If my real memories are those of my life as in my writings, and if Keith is right about this being a different reality, how is it I also seem to have a few hazy memories of the local Robert, or is it that we share certain memories? It sounded too crazy to be real, which is why I did not tell Keith.

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581

“How do you explain your use of so many Greek words. Have you been to Greece?”

“In this world? How can I know.”

“Strange.”

This man of surprises began to ask me difficult questions about computers, graphic art, the internet. He must have been satisfied by my knowledge for he switched tack. “This man Alki. Have you ever met him in this reality?”

“Keith, how can I say? My first post-diary memory is of sitting on the ground three days ago, facing my father. I do not recall the institute and nothing else either.”

“Does anything give you the impression that this is not your real world. That this is the imaginary reality, instead of the other, as the documents say here?”

“This reality feels very real. The cold, the pain, the lump on my jaw from my father hitting me. The food you fed me. But you are right, something is not real about this world.”

“Can you say what?”

“Yes. You. You cannot be real. You are not disgusted by my loving children; you, a farmer, have an in-depth knowledge of computers and talk about alternate realities; you take me in - that does not happen anymore, too many rotten people in this country, people do not take the risk. Even your questioning of me, your attitude, they are all not normal. I’m starting to think I’ve withdrawn into an imaginary world and you don’t really exist.”

He laughed with a deep rumble that must have begun its journey from his stomach. “Robert, there is nothing stranger in this or any other world than coincidence. I will give you a bit of information about myself if it will help you.”

“No. I do not want you to, I don’t think I can handle more craziness. Maybe later.”

“That was wise of you. I have locked the dogs in the barn. Take a walk around, build up your strength. I will read some more and we can talk this evening after supper.”

My anger at his commandeering my file had evaporated. Even the personal details, my rapturous carrying ons about our sex life did not embarrass me. It was as if I felt he was sympathetic, that he understood. Maybe privacy is important because we fear our vulnerable moments will be viewed critically.

I was restless the whole afternoon, eager to return to my conversation with him, to find out what his impressions of the story of my life are. Thanks to him I no longer thought of my memories as being false. There were far too many memories, the diary had only skimmed through them, while the memories of this world were far too skimpy. I kept touching everything, feeling their textures, trying to understand how this world could also be so real. For it had now come to the point where I was truly wondering whether I am not in reality locked within my own mind, driven to create this world and Keith out of my despair - I could understand that my father had a role to play, but I did not sympathise with whatever gift it was which had created the damn dogs, I was scared of them. I told myself that perhaps by sharing the motes of Meli I’d opened another door in my mind.

He was silent that evening throughout our meal. When we retired to the fireside he sat down heavily, troubled.

“While you were out this afternoon I called the school. They have records of you and of your friend Nicko. I got the operator to find me the number of his family and called them in Greece. I spoke to the father. He confirmed they knew you, that your recollections of spending weekends with them were correct. I regret I had to say you had a nervous breakdown to explain the reason for my questions. I asked whether they have a daughter and your Dominique does exist. I asked what kind of work you did and they said you were an artist. I said, ‘you mean a computer graphic artist?’ and he refuted that. Said you know nothing about computers. They also confirmed that you have never been to Greece and can’t speak Greek.”

582

“As you said, it all ends up meaning nothing.”

“Oh no, not quite. Where did you get your computer knowledge? You don’t pick that up in a mental institute. Nor would they have taught you Greek. I feel the key to getting you back to your world is within this file. I would ask you a favour. Be patient, this document written by you is massive. I will need at least another day to read it and think on what I learn. Here is what I suggest.

Finding an answer to your problem may take a while and I have a farm to run. It is small and the work usually just about fills up my day. I would like you to begin helping me out as from tomorrow morning. With the two of us doing the chores there will be more time to consider your problem. It would also be unbearable for you to sit around all day with nothing to do but remember your wives and children.”

I actually felt grateful he was allowing me to work! I nodded, “I would be grateful for something to do to keep my hands busy. It just might help keep me sane.”

“You can thank me tomorrow night when you are stiff and sore. I suggest we have an early night, work starts at dawn.”

I smiled. “I know, I remember from my childhood in Kenya.”

I lay awake for hours thinking of my loves, my friends and the life lost to me. I did not shed one more tear. The time for that was past, now it was my responsibility to see that I return. I could not afford to waste energy on self pity.

I got to feel how real this world was thanks to the aches throughout my body that day. At supper I could hardly hold myself up straight and every movement was painful. When we moved to the fireside I sat down gingerly while he grinned.

“You said I should thank you tonight. Thank you Keith.”

He chortled. “So your sense of humour has survived. Good. It was one of the few endearing qualities of yours I find in your diary. You know that your father was wrong? Even as a character in an imaginary world, as he believed, he should have seen the strength.”

For the first time that day tears came to my eyes at him calling it my ‘diary’.

“You go to bed, I have a lot of reading. Robert, if I may make a suggestion. Take a hot bath, soak in a hot tub before going to bed. You will sleep a lot better.”

By the fourth day of work my limbs were loosening up, but my mind was driving me crazy. My heart would not let it rest a second.

“Keith you have read and know of the link. Every time it was cut off I died. Cherine barely survived, her determination to save me saving her. Why, or how, have I survived it for so many days?”

“The same question had occurred to me. The only reasonable answer is that it may be that your mind and body never had the link in this world, so it cannot affect you in this body. If you are using the body of your alternate, his brain would not have opened the same doors you did in yours. That brings up the question, where is your alternate? Could he have taken over your body? Somehow I think not, your Cherine would have recognised him as being a different version of you and she would have ordered the protector to return you.”

I felt the blood drain from my face and he sat up.

“Oh God! Cherine!! How is she surviving this? I have to get back now.”

“I was afraid you would think of that. I have nothing I can say to console you. Courage son, you must keep yourself alert and despair will not help.” He frowned, considering whether he should give me hope. “Robert, there always is the possibility that the length of time you spend here will not affect time in your reality.”

583

That night I spent hours trying to force a message through to Cherine. I felt nothing was happening. I had no gifts here. I was reduced for a while to tears, but then my determination won. I would get back. If she had died the others would have taken her to our World. I would join them there.

The days turned into weeks. The routine of the farm built up my body, but I was getting to the point I could not bear the separation anymore.

“Robert, the more I think of the last pages of your diary the more it becomes obvious to me that you are here for a reason. Your tendency of trying to suicide whenever you cannot bear a pain you cause the girls, you are here to cure that. The confrontation with your father must have been part of the cure. I would say you have developed a little steel, not just in your muscles, but in your heart. Allow me to quote your diary.”

He leafed through to almost the last page and then read out to me, emphasising the important sentences, “I do not understand, if I have caused this fear in all of you, why hasn’t the protector done something about it?”… “It identifies itself as being part of the problem and does not know what to do. You need to work this one out by yourself love. Even we cannot help you…’

He looked at me. “What if her words were heard by the protector and it accepted what she said as being the solution, the only way it can help its charges? If so, it means your protector moved you here.” He watched me for a few seconds. “You have become stronger. It may be time I tell you of myself, so that you do not feel you are not understood.”

He got himself a whisky and took a large gulp, placed the glass down and pulled up his sleeves. I saw the criss-cross of scars across his wrists.

“I was a professor teaching at university, which one does not matter to you. In my laboratory I was trying to develop a new chip, what we called a protein chip. If we had succeeded it would have revolutionised the world of computers, placing the industry and Britain fifty years into the future.

My life was filled with the joy of tackling and sometimes solving problems. My students were bright and keen, grateful to be part of a research so advanced. Apart from the advanced knowledge acquired, they knew that even if we failed, the experience they gained would secure their futures.

Unlike the usual professors, I had not taken a holiday for over two years when I was called in and told I had to take a holiday, I was breaking the labour law for one and it was pointed out that a change of scenery might stimulate me, giving me a new perspective on our problems. We happened to be in one of those doldrums stages of our experiments where there was nothing but boring tests to be done, which my students could handle, so I agreed to take my holiday immediately.

Being British and a sheep when it comes to such matters, I stocked up on a number of books and followed my countrymen to Spain. The first week I enjoyed my swims and the sun. I was not interested in seeing the tourist sites, I tend to be more fascinated by the future than the past and I prefer not to romanticise either. All I wanted was a swim, some sun and lots of paper to jot down the ideas that came to me. If I did not have any ideas I had a store of science fiction stories to keep me occupied. By the way Robert, my taste in science fiction differs from yours; I prefer well written stories with hard science, not the imaginary impossible stuff that properly belongs to fantasy - for which I have little patience. If everything in your diary is correct, then I am going to have to change my way of thinking.

