Solomon's Private File #4
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 10 in this story, in the early Winter of 2036.
Solomon's Private File #4 "Too Much of Me"
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There were problems. We were practicing mindtalk contacting with
special pictures. I discovered I could do more than one at a time. They
noticed that, because they couldn't do it. Then it got worse. I tried
it with a mind picture and not a real one, and it worked. I asked the
teacher why we shouldn't do it that way. They all stared at me. I
wanted to melt into the floor in embarrassment, but it wouldn't let me.
Scholar Lisa said, "Please, let's just take this one step at a time." I
agreed. After class I asked to see Scholar Pete, the head of the
school. I said to him, "I don't belong here." I could tell he was very
surprised. He said, "Then where do you belong?" I said, "I don't know.
If I did, I would ask to go there." He said, "Why don't you belong
here?" I said, "I'm too advanced. I've got more of everything, and they
know it. It's like if they were living and going to school with regular
kids. Almost every time I say or do something, I get noticed too much.
Like today, when they noticed I can do more than one mindtalk contact
at the same time, and I don't need real pictures to do it. And it's not
just in school. They all want to do sleepovers with me too much. They
don't even look at Ed anymore. I don't like that at all. If I go
someplace else, they can all go back to what is normal for them."
Pete said, "You're right. I see you wanted me to say you were wrong,
and why. I can't do that. Your solution is correct on the face of it,
but there is a problem. Chess it." He meant I should try the solution
in an extrapolation like in a game of chess, and see what could happen.
I said, "I see it. They already know me. Even if I left, they would
still know I'm better. If they knew why I left, it would really hurt
them. I can't do that! I see I was being selfish. The best solution for
them is not good for me. I would have to not speak up in class, and not
do as well as I could. That would be VERY frustrating, and they would
feel that." He said, "True. There is more that you might not know of. I
just asked your parents, and they said I can tell you. You know the
principles of genetics. And sexual reproduction. Your father, to help
make more Adept children, contributed to a sperm bank. His little
wigglers are VERY popular!" I grinned, and said, "I bet! So that means
I'll have some brothers and sisters here soon. Dominant?" He said,
"Yes. We all are now. You'll know why, later. Your extra siblings
didn't all get started in a clinic. We Adepts really prefer the natural
way." I said "Who wouldn't want to have HIS kids!" He laughed, and
said, "Absolutely right. He didn't want to do it except for committed
couples who already had their first child." I said, "Let me say it. All
of a sudden, there were Adept couples all over the place, and
pregnant."
He laughed again, and said, "Right on the nose, not that was what
they were using." I laughed. I said, "So not just from regular people,
but from Adepts, too. Double Adept kids. They're going to be like me
and Kam?" He said, "We think so." I said, "Going to need a separate
class?" He said, "We might. I see you know what that means for you." I
said "I'm the first?" He said "We made sure of that for double Adept
kids and your siblings, with the timing." I said "I'd better study up
on leadership. I'm older, the first. I can't avoid that." He said,
"Yes." I said, "That means I'm going to have to solve the problem of
me, myself, before that. I don't think I meant it to sound that odd."
He grinned and said, "We all have that problem with language." I said,
"GC works better." He said, "Because it's an artificial language, but
it has its problems, too. The people who manage its evolution are as
slow as molasses, and not nearly as sweet. Like a hundred years
behind." I said, "That's some behind! They should get their ass in gear
and lose some wait." He laughed well. He said, "Which spelling?" I told
him, and he chuckled, and said, "Well done!" I bowed my thanks to him.
He said "One of the fun features of the strange language that is
English. Puns! Your father said language is a great toy that you don't
have to put away when you're done with it." I said "I like that. Is it
on his thing at Sera?" He said, "Why don't you look for yourself?"
I made a surprised silent "Oh!" I knew what he meant. I should make a
mental picture of what they call the Pavilion of Stephen at Sera
Monastery in Tibet, and make it real, and look at the central column
where his sayings are written in real life. Remote viewing! I did that,
and it worked! I mentally reached through the picture and touched the
stone. I said, "I can feel the letters are of different stone than the
rest of it." He said, "That's more than I expected. I suggest you keep
that ability to yourself for now, and don't experiment further with it,
because it could be very dangerous for you." I said, "Yes. I can see
some of that." He said, "If you want, you can talk to Chad about it. It
was before my time with them, that he and your father first explored
that process. There were some problems. Really dangerous
possibilities." I said, "I understand. I won't play with it." He
grinned and said, "You have better things to play with." I had to
laugh.
At home that evening with Ed, I said to him, "There are going to be
some changes. Nobody does a sleepover with just me. If we have to have
two at a time, that's what we'll do. And we switch around. I will not
let anybody ignore you because of me. Don't argue. It's how it's going
to be, or nothing for me." He said, "Wow! You've changed." I said "I'm
not going to be a little pussy anymore. I'm going to ROAR!" I tried to
do that, and had to cough. He laughed really hard. My poking him didn't
stop it. I grabbed his nuts, and that did it. He grabbed mine, and soon
he squirted.
I went to the morning recess and announced my new sleepover rules,
and why I made them. Some grumbled, but they had to agree it was fair.
I said the same in the afternoon recess the next day. I changed my
behavior in class. I didn't volunteer much, and when I did draw unusual
attention from some students, I winked at them, or when I could do it
mostly unseen, I made a funny expression or touched my face like there
was something on it. The teachers knew, and knew why I was doing, and
ignored it. I helped more people with math and art, and they really
appreciated it.
Then it went very awkward. A teacher asked me to teach a class. He
was there in front of the students with me. I said "But they're all
LOOKING at me. Is it my zipper?" They all laughed when I checked it. I
said to the teacher, "How do you stand it, all those eyeballs popping
out at you? Got anything here to catch them with?" They laughed,
including the teacher. He said, "No, I don't, but I do have to admit
I've thought about it." I nodded very well, and there was more
laughter. I said to him, "So, how do you do this teaching thing?" He
told me, and demonstrated some things. Then it was my turn to teach. I
said to the class, "Want to bet that a lot of teachers are watching
this, ready to laugh their heads off?" There was a lot of agreement. I
said, "Let's be really nasty, and not help them do that. Alright?" They
agreed with some big grins, and the class went well.
After the class was over, the teacher and I were called to Scholar
Pete's office. He said, "You knew we were watching?" I said like I was
innocent, "Who, ME? Absolutely not!" He looked skeptical. I said "Oh,
however can I make you believe me?" He didn't know what to say. The
teacher didn't help him, which I thought was very funny. I had to
laugh. Then I said, "You know I didn't lie. I didn't know anybody was
watching. But I sure suspected very hard!" He had to laugh. He said
"You used me in an unusual way to help control the class." I said,
"Yes. I had to, to get them past my newness to them in that role, and
to gain some respect. I knew it would be tough to go from a peer to
being in authority all at once. I needed to lead, so I used that to
make it happen." He said, "You did, and well. It will carry over to
some future classes as well." I grinned, and said, "Yep, I thought of
that. Best tactics work in the long term." He groaned theatrically and
said, "Oh no, not another situation manager!" The teacher said, "Raised
by the best. Bound to happen." I said "Sure. Learned the ropes." Pete
laughed really hard. I saw the teacher didn't catch the pun, so I said
to him in a stage whisper, "You know, bound, ropes?" He said "Oh! Got
it. Sorry I missed it. Good one." I said, "Thanks. Boss here likes
them, so I try hard for them. I figure he can't argue with me while
he's laughing." They both laughed. Scholar Pete said, "Can I give this
memory to your parents?" I said "Sure. Probably works on them, too." He
chuckled. Then he said, "Oh, it did!"
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Grant
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