As Stone had privately campaigned, they insisted the principalities remain individual states, the current princes remaining in power, but to remain subject to the rule of the Federal Government and their king.
We arrived back home in time for Bernadine’s birthday (9th June). Robbie decided he wants a special party for her, so we’ve invited hundreds of people and Wendy has informed us that Candy will be singing on her own, especially for her. Despite her remarkable talent, a five year old does not have the range needed so she is going to have to age herself to about eighteen. She hates being older and despite asking for more candles at her next birthday some years ago, she is still using five (or one) - the idea of ageing makes her nervous and we don’t mind waiting (should we change her name to andy Pan?). Some people, psychiatrists, analysts, psychologists and ordinary laymen, insist we are harming her by pampering to her need not to age. We prefer to listen to our instincts - or rather, to hers.
Everybody is laughing…the changes came through. Arthur, you skipped a whole paragraph and you added a silly joke, which made us laugh! As for your photo, you have a weird idea of what Jade looks like - seven of my loves stood up for you, they like the picture, they think it captures something about her spirit, but even as a teen, she is much more fragile looking. Right, we’re leaving for the party. Happy Birthday, sweet Bernie. Have a great party.
Everybody, except for Goldi, had a great evening. A man fell in love with her and because he has a lovely heart, it hurt her. When we returned home and fell in each others arms to make love, she stayed apart, not joining in. We sensed she was withdrawn so we stopped before anyone was too caught up in their passions and Robbie made to move towards her, but Dommi stopped him.
Dommi pulled up her chin. “Your beauty is a curse.” Goldi was not the only one shocked. “Would this be a better world if everyone was ugly?”
She was tempted to answer ‘yes’ but she gave it some thought and looked at us before replying, “No, I don’t think so.”
“What do you think would happen if we were all ugly? Do you imagine everyone would only fall in love because of them meeting their soul mate or because of the personality of the other?”
“Maybe.”
“Is Bitsy ugly?”
“No! Well, yes, if you don’t look properly.”
“Hmm, so it depends on how we look at everything? Just like sand dunes in a desert can be beautiful? The eye adjusts Goldi, you are too beautiful and because it is not just a physical beauty, we’ve had to adjust to your beauty and only see parts of it at any one time or else we would be too enraptured to live our lives and, more importantly, to love you as the lovely person you are. Beauty is neither a curse nor a blessing - how you use it determines what it is. Goldi, take a good look at Roberto.” Puzzled, Goldi did. So did we and grins spread as Robbie became self-conscious. “He’s not ugly, I think he has nice features but, he is a bit of a mouse of a man, isn’t he? No wonder everyone can’t believe we love him or that he is the leader of our Cherinians. Now try to look at him without love colouring what you see. Hold it, I don’t think you know how to. Enter my mind and I’ll show you.” She nodded at us. “You may all join her, I think many of you need to learn.”
“What was the difference?” None of us answered her, waiting for Goldi to do so. “Both times we looked at the same man, so what changed?”
“You did.”
“That’s right. In the one I was not willing or prepared to see any beauty and in the other I was open to all he is. Goldi, you could be as ugly as a witch and you’d still be loved by men and women you don’t love. Your beauty is only partly to blame. After all, if only beauty is to blame, why haven’t all men and women fallen in love with you? How can poor Alki bear not to be in love with you? Isn’t it because of the way they see you? Alki sees your beauty and it is an aesthetic delight for him, but he has not fallen in love with you.” She hesitated. “However, you do have a serious problem.” Goldi looked at her with a worried frown. “We are all in love with you.” We laughingly agreed with Dommi and attacked Goldi with our love - and then with our loving.
At breakfast the next afternoon, Candy spoke up. “I don’t like seeing Robert either way, Dommi. I prefer the way I see him.”
“The way you see him is perfect for you?”
“Yes.”
“Then hold to that image of him my love.”
Mirella and Aleka…let’s see. I’ll have to return to our voyage to the alternate Universe, to just after they (the children) were brought to us.
Since Miltos was not paying them much attention, thanks to his having Marita’s shoulder to weep on, they clung to each other. Soon both Robbie and Cherine stopped assuming the bodies of their parents and they had to grow used to the fact that the past is gone and they are alone in a new world. We were not heartless, we sensed how their deaths before a firing squad had left them riddled with fears. We did what we could to help, but the girls could not relax with us. To them we were creatures of fantastic powers and that translated into meaning we were not normal human beings and they thought we looked down on them. We had to leave it to time and familiarity to erode the edge of their subconscious awe of us. With us travelling from solar system to solar system, the time it would take was bound to be extended.
