Solomon's Private File #294
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 28 in this story, in the Winter of 2054-2055.
Solomon's Private File #294 "Unusual Nephew"
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A young man came into my office in the Bureau. I looked at his file.
I said, "Weren't you told the position has been filled?" He said, "I
was, but asked to be considered for other positions I might qualify
for." I said, "Wait a minute." I called Personnel, and said the
applicant's name. I said, "He's been sent to Assessment without a
specific position. What's the story?" He said, "A relative of my office
manager. We didn't know how to put it in the application in a good way.
A favor?" I said, "Within the law, we'll see." He said, "Thanks."
Applicant said, "Is there a problem?" I said, "Something like that. We
don't play guessing games here. What do you think you can do for us?"
He said, "I don't know." I said, "Then you will fail the approval. We
prefer people who DO know what they're about. Second chance?" He
thought hard, and a little desperately, and then said, "I can mop
floors!" I said, "Good. That's a start. Let's do some tests."
I said, "For a second degree black belt, you don't know yourself very
well. Afraid of what you might discover?" He looked surprised, and then
thoughtful. He said, "It could be possible." I said, "You were picked
on in grade school." He said, "I wasn't as smart as most." I said, "But
you were. Just you had trouble expressing it." He said, "Oh!" I said,
"You've done very well in sports. All American in track and field. Used
it to kind of run away from your problems?" He said, "Yes. When I was
running, it was like I was part of the wind, and the wind doesn't know
about that." I said, "I want you to do something. Ask the office
manager for a pad and pencil, and write about that feeling. A story, or
a poem, or anything that shows what you feel about that, and how it
helped you, so others can understand it. Take your time, and don't
worry about spelling. When you're finished, we can resume this." We
went out to reception, I said, "He's on hold for a little test. I'll do
the next one now."
A woman followed me into my office. I looked at her file, and said,
"You listed as the reason why you lost your last job, as a termination
with cause. Please describe the circumstance." She said, "This means I
won't be hired?" I said with a slight smile, "If you don't follow
instructions, yes." She said, "Oh! I understand. My supervisor was
abusing a coworker. I stood up for him. Even went to the owner. I was
fired for insubordination." I said, "Describe the abuse." She said,
"Verbal intimidation, and some physical, such as pokes, pushes, and
moderate punches on the arm." I said, "Any hint of the sexual?" She
thought, and said, "Now that you mention it, I did feel that kind of
tension there. I don't know if either of them are gay." I said, "Race
or religious differences?" She said, "Both black. Supervisor is much
bigger. I don't know about their religions." I said, "Why did you stand
up for him?" She said, "It wasn't right! I couldn't let that happen
without trying to help." I said, "Let's do some tests."
I said, "You have a very strong sense of right and wrong. How do you
think you came by that?" She smiled, and said, "My mother raised me
that way. She worked hard to put me through college. I'm supporting her
now." I said, "We do have openings for CPAs, but a lot of applicants,
too. On objective criteria, you would not be anywhere near the top of
the list of applicants." She said, "The way you say it, gives me hope."
I said, "We like our people to have a strong sense of right and wrong.
VERY much. Sense of duty, too. I don't usually tell people, but you
know I'm going to approve you, and with a little extra. Don't count on
waiting too long for a call back." She held back tears and said, "Thank
you, sir!" I said, "You're welcome. Please take this with you back to
personnel. Actually, we can go there together, after you pick up your
phone. I have something to do there." We went out, and I said to the
office manager, "I'll be in personnel, and a conference. Shouldn't take
long. I'll ask them to talk fast." She grinned, and said, "Noted." On
the way there, she said, "You're the Supervisor?" I said, "When they
cooperate with me, yes." She grinned, and said, "Is it like that in
other offices?" I said, "Some, yes. Depends on the mission of the
department. Probably a little less in forensic accounting. You could
ask them for an er, accounting of that." Chuckles.
We parted ways in Personnel. I went in to speak with Jerry. I said,
"Unusual applicant, not so unusual with nepotism. I want Jill and Sandy
in a conference with me." He said, "Oh! I didn't think of that. More
than he seemed." I said, "More than he knows. He's doing a creative
writing assignment for me." He said, "They're going to love you." I
said, "More? How is that possible?" Chuckles. He made some calls. I
want to the conference room we were to use, and the women came in a
minute later. I said, "I have an unusual applicant." I looked at Jill,
and she said, "My nephew Howard. He was applying for the trainer
position. Then anything here." I said, "He even volunteered to mop
floors. He doesn't fit in usual office jobs, but he has a gift. He's a
poet. I see your surprise. Being able to write well, isn't a
requirement to have a poetic talent. That's what they make editors for.
Right. They're writers with no talent." Smiles. I said, "He's also a
said, "Sold me! I want him!" Jill said, "I don't understand." I said,
"He can relate to people, without half trying, and in feeling for them,
he will stand by them and protect them." She said, "Oh! I knew that
about him!" I said, "So, Witness Services is his true place here. And
that's not a favor to you or him, but our demand." Sandy said, "Right.
Significant asset for us. Thank you for finding him for us!" Jill
cried, and we hugged her.
We went our separate ways. Back in my office, the nephew came back
in, and handed me the story. I said, "What did you think when you read
it again?" He said, "I couldn't believe I wrote that!" I said, "It's
beautiful. Poetic. Yes, as I just told your Aunt, you don't have to
write perfectly well to be a poet. Actually, one of the most popular
poets even made up words. Here's a short example. Tittle, 'Reflection
on Babies.' And the poem:
'A bit of talcum
Is always walcome.'
He smiled, and said, "I like that." I said, "His name is Ogden Nash.
Look him up if you want. But not while you're working here." He said,
"Working here? Really?" I said, "Not in this office, but in a different
Department, if you're interested." I told him about it. He said,
holding back tears, "I like that very much!" I said, "There is
something extra. You are a quarter psionic. I can tell. This meter, if
I turn it on and point it at you, will give us a better reading. And it
will alert the Corps to you. To work here, you are required to have
implanted in your mind, commands to help prevent you from using your
abilities by accident or unjustly. Yes, I have them in me, too. Do you
agree to this?" He said, "I want that!" I smiled and said, "I knew
that." I used the meter, and a Corps member ported into my office. He
said to him, "Put this crystal to your head to read it. You will see
the commands before you choose to accept them. There is also a book in
it, that explains about psionics. You should read that, too. They all
do, but I have to tell them, anyway." Smiles. He did that, and said,
"Wow!" Corps member said, "It also improves your psionics, if it's
ready. I see that happened. You are now half psionic, and your talents
are mostly reliable now. You're a good man. It's been a privilege to
help you." He nodded to me, and ported away.
I said, "Please take this back to Personnel, and they'll get you
started. Yes, she knows. This is not a favor to her or you. That would
be against the law. You are needed here for who you are." He said, "I
don't know how to thank you enough!" I said, "You don't have to. I like
doing this, just as you will like what you'll be doing here. Helping
people is like a divine gift for those who are blessed to be able to do
it, that doesn't need thanks from others." He grinned, and said, "I
understand." We shook hands, and he left feeling very good about his
future, and I felt good about that for him. Ivanna said, "Well done!"
Others said that, too. They liked him a lot.
A Republican Congressman, the minority leader, asked to see me. He
said, "One of our people is trying to block some things you would like.
When he's asked why, he becomes angry and abusive, but won't say why."
I said, "I know. Next?" He said, "I think you've been told that you can
be very frustrating." I said, "Yes. Same thing I say to my Boss. Same
lack of support for that." He said, "Interesting. Do you know why he's
being that way?" I said, "I do, and it's personal to him." He said,
"May I ask you to help him?" I said, "Ah! You're learning." He said,
"Oh! I should have known. Stupid of me." I said, "Not really. Some
lessons take a while to settle in." He said, "You're being generous." I
said with a smile, "Yes." He looked odd. "I said, "Don't expect me to
disagree with the truth!" He said, "Oh. Right. The no lying thing." I
said, "You're going to have to make the appointment with him, yourself,
without telling him it's really with me. I show up, and you tell him
it's a requirement if he wants reelection support, and he might agree
to talk with me. I can't guarantee results, but I'll do what I can." He
nodded and thanked me.
That's what he did, and I shifted to the small conference room. Then
I was alone with him. I said, "You're blocking some things. Which ones,
are causing something of why, to be noticed. You've been not yourself
lately, in a negative way. I've been asked to help you." He was silent.
I said, "You know your party. You go against the pack, they'll turn on
you. I wouldn't like that for you, and I hope you wouldn't, too." He
said, "Do you know why?" I said, "I know all here, so yes." He said,
"You could have saved my daughter!" I said, "You're right. I could
have." He stared at me, in surprise. I said, "Many thousands of people
die each day that I could save. What would happen if I did that?" He
thought, and said, "Overpopulation?" I said, "To start. Babying the
human race will cause it to decline and become extinct."
I said, "Look at it from another angle. They could make safer cars.
Safer roads. Ban alcohol. Kill all the drunk drivers before they kill
sober drivers. Make cell phones stop working in cars. All that could be
done, that would save lives. But it's not. YOU could have helped it to
not happen, too. Because all those things didn't happen, that people
COULD make happen, that COULD help to save lives, I'm not allowed to do
that, myself, or people will never work to make that happen. Yes it's
bad for the survivors. But for you it's one person you love who is
gone. For me, I feel what you feel, and more, for ALL people who die.
This know all thing, is NO bed of roses. I feel the deaths, and I feel
what people feel about them. I KNOW. And it's worse that I can't
interfere with that. Torture than no other can survive, that I must
endure for eternity." He cried in my arms, and I cried, too.
He said, "Eternity?" I said, "I can't die. God will take me when he
wants to, but I'm his best ever worker. Not likely he'll give that up
any time soon. And I know. He's told me." He said, "Why does He need
you?" I said, "We've been a little isolated, for privileged
communication. Now we are in total isolation, that only God can
penetrate. If I tell you, will you promise never to tell another?" He
said, "Wow! You would tell ME?" I said, "I think I did mention
something like that." He said, "I promise!" I said, "God made the
universe as a self operating system, and very finely balanced. He
doesn't control anything directly. Well, why would He need to, being
perfect?" He nodded. I said, "But being all powerful, creates a kind of
a paradoxical problem. Who is the one being He can't work against?" He
got it, and said, "Himself!"
I said, "Right on the nose He doesn't have!" He had to smile. I said,
"If He were to mess with this perfect system from the outside, it would
come all apart. That's not really a problem for him, because he has a
lot of other universes to watch over, and he can make more. It's a
problem for US, who would no longer exist. In fact, it would be as if
we had NEVER existed. But if somebody who is IN the universe, who CAN'T
And He communicates with feelings, and with more with people who have
extra talents." I said, "Exactly! That's because it uses another
dimension that supports that, where part of our souls reside, and go
fully to after death. He planned that, when He built this whole system.
Yeah, He's kinda smart." Chuckles. I said, "Remember, souls never die.
Our purpose is self improvement, not of our bodies, but of our souls,
so that eventually, we'll be able to join Him. We reincarnate to keep
learning. I know. Been there, done that a whole lot of times. One more
thing. God sees all time as one, so for him, everything's already
happened. I know, it's impossible for us to fully understand that. Yes,
I have limits, too."
He said, "I was wrong to blame you." I said, "No, you were right. I
blame me! But we have to accept things we can't change, that are for
the greater good. You could blame my Boss, but he's not as handy, and
won't cry with you. So yes, if you need to blame me, DO IT. I
understand!" We cried some more. Then he said, "One thing puzzles me.
You don't want your group to know this?" I said, "For their
advancement, they should reason this out for themselves. And for the
public, they don't need the confusion this would dump on them." He
said, "I can agree with that. You're not telling me to do what you
want?" I said, "Right. You're not a criminal." He said, "I've misjudged
you." I said, "Not unusual. My own group does at times." He said, "Oh.
You're that different." I said, "With thousands of me around, I think
that could be so." Chuckles.
I said, "Ending isolation now. Need me, let me know. You know I have
a danger watch on you." He nodded. I said, "In that, I added an extra
bit to it. Say my name twice, fast, and I'll hear it, and start some
communication. Don't use me as a crutch, but in true need, I'm
available for you." He said, "Thank you!" We hugged, and I shifted out.
He met with his leader, and said, "He didn't tell me what to do. It was
more like therapy. I needed it, and I'm better now. He's so near to
being God, but still a real man, and suffers for that, and for us. They
say to know him is to love him. Well, I know it's true now. I think we
have some work to do!" And that they did.
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Grant
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