Towards the end, their leaders spoke openly about creating a new world order and they gave themselves powers to kill any who dissent, without having to prove any kind of guilt - and people pretended it does not show that they are now ruled by a dictatorship, since it cannot be done under a democracy.
2761
People also saw how all food is being replaced by artificially produced seeds which are controlled by one group, and did not even feel troubled by the possibility that by replacing natural farming completely, if it turns out that the GMO foods have a weakness, there will be no food for them or their children. They complacently handed over the responsibility for the survival of their children and themselves to those who have no wish to see them survive!
I suddenly had an idea and asked that Robert, with his family and his Alki, visit our reality, without speaking to any of my Cherinians, to invite John, Feizal and his father and their men. He is to tell them that I plead for them to join us, on a visit, for what they will learn here could make the difference between their own people surviving or not, what might happen in our reality. He is to also promise they will only be absent for one hour from their homes.
I provided a platform which cannot be sensed by radar or seen by cameras or telescopes, which will also make it easier for Robert to transfer so many non-Cherinians to our spaceship-world. Even I tend to find myself surprised how quickly things happen with us, for they arrived within two hours. I was pleased to see that all the men have come with and none were emoting any kind of hostility as they stepped onto the grass - well, most of them were too caught up in their awe at finding themselves within an artificial world of this complexity and size, for them to be feeling any negative emotions.
This turned out to be one of the rare times that Feizal and his father, Amr, broke with custom and within the first five minutes indicated they realised something about Cherine is different. She sat on my lap as I told them about our following the fire-world and how an alien seeing us watch his world and people being killed, was filled with such a rage that it kept him chasing after us for thousands of years and of his attack and the deaths in my family and how I had to - will have to - steal her memories, all the way back to her eighth year of life. For this once we sensed that all the men ached for our loss, of those whose souls were killed, used as an energy food to feed the alien - until I explained how we brought them back to life.
“You are telling us that by this creature consuming their souls, the soul…lost their…shapes and became one energy?”
“Yes. the consciousness of the souls did not become one, but as the souls mixed, the minds or consciousness seemed to fall into a deep sleep or else they faded, making it impossible for us to sense them.”
This bit of news panicked them, for they had thought of their souls as being immortal, that death is only a part of life in our physical bodies. It made me also think about it and I was amazed that I had not wondered about it before.
I realised we had arrived at the point where we must explain why we had brought them to us and why the events in this reality could happen in our reality. To personalise the threat, for they might think of themselves as being immune to the threat because they have learnt to think so, due the world’s need for oil and thanks to their wealth, I began almost at the end and told them of an extremely well known billionaire who has spent tens of billions of dollars on charities and how an unpublicised condition accompanies the donations - that the children be sterilised. I made it clear that the overwhelming majority of the children being ‘helped’ have darker skin than this light haired billionaire and his wife.
I had to stop so as to give them time to demand more facts and to get over their rage. I think that they are mostly angry with themselves, for each of them has at least one, and many have a number of the software products which have made this man so wealthy and the idea that they have helped make a twisted man like him so powerful made them feel guilty. Common sense did return during the time we stopped for a meal.
2762
“The time of me telling you what has brought us here must give way to the local Robert showing you the news as shown on their television stations since I came here and fought with Sharipya at the upper reaches of the atmosphere and out in space. As you can imagine, since nobody knew the facts, everyone imagined that an alien race came to destroy mankind and another alien race came to save us.” I explained about the fervour that swept the world so that the survival of mankind came to resemble a religion and how it helped a number of people who had been offered a place in the new world order to break out of the way they were thinking.
“They told the world about the plans of the Elite and how it not only included world domination under them, but also the reduction of the world population to under one million - with the majority of those who are allowed to remain alive, doing so as serfs, with no rights, not even to have children, unless they are given a permit. Before we continue talking, watch the taping of the news shows and other programs and whenever you do not understand something, please do not hesitate to ask us.”
I have been growing sensitive to the emotional atmosphere in our little world, and having so many men emoting a hard, fierce anger all the time, was upsetting me, without me understanding what is wrong. Cherine sensed it and she helped me understand. It amused me to sense how pleased she is by my growth - as she put it.
We warned Earth that we are leaving, so as to collect the food we have promised them, and we will be back within a day. We have not enabled them to answer us, as I suspected that if I do, they’ll start their political games and manoeuvrings, while also pleading for what they want and making all kinds of demands on us. From the discussions we saw on their television broadcasts, they were amazed that we can travel to another solar system and back within twenty four hours, even if we have faster-than-light means of travel.
