This means they will have foreign exchange (gives a new meaning to the term, doesn’t it?) for buying goods from other realities.
If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 08, use this link button to open the LC Book Index:
5781
Jeskine and Orgg had wanted to travel with us to the final reality of our trip, but we would only be returning a year later to give the scientists enough time to make some headway in their explorations. They cannot stay away that long and we are troubled about them not coming with.
Laak-ist-Eltiorass asked for Robbie’s attention. “If you wish for these two to join us, we will return them within a day of their departure.”
“With your spaceship?”
“Yes.”
“I’m grateful, thank you. I did want them to come with.” He was careful not to remind him that the Wirms could have wished them home far more cheaply. My darling father is aware that he has to allow as many species and individuals as possible to contribute to our wellbeing, so that we remain a team or, as I prefer to think of it, a family.
We are excited at the prospect of seeing so many of our friends again. Merlin, Sifi, Ecquel, Soofiris and Morusa among others. Some of the girls had made friends among the Meéjeira children and they were anxious to meet them again. We will be arriving within months of our previous departure.
Freddie returned to normal space and opened for Irene. When she entered, the other ships made way for
her, giving her pride of place, an adornment for any world.
“Lynda, let’s take a break and visit a new reality.”
“Is this one for Aven?”
“Shh, it sounds better if you say we are going to search for new life. Let’s stay away from Earth for a while and visit a new species. Do you think you can find one?”
“I’ll try.”
I stared at her with a suspicion growing. I found the idea too humongous to mention it, unless I first gave it lots of thought. As usual, Cherine sensed me and took a peep. Her face blanched and now everyone wanted to know what was wrong. Robbie said the magic words, “What now?” as he smiled at me, so I had to explain. Poor Lynda was the most frightened of all of us. The next most frightened were the Muyzith. The idea terrified them (they take everything I say too seriously). Other species just found the idea unacceptable.
“What is an alternate reality? Isn’t it true that whatever we can imagine becomes an alternate reality? What if by Lynda looking for a specific type of reality, she creates it? Maybe just by looking for one she creates it?”
Robbie pointed out, “What about the first one I went to, she did not help find it.”
“She has told us that she used to imagine all kinds of realities before she knew we existed. Maybe she created it, or, maybe you did.”
“That’s got to be nonsense! Have you asked Arthur?”
Arthur?
I can’t imagine why. The point is, do you think she does? Have you given her that power?
5782
After all that was said, I had to coax Lynda to do as Robbie had requested. She took hours and then asked Robbie, “What kind of aliens?”
“Surprise me.”
She smiled. “Okay.” I wonder what she has found.
Freddie accepted her ‘coordinates’ and jumped. Eagerly we all watched the screens, wondering where the aliens are.
5783
Arthur, I have a feeling we’ve been had. I do not think it was deliberate, they are too pure to be lying, but there are clues that not only did they take a different path from us, but that it is a path we might have taken if you had not intervened with your ‘declaration’.
I cannot tell you what happened in one straight line. Each of us and every species heard and experienced a different message. I will start off with us and then relate what the others have shared with us. I should mention that nobody else agrees with me at this time and my doubts have angered everyone.
TERRANS
Robbie decided there was no life and it would be safe for Freddie to travel in normal space. Freddie did report a new kind of energy tickling his probe in normal space, but he was adamant that it was not dangerous. Robbie remained calm and relaxed, so we believed Freddie.
As soon as Freddie moved into normal space he reported the energy has surrounded and sheathed him. He sounded happier than is usual for him and after that he did not respond to any questions. Robbie became worried, but before he could go to the void to return as the void, a formless light coalesced within Freddie.
This is Robert. Samantha is wrong to write of her doubts and report to you from the slant she is presently influenced by. The caption she has placed above shows how badly she has misunderstood our visitors.
If you like, I will ask Melina to write, as I doubt my ability to do justice to all we learnt and experienced.
Of course you have a choice, though I must warn you, since you brought it up, that we have called for a debate by all the species for the purpose of deciding whether keeping this diary serves any further usefulness. I know you well enough by now to guess you are going to ask for Samantha to write. Arthur, her soul has somehow been twisted, and by asking her to write, you are only compounding the problem. At least agree to wait until we have helped her see our visitors from a healthy point of view.
We have discussed it as a family and we all agree that Samantha must not write at this time. You must wait until she is healed.
Switching off.
5784
I’ll let him have his moment first. He is enjoying himself making you look bad. Here goes: As I’d said, a glow coalesced within Freddie.
With the glow, a pure white gentle light, came a feeling of being loved and treasured. That was all we experienced for a long time, until the very last of us had calmed down and accepted the love being offered. We could feel their awareness within us, seeking the deepest parts of our souls, but none of us felt violated. Each of us was spoken to directly and our names were used, but much of what was said to me, was said to all the Terrans.
“Samantha, child of the dark eye, welcome to the light. Our love for you has waited a long time for you to join us; there is no need for you to wonder, we have loved you since you were Le'sase.”
“I feel your love. What are you? Are you a god?”
5785
“I/we are what you will be. Time in this reality is far ahead of your reality, but then, all realities are one, all time is one and all life is one life.”
“Arthur, is it you?”
“No child. We know of Arthur. For you to grow to meet your destiny, you will have to let him go, he is holding you back.” They talked about you to everyone and in much detail, but the above is the gist of what they had to say about you. Somehow they countered every argument with such infinite knowledge and love that none were able to dispute their advice for long.
They spoke of my past with such sweetness and clarity that even my mistakes were accepted by me as a natural part of who I am. They spoke of the love within my family as being only a part of the love waiting for each of us from all life. It was as if they lit up all the dark holes within my soul and I responded with love and devotion to them. For the first in my life I did not have a hundred questions and accepted everything they told me, while my heart and mind softened and slept within a receptive cocoon of peaceful love.
We know now, from the evidence of plants and exposed foods that spoilt, that we remained in conversation and ever-growing thrall for many days. For each of us there was advice that eased any hidden pains we had, so that we grew to be creatures of light, love and joy.
Robbie was warned that by staying our Protector he is damaging his soul. Cherine was told that when she becomes The Light, she will return to them and they will become one again. Dommi was shown that her Mother love comes from the heart of the mother soul. Diana and Jade were made to feel accepted as complete and whole souls, a part of our mother soul.
Only Goldi paid for their love with pain. “You must join us child. They were wrong to create you at this time, your universe is still too young and cruel for a soul such as yours. Join with us so that you can grow to be all you are meant to be. The love that you treasure, of your family, it will only stunt you, for they cannot love you as you should be loved. Come join us and let us be one and love will complete you.” With her they argued and pressured her until she almost gave in. The only thing that saved her for us was that Robbie had been holding her when they first came and she remained peripherally aware of him all the time. Her stubborn refusal seemed to cause them pain and she is still suffering for repaying their love of her (because of the damage they foresee for her) with her denial of their offer.
Haven and Shiyra were shown that they were wrong to devolve to a previous state (having bodies and trying to evolve) and they were advised to return to their respective mother souls and help lead them to joining with the Madchi.
AKIARDS
They were shown they need not reproduce as they are now eternal and their lives are to be devoted to helping other species grow. Their love for Robbie and Christós was also shown to be a necessary tool needed to break them out of the crippling inheritance of their previous existence and that they should now love all equally.
INGUEL
The truths about themselves could lead to them experiencing the greatest changes in any species. They were shown that the generations living before they became Cherinians had been sterile and without growth. Cherinianism was shown to be only a step forward for them, breaking them free of the past. For them to grow to the point where they can return to become one with the Madchi, they have to stop rebuilding planets, as it is a form of interfering with Life. The only person, of all the species, apart from Goldi, who refused them, denying their love and advice, was our little isi-mi-Metti. She was shown that she had grown beyond all her people, but that it was time she leaves us to lead her people on to a new path. She told them that any path without her family (including mainly, I guess, Syrina and Robbie) was not a path she was willing to adopt. They did not pressure her, promising to wait for her to grow wiser.
5786
MUYZITH
They are the only species that have not shared with anyone else. Angelica has not pressured Msito and never will. Arthur, that means we have not imposed our sharing with them.
Do you need me to give more examples or do you understand what is worrying me?
5787
The first thing I did was ask the Muyzith to copy all that has been written here (including the deleted parts that I reinstated in our diary). I am going for a walk to allow everyone to exchange views without having to consider my feelings. I’ve promised not to eavesdrop.
I do not know who argued in my favour and who against me. It does not matter. I spent my time thinking and I accepted that I too had been beguiled by the Madchi for a while. I could only hope that the difference between myself, as the first, and whoever is the last, is only a matter of degree. For some of us, it is very difficult to examine our thoughts while storms of emotions rule our hearts.
Arthur, whatever the outcome, thank you. For this once you have acted wisely and I was wrong in my expectations.
Goldi jumped to me and her sweet face bore a rebellious look, as if ready to defy me if I asked her to return to our family. When she saw I was not going to say anything, she surprised me.
“It is a pity Freddie does not have a desert.”
“You are speaking of our section only?”
She shrugged, irritated by my pedantic question. “If we had, we could then imagine our Samantha as a hermit wandering through the desert, persecuted for her beliefs.”
I knelt before her and drew her to me. “I’m sorry I spoilt your joke.” I kissed her and she relaxed, her body leaning against me.
“It’s okay, I’m not very good at joking.”
“I liked it. I did not realise you have a dry kind of humour. You know Goldi, I think we confuse ourselves more than anyone else by looking like butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-our-mouth little girls.” She giggled and I sensed I was forgiven.
“How did you resist them love?”
She shrugged, “I think I’m more used to controlling my emotions than any of you.”
“In a way, they were right. You are too fine a soul for any reality I know.”
“Not for our reality in here. Not as long as my family are with me.”
An hour later she invited me to her apartment for a cold drink. I had never been so I was filled with curiosity as we jumped, holding hands. It was a shock to me. Despite my worries, my mind raced as I tried to understand.
“Didn’t anyone decorate it for you?”
She looked around at the bare walls and almost total lack of furnishings. “It is what I sometimes need. Maybe you will like the other room.” I followed her as she pulled at my hand. Again, I was surprised. It is a warm little girl’s room, with soft furnishing and lots of 3D posters all over the walls. The posters are of us girls surrounding the main poster, which is of Robbie. “This is my feeling loved room.”
5788
“And the other?”
“It is my control room.”
Raptly I stared at her as she looked at the poster of Robbie and felt myself drawn to her as never before. No wonder Robbie needs his long honeymoons alone with his brides. Love by itself is never enough.
Arthur, I don’t know how to handle what is coming. I feel like crying. I don’t want anyone to say they are sorry. I just want us to be as we were.
It was every bit as awkward as I feared it would be. I’m not talking about my wives, they found just the right way to make me feel weepy, but it was bearable. Those I deeply love, like Alki, Allan, Ordinx and Solomon, they caused me the most distress, but they felt my heart and soon reverted to the people I love so much. We are not out of the woods yet, not all the species and not all the individuals of every specie have come to agree with me. The Muyzith are keeping quiet, irritating everyone by studying us.
Arthur need not have feared. What he did, the power he showed he still has over us, it seems everyone suspected he did. They are debating the finer points and there is a growing admiration for him. They mostly point out to each other, as if they will never weary of saying it, that for any human to have the power over us that he does and refuse to wield it unless he has to save us, shows he is a good man. I think of him more like a father to all of us who wants his children to mature, so he allows them to fly off to fight for their own dreams, while he sits in the background, ready to protect them if they are in danger.
“Lynda, what were your criteria when you searched for that reality?”
“That it must have a new to us species, but one that will prove to be friendly. I did not want us to be attacked.”
Cherine exploded, “I feel like going back and telling them what I think of them. They pretended to be wise by stealing knowledge from our minds.”
What Robbie answered Cherine, shook her and all of us. “They remind me of the Shadow Robert. If we found it possible to understand him, we must find it possible to forgive and understand them. I think they are driven by fear. They must suspect that they have taken a wrong turn somewhere and do not know how to correct the situation. They are too powerful for us to help them right now, but someday we must return.”
This is Cherine. I just had to tell you that we all feel bad that we betrayed our Samantha. Thank you for standing by her when she was alone and afraid.
5789
Samantha here again - Cherine left with happy eyes. Arthur, you are not going to believe where Robbie has decided to go. We are returning to the Madchi reality!
We will arrive close to Earth, he needs to see whether they have any problems. If there is a Cherine there, he dares not leave her to their madness.
As soon as we arrived, we left. Cities could be seen, but not one soul. We estimate humans died out about one hundred and fifty years ago. We dare not stay to return to their past to save them, first we have to find a way to handle the Madchi.
We have arrived at the Meejeira planet. As soon as Freddie arrived, we were inundated by joyful greetings. The first thing they asked is how long we have been gone, from our side. When we told them, they pleaded for a telling. Until the girls are ready, we will visit to enjoy their successes.
