<html>
<sup><h6>She was not pleased by that thought, but wanted to explore with him, to see new worlds and maybe find new plants and creatures, but not to mate…that was an unnatural thought to hold. She set it aside for after their return.</h6></sup>
<br>
<br>
<center>https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVvFXpodDfRX7c6FYJyUTRnv6GcKaJPeH79Bpvj4sYhzV/LC%20Bk02-Mini%20Title-col.png</center>
<br>
<br>
<p><center>https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUofwzcqxU9f5gD8XhAdjnQs6ztDnxxPmGYTJbb3Gp2Tp/LC-02-p01-Title.png</center></p><br>
<br>
<br>
<p><center><a href="https://steemit.com/sfandf-fiction/@arthur.grafo4/little-cherine-book-02-bpost064">Previous Post 064</a></center></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1340</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>Their path did not only follow that of least resistance, they also were aiming for the other side of the island so as to watch the skies and map the times and speeds of other islands. The change, when they finally crossed from the one side to the thickness side was barely discernible, but their inner senses felt it and they watched with fascination as the sky of the other side slowly unfolded. They were very surprised to find a small island floating alongside in a fixed orbit, keeping its position without any changes. It did not even rotate around itself.<br>
Their discovery excited them, for this was something no other of their people, not even those who study the skies, had knowledge of. Reveena should have realised that seeing the fixed-island floating so close to them, Akleet would want them to glide to it for a visit. He did not speak about his wish, for he could not see how they could gain the necessary height, nor could he see how they would return, though he thought it should be easier, since the fixed-island gravity is so much weaker.<br>
Akleet guided their footsteps to the area where he calculated gravity should be at its lowest thanks to the fixed-island and Reveena, whose eyes tended to stay fixed on their island and its plant life, discovered a plant they had never seen before. The plant grows a flower, about the size of a cat’s head, and its colouring is grey streaks with thin violet lines which almost look like veins. It is not the colouring, nor the size or shape that makes it unique. Before seeing this plant, neither of them had seen a flower before. On their island, leaves have adapted to also serve the plant in the ways flowers do on our world.</h4></p>
<p><h4>They both tried to sketch the flowers, but their eyes were not accustomed to such a shape and they found it difficult to represent what they thought they see. Luckily they spent the day in the same area and when they woke up the next morning, their subconscious having absorbed what they’d seen during the previous day, they were more successful. Reveena accepted what happened, but Akleet wondered and worried about strange ideas he was having.<br>
They both wanted to take a specimen back home with them, but once they cut a flower, within hours it wilted and turned black. They looked for small flower plants and, having found some, they decided to collect some just before they glide home.<br>
Akleet told Reveena, but it was as if he was mostly speaking to himself, ‘What if we start our homeward glide from here? At this spot we should reach a higher altitude and once we enter the gravity hole on the other side, we’ll do so at height and with the speed we’ve achieved from our long glide.’<br>
‘Are you saying we should wait here until it is time to leave?’<br>
He gave her a surprised look. ‘Oh no, there is still much for us to see and we also won’t see the correct time from this side. We can continue exploring, with regular returns to the other side of the island and once we can see the fast-island approaching and we know our timing, we’ll return here for some plants and for starting our glide.’<br>
During the next few weeks Reveena noticed a few familiar plants whose colouring or shapes slightly differed from those she knows, but she only entered notes about them without attempting to take specimens. Those that were edible she deliberately chose to cook or slice for them to eat and they did not cause any unpleasant physical reactions.”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h4>Diana asked, “Did they name the flower?”<br>
Meli smiled. “I’m not going to try to pronounce the name as it is very long and too complicated for our tongue. The name means ‘the ugly shape which is new to our eyes and does not want to be seen’. As you might guess, it was Akleet who named it.”<br>
Socrati asked, “Did they try to eat it, or at least, take a tiny bite for tasting it?”<br>
Meli shook her head, “I doubt they even thought of it. Socrati, on their island there are a number of plants which are extremely poisonous and even a touch of the tongue to some of them is like trying to take a taste of sulphuric acid, so I imagine they have been raised to be cautious about what they try to taste.”<br>
Socrati earnestly told her, “We also have mushrooms that burn the tongue and kill us if eaten, but it did not stop us from finding out which mushrooms we can eat - thank god, for some of them add a delicious flavour to our food.”<br>
Meli grinned. “Maybe when we visit you can take on their body type and taste the flower for them?”<br>
Sonya said, trying to look stern, but unable to hide the amusement in her eyes (it seems to happen mostly to adults who are children, as if they’ve forgotten how to mask their real thoughts), “You are not willing to risk any of your people, so my Socrati must try it for them?”<br>
Meli answered, “Whoever happens to be the one who is curious should surely be the one to take the risk?”<br>
Socrati laughed. “I’m not that curious.”<br>
Diana said, “I am - I’ll taste it for you Socrati.”<br>
Jonathan shook his head. “It is as well that Meli refuses to take us before Robert returns.”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h4>The tension in our home seemed to grow almost daily as we waited for Robbie to phone us. Each day without a call left us feeling depressed and anxious. Because of this, we were not in the mood to listen to Meli’s story about Akleet and Reveena, so Meli did not try - I guess she also was not in the mood.</h4></p>
<p><h4>We started to see cockroaches wandering around our home, then the house seemed to be teeming with tens of thousands of them and at the same time lice and fleas came to visit in their many thousands. Since we never have such unwelcome guests, we guessed it is supposed to be an attack. As the protector gathered them, some of the girls pleaded for him not to kill them, so the protector took them with him as he visited the person who sent them to us (it was someone in Malaysia). The poor woman; not only did she lose her power, she also had to deal with foreign insects filling her home.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Our electricity went off and we thought it is an attack, but we learnt that one of the substations had a problem. Maybe it served to give them the idea, for the fuse box for the line to our cell bank blew. We replaced the fuse, but it blew again. We tried powering the bank from the generator, but no electricity would travel to the bank. This made it very obvious that our cell bank is under attack. We quickly removed the cell trays, placing them within our portable flasks where they would remain frozen for the time the protector and Sparklers needed to find the person responsible. As soon as the bank started to hum and the little lights went on, we returned the cells. Our healers reported there is no damage to the stored cells.</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h4>A few days later, Robbie phoned from on board the ship.</h4></p>
<p><h4>As a person who believes that even our emotions should make sense, this was one of the times I thought we had gone crazy. We have been whining and pining, our hearts and bodies have ached for him - and the moment he calls us we blow up and shout at him!</h4></p>
<p><h4>I listened to them talking to him through sharing directly from their minds so that it was as if I were speaking to him, but I did not go to the phone, I did not ask for a turn. I sat with my arms wrapped around my legs, lost in feeling my loves as a bonus to hearing him and I was happy - but also wanting to cry.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Little Cherine also shared from us and, without asking for our approval, she passed on most of it to all our friends. I really think this war has done more to change (mature) her and Rob than any of us. Someday she is going to have Cherinians who will be very proud of their Cherine and Robert.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Too soon the phone call was over, it is now just another few moments belonging to the past, and we already miss him again like crazy. Of course we all went to the computer to learn all we can about Mombasa. From what I saw of the town, I hoped he would be out of there as soon as possible. Even a casual thief with a knife could cost us our love.</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1341</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>Of course we analysed the little he said about his new friend and tried to guess what he is like (we did not even come close to being right, he is nothing like we imagined our Robert would like as a friend or companion. He is a nice man…even if I have not managed to get him to talk to me about anything serious - sorry, I am getting ahead of myself). The fact that he is loyal to Robbie is enough to make us all love him.</h4></p>
<p><h4><i>That night Robbie returned and I was so happy. Despite my happiness and my fear of losing him again, the growing number of details that troubled me spoilt his homecoming for me and I ended up feeling quite miserable. Later on I learnt that I was the only one. All the girls were deliriously happy and most of them could not get enough of Robbie, repeatedly making love for the entire time - many of them even becoming pregnant.
Alki purchased a number of big companies and not long afterwards offers came in and he sold them for five times the price he’d paid. He was then told about a major British bank which was having problems. They needed a large cash influx and were willing to sell the majority of their shares for a rock-bottom bargain price. He bought their shares and within days saw his shares soar to ten times the price he’d paid. During all this, Alki forgot about his wife and kids - in the back of his mind he knew they would understand how busy he is and not mind. Then he found himself thinking of them and he was soon asking himself how he could have changed his focus, how he could prefer putting deals together to the deeper joy of being with his family. Without noticing what he was doing he returned to them and forgot about his deals.
Dr Maria, with a scarlet face, told us about her successes medically and how she was invited to give lectures all over the world…and so it was with everyone. Secret daydreams came true and we all stayed locked in our dreams for nearly two nights and one day.</i></h4></p>
<p><h4>Luckily the protector could sense all of us and when it started to worry it invaded our dreams and because of so many of us having dreams that kept us locked in by catering to our needs and hopes, he realised this must be an attack.</h4></p>
<p><h4>For the first time the protector could not sense who was sending us into such a dream-filled sleep of so many hours and he could not think of a way to break us out of our dreams.</h4></p>
<p><h4>The attacker made one very big mistake. He or she could not entice Ordinx and Solomon into a trance-like sleep. The protector took a form and talked with them, explaining his-our problem. Solomon tried as a Sparkler to sense where the attack was emanating from, but even he could not.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Finally our two friends took the less fancy way of dealing with the problem. They shook us awake!</h4></p>
<p><h4>Some of us did not mind speaking of our dreams, but most of us were too embarrassed to pass on any details. Jonathan told us that he is fascinated by what his subconscious chose for him to dream about and he thinks he is going to change a number of things about his life - but he would not say what.</h4></p>
<p><h4>For my loves and myself, the memories of our dreams were painful and all of us sank into a depression for hours. Then Marian reminded us that by allowing ourselves to become so depressed, we were playing into the hands of our attacker, making his attack a success even beyond the time of our dreaming.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Candy asked Meli, “Does the story of Akleet and Reveena have a happy ending?”<br>
Meli gently answered, “I never disclose the ending of my stories before reaching the ending.”<br>
Candy just stared at her for a few heartbeats, and then asked, “Can you continue telling us their story?”<br>
Dommi cut in, “Straight after everyone has eaten, Natalie has worked hard to make food for all of us.”<br>
Giannis, son of Tasso, added, “I’d love to eat, I’m starving after all the adventures of my dreams.”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h4>“Akleet watched the fast-island approach and realised that it is different trying to glide from the slow island and that if they did it exactly the same way as they’d used for coming here, the fast-island will be long past their own island by the time they are swinging around the fast-island. If they glide out to wait for their own island to draw closer, the additional speed it travels at could make their approach dangerous. He was not clear as to whether they would have a problem or not, but he did know that he does need more time for allowing himself to sense the best timing, methods, directions and speeds (what he meant by ‘allowing himself to sense’ is that his mathematical gift must first calculate all the factors so as to ‘see’ clearly the entire process).<br>
Reveena had similar feelings, so she did not get upset. She did insist they return to the other side for her to re-plant the flower seedlings. As she knelt down to do so, Akleet watched her for a few minutes and then was distracted by the sight of the fixed-island above them. Soon he was lost in odd imaginings, which is not what he usually does.<br>
‘Onn-Revee, I have a strange picture in my mind. Try to imagine what I tell you, without calling me a fool. This is what I am seeing. Our people farm this island and because this side has more water, the best food is produced on this side. Because it is the best land, the land is too precious to waste on towns and houses. It is decided that it would be far quicker to live above, on that rock, and glide there each evening and back in the morning to work the land.’ He gave a shy smile. ‘Would you like that? Would you share such a strange home with me?’<br>
She was about to tell him she liked the idea, but then she paused to think it through. ‘But what of when I am carrying? It would not be safe to glide and the weight is wrong for helping me give birth.’<br>
‘Then we’ll have two homes. One for when you want to work and the other for when you cannot.’<br>
‘We are not wealthy, how will we afford it?’<br>
‘While we wait for the fast-island to be in place, we can mark out the best land for ourselves. I do not wish to be too wealthy, but we will be able to afford all we need.’<br>
In her heart, Reveena rejoiced that her parents had been wise enough to choose her such a wonderful brother.”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1342</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>Laura said, with a wide grin, “Dommi, we say that Robert is also our son and that we wives are also each others sisters. Does that mean Robert is also our brother?”<br>
With a smile, Dommi assured her, “He is.”<br>
“You see, Candy, your mother, Wendy, was also a wise parent, she chose you the best brother ever.” This was one of those times that only us, the family, truly appreciated the humour and laughed.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Later that evening, we gathered to listen and Meli continued, “Akleet and Reveena spent more of their time gliding over the land they were thinking of claiming. They searched for signs of water spots under the plants and measure the amount of sunlight. Once they had marked the areas which get the most sunlight, they searched that area so as to claim whichever part of it has the most water. Having narrowed their search, they landed and examined the land by foot - remaining wary of root-roofs which could collapse under them and areas they could sink into the mud - they protected themselves by staying apart a small distance, with a rope tied to both of them. Neither fell, but as Reveena had worried, some of the land was too swampy for cultivation, so they added an equivalent amount of land at the perimeters to compensate.<br>
‘The Arketha farm was allowed to exclude from their claim land that could not be cultivated, so they should find our claim reasonable.’<br>
Akleet asked, ‘What of foods which can be grown on swamp land, will it not be said our reasons are specious, beget out of desire to claim more land?’<br>
Reveena gestured impatience - with those who would make such a claim, not with Akleet. ‘This is not our island, here there are large caverns under the root-roof and to fall into such a cavern in a water-filled area is going to cause the death of the person falling in. I shall ask that those who make such claims walk and dig in such areas before slandering us.’<br>
He grinned. “I love your fiery spirit. Onn-Revee, you would agree to them having a rope tied around their waist, as we have done, so that we can rescue them?’<br>
