A shimmering veil came floating out of the darkness. She coruscated in a myriad colours. She was overwhelmed by her awe and joy, she was flitting all over, lightly touching me and dancing away. I explained how Cherine and I melded, asked her not to try it with me, I was not certain I could return us to our former selves without help from Cherine. A sleeve of her veil touched me and I felt a few particles of her mingle within me. I sent out a tendril of myself, slowly and gently so as not to frighten her, touched her and left a tiny number of my particles in exchange. I saw our link shimmer vibrantly as it strengthened.

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I showed her my image of Cherine and what she looks like now. She could not see her. She sent me a rainbow of colours and I recognised Cherine from the way the rainbow turned in upon itself, avoiding any contact with me.

Dommi called to Cherine. She was able to see the link between them. Without my prompting she caressed it, sending a message through it.

A tiny swirl appeared and I withdrew.

I watched from a distance as they danced around each other and then they merged, still swirling and spraying motes, some of which touched me, filling me with their love.

I waited and waited. As time passed I grew agitated. Surely this was taking too long? I edged in nearer and tried sending a message. I chose a warm love. There was no response. I reached a level of anxiety I could not contain anymore. If there was something wrong, why wasn’t my healing power speeding to them?

It became obvious to me that it does not see this as a danger to either of them, which may mean we are meant to ultimately meld into one. I did not want that, it was not yet the time for it. I had to enter, it would be far better I thought to be lost in there with them, than to be lost alone out here.

I sent myself in slowly, perhaps diluting their beauty. We became conscious of each other and they were calling me in, to be with them. I withdrew. I was now terrified. I would not be capable of resisting them once I am in, I would gladly dissolve into their siren song.

When I saw the link to Dommi and I start to melt like ice thawing slowly, vapours melting away, I knew there was no choice, I would be losing them if I did not act immediately. I filled myself with anger, shut off my weakness of love and tore into them.

I tasted them, flinging them apart while they mentally screamed. When it was over, the veil was tattered, drifting aimlessly, and Cherine lay apart in a couple of loosely knit swirls of gassy lights. I enveloped her, as I had in the void and sent her love, calling to her until she responded. I told her to return, go back. I then sped to Dommi.

She had not knit herself back into her flowing veils. I enveloped her and sent calming soothing feelings of love. I talked to her, explained what had happened, what I had to do. I pleaded with her, but no answer came. I cradled her like a baby trying to make my love a lullaby.

I saw the links strengthen, their glow brighten. I sent a message to Cherine. Asked how she is. A weak answer, she was alright but shaken. She sent to me that she felt like she had been violated, raped. I sent my sorrow and love. Told her of my problems with Dommi and asked her to use her link to help me. My link was of no use, it only monitored her body.

A tearing burning agony burnt though me, casting me aside and Dommi was bathed in a light, seen by me as white and ultra violet. It had come, sensing agony that I could not, sensing pain and damage.

As she recovered, the light faded. I stared at the glory of her. Tentatively I sent my love, my caring tender love for her. She did not respond immediately, then she asked, *Cherine?*

We both answered, with our joy, our warm welcome at the birth of a new star in our heavens, flooding her. She might not understand us at this stage, but Cherine and I sent that we believe and rejoice at the circle of our being, coming closer to perfection.

When I asked her to return to her body she did not want to. Cherine sent, telling her, reminding her, she had promised to obey me. That she must return. I watched her till I was certain she was gone and returned myself.

We were all shaken by our narrow escape, but our eyes were aglow with the miracle of Dommi.

“Do you now believe me? I told you, you have power. Is there enough humility in your soul for you to apologise for not believing me or is it big as the sky now.” I made myself sound cheeky deliberately. I wanted a smile, but got tears instead. Cherine cast me an exasperated look.

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“I’m really part of you now, aren’t I?”

“Dommi, you saw what I looked like, what Cherine looked like. Can you now understand why loving her, making love to her as a child was not the obscene thing it appears to be?”

“Yes. But I was able to see that from the beginning, once I knew what the two of you were, I could see the beauty only.”

“If you could see something so alien to all your beliefs, why can you not accept that you were a part of this circle from when I first met you as a child, that you were and always will be a part of us.”

“But now I can do something. Now I can say I have seen you.” She wanted to ask, so I gave her time. “What did I look like to you?” I told her and she flushed with happiness. I did not have the courage to ask them what I look like. I sensed myself as a dreary greyness and did not want to know that is how I appear to them.

Cherine had been quiet. Too quiet for her. I knew that I cannot afford to wait, I must face the problems head on so that she can heal herself by speaking of it now. I gathered the precious body that shelters the heart and soul I adore. “Tell me my darling wife, what is troubling you? Is what you saw in me still a living nightmare to you?”

“A lot of things Robert. I know what you did was necessary, but it was so sweet being one with Dommi and it hurt so much when you parted us. Just like that girl who was raped; being raped did not mean that only her body was raped, it was her mind, it was who she was that was being torn apart. I felt you did something to me which was bad like that. I’m sorry, I cannot forget it yet. You know what made it worse Robert?” I knew, but kept quiet, she needed to say it. “It felt like what you did to us was a part of that disgusting, horrible part of you I saw...” She began to shudder and cry, not trying to leave my enfolding arms, but not accepting any comfort from them. I interpreted the way she was feeling in the way I feared - I thought she now no longer loved me, no longer wanted me to be a part of her.

Tears blurring my vision I handed her to Dommi and left the room. Neither of them followed me and for the first time for hours, I felt totally alone.

An eventful wedding night ending with my being more alone than I have been for a long time. How could I have been so stupid, what was I thinking. Those images will be in her forever, the flaw in the crystal-pure diamond of our love. Despite my fears, I did not doubt she loves me, that we will soon be in each others arms again, but as she said, she cannot forget, and I feared what it will do to our love for each other.

Folded over, onto my side, on the couch, I was wracked by sobs until I fell asleep, returning for the first time in a long while to the void of darkness alone. What made it worse, was that this void, this heavy darkness, was somewhere within me, not at the place where our Kaleidoscope World is meant to exist someday. This was the void created for destroying me, for ripping me apart, from inside.

PART FOUR

Chapter Twenty One

Ever since Cherine became a part of my inner self, I have never slept totally alone. Even during that time when I could not sense her because of being damaged, I often had a feeling of being watched, of being cared for. Her monitoring of me, my awareness of her invaded my sleep, comforting me; her loving me was always there. Now, I went so deep in my self-pity I ‘muted’ the girls, lost all contact with them.

As I slept I was flung from nightmare to nightmare. The worst was the one where I clearly saw my mother, she had a pleading look as she receded into the void. I cried, following her, searching for her. I could not find her anywhere and I was lost. I felt the void eating at me, but I continued calling for her, scared that if I did not find her I would never see her again.

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As the void ate into me I felt its freezing teeth biting into my soul. Lost in my despair I screamed and the void swallowed me. I woke sweating, half recalling the sound of my voice in the distance. The void was still with me. There was no touch by Cherine, no comfort, nothing to comfort me, keep me safe in a harbour of love. I feared to sleep again and I was terrified of being awake and alone. I could not remove the muting, for if I did, it would awaken Cherine and she needed her sleep - and I was not feeling strong enough to handle any more pressure from her. Some time on my own to think my own thoughts would be better, even if hard to bear. Quietly I stole into the bedroom, grabbed some clothes without disturbing my loves. I paused for a second to see their sleeping faces in the gloom and then silently left.

I walked for hours until the sun came high enough to be seen on the street. Monday, I had to take Cherine to school. No, I could not face her, Dommi would have to take her. I could not bear to see that emptiness in her eyes, to feel her disgust and fear. When a Greek coffee shop opened, I sat for a time at the small metal table, drinking a bitter cup.

By the time traffic had grown, I was in some part of Athens towards Ymittos mountain, where I had never visited before. I no longer knew where I was, not that it mattered. I had my homing beacon - just that it was pushing me away. Then something pulled me out of my self-absorption and I looked around, trying to work out what had called to me.

There was a young boy just ahead of me, perhaps a preteen, in school clothes, swinging his bag and balancing himself on the edge of the pavement as he walked along. The cars were whizzing by and I think he looked at a car coming, got drawn in and stumbling, fell into the road. I snatched at him and threw him onto the pavement, knocking myself off balance. I tottered in the road, watching the car without time to escape, just time enough to partly turn around. Although there was no time to move, it felt as if a long time passed and I thought of my loves as I saw the impact is going to be unavoidable and I was glad I am still muted; I foresaw the blow would cause enormous pain and the thought of it being felt by Cherine was not acceptable. As the car struck me I do not recall any pain, just a darkness.

When I came to, I was lying on a metal table in the corridor of a government hospital. It was bedlam around me and I did not see anyone taking care of me. My face was screaming its agony at me. I touched myself and felt the gash and the exposed bone. The gash went across my cheek and through my nose, the blood bubbling with every breath. My chest was a mass of pain, burning and stabbing with every shallow breath, yet all the pains were somehow distant, as if they belonged to someone else. I must have still been in shock, for I was cold and calm, even when I realised I could not feel my legs.

With the lack of attention, with the deliciously hot pool of blood gathering under me from my face, I knew it was just a matter of time and then I would be leaving this body, abandoning it to the final cold embrace of death, where it will never feel love again. Maybe I would have minded more, if I hadn’t also welcomed the idea of not existing to suffer anymore. Strangely, although I thought of the imminence of death, I did not think of the void, it was as if I had forgotten it exists.

I heard a shout, in Greek, and a man and woman stood beside me with a schoolboy yammering at them in Greek, pleading with them not to let me die. I did not recognise him and wondered at his tears.

The parents went off while the boy stood by me. He touched me and when he saw my eyes on him he thanked me for saving his life. It meant nothing to me as I could not recall the accident. I wanted to tell him not to worry, Cherine will save me. Cherine! She was still not inside me. I felt the faintest traces of our link, but that was all. I decided she is probably at school and has muted me so as to concentrate on her lessons. My thoughts slid away from her so that I can be on my own.

The couple returned with a harried hard-faced nurse who took a look at me and told the couple they are flooded with patients and the xenos (stranger, non-Greek) will have to wait his turn. As she walked away, the man saw me begin to shiver, partly from the freezing cold and partly from shock. He took off his overcoat and put it over me. He leant over and asked if I understand Greek. I blinked to show I do.

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“We cannot get a doctor to see you. They are too busy. All these hospitals are the same, they don’t care about you if you can’t bribe them. My wife and I are grateful to you for saving our only son. We are in your debt, but we are poor people, we hardly make enough to live. I cannot afford to take you to a private clinic. What can we do?”

I finally began to think, instead of just being a bystander, watching what is happening to me as if I am a stranger. I did not think about the reasons at the time, but though blood was bubbling within my nose and seeping down my throat, the rich, hot metallic taste almost nauseating, I found I could also smell the hospital smells, which I intensely dislike. For that petty reason I forced myself to speak, asked him to call Alki and gave him the phone number. I told him to say my name is Roberto. He promised and they left.

Over an hour passed while I flitted between consciousness and a blank passing of time as I passed out from the pain and shock, coming to and passing out again. Then I heard Alki. His voice was not the usual gentle voice I know, it was cold with fury. He was loudly ordering people and I could hear movement as they obeyed him.

He came to me, saw my eyes were open. “Ahh my Roberto, what have you done to yourself my little hero. The father told me what you did. Are you in pain? Except for your face, are you hurting anywhere else.”

Since my father had never been warm and caring, I don’t know why it felt as if Alki were my father and I was safe now, that he would look after me. I told him about my chest in short painful gasps. Told him I cannot feel my legs. He looked stricken, glancing around as if looking for something. When he did not see what he was looking for, it was as if he had seen my death certificate. He promised me repeatedly that I am going to be taken care of soon, he has arranged for an ambulance to take me to the very best clinic, where the best doctors of Athens are, I must be brave, I must hold on.

I noticed, by its absence, that he did not ask me where the girls are.

By the time I was in the new clinic and the doctors were able to start checking and stitching me, I had lost a lot of blood, enough to feel lightheaded. Then I was less often conscious than unconscious, but it may have partly been due to narcotics as they worked on repairing me. They must have done a good job, for I woke up to find my face stitched up though swollen. Alki told me not to worry. I only have three fractured ribs and my skull is fractured and they plan to do a cat scan the next day, but the doctors do not foresee any complications. He warned me not to move suddenly, as I have been operated on. Because most people who die from such accidents do so because of internal bleeding, they had to cut me open to ensure I was not bleeding and that my organs, around the stomach area, are not damaged. He was pleased to tell me that my legs are not broken. When the bumper of the car hit me, it struck the back of my legs and the muscles of my calves are badly bruised, that is why I cannot move my legs. The doctor, he said, told him my legs will gradually come back to life and I will know it from the pain.

I thought about it. Pain. I was sure Cherine would some time or later try to find me. Even if she does not want to, Dominique will make her. Then she will feel this terrible pain in my chest and face. I shut my eyes, gathered the little energy I had left and changed the muting so that I now completely blocked her out. I slowly managed to inform Alki of my action.

“I have been wondering why they are not here. I tried calling at your home, but there was no answer. Is something wrong? Agh! Stupid. Of course there is. Tell me.”

