LiTTLE CHERiNE Book 02 - post052

“Never my son. That I will never do.”
Oh well, I joked with myself, that didn’t work. Still my responsibility, but only worse now.

Previous Post 051

820

Taking him to the void could no longer be the first thing we do. Not with Ordinx, Solomon and the whole galaxy of Sparklers there. I also could not go against my healer two times within two days. I thought of calling Charlie in, get him to pretend he is our leader, that there is an element of oriental mysticism in this, but I could not do it. To start on a false premise will only cause him damage.

I was left with only one option. I told him our story. When I had finished I saw he did not believe me.

“Robert, this is the first time anyone has thought you are lying.” Cherine was amused, though she did not show it. The girls though were angry that he dared to not believe me. I hushed them before they could show it.

“Angelo, what do you not believe?”

“I know you have powers. But the story, that you are lover of little girls! That you have killed - you would not admit that to a stranger if it was true. About these insects and aliens and whole worlds that exist within one little girl’s mind, and you can all visit there and eat and drink. It is too much. I think this is all a test.”

“I think you forgot to mention the jumping.”

“No, I think that is true.”

“Okay, then what about Wendy and her emotive singing.”

“I don’t know. Is it really true about your father?” he stupidly asked her.

I pulled her to me, crushing her against me and spoke in childish anger for the first time, as if I was not the one who’d raised the subject of Wendy. “You leave her out of this. It is bad enough she had to hear the re-telling. What are you trying to do, make her re-live it!?”

821

“I will sing Robbie. Let me go please.”

We thought she would stand in the centre of the room, but she walked out to the verandah. Fascinated at how she was to do this, we all sat in absolute silence. Slowly the sound came as if from a great distance. It was the sound of a child, lost and in despair. If she had stopped there he would already have been a believer.

The child came closer and we all felt its cries grow weaker, death calling her away even as she came among us. I sat with head bowed and wept that the memory of this was still so strong in her.

Gently, curiously, the signature of Cherine floated to the child, trying to touch within and take the pain, the shock as it felt there was almost nothing left, only the last moments before the final dissolution and death. Suddenly the white hot notes of a great anger flew through the room and Wendy lifted her face to the ceiling. The white light gathered the remnants of the dying child and carried it to a place where peace and love exist. She sang of tenderness and healing, the child unable to believe, unable to see the destroyed body now whole and beautiful again.

Slowly the white hot light became Robert, the prime father, and the love in that Robert tried to fill her heart. The child could not understand it, love was too foreign. The light came into and within the child and danced and played the puppy game, calling for her not to hurt it. Slowly the child awoke to the love it was being offered. The pain and fear it felt at the possibility of something like this happening to her. The joy as she finally let it fill her and she held the puppy to her.

The rest was too beautiful, it tore at my heart to feel the love and the way this little girl-child had felt. The purity of her trust even after such a life of painful torture and degradation. I did not hear the rest of it. Samantha took me to the bedroom and made me lie down, closing the door so that I could not hear. She held me tightly to her until the trembling of my body had quietened. The door slammed open and Wendy ran in crying out, “Robbie, Robbie, I’m sorry.”

I pulled her to us and we held her. Soon as I could I whispered to her, “I would not have missed that for anything. Thank you love.”

When Sam allowed me to get up, I carried Wendy as we returned to the lounge.

Evangelos was still sitting and I felt beneath his sobs how he had been shattered. I was glad to see that Dommi had sat by him and was holding him. Cherine looked up at me, saw I was well and gave me the thumbs up signal.

“His block broke Robert. It is gone.”

“Do you want to go home Angelo, is this too much for you?”

He shook his head, turning to me. He saw Wendy on my lap and fell at my feet, burying his face on her thighs and weeping, pleaded with her to forgive him. I stroked her hair as she stared at the back of his head. She put her little hand on his hand and he looked up with reddened eyes.

“You must never again not believe my Robbie. He never lies.” He nodded and I saw that he was already half in love with her. I don’t think he even thought of her as a child anymore.

“Not quite true Wendy. Anyway, I try not to, especially about important things.” Abashed now at the emotional way he had reacted, he returned to a seat, still not taking his eyes off Wendy.

“You heard of me as the father, of my love for her. She did not sing of her being my lover. She is Angelo. Forever my little daughter and lover. Can you understand that?”

“No. If you love her as your daughter, how can you be her lover. She is so tiny!!”

“Robert is my husband and I will love him forever!”

This shook him, but he only lowered his face. “What you have told me, what I have felt, it is too strange. I cannot bear it.”

“You cannot bear to face me and want to go home. Do not go yet. I am tired, I have been ill and my body is not strong yet, I need to sleep. Stay with my loves and open your heart Angelo, let them help you accept and see what we are.”

822

When I returned to my bed I took Wendy with me. It would not have been right to leave her with him. Now it was Wendy who gave back, who sent me to sleep filled with love. I did not even wake up when the others all joined us.

“What happened last night?”

“He will be back.”

The girls would not allow me to see anyone, without me knowing, even keeping Alki away. They spent almost a week pampering me and preventing me from feeling any strong emotions. I had reverted to the stage where I was getting tired easily and angry at my body for causing me these problems. I showed my displeasure to my healer, wanting to know what was the good of having a healer if it could not help me. I knew I was being unreasonable, but it sure felt good.

“I can’t think of anything useful. I try to think of a way to help the Sparklers and my mind is empty. I try to think of a way to have a celebration that will be special and I can’t. Yet when I sit in front of the computer my mind starts racing and I can’t capture my ideas fast enough.”

“If you take a hundred years to solve the Sparkler problem, they will still be amazed that you did it so quickly. As for the celebration, it is not the girls who need it, it is you. They would be happy with just a party and you making a fuss of them.”

“That’s right Marian, tell him. As for your having ideas and doing so much work, that is good. I will have to release your work staggered over a period, no point in flooding the market.”

“Bullshit. You just want to keep some in reserve in case I do something crazy again and can’t give you any more for a long time.”

“You have a point, it’s a good idea.”

“Alki, I am tired of having to find three taxis every time I want to go anywhere. I need to buy a vehicle big enough to fit us all.”

“A very bad idea. You are a rotten driver Roberto. You start daydreaming while you are driving on the roads of Athens and you will get into trouble. Since you mostly go to Kefalari, I must say I cannot imagine you driving a mini bus through those narrow streets.”

He had a point, though I hated the idea of giving him the satisfaction of acknowledging he was right.

We finally settled for splitting our celebration over two nights. We booked seating for about fifty of us at our favourite club. It turned out the singer we want will soon be opening her own club and these were her last nights there. I gave the girls the choice of ages they may adopt for the evening, except for Cherine, Wendy and Dommi, since they are already known there. I got them to age themselves by two years.

It was a magnificent evening. The owner had taken special trouble to decorate our tables, filling them with flowers and petals. A number of ice buckets appeared with champagne with his compliments. I teased Cherine and Dommi that he must be in love with one of them. They all pointed to Wendy, saying it was her, making her blush and furiously deny it.

Socrati, Alki and Andrea soon forced everyone to get up and dance to the bouzouki. Wendy wanted to stay with me, but I forced her to go. While they were dancing I asked to see the owner. I mentioned a particular song our favourite singer is known for and asked as a favour that she ask for Wendy to accompany her. I promised him she will not regret it. I also asked that she, the singer, is to say this is as a special appearance in honour of Dominique. He agreed to try.

At midnight we broke open the champagne and toasted my girls. Everybody took a sip with a lot of shouting of ‘chronia polla (live long).” Then Alki stood up.

823

“My friends, every year our hearts are fuller, for Robert manages to find even more beautiful girls to love. We have rejoiced at their joining us or at their birth. I think it is time we gave a toast and celebrated his birthday too. Chronia polla gie mou.” He reached over to me and handed me an envelope. They all toasted me and even sang Happy Birthday.

I was touched and my face flushed. It felt as if we were taking over the whole club with our noisiness. I opened the envelope and inside were two all expenses paid tickets, for Cherine and I, to the United States with an open date. Dommi put her lips to my ear.

“It is time the two of you celebrate your anniversary on your own. Take her to Disneyland.” Cherine came into my arms crying and I hid my tears by burying my face in her hair.

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

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{5th October, 2018}
* posted on Steemit: 5th October, 2018



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