Anybody good at arithmetic here? I’ll give you a simple example then. Let us say that Sam and I have a baby when she is one years old. Then the next year both Sam and her baby want a baby. From two people we become three. Then from three we become five a year later. The next year, Sam, her daughter and her two daughters all want to have a baby. We become nine. The next year they all want babies, we become seventeen. And the figures shoot up after that.
1041
Not even the richest man in the world can support a family that grows at that speed. Not counting me, the numbers go, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty two, sixty four, one hundred and twenty eight, two hundred and fifty six, five hundred and twelve, one thousand and twenty four, two thousand and forty eight. All that within ten years! I have not worked it out, but I guess Sam and I could fill up the whole of this planet in less than two hundred or so years. I did not add in that there will be twins now and then.
If no one has a baby more often than once every five years, it first of all gives you the chance to be with your baby, give your child all the love and attention they need. By the time you have lived twenty years or twenty five, you can work, help to support your children. Even then I think we will have to slow it down later on. Maybe to one baby every hundred years. Just consider yourselves lucky that you were born amongst the first and do not have to wait that long.”
It says something for their maturity in that they did not argue. They got Nafsika to bring her calculator and they worked it out for themselves. Agapi was the first to say it in a shocked voice.
“My father cannot afford to support so many. I think Robbie is wrong. We should make it a rule from now that we can only have a baby every ten years!”
Soon as we got home I got tackled by Dommi and Cherine.
“You are going to make us wait ten years?”
“Dommi I would not do that to you. You decide when you want a baby. Cherine, the answer for you is yes. You only have about eight years to wait. If we make too many exceptions then there will be no rule. That would be catastrophic.”
“I think you are going to have a lot of unhappy wives.”
“Not from the little ones Cherine, they made the rule themselves. Are you planning on trying to trick me again?”
Her answer was just a little too aggressive for my peace of mind. “If I was, do you think I would tell you?”
“I suppose not. Cherine, they all see you as their leader, if you succeed they will all try to get what they want also. Are you prepared to face the consequences, are you willing to see your child grow up in a world where there is not enough food or space for her?”
“Why can the normal people have as many babies as they want, but we cannot?”
“They have already over-populated the world because their life expectancy has gone up to the mid seventies and because of the lower death rate of infants. With us we do not have twenty years for bearing children, we will have at least two to three hundred - if not more. Even accidents don’t kill us anymore. Our situation may be enviable in many ways, but it also carries it’s own responsibilities.”
As always seems to happen, once one ball starts rolling the playing field fills up with balls.
Three nights later Alki and Marian came over. Within fifteen minutes Elia and his wife came. Alki gave us a few minutes for social chit chat and for them to greet their grandchildren - they decided that since Dommi is mother to all the children, they are all their grandchildren, the same generosity of spirit that made them look after a little boy just because he was friend to their son.
Alki leaned back with drink in hand and I knew he was ready to speak of what was on his mind.
“When you first let me see some of that magic that existed between you and Cherine, I was happy for you and a little envious. You let me feel a love I had never experienced before with no hope of ever doing so again. As your problems developed, I found I had a role to play and thus was able to participate in this magic from the sidelines.
As your powers grew, the three of you brought me in closer. I despaired for you. It seemed your gifts were only bringing you death and suffering. I still remember so clearly how you argued with me that what was happening was peculiar to you, your personality. Now of course we can see that it was true, that which enabled you to call forth a protector and healer was part of the problem.
1042
Even after Marian came into my life and I had danced in the void with you, I still thought of myself as an outsider, there because of your love for me. I did not think of myself as part of you. Then you chose to call us Cherinians and I belonged as part of your group. Giving us a name you feel has dangers, but it also gives us a strength, a unity we would not have had otherwise.
It has taken me all this time to feel comfortable, to know in my heart that I am a part of the magic Cherine brought to us. For that reason I did not speak before. Robert, I have over the years made a small number of friends who I trust and care for. I would like your permission to make them Cherinians. So would Elia - and I suspect others will feel the same way. Will you give us your permission?"
Troubled I answered, “Alki, all of you have sadly misunderstood if you think you need my permission. This magic of Cherine, it does not belong to me, it does not even belong to her anymore. It belongs to all of us. All that I would ask is that each of you arrange for Cherine to meet them first. If she approves them as being suitable, you can bring them in. Whatever help any of you need we would be happy to give it.”
