“So, what are you planning? How do you think you can give yourself an edge? Was that what you meant about using Sparklers?”
2681
“Don’t even talk about it honey. I cannot be responsible for so many deaths just to give me an edge.”
“But how would they help?”
“With that brain of yours you need to ask?”
I thought about it. “You want them to run interference, slow down the blue.”
“It was just an idea love. I cannot do it.”
His face fell as he realised what I’d done. Solomon and Ordinx appeared.
“You did well Sam, though your actions were rather extreme.”
“At least now you know Ordinx. Solomon, can it be done?”
Robbie sat there looking stunned. “You set me up?”
“Don’t blame her Robert. You set yourself up. Why would you have spoken of it if you had not wanted us to know? You do not want the responsibility, but you need our help. Sam did as we asked because she loves you.”
I was staring into his eyes; feeling his thoughts and emotions were not enough; I also had to see if there was a look of betrayal in his eyes. He was upset and a little hurt for a second, but there was no feeling of having been betrayed! I could not believe it. I had been prepared to pay the price if it meant not seeing any part of him die, but still, I had feared it. He must have felt the relief and then the love for him that gushed through me for he narrowed his eyes and looked at me, pretending to be angry. He could not hold it though, my love and happiness, I bet, were just too infectious for him to resist. He sobered quickly though.
“I’m sorry, I know you all meant well, but I cannot agree to it.”
I’ve never seen Solomon look so stern - he really has learnt how to use our facial expressions. “If you refuse it will be the biggest insult we have ever had to bear. All my people will feel it and be upset. It will show us that you believe that only you have the right to sacrifice your life, to suffer and endure for us. We are what Robert? Pets? Children? We are not allowed to meet you as equals?”
“You can’t be serious…”
“He is Robert, so are we. If you will not accept the help of any species at whatever the cost, when it is offered, then you insult all of us. Where we have taken pride in all you have done for us, we would now be shamed.” Ordinx looked at me. “Robert, what about your wives and children? Do they deserve to suffer seeing you destroyed? What about their pain? You do not have the right to refuse the help of friends, if that is what we are.”
“How old are you Robert? One thousand? One million years old? What makes you think that any soul would fear death when it has endured for periods longer than the existence of your solar system? So some of us die and are reborn - so what!!”
Ordinx laughed. “Solomon, tell him of the new sport amongst your people.” Solomon hesitated and I became curious.
“You recall when you took tours to the sun, dancing on the flares? It showed us that there is a way for us to suffer the long-forgotten agonies of death so as to recall clearly again what a gift our lives are. A large number of my people have taken that road of rediscovery. They are only held back by the numbers that can be reborn within a reasonable time.”
We returned home, our friends following us. All knew what had transpired and showed their happiness. Only Cherine did not. She was still intent on preventing him, but without doing so blatantly. She could not help herself; at the age of eight she has lived with many fears and the worst of all would be for her to see her Robert suffer or die because of her. Wendy and Dommi, even little Lynda, they all decided Cherine is right; they do not want Robbie taking risks for their sake. They cannot remember what they have lost and so do not value it. We do though and are torn by our fears, but also our need to have our loves back again if possible.
2682
Claudia asked Robbie, “If you became that cold logical Robert again, would you find it reasonable that you risk such a sacrifice just in the slight hope of bringing back a few memories?”
“Claudia, I’m tempted to ask that you answer that question yourself after thinking about it for some time. However, there are too many others here who have the same question. First of all, what that cold creature of logic would find acceptable is not pertinent. I value the emotions that influence my thinking because they make me the person I am.
Memories you say Claudia? Is that all you think they lost? Hell, we could give most of those back again. Look at Lynda, how would that help her? She would be a five year old girl with the memories of a thirty year old! It is not memories that count, what matter more are the experiences and emotions we’ve felt. Those are what give substance to memories and form our personalities. Yes, for those I will gladly take the risks.
I don’t think you are all thinking clearly. If losing their memories are not so terrible, why are you so upset at the thought of some parts of me doing the same? At least there would still be a part of me as you know me now - whereas we do not have that with our loves. I would have expected you to all, at least you my girls, even my mother, jump at the opportunity with the hope that at least one or more parts fail. Think, you could have a few Roberts of seven, eight or ten, whatever age I would regress to. You would not like that?”
