“If you come near my mother or me again, I’ll kill you.”Cherine sent him another blast and he collapsed. She stood over him until he opened his eyes.
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Cherine sat in her room and she was pleased. She had her eight hundred plus another hundred and forty. She ignored her homework and thought. With Gert gone she needed someone to place her bets for her but she did not trust any of the adults. She did not trust her mother either, so she had no easy solution. She decided to look for someone the next day.
That night she knelt by her bed and sent a prayer to her father. “You said they’ll call me a freak. If I’m going to be a freak who killed her father, then I might as well be a real freak and make Mummy and me rich. I don’t care what anybody thinks, I’m going to become rich and strong so that everyone is afraid of me and then I won’t have to be afraid of them.”
Brian was not her obvious choice, everyone knew he was a right lad but a trifle on the stupid side, so she only chose him once she saw he was her only alternative. She explained what she wanted and offered him a quarter of the winnings. Brian struggled through his sluggish thoughts, trying hard to see how he was being set up and finally gave in and agreed. Within a week he had earned two hundred quid and was her devoted slave.
Cherine had never explained to Gert how she chose the winners. Sometimes when the jockeys had chosen a winner for them to make extra money with secret bets, she’d sense it from their emoting. It did not occur often enough for her to keep Gert happy, so she’d look at which horse is an outsider, choose him and then use her gift to spur the horse on to perform at its best. Since what she did was not a ‘known’ system, the bookies could not work out how Gert was winning so often. When Brian took over and during the next three months he won eight thousand pounds, they had a couple of thugs take him to an abandoned warehouse where they beat him up until he confessed.
They deliberated and decided that their thugs must have misunderstood, that it must be the mother, not the little girl. They were convinced that she must either be having sex with a bookie or else one of the top jockeys and was milking from them the information or even master-minding the wins. They sent the thugs to her home.
Cherine was in her room gloating over her winnings and recounting just for the pleasure of seeing how much money she has when she felt her mother emoting terror and then pain. She rushed down the stairs and saw the two men beating her up. With a shriek of fury she destroyed the minds of both the men and they collapsed in a coma. Despite it happening in front of her, Marian never tied up the appearance of Cherine and her shriek to the collapse of the men. She called the police, made a statement and with many questions left unanswered, the men were taken to a hospital.
The bookies decided that Marian must be working for a syndicate of powerful men with their own gang of thugs so they were very nervous. Cherine went to the racecourse, pretending she was with someone else and searched out the men. They were hospitalised, but nobody could explain what had happened and nobody thought to report the proximity of a little girl at their collapse.
Cherine tried hard to think of another way to make money, but she could not influence the lottery so she returned to the system she knew, only more carefully and making smaller bets. Brian learnt that it was easier betting on the Tote (totalisator) as no bookies are involved and the employees do not care who wins or how often. Some old-timers talked to him and he learnt of the different kinds of bets that would earn them much larger sums. The first time they tried it, Cherine returned with four thousand pounds and she was ecstatic, unable to hide from Marian the way she felt.
The period Marian had spent with Gert had seen her savings dwindle to nothing and she was worried. Seeing Cherine in the mood she was only increased her anger. “What have you got to be so happy about! We’re broke and the company is talking about laying some of us off.”
Cherine sensed her, but her own euphoria had blinded her to the importance of monitoring and worrying about how her mother felt. Hearing of the problems she felt this might be the best time to tell her mother. She ran to her bedroom and splitting her money into two parcels she hid the one and ran back with the other in her hand. Marian’s eyes bulged when she saw the wad her daughter was holding.
Cherine kept it simple and only told her mother that she can sometimes feel which horse is going to win. Being presented with about five thousand pounds robbed her of the higher moral ground, to chastise Cherine, so she concentrated on learning how Cherine is betting. It did not take Marian long to work out that the men who’d attacked her, warning her that she must not bet again had attacked because of Cherine. Angrily she told Cherine and worried about the next attack.
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“They won’t come again Mum, I took care of the men who sent them just like I did with those who were hitting you.” She grinned at the shock on her mother’s face. “Anyway, we’re not betting with bookies, we’re now using the tote and they don’t care how much we win.”Brian was called and he explained to the best of his abilities to Marian. Marian did not resent his earnings and felt it was wiser they continue to use him. Over the next few days Marian studied the systems of betting through the tote and decided they would be better off concentrating on winning the big bets. Cherine confirmed that she could sometimes get six winners in a row but not always. With their normal betting they now included such a bet in the hopes of hitting the jackpot. Often their winnings from only five winners was bigger than their other winnings and they eagerly waited for Cherine to get all six winners correctly. She did, but there were a number of other winners so they only made about twenty thousand pounds. The next week Cherine was one of two winners and they made one hundred and sixty five thousand.
Luckily their bank manager advised Marian that they must keep a record of their winnings and bets so that the tax man does not come after them. Marian did so, employing an accountant who also took care of the winnings Brian earned. Marian found a nice house, rented it and Brian moved in with them. She then bought a small car for them to travel to various racecourses. The fact that the tote can be played from their neighbourhood for all racecourses was of no use, as Cherine had to be present at the races to influence the horses, slowing down the favourites and egging on the ones she’d bet on.
Despite her youth, Cherine did not abuse her gifts in the sense of using them to hurt just for the pleasure of hurting or feeling her powers. She used her gifts to make money and that did blunt her gift of empathy, but if she felt or saw someone hurt another person who was weaker, she would use her gift to stop it. What amazes us (even our Cherine) is that although she was harder and often clamped down on her empathy, she did not think of using her gifts against her mother even once. She still obeyed and feared her and at worst was only cheeky a few times. Marian feared that because Cherine was earning the money it might go to her head and she would then lose control over her, so she became harder and stricter. Brian often felt that Marian was treating Cherine unfairly, but he kept quiet, afraid Marian might decide to get rid of him.
By the time Cherine was thirteen, Marian had on deposit two and a half million pounds in cash and she had bought a house and furnished it. The account was only in her name and Cherine was still limited to a set sum each week for pocket money. Brian often slipped her ten or twenty quid and he was so shy about it that Cherine could not refuse him.
Then Marian met and fell in love with Dan Potter.
Potter is a businessman who has made his money by plodding through life and only doing what is obviously profitable. He is also a smug man who believes he is always in the right and has strict ideas of how children should be brought up. For the first month he restrained himself, but then he began to express his opinions, telling off Cherine if he felt she was not behaving correctly. Cherine resented him and they had many arguments.
Marian thought that he was actually helping her control Cherine and did not discourage him. Both Marian and Cherine were careful not to let him know how they made their money and one evening after Cherine and Brian had driven to a racecourse and returned late in the evening, Dan blew up, told off Brian and then tried to do the same to Cherine. Cherine expected her mother to take her side, but Marian left the room.
As Dan was shouting at her, Cherine walked away, going to her bedroom. She packed her clothes and some other items, stuffing over fifty thousand pounds into the bottom of her case. As she walked towards the front door Dan tore the case out of her hands, swung her around and slapped her. For a moment Cherine was dazed and then all the pent up anger she’d been holding to herself erupted. Dan came to ten minutes later and it took him days to fully recover. Marian told him that Cherine and Brian had both left and she did not know where they are. He immediately reported her as a runaway to the police and made Marian lay charges against Brian.
The first thing Marian did was go to her bank and speak to the manager. He worked out how much income she can expect from her deposits and satisfied that she is now able to survive comfortably, she did nothing to stop Dan.
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Visually, Brian and Cherine make an odd couple, so it was only four days later that the police arrested them. Cherine was immediately sent off to a home until social workers have analysed the reasons she’d run away, while Brian was placed in a cell with others who learnt that he abducted a girl child and he was severely beaten up.
After one night of radiating her fury, Cherine played the penitent child. At her meetings with the social worker she described Brian as a simple lad who only went with her because she forced him to. Marian with Dan came to visit and Cherine was as meek as a lamb and very deferential towards Dan. The couple reassured the social workers that Cherine would not cause any further problems as she had learnt her lesson. Cherine was examined and found to still be a virgin so the charges against Brian were reduced and he was allowed bail until the trial.