We delayed leaving, for I felt a need to watch the latest news. They were announcing that every single banking group and financiers from all around the globe (including insurance companies, etc.) are being compelled to declare insolvency and have asked for help. I angrily dismissed their cries for help as being just another bailout the tax payers must be saddled with, so that the Globalists can make their last effort to strengthen themselves financially. Having people like Alki, Eddie, Hettie and Feizal to explain the financial facts of life, I realised that even if I am right, the governments cannot afford to let the financial community come to a sudden stop, yet, they are so hated by the public that if they help, they themselves are likely to be attacked – and with us aliens sitting in their skies, they cannot even protect themselves against their own people. I can guess they must be feeling life is very unfair and that us aliens are turning topsy-turvy the natural order of how life should be.
Once they felt I understand the situation (they explained it simply enough for both Cherine and I to understand), the local Eddie said, “Robert, perhaps the Cherinians will alter the way our society works, but for now we need to have banks, insurance companies and so on. Is there any way we can help?”
“What kind of money are we talking about?”
“I have no idea…a guarantee by the alien visitors for…say…sixty trillion dollars would help, though I hope the amount needed may be much smaller. Robert, not even all the alternates of Alki and myself are good for anything close to even ten percent of what is needed, have you any other way of raising that kind of money?”
I shook my head. “I don’t intend asking anybody else to help - anyway, we only need help from one person. Cherine, do you authorise me to use your name as security for empowering us to save some very stupid people?”
“What are you talking about?” I was surprised to hear an edge of anger in the voice of Feizal - and I secretly rejoiced to sense he was just as surprised as I was at the sudden surge of need to protect her. Cherine stared at the two of us with wide open eyes. I realised I must not let him know that I sensed him.
I replied, worried that I may be making a fool of myself. “If I have understood how it works, though maybe I am only being naïve, we don’t actually need any money, just the promise of the money being available if it is needed? Would all of the non-terran species present provide the banks and so on with guarantees, if the Terran Cherinians provide them with a guarantee in return - that we’ll make good any shortfall should their guarantees be called upon?”
2763
Robert was just as curious as the others. “I don’t understand how you expect us to find that kind of money.”
“I don’t - I will provide the money, within a reasonable amount of time, should it be necessary.”
Cherine could not see what I was planning, so she told me, “You told me you made a trust for me, did you put so much money in it?”
I grinned. “No my love, I’m not rich, from me you only have just a few hundred thousand dollars up to now, though your wife, Dommi, has put her ten million dollars in the trust for all you girls.” I then explained to everyone, “If I use the void energies to smelt metals in a number of asteroids - in solar systems which do not have life, could I sell to each alternate Earth something between two to six trillion dollars worth? Even if I do so over five years, I can return here within hours of the call on your guarantee.”
The Anadir, Solomon, the Eminixx and the Elipians (Sharipya) sat before the camera, all except for Solomon, in the own forms. We could sense that as Solomon informed the world of the offer, for the first time he was enjoying his role of representative of the Cherinians.
I was right, the markets immediately strengthened and the governments agreed to pass new laws, protecting the banks, but at the same time, protecting all of society from the banks, so that they can never take advantage of the power they have over those who borrow from them, demanding that they also sell off all their interests in other businesses and properties.
We agreed that the documentation can be prepared and agreed upon the next day, when we return with the promised food. We then remembered to ask for industrial vacuum packing machines and once they understood what we need, they provided us with the machines, for which we promised to pay with gold, immediately upon our return.
I wanted to speak to this Earth, as a Terran, though I would disguise myself, for I want to offer to take the principal globalists responsible for the destruction and planned destruction of this planet to an equivalent of our penal planet. They too will only be permitted a knife each, since, as I wish to point out to them, they are such a superior breed of people and they are being offered a virgin Earth of their own, they should not need anything else from the rest of mankind - which they consider so unworthy that they were willing to kill all of them. Maybe I will do so when we return with the food, or maybe I will not. We’ll have to wait and see.
Some of the local Cherinians returned to their homes and we departed, travelling for a short distance, only to Mars, within an hour, and then we just disappeared from their monitoring devices.
We timed our arrival so as to be with those who had worked to feed the earth attacked by a fire-world, before they pack up to leave. However, I spent time travelling there in another reality so that we also have some time to recover our equilibrium. However much I have become Robert the leader of the Cherinians and husband to a bunch of genius but crazy girls, to an important extent, I have remained the Robert who arrived in Greece with dreams of becoming an artist, while also remaining an enormous ignoramus and naïve idiot. The extent of what I have learnt in this last reality has shocked me and I need time to sort out the crazy ideas and emotions I find myself filled by, so that I only cling to those which are needed for ensuring the survival of Normals and Cherinians.
From our talks and analysis of what is happening on our and other Earths, we came to the conclusion that ‘our’ so-called Elite are not as extreme as those who’ve just been exposed. We think they are planning to take over the world and they also plan to reduce the food available, which explains why so much of the farming has been deliberately destructive of the soil, when we have the knowledge and ability to prevent it happening, but they are doing so for the purpose of ensuring they can tightly control all of mankind, not so as to kill our people by the billions. Another interesting difference; we see that in our realities they are investing heavily in space technology. Keith suggests they may be doing so as they want to find another planet which can then be their private property. That kind of ambition does not upset me, as a Normal I think I too would have loved to own my own planet. Our conclusions helped reduce our outrage to manageable proportions and even our Arab friends relaxed a little and the men became a bit friendlier. The truth? We may think it is so because we cannot face the fact that the cabals of our world are just as rotten.
I also needed to deal with the kid from death row.
2764
I had already sensed that he is not very intelligent, only crafty. He does not seem to have picked up any of the kind of survival knowledge a child in his situation should have learnt. He does not even recognise the signs that betray certain people as an easy mark for people like him! He is even afraid of me!
I had not been monitoring him, but I was not surprised to find his temporary home empty. He took whatever he thought may be of use to him or that he might get a good price for and ran off into the bush.
It was not difficult to sense where he is, once I wanted to, but when I checked, he surprised me again. He has not realised he is not on his own planet. He thinks that what is different, is different because he is outside the city he knows. Even our sky and glowing shield, which is so very different to what is possible on a planet, did not make him re-think his conviction that if he gets through the ‘wild’ countryside and gets to the next city, everything will return to normal again.
I waited until he is hungry before jumping to an area just out of his sight and, sitting on the grass, I waited for him. When he saw me, he thought of dashing back into cover, but because my posture was not threatening and he was hungry, he decided to try and get information out of me. He hid his stolen goods, which were thrown into a pillow case, behind a bush and walked towards me.
I spoke, without turning to look at him. “You must be getting hungry and thirsty, so I’ve placed some sandwiches and fresh milk by the tree on my left. Help yourself and we can talk afterwards.” I then carried on, as if I were reminiscing, “Exploring can be quite tiring and I remember I always used to get hungrier than I usually felt when I stayed at school. I went to school in England, but I was born and lived in Africa for my first years. America is so big that you can move inside it and still feel as if you have visited another country.” He switched me off, only paying enough attention to me to recognise if I say anything he may consider threatening. As he finished his sandwich, he seemed to sink deeper into his thoughts, so I kept quiet.
“They were going to kill me; it is not right! Grown ups are not supposed to kill children.”
The easy answer would have been that children are also not supposed to kill adults, but I felt I should ask a different question. “Who told you that?”
“Everybody says so, even on TV. They all lied, even the woman on TV wanted me to die.”
“Do you know why?”
“They are bad people.”
At some other time I may have been amused by his answer, but he made me think of the Elite, who think nothing of killing all the children, so I answered, “I don’t think so; I think they want to kill you because they are afraid of you.”
“Yeah.”
I waited, but he did not add anything to his short answer. I had been hoping to lead him in a different direction so as to help him understand, but I guessed he is not going to make it easy for me. Still, at least we’d talked and he should be less afraid of me. I suggested he walks back to the house I lent him and after a bath he joins us at the restaurant for a meal. I reassured him he can eat and drink what he wants, without paying for it. Yup, I know - I am that stupid!
That evening, our young guest had Cherine laughing at me within my mind for hours on end, as he ordered whiskey, mostly to test the honesty of my offer, and became stinking drunk and aggressive, until he began to throw up. He finally fell asleep close to our beach - I did not let him go there, confusing him so that he would turn away, as I did not want him barfing on the nice clean sand which my loves enjoy lying down on to ‘suntan’.
By the next morning I had come to my senses and accepted that I have other priorities right now and also lack the experience for dealing with someone so bent out of shape by his environment. I left for the reality where Laura took the pains of Cherine, arriving directly in the home of Themi.