‘A rope, I agree - but not around their waist, around their neck would be more satisfying.’ She laughed at his look and gathered him fondly to her as she reassured him, ‘I was not being serious, around their waist would do well enough, but do not blame me for any slight delay in pulling them out - my shock at seeing them disappear will be responsible.’”</h4></p>
<p><h4>Meli had to pause as Cherine burst out laughing. “I like your Reveena.”<br>
Only Marian dared to respond on our behalf, “You would!”<br>
Meli grinned and then told Cherine, “You should see her when she grew older, especially after having children. She had no patience for people with small minds and would verbally slash their pride, so that few dared to cross her - not even Akleet dared. And yet, she remained tender and caring and whenever a family faced a disaster, she was first among those who gathered to help. She also forced Akleet to do something which is rare among their people. A family, mother and father who were working their land, fell into a newly created water hole and drowned. Family should have adopted the child, but the only kin were a poor family with three children of their own, so Reveena met with them and negotiated a small compensation for depriving them of the child and she adopted it.”<br>
I asked, knowing that Meli is usually precise in her words, “Why did you say Cherine should see her when she is older? I though you said she and Akleet existed a long time ago?”<br>
Meli sobered with a look of dismay on her face. “I betrayed myself. Sam, anyone allowed to visit my worlds could choose to arrive there at any time they wish. I do not wish it to be so, but I cannot make it be impossible, so I can only say that anyone who does alter their time of visit, I will block them from ever jumping to any world of mine. I will not have the histories of any of the peoples living on any of my worlds altered by some careless tourist or busybody.”<br>
Perikli reassured her, “And none of us would, especially now that you have told us. Melina, if anyone does, let us know and you may rest assured all of us will punish that person.”<br>
All of us eagerly also attempted to reassure her and promised we will not. </h4></p>
<p><h4>Ordinx and Solomon waited silently until we had stopped.
Ordinx told her, “Is there a way for you to sense if anyone time jumps into your mind worlds?”<br>
“Yes, even if I do not sense them enter my mind, I would sense them the instant they enter a world - however far back or forward in time they go.” Her words electrified us, but we had to wait, this was a conversation between her and Ordinx and we did not have the right to interrupt.<br>
He controlled his interest in following the exciting lead, placing the worries and safety of Meli before his curiosity. “I am pleased that you have some protection, but I must point out to you that it is critical that you and we do not share this information with anyone else, apart from Robert and Aganthi when they return. Melina, no race are all good - apart from the Sparklers, until proven otherwise - and I cannot vouchsafe all Anadir will act honourably at all times, so, I will do what I would have considered unbelievable an hour ago and undertake to never inform my own people of the possibility of time jumping, if everyone else also makes the same pledge.”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1343</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>All of us were happy to make the same pledge, and then Meli went and spoilt it for us. “I cannot, Ordinx. I really appreciate what you are offering to do for my worlds and me, but I cannot make the same pledge.”<br>
“To tell the truth, I had not considered it necessary you make the pledge alongside with us, but you are right, as your statement has shown, without yours also, ours are pointless. Why Melina, why can’t you?”<br>
“May I address my answer to Cherine and Dommi without slighting you? Thank you. Cherine, Robert has been asking us to tell our story to others and with time I see it as growing, becoming something that we not only do to please new friends, but also for explaining ourselves to those who may be suspicious of our declared intentions. Until now, we have told the story as Robert would want us to, even those parts he considers embarrassing. It is the only way we may tell it - we must always, without exception, disclose the full truth, keeping nothing back, or else the story we tell becomes a lie.<br>
The pledge you offered would have provided peace for me and I needed it, but I cannot accept it. I can only agree that all of us promise not to speak of it lightly to anyone who does not already know.”<br>
I cut in. “Meli, I disagree - with regard to the storytelling. At first consideration you argue well and your reasons for disclosing all are honourable, but there may be times that we are forced, for the sake of our audience, to not tell them everything. As long as we do not lie, I agree that we tell them everything they need to know, whether they realise it or not. Let me ask you something - you’ve seen that as we meet a large number of people who are not Cherinians, we also come to know some of their private details. Surely speaking of them just because it impacts on our story would not be correct?”<br>
We felt Meli grieving; she truly had wanted our storytelling to remain pure in all aspects, but she felt I had made some important points she could not argue with.<br>
I turned to my friend. “Ordinx, I accept your pledge on behalf of our family and friends - in other words, on behalf of all Cherinians, of the present and the future…at least of those who love Cherine and Meli. However, I do so on one condition. You must speak of what you learnt to the entity of your world and then tell it that we rely on its wisdom as to whether it withholds the information from the rest of the entities and Anadir people, or not.” I sensed him agree.<br>
I went to kneel before Meli and took her hands in mine. “My love, what we have just spoken of, it is no more than a small part of the dream of Robert, and yet, if we made the wrong decision, for instance, that we lie when we think it is necessary, this tiny part of his dream would have killed the entire dream. What we have discussed here today and the decisions we made, they are not entered as laws of Cherinianism, immutable unless due process is followed, as governments of this world do. All we have done is taken our first tottering steps in deciding how we want to live and interact with the universe. Time will teach us many things and as we learn, and hopefully grow wiser, so will many of those rules we think of as absolute, be argued and turned on their head. For now, accept that the pledges stand and perhaps by the time we next do a storytelling, we will have grown just a touch wiser and can decide then?”<br>
Cherine burst into tears.<br>
When she let us know why, I desperately wished the floor, like a root-floor, would open up and swallow me as everyone emoted their feeling for me - even the damn kids, like Klo and Agapi and their brothers!<br>
She said, “Robert would have been so happy if he could have been here and heard what Samantha said. She is becoming just as special as he said she will be.”<br>
Of course, then everyone felt they had to add something about me - and just as I was feeling I must jump to the beach in Cyprus and to hell with the spider, little Cherine told everyone, thinking to compliment me, “Samantha should have been the protector, she’s brave and clever.”<br>