It was during the second week, as I was walking to the pool, that I saw an English girl sitting on a low wall overlooking the pool. I would not have paid any further attention to her, but I realised she was sobbing her heart out. Not really knowing how to deal with her, or what to say, I went and stood to the one side of her and softly spoke to her. I cannot recall what I said, but she was soon confiding in me. She was from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on holiday in Spain with her parents, and she told me she had fallen in love with a young Spanish boy a couple of years older than her. He pretended to be interested but soon got tired of the game and abandoned her.

584

It broke my heart that she should be facing the miseries of the human condition from such a young age. She was only eleven years old Robert.”

The pain on his face, his eyes unseeing on the flames, told me which way this story was heading. I thought I now understood his remarkable empathy and why he was confiding in me.

“I managed to cheer her up a bit and soon she was there every day, joining me at the pool. It was not long before her natural childish joy for life had buried the memory of her failed first love. She was a lot like you. As she regained her self confidence she loved to tease me, ignoring our age difference and I loved the way it sounded with her soft accent. I could not understand why she preferred my company, there were a number of kids of her own age but she ignored them and spent her days with me, despite my laying down rules, for instance, insisting she eats proper meals instead of the junk food she seemed to thrive on, and I made her go to bed at a reasonable hour.

It seems her parents were determined to see every tourist site, every damn cockroach in every grubby flamenco club. They spent their days away. They returned to bathe, see to her supper and they were gone again. Having met them, I realised she could never have had a lot of love from them, they were two selfish people more interested in themselves and they thought that the way to have fun is to get drunk. It made me feel her interest in me was her need for a father figure.

To tell you the truth, I was enjoying playing at being her father and even resented the few hours she had to spend with her real parents. For the first time I realised what my mania about my work had cost me and I wished she truly were my daughter. I found the idea of returning to the university and living without her bright presence depressing.

I’m not the kind who fools himself and I knew I would return to my work and do nothing about finding a woman to have a child. It made the little time I had left with her even more precious.

Close to the end of my holiday, one evening she didn’t want to go to sleep at her usual time. I insisted and took her to her room. To persuade her, I pretended I was tired and only wanted to read for a few minutes and then sleep.

When I returned to my room, I had a shower, put on a pair of briefs - as usual the air conditioning wasn’t working, and lay on the bed reading, hoping it would get cool enough to sleep soon.

About an hour later I heard a frantic knocking at my door. I opened it slightly, a towel around my midriff, to see who it was. It was her, barefoot and in a short nightie, her face wet with tears. I opened and she came in. She’d had a nightmare that something terrible happened to me and had run to my room in a panic.

As you can imagine I was touched. She is one of the loveliest girls I have ever seen and to know she had cried for me touched my heart. She clung to me and sobbed at the memory of the nightmare. The room was fairly small and the only place to sit was on the bed.

At first she sat alongside me, her shuddering little frame tight against me. As she calmed down a bit she got up and sat herself on my lap, facing me. She held herself to me tightly, her head against my chest. I felt my pecker grow stiff at the warm feel of her. I could not believe how precious she felt to me. To avoid her feeling my arousal under her I lay back, pulling her off that part of me so that she partly lay upon my chest.

It was not long before her lips were kissing my face and then fully on my mouth. I was weak Robert, I let her. I had closed my eyes and when she suddenly withdrew, I remained with eyes closed, lost in wonder at how wonderful it had felt. Her movements did not warn me, but when I felt the towel being pulled off I jerked up and my eyes flew open. She had thrown off her nightie and gripping the edge of my briefs she gave a sharp pull, exposing my arousal. I was paralysed by the intense look on her face and the sight of her slight body. Me, a grown man, a professor, a man of the intellect, frozen. The desire that hit me was such a raging lust as I had never felt before.

Oh god, when her fingers felt their way along me, I think I croaked her name in protest but she only pushed her hand against my chest and I let myself fall back. She pulled at my briefs and got them off me.

585

As you can see, I am a big man and I am big there too, thicker than usual, so it did not cross my mind that it would be possible to have intercourse. Just the feel of her little fingers were enough for me. Even when she placed her lips on my body, her tongue licking my stomach, I could not imagine anything more happening. There was no way she could fit me in her.

I do not think she even though of that, she was not sophisticated about sexual matters, more interested in exploring me I think. When she pulled away I was already on the verge of exploding, so I was disappointed, but also glad I was being reprieved of committing a sin against her.

Then I felt her legs, those slim thighs on either side of me and she cried out my name, that she loves me, and gripping me she speared herself, thrusting down, even as she screamed with the pain. She began to shudder violently and I felt the spasms within her. As they subsided she fell over my chest and wept. She seemed inconsolable as she sobbed, her whole body shaking.

What can I say of the pain of guilt that swept through me? Before she left she was kissing me and speaking of her love for me. For some reason I felt it impossible to tell her that I felt that way about her also. All I did was silently cleanse her of her blood. I was in shock, how could she have bled so much?

I got her to her room and once I had tucked her in I stroked her hair gently until she slept. Even in her sleep she gave little gasps and sighs as children do when they have cried for too long and too deeply. I returned to my room a shattered man.

I never pretended the responsibility was hers. I had sunk into depths of shame and disgust at myself and I thought, oh god, what do I say to her tomorrow, how do I face her…a picture came to me of how she would look in her tiny bikini, of her slim legs, those slim boyish hips and I stiffened again. I felt a horror and disgust at myself I cannot describe.

I rushed to my bathroom and taking the razor slashed at my wrists. Robert as I saw the blood gush out in streams I felt relief, as if I was saving her from me, as if I was doing penance for despoiling her. Weakening I stumbled, trying to get to my bed. It later transpired that what I actually did was knock the phone off the hook. The operator heard the sounds of me stumbling and groaning and sent someone to check on me. They took me to hospital and as you see I was saved. God how I wish I had not been.”

He took the rest of his whisky in one gulp, his body bent forward as he re-lived his anguish.

“It is not the end of my story. The next morning she was seen dashing happily to the pool. When she did not see me there she came to my room. The maids were busy cleaning up the room, my blood all over the towels and sheets they had thrown on the floor. Fearfully she asked them what had happened. In poor English one of the maids told her the Englishman had committed suicide last night.

The last she was seen, she was walking down to the beach, tears flowing down her cheeks as she walked into the sea. Her body was found hours later by a couple in a boat.”

As he shook with his agony he cried out, “Oh my baby, my baby.” The painful lump in my throat turned to tears as I wept with him.

When his sobs subsided he spoke in a hoarse whisper. “Go back to Cherine, Robert. Go back now. If you find you can, return for me, take me to your world. Just to see that there she still lives. Please."

I put my arms around him and all the pain in me seemed to join with his and I screamed at my protector, ordering it to return us to my world. A flash of white hit me and I lost consciousness.

586

PART SIXTEEN

Chapter Sixty Five

When I awoke I was in our bedroom, I was sprawled over Keith.

Quickly I got up and looked around, waiting to sense the link, to feel my girls. There was nothing. Stunned I saw the bedroom was empty. No furniture, totally empty. For a second I thought in my daze that we must have ended up in a different reality again. Then I screamed and screamed and even as Keith regained consciousness and his arms held me tightly in their steely grip, I continued to scream until I fainted.

Keith had guessed immediately and held me tightly even during his initial shock. He lifted my body and carried me through the house. It was all empty. He recalled from my diary that Alki lived next door and smashed the locked garden glass door and walked around to the side until he saw the opening.

Holding me as he was, he kicked at the door to their house. A woman opened the door.

“For gods sake, are you Marian?” She screamed as she saw me and fainted.

As I stirred, Keith set me on my feet, still holding me, and shouted for Alki. He came and staggered when he saw me. Both of us, our faces bloodless, stared at each other. Without a word he bent over and picking up Marian carried her into the house. We followed.

He set her down on the sofa and when he turned to me I saw how his face had aged, the lines of unbearable grief etched into his face.

“They are dead Roberto. All of them, all our lovely girls. They died soon after you disappeared and Cherine died...my babies all dead you bastard!!”

I could not stop my trembling, even as I felt myself shattered, falling away. “I know Alki. Are they in the Kaleidoscope World?”

“How the fuck do you expect me to know! With them gone how do you expect me to go there?”

I desperately held on for Keith’s sake. “Alki, this man helped return me from where I was trapped, he’ll explain to you. My last call on you for the love you used to have for me, give him what money you can and get Tasso to help him with documents; he has a terrible grief and needs to see if this world holds any redemption for him. He gave up a lot to come here. Please.”

“And you, you…where are you going?”

“First tell me, surely Claudia did not also die. She was too new to us.”

“No. But she might as well have. Her sister collected her, but she is nothing but a shell. You have destroyed her too.”

I had already given up all hope, my shoulders were slumped as I replied, “I have a lot to answer for, I cannot ask for forgiveness. One more favour. Please speak to Claudia, tell her I did return, that I was trapped in another world for all this time. I do not know how or why it happened. Tell her to live her life, I will be waiting for her in the Kaleidoscope World.”

I saw his eyes brighten with hope. “How will you get there…you have the power?”

587

“No Alki, I have no power. I will have to go there the same way you will one day. Can’t you see already? My Cherine, her link, it is gone. I cannot live here anymore. I still love you and Marian. Give to my mother and the others my love. I will be waiting for you, each at your own time.”

I stopped fighting and called. I called and called as I slid into the total dark of the void.

I called and called as the void bit into me with its icy teeth and a shadow of light wrapped itself around me. *Sleep my baby. You are coming home* *Dommi? Cherine? Is she with you?* *Shh, we are all here. It is I, you will soon be with all those you love.*

I was rejoicing. Robert was back, part of I. Now I was complete. The burst of love that flashed out was enough to light the void all the way to the alien Worlds. For a long while it was all that mattered. Then I saw the story of the Robert part and understood he had not abandoned those others of I. Again the rejoicing.

The Robert part remained confused far longer than he should have and refused to meld in totally. I became disturbed, distressed. He fought and raged against the fate of the other parts. He called on his protector until I showed him how to access it, allowing him his individuality within me.

Wildly he demanded of his protector, *There must be a way back. There is a way. Either you find it or I meld you back into me and find the way myself.* (I gave it a voice, for I knew my Robert, he would fight beyond reason.) *I cannot find a way to return them and you to life. You may meld me back into you, there is no further purpose to my existence.* *Fuck you. You wait until I tell you to do so. You, the fucking I, give me Cherine. I need to speak to her.* *There is no need, the Cherine part is part of I, you may speak.*

He shot such a hatred of I he destabilised our World. There is no excuse for what he did, he did it with full knowledge of what he was doing. I released the Cherine essence to try and talk sense to him.

*Robert love. Please stop this. We are all together again, it is all that matters.* *This is not my Cherine, it is not even the ghost of my girl. Don’t you dare tell me what matters or else I’ll give you the thrashing of your life soon as I get us back. I will not accept this, if I have to fight you all for the next thousand years.* *A thousand years here is like nothing. It will pass love, but you will become…* *You think so? You think I will spend all of time with this vapid version of my love? Where is the girl who waggled her fingers behind her back at me, where is the spirit that made me love her?* *There is nothing we can do love. Our deaths were too painful, we are all changed.* *Let me remind you of something you seem to have forgotten. I no longer fear the protector. It does not rule my life anymore. I told that fucking I to release my Cherine but it gives me this shadow; either I have all of you back to talk to or I attack your I. This time I will hurt it badly...I’ll damn well shatter it if I have to.* *The I is all of us that you love. You would attack us?* *Yes!!*

*Oh Robert, why are you always so stubborn? If you hurt our World we will all die. You must not do that, not to our loves, our daughters.* *You still do not sound like my Cherine, but I can sense it is all of you now. If you still had the spirit I love, you would be wondering why I fight and be secretly cheering me on. I have an idea how to get us all back to our normal lives, not this shitty ‘I’ business.*

I felt her grief. *My love, our bodies were buried a long time ago. There is no way we can return.*

A pang of pain hit me at her words, but a rage also grew. I called the protector and gave it my orders. It left.

*What now my love?* *You said a thousand years were as nothing, now you cannot wait a few minutes?*

The protector returned. It confirmed what I suspected.

*Cherine, my Cherry baby. We will return. Now listen carefully. How did you girls create Diana?* She was silent a long time. Far too long, but I knew what was going on in her heart and waited. Finally she had to say it. *We cannot be made out of nothing. The healers need a cell from each of us. It is too late Robert. Oh I am so sorry, it was such a good idea, but it is too late.* *Ha! Got you, you little minx. You are always so certain you are so clever! All we need is one cell with genetic information to build on. I’ve got millions, of each one of you! Back in our home, all over the place are hairs and skin cells.*

Suddenly there was a flame of hope in her. I felt the disbelief of the I and then it saw the truth in my thoughts.

588

*Cherine send your healer with my protector. Look at it, you can see how it suddenly is alive again? It too sees it can do its job again. Let them create your body. Then you and I return. You can then link me to you once more, we were the first and will be the first again. We’ll come back here to collect the others and help them to return. You and I will stay with the last two so that this stupid World doesn’t collapse and leave them to the void.*

My healer had long since returned to my body bringing it back to life, repairing the damages of death. When I stirred the other three in the room surrounded me.

“Alki, Marian, dear mother in law, Cherine will be here in a few seconds or minutes, not too sure exactly how long it takes. They are all coming back.”

Alki fell back, drawing away from me in terror. “Den einai dynaton! (It is not possible). We buried their bodies nearly a month ago!”

“Tell me, our home, it is still ours?”

Marian, with a desperate hope in her eyes, replied. “Yes.”

“You see Alki. You never really lost faith, you kept it for us. I guess everything happening too suddenly put you in shock, but you know how it is. Once our gifts get started everything moves fast. Ah, I hear my love, she comes now Marian. Poor girl has no clothes, can you get her something before she has to face my friend?”

Her silvery laugh announced her. She walked through the open door. “Keith, I am so glad to meet you. What you did for our Robert will never be forgotten by any of us.” Careless of her nudity she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Marian had rushed back with a tablecloth and seeing Cherine cried out and swooned on us again. Cherine held her head on her lap until she had regained consciousness. Alki just sat weeping, an old man taken past his endurance, or so he thought. I ordered my healer to see to him before returning to help the others. It soon advised me he is well and disappeared.

I waited till the joyful hugs and tears had been shed for a few seconds. After all, I did not have much time.

“Marian, you really must get out of this habit of fainting - you never used to faint, has being married to a Greek changed you this much?” I sensed her sprit flare and relaxed. “We are going to need a whole lot of clothes, the others are coming.” My eyes widened and I struck my forehead. “Cherine, just when I thought I was so clever! Of course! Their healers re-created them all at the same time. Thank God!! At least I won’t have to return to that insufferable ‘I’ again for a while.” As Cherine was about to protest she saw the twinkle in my eyes, anyway the other girls all marched in, first going to Keith and greeting him with a kiss, thanking him. Then they were free to kiss Alki, Marian, each other and even me. I doubt there was this much crying even at their funerals. Even Keith was weeping.

Finally I could think again and I hugged Cherine to me. “Cherine love, which would you say is truer. Joy cannot wait or grief cannot wait to be relieved?”

“Grief my love. You are right. Keith, do you know where she lives, have you been anywhere close to her home?”

“Yes. I know what you mean. There is an alley near her home. I stood there trying to find the courage to face her parents. But thank you, it is not time yet. I need more time for adjusting, I only half believe I am here…and you…” He pointed at everyone else.

“We can wait Keith.”

“I do not think so. Surely you need clothes first?”

“Keith” I asked, “ I wonder if you already exist here?”

589

“If I do, I do not want to meet him, me, whatever. If she is still alive he is probably still at the university and is a bore, still thinks the world revolves around his brilliant ideas.”

Alki cut in, to tell me, “All your things are in storage, I did not have the heart to get rid of anything, but I cannot get them to deliver right now. We better go buy some clothes for all of you. Cherine, Dominique, your trust money; the money is no longer available to you. I would imagine they are frozen to be returned to your parents, after expenses and so on. I’ll have to let our attorneys know…”

“Dommi love, your parents, how do we handle this. We don’t want to give them a heart attack.”

Marian sounded like the old Marian, her voice acerbic, “I did not notice you being so considerate of us Robert.”

I grinned. “Joking aside, before I brought the girls back, I did send the healer to you and Alki. How else would I have known you are expecting your next child?”

During all the hubbub another little girl appeared. The girls all rushed to her, kissing and hugging her, tears flowing. I stood there wondering what this was all about when another girl appeared. Marian was starting to looking harassed. I did not recognise either of them with certainty. Well, the one, the Greek girl was familiar.

“Robert. I have a surprise for you. This is your sister Laura.” Cherine said. I took the hands of Laura in mine and my heart filled with a tenderness. “Robert, your mother does not know, Laura is not a new soul. That is why we asked your mother to give her the name of her first daughter. Robert, this is Laura, your baby sister who died when she was four years old. Her soul clung to your mother, she felt her grief and how alone she was and did not go to the void.” Tears fell from my cheeks as I pulled her to me and hugged her. When I was able to let go, the other girl came. I had seen her only once before at a younger age and recognised her now. She is a strange faced, but lovely dark haired girl.