From the electric air of excitement I saw we are going to be growing as a group again. I had intended when starting this diary to keep a record of all that happens to us. I have now decided I cannot keep a record of everything, so I will keep it within our family and close friends, those who are already part of us and those who not only become Cherinians, but also become close friends. In other words, those who play a role directly affecting our lives. I cannot chronicle the events of all Cherinians. As has already happened to an extent with Wing and his family and others.
The summer heat this year is already becoming unbearable and we tend to stay in our air-conditioned home, but the girls enjoy using the swimming pool and as I sit at work I can hear their screams and laughter. Everybody thinks I am so lucky to have the gifts I have, but to me my real treasure and joy is seeing and hearing my little girls, to have one of them come and sit by me, or on my lap, to feel the love in their hearts. All the rest is a bonus.
We had a full house on the day Irene was to be born. Being a considerate girl she decided to be born in the afternoon. It felt like we are having a party with all the children over-excited and noisy. Alpha and Omega are now named Alexia and Pearl (they decided Shady did not quite sound right for a girl). Niko has a very difficult time hiding his joy in them. He is totally besotted and I see he is also putty in their hands.
*Robbie love*
*Yes, Irene, it is you?*
*Yes daddy. I can be born without hurting mummy, but she wants me to hurt her, what should I do?*
*You will have to hurt her love. I have felt it in the other births, it is a sweet pain. Do not try to steal it from her. I will be watching and will keep the pain within limits she can bear.*
*I’m excited that I’m going to be seeing you soon.*
*We are all excited about meeting you. Not the same as seeing you in the void. Here we can hold you in our arms.*
“Are you talking to our daughter Roberto?”
“She called me. Are you ready Aganthi mou?”
Despite her wish for pain it was an easy birth and I could finally look upon the face of my darling baby. She kept her eyes closed until she sensed where I am and then she opened them, looking directly towards me. I felt the dismay in her.
*Irene mou, it is normal, all babies cannot see clearly. You will soon be able to focus on me. Were you hoping to imprint me on your mind?* I teased her.
I took her in my arms and examined her. It was strange for me. She has a number of my facial features, the first child of mine who has. I had to hand her over, for I felt so much love in me I could have squashed her in my yearning to hug her.
“Are you pleased with her my husband?”
1043
“More than pleased my little Albanian girl. I am already in love with her. Since you could have had a beautiful daughter, why did she decide to have my features?”
“She said they are her natural looks. When she saw they are from you she refused to change them.”
“The first Cherinian not to do that! I hope she does not regret it.” I gave her a soft kiss, “Thank you my love, you have given me the most precious gift of all.” I felt her happiness and wondered why it is that even with us being able to send our feelings of love to each other, we still treasure so much the spoken word, the look on a face or a tender touch of love.
When I returned to the lounge I found them each waiting with a tiny glass of ouzo. We toasted the coming of my little Irene and I decided to have another one. Ouzo goes down easy and it waits and hits you with a sudden wallop. I ended up drunk which amused the girls. I decided not to use the healer, but went instead for a long walk. About an hour into my walk Cherine appeared at my side. I stopped in shock.
“What the hell do you think you are doing!! You know it is dangerous to jump without knowing where you are going.”
She gave me her cheeky grin, not at all put off by my anger. “Not any more.”
“What!…Who?”
“Irene. She showed me how to jump here, using my link to you.”
“God, that must be the fastest…” I gave a start and stared at her in shock. Irene had appeared in her arms. “Take her back Cherine. Aganthi will be in a panic.”
“Don’t be a ninny, of course Aganthi knows. She is bursting with pride. Dommi told her that this gift is going to be very useful to the Cherinians and she cried from her happiness.”
I put my fingers to the face of Irene, “You already making people cry my little angel?” I grinned at Cherine. “With a female copy of my face she will need to be the sweetest girl to break any hearts.”
“She will break many. I think her face has already made everybody love her. Even Niko asked if she is in our circle yet.”
“He is not getting my little girl.”
“Oh? You are always complaining you’ve got too many girls already. This one you want to keep?”
“Don’t tease me on this Cherine. I would have to get rid of the alcohol and I am enjoying feeling this way.” She hugged me while I carried Irene and we walked back home. That night I slept with Irene in my arms between Aganthi and myself.
Chapter Eighty Eight
We arrived at the farm and I called for Robert but there was nobody at home. I looked at Cherine and she nodded, so I phoned Marian and we jumped. She welcomed us.
“My husband is at work and Cherine is at school. I’ll be picking her up at lunch. Do you need me to get her now?”
“Not necessary. The less we disrupt her normal life the better.”
“The younger Robert has been visiting us a number of times. I know you were hoping they would love each other, but I think my daughter is too young, she sees him as an old man.”
“I think my Cherine loved me because she needed someone, her father had died and she was in a foreign country with no friends.”
“That is nonsense Robert. I don’t know when I realised I love you, but I needed you from the moment I felt you existed.”
1044
“Maybe this one does not feel that need, love, she does not feel her gifts set her apart. By the age when you met me she might feel it. I sure hope so, Robert will be heartbroken if she does not.”
“I’ll talk to her, she has to love him or else they will never become Cherinians. It is not enough just to be linked.”
“You will do no such thing! You may feel you have certain rights because you feel she is a part of you. That does not give you the right to manipulate her. If she needs a few years, she gets them, you hear me?”
“How can you risk it?”
“If she is made to do this, it will be a very bad thing. She must feel about him as you feel about me for it to be right for both of them.”
Marian added, “If my Cherine is manipulated by you, she will know and she could grow to hate all of you.”
“Don’t worry Marian. Your daughter comes first, I will not allow her to be used. Even my Cherine would not, she is only talking this way from fear.”
“I know how happy she will be with Robert, if she does not love him, her life will mean nothing.”
“As you can see Marian she is talking from her heart. Love, it may have been that way for us, it does not mean it must be the same way for this Cherine.”
“You are being stupid. I do not mean she will not find some man to love. How can that compare with what we have.”
“She might prefer to have a man who only belongs to her.”
She balled up her fists in frustration. “You can be so obstinate sometimes. You know that it is not only the love I feel from you, that I feel for you. Her gifts will only cause her pain unless she has you to help her make them grow.”
“Relax love. She is only five years old. You waited for me till you were eight.”
“But she met him now! By the time she is eight it will be too late for her.”
“It will not love. If she does not love him, we will help her grow, just as we will help the Robert of this world.”
“You two keep discussing my daughter as if I have no say in the matter!”
I saw the retort in Cherine and stopped her. I sharply reminded her this is not her mother. “Marian, do you want me to be polite or do you want the truth?”
“The truth.”
“The Marian of my Cherine tried to stop us. I did not fight her, her own daughter did. Now she lives next door to us and is happy about my loving her daughter. In the beginning it was impossible for her to understand about us. Once she saw me die a couple of times and Cherine fight the void and bring me back from death, she grew to understand we are not normal people and decided she cannot part us.
It is the same for you. We tell you how special your daughter is, but deep in your heart all you know is that she is your little girl and you want to fight to keep her that way. It will not happen. Either she loves young Robert or else she ends up a miserable woman with no meaning to her life. You cannot even guess what a huge catastrophe it would be. Tell me, if you knew there was one injection you could buy that would enable her to live for seven hundred years, young and healthy all that time, but you had to sell everything you own and get into debt for the rest of your life, would you buy it?”
“I would.”
“That is what she loses, amongst other things, if she does not love Robert. That is why it looks to you as if we are deciding her fate without you being given the right to decide as her mother. Marian, you are totally ignorant of the issues and I would bet that only one thing concerns you, the fear that this stranger would be making love to your little girl. Look at my Cherine, she has loved me for three years, has born me a daughter, Rosie, do you see that she has been damaged in any way?”
1045
“How would I know?”
“True. I swear to you, nothing will be done to force your little girl, not even some ‘gentle persuasion’. If she feels anything for him we will support them and teach them to avoid all the terrible mistakes I made in the beginning. If she does not, we cannot abandon her to the life she would have. We have to help her. They must become a circle and create their own World.”
Even her voice showed she had not understood or listened to a word I’d said. “Robert, the only reason I am sitting here listening to you is because I know my daughter died and you brought her back to us. Your powers must be unimaginable. You say my daughter could also have these powers, so I have to listen. What you want though, it goes against all I believe in, all my instincts as a mother.”
“Would you and your husband come dancing with us tonight?”
“Dancing? Sorry, we only go on a Friday or Saturday night.”
That cracked up Cherine and she jumped back to the farm to avoid offending Marian. I explained what I meant by dancing and she paled.
“I know you’ve been once, but this time I would be with. You want to do what is right for your daughter. How can you unless you understand what we are talking about?”
I left her to think about it and returned to find Cherine playing with the dogs. She was running around in the yard, her laughter paralysing me - it is so rare for me to see her this way. Unfortunately there was no way I could prevent her from feeling my arrival and she gave the dogs a last pat and ran in.
“Sorry Robert. You were right, I talked to her like that because she reminded me of my mother as she used to be. I agree with you, if she does not love this Robert then we will help her.”
I exclaimed, “You have got to be kidding!!”
“What!”
“I saw that thought in your head! We will not kidnap her. If we have to keep coming over to help her, we do so. This Cherine has a mummy and daddy she loves. As a matter of fact, apart from her linking to Robert, I have not seen any other signs that she has your gifts.”
“Oh she has the gift, the important one, that is how they linked. Just think Robert, if we take her to our world, keep her with us for a month or two and bring her back so that she is back half an hour after she left, she would see what is so special about us, we could help her grow and when she came back she would not want to lose that.”
“I could not believe the thought when it was in your head and now you are actually trying to tempt me!? I will not agree to it.”
“When it is time, you will agree. When are they coming back?”
“Probably after lunch. Why don’t you go out and play with the dogs.”
She shrugged. “I’ve already played with them.”
I took her for a walk, showed her where I had found myself with my father, the stream where I had sat reading the diary. We even sat there for a while.
“Do you realise this world is the only place where you and I can have total privacy, none of the girls can hear us when they are not here. Which leads me to my question. I never asked before Cherine, what did you do with the bodies?”
She shivered. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Nor do I. What I do not understand is how you got rid of them. None of our gifts would have been of any use for that.”
1046
“Please Robert?”
“Alright. Sorry love.”
She melted into my arms, shivering, and I held her.
Alt Robert said, as he shook my hand, “I thought I sensed you and we returned early. I saw your things at the house.”
“Thanks Robert. By the way, this is a nuisance, since this is your world I think when I am here I should change my name, as we did the first time I met you.”
“You can be Robert, I don’t mind being called Rob anymore.”
“Thanks. I hear you having been visiting little Cherine.”
“I don’t think she even likes me anymore. Sorry, I’m exaggerating, after all we did link, but she does not love me. ”
“She is too young Rob. Give her time. Cherine thinks it might be better you stay away so that she does not get to know you too well now. You should not become a familiar adult figure for her.”
“I never said that Robert! She must get to know him. She must know he loves her.”
“Sorry, I thought you implied that. Rob, I’ve asked her parents to come dancing with us tonight. Will you come?”
“I’d love to.”
“Ask your dad also. We better get to the house, I need to ask him for a favour.”
I explained about our healers and the importance of having a tissue bank. I showed them the flask and gave his father enough money for him to set up two banks.
“Of course the tissue of all Cherinians of this world must be placed in there also. I suggest that if you have any close friends you want to help, get their tissue also, without telling them yet the real reason. I will need the tissue from the two of you and little Cherine and her family. I, I…I..” I turned to Cherine. “You are going to be so angry with me! I’m sorry love, it was very stupid of me.”
“What!?”
“Since we could get Annabelle and little Cherine, we can also get your father back. Do you want that?”
She stared at me for a long moment and her lower lip began to tremble. Suddenly she was bawling and I held her as close to me as I could. We gave her time to recover and she looked up at me. “Can we Robert, can we really do that?”
“I don’t see why not. Can you wait until we get home or you want me to try now?”
“I…I, you better wait until we get home. We have to tell mum first.”
“He was leaving her so it will not be a problem.”
“If you can do this for me, I will love you forever and I promise to never be cheeky again.”
“I thought you wanted your father - then you threaten to do what you know I don’t want, so that I cannot get him back for you.”
“You don’t want me to love you forever?”
“That is a silly question, you don’t have a choice. Come on Rob, tell her, does she have any choice with a guy as wonderful as we are?”
“With the problems I’ve got, you are asking me? Anyway, I think she would be better off loving me.”
1047
“There you go Cherine, how does that grab you.”
“Father, come help me please, handling one Robert was bad enough.”
“You two behave yourselves or else I’ll take her away from both of you and keep her for myself.”
“Rob!!! I don’t believe this, your dad cracked a joke! Mine would rather die first - specially on this subject.”
“Oh I’ve been training him…”
“Dad, how do you feel now; starting to feel a little proud of him?”
“I’ll reserve judgement for now if you don’t mind.”
“Just a thought. What if I go back in time and swop our dads at the time Rob and I are to be conceived?”
“What a horrible idea!!”
“How do you know I haven’t already done it? That would mean you are actually my father, not his.”
“Are you deliberately trying to upset me?”
“Yup, I would have never dared to tease my father. Now I can say I did it and lived to tell the tale.” I laughed and he smiled at me, as if tolerating my craziness.
He turned to Cherine. “I have wondered long about my sons, why they prefer children - now I know. No grown woman would put up with their nonsense for long.”
Cherine did not know how to react and decided to ‘read’ him. She turned to me, her sweet face amazed. “He teased you! Robert, what if your crazy sense of humour actually comes from your dad!”
“That would make you all happy, then you could say, we know where he gets his craziness from. Dad, how would you like to pay us a visit? I’m certain everyone, all Cherinians in our reality, would love to meet you and I promise to bring you back.”
“I think I have just been given an important assignment. When I’ve finished it you may ask me again.”
“Thanks - it really would mean a lot. My wife Aganthi, she just gave birth to a baby girl, we named her Irene because her mother said her daughter has brought her a sense of peace. I’d love for you to meet her.”
“I would like to meet Laura again, I think I could love that girl. Also your Rosie, you were so harsh on her - I’d like her to spend some time with us, then she will see that you did not inherit that side of your character from me.”
I spoke to Cherine, “I would never have believed this could happen. I’m so happy my love.” I hugged her to me. When she pulled away she looked me in the eyes.
“This is what you mean when you say it makes you happy to see us playing?”
We all jumped to Marian. Little Cherine hardly bothered to look up from her toys on the carpet. We deliberately ignored her and chatted with her parents. About a quarter of an hour later she came to my side.
“You are the man who brought me back?”
“Not me Cherry, that girl over there, she is actually the one. Why do you want to know?”
“I think it was you.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well, was it you?” She is obviously just as single-minded about getting answers to her questions as my Cherine is.
1048
“I helped a bit. You going to tell me why you want to know?”
“I never said thank you. Was it you?”
“I used the power that Cherine, the bigger one, lends to me. So in a way it was me.”
“Thank you. Are you married?”
I’d had a bad feeling about this all along, alarm bells going off from the start, that was why I had tried to avoid answering her. Not that any Cherine I know would let me get away with it.
“I am. To my Cherine.”
She was not nonplussed and instantly asked, “She lives on your world?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then you can leave her there and when you come here and I am old enough, you can marry me.”
I said to my Cherine, my heart sore, “She doesn’t have your empathy my love, you could never have said that.”
“Oh yes I could, for you.”
“She is not marrying anyone tonight so why don’t we all relax. Robert, I have some thoughts that have been bothering me. May I speak freely?” her father asked.
He had a ton of thoughts, which only showed us he had not listened to our story properly. I was tired of repeating it, but this was too important. Little Cherine was at stake here.
“I remember most of it from before, but would you explain the matter of your gifts more clearly? Without Cherine you would just be an ordinary man?”
“Just a moody artist hiding from the world.”
“And this Robert of our world, he is also an artist.”
“He is a real artist, not like me. He also is a farmer.”
“If this love was so inevitable, why is it not happening now?”
“I am afraid it is - just not the suitable one. I do take what was said very seriously and we have to avoid that bonding happening at all costs.”
“Robert!! She is in my mind! What do I do?”
“Kick her out. Now Cherine!”
Little Cherine gave a cry and her mother swiftly grabbed her to her bosom, glaring at us.
“Cherry, you ever do that again without asking the other person, I’ll punish you. That was very naughty.”
“I only wanted to know how she brings you here so that I can bring you.”
“She only helps me to come. Cherry, I have to want to come here and right now, I do not think I will want to again.”
Her lips trembled, but she stared me back in the eyes. “Cause I was bad?”
“Two times. Now and earlier when you said I must leave my Cherine when I come here. You better understand something very clearly. I love this Cherine and she owns all my heart. There is no space left there for you.”
1049
Her face was unbelievable for such a small child. It was cold and hard as she stared back at me. “I hate you, I hate you both!”
Before we could respond, not that I know how I would have, she attacked me. She sent me a pain I could not believe came from her. It was the pain of the void eating away at her/me. I screamed and fell unconscious.
My protector refused to protect me, it could not, not against any Cherine. I felt myself being thrown out into the void. I called to the protector to help me become the void. Thank god it did.
Two Cherine’s appeared. I knew immediately which one was mine and was just in time to protect her as the little one attacked her also.
*Cherry! I gave you back your life and you attack us? What I gave I can take away. You try to attack my Cherine again, I will do it.*
*Where are you?*
*All around you. Cherry, I am the void. Watch.*
I gathered the energies that veined throughout my existence and created a monstrous and furious image of myself, over a thousand times larger than in reality. She tried to flee and I blocked her.
*In this world I am the monster. You sent me the pain of when you died and the void began to eat you. Now it will be a thousand times worse.*
Cherine was trying to fight me, to protect the little one. She was screaming her protest at me, but I ignored her. I’d sent my message and right on cue he appeared. Rob was clothed within my protector and his white fierce light blazed.
*Cherine my love, come to me, I will not let him hurt you.* He sent a dazzling pure white flame straight into my image and it shivered in agony and withdrew.
*Come my love, let me take you home.*
In a nasty tone, I told her, *Soon as he is not with you I will get you. You are mine to eat!*
Rob shot another blast at me. *You leave her alone or else I will destroy you. She is mine!!*
*If she is yours then I will not harm her.*
*You make sure you do not or else I will come after you.*
The childish theatrics (scaled to suit her age) over, they left. I pulled out of being the void and Cherine saw me.
*That was very cruel. She will hate you forever.*
*Only until she has grown to love him. We cannot keep this a secret forever, but it just might be the push she needed towards him. Please don’t make any comments about me manipulating her. Cherine, I think we better go home soon, I need some time alone to feel sick at what I have done. I’m hurting my love.*
*Robert, please my love, you did this for a good reason.*
*Not just that. Oh my baby, I am going to hurt my Sam and Ordinx and Solomon. As the void I saw what happened. The Sparklers got all of them.*
*Why are they waiting here then? Are you going to talk to them?*
*I cannot, not now. Let’s go.*
I opened my eyes to the sight of Rob holding little Cherine who was staring at me with terror. Soon as her mother tried to pull her away she screamed and clung to Rob.
1050
“Marian, we better go. I am sorry for what happened. I know you saw nothing, but your daughter attacked me, whether she intended to or not, she nearly killed me. That is one powerful little girl you have.”
I turned to Cherry. “Tonight you have spoilt everything for me. I was so happy that I saved you and was getting fond of you. Now that you have shown me what a nasty little brat you are, I do not think I ever want to see you again.”
Damn her, but she broke my heart. She clung to Rob, but she faced me. “I’m not scared of you. My Robert will kill you if you try to eat me.”
“Him! That useless little boy!?”
On my order my protector threw me at the wall and I fell down to the carpet. Cherine rushed over to me and I told her, “Come my love, we better leave now.”
We jumped back to the farm. We waited until we got sleepy. He was not back home the next morning either. Dad phoned to say he could not jump back alone so was getting public transport. Could I pick him up at the village.
“No need for you to do that. Go into the bathroom and we’ll collect you.”
Cherine brought him back.
“What the hell happened! You have terrified that baby!!”
I explained all that had happened and my reasons for my actions.
“It does not seem right. She would not let my son leave and insisted she sleeps with him in her room. When her mother tried to refuse her she made her mother cry and her husband had to help her to their bedroom. You have stirred up a real hornets nest. If she does not forgive you, then you will not dare to return to this world.”
“A chance worth taking.” I said it with a heavy heart.
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “This has cost you a lot I see.”
“Not just this, I found out something bad while in the void. Dad I have to return home. I will come again soon as I can.”
We returned home and I let Cherine explain all I had done. I went and lay on our bed depressed at all that had happened, all of it a darkness weighing on my soul. Aganthi came in quietly and placed Irene by me and left again. I’d felt Aganthi’s gaze on me, but had not responded. But now I turned onto my side and looked at Irene. I kissed her tiny fingers and closed my eyes.
“Let me share your pain daddy.”
I opened my eyes and saw she had made herself into a little girl of about seven. “Don’t talk love, if you want, just hold me.”
She lay there with me and as time passed I felt her drift into a deep sleep. I decided I could not put it off and calling to Sam I went to the void.
*Solomon, I see Ordinx is not here*
*He is on his World. We can call him.*
*Not yet. We need to talk first. I went to the other void and saw the Sparklers there. Their population seems to be about three times as large as yours.*
*We noticed that. We will compare histories with them to find out where theirs differed from ours.*
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)1st June, 2019
- posted on Steemit: 1st June, 2019