Alki then chose to speak like a pappou. “Brave, yes she is, our Samantha is a pallikari. As for clever…not yet. Not for as long as she thinks she is clever - smarter than our Roberto.” His pissed me off because I only saw the criticism, until I sensed he’d helped return the emoting to levels I can bear.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Since everyone was in a fairly relaxed mood, Dommi asked Honey to create a sketch of a spider with a big head, but to leave the face blank. She tore up a few pages before she created something she was pleased with. Dommi looked, nodded, and asked Alexis to make sixty copies on Robbie's printer. Irene rushed to bring us pencils - she had to give out mostly pencils of different colours, since we did not have that many black pencils.<br>
“Robert asked that everyone try to relax, meditate, close your eyes and allow the true face of the spider to appear in your mind and then let it be drawn by your hand, without you consciously trying to influence what you are drawing. You will feel a bit stupid when doing it, as you’ll think you are only imagining what you are drawing - that is how it works, so allow yourself to imagine, nobody will laugh.”</h4></p>
<p><h4>We all took much longer than we should have, but this was the first time we were trying anything like this and we had to wait for us to be very relaxed. I could hear others muttering in the background, but tried to ignore them as I felt a picture slowly forming, as if out of the misty parts of my mind. What I saw did not make sense to me and I only drew the face because of Robbie and Dommi insisting I draw whatever comes to me. As I finished, I sensed many others were facing the same disbelief - some of them could not get past that mental barrier and gave up.<br>
The sketches were handed to Dommi and Cherine by us and they began to collate them in two piles. One for the failures and the other for those which showed a face. The second pile, of thirty four sketches, showed the face of a female. With small differences, mostly due to the ability to sketch a face, seventeen of them were of the same woman; we all saw her as a middle aged woman, rather on the plump side and very kind looking.<br>
It shocked all of us. Of all that we could have imagined, this face was not something we could have pictured. There was a funny side to it, now that the moment is past. All females were careful not to let the males know we could sense how seeing her face slightly deflated them. Imagining you are fighting a powerful man gives men a feeling of pride, whereas seeing the enemy is an old, kind looking woman knocks the pride out of them. I was tempted to ask how they would feel if they were forced to fight Cherine and they managed to hold their own, but I didn’t - there are times, as I am often told, when it is smarter to keep my mouth shut.</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1344</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>That night, Cherine chose to cling to me. She says I love her too much, so she did not choose me because she needed to make me love her. She chose me because she wanted to tease me. She waited until I was getting drowsy, and then she told our loves, “I was thinking we should declare the mind of Samantha <i>a Place of Cherinian Interest.</i>” If those sleeping in other rooms could sense us and wondered what was making us laugh and play, I’m not planning on explaining.</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h4>The next attack was stupid! They sent a cat and two dogs with bombs in them, though the bombs were meant to spray us with acid and some kind of human created disease (which I suspect may have spread and killed hundreds of thousands if the bombs had exploded). The protector, mindful of what Robbie has said about our minds being damaged by the previous explosion in the puppy, carefully teleported the bombs out of the animals, which meant he did not have time to send them back and had to explode them far outside our atmosphere.<br>
Nafsika, the daughter of Dr Maria, fretted, “Do you think she is in a panic because we sensed what she looks like, or do you think Robert is doing something that frightens her?” Most of us had been about to answer that it is the loss of her organisation, but as she asked about Robbie, we also began to wonder. We can’t see what he could do without any gifts or powers, but maybe he can do something with just his healer that will damage her, or else, maybe we need to ask ourselves (for the umpteenth time) what has prompted him to go on his walkabout - and why end up in Kenya? Could it have something to do with the farm? As far as I know, it doesn’t belong to his father anymore. What if he is being summoned to join some powerful psychic? No, that wouldn’t work, Cherine or Dommi would have sensed him. I felt like breaking my loves out of the mood they were working themselves, into.<br>
“What if she realised it is not healthy for Robert to live among children all the time and she sent him off on a walking trip as exercise?” (lol) I enjoyed running around screaming as everyone tried to throw pillows at me, but in the end they gave up because they were laughing so hard, so I just stood and glared at them until a smile escaped me.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Meli had given in to the pleading look on the face of Candy, so we gathered around her to listen.</h4></p>
<p><h4>“I’ll return to our two protagonists in a short while, but I would like to draw a picture of what the people in general are like. First of all, they call themselves Men and their race Mankind, but if we use their own words, as we have done with the Anadir, then we’d call them Puerpep - it also means The people of the One World, which does suggest they have some memory of their past - whether mentally or in forms of written material. I tend to think it must have been passed down as stories, for the cataclysms during the breakup of their planet would not have been conducive to the survival of written records.<br>
I suspect that on their original planet they could not readily access metals, certainly not iron, in large quantities, and when the survivors found themselves on an island, or mini planet, with metals now easily accessible on the alternate side, they had little use for it since they are not used to thinking in certain ways. They often curse the metal ore they find, for it reduces the amount of arable land available to them.<br>
Because of the relative scarcity of iron, they do not have much of it in their blood, which partially explains their slow metabolism - I think. There is another possibility, they could be as they are because they are herbivores. The only times they would have to move quickly is when a hunter is stalking them. It might be that they developed intelligence so as to avoid having to speed up their reactions - after all, a sedentary life can feel very comfortable.<br>
I have no idea what life was like for them on their planet, or the level of their technology, before it was smashed. For instance, not one piece of a tool or anything sophisticated enough to be named an engine, has ever been discovered on their island. On their island-planet, all their tools are made of wood and naturally grown fibres and if it was the same previously, I’m not surprised that nothing survived.<br>
They are slow to anger, but can explode for the slightest of reasons if they are intoxicated. For social occasions they tend to drink certain fruit juices which have been lightly fermented. Being of low alcoholic content, it means they can get a pleasant buzz without becoming dangerous.<br>
There are criminals, but they do not commit serious crimes like rape and murder. They enjoy nicking items of low value, the act itself providing them with the buzz, not the acquisition of an object. They have some very funny stories about a person, who I do not think really existed, who loved to steal from himself. His thefts would be complicated works of humorous art and he would always steal that which is most precious to him, or he would designate some article to be of such sentimental value, and then it would disappear. What makes the fables interesting to study is the reasoning and justifications given for each theft.<br>
They enjoy what we call love stories, but they name them sister-brother sad stories. A good number of such stories have a happy ending, but they are still called ‘sad’ stories because the protagonists went through a sad patch. Their few stories of crime are also centred around such sister-brother sad stories. They do not have stories about couples who are already mated - apart from a few dealing with the death of one of the two and how the other learns to cope with never having a soul mate and companion again. There is nothing romantic about such stories, I think they are meant to help people in such situations, rather than be inspirational, as would be similar stories for Terrans.</h4></p>
<p><h4> We last left Akleet and Reveena waiting for the second arrival of the fast-island as they marked out the shape, size and exact position of the land they intend claiming. The land for their home and outbuildings on the fixed-island was claimed by markers seen from the slow-island. What would have puzzled any of their people had they seen, was the lack of plans for erecting barns and storerooms. Akleet had already searched, found, measured the cubic sizes and left food material in them so as to check at their time of return as to which kinds of fungus or insects will have attacked their food. Once he knew, he hoped he could then plan on using suitable insulation to bug-proof the underground caverns.</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1345</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>I’m going to share a conversation of theirs about me, even though I know I’ll be providing you with ways to tease me. As far as I know, their people have always known about me and, so they say, they speak of past generations who claimed their ancestors had met me. As with my other worlds, they think of me as having created their planets, but luckily they do not think of me as the creator of their species…or even of life in general. This species are not the only ones who have stories of life elsewhere, where they existed before I created their worlds for them. Don’t look at me that way Ordinx, I have no idea of how it can be possible, all I do know is that I am very glad to be sharing their lives and grateful for the love they continually offer me. I’m surprised it hasn’t given me a swollen ego in this life. I used normal speech when telling you what they spoke of, otherwise it would have made it difficult for you to understand - and that would have spoilt the story. However, they have a problem in uttering the sound ‘el’, so I’m going to use the way they speak my name. They call my Mehina or, in some districts, Mevina.<br>
Anyway, to get on with it - Reveena just adores having the soles of her feet and hands tickled and Akleet was enjoying seeing her so happy. When she’d had enough, she turned, leant over and kissed him between the eyes. She sat back with eyes closed, lost in her thoughts, without needing to feel anxious of Akleet misunderstanding her need to do so.<br>
‘Akleet, do you think Mehina will visit us here, once we have a home in which to welcome her?’<br>
‘I hope so. If she does not wish to come here…maybe she will feel this is not part of her worlds? As I was saying, if she does not, then we must arrange to be told when she comes to visit on our home world, so that we can take our young ones to meet her. I would hate for our young ones not to know her.’<br>
Reveena asked, ‘Do you think she will be able to appear here, or will she have to learn how to glide to visit us at our home?’<br>
‘As a child I was taught that she is very powerful and can do whatever she wants. Did you know that she calls her appearing as jumping to us?’<br>
‘How can she jump so far - her legs are so weak and easy to break, like the emarif grass we use for building the roofs of our homes. I’m glad this island has emarif grass, I like its scent when it dries.’<br>
They both lost themselves in their thoughts again, until Reveena suddenly spoke. ‘Why is she so ugly, Akleet? Why could we not have a creator who is glorious, far more beautiful than us? The first of our ancestors who met her, they must have suffered a lot until they grew accustomed to her pale-root-under-the soil looking skin.’<br>
Akleet, said, ‘Her skin does not bother me, what I cannot adjust to is the way both her eyes are placed to look forward only. I have asked myself many times why she would want to do something so…strange and without sense.’<br>
‘My home family tell of a time she spoke of her skin being easy to tear and then the fluids of her body leak out and stain everything. One of the young ones, of that time, asked her if she used her fluid for writing with, so another, trying to imagine something even stranger, asked if she uses her fluid for creating life. She told them her body uses her fluid to keep itself healthy, and she only uses her mind for creating the worlds. They asked how many worlds and she would not say.’ When Reveena talks about family - <i>home family</i> is the family she was born into, whereas <i>family</i> or <i>our family</i> is the family she was adopted into - Akleet’s birth family.<br>
Akleet looked amazed as he told her, ‘Yes, she told our family that she cannot see arithmetic as well as we can, so maybe that is why she does not know. She told us we see the world differently from her, because we can see the arithmetic of everything all the time, without even trying. Her mind must be a very sad place, without beauty, if she spoke the truth.’<br>
Reveena was a bit scandalised. ‘Don’t say that, Mehina always speaks the truth.’<br>
He grinned. ‘Not always; not when she wants to tease us. She says that it is not really lying and is not bad, because she is not trying to make us believe something which is not true. Our mother asked her if lying is bad because it is done for bad reasons, but she answered that sometimes lying is used for good reasons, but that her Robert says it is wrong to lie even for good reasons - but he does not mind lying for teasing. I think it will take us another thousand generations to understand her when she speaks this way.’<br>
Reveena did not like what he said and silently thought her thoughts until she felt she may have an answer.<br>
‘I hope she comes before we have our first young.’<br>
‘Before? Why?’<br>
‘I want to ask her to come and stay with us for the first years. That is when the young ones find it easiest to learn, so maybe one generation can manage what you say will need a thousand.’</h4></p>
<p><h4>Have I puzzled you even further?” Meli grinned as she asked us.<br>
Themi answered her, “Yes, very much. I was trying to accommodate the thought that you are speaking of a Melina of thousands of years ago, then they mention Roberto, which means this all happens within this time? How can you know all the people of so many generations…to get to know so many would take many years out of your life, even if you stayed at each world for only a short time. You mentioned time jumping…are you saying that you can time jump there, spend a thousand years and time jump back? I cannot believe we would not sense a change in you.”<br>
Alki sounded worried, almost afraid, as he asked Themi, “What do you mean when you speak of a Melina of a thousand years ago?”<br>
Themi spread his arms out in the Greek way, which means he does not know. “I don’t know Alki, I had no clear idea of what I thought as I was trying not to think of it, or else I feared she might drive me crazy with so many impossibilities.”<br>
“Might?” Keith said. “No might about it, I think she has driven me crazy! I’m probably going to go totally around the bend trying to formulate workable theories for what is impossible.”<br>
Meli turned to me, “Sam, can you help?”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1346</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>“I don’t think so, but I know for certain you have not spent even a year there, since we have shared minds.” As soon as I said it, everyone seemed to calm down, even sweet Meli. “Themi, Keith, you forgot that Meli has many worlds in her mind, with many of them, if not all, having some kind of sentient life. If each species has existed for a quarter of a million years, for example, and they have known of our Meli for most of that time, she would have to be billions of years old for her to know so many species. Perhaps a way to think of it would be to imagine that the moment Meli became aware of having inhabited worlds in her mind, she instantly was provided with the knowledge of all the generations and their stories. For them she visited them throughout their history, with even memories of specific visits and conversations, but for her, she probably has only been to a handful of worlds. Am I right Meli?”<br>
“I’m not certain, but it feels as if you are the closest to how I feel it is, Sam. Thank you.” This time Alki grabbed me and squeezed, as he whispered his thanks in my ear. I did not say anything to disillusion them, but it worries me when they take what I say so seriously. I don’t really know anything, I’m usually just guessing. After all, another answer could be that she has learnt all she knows about her worlds from her future self - one who still lives billions of years in the future? I find my first answer easier to believe.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Cherine: Sam, please explain about the future Meli, how would it work? <br>
Since our <i>now</i> Meli already has all the knowledge of past, present and future, in her mind worlds, it means she must have already returned to share…must have done so even before Meli was born! Wouldn’t we have sensed her, whether she returned here or in the void?<br>
I am certain Meli has not been to visit the futures of her worlds; I think she meant what she said, when she told us that she can sense their futures, but that she only will should something happen and she is needed. There is one way she could have done so without anyone sensing her (by the way Cher, if the Meli who returns is billions of years older than us, could we really claim she could not return without us sensing her, if she chose to not be sensed?). Do you see why I don’t want to even think of the possibility? It does not answer questions, all it does is pose even more impossible questions.</h4></p>
<p><h4>That spider woman is very unfair. She attacked us while we were asleep, forcing us to wake up three hours earlier than we usually do! The sensations, I imagine, could drive anyone crazy if they last long enough. I looked it up on the internet and found that there are people who suffer from the same symptoms, and the dictionary name and description is as follows:<br>
Paraesthesia <i> (Abnormal skin sensations (as tingling or tickling or itching or burning) usually associated with peripheral nerve damage)</i><br>
Our protector took about four minutes to block the attack and he let us know that he thinks it emanated from the spider herself, for the Sparklers were not able to enter her mind…or to even sense where she is. While she was distracting us with this attack, she tried to send tiny bombs into our bodies, but could not ‘aim’ them since she cannot see us and has never been in our home - that we know of. A few of the mini bombs arrived in and around our home, but after the first one exploded in our kitchen, the protector prevented the others from exploding by instantly sending them into space. Afterwards, Keith asked the protector whether he blindly sends such attacks into space, or does he check to avoid blowing up satellites? We were relieved to hear he sends them far beyond any satellite orbits - it would not be funny to be responsible for starting another world war!</h4></p>
<p><h4>Socrati was mainly speaking to Savva, but the rest of us listened. “This war is ridiculous. Even when she had thousands in her organisation, she only attacks us with one or a few each time and we sit here waiting for them, playing at being children. Why hasn’t she sent in the army? <br>
You know, it reminds me of my days in EOKA, when we hid in the mountains and villages, striking without warning and disappearing again. Now that I’ve had a taste of what it is like from the other side, I must say it was much better being an EOKA member, rather than a British soldier waiting for a snipers’ bullet to come out of nowhere.”<br>
Savva nodded. “As a young man I did my two and a half years in the army, but I was lucky, we were not at war during that time. I’ve always wondered whether they managed to change me to the point of taking the life of a stranger just because I am told I am supposed to. Because of the heightened feelings during a war, they might have succeeded, but I do not think I would have been able to forgive myself afterwards. At least, as a policeman, I have not had to face killing at someone else’s orders; I’d only do so if I felt it was necessary (so as) to save lives.”<br>
Michaeli drew a chair to sit with them and he felt he is welcome to speak. “When the world learns about this war of ours, only those who still have a conscience will understand Roberto. He weakened his position drastically by refusing to kill and yet, somehow he made me feel much stronger because of it. I’ve been wondering whether he has prevented us from fighting at his side because he feared we might get carried away by our anger and kill.”<br>
Savva laughed. “His only reasons were those he gave - he cannot bear the thought of risking the life of another. I wish it were for the reason you gave, for then I would feel good about his not allowing me to help.”<br>
There have been a number of such conversations which Robbie will share from our minds when he returns. I hope he senses the love and admiration behind their words and can be proud of inspiring such men and women by his example.</h4></p>
<p><h4>After supper, Tina said, “I have a feeling that our days without Robert will soon end and then nobody will feel like sitting to listen to stories about Akleet and Reveena, so why don’t you carry on, now, while we are bored and happy to hear you?” She was giving Meli a naughty grin and Meli responded to it.<br>
“Are you certain? I’d been thinking that until Robert returns, none of you can concentrate on the story, since you are all obsessed with thoughts of him, so I should wait until after he has returned and we are more relaxed.”<br>
Cherine, sounding just as naughty, answered Meli, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you - it is going to take us a very long time to relax…with so many of us and only one of him.”<br>
Candy moved to sit next to Meli, so she returned in her mind to the last scenes narrated, and continued the tale.</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1347</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>“I have tried to imagine what it must be like to live with a constant awareness of time, second by second, but I have not succeeded. I am ill-equipped for that kind of understanding because of the way I lose myself in the stories I am shown for me to write. The stories, they present themselves in all their raw reality and emotions, in their ugliness and beauty, in their own kind of keen-edged truth, and they demand of me that I find the correct sequence of words to write of them so that they can be honestly transferred from my mind to the mind of each of my readers. I am not that good a writer, so I end up losing myself in my search for the best I can achieve. This means that sometimes hours and sometimes even most of a day can go by without my realising it.”<br>
Dr Maria asked, “What you write, are the stories taken from what you have shared from the people living in your mind?”<br>
Meli shook her head. “I do not know where my stories come from, but they are not memories - mine or borrowed. It is said that all authors use scenes from their own lives - or from the lives of others, but I am not aware of it being so with my stories. They feel to me as if they are born whole within some deeper part of me. Maria, some of them have an awful beauty that frightens me and because I know I cannot do them justice, they become more of a curse, blighting my soul, rather than delighting me. Still, I would rather die than lose the ability to paint them with words for others to share.”<br>
Theresa, who was cradling a snoozing Lucy on her lap, softly asked, “Do the people of Reveena make up stories like our people do?”<br>
Meli grinned. “If you are to believe what they say, they don’t make up stories. However, if you travelled around their world, staying overnight to visit and talk and each household tells you the same story, you would not realise it is the same story. They love to decorate their tales with fanciful interpretations and such embellishments are not considered lies - as our fiction is; they only consider them unique ways of seeing what others have seen in their own unique ways. It is fun when a number of families come together to celebrate and they compete in the telling of the same story, with the listeners voting which version was the most unique. Perhaps, if I could stay there long enough for a few bright kids to grow up with me, they could develop brilliant storytellers - but they would not be admired by their people.<br>
There is one version of storytelling permitted, though it must be understood from before what it is to be about. For instance, if Reveena sits by Akleet, leaning against him, and she makes up stories of what it could be like for the two of them to work on one island and live on another, although it is imaginary, it is seen as healthy, as it is exploratory and can lead to the avoidance of harmful errors.<br>
Now, how about you exercising the same kind of imagination. What do you think their nights are like?”</h4></p>
<p><h4>Nobody was keen to be the first to speak, so Cherine asked, “Can they see lots of islands?”<br>
“Yes. If you keep in mind that there are thousands of islands, some no bigger than this house, and some much bigger than the Peloponnesian Peninsula, though all smaller than the island of the Puerpep, with always at least one side facing the sun, plus the atmosphere between the islands is itself also bathed in sunlight and further brightened by the glow from the sun-side of the islands. Their nights are different from their days in that the sun does not shine directly on them. The air between the islands glows because of a very light sprinkling of dust - luckily not heavy enough to limit the view of their universe to a greater degree than our atmosphere does.<br>
If we had evolved under such conditions, I think we would be terrified of the dark. Not so with the Puerpep, for they have the habit of creating total darkness for sleeping in - a left over instinct from the days their island was a full planet, with normal day and night periods? Although darkness seems to be acceptable in their homes, they do not like it outside of their homes, where it is not controlled by them.</h4></p>
<p><h4>Because the two of them were fully relaxed and happy with each other and their dreams, Akleet found it easier to speak of what troubled him. ‘The first cavern I found, the one I fell into, I found tunnels which branched off into more tunnels. The tunnel I took was narrow and when I decided it was not a good tunnel to be in, I found it difficult to get out of as I could not turn and the rocks and roots seemed to hinder me as I tried to back out, as if I was only meant to continue the other way. We do not have much fuel for our lamps, so I did not light it, except for a brief look whenever I needed to make a decision.<br>
Onn-Revee, at the time I was only concerned with returning to you, but for these many nights since then, I find my mind returning to those hours in the dark and I feel fear!’<br>
‘It was a home-darkness?’<br>
‘Yes, but it felt heavier.’<br>
She stared at him, her eyes brooding. ‘Yes, that is how it would feel inside me if you should stop loving me. Promise you won’t let me make you stop.’<br>
He felt her request strange, for the possibility had never occurred to him. But he needed to feel her happy again, so he replied as earnestly as he could, ‘I promise.’<br>
She then reassured him. ‘When you feel that heavy darkness, imagine me with you. I promise my love will be the light you need.’<br>
Akleet said, ‘This island is making us talk funny - I’ve never thought this way before.’<br>
Reveena smiled teasingly. ‘Perhaps it is that you are becoming an adult?’</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1348</center></h3></p>
<p><h4>Whenever they crossed to the other side of the island, Reveena stared at the sky with fascination, for the minor discrepancies in the view grew larger as their own island approached, so that she felt as if her universe was suddenly wrong in some way she could not easily pinpoint, as there were too many angles which seemed to be askew and perspective seemed to play tricks with her eyes - I assume she suffered this way because of her mathematical instincts which needed to adjust. Whatever the cause, I will jump forward in time to tell you that once she was settled and expecting her first child, she asked to be taught higher mathematics. It seemed wrong to me, since it is Akleet whose instinct is more finely honed, yet he hardly paid any attention to the real world messing with his senses, so he did not question why the discrepancy. It would appear to be that sometimes curiosity is a greater influence on our lives and growth, than ability.</h4></p>
By the time they landed on their home island, the rest of the people knew about their trip and why they had taken the risk. Learning that there is so much space available, enabling future generations to do more than just survive, has filled them with ideas and ambition once more. When Akleet and Reveena, as a couple, moved to their new home islands, they were accompanied by another thirty seven families and more joined them each time it was possible to glide across. However, Akleet and Reveena remained the only couple to build their home on the small rocky island, for almost all the years of their lives.<br>
Should we visit their worlds within our time, we’ll find the Puerpep now occupy four islands, but their population has only doubled over the centuries since our explorers died. At this time they do not feel the need to expand their numbers and occupying more land just for the sake of doing so, it does not tempt them.”</h4></p>
<br>
<p><h4>None of us understand the need Robbie has for remaining in contact with the spider, and by telling us during his phone call from the ship that he wants her to know where he is, we are once more living with a constant slight feeling of panic. We no longer count the days; hour by hour is how we drag ourselves through the days, and the hours just seem to stretch out, refusing to pass - or so it feels.<br>
