He then moved the sphere until it was further than the most distant planet of our system. Out there in the cold darkness he allowed the sphere to become partly himself again.
2651
*I have solved the problem and now know how to destroy you.*
*You could have destroyed me at any time. You are far more powerful than I’d thought, I should have taken of Cherine first. Your superior power only brings you more shame.*
*I think I now recognise your soul. You are a being that resembles a small horse? You have two hind legs and one very powerful fore leg and have arms with hands growing out of your shoulders? I found you very beautiful, silvery in colour and your hands fascinated me. You have thumbs similar to ours but your one finger opposing it is flat and as wide as three of our fingers are? The shape above your forehead made my loved ones think of you as the mythological creatures we called unicorns. I had promised them a visit to your world once your people have been brought back.*
*You describe us correctly. We are a race of great beauty. You lie however about your intentions.*
*Sometimes your thoughts come to me in the form of a song. Wendy says your songs must be lovely. She hopes you will allow her someday to hear them as they should be heard.* It was not strictly true, Wendy had not said anything of the sort, but he knew she would have if she could have heard.
*Wendy? Who is that? No matter, it is irrelevant. You have made me your prisoner, but in doing so you have become my prisoner too. If I cannot destroy your world in revenge, then at least I can hold you here for all eternity.*
*May I presume you have reasons for your presumption?*
*You dare not kill me for that would kill the part of yourself within me and neither will you free me to feed off your people. Your power is great, but you must remain here to maintain this force.*
*Do you play chess?* He sent an explanation of the game and rules. *We have reached the situation where neither side can win for the board is empty, only the two kings remain circling each other.*
He had to agree to a game so that the creature can understand his meaning. It demanded a second game and thereafter won every single game. When it began to analyse aloud why Robbie had lost and what his weaknesses are, he refused to play again.
*The laws of our universe are not fair. As a species we are far more glorious and beautiful than your two-legged race. Your bodies also have an unpleasant smell. Our minds are far superior to yours and yet you were given the powers to fight the fire-world while we had to die.*
Robbie did not reply for a long time. When he did, it was with questions. *I do not feel comfortable thinking of you as the creature. If we are to spend an eternity together a name would be useful.*
*You do not deserve my name.*
*Then I shall call you Noname.* It would not respond. *How did you evade the fate of your people?*
*We had been experimenting. It did not seem correct that when we die we should leave our beautiful bodies behind and our scientists thought they had found a way for us to take our bodies with. That is how I saw your world and the power you have. You are a pitiful race; you care about your own, but will stay and only watch as a beautiful race like ours is killed to the last youngling!*
*You did not believe Cherine….*
*She lied. You lie! You are a disgusting species that allow their young and old to die of hunger. You steal and lie when there is no need.*
Robbie sent a sigh. *You are right. There are many things about us that are not admirable. Noname, there are also many things about us you would love. That cannot happen as long as your mind is shut to us by your hate. From the time you first saw us till now, did you travel the whole way living the time it took? You could not jump forward in time?*
*I had to stay in sight of you so I attached myself to your world. At one planet you watched the fire-world and jumped a number of times, in time I presume, and I lost you. I then followed the fire-world, knowing you would come to it in the future. I saw you a number of times, but you did not stay long enough for me to attach myself again.*
*Jesus! You have carried your hate for me for thousands of years! I have no chance of showing you the truth, your mind is too full of hate.*
*I have seen the truth with my own eyes.*
2652
Robbie saw that this would take time; he warned the girls of what he intends and taking the sphere with him he jumped to another reality - one dead of all life and the one that holds our space-ship world. He took him in and released him, first ensuring he cannot pass through the outer walls. He created a body for himself and stood before the sphere as it dissolved.
“I have brought you to my space-ship world. You may move about in here as a pure soul, or if you wish you may take on the form of your species or mine. The choice is yours.”
Arriving on the emerald isle I found myself being hugged by Mama Jo. I did not respond to her and stood stiffly until she let me go. I saw the girls were all weeping and I sensed that all of them were close to abandoning life. I had brought my anger and hate with me and my compassion for them, my willingness to accept their weakness, the weakness of love, was at a very low level. I lashed out at them, my tear-filled eyes staring at Dommi.
“How dare you! We will not allow Tina and Aganthi to have died for nothing! You can fucking cry for them later. Right now you force yourselves to find a way to defeat this damn monster! We are at war and we will count our losses and mourn our loved ones only when it is over.”
“Mourning will not weaken them kori mou….”
“Pappou! Do not make me fight you on this. We are losing because we do not know how to hate. Not the way Normal humans do. We can only feel anger and anger cannot live side by side with mourning. They either channel their emotions the one way or the other. How dare this creature attack us!! We have not harmed it in any way. It took away two of my loves and destroyed the bodies of five others. We must first make sure it cannot take one more life and then we cry!"
Alki gave up on me, knowing my youth, my fear and the heavy responsibility of being in command will not allow me to unbend. Oh my Robbie, my father, I cannot be as you, I am not strong enough.
Rosie spoke and I was pleased to see a spark in her eyes. “We are fighting it in a passive way. We are safe in our hiding, but we have abandoned the rest of mankind. Sam, I’m with you, we have to find a way to stop it killing them.”
Perikli pushed his way through, his face troubled. “The three of us swore to protect the innocent, we cannot stay here.”
Almost viciously I told him, angry that he cared about others more, “You do not have a body to return to Perikli. As far as your world is concerned, you are dead.”
Em-e asked, “Why isn’t Robert here? What is keeping him?”
Dommi pulled her to her bosom. “Only one thing could keep him away love.”
“You mean he is dead?”
“No.” She laughed. “That has never kept him away before.” Serious again she pulled Em-e’s sweet face up. “He is fighting to protect the other Cherine and Robert. He hasn’t realised we are also in danger.”
“I hope he is not facing an alternate of our enemy!” Socrati said.
“It can’t be coincidence theié (uncle). I think that is what is happening.” Andrea said.
I listened to them talking in the background while my own thoughts ran in crazy circles. I hoped that Robbie was facing the same enemy, for then he will return knowing how to vanquish ours. On the other hand my anger, the only thing that could protect me from my pain and anguish at seeing the deaths of my loved ones, demanded that I do this. I guess my pride was mixed up somewhere in that also.
Irene asked, and it brought me back to them. “Did anyone try that trick Robbie used to block the attackers on Maria’s world?”
“Don’t try it Irene, it will just suck your mind and spirit in.” Jonathan said.
“I wonder…what if we each had a Sparkler within us?” I asked.
2653
“No! It knows how to kill Sparklers and Anadir now.”
“I’m going to check on Elpida. Wait here please.” I saw Alki worry. “I’m sending a Sparkler to her, I’ll wait in the void.”
“No Sam. You stay here, we cannot afford to risk you. I’ll go.”
It developed into an argument. We dared not risk Dommi either. While we were arguing Sol appeared. She was hugged by all as we continued to argue.
“None of you should go. The Sparklers did see a soul different from any known just before all this happened. It can come to the void. Your entity, Adam, does it have the powers of Robert?”
“No, I don’t Sol. He considered me too immature and we had our differences, I could have used them against him.”
“I want to know where the protector is! It is supposed to be with us!” Noelle was almost in tears, as if she had been betrayed.
I kept my voice gentle. “It did protect us love - it did what it could.”
“No! Robbie said it can do anything. He said we should trust it if we are in danger. It let my mother die!” She wept and Irene pushed us away, taking Noelle to her she walked on the beach.
“Tasso, Alki and the rest of you with kids. Are they all okay?”
“Yes.” The reassurance came from the adults, but also the children.
Elia and Claire came to Dommi. “Kori, if our bodies die, will Roberto still be able to make us new bodies?”
“Yes mama. He will.”
“That is alright then. Your father’s body just died and mine is nearly dead. We will not worry.”
Hearing this I was now filled with anxiety. All our bodies were old and dying. We had to do something quickly. In desperation I called to Jade. “Jade, dad has been teaching you how to control the spaceship-world. Can you control the energies it is made of?”
“Only in some ways. I can make it move.”
“Can you make the energy allow the creature to enter, but not leave?”
“That is easy…if it does not know how to make the energy do whatever it wants.”
“Jade. You have to betray us. Oh god!!” I fell to my knees in fear. I could not do this, I could not risk our little Jade.
My mother came to me, tears running down her face and kneeling, Natalie whispered, “Tell me, I’ll ask her to do it. Could not one of the adults do it my daughter?”
“Which one would he believe?” I asked in despair.
“Me.” Luigi stepped forward. “I was old and know fear of death. It will understand that and believe. You want me to pretend to betray you and tell it you are in the spaceship?”
Miserably I nodded. “It may torture you to be certain you are telling the truth. It may kill you anyway.”
“Perhaps. My soul will not die Sam. It will live on in my poems and that is all any poet can ask for. I will do this for my family.”
“Jade, we have to bring the spaceship-world here, to our reality. Then you must stay hidden in it. Stay below, in the storerooms. Let it enter, change the energy and leave from underneath.”
“That will not work Sam. If it can, then it must sense us in there. Jade, could the dome be made strong enough to protect us?” Alki asked. She nodded, her little face tight with fear. Not fear for herself, for us, fear that she may fail us.
2654
“Cherine, we need your link to take us there.”
I turned to Robert. “I’m sorry, I took over but you should have...”
He smiled and leaning down kissed me. “I could not have done as well, I have a lot to learn. Your father will be very proud of you - I am.” He grinned. “You have learnt from him and now I am learning from you.”
I really loved him for saying that and for being so much of my Robbie.
Robbie had made the ‘walls’ impenetrable, but had not expected anybody to enter and had not provided for that possibility. In other words, Noname could not leave, but we could enter. He felt Jade and us enter, saw us enter the dome and realised, as Jade stood outside, what she is doing. He warned Noname not to attack and stay hidden. Noname was curious, so he did not refuse.
Robbie felt the spaceship-world jump to our own void, which was not something he wanted, but he did not show himself. He decided we must have a reason. He was puzzled when Jade went down the shaft and sealed herself within a storeroom. By now he was becoming suspicious and decided that if it is what he suspects, our plan is good. He wondered how he will fare against two copies of Noname.
We had abandoned our bodies and Luigi swivelled his eyes to see as many as he could. It was terrible seeing all of us so old, but what was worse was seeing or sensing how many of the bodies had died or were dying. He knew his own would not last much longer. The problem was; what if the creature delayed in returning? Would his body last? He called for his healer and had it rejuvenate him so that he is not quite so old. He then told it to go and help the other bodies without making them younger.
He had to wait another day, but finally it returned. When it saw what had happened, it screamed with frustration and anger. As if it could not believe what we had done it went from body to body. They were useless husks to it now, hardly enough life in all of them to be worth feeding off. It felt Luigi.
“How? Why are you here?”
“They are hiding. I told them it was pointless, that you are too powerful, but they would not listen.”
“WHY DID YOU STAY!”
He looked terrified, which was not difficult. “I want to make a bargain with you. When Robert found me, I was already an old man. I still had so many poems waiting to be born, but I did not have much time left. I know what it is like to be so close to death. I cannot bear the thought of dying now. I must write my poems! Let me live and I will serve you.”
It grunted. “Serve me? How could you do that old man? If I let you live, there will be no one to read your poems.”
“They need to be written.”
“How will you serve me. What could you do for me?”
“You don’t know about our world. I can help you so that nobody realises what is happening until it is too late for them.”
It nodded, it’s opinion of us confirmed. “You really are a despicable species. I did right in coming to cleanse the universe of your kind.”
“Our species? I…you said you were human from an alternate world!”
“I am not. I am of a world that your Robert sat and watched dying. He could have saved my people, but he did nothing! I have no use for you, I might as well feed before I leave.”
“No! Wait! I can…I’ll tell you where the others are if you promise to spare me.”
2655
It stared at him with disgust and contempt. Something, a thought, lit up it’s eyes. “Yes. That would be fitting. I will allow you to live. One old man writing poetry with no one to read it. The last man on Earth, alone. You can write your poems about how you betrayed your kind.” It hit him with an energy that felt as if his body were on fire and he screamed. “Tell me an untruth and I will make that pain last forever. Where are they?”
“We have a spaceship, it is in the void. They are hiding in there.”
“It is travelling?”
“No. They think they are safe inside it.”
“I’ll go. If you lied you will suffer pain you cannot imagine and then die. If you served me well, your punishment will be that you will live long after your kind are extinct. I will keep you alive for thousands of years.”
Luigi watched as it discarded it’s human body and left for the void. He thought to himself, ‘I only played a part and yet it made me feel dirty!’ He resigned himself to the fact that it would probably last a long time and set about looking after the bodies through his healer.
Elpida appeared and looked at the body of what had been an old man, but is now closer to thirty in appearance.
“It is him?”
“Yes, he has gone to the void to find the others on board the spaceship-world….”
She screamed, “Traitor!!” and lashed out, her powers killing him within seconds.
She collapsed weeping. Slowly she became aware that the bodies around her were close to death and she sent her healers to help them. She found that five bodies were dead and she began to keen with anguish when she saw that her ‘pappou’ Alki is one of them. The fight was gone out of her and she huddled in a corner, her mind slowly going crazy.
Noname was far more startled at the appearance of himself than Robbie was. He watched as he attacked the dome, energy smashing against energy shields. Noname is very old and the silver in his blood has made him cunning. He decided it will be prudent to allow his other self to risk his life and he will watch and learn what the weaknesses of Robbie are.
As long as it was the dome being attacked, which Robbie was reinforcing, he did not interfere. When it lashed out and smashed buildings he only smiled. When it went off on a feeding frenzy, animals dying, he stirred.
*Noname. I will not allow the taking of life. If you are to join him, considering your strength doubled, then do so now. If you do not, you will be freed, but I will be greatly angered if you do so later.*
*I may learn more from watching. I will join later should I see an advantage.* Noname added wryly: *I will risk your being angered should I do so.*
We heard them and screamed with joy at hearing his voice, even as we realised we had led our enemy to Robbie and he might now have two antagonists to fight. We were very puzzled at Robbie’s reply.
“This game, checkmate Noname.”
A part of the energy shield, the ‘wall’, detached itself and streaked over to our enemy. We realised it was Robbie and watched, excited, as he enfolded our enemy. Robbie did not fight it within; he forced it to the void and without thinking we joined them, watching the battle. We were startled, and frightened, when Noname joined us.
*You are Robert?*
*Correct.*
*Is there no end to you? Why have you allowed me to escape?*
Robert thought quickly. *You said you wanted to watch so as to learn.*
*You are crazy!! I have never met a species as unstable as yours.*
2656
*That is how we survive, Noname.*
*That is myself fighting you. How did it happen?*
*I don’t know. Perhaps at some point you had a decision to make and you made one decision while an alternate reality was found where you made the opposite decision.*
*Then it truly is another of myself!! Our species is not dead! We could start again!*
*Wouldn’t you both be the same sex?*
*What are you…no, our species can alter our sex when there is a desperate need. We can bear children.*
As if it had suddenly realised what this meant it rushed out and joined it’s other self. Robbie heard us and stopped fighting it. We watched for a while and then Robbie sent them a message that they should enter our spaceship-world when they are ready.
He created bodies for us out of his void-energy and we could talk again. I think we all went a little crazy, sobbing and laughing and then sobbing again as we told him of the deaths. His face went grim and he trembled, unable to hold his form.
“Can you get them back Robbie?” many of us asked almost simultaneously.
“I don’t know!!” he called out, anguished. “Return to your bodies. Those of you that don’t have bodies go to our World.”
“Roberto, our bodies are trapped in an energy pod. It also got the protector.”
He stared at Dommi as if she was talking nonsense and then disappeared. A while later he reappeared with his body in tow and those of our Cherine, baby Cherine, Wendy and Meli.
He told them what had happened to us and they wept, holding themselves to him as he cried.
The two aliens appeared. The one held back and the other came a little closer. "I am Noname."
“I see you. What have you decided? Have you chosen life?”
"If you can help us. Are you able to provide us with our bodies?"
“Yes. I don’t know that I will though. Your alternate and you have killed a lot of my loved ones.”
"That cannot be changed."
“You have their souls within you?”
"Yes!! I cannot return the Robert part though. I fed off a number of your species. The souls are an energy within us now and cannot be split. The same with my other part."
“You will return them to me. Sol love, we need Solomon and the Sparklers to help. Can they separate the souls?”
“Just the Cherinian ones?”
“No. All of them. The Cherinian ones we will create bodies for again. The others must have their opportunity to be reborn. Their cycles must not end here.”
*We will not return their energy. We need it for ourselves. What are a small number of souls if a species is to be reborn!*
“No species that steals the souls of another species will be allowed to exist. You will return them.”
*You ask of us to die without bearing young. That cannot be accepted.*
“And you cannot bear young if I do not give you bodies. I told you earlier Noname, checkmate. I have won and I dictate the terms.”
2657
*There are no terms. You offer us death or death!*
“I offer you the chance to do what is right. As to whether that will bring death is to be seen.”
Noname left with it’s alternate following. Sol also disappeared. Robbie did not seem to care, he sat with his thoughts filled with memories of Tina and Aganthi. Some of the girls felt they too could cry now, but I held on. It was not my time yet, they all needed me. My Robbie needs me to be strong so that he can weep for them.
Robbie stood up. “Give me twenty minutes and then return to your bodies. I’ll get rid of the energy that imprisons you.”
None of us spoke as he left his body. About ten minutes later Noname and alternate appeared.
They drifted closer, as if looking at Robbie’s body. "His body is alive. Where is he?"
“He went to Earth to release our bodies from the energy you used to imprison us.”
"That! It is almost gone. It only lasts for a few days if we do not reinforce it. Please, he must come back."
“You will have to wait. He will return soon.”
As I’d predicted, he did return soon. None of us rushed off to our bodies, the unfinished drama here keeping us. Robbie looked distressed.
“You sent Luigi to betray you?” We nodded or answered. “Elpida found him there and thought he really had betrayed you. She killed him. She is no longer sane. The deaths she saw and her own killing of Luigi has driven her deep into her mind and she is lost.”
I collapsed as my grief no longer could be contained. I am told I made quite a spectacle of myself as I tried to die.
As I came to I heard Robbie talking. “…expected the worst so you were unable to see the best in us.”
"We met with the Solomon entity outside. He talked about you and convinced us we must accept your terms. He said we have to trust you. We find this very difficult."
“We must do this in the void. Come.”
We know that Robbie can seem unreasonable at times. Oppose him and he will not budge, he becomes an ox - I could even say a stupid ox, sometimes. Give him your trust, especially if you have reason to fear him, and he goes out of his way to calm your fears.
When we were in the void he asked us to dance with him. He said he needed us to help him grow. Since he was already full size we understood and did as he asked. As he grew he would go to the aliens and feed them in turn. He demanded they keep this separate and send back the souls they hold. The Sparklers took those over and waited for Robbie to finish. When he was assured they hold no soul any longer, apart from the energy of animals they have fed on, he withdrew from us and spun himself deep into his core. Cherine went in with Meli and Dommi and they found his painter.
It was handed over to the Sparklers and they began the long slow process. Noname and company watched closely, fascinated. The painter first searched for one soul, taking only what it found of that soul. When it was complete we found it to be that of a terrified stranger. Mama Jo took it over and when it had calmed down she handed it over to a Sparkler to hold.
*This is going to take forever. I insist, those of you with bodies, return. Stay there a few hours and then you may come back. Those of you who do not have bodies, I will have to take cells from the banks or else return to the time just before your deaths and steal a few cells. Your choice.*
Shamelessly I did what I could to influence them to accept their cells from the banks. Robbie had fought for days and nights and it would not be fair to ask him to travel back in time. Only with Alki I kept silent - which only goes to prove that I too can be a hypocrite. Dommi, this does not mean I don’t love your parents, but to us, those born Cherinians, pappou is something very special. ((I understand my love. We all feel the same way. - Dommi))
2658
Robbie let Noname and alternate come back to Earth and they saw the bodies appearing. They now believe!
Robbie asked Solomon and Ordinx to watch over the aliens. We need to concentrate on each other and we are still waiting for Robert, Tina and Aganthi. It seems that since they were the first ones taken they will come out last. When Robert appeared, baby Cherine could not control herself and vanished within him, melding. Poor Robbie had to take Dommi to help him to force them apart again.
We soon knew how she’d felt. Aganthi and Tina appeared at the same time. Soon as Aganthi was separated from Tina there were no other souls so they appeared together. We too went crazy as we danced with them, flitting from the one to the other until they both looked like pregnant souls as we filled them with our love motes.
Luigi was not angry with Elpida. He was amused by the irony and proud of her! He was also saddened to hear of how it has affected her and wants to help repair her wounded mind. Dommi agreed that it would be a good thing.
Robbie pleaded for our understanding. He desperately needs to sleep first. “If I go into her mind feeling the way I do, I might make a mistake.”
We went to bed, but though we all tried to be as close to him as possible and our bodies were burning with the need to be loved, we dampened ourselves so as to let him sleep. Two of us held on to Elpida who is like a six month old baby and needs to be cuddled.
Robbie kept on tossing and turning and even the combination of Irene and Noelle could not soothe him. After an hour he sighed and sat up. “I can’t sleep knowing my baby is suffering. Dommi, are you up to it?”