I closed my eyes to avoid talking and slept. My mother returned and smiled at me sadly. As I looked at her, I realised it was not my mother, it was my Dommi and she was not smiling, she was crying. I began to cry in my sleep and the tears were leaking out when I opened my eyes. Well, my one eye. The swelling under the other kept it closed.

I saw Dominique and Cherine.

I looked and saw them as strangers. Suddenly, to think of them as my wives was not only stupid, but pathetic. How could I have believed all that garbage. They are no part of me. It had all been only a dream, I had only imagined I am loved. How could I have been so stupid as to believe girls like them would really love me.

I spoke to Alki. “Please make them leave.” I could not turn away from them, so I shut my eyes.

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Alki’s voice was stern, like a father’s I suppose, “That I will not do. Whatever has happened between you, you will not throw their love away. I will not allow you to hurt them that way.”

Petulantly I told him, “There is no love. I only imagined there is. Leave me alone, I want to sleep.”

“Pappou, he has put a block. I cannot feel him at all. Make him take it away, please.” Cherine was sobbing now.

Softly, his voice gentle, he told her, “How do I do that, you can tell me? He told me he put it to stop you feeling his pain.” His voice was suddenly stern. “What has hurt him, it is not the accident. You, one of you, tell me now. What have you done to my Roberto.”

“It was my fault.” Cherine whispered. As if they were used to me contradicting that kind of statement from her, there was a pause. “He let me see a secret part of his mind and I said nasty things. Pappou I said he was disgusting, I said he made me feel like the girl that was raped.” She stopped crying as if the enormity of it all, were too terrible for tears.

My poor Alki, his voice was filled with despair, “Agh Theé mou! For this you all took those vows?”

Dominique brought her face close to me. “Roberto mou, please take the block away. However much you were hurt, at least give her, give me a chance to show you we do love you. Feeling your pain from the accident will be less painful than your block. Please, agapi mou?”

The words were just words, the scenario could not touch me. I was half drugged and floating in and out of myself, a sometimes distant observer. I liked floating away, feeling the world recede from me. The very antiseptic smell of the clinic worked against the callings and yearnings of love they were trying to bombard me with. I was able to keep myself apart from the meaning of their words, as if they were just some kind of white noise in the background. If a word slipped through, I told myself I cannot afford to lose more strength on emotions that are false, and ignored them. Finally, Dommi decided I should not be pestered; since I refused to unblock, I will need to concentrate all my being on healing.

Later, once Cherine had fallen asleep and just after I had woken, I heard Dommi softly speaking in Greek to Alki. “Since I joined them, my life has been very strange and I am amazed at how I adapted to the changes. Most of it is like a miracle and I do not spoil what is happening to me by wanting logical answers. But this, what is happening with Roberto, it puzzles me. His ability to block us is puzzling, but I do not question it, I accept it as being an ability which has grown out of his other abilities. But what I do need to understand is why he stops loving us every time he blocks himself. It is not as if he only grew to love us because of Cherine sharing her gifts with him, he loved us from before. It has not stopped him from loving you!”

“I would say that his ability to share from Cherine and grow was only possible because he loved her. You, we know he has loved for years. Dominique, perhaps you need to ask yourself questions about the blocking? For instance, you think of the blocking as his way of preventing you and Cherine from feeling him? What if you think of it as a symptom? Has he ever blocked himself because he was angry? Or has he done so when he is being forced to bear pain he cannot endure? If he is being forced to hide within himself to avoid pain from those he loves, doesn’t it make sense that he would also have to try to avoid feeling the love? He does not love me more than he loves the two of you - it has to be far less, but I would guess that he does not fear loving me; he does not feel I would ever use his love for hurting him. I warned you once before that you must protect him from yourselves.”

“Oh God, Alki, how do I explain it to her? She is already suffering more than any child should have to.”

“This is not the time for such explanations Dominaki mou, wait for a time of love and happiness, or else she will not learn from the explanation, all she’ll do is fill herself with feelings of guilt.”

Even though the girls spent the night with me, to me it was as if I were alone. My sleep was as lonely as it has always been, as it had been the previous night. When I woke to the coming in of the nurse, I found I was full of anger. Anger at myself mostly, needing to punish myself for being so gullible, so damn stupid. After the way Dominique had betrayed me, how could I have been so foolish as to believe in love again.

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I had to urinate and I wanted my privacy. I asked the nurse to make them leave. The nurse looked at their faces, especially Cherine, and said nothing. They got up and left, Dominique tightly holding Cherine.