Marian should have known her daughter better than she showed she did. Cherine appeared at the court case and described Brian as a simple idiot who did whatever he was told and convinced the judge she had been responsible, not him. Brian was let off with a light sentence.
Dan felt he could appear to be magnanimous now and the more magnanimous he was the keener the edge of anger and hate within Cherine. She waited until Brian was free, met him secretly and arranged for him to rent rooms and lay low and then felt free to take care of the man her mother told her would be her stepfather.
It was not long before Dan found his nights filled with terrifying nightmares. Over the first week he swiftly deteriorated and even sleeping tablets could not help him. Then he found terror his main emotion throughout the day also. We don’t know whether he had some latent psychic abilities, but he sensed that somehow Cherine was responsible. When he said so, Marian recognised the truth in it and tried coercing Cherine into stopping.
“How would you like me to force you to go to the bank, withdraw all the money and give it to a charity? Unless that bastard leaves I will kill him. I’m warning you from now Mum, I will see to it that he makes hundreds of mistakes and loses all his money.” Marian felt the strength being sapped out of her and she capitulated. She tried negotiating, asking that Cherine stops attacking Dan if he leaves immediately. Cherine refused to answer her, dark eyes boring into hers with hate.
By that evening Dan was gone. Cherine phoned Brian and ordered him to return to the house. Marian feebly protested and Cherine forced her to sit on the sofa and sat opposite her.
“You knew that Brian was not to blame, but you were willing to see him put in jail because of that bastard you love. Brian will live here and he and I will continue to make money, but you will not see another cent. Never try to order me again, you are not my mother and anyway, I always only loved my father, not you.”
Cherine deliberately blanked out her mother so that she would not feel her misery. Months went by and Marian listened, when she could, as they discussed their winnings. Over the next year they earned close to two million pounds. Cherine grew bored of going to the races.
“Brian, we have enough for now. Maybe we’ll go to a race now and then, but I want to have some fun. Do you want to leave or will you stay with me?”
“I’ll stay Cherine, I have nowhere to go.”
She grinned at him. “Tomorrow after school we’re going shopping.”
Since the death of her father, Cherine had not changed in one aspect of her life. She had no friends, boys or girls. She kept herself apart from all at school and if anyone tried to pick on her they quickly found themselves doing stupid things that hurt them. She became known as the ‘witch’ and they left her alone. At fourteen she was beginning to blossom, turning into the beauty she will be as an adult and some of the boys were attracted to her, but with her icy cold look if they tried to chat to her, they soon gave up on seducing her. Without even trying she got straight ‘A’s’ in all the subjects except for maths. Her teachers tried to convince her she should plan on going to university. She politely thanked them for caring, but did not divulge her ambitions. She did with Brian when they were alone.
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“I’m going to start with the two million and make myself the richest woman in the world. I have to stay in school until I’m sixteen or else those fucking social workers will take me back to that home, but soon as I can I’m leaving school. Brian, find me someone nice who knows about business to teach me.”
The poor guy tried, but whoever he brought soon found all his knowledge sucked out of him as Cherine asked hundreds of questions and when they replied she demanded deeper answers than they usually could give. She learnt some of the mechanics but sensed she did not understand deeply enough. She began to read books on economics and anything else that might round off her knowledge. If she saw a book for sale about making millions on the Stock Exchange, she would buy it and within a day it would be sitting on the shelf if it was any good, the rest she threw away.
By the age of fifteen Cherine could not wait anymore. She’d bought and sold shares on paper and had made millions, she just had to try it for real. She withdrew a hundred thousand pounds and gave Brian her instructions. She also told him that from now he would only earn ten percent of her profits, but she promised him that he would soon be a millionaire. Brian was capable of doing simple arithmetic and was awed by the thought that she would be worth tens of millions.