She has an olive complexion and her eyes are huge, almond shaped eyes with pupils like black olives. She has a slightly pointed chin to her strong face and her beauty is not in each individual feature, but in the sum of them. She will disturb many hearts and already I could see the fire that smoulders in her. I smiled with a happiness that surprised her. I greeted her in Greek.

“You are well named Agapi. How is your family? Did you tell them we are back?”

“They should be here soon…if my mother can stop crying long enough to get dressed. So, you are the Robert I remember, I am going to like you,” she answered in English. Without inhibition she gave me a hug. Though I could feel she is part of the circle of her family, when she hugged me she did not do what girls normally do. She pressed her hips up against my legs. I pulled up her face and gave her a kiss on her soft lips. Softly I asked.

“Are you going to be a tease Agapi?”

“I was told you love to be teased.” Her impudent, naughty look went straight to my heart. She felt it and pulled away. She put her lips to my ear and whispered in Greek, “If you ever find yourself without a woman, you call me.” She bounced away, obviously relishing her effect on me. I shook my head wondering. This was the first time I have seen any of the girls show any interest in flirting with someone outside of their circle. I had not asked for privacy so all my girls stood watching me with a smile.

To take their mind off the display, I asked, “Keith, you never told me the name of your girl”

“After watching you, do you honestly expect me to?” He turned to Alki. “Nine of the most gorgeous girls I’ve ever seen and he flirts with the first new girl he sees!”

“I see you have caught on fast Keith. Keep him far away from your girl and any daughters you have with her. If she hasn’t got breasts yet he will steal her fr.. what is wrong?”

The sadness emanated from him in palpable waves. “I think you misunderstand me. I only need to see she lives. The one I love, she is dead.”

“But Keith…” I tried to interject.

590

“Robert, you found your Dommi exists in my world, why did you not try to go to her, to meet her?”

I kept silent, but I understood. While all of them continued to turn our return into a celebration I wandered around the room troubled. The obvious thought which had come to me was wrong. Surely I cannot change history, in this world or any other? I walked off to the kitchen, made a coffee and was not surprised to feel Cherine enter the room.

“Do it Robert. He is a good man.”

I nodded, my heart in my throat, fearing that I would be playing ‘god’. I called the protector and explained. It needed to know the time and place, but none of us had been there. We returned to Keith.

“Keith, my protector needs to enter your mind, but it will not do so unless you give it permission.”

“What for?” There was an edge of superstitious fear in his question. Alki took him by the arm.

“There is no need to fear. I suggest that if he asks, allow it. You are safe, see, it is not only him, Cherine is with him.”

“What an insulting thing to imply Alki. As if I need Cherine to be honourable.”

“Your protector is welcome, will I feel it?”

“No, unless it triggers any memories.”

I was right. The tears that flowed showed us that. Alki made him sit down while we all waited silently.

The protector found her soul at her moment of death and stole a cell from her drifting body and with the help of my healer she was brought to us. Diana immediately whipped off her sheet and wrapped it around the shocked girl.

Keith, his face totally devoid of any colour staggered to her, felt her cheek and collapsed at her feet. She stared at him lying at her feet, but did not make a move. Dommi went to her.

“This is a shock for you also, do you need to sit?” She just stared at Dommi numbly. “Do you still love him? He has braved a lot to bring you back.”

She glanced down at him again. “He is alive? I felt myself die, it was horrible, how did I get here?”

“We will explain, or maybe Keith will once he recovers. He has been hurting for a long time because of what happened to you. If you still love him, show it to him, ease his heart. There will be a lot of time for explanations later.”

She knelt and touched his face. Tears welled, dropping onto him even as he opened his eyes.

Tasso and family arrived. Soon after, my mother with Natalie and Themi arrived. From all the tears anyone would have thought this was a gathering at a funeral. As my mother stood by me, I put my arm around Laura. She watched the two of us together and I saw she thought her happiness was complete.

“I think she should know Laura, otherwise there will always be an ache in her heart. You want to tell her?”

“No, you do it.”

As gently and as clearly as I could, I explained. There had been too many miracles for her to absorb and this one was such a pain in her that it took a long time for her to accept it. Once she did, we all felt the change in her and Laura, weeping, flung her arms around her mother.

“Robert, I’m going to get Claudia back.”

“No Cherine. Let her be. She is better off with her sister.”

Next Post 058

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

Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου

(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
^{12th April, 2019}

* posted on Steemit: 12th April, 2019



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