^{I forced her to reply ( I just knew I would end up breaking my own rules and use one of the new gifts of my girls).

“No, everything is fine. Please do as he says.”}

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1381

Maria kissed Niko and walked off, missing the look of terror in the eyes of Dominique as she spoke against her will.

I sat by her and whispered. “I’m sorry Dominique. I did not want to do that, but we had to get rid of her. She does not love Niko, she will be telling him soon that she met someone new.”

“I can’t fight you, can I?”

“Why should you? Think a moment. If I am so terrible, why is your other copy with me. Look at her, can’t you see she loves me? Give me the benefit of doubt and let me explain. I promise nothing bad will happen, you will walk away soon, free to do as you wish.”

I turned to Niko and saw he was staring at Diana, his eyes not believing what they saw. I tapped his shoulder. “Take your eyes off my beauties and concentrate on me Niko. Look at me, do you recognise me?”

“Of course I do, what are you up to?”

“Niko, look at that girl.” I pointed, he looked and looked back at his sister, his face confused.

“I am not the Robert you know. Please sit quietly and let me explain.”

“There is no point in refusing Niko, he will force you to sit here.”

He got up, his face white. “Get up Dominique, we are leaving.” He suddenly sat down again, his face shocked.

“Your sister was not lying. Sit still and listen.”

I gave my explanation about alternate worlds, told them that in my world Dominique and I were husband and wife, that we have a lovely daughter. I did not introduce them to Tina at this stage.

Dominique said, in a cutting voice, “I cannot believe this. You are such a jerk, I would never fall in love with you.”

“In our world things worked out in a different way. I do love him. Dominique, has Robert never been your friend, even as children?”

“Never! As children he never had time for me.”

“When Niko teased you, he did not ever stand up for you?”

She was just as honest as my Dommi. “A few times, if I cried.”

Dommi continued, “What a pity. Niko, on our world, when you finished school, my father got a job for him with Alki, as a computer artist. He moved to Greece and we became close friends. It took many years for me to fall in love with him. I made him suffer first.”

I laughed. “That’s true. My Niko told me I was stupid, that I showed her my love and that was why she left me. I had a bit of help though and got her back. Niko, would it help you to believe if you met yourself, from my world I mean?”

“He is here?” He looked around in panic.

“No, but I could bring him.”

“No thank you.”

I decided this was not going to work out. I gave instructions to my girls and the protector. Some of my girls got up and crowded around him. Diana took his hand and they disappeared. The same happened to Dominique. I called for the bill and we walked off. Maria came running, but I told her Niko had left urgently, but would be back in a short while. She walked away from me angry. Soon as we were behind the church and could not be seen, we all jumped.

1382

Chapter Ninety Nine

“We have brought you to our world. This is our home. Niko and Dominique, we could stay here for a month and return you to within five minutes of the time you left your world. It is not our intention to keep you for so long, but this was the best way to make what we said to you a little more real. Here you can meet people you know, such as Alki, your parents, Themi also. Dominique, your friend Natalie, she is one of us. Of all your friends, she is your only genuine friend

I bet you are thinking of yourselves as our prisoners. I mishandled it in your world, because we met in a public place I was forced to put controls that made you feel that way. That is why I brought you here. Please think of yourselves as our guests and if you can, think of your time here as an adventure. I promise you will be returned to your world without being harmed in any way. All we ask is that you listen to us and keep an open mind.”

Bitterly Niko said, “I can see now that you are not the Robert I know.”

“He is much more gentle than I am. In this world you attacked me because your sister came to openly live with me even though we would not marry. You accused me publicly of being a charlatan and destroyer of children and your sister. I was forced to attack you. It says something though that even after all that we are the best of friends again.

I suggest you let us tell you our story in our own way. I will start from my childhood, even though it may be boring for you, because I think it will help highlight for you where the differences of our two worlds began. You will be shocked at things I will tell you, probably get angry. I only ask that you suspend your judgement until I have finished.”

Without asking me Wendy began a song. She only sang a song about our love for each other, nothing of our story, but even so it was devastating in it’s beauty. It had the effect of calming them and I saw how it opened their hearts. When she had finished I sent her a kiss.