On the day of her sixteenth birthday Cherine stopped going to school and applied herself to making money full time. She was already worth seven million pounds, so it no longer excited her when she made money and she found herself taking long walks. A group of hooligans had spent hours drinking in a pub and came across Cherine as she walked deep in her thoughts. They circled her and taunted her with obscene proposals. Cherine stood without moving until the first one laid his hands on her. Within seconds they were all sitting on the pavement crying. One of them shook his head and came to his feet and grabbed Cherine. She’d never been resisted before and she panicked. Within seconds he lay on the pavement dead. Still angry, she walked away without looking back.
From that day Cherine chose to walk in the areas where gangs proliferate. If anyone was foolish enough to try their luck with her they ended up in hospital, but her main purpose was in meting out punishment to those who hurt others. She was vicious and many minds were left permanently damaged.
Cherine came across a man who was viciously beating his son of ten years and she attacked. When the ambulance arrived they found him dead with blood coming out of his ears and mouth. The blood from his mouth was because he’d bitten his tongue. Cherine had sensed him dying and she only felt satisfaction, telling herself she’d saved the child from further suffering.
That was when we arrived.
Our Cherine sat through the sharing from Robbie with her arms holding herself tightly to him. He looked down upon her head. “She doesn’t even feel like a Cherine.”
“Now do you see why I needed to find you? Without you I would not have felt like a Cherine either.”
“No my love, you could never have become like her.”
She looked into his eyes. “Don’t be too sure. My mother was nicer so maybe I wouldn’t have, but if I’d met the wrong people I would have. You didn’t show us, did she have sex with anyone?”
With his face pale he nodded. “With a number of men. She only used them so she did not enjoy the sex as much as she should have.”
Dommi said, her voice low, “We’re going to have a tough time changing her for her Robert. Roberto, we might fail.”
He tried a grin, “You mean I’ll have to use my hammer techniques?” We tried to reward him with a smile, but we were not really up to it.
Annavi said, “No wonder the local Allan wrote such a horrible story, he was probably influenced by her without knowing it.”
I suddenly grinned. “We didn’t bring the only man who can change her. Cherine, do you think she is still a Daddy’s girl?”
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She brightened and then that evil (well, naughty) smile of hers came to life. “We better bring Dad, he’ll enjoy this.”
Robbie stayed quiet as we gleefully made our plans, waiting until we cooled down enough to hear what he has to say. Cherine and Tseri were the first as usual. Cherine turned to him, “What now?”
“I don’t think she’ll change because of him, she’ll only listen to him. We need her to become a real Cherine not just to hobble her.”
Dommi nodded, “Her empathy will turn her into a sword, just another vigilante.” Haven nodded in agreement. “How do you plan to change her Robert?”
“I don’t know. The first thing I think I should do is meet her for a chat. Cherine love, watch over me, if I anger her she might attack me and there is no way I can fight back.”
“Just let her try!” He laughed with undisguised delight as Cherine and Tseri both struck the same pose, their fists clenched tight.
A voice timidly cut in, “May I ask to be the one to speak to her?”
Robbie nodded. “You have the right Allan. Are you well enough?”
“I feel younger, I suppose I’m being rejuvenated?”
“I’m more concerned how you feel mentally. Are you over your depression? I guess you are.” Robbie added as he felt him. He smiled, “I’ll take you back to London.”
Our Allan joined us as we watched through Robbie, who watched close to Allan as the void. Allan rang the bell and Cherine answered.
“My name is Allan and though we have not met, I know you Cherine Blake. I’ve come to make you an offer you can’t refuse and to tell you a story.”
Cherine tried to sense him and she felt an elderly man who was afraid. Puzzled, she came to the door. As she opened the door she thought the old man was going to faint from fear so she smiled. “I have nothing I want, but I’ll listen to your story if it is interesting.”
“I think it will change your life. May I smoke, I’m very nervous.”
She laughed at his admission. “I don’t like the smell, we can sit in the back garden if it’s not too cold for you. Would a cuppa tea help?”
“Do you have coffee?”