He can really exasperate me!! Now he wants us to wish for it to happen!? Still, none of us could resist chuckling at his blatant twisting of logic. He really cannot resist trying to find ways to make his sacrifice or risks seem not only unimportant, but also something to look forward to. What would our Robbie do if even one of us did not care more for him than for ourselves?
Soon as we had settled down again he smiled at Cherine. “In two days time it will be our fifteenth anniversary. Would you like to celebrate it as you are?”
“How can you ask her that Robert? Do you think her twenty three year old self will not also want to celebrate?” Marian asked.
“But she will Marian! She will remember these days.”
She tossed her head, “You just want to have a night with her as an eight year old again! You want to corrupt her innocent little mind all over again!”
He grinned at her and then at Cherine. “You want me to corrupt you?”
“Yes please.”
Their little by-play, engineered by Marian had all of us amused and it took away some of the heartache.
“Me too.” Wendy chimed in and Dommi followed, adding to our laughter. When Lynda also asked the family were all suddenly silent. We had not figured on that happening. Of course, once it did happen, it did make sense.
Robbie only answered, to all of them, “Let me think about it, okay?”
He arranged later that afternoon for Lynda to be taken out for an ice cream.
“What do we do loves? Lynda has been in our bed a few times and we have all loved her. This would be different though. As an adult she did not fall in love with us. She has or had grown to love us, but it is not the same thing. I think she was looking for love elsewhere. If we do this while she is a child, she could become linked to us. Dommi, you are likely to be the one to bring her in, being the way you are now. I’m not certain that would be right or fair.”
“I think he wants to find out if his little girl magnet is still working.” Rosie threw in flippantly.
“You meant it as a joke Rosie but I may have lost it. Without the protector…”
“Don’t be silly!”
“I’m being silly now Rosie? Then let me really be silly. I do not feel tempted in any way to make love to a little girl. My loves, yes, but that is because I already love them and the memories I have are enough to make me respond to their sweet little bodies. With the protector gone, I think I do not have the same need to…Lucy, what is wrong?”
2683
“That Noname, you must make him tell you the truth.”
“What truth!?”
“He sort of remembers something, but not clearly; I could not see what it was. If I understood, you should ask him about a story of…something like a brother mind or brother love.”
“Sam, can you ask Solomon to send him here? I’d rather do this here with him having a physical presence.”
I left immediately, but returned without Solomon.
“I’m sorry Robbie, he is too busy.” I sat up and stretched. Maria came and held me, helping me anchor myself. “The Sparklers are almost fighting!! Ordinx says Solomon is going crazy trying to calm them down.”
“Why? What is going on?”
“He told them you accepted to allow them to risk their lives for you and they each want to be included. They are not listening to the Thinkers for the first time.”
I had been shocked, but boy(!!) did I enjoy telling him. For the first time ever we saw him lost for words. He did not know how to react. His face was bright red when we all laughed. Meli and Bernie shot over to their parents to tell them and they returned with the girls.
“We had to come to see how you will handle this.” Alki said, ready to guffaw.
“I’m not going to. Let Solomon take care of it.”
Marian scolded him, “You drop him in the shit and won’t help him out?”
“I did not ask them, they insisted. It is their problem.” Even as he spoke we felt him resign himself to the knowledge he has to go. He pulled little Wendy onto him and closed his eyes. We all followed.
We had to go to the ‘world’ the Sparklers had created originally for Robbie. The fields were soon filled with Sparklers taking on various bodies. It was quite an amazing sight, I’m glad I did not miss it. They have chosen, between them, the bodies of us girls, of other Earth Cherinians, Anadir and all the other species and a multitude of them had taken on forms of animals from our world. They altered them so that they all can speak. Not one of them though has taken on the bodies of Cherine or Robert. It was a weird feeling seeing our own faces. Robbie looked upon them and his face was creased with laughter. “This is not a rebellion, they are like a bunch of excited kids!”
Silence settled like a blanket in the center ahead of us and space was made for one lone creature that came to us. It is truly beautiful, as he had said. Noname the Elipian! A sort of silvery grey, his powerful front leg delicately stepping as tiny animals ran to get out of his way. His head stood proud, his dark liquid eyes upon us and we sensed his satisfaction as he saw our looks of awe at his beauty. No wonder the bastard is so conceited about their looks.