We were surprised when Emmie showed she has the instincts of a mother and, using a Terran body, she became their friend and confidante. We were very lucky this happened for both girls had grown up as Greek girls of their time and were not only superstitious, but also very narrow-minded. The ways of our world, of the Normals, was totally alien to them and since we are at the extreme of that, they could not adjust to us. We also found it difficult to enjoy being around them as they broadcast waves of disapproval at many of our ways. Emmie’s way of thinking, as alien as it was, was closer to theirs and they soon opened up to her.
“You are going to find my idea very boring. Girls, I want to use my healer on you and make you about six years old again. You will remember who you are, but you’ll be more adaptable. We’ll arrange for a family to take care of you and you will grow up with them. That way you will go to school and the presence of other children will help you learn of the many ways our world has changed.
When you are ready and the danger is past, if you wish to join us as Cherinians, your mother will link you. Until then, use the opportunity being offered to you to fit in with the world we’ve brought you back to. Our friend Themi will spend a lot of time talking with you. Trust him, for his job is healer of the mind. You have memories that still cause you nightmares. Talk to him about them and he’ll help you grow beyond your nightmares.
Above everything else, although your mother and I no longer look as we did, we are your parents and love you with all our hearts. To us you are our daughters and we will be waiting for the day you are ready to join us and become Cherinians. Whenever you need us, we will be by your side.”
He talked at length and slowly they agreed, not only because they felt they were expected to. Robbie then asked them whether they would like to have a full day with him and Cherine as they were in their previous lives. The two of them were not the only ones to benefit. The next evening, after a full day of being Theodoris and Evangelia, Robbie and Cherine clung to each other that night, their hearts filled again with love for their twin daughters.
Once back on Earth, they spent the next eleven years growing up as Normal girls, went to school, made friends, lost friends, fell in and out of love and then worried about what careers to pursue. I should mention they did visit often and we also took them out for shopping or just to spend the day with us and they even came on a few trips with us to other realities. I do not know which of the two came up with the idea, but they came to us as one, determined they have made the right choice.
“Patera (father), we have done as you asked. In many ways we have grown used to the way the world is now, but we still feel uncomfortable here. We hardly ever see Milto and we do not feel we are ready to become Cherinians yet. We would both like to meet a couple of ordinary young men, fall in love and marry them. We think the best place for us to do that would be in the reality of Richard. The way they live now, even though they are all Cherinians, is closer to the way we grew up.”
“How would you become a part of their society if you are not Cherinians?”
“Perhaps it would be right for us to be Cherinians there?”
Robbie sat back. “You have both surprised us. We are very proud of you, you’ve recognised truths most young people of your age would not have. You’ll be part of a world that is busy re-creating itself and that is the best choice you could have made. My loves, you will have to be linked by their Cherine, but never forget that you are our daughters and we’ll always love you.”
They were linked, they both found the right man and married and now both of them have children. They are as close to each other as they’ve always been, and we visit them often enough for their children to think of our Robbie and Cherine as their grandparents.
(I am writing for Solomon): We have been busy living our lives and having our World now, we set aside our request of Meli. We have done as you suggested and then we suggested the idea to all other Sparkler alternates. They are teaching others and all feel the same as we do. We have a home again! Arthur, Samantha tells me you will consider your idea as being obvious, but I needed to tell you that one day, a million Sparkler nations will be filled with gratitude for our author who took the time to think of our needs. Thank you.
“Angelica, we must teach you how to sense spells. Samantha, you were right, a spell has been placed around your home.” He paused, as if he didn’t know how to tell me. “I think you are going to be just as confused as I am. He placed a spell of protection. I think it was meant to fade upon it sensing the arrival of the family, but I was able to sense traces that have remained. Within a week or so it will be entirely gone.”
I’ve already mentioned what kind of mind I have. “Are you certain it was not meant to linger until it sensed you or your alternate?”
He actually showed his surprise in his eyes. “There is no way I can tell. What makes you think so?”
“He could have hidden the fact that he passed by our home - as a matter of fact, he could have arrived and left without any Cherinian sensing him. Why did he make his presence known? Why did he allow anyone to see him outside our home? He would have guessed we’d ask for you to check for any magic and I think he placed a good spell in the hope that we would see it as a sign of his friendly intentions so that we lower our guard.” Robbie nodded, agreeing with me. I grinned at Allan before continuing so that he does not take what I have to say the wrong way. “Christós, I know Allan too well for me to believe the obvious. If Allan were our enemy and then he had a change of heart, I know how he would have acted. However different Alexander is, this is not proof of friendship, it is a smokescreen.” Christós noticed that Allan nodded his head in agreement with my statement.
“It would be wise to keep your guard up.”
I shook my head. “No, look at Robert, he now senses something is wrong.”
“I don’t know what the danger is - as a matter of fact, I don’t feel my family are in danger. I only feel that something unpleasant is about to happen. Samantha, it is not my protector instincts warning me, just a hunch.”
We bashed the subject around for a while and then Angelica asked, “Christós, could we go outside for you to teach me how to sense the spell? If the spell is fading and I can sense it, then I will be better at sensing spells than if they are still fully active.” They went outside. Christós helped her sensitise herself and she felt it. Christós was pleased and started walking back to our front door, but then stopped when he saw she was still straining to sense the spell.
“What is wrong?”
“That’s just devious enough for it to be a possibility. Let’s check.” They did so, but felt or found nothing else. Sort of deflated, Angelica returned to us with Christós still looking thoughtful. He saw that we’d followed them through our Angel. “I think I better leave for a few hours. I’ll be keeping an eye on you from a distance - as a Cherinian, by sharing through my student, not through magic. If nothing happens I’ll return tomorrow.”
“Before you go…” He stopped, waiting for me to organise my thoughts. “What if it was not Alexander, just someone hoping to provoke us into taking a position against Alexander?”
“That will be impossible to ascertain if there isn’t another spell. If there is and it is still at full power, it will be difficult, but I might be able to confirm whether it carries his imprint. Actually, I’d better ask Jesus to come if we do sense another spell, he can concentrate on handling the spell while I check for his signature.”
The days went by without any spell manifesting. Everyone, including Christós, started talking and yearning for a new trip. Some even suggested we ask Arthur to send us to a new reality. I rationalised my need by seeing it as a good way of avoiding whatever spell may be waiting for us. ‘If it comes to its power without us here we will not be harmed and, I’m certain it cannot last indefinitely’. Christós confirmed my reasoning is valid and we started to narrow our choices of where we should go.
We met friends at Club Cherinián and they were either dismayed at our wish to leave so soon or else excited and asked to come with. We have an old pinball machine in our games room, the kind you can bump to nudge the ball, as long as you are careful not to nudge too hard or else the sign tilt comes up and you lose that ball. Nobody plays it anymore because our reactions are too fast and we score very high points. I tend to play it whenever I want to sink into my thoughts and I wanted to search for the reason for my disquiet. I wasn’t really worried about anything, but the questions of our friends had left me feeling uneasy.
Normally my family do not interrupt me when I’m deep in thought. A hand touched mine softly and I returned to full attention, nudged the ball to send it caroming at the top and asked Dommi whether they want to leave.
Dommi asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Do you still want to leave on a trip?”
“It would be fun, but I had hoped to celebrate your birthday here.”
“Ask Angel to check for the second spell.”
Her mind lightly grazed over my thoughts and she called to Angelica. We sensed Christós leave with her. We felt their relief and they returned. With Dommi’s arm around my waist we returned to the others. We felt Vincent place a block over the club so that nobody can spy on us.
“There is a second spell. It is a travel itch spell. It seems Alexander wants us to leave.”
Robbie grinned and asked Christós, “Shall we accommodate him?”
The first thing Christós and Angelica did was to search Freddie for any signs of a spell or spells while Robbie, Vincent, Kirsten and Freddie searched for any electronic devices or stowaways. Freddie was given a clean bill of health and we jumped.
Christós contacted Jesus, brought him up to date and asked him to keep a discrete eye on Alexander as he wishes to be with us should Alexander try to attack. Vincent and Kirsten became the void and returned to Earth. They waited for two months before returning to us; on our side only two days had passed. Enjoying our charcoal grilled lamb chops we were discussing the situation when Jesus appeared.
Robbie asked, “Who was the visitor?”
“You were.” He burst out laughing at the expression on our faces and our confused emoting.
“Me!?” Robbie shook his head. “No way!”
Jesus turned serious. “I’m afraid it is so, it was you - or so they would have us believe. Robert, it was a Robert and he was trying to shroud his origins by thinking of himself as being you. He was very good at doing it, so much so that I cannot swear it was not you.”
Cherine cried out, “A Robert siding with Alexander! I’ll kill the bastard!” She truly was furious.
Weakly I tried to justify him, “Perhaps he had a good reason?”
“I don’t care! No Robert we know would plan to work with Alexander. He must be an evil Robert.”
Cherine was actually trembling and she was losing control of her powers, our surroundings being demolished - though she was careful not to allow anyone to be hurt. Robbie took her onto his lap, holding her tightly he jumped to his ledge and now she felt free to rant and rave and cry. Robbie did not try to calm her, allowing all the pain and anger to spill out until she was drained.
At first, when Cherine was furious, we were too awed by the power of her emoting to feel our anger. Once she was weeping, our own anger grew and then we also wept as we recalled his attempts to rape Cherine. Jade was the first to calm down and Cassie of course immediately peeked and then she also calmed. That led to us becoming curious and we shared from them. We also calmed ourselves, but we were puzzled. Jade had worried about Robbie and she snuck into his mind, ignoring his surface emoting. She felt his secret happiness and pulling back immediately she tried to puzzle out the reasons. Dommi nodded, pleased.
‘Robert is right, Cherine and all of us needed to get it out of our systems.” She gave a worried grin. “If Roberto set us up and it was him, Cher will be furious with him for a long time.”
Just like Robbie, Jade pedantically answered, “You mean if it will be him. He couldn’t have gone before, we’d have sensed him.”
Cassie burst out laughing, partly laughter and partly tears. “It won’t be Robert, it will be you. Only you could pretend to be him so well.” I can tell you, this was the first time ever we’ve felt Jade become afraid. Her need to protect us forced her, despite her fear, to acknowledge that it probably was or will be her.
That brought Cherine back to us (mentally) as she said to Robbie. “If it was Jade, I’ll never forgive her.”
Robbie wiped her tears. “If it was Jade you’ll love her extra special. We’ll have to work out the details so that she can fool Jesus. I think you’ll have to help her.” Jesus, Christós and all our friends were totally bemused so they kept quiet, waiting to see how this odd situation will develop.
Dommi spoke for us. “This sounds like a paradox to me, but it does make sense. We’ve all carried our hate and fear of Alexander for far too long, it needed to be lanced.” She gave a puzzled frown. “Who thought of it?” That got me laughing hysterically.
The next morning at breakfast, Cherine carried her plates back to the kitchen and then stood by Jade. Her hand lightly caressed her hair as she asked, “Would you mind if I go?”
“Don’t you think it will mean more if I go? I’ll let Kirsten take me, he won’t sense her.” She glanced at Robbie and he nodded, even though his face was pale. A little bit of her suppressed anger stressed her next words. “He owes me and I have a few things to tell him.”
Robbie sat back with a tiny smile. “Are you going to link him?”
He rarely manages to shock her anymore. Seconds passed before she managed to spit out, “Never!” She glared at him, daring him to argue. He smiled and asked Aganthi for another coffee. Cherine turned to stare at the garden. “I don’t believe he’ll ever be a Cherinian and we don’t need another Campbell.”
“If he is ready to be linked and he is not, he will become a Campbell.” Although Empathia is her daughter she is used to the fact that she speaks her mind and yet, she was hurt.
“Then you link him.”
“As you said mother, it will mean more if you do. Why don’t we shelve the question until afterwards?”
Robbie said, “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to take you.”
“No, I want Kirsten. Robert, he will sense you and Kirsten is capable of helping me in a way you can’t. I want her to strengthen her link to me so that I can escape into her if he attacks.”
“That’s an interesting idea! Have you tried it?” He knew she hadn’t, we’d have felt it. “Why don’t you try it first? Angel baby, you attack her with magic - pretend you don’t know about the special link.”
Her trick could be very useful under different circumstances, though we hate the idea of losing anyone’s body, but it does not work if a strong spell is used to block us. Robbie took her to the void and they returned with Cherine emoting confidence. They both said private so we didn’t ask.
We were touched that not one of the species and friends reacted the way we did. They all protested, not willing to risk our Cherine. Ordinx spoke against her going. “You are the future of all Cherinians, you do not have the right to risk yourself for something so trivial.” He saw the look on Robbie’s face. “Tell me Robert, what would happen if nobody goes to him, can the past be undone? That is why I spoke of your reasons being trivial, you are not risking Cherine to make it happen, you are doing so only because you still believe that time demands it. If nobody goes, could it be that Alexander would decide to act on his own initiative? Would you steal from him the chance to show he has reformed?”
“You are forgetting a Robert asked him. If that Robert does not come from us, what then? If you insist time is that flexible, could it be forced to create a reality where the Robert is our enemy? A Robert must go Ordinx, and Cherine has more reason to go than anyone else.”
“Let me return first so that I’m there to help if it becomes necessary.” Christós was actually miffed when we burst out laughing.
“You already were there Christós, it happened in your past.” Ruefully he gave us a grin.
On any other Terran world, the appearance of a little girl walking on a street would not be cause for any interest, unless she is pretty and the observer is a paedophile. Cherine is pretty, but there were no paedophiles outside the home of Alexander and yet her appearance brought a number of people to their front doors. They’d all sensed a strange power that does not belong and they arrived ready for battle. Alexander was a few seconds late and he gestured for the others to wait.
“What are you doing here?” He tried to sense if she is accompanied.
“This can’t be a very nice world if that is how you greet your visitors.”