I did not mention our Special Sunday, but talked of my loneliness, of my growing friendship with Dommi. I was honest about our relationship, of how I more or less forced it upon Dommi as she treasured our friendship. When Cherine came into the story she was pointed out to them so that they could identify the little girl I spoke of. I carried on in the same way to the end.

When I told of how we got Diana and she stood up, I saw the effect it had on him. When he heard she had been created to only love me he made a bitter remark. “I see, so she does not have free will. She is like a robot programmed to only love you.”

“Did you say that to hurt me Niko, or was it to hurt my Diana?”

Diana was just as gentle as ever, but her voice also betrayed her love for me. “He cannot hurt me Robbie. I think he knows nothing about real love. If I am a robot, then so are Cherine, his sister and the rest of us. None of us have free will since we cannot even imagine loving anyone else.’ She paused and then said to Dominique, “I think it must be worse for Robert. He had no choice at all. Rob the Robot!”

I grinned at her and hoped her nickname for me did not catch on. “You spoke well my love. Still, I am unhappy about what he said, not the words, the feelings behind them. It seems that Niko, from whichever world, has a harsh word always ready for me. Rob the Robot! You make me sound like a science fiction character!” I smiled at her.

Dominique spoke to Wendy, in a far harsher tone than anyone has for a long time. “I see why you sang for us. Having heard you, felt what you sang to us of, hearing your story…it had a very strong impact on me. I think you all forget something very important. I’ve listened to your story and one thing has become obvious, your Dominique is not the same as I am. If you are hoping I will love the Robert of my world you are wasting your time.”

I spoke, “Dominique, I’ll call mine Dommi, you are right and wrong. You are different and so is Rob. I do not think there is much chance of you loving him, probably there is not much chance of him loving you either. That was not the purpose of bringing you here, we are not a match-making organisation and love cannot be forced on anyone.

What we want of and for the two of you is to show you how wonderful it is to be a Cherinian and hopefully bring you in to join the Cherinians of your world. Excuse me.”

1383

I got up and went to the door. Niko with his two sweet girls entered. They stared at our guests. Niko turned to me with a grin.

“Hey, I’m quite handsome!”

“Why am I not surprised at your comment Niko? Is it because I’ve noticed how you love to stand in front of mirrors?”

“I suppose if I looked like you I would avoid mirrors.”

“Come, sit down and keep quiet if you can. I wanted him to meet your wives.”

Niko B was already staring at the girls - they had come as teenagers, about eighteen. The attraction he felt was obviously strong and he found it confusing. He did not know which girl to look at, his eyes jumping from the one to the other.

I gave him the history of the girls. He reached for his cup and I saw his hand trembling. He put it back down. “I can feel what it must be like for him.”

“I think for you to really feel what it is like for him you need to see them at their natural age. Would you like to?”

“What age is that?”

“It would be better for you to see. It will shock you though.”

“After all I’ve seen I will be shocked? They must be…don’t tell me they are babies!”

Dommi took them to the bedroom so that they could wear clothes appropriate to their age and size. They followed her back in and Dominique started laughing, until she saw her brother. “Niko, you have to be joking, you can’t be attracted to little girls!!”

“Don’t be so hard on him, these girls were created for our Niko, they are in every way his ideal girls. Your brother cannot help reacting to them.”

“I suppose you are now going to bring out a little boy and tell me he is my ideal!”

Dommi frowned. “Why is she so cynical Robert? I was never like that.”

Cherine answered, “Perhaps it was because she never had a Robert in her life.”

“You must be wrong love, I never had that much of an influence on her.”

Heatedly, Dommi contradicted me. “You are wrong. I think Cherine is right. What she meant is that I had you as a friend. During those early years as a teenager, I always knew I had you to turn to. If she did not and met a few boys who hurt her she would be cynical.”

“Stop talking about me as if I am not here. It is stupid to call me cynical just because I see how people really are.”

“You do Dominique? Those friends I saw you with, apart from Natalie, they are good friends?”

“Yes. Natalie also.”

“Then you are not even as wise as my Dommi. She was able to see through them, she knew that they were jealous of her and only kept her company because of her name. The only way you could be blind to their spitefulness is if you have become like them and I refuse to believe that.”

The doorbell rang and I let in Claire and Elia. They had their little Despina with them.

“So Roberto, you are not satisfied to have my daughter just once, you want two of her?” He smiled at the other Dominique.

“Elia, she will never love Rob, but I still want her to be a Cherinian. Unfortunately it seems she has hardened herself and does not believe in love.”

“That would be sad. Does he speak the truth kori?”

1384

“You are not my father, you are far too young.”

“I am older than your father, this change in me is thanks to Robert and Cherine. It is their gift to all Cherinians.” He sat next to her. “I think you are still in shock. How would you and Niko like to come home with us. It would be easier for you to adjust within the comfort of your own home. Kori mou, take your time, get to understand what they are offering you. To close your mind and heart would be a great loss - for you and for all of us.”

“How long do we have to stay?”

I answered. “For as long as it takes. Dommi, give her a few dresses. When we take her back it will be the same day and hour we took her from. She will not want to appear in a different dress. Put this one away for that day.”

Dommi laughed and went to the bedroom. She returned with an exact copy of the dress Dominique was wearing. “See? We even have the same tastes. Come and choose what you want. The dress you are wearing is long out of fashion here.”

That got her moving. They spent a long time there, when I checked I saw they were talking about fashion and I was pleased that Dommi had found a way to break through that icy glare and self defensive posturing.

When they came out Claire went to her. “Our Dominique has a new sister. We adopted little Despina. I hope you like babies.”

Of course she did, she had to have the same ‘mother’ instinct our Dommi had. Even though she showed indifference I knew she would soon be holding and playing with Despina. When they were all ready to leave, I asked our Niko to stay behind.

“You saw his reaction to your wives. Would you object to our creating the same two for him?”

“Of course not.”

“Girls, how do you feel about it?”

“The same way you made a copy of Meli for Rob?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t mind. He is also good like our Niko, they would be happy with him.”

“That is sweet of you. Please do not tell him, I need to think on this first. Niko, I’ll ask you, you became a Cherinian first, do we give him his girls before he does? How will he link to them?”

“I think I see the problem. If he is not a Cherinian he will want them, love them, but it will not be the same. Linking not only makes it so much more wonderful, it would prevent him from hurting either of them. I know what I am like and if he is the same, we must wait. It is just as important to me that I am able to feel them inside me. Make him wait Robert.”

I did not answer him, just sat there lost in feelings that were suddenly overwhelming me. It was a pure sense of panic.

“What’s wrong Robert, why are you staring at me like that, did I say something wrong?”

I whispered, my voice hoarse with fear, “Niko, I’ve forgotten to do something. Oh God!! I can’t think of what it is.”

“Are you feeling a panic Robert. Is that what I’m feeling?” I nodded at her.

“Robert, remember Themi said you would have these panic attacks. Relax, there is nothing wrong.”

I looked at Cherine, my panic subsiding as I understood the reason. Why was it that as I recovered I suddenly knew it was real, I had forgotten something, a danger I had been aware of - I was certain it was so. I felt my whole body turn cold and I shivered. Cherine quickly sat on my lap and hugged me. My eyes returned to Niko and I saw him pale.

1385

“If it is real love, you will remember. You have to relax to remember.”

She pulled at my face till I was staring into her eyes. The feeling left me as I stared into the depths of her soul and I gave a poor attempt at a laugh. “I suppose it is nothing, just as Themi warned us.”

“I’m sorry Robert but I disagree.” There was fear in Niko’s voice. “Every time you listened to your intuition you turned out to be right. This must be something very bad to have affected you this way.”

I realised Cherine had also come to the same conclusion by her almost vitriolic look at him. She had tried to calm me so that I would understand what it was that was affecting me so strongly. I pulled her face back to mine.

“Now you relax love, whatever it is, it will come to me. I just hope it is not too late.” I added ruefully.

I should not have added that last sentence, I had now alarmed all my girls. Just to be on the safe side I warned the protector of my feelings.

Since we had arranged to all meet that night, I had thought I would get to spend some time with each of my girls alone before the guests arrived, but as things had not worked out quite as I’d planned (they rarely do) I decided we should go ahead with the meeting but stay at home during our free hours. When everyone arrived, I introduced them to our two visitors (hostages?), Socrati B and to those who had not met him, Eddie.

“I would suggest we first do the golden glow of love, I think most of us need it. Afterwards I’d like to dance.”

I did not mention about our alternates coming with us because they’d immediately left to visit, it was not time we’d thought, for Rob and Dominique to spend time together. We’d hoped our explanations would soften Dominique, but as that did not seem to be working there was no point in keeping them apart any longer. It was wonderful the way the two Cherines were able to exchange control between them. I managed to look around and smiled when I saw the look of adoration on the face of Rob as he stared at his Cherine. Despite her still very young age he is totally smitten.

They did not take it to their limits and we soon saw why. The two Wendies and Candy with Lua joined in with a medley about the sweetness of love. If it was possible for there to be one tiny corner of any heart not already overcome by love the girls and their song must have melted it. I felt an ache in my own heart.

As the song ended Cherine began to swirl the golden band of love at a dizzy speed and added and added again until it was as fierce as trying to stare at the sun and it exploded.

We seem to have different rates of recovery from the experience. I saw Eddie’s chin was sunk upon his chest and he was lost deep within his own world. “It is not the same as the direct experience. God but I wish it were possible to convince Hettie to join us. You have made me feel the same way I did the very first time I held her in my arms.”

“Her time will come Eddie.”

“What makes you so confident Robert?”

“When she sees you getting younger than her, I do not know of any woman that would not.”

Out of courtesy to him no one laughed, even though he gave a small grin.

Once in the void we all exchanged and danced with each other, Manoli, Dimitri, Socrati and Eddie included in our giving of love. We all kept away from the alternate Niko and Dominique, letting their Rob, Cherine and family be their sole taste of love. We then broke up into family groups and danced again. It saddened my family that Aganthi was not with us, but she had stayed behind to watch over the babies who could not come.

When our dance ended I was left with an extra sweetness as Irene and Candy remained within me. I invited them all to join us in our World, on the emerald isle.

1386

“Robbie told me about the baby dolphin people, I am not sure what to do Jo, I was not thinking when I made them.”

“You better do something soon, the young ones are growing fast.”

“I don’t want to take away the pleasure of sex from them, it would not be fair.”

“Heaven forbid! No girl, leave that alone, just look at changing their biology so that they only give birth at larger intervals.”

“How large? I don’t know how long they will live.”

Mama Jo looked shocked. “You don’t!!”

“No. I don’t even know if time is the same for them as it is for us.”

“Before you tamper let me find out how long they will live. I may be able to work it out with their help. I have told them of our problem, which of course is their problem primarily.”

I noticed that Mama Jo spent a lot of time with our new visitors.

The family all paid a visit to Adam and we passed on our latest experiences. As we were about to leave he called me back. “Robert, that which troubles you…”

“You know what it is?”

“Yes. Do not let any of your visitors from the alternate world return there. They will be in danger. Even if they had a protector it is possible they might not survive.”

“Do I have to drag it out of you damn it! Tell me what is the danger to them.”

“It is not a definite danger, but the possibility of one. If the danger does exist, the danger will spill over into your world. Stop getting so angry Robert, where the hell do you think I am getting the information from - it comes from your own mind!” I just stared at him, waiting. “You are going to start calling me arsehole again, Robert I have given you advice and a warning, I refuse to do your thinking for you. You now have more time to work it out for yourself.”

“You would put the family in danger just to teach me how to think?”

“I do not see a danger in the immediate future, or rather I should say you do not foresee an immediate danger so you have the time to work it out for yourself.”

I’m getting to know this little shit, if he refuses to talk, then he will not. I called them all to me and we returned home.

I kept quiet for a time, hoping Cherine would link in Eddie, but everyone kept turning to look at me. I told them of my feelings and the conversation with Adam. “I’m sorry I had to throw this at you straight after dancing. I know I’ve taken away most of the beauty that comes after dancing, but I could not do otherwise. The panic is growing in me and you would have felt it anyway. I think it is still safe for you to go home. At first call you must be ready to return here, prepared to stay for an indefinite time.

God but I hate admitting this, but Eddie, I feel the terror grow every time I look at you. How could you be a threat?”

He paid me the compliment of taking his time to think on it. “I do not see any way I would be a direct danger to you. I have just contacted my wife, it is not her. She has no way to contact the alternate world since you disconnected her only operative who was able to do so.

Robert, what brought you to our attention was the publicity you got, Rob has not had any in his world. You did mention they are about three years behind us. Even if the alternate of my wife exists there and has the same kind of organisation, I do not see her being a threat yet. The only other possibility I can think of are the Sparklers of that Universe. Could they be planning to collect the souls?”

“They promised Solomon they would not!” Sam called out in protest.

“Sam love, we have to examine all possibilities. Ask Solomon to come with me, I’ll take him there to confirm it is not them.”

1387

She was a mighty unhappy girl as she returned to the void. We waited and when she returned Solomon was not long in coming.

“My friend I am grieved to hear of your problem. I think I can assure you it is not the Sparklers of that or this Universe, but I would be more than willing to go and check.”

“You would believe him?”

“Dominique! That was insulting.” All the Cherinians were upset. “Make up your mind girl, either everything you have been told and you have seen is total nonsense or it is all true. If it is nonsense to you, then you have no right to speak. If you can see it is true then you had no right to make that kind of comment, Solomon is a true friend of the Cherinians.”

“He is not, from all I heard he is your friend, sworn to obey you. How do we know you are not using him to kill us all off so that you can have our world for yourselves. Maybe you only brought my brother and myself because of your Dommi and her parents.”

“Thanks Dominique, that is a great idea. We kill off billions so that fifty to sixty of us can own a planet falling to ruin. You got any more bright ideas?”

Some were so angry at her allegations that they were trembling, others were just trembling. My sarcasm helped them even though it only served to put her back up, to turn her against me. I was monitoring my Dommi and forced her to calm down, pointing out to her that she is our only possibility of turning Dominique around.

Niko B murmured to Niko, “That is how she is, I cannot believe how different your sister is from mine.”

Rob was sitting by them. “It is my fault. I did not have the guts to befriend your sister like he did. I could see she was lonely, that you were a little shit with regard to her, but I was too scared of losing you as a friend to talk to her or even play when she asked me to. If I’d only known what a fool I was being.”

“I was not a shit. She was a little kid, what was I supposed to do.” He paused a moment. “Okay, so I was to blame also. She always had that damn nanny of hers with her, I could not stand her.”

It was obvious Dominique heard them. She flamed up, almost spitting as she shouted at her brother. “You fucking coward!! You knew how she made me miserable and you did not help me.”

“I did not know Dominique, I swear! Why didn’t you say something!?”

She started to cry. “You must have seen! I could not speak, she threatened she would do terrible things to me if I did.”

“The fucking bitch! Robert you must take me back right away. I’m going to find the bitch and kill her.”

I said, “We’ll see to her I promise. We will not kill her, but she will be made to pay.”

Dominique had her face hidden under her hands so she surprised us when she giggled. “You must fill her house with spiders, she is terrified of them.”

“Giant spiders Dominique, I promise you. I will also see to it that you are able to see her when she runs around screaming. I’ll make all her dreams nightmares of spiders.”

“I know Robbie! Make all the spiders have the face of Dominique.”

“Do you like Claudia’s idea Dominique?”

“Then she will know they come from me!”

“There is no need for you to be afraid ever again. It is now her turn to feel fear.”

She dried her face and when her brother put his arm around her she leant against him as he murmured a soft apology to her.

“Robert, a nanny, what is that?”

1388

“It is a woman who is employed to look after a child when the parents are too busy.”

“How can any parent be too busy to look after their own child!?”

Claire must have felt her face flaming with her embarrassment, but gamely looked at her own daughter. Dommi smiled at her, a reassuring smile.

“In our dictionary we made of words from you Robert I thought a nanny was a female goat.” Cherine giggled and as we looked at each other I got the giggles too.

“Roberto,” Manoli looked puzzled, “I do not understand. When your family, all these wonderful people were being threatened, your life in danger, you could not bear to think of hurting your enemies, yet now you wish to punish an old woman with her worst fears because of what she did to Dominique? I do not understand what are the standards you use in each case.”

“She hurt a child Manoli, a child she was entrusted with. The fact that I see her and see my own sweet Dommi and feel the damage she did, it makes my blood boil.”

“Ah, you see a child! But are not all your family children? Why not for them?”

“Girls he is determined to pin me down and then get you to nail me to a cross.”

“I’d like to hear your answer.”

“Socrati! You too?”

“You knew I disagreed with you. When two of them were badly hurt I expected at least an eye for an eye. The answer to your ways does interest me.”

“Drop it Socrati! Somebody change the subject.” I had not meant to speak in such an angry tone and saw I had shocked all of them too.

