As I walked around trying to identify machines or guess what they are useful for, I saw a metal spike has come out of the ground. We had all been receiving a warning through senses inbuilt in our bodies that a storm is on its way.
4101
I walked in a deliberate way to one of the suited figures. I was ignored in the beginning because they were obviously in a hurry. I walked away from him, looked back and returned to him. I repeated my effort to get him to notice me until he did. After he saw my actions repeated once he followed me to the spike. Soon as I knew he had seen it, I left.
In a while we all felt a desperate need to burrow into the ground. Robbie called to us and soon as we were out of sight he took us back home.
Robbie was so angry with me that he did not shout. He had a problem though, the Eminixx did not melt away. Obstinately they stood their ground, not initiating conversation, just waiting for Robbie to say something. The way he was feeling, if he had been a king in some middle ages kingdom I would have been exiled for life.
*Go home love, we’ll calm him.*
*No. He must have his say in front of everyone.*
Cherine bit her lower lip, her eyes showing anger now, even if her emoting did not. *You are determined to argue and try to prove him wrong!*
I did not answer and kept my eyes on him, I knew he had overheard.
When he spoke his voice was almost a whisper. “Why Samantha, why you?”
“No rationalisations this time father. I made a foolish mistake. I’m grateful what you feared did not happen, but that does not exonerate me in any way. Dad, I cannot live without the link, but I do not deserve to stay in the family. I’m leaving.”
“Robert, may we speak?”
“You wish to plead her case? It is not necessary. Those were your ancestors. You knew they arrived with great shortages, shortages that caused untold suffering and yet you did not interfere, you understood the reasons for our rules and though it must have pained you to keep quiet, knowing how easy it would have been to help them save much needed stores, you did. Sam does not even have your excuse.”
“That is not what you have taught us about the Cherinians. We thought that any of you would have the same excuse we do. Is not your empathy so strong then?”
Vincent appeared. “Robert, she did not place my primes in danger, or else I would have stopped her.”
Robbie did not answer because I got up and walked over to the Eminixx who had spoken. “I think Cherine will not have any problem in linking you when you are ready. Our father intended no punishment, that is not his way. I only seek what you think of as punishment because I see myself as a danger to all those I love. I thank you for speaking up for me.”
I bowed to them and went to Vincent. “Are we still the prime reality?”
“Yes.”
“That is a relief, thank you. I sense you, my father and all my family find the sentence I passed on myself too harsh. I am not certain I could bear it either. I need my family.” I turned to Robbie. “Would you agree to have Solomon or Eddie block my mind so that I lose my gifts? I only ask to keep my healer and my ability to sense all of you. The last, I need, I would be miserable if I cannot.”
“What good would that do?”
“It might help prevent me from making another mistake and putting you all in danger. You have played your games father, pretending, treating me as a leader at times. That was wrong. You speak of me as if I have a bright and capable mind, better than yours. That too is wrong. However intelligent, without experience I am a danger.”
His shoulders sagged and he sighed. “Samantha, without any gifts, even as a Normal, you would still be a danger.”
4102
I felt my knees going wobbly. “What are you saying?”
“You said it yourself, it is not my way to seek punishment, all I ask for is understanding that you did err and show that you have the ability to learn. If you do not mind, I need both Irene and Noelle, a double coffee and a cigarette.”
Why did I risk changing the past when I knew the dangers? I was so caught up in wanting to help that I forgot to think, to realise what I was doing. My loves are trying to blame it on the animal form we took, saying that it had a smaller brain than ours and that is why I did not consider the implications. I cannot accept that excuse, for I have noticed that at times I do act without thinking it through, maybe because I am so certain that I am clever and know what I am doing. There is not one of us who does not love Robbie today more than we ever have, but he was wrong. I should have been punished.
Let us think on it first Arthur. If you are right, how could we all have been suckered? You know so little about time, paradoxes and souls compared to the Ii and us, and yet you insist we were wrong and now I can’t see how we thought we were right! Is it because of assuming by you? You’ve really set the cat among the pigeons and it is pandemonium time here. I’ll get back to you later.
Robert here. Arthur, you still there?