Dommi was about to tell him he must not, but her soft heart took over. She said she is too tired and since Elpida is fast asleep, content to be held in loving arms, he should wait for morning. Famous last words, or something.
We all woke up late, it was early afternoon. Robbie was still sleeping and we waited a while. Then we could not wait anymore, we had certain bodily functions to take care of that were becoming urgent. We also found we were starving. When we returned he was still sleeping. He slept through the night also and we know that after such a long sleep he will be filled with energy and the loving will be something special. The trouble is he did not wake up the next morning either! He slept through the day and Cherine wanted to enter his mind, worried there is something wrong. Dommi forbade her, albeit gently, but firmly.
He only woke up the next day in the afternoon. He stretched lazily and looked at us sitting around him and grinned.
“Gosh! I can’t believe how hungry I am. Any chance of a breakfast at this time of day?”
He thought he’d slept about ten hours, which for him is unusual and was surprised to hear how long he has actually slept. He teased us about having to be so patient and we knew that as soon as he has Elpida back it is going to be a spectacular night for us.
As an aside, one strange thing. I would have thought that after such an adventure we would all be breathing down each other’s necks for a few days. Not one Cherinian came to visit! We found out they did not visit each other either. It seems they all needed time to be alone, either by themselves or with just their family, to recover from the trauma of seeing so many deaths. Perhaps being the loves of Robert has made us stronger - which would truly be ironic, for him and us, as his prime need is to be our protector so as to preserve our sweet childhood innocence.
Baby Cherine and her Robert also felt the same way, so we did not try to tempt them to remain with us, but we promised to visit them as soon as we are finished with our current problem.
Solace and Sol wanted to enter Elpida to help. I suppose they thought they would be better qualified to help her because of sharing the Sparkler heritage. Luigi had pleaded to be called so he was brought over also. We tried discussing with Robbie how the main problem should be solved. We all agreed that killing Luigi had been the prime cause of her withdrawal. After all she had suffered herself, then seeing so many of us dead (our bodies at least) and then killing Luigi - she must truly be in hell. If we enter and find her, it will be difficult to convince her that killing Luigi was not a bad thing, even with Luigi himself telling her so.
2659
“Why should I tell her it was not a bad thing to do? Do you honestly expect me to go around telling my loves that it is permissible?”
“You would leave that pain in her?” Dommi asked, shocked.
He winced. “You know that I cannot! Dommi mou, I cannot condone murder for any reason. Not by a Cherinian.”
“Then do so as a human!”
We wisely kept our mouths shut, cowardly, but definitely wiser. Dommi has a leeway that only Cherine shares, he would not have taken kindly to our arguing this with him, whereas when Dommi speaks, he cannot answer by reaction, but has to give her comments due thought.
His lips twisted. “Are you insinuating that humans are better than Cherinians, that if they are allowed to murder…”
“Oh don’t be stupid! I am saying that Cherinians are human beings. Roberto, you are the one who insists we must not forget that. After all she has been through, the pain, terror and worry for her loved ones, to be faced by a traitor, one who openly acknowledges what he did, it would be enough to make any mind snap, including yours Roberto.”
“Do you really think I don’t see that love?” His shoulders hunched as he leaned forward, his face creased with pain. “I’ve been racking my brains to find a way to show her we understand without saying it is alright for us to kill.”
Dommi forced herself to keep her face stern. “That is not enough! She will have our understanding, there never was any doubt of that. Roberto, understanding implies disapproval. I refuse to disapprove! She did what had to be done. When Cherine told her son to go and kill Germans, she acted according to what she knew at the time, or rather, as the times demanded of her. To have said we ‘understand’ would have been an insult. Her act was that of a brave woman willing to see her son sacrificed so that a wrong would be righted. Our daughter acted in the same way. She is a pallikari, as Alki would say.”
As she spoke he looked at Cherine and we saw that he was lost for a moment within her eyes. He nodded. “Yes, she was a warrior and she was in a battle.” He then cried out, “But she killed a Cherinian!”
“No! She killed a traitor! No Cherinian would betray another.” She leant over and touched his hand lightly with her slim fingers. “Roberto mou, deep inside you are proud of what she did, but you are not thinking as a man or a lover. You are trying to be father and protector, thinking she must learn a lesson. That is not important right now, she needs to find peace within herself. Show your pride in her my love, she deserves it.”