*Why are you so upset love?*

*I have no intention of hurting her nanny, I said it to make her feel better. By the time she leaves here she will be a Cherinian and she should not need such a petty revenge. What am I supposed to answer to their questions Dommi; admit I was lying or betray what I believe in by saying I was wrong not to kill our enemy?*

*You only had to mindspeak them love. She cannot hear you.*

Solomon and I jumped. We went to the void and he left me, speeding off to the center of the cloud of Sparklers. Alone, no Kaleidoscope World here, I felt uncomfortable and made myself part of the void. I lazily looked around, I moved my point of reference in circles around the Sparklers and was speeding off for a distant point as I felt something tickled that part of the void. I was not that curious, but it was something to do, I knew that Solomon might take a long time as Sparklers like to take their time. Something nagged at the back of my mind and as I crossed a patch almost empty of energy I realised what was wrong. There was not enough energy in the vicinity to feed such a large cloud of Sparklers.

I returned to my ‘home’ point and twisted and turned distant streams until I was satisfied they would have enough to sustain them without causing an increase in birth rates. I was no sooner done than I saw Solomon returning and I left the void.

“That was good of you Robert, they were considering moving to a better location. I was right, they had no plans to hurt your people. Search elsewhere for your threat. One further point of interest to you, I am no longer exactly the Solomon who came here with you. I have taken one of their Thinkers into myself.”

“An exchange?”

“Yes.”

“That was very good Solomon. I welcome the new part within you.”

1389

We got back home and after all we had done that day I was exhausted. I was soon in bed and fast asleep between a couple of warm loving bodies.

If Dominique was any softer after her cry it was not so that I could notice, she remained, at least with me, as sarcastic as ever, cynical and unpleasant. Perhaps even more so. Having had the experience of Ulya I was patient and remained determined to succeed. At least I was right about the baby. She started off by playing with Despina and soon was helping her ‘mother’ wash and feed her.

She was also warming up a little to my girls, except for Cherine for some reason. For her she reserved the same attitude she kept for me. Alki and Themi she was relaxed with and, strange how these things work out, she became friends with Henry and Angelo. It amused me when I found out she saw Henry as my ‘victim’ - I tried to make certain he did not find out as it would have upset him.

Of course, because I wrote the above, she decided to prove me stupid. Winter was fast approaching and I was surprised to see her and Henry going out to sit in the garden. I was curious and sent Henry a question mark with an image of a hand cupped to an ear. He sent back an image of an ear glued to a door, in place of my question mark he sent a tick, so I listened in.

“Henry, are you going to stay as part of his family for long?”

“As his ‘brother’ you mean? I don’t know. I could, but I continue thinking he will wake up one day and realise he made a mistake, that I do not deserve to be called his brother and he will ask me to leave. I know he is too good to do that, but I still fear it - after what I did he should!”

“I cannot believe you did anything bad, you are so serious and even I can sense the goodness in you.”

“Would you like to hear my story as I experienced it, how I ended up here with them?”

“Only if you want to tell me Henry.” Both Henry and I had a shock, her voice was soft, gentle and without her realising it, she had sensed his pain and was emoting a motherly love. I stored it for our Dommi.

“I do not know where I was born. Sometimes I find odd things stir a feeling of déjà vu - like dust if driving on a dirt road. Scents of chilli, peppers, that sort of thing. Robert has offered to help open that part of my mind, but Themi suggested my mind might be hiding the past from me for a reason, so we are waiting for it to decide the time is right for me to remember. I’d like to know who my parents are.

I have to guess from the records I’ve seen with a few sketchy memories that sometimes flash through my mind. The first memory I have is of a voice, a woman’s, screaming in anger at me. The next one is of waiting for someone, it was cold and I was getting hungry and thirsty. Worse than that and more urgent was my need to go to the toilet. Finally I went to a man nearby and asked where I could pee. He only spoke Greek so he called someone over, a woman. I could not tell a woman I needed to pee and started to cry and get angry. She asked me where my parents were and I cried even harder. When the man took hold of me by my shoulder I got afraid and used my power to hurt his mind. People all over were screaming and running and I found myself alone.

I went into the man’s shop and used his toilet, found some food he had half eaten and ate it. I sat on a chair he had, afraid to go out, huddling, my feet on a rung and holding my knees to my chest. When the police arrived I did not react and they took me with them.

Dominique, I do not remember much of how and when, but I ended up in a government mental asylum. There were no papers on me and for a long time I refused to speak, so they did not know which embassy to contact. I spent years in there. I have vague mental pictures of my hurting people in the asylum, then of being medicated until my days passed in a daze.

They finally forgot to drug me, or else they thought it was safe to do so. A nurse I hated came to make me eat and I lashed out at him. He was taken away and never returned, but thereafter all the nurses kept away from me, only handling me when I was drugged. I was strapped or chained to a bed and kept in a cell alone. From the paperwork it turns out that I spent years like that.

When I was not sedated, I could escape by leaving my body, but now they permanently kept me drugged, day and night. They rarely came to see if I needed the toilet, but if I dirtied myself I would be pinched and beaten by whoever had to clean me. Sometimes the nurse would pretend they had not noticed so that I had to lie there waiting for the next nurse on duty.

1390

One day I had a visitor. I was drugged at the time and yet I was still able to feel wonder at this visit within my mind. I managed to attach myself to him and when he left he took me with him.

It was Robert. He had seen into my mind and it had sickened him. I now knew where he was and how to find him. I saw his girls and this sent anger burning through me. Whenever I could I would return to watch them. The more I watched, the more I hated him and I hated them. Most of all I hated the little girl he loved most.”

His voice was a hollow cold echo of his thoughts as he described to Dominique how he had pretended to be sedated more heavily than he was, never showing anymore that he was aware, with the result that they became more lax and finally they forgot to give him his injection on time and he recovered his ability to travel.

He gave a true and factual description of what happened thereafter, of his attack on Cherine, of his kick that shattered her thigh. He had long since forgotten I was listening and I had to struggle to control my own emoting as his words brought back to me the pain, my anguish at what he had done to Cherine.

As he reached the end, his voice began to regain some of its colour as he talked of Socrati and how that solid unpretentious man won his heart, taking the place of the father he did not recall. He talked of his struggle internally when I asked him to be my brother.

“You have heard of our experiences in the desert. Dominique, at the moment of his fear, when he foresaw he might not survive, he turned to me, placing them into my care. How can a man have such a big heart? Not only to forgive me, but to also trust me with all he treasures, to plead with me to care for his Cherine. How do I live up to his expectations?”

“Perhaps all he asks of you is that you be his brother. You do not need to be perfect to be a brother.”

“I have seen in his mind how his father treated him and I sometimes pretended to myself that he was also my father and he abandoned me so that Robert would find and care for me. A stupid pretend game isn’t it?”

“No Henry, it just shows how much you love him.”

At this point Henry recalled my presence and froze up, scarlet with his embarrassment.

I expected to see a change in Dominique, even a slight unbending would have made me happy. Instead she grew sharper and nastier.

Niko saw to it that his wives spent more time with Rob and little Cherine, ensuring in that way the interest of the other Niko. The five of them with Honey spent many hours talking, going out to parts of Athens where it was unlikely they would come across anyone who knew Niko. I decided to take a chance and asked our Niko to keep his girls away.

For a while he was withdrawn, but slowly he came back to his previous closeness with Rob and family. He even began to handle it by joking about his ‘fatal attraction’ for ‘his’ wives. It seems all these people from the alternate world are very different from us in many ways. It started off with Honey sitting on his lap as they talked, then soon their Cherine did so too. As they talked over the days, as they went out, joked and teased each other, I noticed he would give them a hug and they would respond by hugging him back or giving him a kiss on his cheeks. Rob only smiled and I felt his heart warm to Niko.

“Cher, why haven’t you linked him yet?”

“He must want it Robert.”

“I think his sister is holding him back. He feels he would be betraying her if he becomes one of us.”

I complained, “We get so used to being able to see inside each other’s hearts and minds, having to deal with her sure reminds me of the old days when other people were a puzzle. Do any of you understand her? The more she learns about me, the more she seems to dislike me.”

I saw that funny mysterious smile on the lips of little Cherine, but she refused to speak. Rob was amused, but did not speak either. My own girls all quickly posted privacy signs and giggled amongst themselves. I got annoyed with all the tittering and went to my office.

Next [Book 02] - Post 070

I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love.

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{11th July, 2019}

* posted on Steemit: 11th July, 2019

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