2765
I told him about Rodney - he is used to being called Rod - and made my suggestion. “Those two students I met, they were linked as Cherinians? Why not ask them to join you? I would like for you to help Rodney grow emotionally and maybe learn a few things more useful than the art of stealing and killing. I wanted to do it myself, but with the crisis I’m having to deal with, I can’t concentrate on the boy, as I should. Maybe it will also teach your students a few things about life and its problems in the world of city slums? Themi, Cherinian doctors and psychologists should deal with the worst cases, for Normals cannot help them to the same extent.
You might want to remind your students that if they come, not only will they learn more than they would in class, they can be part of the adventure of travelling in a spaceship - maybe even for years, while they will not lose even one day of life back here.”
When they all agreed, I selfishly thought of how happy it will make Cherine to have the company of Laura again.
When I’d told Themi that I want them to help Rod, I’d sensed his amusement, for he has seen our tellings a number of times and has seen how I’ll ask our Themi to help one of my girls and then, before he can lift his little finger, I deal with the problem myself. He was only feeling amused until we arrived at the taverna and he learnt what the crisis is, and then all he could think of is the problems I am trying to deal with, his shocked mind unable to deal with the problems of Rod.
I think it is impossible for the human soul to deal with the horror of learning that there are a number of people who can conspire and plan over the centuries, causing wars and bombings of women and children, so as to manoeuvre the wealth of nations for the single purpose of slaughtering billions, killing them in ways that will maximise the suffering, just so that they can have their estates, mansions and beautiful gardens, with slaves to maintain them.
“Robert, they are doomed to failure, even if they succeed. We have too many examples of how the children assume the guilt of crimes against humanity by their parents or grandparents, especially those which have secured them the privileges of wealth and power. Those minds will have to become twisted so as to survive such a massive guilt, with the end result that their society will collapse within a very few generations - and then, what is left of mankind will sink back to the non-sentient state, for the human spirit will have been crushed.”
I should have kept my mouth shut, for I spoke with out thinking of how my words will affect everyone and I have caused billions of sensitive souls to suffer - and for me the worst is the suffering of my little Cherine, for I can never do anything to relieve them of their suffering. I told them, “Themi, we will not allow them to succeed in any of the realities we can find, but with realities splitting off at the rate of billions of them per second, in how many of them will they succeed? We are talking of trillions of trillions of people being killed and I, the protector of life and children, can do nothing to save them - however many I do save.”
The imagination, even in those without creative gifts, is always more powerful than the direct experience of life itself can be. I had planted a seed so terrible in their minds that they could not cope with it and everyone soon dispersed, each needing to be alone or with family only, so as to weep and grieve. Sharipya being on his own, walked off into the parts of the land which he has told me resembles his own planet in a few ways.
When we woke up the next morning, I was hoping everyone will return to the taverna without my having to call for them. They did drift in, in ones or twos, though they were very quiet. I tried to sense Sharipya and realised he is agitated. Suddenly I saw that he was staring at the sleeping body of Rod, which lay on the grass, under a tree. I wondered why the sight is upsetting him so much.
Sharipya carefully sat close enough for speaking, but not close enough to panic the boy. As he stared at Rod, tears filled his eyes (I wonder whether his species cry, or whether the tears exist because he is using our cells and organs for projecting his form).
“What am I to make of your people? Surely there is no other species as vile as yours…and yet you have produced a Robert who is to bring back to life my people and I do not know how many others!” I sensed Rod has awakened and is listening. “How can any species turn against its own young? It is so difficult not to see your people as the monsters of our universe, yet, your young ones are as innocent as those of any other species and fill even me with sweetness…my Lucy, is she not a miracle…even more of a miracle for having come out of your species!”
I blanked out his words so as not to invade his privacy, but the little I heard sent my mind spinning, as I too wondered at how our species can be the one which created my Cherine. As I thought about it, I realised that a Cherine could not have evolved out of a Sparkler or an Elipian. Though the Anadir have evolved into a good and gentle people, while they lived on their planet, they too might have been hard and cruel enough for their race to need to evolve a Cherine - as I suspect it could be with the Eminixx. Though I am beginning to like the Inguel, I would say they definitely could have evolved a Cherine. I wonder how many species have evolved a Cherine and then killed them off? Surely our Cherine cannot be the only one? Nature does tend to repeat the sequence of steps it takes in evolving sapience.
2766
The moment I think of Cherine, whether she was monitoring me or not, she becomes aware of my thoughts. She stared at me with huge eyes. “You think I was born because everybody is bad?”
