LiTTLE CHERiNE Book 03 - post072

Cherine had been sitting frozen, her face pale with anger and I had been forcing her to keep quiet. She saw what I saw in the woman’s mind and she compressed her lips into a thin white line with her anger. Smaragda came to say goodbye to her and I was pleased to see her empathy make her treat her gently, even kissing her cheek goodbye.
By the time we got home Alki, Marian and Tasso were there. Savva arrived a little later. Instead of telling them I let them re-live what happened through my mind.
“You handled that very badly Roberto.”

Previous Steemit Post 071
Previous PALNet Post 071

1621

“I know Alki. What I do not know is how I should have handled it. I thought our bedroom was locked during the party, how did she get in?”

“It was my fault Robbie.” Em-e was in tears. “I went to change my clothes and jumped to the kitchen… and forgot to lock it again.”

“Nothing worth crying about love, as they say, shit happens. She did not need to see the bedroom to think what she did. She has that kind of mind. Alki, what or how could she be thinking of using me?”

“There was nothing in her mind to show us. She does not know, but is excited about using your powers in some way to further her husband’s fortunes.”

Savva sat forward. “It pains me to ask. Roberto, will you do anything illegal to stop her?”

“Is telepathy illegal in Greece?”

“No. What are you thinking of doing?”

“Very little. I was thinking of entering her mind and erasing her memory of our bedroom. Whatever she suspects, with the bedroom gone she will be less certain and confident. At least she will not be able to use it as a threat.”

He sat back. “I have said in the past that I am a Cherinian first. If you were to do something illegal I would not try to stop you, but I am glad you do not plan to.”

“Savva.” As he looked back at me he saw my look and turned his face away. Softly I whispered to him, “Thank you. I will not do any thing to hurt your good conscience.”

“I think you must not go back into her mind Robert.” Surprised I looked at Cherine. “You were lucky to get away with it the first time. A male mind is different, she might feel you. It would be better if one of us does it.”

“I do not enter her as Robert love. I make myself part of her.”

“I still would rather you do not.”

“As you wish love. You choose who does it then.”

“Dommi and I will.”

“Tasso, what do you think? What information could she get about the girls?”

He was relaxed and smiling. “Nothing important. They all have documents showing them as adults. I would suggest that if she tries to blackmail you, call her bluff. Do not even lock your bedroom, there is no law saying a man is not allowed to have twenty women. You would be the envy of every Greek man.” Everybody laughed. “Perhaps you should ask her to meet you here, without her daughter. Let her meet the girls as adults and tell her you do not fear her.”

1622

I did not like the idea of forcing a confrontation and I certainly do not want her in our home again. Who knows in what direction it could spin off. It would also mean my girls would have to stay as adults permanently. I also cannot keep permanent tabs on her mentally so as to know what she is planning on doing. I said so.

Sam spoke up, excited. “But you could Robbie! If we ask the Sparklers to put a Sparkler in her they could warn us.”

“I like that idea.” Alki patted her knee in approval.

Savva was not speaking, but I saw he had something to say so I asked for his opinion.

“It seems women are able to see your weakness so there would be little purpose to ignoring it. She sees children and knows she can hurt you by shouting ‘molester’. Do you know how many women keep quiet when they realise their husband is molesting their daughter? What you probably do not know is that there are a number of women who make the accusation just to destroy their husband. Maybe he has a girlfriend and wants to leave. She uses the threat and if he does not bow to her demands, which being innocent he often does not, such a woman lays a charge against him.”

“How do you handle it?”

“It usually takes a lot of digging to find out the truth - which we try to do carefully so as not to cause harm to the child. Once we are convinced the allegation is not true we will warn her that her child will be taken from her and placed in a home. That by itself will often convince them to tell the truth. If we did not handle it discretely there would be many men destroyed financially and socially. There are other officers who are not so careful.”

“Back to me then?”

“If she made an allegation against you I would be surprised to see her in my station. She would go to another one, telling them she saw me here and cannot come to my station. I know most of the officers from the surrounding stations, but what worries me is that she could go directly to a prosecutor.”

He was thinking and speaking slowly and we waited.

“I know confrontation is anathema to you, but a carefully thought out one might be best. If we allow her to continue, you could then be forced to do as she wishes or else have to disappear - to be certain you are safe, you will have to move to another country. You cannot ask the girls to stay as adults, it would be wrong.”

“I agree. You prefer the surgical cut of confrontation. In which way?” Alki asked.

“Roberto will not like my idea.”

“I’ll listen Savva.”

“You will not like it. I think you have to confront her with such a display of power that you break her. She will know that she cannot speak for none will believe her, while you are free to destroy her and her family.”

I did try to think of what he suggested and did not need the trembling to warn me this goes against all I believe in. “I can’t terrorise her. I’m sorry Savva, I just can’t. She would spend the rest of her life living a nightmare.”

The three men looked at each other, at first I suppose in some sort of exasperation at having to deal with my squeamishness, but slowly they also empathised and felt what we would be condemning her to. Tasso broke the silence.

“I was an instrument used to hurt Roberto and his girls in the same way. He attacked and would have been justified in leaving me in the hell I found myself in, but he did not. How can I ask that he does otherwise now?”

Wendy, her bottom lip trembling asked, “You could stop Hettie, but you cannot stop this horrible woman?”

“I can love. We are just trying to find a way to do it without destroying her life.”

Nicole said, “She doesn’t care if she destroys ours.”

1623

Diana answered her. “Perhaps Nicole, it does not mean we should become like her. We are Cherinians.”

“Dommi, you have something to say?”

She smiled at me in reply. “I listen to you all, you talk about not harming her, about us being Cherinians, but at the same time you forget you are a Cherinian.”

“Okay, you have me puzzled. Do you want to explain?”

“If you confront her, show your terrifying powers, you will leave her living in fear? Roberto mou, did you really think that is how you would do it? I know you, you would make it beautiful, let her see the joy and wonder, maybe take her to the world of Meli. Yes, you would show your power, but it would not be done in a way to frighten her. Let her see us as adults also so that she knows you have nothing to fear from her. Make her want to be part of us, not fear us.”

“Phew! Do you know what you ask of me Dommi. It could so easily go wrong.”

“If it does it would be because there is something wrong with her, not because of you.”

“I am trying to protect her from herself love. Perhaps we should sleep on it and decide tomorrow.”

“I would not if I were you Roberto. I would guess that first thing she does in the morning is contact a detective agency. Even within one day they would gather quite a lot of information - especially for a client as important as her. Even if they don’t find anything damning, it is better such an investigation is not started.”

That shook me, I had not been thinking of doing anything immediately. Dommi broke the tension when she started laughing. She finally explained and I blushed.

“I was thinking, if I did not know Robert and love him so much, I think I would be afraid of him. When he looks at you in that severe way he has, his eyes dark with threat, he can be quite intimidating. She must be very brave or stupid.”

As everyone laughed at my embarrassment, Jade and Cassie came to me, hand in hand.

“We haven’t seen you looking like that. Show us.” I could not help it and chuckled.

“I’m not that frightening my loves.” I turned to Tasso. “I agree, I would rather get it over with. How do I do it tonight? I can’t very well phone her and tell her to meet me.”

“She is alone at home with Smaragda. Smaragda is nearly fast asleep.” I realised Cherine had been keeping tabs on her.

“I’ll come with you Robert. You cannot take her and leave a child alone, I’ll stay to make sure she is alright.”

“Thanks Dommi. Can you make yourself look like her?”

“Easy.”

“I’m ready soon as Smaragda is asleep. What about her husband?”

“He is at a night club with friends.”

“Cherine. You will come with, as an adult. Let her see we have nothing to fear from her.”

“I have an idea Robert.” It was Meli and I usually like her ideas so I waited, smiling. “What if we pretend that all of us are really adults, but we pretend to be children. We do it because we like having you look after us. We have the passports to prove it. That would mean she cannot threaten us ever.”

I chuckled as everyone reacted to her idea. “Meli, you have finally come up with an idea that belongs to this world.” I teased her. “All of you, get dressed as adults and bring your passports. Guys, I wish you could all come with, I have a feeling this is going to be fun. You do realise she will think of us as being perverted. She will decide I make love to little girls and think the girls make themselves children for my sake. She will think of them as some sort of prostitute, buying comfort with their bodies, but worse, making themselves children. What a complex and ridiculous situation!” The girls did not care, they said that what she thinks of them does not matter. Unfortunately it does to me, but I kept quiet.

1624

Jade giggled. “I guess she won’t let us play with Smaragda again.” For some reason that got all the girls giggling and even the adults laughed.

Alki smiled at me as the girls rushed off to get dressed. “I hope this works out for your sake Roberto. You must take the decision that if it does not, if she fears you, it is her problem and do not get moody on us again.”

I grinned. “You know me better than that Alki. I’ll find a way. If I can’t find any other way, I’ll ask her to take over as leader of the Cherinians.”

Dommi said, “Don’t any of you dare laugh. He is capable of doing just that!”

Alki chuckled. “If you can’t find any other way to handle it, call Hettie in. She will know how to handle her.”

“If you had suggested that earlier on I might have done it. They have enough in common to understand each other.”

My ladies walked back in, each holding her passport in her hands. Cherine confirmed the child is asleep, the mother sitting in the lounge watching television. I pictured the room, the settees, the balcony door with the square verandah with the two corners filled by potted plants. We jumped.

She let out a scream of shock and quickly put her knuckles to her mouth.

“Please keep quiet, we do not want to wake up Smaragda. We are not here to hurt you.”

“What do you want? Who are these women?”

“Why not look at them again? You just might recognise them. How about this one?” I touched Samantha.

She looked at her and moaned “It can’t be.”

“It is. The one you thought is the daughter of Themi. Do you recognise the others now?”

Dommi, who still looked the same stepped closer to her. She cringed.

“Stop feeling so afraid, we are not here to hurt you, but you made a very big mistake, you threatened our Roberto. As you can see all the girls are here. They are all holding their passports. Look at them, see the passports. Each of them are in the country legally. We want you to see that we have nothing to fear from you. Then we will let Roberto talk to you.”

Even though she hardly seemed to want to look, each girl in turn stepped up, said her name, showed her passport, turned to the page with the immigration stamp.

I sat down opposite her. “Ladies, I suggest you all go home now. Thanks for coming.” Cherine with that wicked smile of hers curtsied to me and jumped, the others following her. Only Dommi remained.

Next Steemit Post 073
Next PALNet Post 073

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)
^{2nd October, 2019}

* posted on PALNet - Steemit - WEKU - CreativeCoin: 2nd October, 2019

If you wish to read from an earlier book, from Book 01 to Book 04, use this link button to open the LC Book Index: