Little Cherine Book 09 - BPost002
The crowds had gathered, always eager for another telling. Our guests were seated together as a group and no one sat close to them, as otherwise they would keep on whispering questions. Meli walked to the front of the platform and addressed our guests.
If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 08, use this link button to open the LC Book Index:
5611
“We have developed our own way of telling the story of our family and friends. What started as a private telling has expanded and been adapted so that all species may understand us. Whatever questions you are left with, they will be welcomed after the telling.
Normally our full tellings now take about two weeks of five-hour sessions per day. Normally we only do that for our own pleasure, but this time I have been asked to take it to the other extreme and condense our telling to three sessions totalling thirteen hours. I have not succeeded. Would we be inconveniencing you if we hold our telling for two further sessions of four hours each after tomorrow?”
Amsiu stood up. “If we are not disrupting your plans, you may take as many days as you need. It is important we understand you and many leaders of other species have spoken of your tellings, impressing on us that we should ask for the full version.”
Meli smiled. “Good, then we will only tell an introduction tonight, showing how the nucleus of our family was created. We will begin with the childhood of Robert and the birth of Cherine.”
I’m certain Meli must have taken from my mind my brief time with Msito as she made very effective use of humour wherever she could, playing with words and imagery in the manner Robbie loves, making her telling unique as ever. Wendy sung her first songs exactly as she had originally and most hearts wept for her, with sadness and joy.
Over the next day Meli sketched out in more detail than usual, my early days. I was not grateful to her, but understood why she was doing it.
What did surprise us was the way the Muyzith reacted. Not once did they ask a question and they spent many hours in their apartments each day in private discussions. After five days, Robbie declared there would be no telling the next day as he is taking our guests on a cruise to fairyland. I wondered how they will see our fairies - as we do, or will their minds reach out and sense the truth? I never found out, but they did exhibit much pleasure at having been taken.
I nearly did not mention one thing and it could be important. When the telling told of the coming of Shiyra and Dark Cloud and how Empathia handled them, they asked the two girls to stand together. Gathering in a circle around them they shared directly from their minds the period the two mother souls played hide and seek with each other, concentrating on how it was affecting them. It left both of them trembling and back home they wept as we held them.
Towards the end, they approached isi-mi-Metti. “If we were not leaving soon we would request you be appointed as our Ambassador to the Teller family.”
I cheerfully said, “In that case I suggest you do so Qeubo, since you will not be departing.”
“Sam! Are you prophesying?”
“No dad, just extrapolating from the facts. We can discuss it tomorrow if it is still necessary.”
That night the telling was interrupted as the Muyzith jumped up, broadcasting so many mixed emotions we were not certain what they intended and when they circled Cherine, we prepared for an attack. Amsiu was definitely aggressive when he demanded Cherine share with them. I saw it was a moment of crisis, for Robbie was in protector mode and very angry, so I jumped to her side and faced them. I saw that behind them all the alternates of Jesus had gathered and were ready to unleash an attack in support of Robbie if things went badly. I made my voice cold and arrogant.
“Cherine will not share with you. You would do well to recall that you are here as our guests. Your interruption of the telling was rude and you owe the girls an apology. We promised to answer all your questions at the end and the arrogance of your pre-emptive action is an insult to us. Either leave Freddie or else take your places again, the rest of our friends wish to be part of the remainder of the telling and we will continue now, with or without you.”
5612
Cherine gently touched my cheek with her fingers and spoke only one word, “Arthur.”
“No Cher, not for Arthur or anyone else. They either respect us or we leave.”
Hettie had felt it was her responsibility to handle the situation and did not know what to do now that I had deepened the crisis. I turned to her. “Hettie, why don’t you speak to them while we take a short break for coffee and cigarettes?” Cherine grinned and jumped to Robbie, her arms wrapping themselves around his neck as he grabbed and held her to him. Maria had coffee waiting for him by the time we arrived. I relaxed when he gave me a wink and sent a kiss to my mind.
I noticed that Shiyra and Haven were quick to stand by me and grinned when Robyn, Athia and the two daughters, Shelif and Aven joined us. They were strongly beaming their approval of my actions and I stopped bashing my brains trying to work out whether I had done the right thing.
Soon Msito walked over. “The others feel there is a small degree of rapport between us and have asked that I speak to you. May I?”
It might not have been dignified, but I stood up on my chair. “With you I feel I can be Samantha, the child that I am in so many ways. I am glad others have felt our rapport, I was hoping it was not just my imagination.”
“But you can sense me!”
I explained, “Sometimes wishful thinking makes us interpret what we sense in the way we want to. You have come to reassure me that no harm was intended to our Cherine?”
“Yes. To also apologise if we acted improperly.”
“Msito, if there is a rapport between us, it means that I am more sensitive to you and can sense when you are only being literally truthful. You mentioned when you first arrived that your species was embarking on a mission to find the new power that was growing and that you intended judging it, destroying it if you felt it was not benign.” I felt Robbie tense up again, but Cherine could handle him. “We do not give you the right to judge her. Cherine is growing and will become what she is meant to be whether you approve or not. You are free to remain outside of the circle of her influence should you wish, as will not only every species, but also every individual.”
“You speak with arrogance, it is not how the telling showed you nor how I sense you. Why?”
“Whether intentionally or not, you have repeatedly offended us without apologising. I see that as an indication that you consider yourselves superior to us - perhaps to every other lifeform. Friendship cannot exist between us while you feel that way. I suggest you sit to the end of the telling, ask your questions and then leave. Discuss us back home with your people and decide before you return whether you can meet us as equals or not. I do expect you to provide us with the information of how to awaken the souls within the mutants you created, even should you decide to stay away.”
“We do not have that knowledge. I see I was wrong to come to you.”
I softened, my liking for her affecting me. “You were not wrong Msito, I would like for us to be friends and spoke openly of our feelings because of that. Would you have preferred me to act as a politician?”
Her face did not soften, still upset with me. “We would not have harmed Cherine, we too have our doubts Samantha, we needed reassurance that she is as was told of in the telling.”
“Do you want me to speak honestly? You could not have harmed her even if you wished to, she is beyond you already - despite the awesome powers you have exhibited. The heart she has, that would have been harmed. She is just like Sheena, she needs to be loved, for her to be the best she can be.”
“Everyone does.” Dommi added and I nodded in agreement.
5613
She turned to Meli. “We apologise for interrupting you and will return to our seats if you wish to continue.”
“It is alright, we needed a break. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I watched her slim back retreating, without climbing off the chair. Without any kind of exchange (verbal or mental) I felt Robbie’s arms encircle me from behind. He pulled so that I leant against him. “Shh, you did well love.”
I shook my head, disagreeing, and without my wanting to, tears filled my eyes. I was so afraid. Twice now, I have spoken to the Muyzith as Robert, instead of as Samantha ‘friend of aliens’. I had to. If he had spoken that way, they would have left. I desperately wanted to hide away, be by myself, but I wanted his arms to stay wrapped around me even more.
After the telling ended, we went home with Alki and family, Luigi and Solomon.
Solomon asked why I have been treating the Muyzith in such an unfriendly manner. I did not need to answer as they got into a discussion about it and none of them could agree to any one point of view. I was listening, but I was feeling too dreamy in Robbie’s arms, with the little hands of my loves straying over now and then to caress me. I think Robbie was enjoying himself sensing me, so he allowed Alki to speak for him.
“I suspect the Muyzith evolved earlier than any other species in this reality, or perhaps, just in this galaxy. If not, then their abilities, paranormal and intellectually, gave them an advantage over every other species they came into contact with. Are my thoughts taking me in the right direction Roberto?” He nodded and rested his chin back on the top of my head. “Luckily they developed a code of ethics and act as protectors or parents to those less fortunately endowed than them. Despite themselves, they grew arrogant and felt they have the right to impose their will on others for their own good.”
Solomon nodded, “I see, ergo the Whites?”
“Yes. I have a suspicion, correct me if you disagree, that they confused us with our species of this reality. They knew they are far wiser and advanced than Terra so they felt they had the right to impose their will on us, to test us in various ways without respecting our rights and so on. I think our Cherine is a puzzle to them and it is not because of what she may become.” I pulled back from my hazy enjoyment, interested despite myself. “Solomon, they have so many good qualities, they are not stingy in expending themselves to help other species, they know compassion and probably love too. What they lack is empathy. However,” he paused as everyone reacted, “I should return to the reason why Roberto and Samantha as his representative had to act as they did. If we allow them to continue in the manner they have up to now, with lack of consideration for our feelings and wishes, we will be giving ourselves up to their authority. We dare not allow that. Not to a species that lacks empathy.”
“Could we not have taught them as friends?”
“Solomon, would I be a friend, however good my intentions, if I feel contempt for you?”
Luigi disagreed. “That is going a little bit too far Alki, they have not shown contempt for us.”
“They have not? Their last test, it was an act of love between equals? When Roberto demanded an apology, they could not identify the reason. Lack of empathy has blinded them Luigi. We have to take a stand right from the beginning.”
“I feel it is sad.” Theresa said. “They devote themselves to helping everyone. They prepare to leave their home en masse, to search through countless realities so as to protect all life from an unknown power. Yet they have probably caused more damage to all species here than anything else, because they do not remember what it is like to be poor but with a sense of dignity.”
Diana giggled. “We should send Aganthi to teach them how to sell flowers.” Everyone approved that idea and Aganthi got tickled and caressed for a while as she laughingly protested.
5614
I need to inject some beauty here. I’ll add a few extra pictures of Rania. Here’s one:
And here’s a bunch of them:
The next morning we found the Muyzith had left. Robbie was very angry with Freddie for not alerting him, but Freddie answered that he had not been aware of their departure either, only of their sudden non-presence. That sent Robbie into a panic. If they could leave without Freddie, Robbie or Vincent sensing them or creating an opening for their spaceship, it means they can also enter at will. Robbie decided not to take any chances and left for the void. As soon as he returned he wrapped his body in stasis so that he is not limited in the length of time he can remain as the void. He took on his normal aspect.
Kinytians and Sparklers confirmed they had noticed the spaceship wink out of existence about five hours after the telling ended, but they had not realised we were not aware of it. Though Freddie is capable of ‘seeing’ in the dark, he’d not had any reason to watch the ship and had only become aware of their absence close to dawn, nearly two minutes after it vanished.
“It is impossible to teleport without causing any atmospheric disturbance, how could they do so for a spaceship!”
5615
Logically there was little reason for me to analyse and search for answers, but the truth is that all of us girls hate it when Robbie is with us as the void. We do not enjoy sitting on his lap and we cannot kiss him. The comment by Claudia set me thinking. She was right. Even the baby Wirms create tiny eddies of disturbance when they wish themselves about. It has to be impossible for a seventy-ton ship to be teleported while negating all effects of its departure. All my loves gave a whopping big grin as if I’d already brought back our Robbie when I spoke. “Dad, I have a crazy idea.”
“So have I.”
“What is yours?”
“That when Sheena looks so serious she is even more enchanting. Isn’t she just too beautiful for words?” Sheena tried to stare back at him seriously, but then lost control and her whole face came alive with her delighted smile. I shared in the pleasure of watching her for a moment.
“Well, mine is that their spaceship is still here. Do you remember your Star Trek series?”
“Ah, a cloaking device. Brilliant Sam…except for one thing. Why can’t we sense their lifeforms?”
I ignored the light sarcasm (well, sort of). “Would we sense any disturbances within their ship if they teleported from there? Perhaps they did not teleport…”
“Beam me up Scotty?”
I grinned. “Who says their bodies are not inside?” I made my voice breathless, as if excited. “Maybe they are capable of astral projection, travelling home as souls to confer with their leaders. Just think! A species that can do that, wonders never cease.”
He turned on Cherine. “You lied! You promised my daughters would fill me with joy for an eternity.”
She answered him with her special smile, but her mind was laughing within mine. *Okay Sam, you paid him back, now make him happy like I promised.*
*What! Here, in front of everyone?*
*You have a one-track mind.* All the girls laughed and we teased each other for a few minutes. Robbie was as goofily happy as he gets at such times.
Robbie the man had panicked, as I said, but Robert the protector and Vincent had not gone into protective mode. How that can happen is still a matter of conjecture among all Cherinians. All we can assume is that the mind has levels we are not aware of yet. Anyway, Robbie returned to his body and we spent the next two days being especially loving to each other so that our feelings would affect Sheena. Her vocabulary of words she can utter mentally is growing quite quickly as she tries to take part in our teasing of each other and our games. Not only our Terran doctors and healers have examined her, so did the Inguel and Unation doctors. They all agreed that she has the equipment for speaking aloud and decided that because her species have only communicated non-verbally, her mind and, even perhaps the connections in her brain, have not developed for it to be a possibility. Just like all other humans, we listened to logic and then went about trying to find ways to teach her to use her voice.
Wendy came up with a strategy that sounded interesting. She suggested Robbie take her to Meli’s world in her body. We’ll block our thoughts and tell her we can’t hear each other’s thoughts there, and have to depend on the spoken word. She does not expect her to learn to talk or make sounds from doing so, but theorised that she does not listen to us when we speak aloud, hearing us, but actually picking up the words from our minds. Being on Meli’s World will force her to concentrate on sound and all it’s variables.
Sheena looked lost and afraid as we ran about, calling out to each other and laughing. We would call to her, but she mostly ignored us, hardly ever aware when we talked to her, even though she knows the words. It was not fun for us blocking our minds, but it did pose challenges and we enjoyed those. While Sheena was supposed to be learning, we also did, discovering anew just how limited Normals are. It took some of us many days to learn that Normals are not as limited as we thought, that when people have to depend on a small number or kinds of cues, they become expert at interpreting nuances we ignored in the beginning - which suggests we have begun growing blind in the same way as Sheena.
5616
Meli, Aganthi, Bernie and I were flying over the forest when Robbie rejoined us.
“Let’s go to the beach beyond the waterfall where Rania was conceived.” Happily we indulged him and lingered for a moment above the waterfall before landing on the beach.
Robbie smiled at the other three. “Go explore for a while, I want to talk to Sam.” They were curious, but did as he asked. “How do you like having to depend on spoken words and body language? You never tried it when you were on the Orati world.”
“It is not strictly true dad. We utilise a number of other inputs. Our years of knowing each other also determine how we interpret what is said. For example, you and Samuel could say exactly the same thing and I would assign different meanings to what you really meant. I’m glad we tried this, I’m becoming more adept at reading between the lines.”
“Sheena is not happy, she no longer looks forward to coming here.”
“She’ll learn dad and then she will be happy.”
“Can you do me a favour? I want the two of us to repeat the exact words and tone we used when we discussed the disappearance of the Muyzith. Do not listen to your memories of how you reacted to the words, listen to the words as we speak them now.”
We did so and I closed my eyes and sat for a while hearing them again in my mind. “Why did you want to do it?”
“I enjoy our sparring Sam. I was being mildly sarcastic, but you knew I was not trying to demean you. In the same way, you spoke sharply and made fun of me, teasing, but I could feel the pure love you feel for me, so I knew you did not intend to hurt me, so I enjoyed the sharpness of your tongue.
You seem to be called on to deal with new aliens and with the Normals of various alternate Earths, including our own more often than any of our other loves. I want you to keep in mind how they hear everything you say. Samantha, if you were not a Cherinian, you would be extremely difficult to love. Do not forget that Arthur is a Normal, be careful of hurting him. You’ve seen how easy it is to deflate Allan despite his sensing you, Arthur cannot.”
“I think the rules of how we tease each other have grown over time out of our interactions…”
“Just don’t get tempted to be clever for the sake of being clever. I hope you don’t feel you have to type our conversation in the diary.”
“Why not? It might deflate him a bit, but he’ll only love you for caring about him. You are right, I do try not to get carried away, but I guess sometimes I do, especially in response to him doing so.” I guess my answer made him clam up (I’ll know when we share again here in Freddie).
Wendy felt guilty about Sheena, so she took her for a walk and then sat with her by a stream as they ate the food set there for them. She leant against a tree trunk and pulling Sheena onto her lap she closed her eyes and hummed. There was a happy childish sound to her breath, which was meant to make Sheena feel a little bit more cheerful.
Sheena turned her head and her ear felt the vibration in Wendy's chest. She listened that way for a brief time and then raising her hand felt along the face of Wendy, sensing how the sound was affecting her nose and the breath she exhaled.
5617
Nothing further happened that day, but the next day she pulled at Wendy's hand and making her sit down against a tree she placed her ear against her chest while her tiny fingers rested lightly on her lips and nose. Wendy hummed for her again.
Sheena was surprised when Wendy raised her, placed her against the tree and bending down placed her ear to her chest and her fingers to Sheena’s lips and nose. Wendy forgot to block herself when she felt Sheena try to hum and cried out in our minds with joy.
For the reasons listed by Robbie, Normals would have got fed up of the constant tuneless humming by Sheena for the next few days. To us it was something to rejoice over as we felt her mind struggling with the mechanics of making sounds and her joy as she mastered variations.
Through patient repetition and emphasis, Wendy made Sheena aware of the possibilities of changing the sound she hummed. For the next few days, again Sheena hummed without any musical sense, sounding quite awful at times, her voice chopping and changing as she experimented. We only showed her our delight. Three days of that and she suddenly stopped and refused to make a sound. She did however stick to Wendy and ask for her to hum again and again. Then she seemed to lose interest in it and we stopped going to Meli’s World.
All the specialists, of all the species, were tremendously excited by the changes in Sheena and waited breathlessly for further developments. Our focus changed suddenly when the multicoloured craft of the Muyzith reappeared. A hatch opened and the same group walked out.
Amsiu went directly towards Cherine, stopping at a non-threatening distance. “We apologise if our unannounced withdrawal caused some consternation. Our craft recorded what was happening outside while we melded and we see you misunderstood for a brief time. May we explain why we had to meld?”
“Please.”
“Each of us experienced the telling, as did everyone else. Each of us was limited in what we understood, as evidenced by our wish to see you alter. By melding we were able to meld our experience of the telling also so that whichever detail was understood by one was understood by all. This has given us a multi-dimensional view of the telling that has enabled us to understand much of what none of us had understood separately. You have not tried doing so?”
“No, we never thought of it. This is an exciting development for us, thank you.”
“It is a useful tool. For example, if you should view an object from only one position, your understanding of it would be extremely limited, only two dimensional. Walking around it, picking it up and sensing its weight, the density and textures, your knowledge of that object would grow exponentially. If you then discuss the object with another, you are bound to find they noticed details you ignored. It is the similar with our melding of our experiences.”
Aganthi asked, “When we meet a new species, would such a merging help us understand them, however alien their thoughts are to us?”
“You would grow faster in your understanding, but you would need many meetings and much effort to understand them. We have applied what we learnt and examined our first contacts with you. Robert, as leader of all Cherinians, may we apologise to you?”
“The wish to apologise suggests you have understood what hurt or insulted us and that such actions will not be taken lightly again. That is enough for us. We would appreciate learning from you in which ways we offend you also.”
“We will let you know whenever the occasion warrants it.” He hesitated. “Robert, we may have unintentionally offended you again. Our craft, as part of its maintaining a watch also accessed your computer systems. The most important data it presented to us were your communications with Arthur.”
5618
“I can understand you doing so because you face a group of species that perplex you. Have you understood how offensive a repetition of such an invasion of privacy would be?”
“Yes, we have and it will not be repeated. The translator has also been disabled.”
“Did you gather information from the computers of all our allies?”
“From all of them.”
“I cannot speak for them, it is up to them to decide whether they are offended or forgive this one-time transgression. As for us, I will leave it to Samantha to decide, since most of the private thoughts and conversations were hers.”
“Msito, may we discuss it later, privately?”
“Whenever you wish. I too apologise for having insulted you during your efforts to befriend us.”
I was about to apologise for my attitude when, for the first time that I can recall, Allan interfered. “If we stand here apologising to each other for everything that was done, said or thought, that may have offended the other side, we’ll be here all day. Why don’t we wait until we are real friends, maybe by then it will not be necessary for any of us to apologise. I’d rather spend our time celebrating and learning about each other. You have an unfair advantage, so I think you should do a telling of your own for us.”
“You ask the impossible! What we can do and is being done at this moment is our craft is storing data of our own into your computers as we’d promised earlier. You will find we have included our history, science and philosophy. We are not certain you will enjoy our art, but we hope so.”
At first, I was excited, but then I thought of the immense amount of data that I would have to study, even if I only picked a subject or two, and felt dismayed. It would take years of hard work! I had to grin (inside me) when I realised they have data from dozens of species to wade through - never mind trying to understand our diaries. Arthur, now you have many readers, so you can never complain again. 
One of the first questions Robbie asked was why we have not found or met any of their souls in the void. They confirmed their population had been instructed to stay away until they are certain of us as they’d realised that we are just as, or more, knowledgeable of the void than they are. Since then, learning about our Kaleidoscope Worlds has excited them and learning about Robbie’s ability to become the void has terrified them.
It was not long before the Muyzith had spread out, making an effort to get to know individuals of differing species. When Msito indicated she is available, I hinted to my loves that they are welcome to join us and took her to my apartment. I was amused to feel her when she saw all the females of my family had come with.
I noticed that as we made the kind of conversation which is meant to reassure and make us feel at ease with each other, Msito often had her eyes on Sheena. She also seemed to look at Candy, Syrina and Rania more often. She did not hide that Diana and Jade fascinate her. We only realised later that she avoided looking at Gilli.
“Do you know of our latest successes with Sheena?”
She gestured, “The music? Yes.”
“I suppose you are curious as to whether we will be able to get her speaking?”
“I’m certain you will. I am more worried about other aspects of her being with you.”
“You feel she should be with her mother? We did try.”
5619
She decided to deal with the problem directly. “We spent more time than we should have on your telling because we found it difficult to accept that adults of your species have sex with immature …with children.”
“You are not the first and hopefully will not be the last.”
“But your attitudes are so contradictory! It is acceptable for Cherinians, but not the...Normals?”
“As a blanket attitude? It is not for either, only if the child wants it and is not harmed in any way. To be honest, we do apply stricter codes for Normal children because they are more vulnerable.”
“But Sheena is a Normal. What you do within your species is not something we feel we have the right to judge, but Sheena is of our reality and under our protection.”
“What gave you the impression we have sex with her?”
“You do not?”
“We do not - not yet. If she is ready, we will.”
“When she is mature enough?”
“Whenever. If her soul is able to travel to the void and the return causes the same needs in her, we will gently initiate her. It would be cruel to do otherwise because of prejudices that do not apply to her.”
“We have never felt such a need. The void leaves us feeling relaxed and complete.”
“Then you should not use it as an excuse to have sex with children.” Rosie said. We felt her flare, but then she realised Rosie was being facetious and relaxed a little.
“We faced the same problem with the Eqkee. With them however it is a natural part of their evolution and necessary for the young female to develop correctly.”
Haven still tends to speak her mind without pulling her punches. “It must feel strange for you to think of yourselves as protectors while knowing you have caused more suffering than your non-interference would have caused the Iktrians.”
“We know no such thing. Are you so certain of what you know, that you feel you have the right to judge us?”
“That is why we are here Msito, to learn about each other. Were the Iktrians truly at a dead end?”
“They had become insular, small groups of towns restricting exchanges in trade and knowledge between themselves and their birth rate was decreasing. Their planet, in the areas they inhabit, is too gentle, so they have no challenges to force them to grow in number or as a people. We did not want them to lose the qualities that make them special and as you are aware, we trusted them enough to feel they could take over from us. The mutations were considered benign, concentrating much of what is admirable about them and we did not foresee the end result. Our station did not monitor all aspects of their interactions and seeing new towns appear in less hospitable lands soothed any doubts we may have had about our intervention, so we no longer watched them as closely.”
Maria-Elena made a comment that excited me. “Maybe you should do what we do. Mostly we only interfere in other realities. That way, even if we are busy elsewhere for a thousand years we can return within whatever periods we feel we should. It is more difficult doing that within your own reality if you are busy.”
“Em-e, it just happened that way with us, we did not plan it. Now that you have thought it up as a theory, we will adopt it. Maybe we should call it the em-e theory, like Einstein’s e=mc2.” Cherine hugged our blushing love and her first ever friend whose heart was bursting with happiness that she had thought of something that I consider important. I’m certain Robbie will show her just how special she is to all of us tonight.
5620
When Msito is standing, the top of my head barely reaches her waist. Slim as I am with childish hips and boyish thighs, my body is still thicker than hers. She had realised it was not pleasant for us having to look up all the time, so she seated herself on a decorative log on my verandah. I stood before her.
“I will open my mind to you if you wish to share. Cherine and Dommi will be inside me to guide you so that you do not damage me. Certain areas are private, even to my friends, I hope you will respect that.”
“Why?”
“Why am I going to such extremes now? Because I could not act as the friend I wanted to be earlier. I want you to know me as if we are sisters, so that our misunderstandings are few and far between.”
First direct mental contacts between us and aliens are almost always unpleasant for us, with the exception of the Wirms. I was pleased when my friend eiu entered with them so as to protect me. If what I saw is similar to their souls in the void, they are beautiful. I allowed my thoughts to drift while she rifled through my memories, the girls guiding her so that she did so sequentially to the present. I doubt she was able to experience them that quickly and must have stored most of them in her own mind to examine thoroughly later on.
She stood at the parapet as if staring out at our little world. “The concept, of sisters, it is beautiful, however impractical it may be.”
“Your kind do not have sisters?”
“No siblings as you think of them. We are not that different biologically, but our leaders reasoned, about eight hundred years ago, that allowing children to be brought up by their parents does not make sense. As any civilisation grows complex, it becomes necessary for people to be trained to do all manner of activities that were previously self-taught. I see from your memories that your Normals are headed in the same direction. They need to study and get a licence to drive a vehicle or to perform simple tasks undertaken under employment. You even require certificates for your people to take part in certain sports. Why then, it was reasoned by us, should adults be permitted to rear children without the proper training. It made more sense for children to be brought up by professionals.
Do not compare us to the mental imagery I see you hold of orphanages on your world. We do not have such institutions. Children are brought up with the correct amount of love and are taught to love all others so that they are healthy adults. The foetus is removed a few days after conception and we never meet them. Samantha, Cherine, I see the hope in you that we will become Cherinians. I doubt my people will want to make such a drastic change, the way we live has proven successful for too many generations for us to change because of a beautiful but unproven dream.”
“Is that why you never formed Kaleidoscope Worlds in the void - you do not have families.” Cherine asked.
“We do mate, sometimes for life and consider such couples as families.”
Cherine was dismissive, “Your families are ephemeral, lasting only as long as the couple exist. Your families have little past and no future.”
“We have travelled widely throughout our galaxy and have studied a number of species. Watching the young being reared by parents has only reconfirmed for us the wisdom of our decision. Demanding to bring up your own children without the required training is selfish, done only for the pleasure you the parent obtain. If you consider the matter solely from the point of view of the child, you will have to agree with us.”
I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)21st February, 2020
- posted: 21st February, 2020
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