I had my cat scan. Alki came. The day passed.

The next day the doctors passed by to check me. I heard them saying I should be mending well. The nurse did not agree. She must have pointed out something to them for they spent time checking me. I was not interested and kept my eyes closed. As I heard the door open, one of the leaving doctors said to the others. “There is something else wrong, I do not think it is from the physical damages. I think he wants to die and is not trying to get better.”

Cherine does not speak Greek yet, so she did not understand, but when Dominique began to cry she understood from her and let out a wail. I could hear her heart was breaking. It just happens I have a weak spot for children, I do not believe they should be made to pay for the guilt of adults. Or have I said that already?

It preyed on my mind. Every time that day, whenever I opened my eyes I saw her grim face, the pain. Another night passed and I felt my strength draining away. Not even Alki, my best friend could bring me back, I was too drained to care. But the sad little face preyed on my mind. I no longer bothered to keep my eyes closed. They became fixed on the little girl. Why was she in so much pain? I knew that I was dying, would be free soon, but this little girl bothered me. It did not seem right to leave without trying to rid her of the pain.

Pain! Cherine is in pain.

It broke through my blockage as if it does not exist. It tore out of me, carrying me with it into her. It searched for the pain, it looked at it. It looked for the cause. I spoke to it. Cherine with a cry spoke to us. It showed her what to do. She lay next to me, hurting my ribs, holding me. I/we came into me through her, with her. It searched and mended. It took a while and we heard the nurse come in. She tried to remove Cherine, but Dominique and Alki forced her away. She stood there for a long while then went to get help.

By the time she got help I was sitting up pulling the bandages off my face. They were too late to stop me and then froze. The only marks on my face were the stitches waiting to be pulled out. As I got out of bed they reached to hold me, but as I stood I picked my Cherine up and cradled her in my arms, kissing her face with my lips and tears.

They forced me to go through the whole procedure before letting me go. What upset them most of all was that where they had cut me open, all that existed were a few stitches waiting to be removed; there was no scar. The whole clinic was abuzz with news of the miracle. People were staring and crossing themselves as I walked out. Alki hustled us into his car, gave instructions to his driver who rushed off to catch a taxi and we drove off with Alki driving, crossing a red traffic light just outside the hospital.

“We must be quick. I cannot hide you, they will be watching me. We must call a friend of mine, a professor, he has a summer villa where he can hide you.”

“We haven’t done anything,” Cherine answered, “why must we hide. Are the police after us?”

“No. Much worse; the press.”

“Alki is right. If we can stay away for a while we will be old news. We must go away for a couple of weeks.” My mind was working furiously. “Take us to my office. Not many people know of that. Alki, can you get someone to collect our things for us from my flat? Alki, what will you tell this friend of yours?” Before he could answer, it hit me. “If they talk to the people at my flat, they will be told about Marian. We must get her right now, before the press speaks to her. Where can you send her Alki?”

“I don’t know. If I can I’ll send her back to London for a few weeks. If she won’t go, I can only send her to you.” We all groaned, but he was right, Marian on her own is a danger to us we cannot afford, so nobody objected.

It went smoothly, though I noticed Cherine was monitoring, or trying to, all the people around us. It was draining her. Plus I could sense some of the sewerage she was getting. I had to get angry before she stopped. To her it must have seemed her father’s nightmare was coming true. I tried to sense whether she blames me for putting us in this position, but I could not find even one such thought.

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Once we were ensconced in the house out at Kavouri, Vouliagmeni, we relaxed a bit. Not for too long though. Marian arrived. We all watched her with trepidation. She rushed in and picked up Cherine crying, ”Don’t worry, your mummy is here.” For a moment it sounded like a bad joke, but then I saw it from a different perspective and accepted she truly is glad to see Cherine.

There was hardly anything to eat in the house, just a few tins of smoked mussels, probably left over from the previous summer. Luckily Alki sent with the last batch, which was mostly all the parts of my computer, four large pizzas, some sandwiches, milk and Cokes and toilet paper. I wanted to joke about Alki being a strange Greek, for he had not thought of sending coffee, but I did not think my loves would appreciate a show of humour right now.

Getting re-acquainted with Marian was less painful than expected. She told us, basically she told Cherine, that she missed her. She told her that their time apart has been one of remembering and thinking. She wants her back. I could sense that Cherine did not bend to her for even one moment and was only putting up with her for our sake. I had forgotten how unforgiving she can be if anyone is a threat to us.

Marian finally turned to me, very calmly, and asked me what she can do. I wanted to find a way for Cherine to want her again, so I made a difficult choice.

“Before I answer you, I think we must speak of something else, or else I don’t see how you can be of much help. Marian, you know our secret. Yet you cannot guess why Cherine is set against you, why she is not responding to the love I can sense you are trying to show her. I told you once, that she is a creature of love. The truth is, you are not. She senses a hardness in you and it is anathema to her. Hardness or cruelty can actually make her sick. She gives total love and devotion and expects and needs the same in return. Any selfishness or hardness makes a mockery of what she offers. Can you strip yourself of your self-defences, acknowledge to yourself, that is all, where blame for failures in your life lie with you, not others? Can you become forgiving, understanding? Can your love give what the loved one needs and not what you want to give? If you can do this, I think she will quickly be in your arms crying with happiness. One thing more. If she senses any threat to what we call, for lack of a better term, the circle, she is the she-devil you named her. At such times even I cannot control her.” My words were not softening the emoting of Cherine.

“How can I do all that. It would take time and a lot of expensive help I cannot afford.” She appeared to be distressed. “Cherine, will you at least spend tonight with me? Give me a chance?”

“No.” Definitely no politician my darling little wife.

“Marian. Give me a moment before getting upset. As you have gathered from the way you were sent here, some rather dramatic things happened. It says a lot for you that you came without questions. Cherine, remember that. Whether your mother wants to be with you or not, the truth is she has to be with us tonight, and probably for as long as we are here. Marian, we need as a group to be within touching distance, within sight of each other. You must surely remember how I warned you of the danger to Cherine should the world learn of her abilities? We are facing such a crisis, where it could become public knowledge. We are tense and afraid, which is why we are desperate to be with each other for every second. Give it time Marian, please don’t press us now, we have enough fear and worry to contend with.”

That speech worked with Marian, though Cherine did give me a dirty look, until she remembered what had brought us here and was ridden again by guilt. That guilt was the reason we will need time. I must not allow it to fester - though I had no idea what I could say after all I had recently said. I also did not want Dommi telling Cherine what Alki explained to her, not now, she needs to have her self-confidence while we face threats from outside our circle.

Despite needing to be alone, we could not sleep and stayed up late, talking and reminiscing. Marian tactfully did not try to join our conversation, only intruding once to bring us something to eat and drink, but I’m certain she listened to all of us closely, hopefully trying to learn more about us; as I said, I hope so, for I think it is not only important she learns to understand Cherine, she must also grow to understand Dommi and me. Maybe with understanding will come the loss of fear, and with that, who knows, maybe she can grow to like Dommi - I have no such ambitions for myself, it would be asking for too much.

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Chapter Twenty Two

The next morning we heard a car draw up and park outside the main door and knew a second of fear as we heard the front door open. A white-haired man in his fifties entered, carrying groceries. As he saw us, he probably realised from the way we were staring and stopped. He gave us a smile.

“You must be Robert. I am the friend of Alki he told you about. My name is Themi. I am pleased to meet you and these beautiful young ladies. I am a Greek bearing gifts - from Alki.” He gave us a disarming grin.

Since Cherine promptly went and introduced herself to him with a big smile, we took our cue from her, trusting her implicitly.

“If I am right, Themi, you are a professor?”

“Yes Robert. Not much of a professor I fear, for I am more interested in learning than in teaching. But please, only think of me as a friend.”

“Any close friend of Alki has to be a friend of ours. We thank you for the use of your house. What is the subject you lecture on?”

I sensed a subconscious tensing of his body, but his voice remained relaxed and friendly. “Psychology. I should mention that Alki told me to tell you I have a very keen interest in the paranormal, as the development or appearance of psychic powers would affect the subjects psychologically. If you look on the bookshelf you will find some material I had published on my theories, unfortunately it is all in Greek.”

“So you know why we need to use your house?”

“I think everybody in Greece knows about the mysterious foreigner who healed himself while at death’s door, I brought you copies of today’s newspapers.”

I did not know whether to laugh or cry. The stories were ludicrous and I felt very embarrassed by some of the things they wrote. The articles were mostly based on interviews of the boy and his family. The boy categorically stated that he knows I am an angel. He claimed I had appeared out of nowhere to save him and had taken what was supposed to happen to him upon myself. His parents talked about their visit to the government hospital, how I had lain bleeding, with internal damage in addition to the outer wounds, ignored by the doctors and staff. They claimed that though I must have been in terrible pain, there was no pain on my face, no fear, just a beatific look of peace. He told the reporters that he recovered his overcoat from the clinic and smeared as it was with my blood, it is his most treasured possession, a holy relic. The article said that people are queuing at his apartment to be allowed to view the blood and kiss the hem of his coat. The one newspaper had gone as far as putting the headline “Government hospital leaves Angel to die”.

Themi told us that we are on all television stations and people have been phoning in to express their anger, with many more calling to tell stories of how they had lost loved ones because of the terrible conditions at government hospitals.

He switched on the tv and we all gathered around it, to watch. The Health Minister appeared with a prepared statement announcing a new hospital is being opened soon which will take some of the pressure off the existing ones. I noticed he did not say anything about improving the services in the existing hospitals, which is perhaps more important than building new hospitals. I was pleased when the announcer mentioned that with the prevalent attitudes of the nurses and doctors, with the customary bribery required for the attention of the medical staff, even surgeons and specialists, plus other forms of mismanagement, she expects the new one will soon be a copy of the existing facilities.

Dismay was written all over our faces as the import of this ridiculous hullabaloo sank in. It will not be enough to just hide for a couple of weeks. I thought of something else and knew we must take action immediately, even though it will be the cause of a lot of pain.

149

“Dominique, they will soon tie you to us. Your family is far too prominent for the press to ignore them. This could have terrible consequences for you and us. I can only see one solution. Themi must take you to the center of Athens. Take a taxi and go to your parents. When interviewed, tell them enough of the truth to remove your family from the limelight. You can say you have known me for many years, you must tell them we were in love for a short time, if you don’t, someone else will and that would make it far worse. Tell them that though you came to the hospital, it was only out of friendship. Tell them that though I am a good man, I am not an angel. I was walking behind the boy, saw him lose his balance and acted instinctively. You can even tell them I said I am not a hero. Play it down without overdoing it.”

“Roberto please don’t make me leave.”

“You have to my love, otherwise we will be compromising the security of our group. We must withdraw attention from you and Cherine, let it focus only on me.” I took her sweet face in my hands, “You have the difficult role. We only have to hide. You have to be alone, while we will have each other. Please be brave for us my love. I’m so sorry to have caused this…remember, we will be with you every single second. I promise you will feel us with you. I will find a way to re-open the sensitivity between us.”

We agreed, with his consent, to use Themi for communicating and a tearful parting took place. It did not take me long to deeply regret sending her away, for I feared what she would be experiencing. Marian, having been told what is happening, switched channels on the tv and the first thing we saw was Nicko being asked to comment about the role of his sister. He talked about me, saying I formed some kind of evil sect and had used the love his sister had felt for me as a friend to convince her to join the sect. He mentioned in an outraged voice how I had even sunk so low as to enlist a small child, an eight year old girl. He told them he, and his family, consider his sister as abducted and brainwashed. He confirmed they will be lodging a complaint with the police and he asked the public to help him and his grieving family, if anybody knows of our hiding place, to please go to the nearest police station.

I was sick in my stomach. Cherine in my arms was trembling with fear so I had to put on a brave face for her sake. I asked her for help in forcing our way through to Dominique. We had to let her know what her brother has done, if she is caught unprepared it could be a disaster. Marian came and knelt in front of us, she caressed her daughter’s cheek.

“There must be something I can do to help. Please?”

I sombrely looked her in the eyes and decided I must admit the truth. “Marian, I’m terrified. I don’t know what to do.”

“Would it not be better that I take Cher home, to our flat above yours, since Alki told me it is still ours. I could call the press and tell them what rubbish that man was talking. I will explain how because of my work you have helped by taking my daughter to school and so on. That you are a kind and loving person who has never done anything to harm her. I’ll tell them the story about a sect is pure rubbish. Would that help?”

Wordlessly I asked Cherine about her motives. She replied her mother is being sincere, but that she will not go.

“Cherine, don’t think of this as a separation. Think of it as an experiment. Can the three of us be separate at a time of crisis and still be able to support each other, be as one? If we can, our strength is far greater than we thought. What I feared is our weakness will become a comfort to me.

Your mother is right. The public will be outraged if they believe I am harming a child. I promise you, they will not listen to reason if they find us. Nor will the media listen to Dominique if you are the big part of their story. If I am the only one in hiding, they will forget me. What do you say my love? You know I will be with you at all times. No more blocking you, I promise, whatever happens.”

While we waited for Themi to return, Cherine and I went to the bedroom, without Marian protesting, and lay down, naked, our bodies clasped, with just a sheet over us. We went out together to our Dommi. She felt the emotions we sent, but could not hear us. I tried to use the same method as I had already used to draw her in, but she was too preoccupied with the real world and her fears. We soothed her. Then I had a brainwave, a really nasty one. Cherine picked it up, hesitated a moment and we began to send her fear and pain. She moaned and closed her eyes. We intensified her pain, with me filling myself with her pain and my fear for her.

150

As it came at us, it sensed the involvement of Cherine and hesitated. It could not help Dommi by attacking her. It hovered over us, shaking in it’s uncertainty. It could not bear to feel the pain and do nothing, yet it could not do what I need if it might hurt Cherine. I began to fear it might end up destroying itself, so I urgently sent as strongly as I could the solution. *Make it possible for Dommi to talk with us, open that part of her mind and Cherine will no longer need to hurt her.* It instantly disappeared.

*Dommi,* we kept calling, *we must talk to you. Can you hear us. Please answer.*

Soon we heard her uncertain answer. We were all caught up in an indescribable joy for a time. When I could, I showed her the broadcast of her brother. A white hot fury shot out of her. I had to stop Cherine from soothing her with our love. We told her of our decision about Cherine and she agreed with me, which also helped make Cherine accept it as necessary. I reminded her to keep her head and suggested she returns to our flat in Kolonaki once she has finished with the media, so as to be close to Cherine and Marian, then we returned to our bodies.

Cherine and I lay exhausted, our bodies stuck to each other with our sweat from the energy we’d used for contacting Dommi. It did not take long for the whiplash of energy we had stirred up, to bring our bodies to a heightened sensitivity and then to a boiling passion.

As our tongues and fingers brought us to the height of our passion and Cherine was bouncing our emotions and passions in a growing spiral of fire, we sensed Dommi with us. I sent her a query, she sent a picture of her embarrassment at being in public while squirming with our/her passion. I knew the climax could send her into screaming paroxysms. I informed Cherine and made her slowly fade away from Dommi, with a promise that we will be returning. The interruption caused us to need a few extra seconds to return to the point of no return. I turned Cherine and holding her tightly kissed her with all my love flowing into her.

“At last. I was beginning to think you would never make love to me as your wife.” Her grin was infectious…if only we’d had time to be happy.

She sensed her mother coming and was going to stop her. I shook my head and placed the sheet over us again. Marian entered and saw our glowing eyes, saw our sheet covered bodies lying entwined and smelt our lovemaking as it permeated the room. She hesitated a moment then seated herself at our side.

“It was a success then? I could feel a strong feeling of joy and knew it must be from the two of you.”

We nodded and she lifted the side of the sheet, looking at her daughter clasped to me. She patted her bum and smiled. “You got a sexy little bum, you know that?” She got up and left us.

It was so lovely holding my love I could not bear to let her go. I began to nuzzle her again and we were soon rolling in a gentle orgasm that filled us with its warmth.

When we finally got dressed, with Dommi back on line again, she sent us a huge smilie face. She let us know she is arriving at her parents house. We returned to Marian so that we can translate-forward for her what we will be sharing from Dommi. As it turned out it was barely necessary, technology was doing our job for us. The television crew were outside when she arrived and they converged upon her. Themi walked in and sat to watch.

She refused to answer their questions and told them she will gladly make a statement if they let her speak without interruption. “I was distressed to see and hear my brother earlier. I think it is time the people are told the truth about this man the press have called an angel and now, a devil.

He is neither. He is a good man, gentle and loving. I have known him since I was a small girl. He was a friend of my brother and my family. He has told me what happened with the young boy he saved. He was walking behind the boy when he saw the boy stumble into the path of the car. Instinctively, he says, he grabbed and threw the boy back onto the pavement, losing his balance and stumbling into the road. He woke up in the hospital in shock and says he did not feel any pain. When he was taken to the clinic and treated he began to get worse instead of better. The doctors said he did not want to live. That was because he and I had argued and I had hurt him, making him think I did not love him anymore. The little girl, a foreigner he looks after while her mother works, loves him also, so she was with at the clinic. She begged me to pray for him. When I agreed she lay next to him, hoping, with the faith of a child, God would feel her love for him and save him. I prayed, telling God that though this man is not of our faith, not a Greek Orthodox, he is a good man, that he is dying because he risked his life to save a child and because of my own stupidity and selfishness. God heard us. He gave us His miracle and I thank Him with all my heart. Maybe He did listen because of the faith and love of a child.

Next Post 014

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

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{4th March, 2019}

* posted on Steemit:4th March, 2019



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