From the number of daily deaths that they reported, Arthur made his own calculations while everyone else searched out the humans found by the Sparklers, so as to estimate their numbers and check on their most urgent needs.
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We see why you were worried we might get angry with you. The others aren’t, but I’m not certain I should not be angry. I don’t like it when you write about me that way, trying to make me seem more important than I am. Robert be afraid of me! How could you even suggest that! Anyway, not only us, all the populations of all the alien species have decided we definitely could not have had a weirder author. Many are now telling us they look forward to meeting you here. I hope they all want to throw pillows at you.
Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty Seven
None of us understand why, not even the professionals, but the movement against us, Cherine in particular and you, has spread in our reality, but not in any other. The strange thing is that any of us girls can appear in public with only the usual interest in us, but not Cherine or Robbie. Even stranger has been the reaction to what was said of me by ‘our’ Campbell. It seems the public has mainly decided he was talking nonsense because of his hate of me, for I am greeted warmly by strangers. A gesture is often made which took me some time to understand. They shape their thumb and first finger into a ‘C’ and then turn their hand so that the open part of the ‘C’ is facing downwards. On a visit of his, David explained that it is meant to portray a vote against Campbell and a vote in my favour. I asked him how can they favour Campbell with regard to Robbie, Cherine and Arthur and yet be anti-Campbell with regard to me. Rather frivolously, I thought, he laughed and explained it away by telling me that if I try to understand people I’ll only drive myself crazy. Since he and Haven are close friends I kept quiet.
About two weeks after returning, Campbell asked to meet Robbie and Cherine. There was no way Robbie would allow Cherine to be exposed to him, despite his guarantees that the proposed meeting is not hostile in any way. When Robbie agreed to the meeting, Campbell chose the top of a hillside far from civilisation, within Canada. Thousands of Sparklers accompanied Robbie, but we also kept a watch on them from Freddie.
“I am grateful to you for agreeing to the meeting, however I am disappointed that Cherine could not come. I understand why, but my purpose of this meeting was to apologise to both of you. Mr Teller, we are opponents and yet you were kind enough to invite me and a number of my followers on the trip to celebrate her birthday and I was grateful despite all that has been said since then. If you paid attention to my interview by David, you should have noticed that I refrained from answering any questions that could be construed as being an attack on any of you. However, we are opponents and when I was told about the comments made on the Arab station, it was too good an opportunity for me to turn aside. I also believe that to have kept quiet could have led to them taking desperate measures which might have cost many lives.”
Robbie gave one of his tight smiles that does not come anywhere close to his eyes. “I don’t understand the need for this meeting or your apology. If I was offered the opportunity to show you to the public as the man you really are, I would not have held back. I don’t like your politics and what you really hope to achieve, so I will gladly grab at any opportunity that helps the public see the real you, therefore I do not resent you grabbing the opportunity presented to you. I did notice that you did not ask for Samantha and yet I think you were most insulting when you spoke of her. That leads me to the question, why do you hate her more than the rest of us?”
“She is not civilised. I’ve tried to conduct my campaign without constant slurs against you and your family, while she has made too many contemptuous and insulting comments about me in public for me to feel well disposed towards her. Someday she will try my patience once too often and I will react.”
Robbie’s voice went very soft, “Is that a threat?”
Campbell grinned. “Me threaten one of your family? With your compulsory need to protect them it would only lead to open confrontation and while I would only be acting in self defence, it could lead to the deaths of many Normals. No, no threat Mr Teller, just that I will pay her back in kind. I presume that will not affront your protector instincts?”
Robbie laughed. “You go heads on against Samantha and I doubt you’ll come off the winner.”
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Campbell grinned. “Yes, she can talk rings around anyone. I actually pitied Arthur when he tried to best her.” His grin died. “I suggest you act responsibly and curb her tongue, or else I will do all I can to show her as she really is.”
“No Cherinian curbs another, she makes her own decisions and I stand by her, whatever she says or does.” Yummy, I’m going to give Robbie a really big kiss for that. “I would have thought the results of your attack on her would have made you more cautious. We are aware that the number of your supporters grew by about three hundred thousand and we also know that you lost over a hundred thousand after your comments on David’s show. Most of your losses were in other realities, but surely you need to keep a spread of supporters across all realities? Whatever you may think of Samantha, the man in the street seems to have become her supporter, whatever their beliefs about Cherinians in general. She is the only one out of all of us who does not hesitate to speak against their governments when she feels the public is being bamboozled or hurt in any way.”
“The number of supporters I have is not that important. It is not as if I plan to go into battle against you. This war between us is mostly one of ideology and slowly I am helping mankind see what a threat you are to everyone, including your Cherinians. I will win, despite your superior powers.”
Robbie cocked his head sideways, so obviously deep in thought it looked as if he was defenceless at that moment. Campbell is too canny to fall for that trick and waited.
“What is the real reason you asked for the meeting?”
“Believe it or not, I’ve already stated the real reasons. However, since we are talking, I’d like to broach a different topic. All new Talents that appear seem to consider the Normals pawns in their fight against you, your son or me. Whatever your opinion of me, you must admit I have never taken any action that could lead to harm for any Normals.” Robbie nodded, agreeing. “I suggest all parties form an organisation representing all of us and we make it compulsory for all new Talents to register with them. If the new Talent has no declared preference as to which of us he or she wishes to join, we are each free to endeavour to recruit that person.”
“If that Talent wishes to remain independent?”
Campbell shrugged. “It would not make any difference, they register as an independent. The important point is that we then know of that person and their talents.”
“In many ways your suggestion makes sense, but you seem to see the situation as being either black or white. There are too many variables for it to work. For example, what of infant Talents? How do we ensure the Talent has registered his or her real powers? Give me an hour and I am certain I could create a list of grey areas as long as your arm.”
“I could probably match your list. You are missing the point, or should I say points? For example, if I made the proposal to the Normals, how do you believe they would react? They will want to control the organisation and it is likely fewer new Talents will register. Those that do, they are likely to try and push them into joining whichever of our groups is popular with them at the time.” He smiled. “I can assure you I would do all within my powers to ensure I am the one favoured. However, the end result would be worse than the present situation for all of us.
Consider this, and I’ll accept Michael as being a third party for the sake of my argument. Our three groups hate each other and yet most of the attacks have not been directed by any of the groups. Each of us are big enough and powerful enough to take a civilised attitude and whatever methods we use at least there is no wholesale loss of life. If I could force a final death on you or Michael I would. I would not if it would result in the deaths of innocents. I trust you feel the same way.”
“I don’t. You know that I am hampered in my opposition of you by my refusal to cause final death to any soul - including yours.”
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“I am grateful. Mr Teller, I do not ask for an immediate agreement. Take my suggestion to Michael and Samantha and perhaps, if you think positively, the three of you can come up with a working model. It does not have to be perfect and cover all exigencies from day one, but we must make a start somewhere.”
“I will do so.”
“Thank you. Will you pass on a message for me? Please tell Samantha that she hates me as she does because she overestimates my abilities and ambitions. If we are to live the half a million years you’ve proved we will, it behooves us to find a way to learn to understand each other before hatred drives us into actions that make it impossible for us to tolerate the existence of the other.”
“I’ll think on it.”
I showed I was angry when he returned to us. “How could you promise to think on it! You know that I do not hold any opinions of him that we don’t all share.”
“I was being polite Sam. No, that is not entirely honest of me, he is right, we do have to continually re-examine ourselves and our beliefs and fears as often as we can, or else we’ll settle into a rut that no longer represents the truth.”
Gina had been quiet and thoughtful while Robbie had been with Arthur and she spoke up now. “Mum, what if Arthur Campbell is not as we think of him? After all, surely he also must be a mixture of good and bad like everyone else? Perhaps we should be looking for ways to help him grow instead of forcing him to be defensive all the time.”
My lower jaw must have hung as I stared at her. I shut my mouth and tried to think without my own anger and dislike of Arthur influencing me. I saw tears fill her eyes and she broke my mood and I chuckled. I’d felt how she’d felt touched by my effort to respect her opinion. I hugged her. “Why don’t we spend some time alone for you to evolve your ideas and convince me you are right?”
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)- posted: 29th Jun, 2020
If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 10, use this link button to open the LC Book Index: