demanded, “You promised to explain.”
“I will, I will. I just need to ask a couple more questions first. Robert, how did you break through into my reality?”
I stared at him, for some reason very angry with him for not keeping his end of the bargain. Suddenly I had the thought that this is a dream and I laughed. Why should I expect my imaginary characters to be fair, I asked myself. Sadistically I answered, “I’m having a dream, you are not real.”
“Why did you dream of me - since you don’t know me? What happened in your dream?”
“I felt I was being held a prisoner. I fought, there was a flash and I found myself here.” I looked around. “Where is here?”
“Somewhere further than you have ever travelled before. Give me a moment.” He looked at his computer screen. “Your wedding, did a gypsy girl come to you?”
“Yes.” I was starting to get bored and impatient with him. I expect my dreams to be crazy and exciting, not some old geezer questioning me as if it is real life.
“That explains it! Damn! Why wasn’t it recorded by me? Robert, things are not as they seem. I am free to give you some details for I will not change your future. In your diary you call me Arthur and very soon you will know why without me needing to explain now. You also call me your author. That too you will understand soon. What I have to tell you now is very important - for me that is. Do all you can to remember how it is you came to me. As you are now, you do not have the powers to sense my soul or to help me find my healer - do you?”
“I don’t think so.” I found the thought intriguing. “Do you mean I should be able to? I could help Cherine and Dominique find theirs?” It made sense and suddenly I saw why I’d had this dream. I felt an exultation sweep through me. I laughed. “If you were real I’d hug you. Thank you.”
He frowned and then chuckled. “You think I am just a form of you subconscious? Robert, listen to me and do not write what I’ll tell you in your diary. There is a person on your world who has immense powers. Those powers have only been used to help you up to now but, as good as that person is, your targets and hopes are not his or hers. I sense a personality that is strange and unpredictable, like mercury, so be careful. My time of being here for you is drawing to an end and you will soon have to handle everything on your own, that is why I’m giving you the warning.”
“Are you saying you are about to die? When, do you mean when this dream ends?”
“No. My usefulness to you and your family is drawing close to an end and I have been abandoned to the enemy. One that I have loved and given myself to without question has turned cold and is distancing herself from me so I sense it would be better I end our contact soon. Robert, I wish you had the ability to sense my feelings - I want you to know how much I love you and all your family. Tell Cherine that I thank her for giving me such a lovely dream to dream.” Shocked I saw his eyes were filled with a pain he barely was managing to contain. “I think you had better return to your body. Robert, I’m glad you came, at least now I know for certain that you all exist.”
With a start I opened my eyes and felt and saw my loves lying next to me still fast asleep. I did not know why, but my eyes filled with tears. Carefully I moved their limbs and got out of bed. I dressed and walked out on to the streets to think, for I was badly confused and even afraid.
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Dawn found me by Syntagma Square and I walked towards Omonia in the hope I’d find a coffee shop open. I sat inside and ordered a coffee and asked the waiter if they had cigarettes. He pointed at a periptero and walked away. I bought a packet and lit up.
I was feeling strange, lost in a way. It was as if my world had tilted and I did not recognise not only my future but also my present. Something was warning me that the dream was important and too real to just be a dream. I felt that I had been provided a number of clues, but I could not understand them. Something warned me that if I intended being the protector of my loves I better find some answers.
The girls who were sharing were tremendously excited while also filled with trepidation they could not find reasons for, so were the guests, from friends, aliens to Normals. They felt my dream was an important breakthrough and wanted me back as soon as possible. Luckily my sweet Candy insisted they wait until I return to Cherine and Dommi. About an hour later I sensed a change in Cherine’s emoting to me so I caught a taxi and returned.
“What did he mean when he said you call him an author?”
“I have no idea. What I can tell you is that I have a feeling I’m missing some important information.”
There was a knock on the door. Worried that it might be Cherine’s mother I insisted she rush to get dressed. She shook her head, knowing it was not Marian, but went to dress. I opened the door and three girls smiled at me. Our blocks disintegrated and we recalled why we were here. I grabbed my three loves for a hug as Dommi and Cherine rushed to join us.
Cherine is not repentant that she played her trick on us and says she is happy that it provided reason for Aganthi to become part of our memories of that special day. I have no complaints as an exact repeat of our original wedding day would have been precious but also bland. Cherine did let me share her thoughts of those moments when Aganthi spoke to her and I am still amazed at the thoughts her words prompted and the dreams she made because of them. Aganthi is feeling especially loved by all of us at this time. We too often allow her to blend in, forgetting what a special heart she has.
I’ve been afraid to write of the dream, for if it was real and I did appear by Arthur, what do his words signify? How are we supposed to have abandoned him - or does he speak of others? It is the main reason I’m not letting Sam write - we first have to clear up what Arthur meant. Is he saying Sam has turned cold? I have re-examined our last six months and it is true that the two of them have hardly ever spoken to each other during that time. However, there have been times they did not speak for a year or more. We need you to chat with us Arthur before we continue with speculations that might be fruitless.
We’re all very disappointed, we had all hoped my dream was part of your reality. We hope I do appear sometime soon, it would give us a tremendous boost in our efforts to get to you while also proving to you that we really exist and can be together. Just knowing it is possible would make it possible. As for your answers to Sam, it sounds to me like you are feeling bitter. I hope you try to be fair and stop blaming her or us. Show the same kind of sympathetic empathy you claim to have gifted Cherine with and ask yourself how would you like having someone take over your life, making you feel like a puppet, just for some trivial reason?
6890
Okay, dad’s got it off his chest so we can now return to normal. I’m not upset that Arthur asked, but I will feel hurt if he is feeling bitter. Our excitement at the dream that felt so real, tempted us into accepting the words spoken as coming from Arthur. If it was just a dream, then surely his words came from subconscious fears of Robert’s? Why he should fear we’d abandon Arthur I do not understand. We collectively, and I personally, have no intention of doing so, however angry he makes me.
It was agreed by Angelica and Aganthi we would hold a joint party for their birthdays on the 5th of April as we had to plan for Cherine’s party. Both of them are often my favourites (family within family) so I stopped anything else I was involved in and concentrated on the two of them. Those days were delightful as I basked in the love they sent back to me.
On the next weekend, the 13th of April, if the date has any relevance, we went to Dar for a swim and meal. After a too large lunch we lazed in the shade, some of us even dozing off. Suddenly Tina’s mind caught with a sob and Robbie was instantly by her side, aware she was about to prophesy. When she spoke her voice rasped as if it were being wrung from her.
“A sense of justice bends to logic and can compromise. Compassion cannot condone pain. True empathy is a blend of both. Beware the one without the other, for the author who does not write will be claimed by the oppressive dark will and the gift of empathy will be lost to the chiaroscuro of emoting from the dark side. Beware, no corvee is offered when it has once been refused.”
None of us understood clearly, but we shivered at the portent of something affecting our Cherine. She was our first concern as she will always be. Only afterwards did we remember to worry about Arthur. Tina tried to rise, she fell over and we panicked, filling her mind-world with our presence as we entered to defend her. It was her mother Dommi that first caught her soul to her and soothed her until she slept. I left them to jump to my computer. The page still waited as I’d last written. I sat so as to delve into the depths of my mind for the serenity I needed to think clearly. If what came to me is true, that the dream was not Robbie’s but sent to him by Arthur, then it must be true that his assumptions brought about the prophecy. Disgusted by such devious manipulations for such trite reasons, I shut that part of me that calls to Arthur and is called by him. This time I would not forgive, I will not forgive.
I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)- posted: 17th May, 2020
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