With his coffee Cherine brought a small blanket and Allan wrapped it around his legs. She waited as he took a sip and took a deep drag. He exhaled the smoke away from her. “Cherine, I know about your gift of empathy.”
“Empathy?”
“Your ability to feel the emotions of others. As you’ve used it, the empathy part of your gift is not as it should be. Cherine, we can come back to that afterwards, allow me to tell you a story first.”
“Why are you afraid? What are you planning?”
“I’m a coward, I can’t help it, sorry. I’m afraid of messing things up - if I do, it means you might not achieve your potential and that would be a calamity.” He waited a moment, but she kept quiet as she monitored his emoting for advance warning in case he planned to attack her.
“Years ago I began to write a story. I named it ‘Little Cherine’. It was about a baby girl born with the gift of empathy. For years I thought I was the author. In my story, Cherine and her family began to chat with me, but it was not I who answered her, it was another Allan who did. It was a sickening moment the day I realised that the Cherine of my story really existed and that she does not come from this reality and that I was not the real author of the story.”
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He talked for hours, Cherine confused at first, for she did not believe him and was trying to work out how he intended tricking her and yet, as he talked she sensed his fear recede as he was caught up in the telling and his memories. However puzzling it was, she could not find one false note, one moment that his emoting proved him to be a liar. Finally our story took over and she listened with fascination.
“We better take a break, you must be exhausted. I’ll prepare some sandwiches and coffee, relax and smoke if you wish.”
Cherine was not as calm and collected as she pretended. It felt as if the fear he’d felt had transferred itself to her and she could hardly think straight anymore. She furiously thought about all he’d said as she worked in the kitchen.
“Here you are. Have your sandwich and then, before continuing with your story, explain why you are telling it to me. Surely you don’t expect me to believe what you’ve told me?”
“I hope you will or else you might not benefit from the story.” He smiled at her. “I admit it is a crazy story, as wild as any tale ever told…for other people. It is not true for you Cherine, for too much of it has only been known by you, too much is familiar. You are asking yourself, what does this weird old man want, what is his angle, is he after my money? I’ll tell you what I want. I want you to become the Cherine you should be so that I can become your friend. Feel me Cherine, can you sense the love that is already growing in me?”
She came to her feet. “This is crazy!”
He beamed. “I know! Just wait until you find out how crazy the rest of the story is and then wonder about how it can be true and why you believe me. Before we continue, let me explain what alternate realities are.”
He did so, answered her questions and then resumed the telling of his/our story. He only continued to the point where Freddie was created and we began to visit other realities and meet other Cherines.
“The rest you’ll hear from Meli and the girls, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Cherine, you are very different from all the other Cherines because…”
Faintly she said, “From all the Cherines…how many?”
“I’m not certain how many they’ve found, as to how many there are, billions or trillions. As many as there are alternate realities.” She silently listened as he explained by telling her life story. He knew too many details for her to refute the rest of what he told her, but it was still too unbelievable for her to accept that all of it is true.
Allan smiled gently. “Cherine, I have two offers to make. One is from me and the other is from the prime Cherine. My offer is simple. Will you come with me to Freddie to meet her?”
We wondered, did he think that he had accomplished the purpose of his visit by telling her our story and by bringing her to Freddie? Whatever, he has the right to make his decisions and we have to respect them, so we waited to hear her reply.
Challenging him, she answered, “Fine, take me to Freddie” and wondered how she should handle him when he realises his bluff has been called. He touched her hand and Robbie touched Allan and jumped them to us. Cherine screamed.
Our Cherine hid behind some of us and changed herself to look about the same age as our guest. She walked into view and smiled. “Welcome Cherine and thank you for agreeing to visit us. We will return you to your home the moment you ask to be returned, so don’t be afraid of us.”
“Where is this world?”
“Freddie is actually a spaceship, as Allan told you. We are close to your Earth but keeping ourselves invisible so as not to frighten your governments.”
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“But this is a whole planet!”
Allan dared and took her hand in his. “You are safer here than you’ve ever been before. Here your gift is really a gift and all Cherines are adored by everyone.” Our Cherine blushed and she noticed.
She asked dozens of questions despite feeling dizzy and afraid. Allan asked us, “Has Freddie jumped to another reality to give us time?”
“You are in command, we were waiting for you to tell Freddie to jump.”
He turned to Cherine and only as he spoke did she notice how pasty white his face was. “Cherine, I also arrived here very ill from the life I’d lived on our world. I need to rest, would you agree to share a home with me for a few days so that we can talk between our visits here with them?”
He did not want an apartment, as he also fears heights, so we gave them one of the houses on the surface. Once Cherine saw that she had her own bedroom and bathroom she relaxed slightly. We left them alone, but shared from Allan (with his agreement).
“My love, make yourself at home. There is lots of food in the kitchen or else we can ask Maria to send us whatever food they are eating.”
“What kind of sickness are you suffering from?”
“Of the mind. Would you like to hear how it is that they found us?” He told her about his story but did not explain about Arthur writing it as a story for us as he correctly guessed it would have been too fantastic for her to believe. “I probably only look about fifty to you, but I’m actually just more than seventy years old. The girls have been rejuvenating me and soon I’ll appear to be only about twenty. I wasted my life Cherine and only in my last years did I begin to write the story. I’ve lived my entire life without finding love and I was tired, lonely and when I fell in love with the characters of my story, I grew bitter. That is why I wrote the story that upset them. When they contacted me and brought me here I had a breakdown. Their healers can only heal the body, they are trying to heal my mind with love.”
“Why have you brought me here, what are they going to do to me?”
He smiled gently, “I think we are hoping to heal you with love.”
“I’m not sick!”
He did not argue. “Cherine, you tell me whether you are or not after you’ve spent three days here.”
She let him doze as she examined the house and then went to stand outside to stare at the Trees that seemed to bend over her from the curved inner shield. Slowly she accepted that it is all real.
Allan kept her away from us all day, but brought her to eat with us in the evenings. He took her for long walks through the countryside and they talked about all kinds of things except for those subjects we thought he’d brought her here to learn. As they walked, Freddie kept an eye on them and warned aliens to move until they had gone past. If Allan wanted a change of scenery he would call for one of us and we’d jump them a few miles further on. I admit I was perplexed by his tactics.
Allan has not needed to sleep during the day since his rejuvenation began and yet now he made a point of drooping until it was obvious he was tired and then he’d lie on the grass and snooze, leaving her to her thoughts. On the third day she returned to their first discussions as soon as he woke up.
“Today is the third day and I still don’t understand why you said I was sick.”
“You have not noticed what is wrong?”
She remained polite though her temper was fraying. “No, how was I supposed to, all we’ve done is walk!”
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“Sit beside me.” He looked up at her. “Indulge an old man and sit please.” He waited until she did. “There was a purpose to our walking. Cherine, if we had taken such a walk on Earth, do you know what you would have seen? Even in remote parts we’d have come across the odd piece of plastic, metal, concrete and so on - never mind all those awful cold drink cans. In this place all we saw belonged and was part of the whole - except for one thing.”
“Us humans?”
“Hmm, I think I’m starting to become a part of it.”
There was acid in her voice as she asked, “You’re saying I’m not, that I’m like the trash you mentioned?”
“Where were your thoughts as we walked Cherine? I’m not telepathic so you’ll have to tell me. Were you thinking of home and the money you should be making? Were you thinking of how it would be if all this belonged to you and you could do whatever you want with Freddie?”
“You expected me to think about trees and grass for three days!?”
He chuckled. “If I was young and handsome I’d be hoping you would be thinking about me. No Cherine, I was hoping you would be taking a fresh look at yourself - as I did when I took this walk on my own. Are you that happy with what life on Earth has made of you? Nature has no message for you, it does not show you that everything belongs? Living in cities forces us to take the opposite point of view, we have to remain individuals so we only fight to remain different.
