Solomon's Private File #276
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 Spring of 2054.
Solomon's Private File #276 "Tristold And Istoler"
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On a far away planet in a different dimension, I seated myself at a
table in a tavern. A man was already seated there. He had noticed me
enter. Actually, he had noticed when I had let myself be noticed when I
had shifted to the city. I rubbed the grey fur on my chest in greeting,
and he did the same to his, but with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. He
said, "Did Markle send you?" I said, "He did not. Why do you ask?" He
said, "I am here to duel with him. He has been known to send his
apprentices to kill those who would do that." I said with a smile,
"Should I be insulted that you think I'm an apprentice?" He smiled, and
said, "I must apologize. I see you are a very skilled Master. That
causes me to question why you are here in this city, and with me. Two
reasons for you to be marked for death. The Master here dislikes
competition."
I said, "I like competition, but I like cooperation better, and
friendship even more." He said, "You won't convince Markle of that." I
said, "And you?" He said, "You speak the truth. Something he cares
little about." I said, "Do you know how skilled he is?" He said, "Only
what I have heard. You?" I said, "I know." He said, "Will I defeat
him?" I said, "As you are now, no." He said, "But I must try." I said,
"Why?" He said, "That is the only way to advance in this land." I said,
"It is not. Death is not an advance. And what he can do to you, would
make death something you wish he had given you." He said, "So that is
true, also? What of his age?" I said, "It's true that he has extended
his life. It's not that difficult for us to do physically, but he also
steals life energy from other people." He said, "He can do that to me?"
I said, "If you don't learn to resist it, yes. He can do other things
to you that you can't now resist."
He thought a little, and said, "Will you teach me?" I said, "If I
helped you enough for you to advance to the level where you could
defeat him, in doing that, you would cause his death, and that would
cause your own. You, not being evil, to cause death with your powers,
would cause your own." He said, "Oh. So that's true, too. But for the
good of this land, I should still do it, even if I lose my own life in
the doing of it." I said, "Is it good for this land to be without a
Master, inviting other Masters to fight each other to claim it as their
that. What of you? Can you defeat him?" I said, "Still the problem of
the loss of the Master. Those such as I, do not rule." He said, "OH!" I
said, "Thank you for not er, announcing your suspicion." He gulped, and
said, "Will you teach me?" I smiled and said, "Yes. Did you think I was
saying all this for noting?" He was amazed and relieved.
I said, "First lesson here, is we don't do that here. Oh, that was
the second. The first is to withstand my attempts at humor." He had to
smile. We stood. I made a coin appear in my hand, like a stage
magician, and dropped it on the table. At his look, I said, "The more
life skills one has, the more life one has." As we walked, I said, "You
have more skills than you are aware of, and some of those have little
use without exercise and practice to make them stronger. And then there
is control. Without that, what you can do is of very little practical
use, and almost your own enemy in a fight." He nodded. I said,
"Finally, is the mind. A skilled fool, is still just a fool." Smiles.
I said, "We have a little problem. Do we want Markle to know what we
are doing?" He said, "I see. We do not." I said, "Do we want him to
know where we will be, so he can send his people to be inconvenienced
by me?" He grinned, and said, "While part of me would like to see that,
I have to agree we should not want such a thing." I said, "I know. So
sad. He can see far. To a distance we would find tiring to travel
beyond." He said, "Is he watching us now?" I said, "That's a little
complicated. He doesn't know he's a little blind in this area." He
said, "How is that done?" I said, "Through the power of the mind, and
fine control. By strong will to cause it, and by fine control and
delicate touch, so it isn't noticed. You know the will can influence
those of lesser minds." He said, "Yes. But it requires much power and
concentration." I said, "Yes. We will practice that." He said, "I can't
do that to you!" I said, "I will partition my mind into portions of
different capabilities, for you to test yourself against." He said,
"Wow! I didn't know that could be possible!" I said, "Most of what you
will be learning, will earn that statement."
He said, "I have just had a thought. You said I will die if I kill
you so you will die, which you were bound to if I didn't teach you, but
so you will become better in all things, which also includes decision
making. For now, let the future worry about itself." He nodded
acceptance. I said, "I should warn you that you will see things in this
that you will not understand, and may never reach the level where you
could. All people can't learn all things, instantly." He said, "I
understand and will accept that." I said, "Such as where we are now,
and how we arrived." He looked around in wonder. I said, "A little
lesson in this. Tell me." He said, "Distraction is my enemy." I said,
"Absolutely! In combat with the mind, attention is a life and death
matter. Let's try to stay with the life part."
He said, "You are unlike any teacher I have ever heard of." I said,
"To train one who may someday kill you, can put something of a strain
in any teacher-student relationship. Here, that will not be possible. A
much more pleasant situation, I think." He said, "I think I can
understand that. My own Master is dead, but not by me." I said, "By one
he taught before you." He stared at me. I said, "Even one without
powers, could feel your emotions now. Not good for combat at all." He
see more now. Superior ability doesn't by itself make a good teacher."
He nodded in awe.
I said, gesturing behind him, "Please enter my house." He turned
around, and there it was. He turned back to look at me, and caught me
studying him. He had to laugh. It was a big house, but simple. We went
inside. There was an old woman there. I said to her, "Istoler, this is
Tristold. He is my student for a time." She looked him over with a
critical eye, and said, "He doesn't look like much." I said, "In some
situations, that's a good thing. Then people can receive more than they
expect. Sure creates more interesting situations." She said, "YOU would
know that." I said, "I try." I said to Tristold, "Istoler manages this
house, and ALL in it." He looked a question, and I nodded. I said, "And
she will also be teaching you things. Some, you might not think are
necessary. The whole person concept." He said, "I don't understand." I
said with a grin, "You will." He looked guarded. Istoler, who is also
another of my presences, laughed. I said, "First lesson in that area
is, for education and training, the mind and body are not as separate
as many think. To advance one over the other, is half as useful." He
thought that over.
We sat at the table, as Istoler was preparing a meal. I said, "Many
different parts of our bodies produce different substances that travel
in the blood, that causes changes in the activity of the brain, that
causes many of our emotions. Many combinations of nerve signals can
He said, "Oh!" I said, "And this goes much deeper. Your physical senses
He said, "I'm beginning to understand. I've never heard of this idea
before, but now it's obvious." I said, "There is more. Many of those
physical responses also trigger associated memories, and even reflex
actions. You already know you can sometimes move faster than you can
body's ability with that!" I said, "Speed of reaction can win, over
skill and power." He nodded with some excitement. I said, "Here, you
will learn to fight with the body, and that will train the mind to use
patterned reflex actions. And something even more important,
discipline. Without that, your powers can kill you." He said, "You will
teach me to fight?" I nodded to Istoler. He looked very uncomfortable.
She grinned widely.
We ate. After that, I said to them, "Come with me." We went out back,
and there was something like an outdoor martial arts gym. I held a
board for Istoler to break, and she did it with a side kick. Another
with a punch. Then with some fancy kicks. Then she and I went at it
with swords. I said to Tris, "Learning physical control also teaches
that to the mind, better and faster than any other way." I put a blade
of grass in his had, and told him to not move. I cut it off with the
sword, almost faster than he could see. He looked at it, and saw it was
cut flush with the skin, and he almost fainted. I said, "Good! Note
your reaction. Is that good to have in a fight?" He said, "It would
likely get me killed." I said, "Learning this will give you the
unconscious body confidence that will cause that to not happen." He
said, "The whole person. I didn't understand that well before. Now I
know more of how ignorant I was." I said, "One more benefit to this.
Fighting can include in some ways a very subtle play with emotions.
Your confidence can make your opponent doubt his, slowing him down."
He said, "Completely ignorant!" I said, "Much of this is usually
learned from a lifetime of experience. The problem with that, is living
through it." He tried not to grin, and said, "That I understand now." I
said, "Teaching isn't about telling people things. It's about helping
them want to learn what could be difficult at times. Talk is easy.
Doing, is the hard part. You don't work hard, you're going to really
find out what motivation Istoler can provide." He looked a little
uneasy. I said, "Remember always. We don't do this for us, but for
YOU." He said, "I don't understand why you are doing this." I said,
"Would you, in this situation, do it if you could?" He thought it over,
and said in wonder, "Yes, I think I would." I said, "So we don't need
to mention that again."
I said, "Now the oath." I told him the words, and he accepted them
and did it. I said, "First, I will align your energy centers. Ready?"
He nodded. I said, "Done." He said, "I can fee the difference! But you
didn't do it with your hands as my Master did." I said, "Well, I'm
better. You will be doing it the usual way, when we get to that. Some
things we could be doing, we shouldn't, until your energy centers
settle down. But that still leaves a lot." We went back inside. I took
from a box one of the PK toys, with the assortment of cones. I put it
on the table, and said, "Make that cone spin with your mind." He stared
at it, and it spun, then it stopped. I said, "Using this ability won't
work with emotion." He said, "But what use is this, with such a little
thing?" I picked him up with PK, and said, "All great things begin in
small ways. Is that a reason to not strive for greatness?" He gulped,
and said, "Master! Lesson learned!"
I put him down. I said, "Here are the other cones. When you can make
the heaviest spin for more than a minute, we will go on to the next
level in that. It works something like a muscle. Practice makes it
stronger. It also helps you to learn to control your emotions.
Remember, your opponent can sense them. Never let him see what you
don't want him to see of you. Some day I hope, for your sake, you will
begin to trust that I know what I'm doing here. No, don't say that.
Lying damages the mind. NEVER do that as my student. I myself have not
lied in this life. I am unable to, now." He almost said wow. I said,
"Good. The word you would have just said; better save it for more
important things. Oh, I know. Some of my students never get used to
that." He almost chuckled. Then he said, "You have more?" I said, "Many
more. And that's why I will not return until Istoler tells me you are
ready. Oh, and the cone training will be only a part of your day.
Physical training will fill the rest of it, and life self proficiency.
I've been through it, and so have all my students. It won't kill you.
Do what she tells you, without argument. I'll be watching at times."
He said, "What if others come here?" I grinned and said, "They
won't." He tried not to return the grin. I said, "What you will be
doing will use a lot of energy. Eat well, and sleep well, or you won't
progress as you should. Your mind can't exist here without your body.
Respect it, and it will serve you well." I walked out the door. When he
couldn't see me, I dissolved that body. He said in surprise, to her, "I
can't sense him! He just vanished! How did he do that?" She said,
"Asking me for his secrets is a waste of time. Even if I knew them, I
wouldn't tell you. It's VERY dangerous to experiment unsupervised. And
not just for what he or I will do to you." Her really evil grin made
him laugh.
She showed him the house, and where he would be sleeping. Then she
started him on martial arts training. It was tough going. He wasn't
very fit. He was VERY surprised, when she made him help with the
cooking. She said, "He said you will learn life self proficiency. This
is part of it. There may be a time when you will have to prepare your
own food, or even determine if it contains poison. He insists that ALL
his students learn how to survive in all possible situations. He
doesn't like to waste his teaching on dead people." He said, "Wow!" She
grinned, and he laughed.
A week later, I was in the house when they returned from practice. He
didn't quite know how to act. That my slight smile, didn't help with
that. I said, "You've done well. Ready for the next level with the
cones?" He said, "I think I am." We sat at the table. I said, "The
skill of moving objects with your mind has no name, so let's call it
pikay. Why not a word that indicates moving? Because it can do much
more than that. Use the feeling of moving the cone, and narrow that
down to a point. Don't worry, just imagine it. Then poke the side of
the cone." He said, "It moved!" I said, "I'm not blind." He said, "Oh."
I said, "Now poke it all over. Now imagine doing it all in those places
at the same time, and will the cone to rise in the air, NOW." He did,
and it did. And right away, it fell. I said, "You know why it fell
before you were tired." He said, "Yes. Emotion." I said, "And you also
know what you will be practicing of this skill, until you can lift the
heaviest cone this way." He said, "I do."
I said, "Now, an entirely different skill. This involves the will,
and imagery. Examine this image." I projected a picture of sword. I
said, "How you do this is simple. You form an image in your mind, and
put your will behind it, and push it out of your mind and into the air.
Do it." He did, and something flickered. I said, "I sense the word
almost erupting." He laughed. I said, "Tell me why I say things like
that." He was surprised, and then thoughtful. He said, "To distract me!
So I can learn to resist that." I said, "And not just because I like
to. Which I have to admit, I do." Grins. I said, "When you can lift the
heaviest cone, and hold an image steady for a minute, we can go on to
the next level. Progression is faster after that, but practicing these
basic things should be a daily task for years, to build strength and
technique."
He said, "Why didn't my Master know this?" I said, "How do you know
he didn't?" He said, "Oh!" Then he reasoned it out, and said, "He
didn't want us to learn too much too young." I said, "Two possible
reasons. The young can be very foolish, and could abuse those abilities
very easily. And the other reason, would be to use them against him,
forcing him to kill you." He said, "More clearly than I had thought it.
You are not concerned?" I said, "You know I'm not." He sighed. I said,
"Would I choose an untrustworthy student?" He looked at me strangely,
and said, "Forcing me to not insult you." I said, "Another tactic
that's useful in a fight. Force them into a choice of two evils. Very
annoying. To them." He had to laugh.
I said, "I will return when you're ready." He said, "May I see you
go?" I looked at him oddly, and he was embarrassed. I said, "You can
see me when I'm here, and not, when I'm not here. There is nothing to
mouth dropped open in astonishment. I said, "I do many things. I move
fast. Why waste time? I could move faster, but the wind from that would
be er, inconvenient for you and the furnishings here." Istoler said,
"Don't do that!" I said, "She who rules, has spoken." I was gone. She
said to him, "You're going to say it, aren't you." He said, "Wow!" They
chuckled.
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Grant
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