The adults are trying to help us girls by finding other subjects to discuss, but even that is only possible for a few hours each day. Each of my loves, myself included, reach a point where we need someone to hold us, and when that need is satisfied, then it is our turn to hold those who now feel they need to be held. The children of the other families are more keenly affected by us and their families are also having to spend a lot of time holding them.<br>
Nobody asks the four girls, Wendy, Wendy, Candy and Lua, to sing for us, for they would only break our hearts and our resolve. They also tend to be the ones who most often need to be held. The one who is hardly ever held by us is Theresa; she spends most of her time with her daughter in her arms, or else watching her as she crawls around or plays.</h4></p>
<p><h4>The protector suddenly appeared among us, in a physical form, though it seemed to be brighter than usual. “The healer of Robert has just contacted me - may I share the message directly with your minds?”<br>
Of course we all agreed.<br>
Robert was not the only one who felt stupid - we all did. We also should have thought of asking him to send his healer to share with the protector on a regular basis. It hardly needs to be said that we all wanted to immediately jump to Robbie, but Dommi stopped us, only not blocking Candy, Irene, and the twins, Nicole and Alexis.<br>
“The risk will be smaller if only a few of us jump to him, I think only the four should go.” I think that even Dommi was surprised when all of us, including Cherine, obeyed her.<br>
Wendy is linked closer to Candy than to any of us and when an hour passed without her returning, Cherine told her to go. Without waiting for everyone else to agree, she eagerly jumped.<br>
We were sharing through the girls and it helped us make patience, so that we could wait without crying like babies. We listened with heavy hearts as Robbie told them that we must not visit again, as it would be dangerous.<br>
It felt as if the girls had hardly returned to us, when the protector told us that Robbie wants the girls to return for a quick visit. Puzzled, all of us shared as they met Dimitri. We were just as delighted as they were - and just as disappointed when he made them return to us so soon.<br>
A half hour later, the protector told us, “Robert asks that one of you go to take Dimitri to the void.”<br>
“You go Samantha.” I looked into Cherine’s eyes and sensed she really wanted me to go, so I jumped.</h4></p>
<p><h4><i>Cherine</i>: as soon as I sensed Sam was in the void, I told everyone, “I’m going to him.” Dommi nodded and I sensed her keep the others from joining me, allowing me at least a few minutes alone with him. Robert has already written about my visit, but I do not think he felt how it broke the heart of Samantha and myself when he told us to return home. Once back with our loves and friends - and mostly for the sake of Manoli and Dimitri, we put on our smiles and happily introduced them to everyone. I’ll let Sam carry on.</h4></p>
<p><h4>There isn’t much more for me to write about. A short time later, the protector informed us that Aganthi is with Robbie, but that none of us are to go to them. Irene cried and we surrounded her, trying to take her pain, until we sensed it is a pain born out of her joy and relief at knowing her mother still lives. I think Aganthi forgot she was blocking us, so we still could not sense her.<br>
Since Aganthi was not immediately sent back to us, we assumed she would be spending the night with him. Not one of us was jealous, for we carried within us not only our love for her, but also (I think) we sort of hero-worshipped her for having the guts to disobey Robbie and secretly follow him. At that time we did not know whether she had managed to help him or not, and it did not matter, for all we cared about was the feeling she had given us of knowing our Robbie is not left entirely alone.</h4></p>
<p><h4>It was a big shock when she appeared among us and we saw from her (now open) mind the memories of Doris, as she named herself, appearing at the side of their bed. As we ‘heard’ their conversation, we felt how many of our friends loved our Robbie, all over again.<br>
The hours we had to wait felt as if they would never end - and then we suddenly felt Robbie again, his mind open to us once more! We were silenced by the sight of the elderly man and Doris…and the feeling from Robbie that he wanted to hear them. Then he asked for a change of clothes and we knew we would be welcome. Rose asked the others to wait, to allow us some time alone with Robbie.</h4></p>
<p><h4>I know I failed to paint a vivid picture of our emotions, but I am not good at writing of them, especially while I am still feeling emotional.</h4></p>
<center>https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUzXfWzC2e3t5s9TeCsseK4fCqwroEbHpG6JgcrrM58T1/My%20Divider%202.png</center>
<br>
<p><h3><center>1349</center></h3></p>
<p>From hereafter and for the next few pages, I am writing almost two months after the events described (in time as measured by me, not the clocks on our Earth). Usually when I write and describe our lovemaking, it is because it just happened and still fills my mind and heart. The weeks I gave to each of my girls were special, very special and beautiful, but I do not find within me the same urgency to write about them. My memory has improved to such an extent that I could write of each lovemaking in detail without the blurring as would happen to a Normal person, yet you could say that I feel shyer about describing them now. I suppose this must stand as a lesson to me to write every day as events occur.</p>
<p>That is not right either. If I were to write about every single time I made love, this diary would become ten times as long without taking into consideration the descriptions of what else occurred. Having bodies that are at the peak of health also heightens our libido. We tend to have sex most nights of the week and sometimes during the day too. Unless there are overriding reasons, as on the first night I returned, I do not like the splitting of myself, so it means I usually only make love to two or three of my girls at a time, so, though I make love often, for them our sexual life is not as fulfilling. They each have only had sex with me directly once a week on an average if we have not played with time.</p>
<p>My suspicions were confirmed during this period. It has been rare for any of my girls, apart from Candy, to come to me any younger than eleven, more often as twelve to thirteen. This was not because of any conscious decision by them, but as a part of their need to be what I subconsciously wanted. I wondered whether I am maturing or has it always been a need within me that stemmed from my feelings of guilt. For now I will just accept them as they come to me and maybe life will show me my true face one day.</p>
<p>These two months have not only been a time of loving, of idyllic walks along the beach hand in hand with my girls. They have also been a time of growth. The girls had taken me seriously and opened new doors within themselves, finding new gifts that they shared with all of us. Not all the gifts they acquired gave them pleasure and for some of them the implications, morally, were not clear.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p><center><a href="https://steemit.com/sfandf-fiction/@arthur.grafo4/little-cherine-book-02-bpost066"> Next [Book 02] - Post 066</a></center></p>
<p><center>I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love.</center></p><br>
<br><br>
<h6>Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου<br></h6>(Alexander Zenon Eustace)<br>
<sup>9th July, 2019</sup>
<br><br>
* posted on Steemit: 10th July, 2019<br>
<br><br>
<br>
<center>For those who wish to be notified of sequels<br>
@nikosnitza
<h6>If you wish to have your name added above, I would be honoured.</h6></center>
<br>
<br><br>
<br>
</html>