Let me ask you a question that might make it easier for you to see how you have changed and what you are now. Cherine, if Robert went back in time and saved your father and brought him to you, do you think he would like the person you have become?” Her face turned as hard as stone. “Cherine, I’m not asking just a theoretical question. Robert can bring him back.” He waited a moment as she stared at him, her face bloodless. “Would you want him to?”
“Yes. He can really do that?”
“He can. His wives and daughters all died and he brought them back. He brought back the father of his Cherine. Death has lost its sting with Robert around. Do you want your father to be brought now, or would you prefer to have some time to examine the ways you’ve changed so as to rid yourself of the hardness and bitterness that will hurt him?”
She stared into the distance without seeing anything. Finally she asked, “What can I do? How can I change?”
“There are two ways the problem could be handled. The easy way would be to ask Cherine to share her memories with you. The hard way would be to work your own way through your heartaches and fears. I’d stay with you to help if you want. Cherine, the easy way is not the best way, for as you change you would not become the Cherine you should be, you would become a copy of prime Cherine.”
Em-e kissed our Allan. “We forgot that you have your own gentle ways for touching our hearts.” Eleni gave her a smile and a hug.
“If I have to change I’ll need help.” She took his hand. “Can you be the one? Can you help me without telepathy?”
“Mankind has spend thousands of years evolving ways for doing that without telepathy. Cherine, you have already taken the biggest step, the rest might hurt, but it will not be as impossible as you are thinking. I’ve told you about Dommi, will you agree to her joining us?”
Dommi helped by leading her to the points in her life where she made the wrong decisions. However, Cherine could not open to her, feeling herself threatened in some way. Allan found an answer.
“Cherine, give Dommi permission to visit you in your mind. When they visit each others minds they do not hear each others thoughts, you have to expressly give permission for that to happen. If you meet her soul and feel her with your gift, you’ll understand why I asked for her, and give her the chance to be of real help.”
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It took another full day and some further cajoling from Allan (what he said about Dommi making her blush with embarrassment, which Cherine noticed). As Allan had hoped, meeting the ‘real’ Dommi and tasting of her motes totally opened her heart. Feeling her mother love had her violently weeping for a long time.
Of course she justified each of her actions, expecting them to argue against her. Neither of them did, they actually told her that she had done the right things - for a normal human. As a Cherine she has to look for ways to handle life without losing her empathy or by abusing the powers her gift gives her. They then left it to her to see for herself and find ways she should have handled her past.
Allan did make one comment that angered and hurt her. “You no longer have a mother because you did not use your empathy to try and understand her fears and needs. Cherine, she desperately needs to be loved and it sometimes blinded her to your needs. She is also a selfish woman, nothing like the Marian here, yet she has the potential to be the same if you help her. Please re-examine all that happened between you.”
There were times Cherine needed to be alone and Dommi would bring Allan to us. At such a time our Cherine said to him, “You might not succeed Allan. To do as you ask makes her feel vulnerable and at the mercy of all, no Cherine can do that without a Robert loving her.”
“I know, I’ve sensed it. The problem is that no Robert will love her as she is.” Our Cherine laughed and told him that he would. “Not as our Robert is now Cherine. The only way we can do it is by your Robert placing her in stasis so that we have time to open Robert to his soul and heart.”
Most of us agreed with Allan, apart from all Cherines. We then discussed the ethics. We were certain that if we told Cherine we want to place her in stasis she will not agree. It would not be ethical not to inform her and give her the choice, but it also would not be ethical not to do all we can to help her grow.
Allan did something our Allan has never done. “I presume the rights of friendship. I’ll make the decision and if she is angry, I will take the blame. Place her in stasis tonight while she sleeps.”
Robbie was not that easily convinced, but in the end he did it because our Cherine asked him. We returned for her Robert.
I can’t believe it, for once something has gone right in this crazy reality you created. How did that happen, did you forget to also make their Robert impossible? J
Our Robbie has a nice sense of humour, but I think as a Normal he was too defensive and self-conscious to allow it free rein - Cherine had to release that side of him by being a child. This Robert earns his living from his sense of humour. He is a pavement artist and sketches quick caricatures for a small fee. He seems to be popular and does quite a good trade. When we found out, Cherine pleaded to be the one to meet him - despite our rule that no Robert meets a Cherine until he has bonded to his own Cherine. We backed her and a perplexed Robbie gave in. Cherine changed herself so that she would not be attractive.
