BOOK 1: SERENDIPITY / CH. 27: KATE'S DECISION
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
“John, are we doing the right thing?” Sarah asked. They were walking hand in hand through the countryside after Mama Ng had left for her eternal home. It was a sunny lazy afternoon and there was a skylark singing high above them. “What, getting married?”
“No, silly! I mean publishing. There have been generations of people with the power and the gift who have consistently refused publicity, consistently refused to prove themselves to science. What's so special about us or our time that that we can throw away their approach. We know we risk witch-hunts, not just us, but future generations too. Do we have the right to expose people to this?”
“I see your point love, but what alternatives do we have? We certainly couldn't keep working at the Institute.”
“Well, I could make jewellery, you could probably be an excellent pastor, John. Karen could continue in her geology, and Kate, urm, I'm not sure what Kate could do.”
“Perhaps we could ask her. But Sarah, God has brought us together around the Institute. There must be some reason for that. He could just as easily have let us meet and introduced us to each other and to Mama Ng some other way. She knew your mother, she tried to contact you once, she could have tried again. You hadn't moved, after all.”
“And actually, Mama Ng gave us away, didn't she?” Sarah realised. “Us and May. Told us verbally to hold hands, told people about us sharing her gift. Didn't tell anyone to keep quiet about it either.”
“Well, I expect they won't talk. We're in the clan now.”
“Yes. What does that actually mean?”
“I'm not sure. I used to think it meant jumping to obey when Mama spoke. I guess we should ask Arwood.”
“Maybe it's just time for the world to know for sure.”
“Maybe, love. You know, we're going to have to revise that paper again, don't you?”
“What, talk about the power and the gift?” That's just another way of talking about the different modes, surely. Easier to remember of course.”
“I was more thinking about the chicken, love.”
“Let's talk to the clan about that,” Sarah suggested. “I wonder how well the recipe is known.”
“You mean partial disclosure?”
“I mean let's not give the bad guys an extra weapon. We describe the abilities of the human mind possessing the power of thought reception, without mentioning that if you add a complicated mixture of herbs and spices then it gets better at it.”
“Ooh, sounds like a journal title.”
“Hmm, which journal? Nature? Mind? Maybe something short in Nature Letters?”
“Wow, you're aiming high, love. But perhaps you're right. We can't put it all into a single paper, can we. That's where we've been going wrong. A brief report say on the power, with I don't know, the effects of different separating materials.”
“Lace, leather and silk included?” Sara said, thinking of gloves.
“I'm not sure. Maybe just different thickness?”
“Maybe resistances and impedances. Boring basic research, yes. I wonder if young May wants a summer job.”
“We can ask her. Uh, better ask Arwood and Hannah first. And how do we test it?”
“What about random numbers?”
“Too boring, errors will creep in.”
“Random words then?”
“Random words. Yes. We can use that old setup from the cellar, I expect, that was supposed to do words too on the right setting.”
“And what about intentions?”
“I don't know. Hey, what about that old hand slapping game? You know, pull your hand away before it gets hit. Lose points if you pull away without cause. With a blindfold.”
“Ouch. Yes, that might work.”
“Shall we try it? Just for fun?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Why not?”
They tried playing for a while. It was fairly conclusive. Neither of them pulled away at the wrong time. Neither landed a hit.
Then John had an idea and hid himself.
“Ow! How did you do that? I didn't hear a thing.”
“Sorry, I cheated — I hid.”
“Oooh, sneaky. I don't know how that game works at a distance though. I guess we'll have to come up with a variation. But my hand hurts now.”
Still hidden, he took her hand and kissed it. “Hmm, that's more like it. Now come out of the mud and kiss me properly.”
They kissed briefly, to avoid the feedback. Then by mutual agreement they sat on the bank, joined together in thought.
[Should we look at Mama's legacy now, love?]
[I think we should. I don't want any nasty surprises leaking out when I'm asleep. From what Mama said there might be nightmare stuff in there.]
Together they examined the strange bequest of Mama Ng. It stretched back even more generations than she'd said. Little nuggets of experience and advice from hundreds of years of resisting the evils that are at work in the world, human and occasionally spiritual. Ways that the power could be abused, ways to recognize and counter those abuses. There were also memories of true witch hunts, of sensing the growing mood of the population and leaving before things came to a boil. Leaving everything behind and setting up anew, in a new town or even new country.
There were also memories of meeting others with the gift, scattered across the world, and sharing news and advice across continents. And running through it all was the confidence and strength that came from knowing God was with them.
[Across continents! That far? ] Sarah was amazed at that.
[We've more to learn I guess, love.]
[No surprise there.]
[There was some nasty stuff in there, but nothing too terrible with God on our side.]
[Of course not.]
[But we do need to be alert.]
[Yes. No wonder no one answered the adverts.]
[Ungifted people, looking for anyone with the power, not caring if they used it for good or bad? What a silly idea. The bad wouldn't want their methods to be exposed, and the good wouldn't want their families put at risk by some careless person.]
[So where does it leave us?]
[I think we still write up. But maybe we call for other opinions too first. Mama Ng didn't think there were more, but she didn't seem to know about Karen and Kate either.
We name no names, we alert people to the risk. I'm amazed what a polarizing thing the power seems to be. There don't seem to be any who are just normal mixed up people.]
[It's either something that tempts people to evil or draws them to God, I guess. Or maybe people in the middle don't show up in these memories.]
[That's possible.]
[Those memories of finding others. Shall we look in more detail?]
[Yes, but let's check the peace first.]
They checked, and rested a while. It seemed that accessing these compressed memories was hard on the brain.]
[Before we do, let's fill Kate and Karen in, shall we?]
[I guess we should.]
[Kate! Karen!] they called. Karen responded at once, but Kate took a little longer, and they started to worry. [Sorry for the delay. Busy here.]
[Everything OK?]
[Wonderful!]
[?]
[Just decided to give in to Pete and say yes.]
[Congratulations!]
[Engagement party, my place this evening. Invite the family please!]
[OK, we'll share later.]
[Mama Ng talked? That's great. Just let me put Pete out of his misery.]
“Sorry Pete, I got shouted at,” Kate told Pete who was still down on one knee.
“Everything all right?”
“Yes, Pete. Yes and yes. Now get up before your knee locks up again!”
Pete tried to interpret those yeses as he struggled to his feet. Did he dare to hope? “Do you mean yes, everything's very much all right, or...?”
“I mean, Pete, yes to your first question about having had enough time to decide, yes I will marry you, and yes everything is very much all right. Now I believe it is traditional at this moment for you to kiss my hand, or put a ring on it, isn't it?”
“Oh Kate! Oh my Kate!” He kissed her hand and then embraced her. “I don't have the ring yet, I'm sorry. I'll just call the jeweller I commissioned it from if that's OK.”
“Oooh, you've been taking my response as a foregone conclusion and splashing out on a commissioned ring? I didn't know the cake business was that successful, Pete.”
“Actually, not that splashing out, my dearest.”
“Do I need to pull your fingernails out or invade your mind, or will you tell me what you've been up to, Pete?”
Just then Pete's wrist unit indicated a call.
“She did? Yes she did! It is? Oh great! Oh? Thanks, that'd be perfect! Bye, see you this evening.”
“Oh that's a relief!” he said to the world in general. And gave Kate another kiss. “Pete, right now I really wish I wasn't wearing these gloves! I hope you're not planning something this evening.”
“An engagement party at your house my dearest.”
“Who was that then? No, don't tell me, I'm going to work it out. You commissioned a ring and were all worried and now you're not worried and know about the party. It was Sarah, wasn't it? Sarah made the ring, and it's finished and she's bringing it to the party?”
“Exactly, except it was John. And Sarah didn't trust herself to make it but she did design it for you and got her old employer to actually make it.”
“I see, so I'm surrounded by sneaky people doing things behind my back, am I?”
“You're surrounded by people who love you, Kate.”
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“It was actually John's idea,” Sarah confessed. “And when we talked about it with Maria — my old employer — she was so taken with the it that we've signed a contract on it. I've registered a patent on it and Maria has an exclusive licence for it for here in the city, and some orders are coming in. So this ring isn't unique any more, I'm afraid. But in thanks Pete's only being charged for materials.”
“You still haven't told me what's special about it, dear, except that it's beautiful.”
“Oh, sorry. Urm, remember how impressed you were about how my ring has my I.D?”
“Yes. You've put an I.D. crystal under the diamond?”
“Actually we've made the diamond itself to be the I.D. crystal. I mean, data crystals are usually based on a sliver of artificial diamond anyway. And just in case, there's a panic button in there too. Press on the stone for two seconds, release for two seconds and press for two more. We can change the code if you want.”
“So, I'm not going to lose my I.D ever again. Thank you, Sarah and John. And thank you most of all, Pete.”
“Thank you, Kate, for agreeing to make me a very happy man.”