Her question made me the focus of everyone’s attention. I gestured and gave a little grin. “Not everyone, my love, just enough for you to be needed.” She sensed everyone’s puzzlement so I shared with them the process of my thoughts and I was pleased to sense that most of them were not upset by being included as one of the species which could produce a Cherine. It kept everyone busy until Sharipya arrived, as they discussed my ideas and argued some of the points.
As soon as Sharipya was greeted, a silence fell upon us as they waited for me to speak my thoughts.
“I have often wished the Cherinians would chose someone else as our leader, but I have tried to never fail you. This time I feel I have failed you and myself. Never before have I felt such a murderous rage, but I know that if I allow myself to indulge those feelings, I will have sullied all that is beautiful about being a Cherinian. If I control myself, I have a suspicion that I will be killing our dream - for how can any group of humans allow such heartless monsters to go unpunished? I’m asking that you appoint a temporary leader in my place.”
As voices began to protest, Themis overrode them, asking, “May I make a suggestion as to who should take his place?”
Ordinx answered, “Themi, everyone has the right to voice their opinion. Who do you suggest?”
“Cherine…the Prime Cherine. Apart from Samantha who takes on the responsibility whenever she fears his role as leader could harm Robert, I believe we should make it a rule that only his Cherine can ever take his place.”
Solomon asked, “Cherine?”
“You want me!? I’m just a kid, I can’t lead grownups!” She could sense I was seething, angered by Themi. Maybe that is why she didn’t keep quiet, since I was about to say things I should never say. “Even if he is hurting, my Robert would never give up. He told me that he is the protector of children and those people wanted to kill nearly all the children of Earth, so he will do everything he can to save the children of all the Earths he can - even if I have to ask him to get the rest of me back first.”
Deflected by what she was saying, I realised that those damn memories we’d shared from her original self have matured her a lot more than I had realised and I grieved for the loss of the little Cherine I thought I was re-experiencing her childhood with.
My voice was a lot softer, gentler, when I told them, “For as long as you want me as the leader of all Cherinians, such a proposal will never be adopted.”
Robert grinned. “But it may be proposed again whenever you are wanting to chicken out.”
Cherine flushed. “My Robert did not chicken out!”
Robert mock bowed to me, “I apologise Robert.”
I turned to Cherine. “I did not chicken out, just as you stated - and I am glad that you have come to know me that well. However, what I did want to do, it was worse…Cherine, I was almost giving in to my need to kill all the alternates of those exposed here, in the reality we come from.”
She shrugged. “I already know you well enough to know you need to kill them now, but by the time you can, you will not. Robert, from what everyone showed me, I don’t believe they are all the same, maybe in some of their ideas, but not to the extremes they planned here.”
Solomon smiled. “Some of what has been spoken today, the words were born out of our pain, and some of them were humour, helping to heal us. Cherine, whether eight years old or an adult, you are always wiser than your years and your empathy continues to reach out to us, always touching our hearts.”
Robert asked, “Are we going to do anything about my world, apart from providing them with food?”
2767
Eddie nodded. “Right now the shares of the pharmaceutical corporations should hardly be worth the paper they are printed on. I would like to purchase a majority share in the two or three largest ones, so that I can block the psychotropic drugs from ever being distributed again. With the time free of drugs this could offer us, perhaps we can educate the public so that nothing like them can ever gain a toehold again.”
Elia answered, “I agree, though I must admit I would have preferred to wrest control of the banking system from the present owners, without allowing the governments to gain control of them.”
An Anadir said, “More important than the ownership will be the re-establishment of laws for controlling the way banking operates in all countries.”
Another Anadir added, “Perhaps it should become illegal for banks to lend money to countries. If a government are in need, for instance, due to some natural disaster, then they should ask for the private citizens of all nations to lend them money. Before they can do so, they must hold a referendum and obtain a majority vote from their citizens, after all, it is those citizens who will have to pay off the debt.”
I nodded my agreement. “With computers and the internet, it should be possible for the experts to create a safe voting system.”
Dominique said, “They should only use such a voting system sparingly, or else people will grow bored and not bother to vote - leaving the field free again for the bad guys to do whatever they want.”
I asked for two things only - maybe they were not as practical as what the others were suggesting, but they are important for any society to do more than survive, to grow. I felt they must alter the focus of the social services. Each time they have to break up a family and take the child or children, a separate family court must examine all the evidence, which must include non-legal arguments, such as, comments from neighbours and others of the family. Even the children themselves should be heard and their wishes considered important - to have any judge, of any country, claim that he refuses to speak in private to a child, because the child is too young to have the right of an opinion as to their own future, is wrong! I also want the laws regarding the courts and police treating children as adults, when it comes to their responsibilities, but as immature children when it comes to their rights, to be changed - even reversed. I’m not arguing that the rights of children should be increased beyond their ability to handle or understand the extent of the consequences, but no child should ever be tried as an adult. Never!
The local Robert did come up with suggestions that shook everyone. “There are many changes that must be reversed, such as the multitude of cameras spying on the citizens, but where such cameras need to remain, the recordings must either be used for preventing crime within a short period, such as six months, or else they must be wiped. We must have an organisation manned by officers from the police force and from the government, but with members chosen at random from the public having the majority, responsible for overseeing the destruction of the recordings.
My next suggestion I am going to blatantly steal from Prime Robert. He has often spoken in private about the way the judicial system maintains an ever-growing number of laws. I would ask that all the laws passed in the last five hundred years be reconsidered, and where they are not to the advantage of our society, or were created for the purpose of benefiting the Elite through socialism, they must be written off our books. Such a culling of laws, at a set period, such as every twenty years, should be compulsory in all countries.
Now I am going to make the proposal that I think goes against one of the strictest and most important rules Robert has tried to instil in us as a sacred right of the individual. He has told us that we must never, unless it is to help the person being mind-raped, spy on the minds of others - especially the minds of Normals. I am going to ask that, under limited and specific conditions, we do exactly that.
It struck me that those who considered themselves the Elite, must have prepared for the kind of scenario they are presently facing. For instance, many governments have developed for biological warfare, diseases that will spread and kill off people by the millions, if not billions, within the shortest time. Can we, in good conscience reassure the world that they are not vulnerable to just such a plan?
We cannot do so as Cherinians, but if the world is told that the aliens, after our talking with them, have developed a machine which can scrutinise the minds of the Elite and we explain what it is that frightens us to the point where we consider it urgent that we examine their thoughts, surely they will give us permission to go ahead?”
I did not know how to react to his last proposal. To break such an important rule of ours sickens me, for I know that once it is broken (outside of a minor family context), people in the future will come up with similar arguments, arguments that make sense to the public, but are for illegal purposes. Just because a government chooses to do something, even if by creating laws they are giving themselves permission to do so, it does not mean that those actions are not illegal. If they are immoral, nothing can make them moral and if they go against the laws that our empathy and sense of decency find acceptable, then they must be considered destructive - especially in the long term.
2768
Robert could sense me, so he added, “Robert, if we do not use our telepathic abilities to ensure the world is safe, then we must ask that all the Elite are injected with truth serum and the relevant questions be asked.”
I shook my head. “Either way, we are damned and with the use of truth serums, if we do not ask the correct questions, we will not get the answers we need. But you are right, the survival of an entire planet is more important than the survival of a small group, like ours.”
Everyone wanted to protest, even Robert, who’d brought about this decision of mine. I could sense that some of the Anadir, who are more cynical about politics than any of the other alien races, saw this as the beginning of the end for our Cherinian dreams.
Cherine, looking very determined, her hands fists, told us, “You tried to use me against Robert, by saying that only I can be allowed to be your leader if he is not or does not wish to be. Well, I’m going to ask that you allow me, Samantha and Robert, an exemption from this rule on mental-rape. We must make the conditions hard to justify, for instance we cannot spy on others for saving ourselves or for helping anyone, however much we love them, but where it is necessary for saving a large number of lives, as presently, if all are not present, then even one from the Revolutionary Council may authorise us to use our gift of telepathy for saving lives.
Another point Robert, we should not be using our alien family to lie for us. You have a good imagination, so why don’t you design a new species from the other side of our galaxy, and you, Robert and his Cherinians and I, project as members of that imaginary species. One day, maybe far in the future, when they learn about us and our alien friends being Cherinians - mutants - we can tell them the truth. But not until then.”
I shook my head. “Not you, Cherine. Not any Cherine. All Cherines must always and forever remain above any suspicion.”
By my refusing to allow her to be part of such a deception, the others realised I agreed with her proposals. It amuses me that they all think of Cherine as being the heroine and genius who saved the day - and me, from flogging myself, like one of those monks who used to wear hair shirts and whipped themselves in penance. They have grown to know me too well, but I am glad that they are growing in their knowing and appreciation of the true worth of our Cherines.
We arrived at exactly the time I’d planned for - as crops were being transported to the Earth in need of them. The pleasure they all emoted at seeing us, well, me, it helped heal my heart a little. We explained the desperate need of the Earth we have just come from. Unfortunately, upon learning of the reasons for an entire planet being in such desperate straits, their emoting of pleasure and joy swiftly turned into a keening kind of grief - plus an immense fear that it might also be true of their world, for many of them admitted they have seen videos and read books about such a possibility. We reassured them that now that their world knows of the Cherinians, the so-called Elite will not find it that easy to take over.
Sitting on the grass, with a blade between my teeth, as I placidly watch the crops growing day by day, is not what gives me pleasure. Doing it for a max of an hour or so, once or twice a year, maybe I can bear it. So I chose to remain within our spaceship-world, where I have countless books to read and thousands of movies. I made a point of spending an evening with each of the camps on planet as often as I could, and I like their easy humour. I almost wish I could have been there anonymously; they were all too careful not to make fun of me, even though I am what they probably consider too artsy-fartsy. To provoke them, I arrived one day with a sketch book and pencils. The exercise backfired on me, for they were soon pleading with me for a sketch of themselves. Robert teased me, saying they only want the sketches so as to sell them.
“Cherine, should we continue with our anniversary trip and return here once they have harvested the crops?”
“Can we stay? Robert, do we have to only visit this part, where they are farming? Can’t we go to where Athens is in our world? I think Robert and his family and many other Cherinians would like to see how it is here.”
2769
What started off as a fun trip to the Athens area for us, was where I also found enough thyme honeycomb to start a small business if I wanted to - I gave most of it to those doing the hard work at the farms. We then visited other areas, sampling different climates and biologies, plant and animal life. I finally gave in and sheathed everyone so as not to be tortured by the crowds of insects.
I’m glad we took the time to visit this Earth so many times, it helped all of us relax and gain some perspective when thinking of the Earth we are returning to. Proof that we did change, was the number of points we removed from our notes for dealing with upon our return. We decided we must leave as many as possible of the problems to be dealt with by the local Normals. Even offering suggestions would not be a good idea. It would be better we let them think we are watching and judging them, hoping to see they have matured as a species - from thereon, let them behave in ways they think will show us that they have matured, for those ways they choose, will tell us a lot about them. I hope it also leads to us being wiser companions and family to our own Normals.
Most of the men with Feizal and Amr, keep to themselves, providing each other with the company they need. A few are more sociable - or curious - and join us, even though our alien friends are with us, or maybe, because of our alien friends. Those who stay apart have accepted Eddie, not clamming up when he visits - he never goes to them with Hettie. They know that the organisation they were trained to fight belonged to him, but it seems that once the hostilities ended, they felt free to respect him for the strong enemy he had been.
During an evening when Cherine and I stayed home, Eddie and Hettie asked to visit. For a while we indulged in social chitchat, but when Eddie was ready to talk, I gave him my full attention.
“Robert, the men with Feizal, if they were not Moslems, they would have been linked?”
“Cherine, when older, had already approved them, so, the answer is yes.”
“You have weighed the risks of them being Moslems and Cherinians and decided against linking them at this time?”
“They are the ones who do not wish to be linked, Eddie.” I gave a quick grin. “Apparently they have no problem with being Cherinians while they are alive - it is afterwards that being Cherinians conflicts with their religious beliefs. Have they said something to you?”
“Not directly, but I sense they are envious of those who are Cherinians.”
Melodramatically I sighed, “It sounds like my life is going to get even more complicated.”
Obviously Cherine was listening, for when we were alone, she asked me, “Why do you make everything more complicated than it is? You know, you don’t have to find all the answers to each problem!”
I shrugged, “There is one problem to which I would like to find all the answers…” I pulled her to me, “I’d like to know how it is I can keep on loving you more and more every day. I’m beginning to suspect that your main gift is not empathy, as you told me, it must be that you are a very powerful witch and you have snared my heart, bound it in a spell that demands the love it feels for you keeps growing until there is nothing else left of me.”
She just burrowed against me and waited for me to kiss her. I did, and soon, much more.
Despite what I said earlier, for a time I still felt the need to strike out, make them pay for the evil they have perpetuated against all of mankind, but time and Cherine helped me let go of my compulsion. Cherine was right, I must learn to let go and allow others to handle some of the evils and problems of life. The other fact I slowly grew to understand is that just as I, as the protector, desperately feel the need to make them pay, so do the Normals of their world - and they have a far stronger claim to dealing with their monsters as they wish; monsters who, after all, had planned to kill their children.
One fact does not change, despite my growing a little bit wiser. I must do all I can to help them save lives, plus their civilisation. Without the second, the billions of lives which rely on their technology and social structures will have no future.
We had to make a number of timed jumps, since not all the crops ripen at the same time and when all the crops had been harvested, and some of them had been processed (for instance, everyone will need flour for bread), we had to wait for the food to be packaged and vacuum packed in individual monthly packets, with each packet containing the full variety of foods. As the other half of the spaceship-world has no atmosphere, the vacuum will help to preserve the foods.
2770
We invited a number of the farmers to stay with us while we deliver the food they worked so hard to produce. I was hoping that their witnessing of how many lives they have helped save will inspire them and all their co-workers, and also be the kind of reward that affects their hearts - we might need their help again and I would like to know they are willing to help because it gives them joy to do so. I also had sent out an invitation to all the Cherinians of other realities and they joined us. They are all keen to see how we are handling the problems caused by the Elite, in this reality.
When travelling between realities, I’ll never get used to the oddness of parting from people, staying away months (nearly a year this time) and returning, as far as the people we return to are concerned, the next day. Because we have experiences that slightly change us, they feel there is an oddness, which they cannot understand. I don’t understand why time is flexible enough to allow us to time our arrivals, and one of the less inspired theories Samantha came up with, quite a while ago, after one of our other reality-hopping trips, is that for all of time it was not possible, but because I thought it is, the nature of all realities changed so as to accommodate my childish expectations. She loved it when I chased her around the house, with her squealing, as I pretended my expectations were that I need to smack her little bum.
Because the governments sensed a slight difference in our attitude, they thought we must be facing troubles of our own and I was pleased when they asked if Earth can provide any kind of assistance in the fight against the enemy. I’m also sorry they did, as one day they’ll learn the truth and feel we made them look like fools. I’ll have to bring Goldi with so that she can persuade them that we were very touched by their offer.
They were worried that due to their problems, flights across continents are not safe and they will need more time for the various leaders to gather in one place. Solomon explained that each country should use their local television station and that we will be able to see and hear each of them, as they too will receive from us everything that is said by or to the other leaders, though we ask that they wait before speaking until we indicate it is their turn, so that all countries have the opportunity to speak. He also mentioned that we prefer this method of communicating as all discussions and agreements should be negotiated openly so that their citizens know what they are committing themselves to doing or not doing.
We started off by postponing the discussions by one day, as we want to first deliver the food to each family, as we’d promised, so that they negotiate with us after we have shown that we keep our word. Solomon was amused to sense they are feeling a bit lost, as they are not used to having serious discussions of this sort with the public watching, plus they expected us to be drawing up very official looking documents and that the signing ceremony would be an important and grand occasion.
I don’t understand the minds of politicians! Their world is lying at the brink of total collapse and instead of it reminding them that we are all human beings, they want to grandstand, waste time and money so as to make themselves look more important than they really are.
By the way, even the politicians of the species present, who are mostly Cherinians, do not agree with me, they insist that all governments must at times keep secrets from their citizens. I’m going to stick to my point of view for as long as I can, with someday agreeing, only if the secrets are kept for a few years. Maybe by delaying a change in my attitude, I can influence them so that they also change their beliefs, causing them to choose to be more open. Sam was right when she told me that certain of the changes I want can only happen over thousands, maybe even millions of years.
While this was going on, I think Themi gave in to temptation, wanting to share our experiences, so he allowed his two students to deal with Rod on their own. I thought it will turn out to be a recipe for disaster, because of the two of them being closer in age to Rod and he is likely to think of the young man (Stratos, is-looks like an eighteen to twenty year old, because of being at prime health, but is actually twenty three) and the young lady (Fotini, looks about the same age, for the same reasons) as being a threat or less deserving of respect, but I kept my thoughts to myself. With both of them being Cherinians, he can’t really kill them - not that he would have much chance of success even if they were Normals, for my reactions are quite a bit faster than they use to be.
The above realisations caused me to think of something and I asked Solomon to request from the governments whether they have any children in prison instead of juvi, because of them being tried as adults.
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)10th November, 2019
- posted on Steemit: 10th November, 2019
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