“How much?”
“Five thousand pounds.” He laughed at the look on her face. “For friends I take off all the zeroes.”
“And am I a friend?”
He grinned. “Everyone is until proven otherwise.”
“Oh, and how do they prove themselves otherwise?”
“By not liking my sketch of course! Sit, I’d like to do you, there is something nice about your smile, it actually reaches your eyes. Hmm, let’s see, how do I show the imps dancing in your eyes?” Furiously he sketched and within minutes he handed it over.
Astounded, Cherine stared. He’d sketched her as a child! And she looked as she really does as an eight year old! Lost for words she handed it back, “You haven’t signed it.”
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“Okay, but my signature costs…you’ll have to pay me with another smile.”
He handed the sketch back to her and she burst into tears. He’d signed ‘With love, Robert’.
Robert showed his discomfort, but tried to turn it into a joke, speaking to the small crowd that watched, “I’ve never had anyone cry, surely I’m not that rotten an artist?” A couple made humorous rejoinders, teasing Robert.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t crying because I’m unhappy. Robert, can you take a break, I need to talk to you on your own.”
“I don’t see how that is possible. How will you talk to me if I’m on my own?” Cherine laughed, happy that he has the same quirk as our Robbie and lightly touched his hand. He packed his things and standing up allowed Cherine to lead him into a park close by.
“My name is Cherine.”
“Have you brought me here to rob me Cherine?” She gave him a startled look. “Are you trying to steal my heart?” She saw he was not smiling, only showing some amusement in his eyes, laughing at himself.
“Not me, your heart belongs to another Cherine. Please don’t be frightened, I’m going to teleport us to a very nice place.”
“If you can do that I’ll definitely lose my heart. How did you know it is my dream to teleport?” She sensed he did not believe her, but he did not draw away when she reached out and touched him. Only Allan, Alki and Robbie met them at the taverna. Cherine ran into Robbie’s arms and he squeezed her to himself as he grinned at Robert.
“Welcome, I’m Robert Teller and this bear to my left is Alki and the other is called Allan.”
They went through the usual explanations, Maria plying him with coffees until he relaxed and allowed himself to believe that something wonderful has happened to him.
“Do you have a girlfriend Robert?”
“With my lifestyle? I return home either exhausted or flying high - if I’m on a high I spend hours painting. I rarely have time or the inclination to sit for a jug of wine with friends, I can’t afford the time, there is too much I dream of creating before I turn to dust.”
“You and all you create will turn to dust if you do not learn to love.”
He cocked his head to the side as Robbie does and stared at Cherine. “You are speaking of the Cherine she told me is mine?”
Robbie grinned. “Yours is like Sleeping Beauty of the story, she is asleep and it would not be ethical to show her to you until you are ready and by then she will awake. We’ll tell you her story, use your imagination to see deeper than most people would. Robert, your Cherine was born with the same extrasensory gift as my Cherine, an overdose of empathy. She could sense the feelings of everyone around her. She was unlucky in that her mother had her own needs and fears and only used Cherine to become wealthy when she learnt of her gift and once she had what she wanted she ignored Cherine so as to have the love of a man. Cherine blocked the empathic side of her gift and used it to provide herself with a secure future. That did not fulfil her so she used her gift to find those who enjoy hurting others and she hurt or killed them. Allan is helping her find her way back to her true gift, but she needs to be loved to become the person she should be. Only a Robert can give her what she needs”
He frowned. “I don’t think that is very wise. You are placing an onerous responsibility on me before I’ve even met her.”
Alki nodded. “You are right, it could keep you closed to her and you will not learn to see the true Cherine in her. Cherinaki, change back to the way you are so that he knows. I don’t mean only your looks, allow him to sense you.”
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: 18th Jly, 2020
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