“Greetings Robert. I was told by Ordinx that you wish to see me?”
Robbie grinned. “I bet you looked forward to this. You’ve been dying to have us see how beautiful you are. Noname, I have seen your people. I even saw a few with different colourings. Do you treasure them or think of them as lacking in your beauty?”
“All Elipians are beautiful Robert.”
“It is considered good manners among your kind to admire oneself?”
“It is not considered bad manners to speak the truth.” We all laughed. “You wished to ask me questions or do you wish to proceed with your experiment Robert? I must tell you that if you do, I am certain you will fail.”
“Lucy wishes to ask you about a story she saw in your mind. It was something half forgotten. Something about brothers.”
2684
“Brothers? I do not understand.”
Lucy stepped forward and dropping onto her knees pounded the ground with her fist three times. She stopped with her hand raised for the fourth blow. Her face was red with anger. “You do not even try to understand! A tale of long ago, something about brothers of the mind or something like that.”
He had wilted at her aggression, understanding the symbolism of her actions.
“I have not forgotten the feel of you in my mind. Are you part Elipian now little fiery one?”
“Enough that I know.”
His head bowed to her. “I too have been in the form of your people, but am not of your understanding. But you have dwelt within my blueness, I owe you the respect of that. I do not recall the tale you mention. I wish I did.”
“Look to your childhood then, it is from a long time ago.”
He stood with his eyes staring at the sky as he tried to recall. He gave a start.
“But that is but a…myth.”
“Tell us the myth then.” Robbie answered.
“It is from a time far in our past when we were hunted. There was another species, smaller than us, but faster and adapted to the tearing of flesh. We lived scattered, forming small groups to protect our young. We were learning slowly, paying the price for such knowledge, that it is not the teeth nor the claw that wins the battle. Often it is the mind. With time it became more obvious, for the creatures that depended on speed and ferocity had but little cunning.
The groups that formed it is said, formed an emotional attachment to each other, the survival of each being very important to the group. The ones that chose to be female as you call them, the bearers of new life, they were not as agile or fast and therefore there were not many of them. Sometimes a group without a good leader would have none.
One of such a group found a female and saw that at times she strayed out of the ring. He waited for the right moment and with speed he cut her off from the group and tried to lead her away. The closest one, faster than the others, caught up with him and challenged him, a fight to the death it was meant to be, with blood from claw and broken bones from blows.
Instead, the stranger chose to use the sheet of infants for he saw that he was too soon to be outnumbered. The times were more savage and the rules were not held with the reverence we do now and another male who was almost with them saw that his friend was about to be destroyed. In desperation he flashed his own blue sheet of infancy, not at the stranger but at his friend. He stole all that the stranger was about to take.”
He paused dramatically, obviously overcome by his own tale.
“Even in those wild times, what he did was so shocking that all froze. The stranger saw that this group is too terrible for even one such as himself and he quickly left while the others stopped to care for the damaged one.
The group were stunned. They did not know how to react.
‘It is better that his mind and soul be part of us than allow a stranger to steal him. I will care for him.’ said the friend.
‘It is not allowed that you live. You have broken our law.’ said his group.
The female spoke. ‘He did no wrong. I would he chose for me in the same way if I were to be taken by a stranger. You may not harm him.’
Even then, the word of the female was spoken with the voice of the group. They are the givers of life and may not be disobeyed.
2685
The one who had done this terrible deed out of love was lost within his own world. He saw that his friend was now part of him, they could not be two again. He could not bear the consequences of his deed and tried something that cannot be done. He sent another blue sheet of infancy into his friend, this time sending half of what he was, instead of taking.
It is said that they became the first and last soul brothers our people have ever known. When they died, they finally found what they craved by becoming one again.”
He looked up at us. “None have dared try it, for to be so torn, half of you given, that is too terrible a price for anyone to pay.”
“How do you know?”
“But it is obvious!!”
“Not to us! All my loved ones, family and friends, we have exchanged parts of our souls and memories with each other. It has been a thing of beauty and love. We are all richer for doing it.”
He stood as if ready to argue, but then his hands went behind him, resting on his broad back as they gripped. Meekly he bowed his head. “I have worried that I committed an evil. The little one, when she came into me, she left a small part of herself. I thought that when you learnt of this you would demand vengeance and was ready to allow it. I still do if you so wish.”
“Has her soul enriched yours?”
“It has been a thing of beauty. More because it was given. But she is a young one, a child, she did not know what she did I thought, and worried that she would suffer.”
“There is no need to worry. Enjoy and treasure what she gave you. Noname, she is pure and for her to do what she did, she must have seen beauty within you. I am glad. I think you have given back to her some part of yourself so she has not been left without a return.”
“I am told the Sparklers wish to join you with their lives as your weapon?”
“They argue to do so. I do not wish it, but accept their right to decide. They do not truly die Noname.”
“It still troubles me. They are a gentle race.”
“Yes, gentle and sweet as the light they are made of.”
“I would not wish to harm them. Let me come to you in giving - I would try that Robert. If I lose myself within you it would not be the worst that can happen. On my travels through time and space I was caught within a turbulence where time and space were twisted. I found myself by a world of soul eaters. I felt their hunger and fled and for a long time I feared.”
“Describe the world!!”
“There was nothing to describe Robert. It seemed to be mostly liquid and bare rock, though not blue like the oceans of your world and mine.”
“Meli!”
“How can it be Robbie?”
“That might explain how he found himself in an alternate reality.”
“But then my worlds do exist!!”
“Within oddities of time and space.” He smiled at her. “That seems apt of you.”
Both Ordinx and Solomon were excited, even more than we were. “Can you lead us to this twisting?” Solomon asked.
“I do not know. I can try. Why would you want to go to such a world?”
“Because that world is within the mind of this girl, Meli.”
2686
That took some explaining and even then he did not fully believe. Robbie was delighted and kept chuckling to himself. “We’ll show him later girls. Let’s solve our problem first.”
The Sparklers had calmed down, always eager to hear a story. Robbie spoke to them.
“I am deeply touched and honoured that you all wish to help me. I have called you family and two of my loves are daughters that come out of that love we share. Please let me decide first how I must go about this, so that your lives are not wasted. If you must do this, at least let it be for a reasonable purpose; the giving of life back to those damaged.”
By now they were more excited about Meli and we left them as their Thinkers discussed the new revelation by Noname. We returned home as they crowded around him.
“His giving, though a generous offer, is of no value that I can see. I have a problem. How do I learn to take the entire memory? What we have exchanged in the past has been but the shadows; we now have to learn how to take the memory itself. I cannot do that to anyone.”
Luigi asked, “Why have you called me for this Robert? How is a poet fit to make such decisions?”
“Perhaps what would be acceptable to a poet would be more ethical than what is acceptable to me right now. My mind is clouded by my need.”
“All poets should die young Robert. As we age we tend to follow extremes. Either we become dissolute and decadent, traitors to our muse, enjoying what the impressionable young have to offer, or else we become stern, our emotions channelled so that we only see value in words, our muse a frozen statue. Luckily for you, I am a little of both and my muse still breathes in my heart.” We looked at Elpida, pleased as we sensed her latch on to Luigi’s talk about traitors, struggling to find why it made her uneasy. We knew it was only a matter of time now before she remembers. Luigi will be there for her when she needs him. Robbie decided it would be better he continue their discussion.
“These are my thoughts Luigi. If I must take memories from sentient beings, it must only be from those who know what I wish to do and have reason to agree to such sacrifice. That means it only can be from within my family. My second level of reasoning was to say, I must only take unpleasant memories. That would be a bad mistake. It is the bad memories that teach us and help us grow. Then the third stage I came to was that I choose memories without meaning. Those empty hours when we do not think or experience anything of importance. That too I see as wrong, for most of our memories are made of such times and how do I know what is necessary for us to remain complete?”
“Robert, it is sad to hear you. You too make the same error of thinking it is the bad times, those of pain that help us grow. I say it is not! Sometimes they do have that effect, but mostly all they teach us is to be afraid. That is why we become cautious as we age. You must have heard the saying that only the young can be sent into battle for they have not learnt to fear?”
“I…”
“You think you are the only one who flounders among waves of contradictions? All thinking men do Robert, there is no one answer that is correct. According to the circumstances you must make your decisions, relying on the inner voice. Your mind may say, this is right or this is wrong, but if a feeling within you says otherwise, listen to that feeling.”
“Samantha, what I would do affects others. You must decide if it is permissible, regardless of what my potential victims may say.”
“You are determined to cast me as leader, nothing is forgiven then?”
“All is forgiven, but words that are spoken have a life of their own my love. You spoke for reasons of your own, but now you have to carry the weight of their impact on reality. That was me just trying to sound pompous and wise,” he said with a tight grin. “For now you are leader. Decide.”
“There is nothing for me to decide on. You have said the leader does not have the right to interfere when the person doing something only affects his own wellbeing. Any who offer make a decision within their rights to do so and I may not interfere.”
“Turning into a politician so quickly?”
“Since I am one of those who intends offering, I speak from conviction.”
2687
“Not you my love, not the leader of the Cherinians.”
“You would have your leader exempted from taking risks any other Cherinian takes? You would shame me so father?”
He had been trying to give me an out and should have known I would not accept - though I loved him for it. I am not one of those tight-eyed strident feminists who see any need by a male to protect me as being chauvinistic. If he were not my father also, I would see it as being chivalrous.
“Robert?”
“Yes Cherine?” His voice was so tender when he spoke to her it made me want to cry - the trouble is that Cherine can also pick up his feelings, but she did not show the way it must have made her feel. I keep forgetting that she has had her gift from birth and knows how to hide whatever she wants to. Does that mean that when we catch a secret pain, she is letting us?
“I feel an emptiness. I feel as if I can reach for a memory but there is…nothing there. Like where a tooth is missing.”
He grinned at her. “Don’t worry, we are going to get all your teeth back again.”
Writing of these days has made me realise something. Robbie has changed. He found a solution, but instead of acting on it he waits and learns more and more details, but at the end of it the answer is the one he thought of at the start. This has happened a couple of times now and I think it shows Luigi is right. Pain has made him cautious and he no longer trusts himself the way he did. I have a feeling we are the losers and someday it may cost us real big time!
“Damn their honour! We could have got everything back if Noname had not made him kill himself.”
“Is he dead like my …daddy is?”
“Yes Wendy.”
“I wish he had also taken my memories of my daddy.”
“Maybe then you would not have loved us baby.”
“I would have!”
While he smiled at her and gave her a kiss I felt him ‘knocking on the door’, asking to come in. I understood and agreed. He was a while, roaming around without doing anything, sometimes his presence a light warm feeling that slightly tickled. He did something and left.
“Feel around, see if you also have a tooth missing.”
“I don’t feel anything Robbie.”
“I hoped so. Luigi, I may have the answer. The mind does not store everything in long term memory. If I take a memory that was about to fade away, I think it will not affect the mind.”
He showed me what he had taken and then, entering my mind again he replaced it where he had found it.
“I’m going to need some kind of super memory or mind to remember where I took each memory from, I can’t do it alone.”
“It will not be that hard Roberto.” Maria explained. “You will be taking most of the memories one after the other. You will only have to do it backwards when putting them back.”
“Not really love. Our memories are not stored in sequence. The memory must go back in the right brain cell or else every time one of them tries to remember something they might get back the wrong memory.”
2688
Eddie had been silent till now. “Robert, spend time in their minds; get to know the empty cells, map out the terrain and fix the map in your mind. When you go back to take their memories, tag each memory, identifying from your map where it belongs. Did I explain clearly, it sounds so strange.”
“Do you realise at what speed I will be working to keep ahead of the blue?”
Jade nodded to herself. “Robbie, make nine of you, not five. Two for each of them. The one grabs the memory while the other remembers where it belongs.”
“I can’t love. Do you realise how many ways I already am split? Keeping our spaceship-world alive is taking most of me. Five is already pushing the limits.”
“Then use the Sparklers, they have good memories.” I said.
Sparklers were sent by the millions to be trained. They had to get to know the ‘maps’. Perikli was worried about this, if they ever turn against us they will know how our minds are laid out and could cause damage very effectively. We all pretended not to pick up his worry and he did not say anything.
A Thinker showed Robbie a trick that helped him. He had been keeping himself focussed, reading one cell at a time. With it guiding him it taught him how to cover the whole mind and lift the memories in chunks that make him hundreds of times faster. He is ecstatic.
A further change was suggested. Instead of going back and doing all four girls at once he should go back and do one at a time. That way he will not need to split himself up so many times and is stronger and faster. The time he goes back to, he will be in all their minds at the same instants, but from our end not. It made sense to him and he agreed.
Impetuous at last, he decided not to wait. We put the four names on slips and shuffled them in a box and then Lucy was told to pull one out. The first name was Wendy. Having a name, a real person, Robbie became afraid. He was afraid he would botch it up and cause Wendy damage. Any mistakes he makes are final, he cannot go back again. His hands trembled as he took a walk in the garden smoking. Cherine, Wendy and Dommi joined him, little Lynda sweetly tagging along. He sat on the swing seat with them in his arms and on his lap. When he came back he had managed to control his fear and was calmer. He asked Wendy to lie down, kissed her eyes shut and told her to keep her mind open and ready for him to come in.
He went to the bedroom and when he returned there were two of him. We could not tell which was the original, which upset us. Knowing him he is likely to leave the copy and take the risk himself. (There was no copy Sam - both were originals.) They lay down to either side of Wendy, turning their heads and looking at each other. They lay their heads on the cushions and shutting their eyes left.
None of us could go with so I can only describe what happened from what I saw in his mind afterwards and from what Solomon told us. The event itself was almost anti-climatic after all the agonising and worry. Within a couple of seconds Wendy moaned and we felt them within her. Her mind was occupied by both Roberts and I don’t know how many Sparklers.
When both Robbies opened their eyes, their faces turning to watch Wendy simultaneously, we all were relieved to see they had both survived without damage. Wendy took a little longer, assimilating and merging her recent memories and sat up with the brightest possible smile.
“It worked!”
It was our full Wendy back with us again. Cherine and Dommi stared at her, only now, after sensing the change in her, truly believing our story of what had happened to them. Dommi cried.
“What’s wrong baby?” her mother asked, trying to comfort her.
“I won’t be me!”
The Robbies had been exuberant and it was amazing how quickly they deflated. Wendy reacted immediately, pulling Dommi to her she told her to come into her mind. She showed her that she had not lost herself, that what had happened is an adding of herself so that the little Wendy is still there, but richer and complete now. Dommi settled and soon Wendy had her laughing and playing with her.
I guess you now want to know what happened when the Robbies went back?
2689
They did not go back directly. They went to the void and as the void they shot down to our home, timing it so that they arrived early enough to watch and perform their cleverest trick. As Noname2 sent out his blue, they slowed time to a crawl - or perhaps they speeded up their own time within the confines of Wendy’s head. The blue was only arriving when they were already done. They had taken out her memories with a twist added to it. They implanted copies of memories of their own in their place. They reasoned that if the blue found nothing to take it might take her childhood memories, leaving her even worse off.
“They were only copies of our memories. I chose memories that showed me using my powers so that Noname2 will find only what will terrify him. I intend doing the same for all of them.”
I saw that Alki had also picked up what I had, and he shook his head at me, trying to signal that I should keep quiet.
“You lied!” I shouted. “You both went in!”
“Yes Sam, we did. Once we had thought of slowing time, giving us the breathing space we needed, there was no reason not to. We finished faster, which meant Wendy had no time to sense what we were doing to her.”
“I don’t care! You lied! You risked us losing you. We did not agree to that.” All the girls rallied to me. Cherine first and foremost. Her hands tight in little fists she faced them.
“You will not go again. It was bad enough knowing we might lose part of you. I will not lose you Robert. You must promise me not to go back or else I will close my mind to you so that you cannot bring back my memories.”
Dommi understood less than Cherine, but she knew one thing; whatever Cherine says or does is the right thing, so she backed her. Only poor little Lynda stood there not knowing or understanding what is going on. When she began to cry, Wendy picked her up and soothed her.
“For god’s sake Cherine! Stop making life impossible for me. Use your brains! I will be at risk, whichever half of me goes back, if twice the amount of time is needed. Sam, you started this; you tell them you were wrong.”
“I will not! Maybe it is safer for two or ten of you, but still, one of you must stay here.”
It is disconcerting having two Robbies glaring at me. “Sometimes I wonder why I’ve never spanked you. Okay! We’ll do it your way.”
There has been a series called the Hulk which I’ve watched off and on, so I sent him an image of the green Hulk with my sweet pretty face, holding him on my lap and spanking him. They both got it and burst out laughing, the tension melting away.
