Stephen's Secure Blog #96
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 after
2018, 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 14 in this story, in the spring, near the end of year 4 of
his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #96 "News Conference"
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Zander, Ichi, and I, decided the police action didn't have anything
useful in it for a school discussion, but I should visit the school
after the news hit the media. So, the next thing I did was inform the
museum people about what happened, so they wouldn't be caught off guard
if people were reminded by that of my existence, and wanted to buy more
things. That appreciated that, with some shared amusement.
Then it happened. All over the news, and my comm ringing all the
time, so I called a press conference at my big cube. First I said,
"Thank you all for being here, and not individually tying up my comm
anymore. I'm doing this in front of my cube, so you will have something
nice to rest your eyes on, when you've been looking at my ugliness too
long." They laughed. I said "I am sorry about the unusual event which
happened at my house, and that it could show some fine government
institutions in a bad way. Almost all the people who work in the
judicial and enforcement departments are dedicated and responsible
individuals, and should not be thought otherwise, because of the very
few who are not. Most of their great work goes unnoticed and
unrewarded, because it's not news, while the very few bad things which
happen, are shown all over the place. I'm not complaining about that,
because that's the way the system works, but I think we should all be
reminded sometimes about the very hard work these public servants do on
our behalf every day and night, to keep us all safe and secure. I
admire them. I always have. Now about what happened, I won't talk
about. I don't think I should, because I think the legal process
shouldn't be interfered with, and because I don't actually want to
think about it, because it could interfere with my artistic endeavors.
Well, more than answering the comm all the time. And for one other
reason. I'm shy." I sighed very dramatically, and said, "I see you
don't believe that. Well, it's true. I don't like publicity of any
kind, and doing something like this is difficult for me. Why else do
you think I put humor in everything? So, this will be the last I will
talk of this matter to the media, and I will not be taking questions. I
know you have your jobs to do, but so do I. I wish you all to have a
good day. Thank you."
I left the mic, and walked to the museum. Some reporters followed,
but only a few entered the building with me, and they didn't make it
past security to the back offices with me, where I went to talk with
Crintaj. She said "Your conference was carried live. I think it went
well." I said "I just wish it went." She laughed. Then she said, "You
don't use humor just as a defense, you use it for practically
everything." I grinned and said, "Guilty as charged. Oh, maybe I should
have worded that differently." She laughed again. We discussed how
sales were going, and about which of my artwork they would like to keep
permanently, and then I said, "I have a little problem with something
that's just too big. Can't you wait a little before you get that
hungry?" She laughed. I said "I have found a pretty blue star sapphire.
It's big." I waited, and she was forced to say, "How big is it?" I said
"That depends on how I cut it, but it's too big and heavy for me me to
lift and carry by ordinary means. I can show you by projection what it
should look like if it were cut and polished as one stone." I did that.
I said "That's actual size, about 51cm in the smallest dimension." She
said "Wow!" And then some more things like that. I said "I don't quite
know what to do with it, but I do have an idea how I can possibly
multiply it." She said, "Special cutting?" I said "Like this." And I
showed in projection that I could scoop out the inside of the cabochon
dome, and then scoop out that one, and so on, like Russian nesting
dolls. I said "Asterism like this is very near the surface, even though
what causes it is throughout the stone. Cutting it that way maximizes
the yield, but preserves the large dimensions." She said "That is a
very complex cut. My little knowledge of calculus I have left after all
these years, doesn't even want to consider it. I don't think it's ever
been attempted on something as hard as sapphire. After all, it's not an
iced fruit confection." I grinned and said, "More evidence of your
hunger." She laughed.
I said "Would you keep a secret?" She said "Of course!" I said "I use
mentally controlled forcefields in cutting. My calculus is fine for
that, but still can't guarantee the whole thing won't shatter into a
million pretty pieces. Assuming I succeed, what do I do next? What can
I make with them?" She said "I see your problem, but that's all. I'm
not the artist here, just a collector. There is one thing I will say.
Whatever you do with it, we want it." I said "That's not unusual. You
want everything I have." She laughed. I said "Well, let me know if you
come up with any ideas. Not an egg, though. I already hatched that
idea." She laughed really hard. While she was doing that, I said "Well,
I'll get back to work. Farewell." She waved and I left her office. When
I wasn't observed, I ported to Zander's school.
Zander and the students, with Hawk and Rose, met with me in the usual
interior courtyard. I said "A little thing which happened to me has
been in the news recently." They all grinned. I said "I just thought
you should know, I didn't forget my friends here, so I'm telling you
personally. I was prepared in advance for the action because I had a
premonition about it. That was the first one I ever had which was
specific enough to plan for. This means something. We can improve at
any time, and it's no use anticipating what the improvement will be,
because it will probably be a surprise. That's frustrating, but does
make life a little more interesting. Who here doesn't like
interesting?" With a lot of grins, they all indicated they liked
interesting. Then I said, "Before I go, there is something I would like
to do. Some of you I have hugged with love. Some I haven't, and that's
not fair. I think we should correct that." Splidnt said "Absolutely!
You haven't lived until Stephen hugs you." Zander said, "Well said,
Splidnt." I said "I choose the order." I stood and opened my arms to
Dat. He was very big, but that didn't stop us. Then Pink. Then Hahchet.
Then Harditch. Then Splidnt. They all reacted with love, but Splidnt
sprouted a boner, which he was actually proud of. It was obvious to
all, so I said, "Does that happen often?" He grinned and said, "Not as
often as I want." Most of them laughed. He said "Harditch said it's a
very nice one, so I don't mind if people see it." I said "Well, I
haven't studied that particular subject as er, hard and er, long as
Harditch obviously has, but if that's what she says, it must be true."
She hissed at me, and the others laughed.
Splidnt said to me, "I want to see yours." I said "But it's not in
that condition at the moment. And you don't need eyes to see any part
of me you want to." He said "It's not the same." I said "Naturally. All
of me isn't same." He said "That's not what I meant, and you know it."
I said "But it's still not in the condition you're looking for." He
said "I can change that. I can do to yours what works for mine." I said
"That might work, but such an experiment is not polite to do in front
of other people who might not be interested in such a thing. That is
sexual, and people feel differently about that, even within the same
species and culture. I'm sure you have studied the subject. There is
another issue. People over a certain age for their species, can get
very physically and emotionally frustrated by being sexually stimulated
that way, and not having the opportunity to fulfill their aroused
sexual needs. So, doing that, and stopping, is also considered
impolite. Very, actually. Do you understand all this now?" He said "I
didn't know all that, and I understand more now. But your feelings say
you would like it." I said "That's true, if it didn't stop. I like
doing that kind of thing very much, which we call sex play, with
anybody I love, who would want to do that with me. But that doesn't
make it always the best thing to do. Or the right thing. Such as
between a teacher and a student." He said "But you are not my teacher,
Zander is." I said "But it would be unfair to the other students, for
one of them to have a special relationship with me, that others don't
want or can't have for themselves." He said "That's right! I couldn't
do that to them." He turned to them and said, "I'm sorry I brought it
(looking down) er, up." We laughed, and I hugged him again and said,
"That was a good one. I love humor." He grinned back.
I said "Rose and Hawk have seen me in all ways, including what you
were interested in seeing. To satisfy your purely ACADEMIC curiosity,
one of them can show you that in images, if they and you want that.
Alright? Splidnt said, "Yes, but it sure wouldn't be as much fun!" I
said "I won't disagree with that. Someday, when you are no longer a
basic level student, and if you're still interested, we could have some
fun together. Something to look forward to, and maybe make you study
er, harder." He grinned and said, "Right! Because looking backward is
not good for your neck." We laughed, and I hugged him again, with his
boner still poking me. I said "That goes for all of you who might be
interested. But now, I should get back to work." Splidnt said "But you
didn't hug Rose and Hawk, and Zander!" I said "I hug Rose and Hawk
every day, a LOT. That's what brothers and sisters should do. I hug
Zander whenever he wants me to. I'm not sure he's recovered from the
last one, yet. All he has to do is ask, and I'll port him over, and
give him a big one. If you think that's unfair to you students, you're
right. Being the teacher has to have SOME privileges." Zander said, "I
won't disagree with that!" They laughed.
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Grant
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