Ken rubbed his neck, then glared at Natalia. “You’re stronger than you look.”
Alisa bent down to him. “You know, I could add another room or two to the house.”
“No more manipulating the reality of my house with your twisted technological contraptions!”
“Pity,” Alisa frowned.
“Pity!? Why is it a pity if I don’t want my house sucked into a black hole when reality collapses in on itself!?”
“I guess . . . the, um . . . last question . . .” Sasha started to say.
“Yes?”
“What does your wife think of this?”
“She’s not my wife!”
They looked over to Cassandra.
“No problem at all. Just so long as you don’t cheat on me, dear.”
Ken put his hands to his head and screamed in frustration.
* * *
Ken escorted Amelta to her minivan.
“I think she’ll be in good hands,” Amelta said.
“I think so, too,” Ken agreed.
“I . . . really messed up here. I am . . . really sorry.”
“I already told you, I’m not the one you should be feeling sorry for. I just reacted like I normally do. Though I admit I don’t have much delicacy when it comes to things like this.”
“As much as I don’t want to believe it, this was my wake-up call. I’ve got to take my job a lot more seriously. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to have to make my rounds.” She chuckled to herself. “Despite how much I messed this up and have to live with it, there is one good thing that came about it.”
“How’s that?”
“I know you’ll take good care of the girls here, and protect them from being mistreated.”
“Amelta, besides being angry that she was being mistreated, do you know the other reason that I was mad?”
“No. Why is that?”
“It’s because I couldn’t stand the fact that she might walk away from this planet, thinking that Earthlings are all the same. Granted, there are bad people on this planet, just like any other planet, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’d feel bad without at least somehow showing what she would be missing if she walked away.”
Amelta looked up at him and tilted her head. “You really are an amazing person. I’m glad you’re there to be a positive influence.”
“Positive influence?”
She nodded.
“How so? I mean, I may not be the best person they should be learning from.”
She shook her head and gave him a smile to let him know he was wrong. “There are few people in this world as valuable as those who will put themselves on the line for someone else. It’s just my personal opinion, but I think that’s the best thing those from other planets can learn from those on Earth.”
“Wait. Don’t people on other planets do things like that?”
She nodded. “They do, but you have to understand something. Right now, Earth is still relatively unknown in the Republic. It may be a little rude, but your little planet is in the middle of nowhere. Think the ‘countryside’ of the universe. Therefore, there are already preconceptions of how Earthlings act.”
“I’d like to argue over fact, but maybe it’s because I’m biased . . . being an Earthling and all.”
“I understand how you feel. Otherworlders aren’t always the open-minded, advanced people you may think they are.” She leaned against her minivan and looked up at the sky. “I’ve experienced some Earth fiction about the future, and most visions of an interstellar utopia couldn’t be farther from the truth. Wouldn’t you call that a preconception as well?”
“Sorry, but I’m not entirely sure what you’re trying to get at.”
“Your tenants may know about how the universe works, but they’ve had relatively little experience with other worlds. The Entine Republic realizes this, and thus the need for this program.”
“How does this relate to the ‘countryside of the universe’?”
“Sorry, Mister Goldwrite, I’m a bit scatterbrained and get off track a lot. What I’m trying to get at is that if you’re shown something new and unfamiliar, such as a situation, once you find out it’s not different than something you’ve done before, you become more comfortable with it, and it eventually becomes as normal and familiar as anything else in your life, regardless of how foreign it was in the beginning.”
“So, you’re talking about them getting used to me?”
Amelta smiled. “The program is a two-way street. In the case of your girls, what you’ve done today has undoubtedly had a powerful effect on them. Once they’ve seen how the virtues of an Earthling coincide with the virtues of their own planets, they’ll be more comfortable here.”
“I didn’t really mean to. That’s just how I am.”
“And that’s why you’ll be a positive influence. I think they’ve come to respect you now.”
Ken looked at the ground, thinking about the opposite of what could happen. “Then . . . what am I supposed to do when the bad things that happen are the same as on their own planets?”
“Let’s not think about that. Try and do your best.”
“I will certainly try.”
“Until next time, Mister Goldwrite.”
Chapter Seven
Or, A (Not So) Healthy Dose of Phoning Home!
The next morning, Sasha was up earlier than anyone. She had slept in a real bed, and she was thankful. Ken had volunteered his room for her, and he took a sofa in the living room.
She was doing her best to put her experiences at the previous landlord behind her, and compared to there, the new house was a paradise. There were five tenants other than her, and even though the house was filled, the offer from Kenaeth Goldwrite to stay was something that comforted her. She wouldn’t have to go home and explain to her parents that she was mistreated. Putting her parents at ease was the most important thing for her.
She got dressed in her uniform, made Ken’s bed, and went into the living room. He was lying on his side on the couch, and Katrina sleeping on top of the cabinet, mumbling in her sleep.
“. . . can’t eat . . . any more . . . hello . . . giant . . . strawberry . . .”
Sasha giggled, then turned back to look at Ken.
It was strange. Considering how she lived in the previous house, she felt a little pang of regret for making him take the sofa. After all, wasn’t it his house? He didn’t have to do it, yet he did. With this, her opinion of Earthlings had completely been turned one-hundred and eighty degrees.
Her next question was what she was going to do with herself at the new house? She was what Earthlings called a ‘maid,’ and her skills included cooking, cleaning and minor repair tasks. She had done that at the previous house. With seven total people in the house, she would probably have much to do.
Ken opened his eyes and saw Sasha standing in the living room.
“Good morning,” she said.
Ken sat up quickly. “Morning. You didn’t need to get up so early. That’s usually my job.”
“Koririans don’t need much sleep.”
“Must be nice. How much?”
“Four hours, five at the most. Any more and I get light-headed.”
“You don’t need to wear that maid costume all the time.”
“It’s my uniform. I . . . didn’t bring any other outfits with me.”
Ken felt a little sad about that. “I’d try and dig through some of my sister’s old clothes, but you’re more petite than she ever was. Maybe we’ll have to get you some new clothes.”
“It’s okay. I have three sets of these. They may look the same, but they’re as good a set of clothes as any.”
“I see. I won’t argue.”
“So, what am I to do?”
“If you wouldn’t mind making coffee and getting the other tenants up in about an hour, that would be great. After I get washed up, I’m going to
work outside.”
Ken did his outdoor work, and an hour later came back into the house. The tenants were up and around in time for breakfast.
Sasha took the initiative and cooked . . . for an army. And it was extremely good. There would be plenty of leftovers.
Silver walked up the stairs. “Well now, something smells good.”
“Sasha cooked today,” Ken said with a mouthful of food.
“So that’s why it smells better than the usual slop around here.”
“Nobody asked for your opinion!”
* * *
“Tell me again why we’re doing this?” Ken asked.
Silver was walking a number of steps ahead. They were headed into the middle of the back yard.
“Because it’s necessary, so that things don’t go horribly wrong.”
“I don’t get it. I’m still not convinced you have my best interests at heart.”
Silver laughed. “Regardless of how it may appear, I do have your best interests in mind. I have a stake, so to speak, in helping you out.”
“What did you mean by helping you out, so you’re helping me out?”
“At some point in your future, you will help me out, so I have come back to assist you. If I don’t, then you won’t be able to help me. So I do have an interest in making sure you learn what I’m about to teach you.”
“Why do you need to teach me? You said something about ‘protecting’ my tenants?”
“Yes. ‘They’ will be coming soon, because we’ve both been to the Library. They want the Library, Ken. If someone is altruistic and had access to the Library, there would be no problem. But if a selfish individual was somehow let in there, and had was able to use the knowledge for whatever they wanted, we can both agree that would be a very bad idea.
“You see, humans are weak. In the interest of their own survival and selfishness, they will throw away their own responsibilities.”
Ken rolled his eyes. “It sounds like you’re talking about my sister.”
“It goes far beyond your sister. We’re talking about those who desire a shortcut, and not doing the work on their own. Those that feel if someone else has something and they don’t, the ‘haves’ should be forced to give up most or all of what they have worked for to the ‘have nots’.”
“And what do these people you are talking about want with the Library?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Now, let’s start, shall we?”
Silver was silent for a moment, and tapped his staff on the ground. Ken was expecting the scenery to turn blue like when Silver stopped time during his first appearance, but instead things were blurry for a moment like focusing a camera lens, and then quickly cleared up.
“Huh? What happened here? Weren’t you going to stop time or something?”
“It’s easier this way, since stopping time takes a lot of concentration. You see, I’ve made it so that we’re slightly out of phase with the rest of the world. Anything we do here won’t be noticed by anyone, and won’t affect them.”
“So, what am I supposed to be learning?”
“Let’s start with ‘calculating.’ I could start with explaining the facets of space-time, but it won’t change how you’ll be able to use it. Let’s just say that most of what you can imagine, you can do.”
“Imagination, huh? That’s kind of—when did you start floating in mid air!?”
Silver was hovering about two feet in the air, legs crossed, as if he was sitting in a chair. “Since we started this conversation.”
Ken frowned at his lack of perception.
Silver continued. “Now, the most important thing for manipulating space-time is ‘calculating’.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to tell me about how space-time works, and all that?”
“At a later time. We’ll just jump right in. Where was I?”
“Calculating.”
“Oh, yes. It means calculating the way in which you manipulate space-time. Some people are predisposed to it, like you. So how do you put it to use? You need to turn it into a form that you can use. In other words, crafting reality so that it becomes what you want. That, in essence, is calculating.
“I thought you weren’t going to explain space-time.”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re not taking this seriously, are you?”
“How can I, when a guy, floating in mid-air, says that I can mess with reality?”
“Just run with it, all right? You’re going to need a focus, so . . . Say, could you go get that pipe you have behind the door?”
Ken glared at him. “How did you know I have one there?”
“I know my way around here.”
Ken fetched the pipe he used during his embarrassing face-off with Cassandra, and brought it back.
“What was that word you used earlier?” Ken asked.
“Focus? It helps you draw in space-time. You can do it without one, but this makes it easier. You know how a lightning rod attracts a bolt of lightning? Sort of like that.”
“Um, couldn’t you pick a better example? Getting hit with a bolt of lightning isn’t on my list of things to do before I die.”
“I’m just giving you an example. You can manipulate space-time without a focus, but it’s a little harder.”
Ken held the pipe up.
“Now we’re going to start calculating. You’re going to imagine a clear sphere. Inside it are a number of small dots of white light that are bouncing off the interior of the sphere, always in constant motion. This image represents your access to space-time, or rather, how much access you have. This is the easiest way for your mind to interpret space-time manipulation.”
“Okay . . .”
“Close you eyes and just imagine it. You can’t ‘let’ your imagination create it; you have to take a direct hand in making it in your mind’s eye.”
And Ken did. He closed his eyes, focused, and it was surprisingly easy for him to imagine: crafting the sphere, and populating it with dots of light.
Eyes still closed, he asked, “Now what do I do with it?”
“Here’s the tricky part. You need to keep that image in your head, and then consider how you are going to project it. It’s going to be like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.”
Ken opened his eyes, with the image of the sphere in his head. His vision was a little hazy, but he was trying hard to avoid losing the image.
“I want you to ‘think’ about floating, since as soon as you get that down, flying is a piece of cake.”
“I don’t know how to float.”
“Just imagine it. Your brain will take care of the rest.”
“Huh?”
“Just do it.”
He thought about the image of floating, his body about a foot off the ground. And something strange happened to the sphere image. A few of the white dots had turned blue.
“Huh? The dots just changed.”
“Now mentally grab each of those dots that just changed and pull them out of the sphere. It doesn’t matter where to, just as long as they are held on the outside of the sphere.”
He focused on the blue dots, and slowly pulled them out, one at a time, and ‘held’ them on the outside of the sphere.
Before he knew it, Ken no longer ‘felt’ the ground. He looked down and was so surprised, he lost concentration, the image of the sphere disappeared and he fell to the ground, landing on his duff.
Silver – no longer floating – walked over and offered his hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” he replied. Then he got a surprised look on his face. “I was flying!”
“Floating.”
“Semantics!”
Silver shrugged.
Ken was scared . . . and surprised . . . and concerned. “How is that possible? I mean, flying?”
“Floating.”
Ken had to resist the urge to
slug Silver as he got up. “Is this real? Everything else you said?”
Silver gave him a big grin.
A grin that Ken didn’t trust, but felt he had to continue. “What’s the next step?”
“I want you to speed up when you calculate.”
* * *
“It took a little time, but here it is,” Amelta announced, opening up the box in the middle of the living room.
She had a surprise for the tenants. She’d brought the mysterious box with her, and had put it in the middle of the room after they had completed the transfer of Sasha’s contract. Sasha had become a full-fledged member of the household.
“What is it?” Ken asked.
“It’s an Intergalactic Communication Device.”
“It looks like a phone with a screen.”
“It is.”
“This ‘space phone’ isn’t going to cost anything, right? I would imagine the long-distance bill alone would bankrupt a small country.”
“The Entine satellite is taking care of that, so there’s no charge right now. Besides, this is one of the test runs to see if these actually work from Earth.”
“Who are we going to be calling?”
“I’m sure the girls haven’t talked to their parents since they arrived, so this will be a great opportunity. Unless you have someone you’d like to call?”
“I lost Mork’s phone number, so I’ll pass.”
* * *
Angelica was first. Ken set up a small stand in the middle of the room across from the couch, and after Angelica sat down, Amelta pointed the ‘space phone’ towards them.
“This has a camera attached to it, and will project the feed to the recipient. There will also be a large projection right next to the phone, showing the other party.”
Ken stood off to the side, and Amelta gave him a confused look. “What are you doing?” she asked. “The parents will want to see who the landlord is.”
Ken sheepishly nodded in agreement, and he sat on the couch next to Angelica. Amelta pressed a number of buttons after referencing a piece of paper.
“Ready?” she asked.
“I don’t know any of my tenants’ languages.”
“Don’t worry. They will take care of translating.”
She hit a green button and Ken heard something like a dial tone, and a string of different beeps.
It really was a space phone.
A feminine voice was heard, speaking a language Ken didn’t understand. Angelica immediately spoke up and started talking. After a moment, a holographic image appeared next to the phone, of a brightly dressed woman with wings, who looked like an older version of Angelica.