The two looked at each other and grinned. “Being able to see them quadroscopically certainly makes me aware again that we are one hell of a lucky s.o.b to have such lovely girls.”
We fooled away the rest of that day, the only sadness being among the Sparklers who were disappointed that Robbie has found a way to avoid letting them die for him. They are also proud of him, Sol told us.
What had been said about the healers also growing into individuals, like the protector, and seeing Robbie merge with his healer, causing a change in his soul, even if only a slight change, the images and my imagination persisted, teasing me with possibilities. Since Robbie was concentrating on the four, plus our visitors, I spoke of what was troubling me to the rest of the girls who were sitting with me in our bedroom.
“The demonstration by Robbie, though unintended by him, which shows that our healers are evolving has made me realise that as we want the protector to evolve, so must we do all we can to help our healers evolve so that they can also someday become independent entities. With souls and minds of their own, they can then become true partners and no longer be our servants.”
My loves became excited by my ideas, agreeing that we must help ‘free’ our healers, giving me the confidence to speak to Robbie and those, like Ordinx, Solomon and so on, who can influence our alien Cherinians into making the effort also. I’ll wait until we have all the girls fully back, for Robbie will not be willing to think deeply about anything else right now.
2690
Sol had come with when he/she sent/brought Noname to visit us. We asked Apostoli whether we can come over to eat and dance. Soon as he told the waiters to lay out the extra tables they knew we are coming and rushed to it - they have discovered that when we come they often leave work early and to top it all are given large tips by Alki, Elia and Eddie. We were delayed in leaving because Robbie, one of the two of them, brought a CD and gave it to Alki.
“Some of my latest. I’m sorry it has been a while.”
Alki of course insisted on seeing the latest paintings. Among them was a portrait of Candy and Wendy together. Not the Wendy of today. That girl they abducted. Everyone wanted to see it. Everyone walked away with tears in their eyes. It is untitled.
“You want me to put this on the net!?”
“Yes.”
“It will be dangerous Roberto.”
“It is always dangerous to expose one’s heart to the public.”
“I meant…”
“I know. We’ll take the chance. The painting I see has spoken to all of you. Perhaps it will speak to others also.”
In the painting, it was little Candy who held the Wendy they had found, her eyes innocent and not understanding. It did not speak, it shouted it’s way through the heart.
“Robbie, they will use it to make people hate all paedophiles.”
He looked at Theresa, his eyes troubled. Robbie shrugged. “Keep it for Cherinians only Alki.”
Noname stared at the picture, trying to see what had thickened the air with such emotions. It took him a long time to recognise Wendy. His eyes widened. “Why do you see her like that!?”
“That is how we found her.” He turned to us. “How about a storytelling for Noname tomorrow?”
Claudia moaned. “Not while we have two of you Robert!” Everyone knew what she meant and it changed our mood again. Like any large group we were soon talking and laughing again and once we were at our tables and the wine was poured, Socrati, Manoli and Andrea were soon on the floor exhibiting their love of dancing. With a bit of coaxing Angelo, Nicko and Henry soon joined them. We were all clapping when Robbie’s father joined them. It looked like this is going to be an evening to remember.
In the early hours of the morning, after the main star had sung and left, they got up to dance again. Socrati leaned over and asked Noname to join them. He really should not have done that. Within ten minutes they were all on their knees clapping and shouting ‘bravo!’ as Noname danced. He is a natural dancer, his movements full of suppressed power, just like Greek dancing is meant to be, but also graceful and expressive. Noname was the star of the night and when he forced our two Robbies to join him, the club was filled with wolf-whistles and cat-calls. All the two could do was exaggerate even further their terrible sense of rhythm to make us laugh. As they returned to the table, Noname softly spoke to them and there was more laughter between them.
He had said, “I should have challenged you to dance. I would have won the war.”
Lynda spent many hours on the dance floor also, showing off just like any cute five year old. She was kissed by many and some strangers even threw her carnations, calling her their mikri Amerikana [little American girl]. Her little face shone with her happiness.
One Robbie (it must have been the original!) said to Marian, “Isn’t she lovely?”
She pretended to be horrified. “Not another one Robert!”
All in all, a night I will treasure. It is so rare that we are all so happy and exuberant.
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)8th November, 2019
- posted on Steemit: 8th November, 2019
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