Sorry we took so long. Arthur, I’m terrified! It is obvious to me what happened. You made assumptions and wrote the loop into your story as a fact so we had to believe it. Forget the pain and grief you caused, we understand you made a mistake and did not mean to hurt us. What terrifies me is that you can blind us so that some of the greatest minds from a number of species could not see the truth. I was convinced you did not have that direct a control over us, but you have now proven me wrong. Do we blame you for everything bad? Do we thank you for everything good? Who are we then, what are we? Are we?
4103
Okay: I took the train into the centre of Athens today and walked around areas I used to see daily, wishing to relive my memories. I crossed Akadimias to go to Stadiou Street without checking whether any traffic is coming, thinking all cars had stopped at the previous traffic light. Somebody from behind grabbed me and pulled me back. He swore at me, asking whether I was trying to commit suicide. Embarrassed I thanked him and explained I come from a country where the traffic drives on the other side of the road. Seeing I was a foreigner, he calmed down and with a last warning to be careful walked away. Over and out.
Did it happen?
Arthur, why aren’t you answering?
We understand. Arthur, if you are not doing this to make us feel better, if it really happened, your experiment has turned everything upside down for us. Sam and Cherine burst into tears and the next thing I knew all my girls were crying. While you recover we need to talk to Allan, see what he thinks of this development.
We did not really need to see Allan to realise Arthur was telling the truth. We know, from Allan, that they might enjoy lying about some things, so as to tease, but where it matters they tend to be too honest for their own good (that is what they have been made to believe by those who love them, I mean by Normals). It was just that our conversation had too many shocks and we feared to believe.
I have tried to create a theory of how it can be possible for us to affect Arthur in his own reality, but the only answer I can find, neither Arthur nor Robbie is going to like. I think that Arthur was feeling so bad about the suffering he unwittingly caused, that his gift changed from negative to positive in his need to provide us with some form of comfort and therefore his assumption we will succeed made it possible. I hope it is the truth, as it then gives us hope that somehow he will manage to reverse the negative effect created or dictated by his fears, making it possible for us to travel to him and bring him to live with us.
4104
I spent a long time crying, but the end of the tears does not indicate I am over my trauma. The loop has hung over my head for so long, I’ve had to find ways of thinking to make it possible for me to not only survive, but live my life with meaning. All that I am supposed to throw out the window now? I can’t, not within hours.
Poor Su’phon felt responsible and was devastated. That she does not believe in Arthur in the same way we do has made it more difficult for her to understand and accept that she was not responsible. This has been a weird night. My family, those closest and those who just love us, they went through the same multitude of reactions. Disbelief, joy as they understood and accepted it and then an ugly anger at Arthur. Only with time are they coming to see that Robbie was right to tell Arthur we do not blame him. We only have to look at the stupid things we have thought or done to be able to empathise. Some of our loved ones tried to use Arthur as a scapegoat, blaming him for all the stupid things I have done. That would not be honest. Just because he made one mistake does not mean he is to blame for all our failures.
For the first time ever I am not writing without editing my thoughts. Now is not the time for making Arthur suffer. Later, when this is all over, I may refer to these days. Freddie has withdrawn from the area so that the Eminixx colonists cannot discover us by accident, because Robbie is no longer monitoring. We have to talk a lot, think of all the possibilities and come to terms with them before life can go on as normal.
4105
Human nature, of whichever species, is the same in certain ways. Even Ordinx and Solomon cannot truly believe in Arthur, despite our finding the alternate Arthur - maybe they think he is really a kind of Allan? Now that he broke the spell he wove on us and we can see how stupid we were and that we did not use our minds, they all believe in him, since that is preferable to them accepting they managed to be so stupid on their own.
I am more worried about Arthur. I sense this was a blow to him and I fear it may affect us. I think he has been the cause of most of our adventures and because of him we met so many species. For instance. We find the Elipians beautiful, they are good companions and yet we have hardly paid them any attention - apart from our Asimi and Sharipya. It does not make sense, it is not the way Robbie thinks, we should not have set them aside for dealing with later, if Robbie had acted according to his nature he would have spent time with them, played his dirty manipulative games and the planet would have been already filling with Cherinians. I wonder why Arthur got bored with them?
What does this portend for us? Will he be too afraid of making another mistake and refrain from plunging us into new adventures? I like the life we’ve led up to now - apart from when Robbie has to suffer.
Are you serious?
(Sigh…) he is doing it again. I guess he was teasing. You’ve made everyone curious so we are doing it tonight. Robbie wants to speak to you. Arthur, let him have his say without getting upset, he is hurting, so it makes him angry.
I was going to rant and rave at you for the stupid loop business, for making all my loves suffer needlessly because you did not take the trouble to think it through, but Sam sort of stole my thunder. You are one lucky son of a bitch!
I suppose your comment means you are going to tell us. Was the answer just as stupid as the problem?
That was rude of him and I guess your silence means you are feeling hurt. I want to know, will you tell me please? I did try to find a way, but there did not seem to be a solution. I’d like to know, was my inability part of the spell you wove because even now I cannot see what you had intended doing (I’m glad you did not intend to allow me to remain stuck).
We are fascinated. You mean we could go and find my soul in some other body right now? We are intrigued and love the idea.
Arthur, this is Sam, not Robbie. You must please stop doing that, it is not fair to all the girls. You get us all excited and eager to hear what you have to say, everybody drops what they are doing to rush here and then you casually tell us you changed your mind.
Sure, go ahead.
4106
Arthur, you’ve confused the issue for us by discussing your thoughts after awakening. What you thought and did in your dream, even we, as Cherinians, still find we are not always true to ourselves in our dreams. But we are clear about what we would do, once we are awake. We’ll think about it, Arthur.
Everyone wanted to share my hypnotic experience, even though none asked, so we decided to do it as a storytelling. I allowed Cherine, Wendy, Meli and Jade to enter my mind and experience everything I do directly. Robbie also wanted to, but Cherine asked him not to. I hope it works, it could turn out crazy if they also get hypnotised and go to their own previous lives.
Everybody sat on the grass, including the Sparklers, for they all took on Terran bodies (girls mostly) so that they can relate through their bodies to what I will be experiencing and to make it easier for the girls to share with them. I invited Freddie to enter my mind, I want him to share with us.
I was not certain whether it would be better to relate as Sam/Le’sase or as told by the girls. It is easier to do it as I experienced it and I prefer it that way, so here goes:
Gingerly I tested my roots and found I had chosen wisely, there are still minerals to feed off until I become mobile again.
He’hese, are you awake?
Not fully. Give me ten minutes Le’sase. What of He’zins?
No signs yet. He slept last. The sun is still sick He’hese.
I was worried. When we had slept the dark eye of the sun had been smaller. I could feel strong winds, which is unusual, and they also taste wrong. Carefully I opened my eye to check my energy leaves. As I’d feared, they are wilting. After a sleep they should have been filled with energy, rigid. There are yellow burn dots speckling the flesh of my energy leaves.
He’hese, I think this will be our last sleep. Our next one will be in the dark zone.
You always worry before coming fully awake.
The dark eye is growing He’hese, what will we do when it covers our sun?
The gruff voice of He’zins sounded angry. I cannot awaken to silence, the two of you always chaffering? What dark prognosticating this time Le’sase?
4107
Dark is the right word. Look at the dark eye of the sun, it has grown. My energy leaves are soft and burnt.
There was silence as they checked themselves. I heard He’zins muttering to himself. I turned my energy leaves so that the sap can carry the energy to my mind. Greedily I also sucked at the minerals, trying to make up for the lack of sun energy. On first awakening, the brain needs a lot of energy to flower again.
I know of no other Le’ that worries so much. You are not even yet of thirty long sleeps and you already see what your He’s do not? The dark eye grows larger and smaller like a pulsing embryo. Now be silent and allow us to feed in peace.
The skin of their energy leaves is thicker and tougher than mine, so I presumed they have not been burnt. Burning should only happen to those of under three long sleeps and it worried me, is there something wrong with me? Why after a number of long sleeps have my energy leaves become so sensitive?
The grumbling was justified. Awakening is the crispiest, most delicious time of life. The feeling of our minds coming back to life, reaching for the upper mind that awakes last, it always reminds me of how the He’s described it to me before my seven long sleeps; they likened it to the first time the husk dried and fell off and the eye opened. That glorious moment when we metamorphosed, from an intelligent plant, becoming human. Of course we only become fully human once our upper mind has budded and thrusting its roots is connected to our lower mind. I do not know why I awake with fear when it is such a time of joy. It is as if my lower mind has been living a secret life of its own where it found terrors that cannot be in real life.
The older He’s who have been through over eight hundred long sleeps claim that during short sleep the lower mind does not fully sleep and during long sleep the upper mind stays awake to ponder those abstract problems it loves. That is why our growth is only counted according to the number of long sleeps.
Normally the sun will set twice before I’ll withdraw my roots. It takes that long for them to draw enough nourishment to thicken and strengthen so as to use them for human mobility. Rarely, a kind of creature that stopped evolving a million long sleeps ago searches out a sleeping He’sesses, Le’ or He’ and digging under, nestles just under the waste orifice. The warmth, softness and oozing waste feeds them and they breed within a sac. If the sac is torn before withdrawing our roots, the grubs will climb within the orifice and feed off us internally, which requires we then eat of the fershob leaves which have a nauseating taste and it burns as it oozes out of the orifice, killing the grubs.
For the first time in my short life I felt a sac moving under me and in a panic I tore at my roots and pulling myself out of the hollow I’d created, I sidled and then tipped myself over to see the sac. I heard the chuckling of the others at my immature panic. I soon forget them as I watched and waited for the sac to tear. Disgusting creatures that they might be, it was still a wondrous moment, the first I had ever directly experienced: new life!
If I had stayed over them they would have emerged as tiny mobile creatures, their colour a green so dark it looks like they are black. If the weight and warmth is removed, they quickly rush apart from each other, usually trying to get out of the hollow, and then they will dig their roots into the soil. As with the fershob, they will become rooted plants until they seed, when they have another opportunity to become mobile creatures.
Those that stay in the hollow will grow faster, their leaves multiplying faster, but because there are a number of them, they will soon be viciously competing for food, slashing each others roots underground. Those rare few that make it out and away from their fellows grow far slower and their branching and leaves far fewer. The central stem will thicken and become rigid. With the great height they achieve at seeding time they are able to shoot their seeds almost two days march from where they stand, increasing the chances their offspring will find a protective nourishment supplier and free space to grow.
When the little ones burst out, I moved back as a few made it out of the hollow. Curious I stretched out a limb and touched one of them. It immediately stopped moving and dug its roots in.
Le’sase! What have you done? Why did you condemn it to fighting with its fellows in the hollow? It will not be able to survive because of you.
4108
I almost dug in my roots in reaction. An idea crossed my lower mind and I pondered it for a while. I had never heard of it being done before, but I could not see why it would not work. I stretched out a limb as far from the hollow as I could and dug a hole. With another limb I dug in under the plant I had frightened. Swivelling around as fast as I could, I placed it within the hole and pressed the soil down around it. Feeling almost like a He’ with responsibility for its survival, as if it were my own Le’, I crouched over it and squeezed out a few drops of waste.
I’d shocked my He’s and for the first time I can remember they moved faster than their age usually allows. They crouched beside me and tipping over stared at the plant.
Why did you do that?
I thought that if our waste helps them grow, I would be giving it a better chance of surviving my handling it.
Le’sase did move it far enough for it to grow. He’zins, we must watch to see what happens.
Grumpy at the trouble I was causing them, he complained about me always using only my lower mind, but he stayed. We lightly dug in our roots and sat watching. Our sun, ugly with its dark eye set a number of times and as the plant grew we compared it to the others that had seeded with it. Mine was definitely larger, growing leaves too early. After a few more days it curled up its lower leaves and concentrated on attaining more height.
It will stay shorter than the others, but it will be stronger I think.
So what, it is of no use.
In an amused and almost affectionate voice He’hese asked me, not really expecting an answer, What do you say Le’sase, is it of any use?
I had spent this time slowly thinking my way to new thoughts. We need to feed off seven varieties of plants and spend most of the energy we gain in moving to the next kind of energy. What if we help one of each type of plant to grow, placing them in a circle around us? We would not then have to move as far and using less energy would eat less and so have more time for the upper mind to stay in control.
Share.
We each pulled out a few roots and stretched them out to join all three of us. I felt He’hese gently rub a limb over my mouth to soothe and reassure me as this was the first time I had ever shared. They came into my mind and saw what I pictured, the seven plants in a circle, all shorter than usual which also made it easier to feed off them. I pictured myself going from one plant to the other feeding. I felt them withdraw.
Le’sase, think on it with your upper mind. After twelve settings tell us if you see any danger in doing what you thought of.
My upper mind was slow in awakening because of the change brought on by my hasty action in leaving my hollow. It was over twelve days before I was ready to comment.
I first thought I could place all seven plants closer so that we could remain in the centre and sending out our roots feed off either of the plants as needed without moving at all. It was the turn of He’zins to caress me in reassurance. I projected into a few long sleeps. We would become like the plants and lose our mobility. Our upper minds would be given less time as we would not feed less often. We would be tempted to keep tasting each in turn. Soon, within hundreds of long sleeps we would lose our upper minds. I am sorry, I was not being wise, just clever.
He’zins caressed me again. Is it not also true that some of the seven do not grow everywhere, preferring certain conditions? Remember this my little Le’, when you find an answer to a problem, the first answer is only the first one, look deeper for what problems the answer could cause. Someday you will make a good He’, one we can be proud of.
What is wrong with you Le’sase? Why are you burnt?
I do not know. My energy leaves are no longer giving me the energy I need.
They searched their upper minds for an answer and then examined each other. They passed on messages to other He’s and we waited for an upper mind with the right knowledge to reply. We fed, moving as the season changed. I was being given lots of time to use my upper mind as my He’s insisted I stay in the shade and they brought me all I needed to feed on.
4109
Sometimes plants of a different species grow close to each other if they do not need the same minerals. I noticed one plant had tiny yellow blisters on its leaves. I was curious as to whether they were caused by the sun and moved around it, checking on the side that sees less of the sun. I had guessed correctly, there were less yellow blisters. As I came around to the sunny side I saw the blisters grow in numbers. One lot of leaves caught my attention and I focussed my eye so that the leaves were closer and I could see more detail. I was right, there were less blisters, but the colour of the leaves was slightly different.
As I watched, the wind blew and the leaves moved. They rubbed against the leaves of the plant next to it. That was the different colour I’d seen! I plucked a leaf and crushed it, tasting it’s oils. Returning to the shade I opened my upper mind, allowing it to take over.
I think it is an eighth plant. If we could crush a few leaves so that the oily fluid is freed and rub it on my energy leaves it might help me also.
Is this another of your first answers Le’?
It is, but I do not have time to search for more.
We shall go to the dark zone for our upper minds to join and consider your idea. It will be faster and this is an emergency.
Up against me, to either side, they settled and we left our bodies.
I should have mentioned that our upper minds have taught us as a race that to harm others is wrong and we treasure all life. The old ones tell of our world having a greater variety than it has now, so we are miserly of what we have left. Should a Le’ be considered to be in danger though, its He’s can become unreasoning ferocious creatures, their limbs made rigid and sharpened for piercing.
As we arrived in the dark zone we found strangers there, minds of another species we had not met before. My He’s saw one of them approaching me and they attacked. Our upper minds, those of a He’ have awesome powers, able to call on the energy of a sun in the dark zone. My He’s gathered the energy and sent it to destroy the strangers.
One of the strangers amazed us by drawing all the energy thrown at them to itself. We saw it flare for a moment and then it looked as it had before. It did not attack and absorbed wave after wave of attacks with apparent comfort. My He’s called to me to return to my body, but I was too interested to heed them. I was fascinated by this mind that can absorb the attack of two He’ upper minds. I was also puzzled. Why did it not attack? Could it be it intended us no harm?
*Peace. We come in peace.* The message was sent again and again. No He’ would listen to such a message if its Le’ is threatened or perceived to be threatened. The only way to make them hear was to place myself in a position where their attacks could harm me. I did so.
I asked, out of curiosity only, as I wanted to learn where they come from. *This part of the zone belongs to our people, why are you here?*
*We are travelling and saw your planet and stopped because we were curious about what kind of life it has. You are having problems with your sun?*
*You speak of the dark eye?*
*Yes. Is it affecting your world?*
My He’s took over now and I listened to them talking with the stranger. I had noticed another stranger who was waiting by me, as if wanting to be noticed. Something drew me to it, but I felt I was also being offered an opportunity to ask my questions.
*Where are you from?*
*Greetings, my name is Samantha. Are you Le’sase?*
*How do you know my name? It is a strange name you have!*
By now everyone was listening to us. Let us just say it was foretold we would meet. The yellow blisters on your energy leaves, they come from a bad kind of energy your sun is sending you. Would your parents allow Robert to explain to them?
4110
*Parents? What is that? You did not answer, where are you from?*
*It will be difficult to explain, do you know what alternate realities are?*
*We have theorised they may exist.*
*They do exist. Le’sase, your people are in danger and we came to help. We cannot help if you refuse to listen and trust us.*
*Was I not listening? I apologise.* I did not expect them to understand my humour and knew it would annoy my He’s. We felt the amusement they all emoted and I liked that about them. At last! Someone who can appreciate my kind of humour. *Where are your bodies? How did you travel here, are you mobile across realities?*
*Oh Sam.* their leader said with amusement in answer to my questions and they all were amused again, as if their Sam had said something humorous. I was curious, it was obvious they have a way of communicating that we cannot hear and I wanted to know how they do it.
He’zins took over from me, *You claim you have come to help us, you even blame the dark eye of our sun. We need an explanation that is more specific. What do you know about our problems and what can you do about them?*
*Do you know how a sun creates light and heat? You have astrologers? A very brief explanation then.*
He told us a fantastic tale about the sun and how it consumes itself so that in the end all that is left is a black hole that steals light, or so he said. We decided to ignore the strangers and connecting we shared so as to analyse what we had been told. As happens when new knowledge is given and it is true, the information fell into place so that we saw the larger truth and knew he had been truthful. When we disconnected, the strangers, no, perhaps we should now call them our new friends, were no longer with us. They had moved off to be by themselves and they were dancing with each other like sunbeams dance on troubled water.
They must have sensed we were ready for them and returned.
He’zins spoke for us again. *We have been very worried. When we saw the burns on the energy leaves of Le’sase we sent out a call for all to search their upper minds for any stories of this from the past. None were found, but what came back was that all our Le’ suffer in the same way. In a few regions of our planet the young are not as badly burnt, but we do not know the reason. How can you help?*
I was upset, though I understood their reason for keeping it a secret from me. It is their duty to do all they consider necessary to protect me. Still, I would have preferred to have known.
*We can provide some immediate relief by blocking the rays that are causing the damage. The plant Le’sase found, it has oils that help to filter the rays, but mostly it is a healing agent. As the dark eye grows wilder and larger you could only have found protection by moving under the ground - not a desirable solution I would think.*
*You would be correct. Do you need our assistance to block the rays?* I thought it was brave of him to ask since we have no means to and my love for my gruff He’ spread through me.
*It is more urgent you return to your people and let them know about the healing oils. He’zins, it grieves me that I must warn you that some of your Le’ have suffered severe damage and cannot be healed. We will use all our powers to save as many as we can. One more thing and it is important. Your sense of time is not the same as ours. We do not know of any species that has a life expectancy even close to yours. Because of that, you do not tend to act fast and like to think. Time spent thinking right now is at the cost of Le’ lives. Ask your people to act urgently.*
My poor He’ did not even protest, as if we do not know how to act when a Le’ is threatened!! Without wasting time we returned to our lower mind bodies.
It was important we share the new knowledge so that the message is sent to all, so I did not use the healing oil until that was done. Our new friends must have come prepared, for before the sun set we saw a shield grow between our world and the sun. A ring of seeds attached themselves to the shield and we later found out they move the shield so that as our world dances around her sun, the shield follows.
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)20th December, 2019
- posted: 20th December, 2019
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