I’ve stayed behind. I needed time to sort my thoughts. I’ve had too much loving from everyone and I need to recover my equilibrium. One of the thoughts that floated into my mind was what you said about mother souls. I tried looking back, to the way we thought when we first met the two warring mother souls and I cannot imagine why we decided they are mother souls, in the universal sense. The facts were staring me in the face. What helped you see the truth?
I’ve had too many special nights of being loved recently, so I was careful to stay away from Robbie. I was hoping he would choose Haven or Shelif, since seeing how the Meejeirans are rebuilding their world and civilisation has touched them deeply. Robbie saw deeper than I did and chose Shiyra. Haven understood and joined Robbie in loving her. Afterwards, Robbie pulled Sheena to him so that the two girls and their daughters could tearfully hold each other.
For the Meejeirans we have been gone half of their year. The flow of traffic between their planets and the other realities that are helping to rebuild their world is astonishing. It did not take me long to work out that if what we have seen over a few days is representational of the help they have been receiving while we were elsewhere, the other realities must be depleting their resources at an alarming rate. I mentioned my fears and so I was not surprised when a First male (remember, they have more than one kind of male) Krikartea captain of a Unation ship asked to visit us.
“My name is Wasoúda, Captain of the Lady of Light. My crew wished that I carry their greetings to all Cherinians aboard Freddie and assure the lady our spaceship is named in honour of, of their undying devotion.” He made a noise we knew signalled laughter. “Thanks to the Cherinians, it truly is undying.” He became embarrassed, still uncertain we really enjoy casual displays of emotions, as only usually happens between friends. “I am also here for a serious reason. We have been advised by those of our nations travelling with you that Samantha has expressed concern over our commitment to our alternates of this reality.”
5790
“You have come to reassure me?”
He stared at me solemnly for a moment. “You have included within your calculations that we are providing equal assistance to the Unation planets? I meant, those that were the Unation planets, since the Meéjeira of this reality now are part of the Unation family. We are also preparing to help rebuild planets destroyed by the nomad marauders in the reality that have joined us here.”
Being Cherinians means we have to take the risk and block off any subconscious leakage of emoting from the other, so as not to spoil what might be a joke. I was not only having my fears confirmed, but also compounded and that is not how any Cherinian would act in earnest. I gave all the signs he could translate as worry.
“Samantha is worried?”
Robbie nodded, his expression also grave. “We all are.”
He gestured, acknowledging his worry and repeated, “Samantha is worried?”
“Yes, Samantha is worried.”
“Samantha has not thought to question how we can afford to do our duty without destroying the future of our own people?”
I stared at him with huge eyes. “There is a way?”
He gestured his agreement, delighted by my response. “We are timing our arrivals here on almost a daily basis, but we are spacing our departures by centuries. Our ship is not from the time period of first contact by you, we come from nearly half a million years thereafter.” I did not have to pretend to be stunned. The idea of any species being committed for such a long period is amazing. Once Captain Wasoúda left, our Unation Admiral told us, with great amusement, that the Captain will be telling his story of how he outwitted Samantha for the next few hundred thousand years. It made me appreciate what a strange life the crews must be living, having to spread out their voyages over such vast spans of time. I’m glad he will have something to keep him amused when he misses his home.
A few days later Robbie and all of us were worried when Haven and the girls with her returned from visiting the planet emoting shock and distress. Since Robbie would not ask, we all had to wait for them to explain.
“Robert, you must not be upset, they do it so as not to allow the new souls to remain angry.”
His lips were edged with white lines. “Have they made paintings of the stoning?”
“I don’t know. They have built a large hall which they have called The Stoning Memorial Theatre. Every time new souls are brought from our mother soul, they show a holographic re-enactment. Included with the visuals are the emoting of those who did the stoning and ours.”
He kept his face neutral, the way he does when he is trying to hide a terrible pain. “You went to watch?”
The girls were shocked. “No, once was enough.” Haven nodded in agreement.
“Then why were you so distressed?”
“Partly out of embarrassment and partly because we knew how you would feel.” They were right. To his wild imagination, it is as if some part of his loves are going through the pain every time they show the stoning. Robbie knows his feelings are not based on any facts, but he cannot help himself - just like he desperately needs to rush off to save a child being hurt in a movie. If they continue to show the stoning for a million years, not one of us will ever watch it, the pain our loves felt is still too real for all of us.
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)1st March, 2020
- posted: 1st March 2020
If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 08, use this link button to open the LC Book Index: