Stephen's Secure Blog #30
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students, in the 1950's. This was from a time before computers
would fit on a desk, and when people communicated with friends in other
countries by actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote
225 of them to a friend. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's 2018 and
later, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 12 in this story, in the Summer after year 2 of his special
school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #30 "Window Rock"
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Hawk arrived while Mgambe was still here, so I asked Hawk about the
sleeping arrangements he and I would be having. He said "In my own
room, and it's okay to share a bed." I said "So we don't need to take
care of sexual things before we go." He said, slyly, "I didn't say
around squirting. Then Mgambe left, with a fond goodbye, and Hawk and I
dressed and ported to his bedroom in his home on a ranch outside of
Window Rock, Arizona. Hawk took me out to the living room to meet his
family. They had a lot of silver and turquoise jewelry on, I think in
my honor. There were his mother, his father, and his two sisters,
Crescent Moon, called Cress, age 9, and Autumn Rose, called Rose, age
11. After the introductions, I said to Hawk, "Twice you didn't tell me
you had a sister, and beautiful, too." Before Hawk could say anything,
Cress interjected with, "TWO sisters. We are two." I bent down a
little, and said solemnly to her, but with a twinkle in my eye, "That's
why I said twice." She said "Oh." I held out my arms, and grinned, and
she grinned back at me, and came into them for a hug. Then I said, to
Rose, "Next?" She wanted to play hard to get and refuse, but Hawk's
grin decided her, and she hugged me too, not to be left out. She was
still reserved, waiting to judge me after I showed her more of who I
was. After the hug, I nodded to her to show her I respected that, and
she understood. So did her parents, and they approved, too.
We went on a tour of the ranch, but with the house first. It was BIG,
with high open beamed ceilings, and a lot of other wood everywhere. The
furniture was old and looked very comfortable. The kitchen was very big
and smelled great. I said, after the house tour was over, "This is not
just a place to live in. This is a REAL home. To experience life WITH.
I feel it likes me. It's hugging me. I love it. Thank you." Hawk's
father nodded and said, "You know." I gave them my love. His mother had
not so dry eyes.
We went outside, and a dog came up to me. She was a border collie. I
knelt down to say hello, and she licked my face. Hawk said "George
likes you." I said "George?" He said "She's a rescue, and we're not
responsible for that mixup." I smiled. Hawk said "Have you ever ridden
a horse? You'll need to, to see all the ranch." I froze, remembering
how bad I was before with horses. I contacted Hawk and said, +Bad
memories in my past lives. Is it alright to talk about that in front of
your parents and sisters?+ He said +I told them, but I don't think they
believe, but they know you do, so I think you can talk about it.+ I
said +Alright. Discom.+ I said out loud, "I've had some bad experiences
with horses. To explain, I would have to tell you some things which
might not be compatible with your beliefs." His father said,
"Reincarnation?" I nodded. He said "Go ahead." Cress said "What's
reincarnation?" I said to her, "Some people believe that when a person
dies, his or her spirit is born again in a new baby, but without
remembering anything, so it can learn new things and become a better
person. Some people can remember a little of their past lives
sometimes. I can do more. I remember all of my last life. In fact, I
deliberately chose to be reincarnated into my own great grandson, which
is me now. I remember other lives too. A very long time ago, I was kind
of killed by a horse. Ever since then, I've been afraid of them. In my
last life, I had to learn to ride them, to help save a friend's life,
who became my brother. I graduated from riding like a sack of potatoes,
according to my teacher, to riding like an experienced sack of
potatoes." Hawk laughed, and even Rose couldn't completely hide her
smile.
Cress said "Is that really true?" Her mother said, "Crescent!" I said
"That's alright. People shouldn't automatically believe everything they
hear. Cress, your brother, and your parents, and probably you and Rose
will too, someday, know when a person is lying. They can feel it. Where
your brother and I go to school, we can all tell when people lie, so we
just don't do it. Not at all. We think that's a good thing. I hope you
do, too. But, there is something about that, you should know. People
can be mistaken, and say things which aren't true, even though they are
not lying. So, it's sometimes a good thing not to believe something
unusual is true, right away. I'm not going to ask you if you
understand, because I know you do." I tapped with a finger on her nose,
and she grinned up at me and nodded. Her parents were impressed. Her
brother radiated brotherly pride at me. Her sister was still trying to
resist having good feelings about me, which I thought was funny, but
didn't let that be detectable.
I said "I shouldn't let bad memories get in my way. Stephen, the new
and improved model, HAS to be better than the old. That's why we come
back. So, I AM going to ride a horse and LIKE it. Let me at 'em!" I
looked around and said, "Ah, where?" Hawk laughed almost hysterically.
His parents laughed too, and so, finally, did Rose. Cress just grinned
and took my hand and led me around the house and down the road to some
corrals with horses in them. There was one horse which I thought was
the most beautiful. A roan stallion. Smooth light reddish brown, with a
long white blaze on the nose, and no stockings. Long but firm legs, and
full of healthy energy. He was the leader of the herd, any herd, and
knew it. He was going to be my special friend, and I knew it. He didn't
know it yet, but I was going to fix that. I walked with the family
until we were at the corrals, and I continued on my own. I didn't
bother with the gate, but climbed over the wooden railing. I could have
vaulted over, but I didn't want to startle the horses. I heard the
father shout at me to stop, that the horse was dangerous, and heard
Hawk tell him not to worry, that nothing could hurt me. I ignored them
and approached the horse. He was nervous, but I said out loud and in
mindtalk to him, "Hello. You're a great horse. I am your friend, and
you are mine. We are going to have a lot of fun together." He snickered
and nodded his head. I stopped, and he came close to me and nuzzled my
chest. I rubbed his cheeks and blaze. I ran my hand through his rough
black mane, and said, "I'm going to get on your back now. Be calm, and
we will have some good times." I kicked off my shoes and grabbed a
handful of mane, and with a swinging vault, I was on the horse's back.
He was a little startled and almost reared, but he began to like my
presence on his back and around his sides, and my hands on his neck and
mane. It was new to him, this fellowship, and we enjoyed it together. I
moved him to the gate and said, "Let us out!" They didn't move. I
backed him up and we ran at the fence and jumped over it. We went into
a full gallop around the field, flying like the wind, and just as free.
After a few minutes, we reduced speed to a canter, and I decided to
relive my old life with horses. I stood up on the horse's back, and
directed him with my mind. Then I did a fast summersault on it, and
then some handstands. Then we trotted back to the family, who were
frozen in astounded shock. I slid off the horse, and he brought his
head down so I could stroke it. I said to him. "You're a great horse,
and my friend. Thank you." He nodded. I said to the group, "What's his
name?" Silence. I said "Ah, HELLO? Anybody there? Name?" Hawk woke up
first, and poked his father awake, who said, "He doesn't have a name
yet." I said "May I give him one?" He said, "Yes." I said to the horse,
"Sulde! Your name is Sulde." Cress said, "What does that mean?" I said
"It means a spear which carries a Spirit Banner. A kind of a flag. For
a Mongol Warrior, who ties some hairs from his best stallion to it, to
guard him, and to inspire future generations." Her father said, "Where
did you learn to ride like that?" I said "Mongolia, 12th century. I
think I can ride a little better with a saddle. We don't need a
bridle." Rose said "But how do you control him?" I said "It's not
exactly control. He does what I ask, because he doesn't have ideas to
do anything else. I give him directions with my whole body and mind. He
knows how fast to go, and in what direction, by the touch of my hands
and legs, and position of my body. I know those things so well, I don't
even have to think of them. I just want, and my body tells him. And one
more thing. My love. He feels my love, and trusts me."
Cress said, "I think you're not afraid of horses anymore." I said "I
think you're right. I missed a lot of joy for a lot of years. Now I can
be with them again with a whole heart. I owe all that to you. Thank
you." I cried. Rose couldn't help herself. She hugged me. I whispered
to her, "Thank you. You're a good woman." She didn't know how to react
to that, but she sure didn't disagree with me. Then we separated. Her
father called some other people over, who were also just standing
around in shock, and he asked them to bring blankets and saddles. We
put them on the horses and cinched them up, and even little Cress rode
with us, on her pony. Sulde was a little uncomfortable with that new
thing on his back, but began to like the extra comfort of it. I liked
the stirrups. We toured the ranch. It was a farm, too. For animals,
besides horses, dogs and cats, they had some cattle, a few pigs which
looked like pets, some chickens and rabbits, and a LOT of ostriches.
That was their actual business. Raising ostriches for meat. Hawk said
"They are not nice birds. Unpredictable. It's better not to go near
them. They peck at almost anything. Not the kind of pecker you want to
play with." I poked him, and he giggled, but Rose wasn't amused.
They had a tennis court, swing sets, and a big swimming pool. When we
got to it, Cress said to me, "Want to go swimming?" I said "Sure, but I
think your parents have other plans for right now. Anyway, I don't
think it would work well with these clothes on. I could take them off
in hop right in now, but I don't know if that's allowed here, like it
is where I live." She said "You don't wear clothes where you live?" I
said, "That's right. We have a naturist home. My foster parents Mac and
Tim, my sisters Lisa and Madia, my brother Ichi, and I, don't wear
clothes inside, and outside in the back yard, when the weather is
good." She looked amazed and said, "You don't get embarrassed?" I said
"Not at all. We don't think there is anything to be embarrassed about.
But some of our guests might, so they don't have to undress if they
don't want to." Hawk said "I do what they do when I visit. After a few
minutes, it's perfectly natural. Makes you feel really free, actually.
Hugs are much better that way, too. People feel more real." I said "We
wash ourselves a lot, but we sure do save on laundry." Her mother said,
trying to hide a smile, "I'm sure you do."
We unsaddled the horses, and made sure they were cared for. I
insisted on doing that myself, for Sulde. I said, "I ride a horse, it's
my responsibility to care for him. He and I know he wants me to do it,
and not somebody else. I can't disappoint him, after what he's done for
me. It wouldn't be right." Hawk said "I've learned that what Stephen
says is right, really is." His father said "I'm beginning to learn
that, too." We went inside and had lunch. Ostrich burgers and salad. It
was good. Then we talked for a while, and then Cress said, "I want to
go swimming. I want to see what Stephen looks like without clothes on."
Her mother looked scandalized and said, "Crescent!" I said "I think
you'll be disappointed. I'll look like a regular boy, which you already
know, if a little pale. I think if I looked like a snail, you would be
a little worried about what the other friends your brother has would
look like." She laughed delightedly, but Hawk was louder. Rose actually
smiled. Cress said "I like you. You do fun things and you're funny." I
said "Thank you. You already know I like you." Her mother smiled and
asked me, "Do you tan?" I said "No, not without paint. I would burn if
I let the sun at me. It's not something to worry about. I'm protecting
myself." She said "Sunscreen?" I said "Something like that. This
incarnation is the lightest skinned. I'm a little annoyed with that,
but we can't always get everything we want." The father said, "I've
never heard of anyone wanting to be dark skinned, before." I said with
a grin, "Well, I sure can't do anything about that." He grinned back at
me and said, "Right. Want to go swimming?" I said "Sure, if I can do it
in a way which is appropriate for your household. When you tell me what
that is." He said "Shorts or regular swimsuit." I nodded and said,
"That alright with you, Cress?" She was delighted to be asked, and
said, "Absolutely!"
Hawk and I went to change. He had something which would fit me, and
wasn't too baggy. I didn't want to be slowed down in the water. We went
back out, and the parents had changed, too, and were under big shade
umbrellas near the pool. It was hot, but what I felt was just the air.
I was only letting visible light through my 4th screen, so I didn't get
any infrared or UV on me. At the pool, Cress asked me, "Can you dive?"
I said "I don't know. I never tried. I've jumped into water, been
thrown in, fallen in, but actual diving, never. Show me?" She got on
the diving board and jumped up and down and went up in the air, and
went hands and head first into the water. She came up and said, "Like
that." I said "Alright." I went on the board, and tested how springy it
was. I jumped a little to determine its oscillation frequency, then I
jumped high and pushed down on the board when I got to it, to generate
maximum lift, and wet high up in the air, straight as an arrow, and out
over the pool. Then I tucked tightly and did a double summersault, and
opened up in time to do a perfectly vertical entry into the water. I
split my hands apart right after they had punched a hole on the water
for my head, and twisted, so I would slow down so I wouldn't crack my
skull on the bottom of the pool, and to reduce the splash above. After
I found my swim suit and got back into it, I came to the surface and
said, "You mean, like that?" Cress looked angry and said, "You did too
dive before!" I said "No, I told the truth. That was my first. Ask your
parents and Hawk if I lied." They said I didn't. Cress looked contrite
but determined to find out how I could do that, and said, "I'm sorry
for not believing you, but how could you do that the first time?" I
said "I know a lot about the science of motion, and about how water
behaves. I know gymnastics, and I have VERY good coordination and body
control, which we have to learn at our school. One more thing. I like
to do my very best, with whatever I do, and I try VERY hard to do
that." Hawk said, "I think you just succeeded." I said "I was hoping."
He laughed.
His father said, "That was an almost impossible dive. You were better
than olympic winners." I said "I don't compete in any sports. Nobody
at the school does. It wouldn't be fair. I just did for the first time
what regular athletes train for years to come close to. It would be
really bad for them to see or even know we can do this. Didn't you know
Hawk can do that, too?" He motioned Hawk to the board. He did a single
summersault, with precision. He came up and sat on the edge of the
pool, and said, "You should know we all train really hard to do a lot
of things, but Stephen is the best. Not just at diving, but at
everything." I said "Wait a minute. We can't know that, because I
haven't done or tried everything." He said, "Well then, name something
you're not the best at." I immediately came back with, "Drinking milk
through my nose." They laughed.
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Grant
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