There was silence for a moment as we sensed Robbie had capitulated. Luigi looked pleased, though I’m not certain what had pleased him. Perhaps he was pleased Robbie had given in, but I think he is deeper than we are. I think he was pleased that we had had to argue it; if Robbie had been willing to accept what she did, he would not have disagreed, but I think he would have been worried that the man who leads the Cherinians is willing to accept it so lightly.
Candy, her sweet mind direct as always, spoke up. “You will play puppy with her?”
Robbie smiled tenderly at her. “Why don’t you be the puppy? I think you would be a much better puppy than me.” She looked at us proudly, her darling little face serious at the responsibility, but beneath it we could sense her joy.
We made ourselves comfortable and they went into Elpida while I followed as a watcher. There was nobody at home. Cherine and Dommi went deep into the mental darkness looking for her. They went as deeply as they had done for Robbie, but could not sense her. They returned with their souls in turmoil to tell Robbie. They worried and argued about it, Robbie wanting to go through her mind and memories while the others opposed him. Dommi was worried that her mind was in such delicate balance that he could cause her harm.
2660
Luigi was in shock. He had never been in a mind empty of its personality before. It is horrible and with our Cherinian sensitivity even worse for us. Being a Cherinian and a poet made it terrible for him and he was ready to flee the emptiness he could not bear. He was blaming himself for having spoken so thoughtlessly and causing such pain. Candy danced over to him and entered him, forcing him to learn how to hold her while she emotes love.
*She is still connected to her body Robert. We have to search the link, see where it goes.*
They found it and followed. It seemed to disappear into a nothingness. Even more perturbed they gathered to consider the problem.
*Maybe it disappears, but she is still connected to her body. How are we going to follow it?*
*Cherine, do as you did with Robbie. Enter the chord, become part of it and follow through to wherever she is.*
*No. Show me, I’ll go.*
*Robert my love, you don’t know how to do it, let me go. Since she is still alive it means I will not be in danger. I can survive if she can.* Cherine was right, Robbie suffered and fought himself, knowing he has to let her. Finally he told her to go. She was too busy with her thoughts and preparing herself to become part of the chord for her to feel it, but I could sense the agony in Robbie. To send his Cherine, or any loved one into danger is anathema to him; he feels, his every instinct demands, that he go. He fought his own battle and tried his best to hide it.
Cherine faded into the chord and we all waited. About twenty minutes later she returned and her soul was dancing with her laughter. She flitted around, grazing Robbie and the others, her joy making her send motes of love to all.
*She is alive. She went to paradise!*
*Cherine! What are you talking about!?*
*She went to the one place where nothing bad can happen. She is in Meli’s world! That is why her chord disappears.*
*A different reality! Of course!*
Meli sent her apologies. *I’m sorry. With all that has been going on I have not been watching there. Cherine is right, she is there. Roberto mou, be careful, she is not aware of who she is.*
We did not wait to be invited, we all jumped to Meli’s world.
“No! Stay here.” He turned to Candy. “Careful baby, just be a little girl who wants to be friends. Go by yourself, she may be frightened if she sees all of us.”
For a moment Sol looked as if she would rebel, but she sat down on the grass, keeping her own need to go after Elpida under control. We all joined her as Candy left us. Of course we watched from within Candy’s mind. Meli lifted Candy and flew her to a point closer to Elpida, showing her where to find her.
Candy walked through the trees, softly singing to herself. As she came into a clearing she saw Elpida sitting and waiting for her. Candy stopped singing and stood still.
“Don’t stop, it was lovely. How can you sing so beautifully?”
Candy shrugged and then gave her huge smile that reaches into your heart. “Do you want me to sing a song just for you?”
“Please.”
She kept it happy and light, the melody dancing like sunlight on the leaves. Elpida listened with a smile.
“I have another one about people I love. My sister wrote it, but I can sing it.” she asserted with confidence. Elpida smiled at her childish bravado.
“Does your sister also sing?”
“Oh yes! She is much better than me! I’m only like a little piece of her, but I sing nicely also.”
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)7th November, 2019
- posted: 7th November, 2019
If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 04, use this link button to open the LC Book Index:
If you wish to use image, r/click and copy link
If you agree with my protest, why not make it a habit of upvoting all who have set their post to "Payout Declined"
(if you do not see they plagiarised or are running a scam)
The bigger your vote the better, though even a zero value vote shows you support them