The storm pounded them, but Mingus, Alexis and Roland combined enough magic to keep them from being capsized or breaking apart.  The waves rose twenty and thirty feet above them, but they moved like the proverbial cork on the water, rising up one mountain and free falling down the other side.  The others bailed.  They had to.

            The ship spun around, first one way and then the other until they had no sense of direction at all.  The only thing they could count on was the amulet, but Boston was afraid to get it out for fear it might be washed overboard.  She clutched it with her hand over her shirt and kept it tight between her breasts.  She jumped with every new stroke of lightning, but never let go.

            Roland heard the scream first and looked up into the black sky.  Mingus had to squeeze his son’s hand to bring his concentration back to task.  The face of the Djin, still in cloud form came down like a dive bomber and buzzed the boat just above their heads.

            “Focus,” Mingus roared against the storm and the thunder.

            Alexis knew better than to look.  Lincoln would have to scream for her, and he did.  Boston also closed her eyes.  Katie Harper and Captain Decker tried to concentrate on bailing.  Lockhart growled.

            The scream came a second time, this time from the other side.  But when it reached the ship, Lockhart held up an oar in its face.  The cloud face broke apart on the oar, but it simply reformed on the other side, and as it rose again into the storm, they heard the laughter – a real cackle of amusement.  It was toying with them and they knew it and the Djin knew it, too.

            The scream came a third time, but this time before it reached the ship it pulled up and let out a very different sound.  It disappeared in the clouds and an old man appeared in the ship, or so it seemed. 

            The man glowed, not with the awesome light of the gods, but like a lantern or perhaps a lighthouse in a storm.  It was a warm and welcoming glow, the kind ships would always look for in the dark of the night.  The ship itself seemed to broaden so the man could sit comfortably in their midst.  No one knew quite what to say as the rain softened and the water calmed around them.  Outside of their little bubble, the storm still raged in its full ferocity, but within the bubble, all was suddenly calm and quiet.

            “I must say,”  the old man spoke first.  “When Odelion asked me to keep an eye on your progress, I hardly expected it was a request worthy of note.  Now I see what he meant.”

            “I don’t think he knows about the Djin,” Katie said honestly.

            “A bit more powerful than its cousins,” Lincoln added as he set down his hat, the only thing he could find to bail with.

            “Like a Bokarus on steroids,” Lockhart said, and the man smiled and spoke again.

            “When the wind comes up from the coast of, what does he call it?  Oh yes, Africa, it often brings storms.  Many a good fisherman has been blown to other shores by such storms and many, sadly have been lost.

            “Lost?”  Boston wondered.  “Couldn’t you help them?”

            The man shook his head.  “No, dear Boston.  I can help you because you don’t belong here in the first place, but for those who are, what is the word, native.”  He shook his head again.

            “It is the two commandments even the gods must follow,” Alexis spoke up.  “One is that men die, and two is that even the gods must not change rule number one.”

            “A fair statement, elf daughter.”  The man nodded his head.  “Now Boston, dear, where is this time gate of yours?”

            Boston paused.  That was twice the man called her dear and she never felt so special in her life.  She just wanted to smile forever, but she remembered.  “Oh.”  She pulled out the amulet and pointed.  “Only five miles.  That storm certainly ate up the distance.”

            “Very good,” the man said, and the ship, the whole bubble which included the water immediately beneath the ship, rose up into the storm and raced to the spot.  “Sadly perhaps I cannot go with you to explore this other world.  I will get there all in good time.”

            “What do you mean you cannot?”  Roland was confused.

            “A fair restriction,” the man said.  “Sometimes we must restrict ourselves and each other.  When these gates were established, it was decided to bar all who were native to the time, even the gods.  Perhaps especially the gods.  I see though with some, such as yourselves, exceptions have been made.  That is the decision of the source.”

            “The –“ Katie started, but the man raised his hand and cut off her thoughts.

            “I have said enough on that score and really only have one last thing to say.  Captain Decker,” the man turned to the marine.  “It will do you no good to continue to berate yourself and think of near failure.  All turned out well in the end, didn’t it?”

            The Captain was surprised by the words, but he nodded.

            “There, so it would be best to put it out of your mind.  Oh, but I see something else is bothering you.  About young Odelion?”

            Captain Decker looked straight at the man in the boat as he answered.  “The poor man has four wives.”  He shook his head and disguised nothing about the way he felt.  He imagined that to be torture.  The man in the boast smiled at first, but as he thought about it, he began to laugh.  The laughter was contagious.  Very soon everyone was laughing, even those among them who did not find the Captain’s attitude particularly funny.  They could not help it.

            “Well, you are here.”  The man spoke again after a while.  “Now all of you who don’t belong here need to go through the gate.”  He vanished before Lockhart could speak.

            “You don’t mean the Gott-Druk, too.”

            “Or the werewolf.”  Lincoln remembered.

            “I just hope the Djin is of this time period,” Roland said as he picked up an oar.  They were going to have to row through the gate which Boston said should be right in front of them.

            The land began to fall away behind the travelers, slowly.  They had to row against the wind.  The ship, as the marines called it, was just big enough for the eight of them.  The rowers sat on two benches, side by side.  Lockhart and Captain Decker sat toward the bow and Roland and Lincoln toward the stern.  They each had an oar and had very little room between them as they tried to row in unison.

            Alexis and Mingus sat on the two benches in the bow where they stowed some of their packs.  They had a fairy weave tent and spare oar between them and they were trying to rework the plain flat sail into a sufficient fore and aft style where they could tack in the contrary wind.

            Boston and Katie were in the stern on the simple oar that acted as a rudder.  They had pulled it up to let the rowers work, so there really was little for them to do other than watch where they were going and watch where they had been.  The craft was big enough so they did not worry about standing up, but Captain Decker did point out that there was only a short, built-in keel so there was a chance of tipping over if they were not careful.

            Boston kept her eyes on the amulet and kept them generally headed in the right direction.  She ignored Lincoln when he complained he could not possibly row twenty miles.  Katie watched the land recede and the waves roll.  After a while, she thought she saw something different.  She had to reach down to her pack which was stored in the stern and retrieve her binoculars.  After a look, she handed the glasses to Boston.

            “What is that, there?”  She asked.

            “Another ship,” Boston confirmed.  She looked without the glasses and then tried the binoculars again.  “It is beyond twenty-twenty sight, but with these…”  She paused before she finished her thought.  “I would say it is following us.”

            “Yes,” Katie confirmed when she got the binoculars back.  “Only I can’t see anyone in it.”

            “Oars up,” Alexis was up in the front.  Whatever she and her father had concocted was ready for a trial.  Some of the concoction was magic.  Boston and Katie both expected that.  Most of it, though, was simple technology.  They managed to adjust the square sail rigging to give more side to side action so it could be used for more than just downwind sailing.  Then with the oar and fairy weave, they made a jib which they erected in the bow.

            “Not very strong,” Mingus admitted.  “We might not go much faster than the oars, but that is just as well.  We don’t want to roll.”

            “I have grown the keel a little,” Alexis added.  “But there are limits.”

            The oars came up and if anything the ship slowed down, but it continued on its forward progress and the men were glad to think they did not have to row the whole way.

            “Roland.”  Boston called the elf having thought of his hunter’s eyes.  “Come look at this.”  They reached for each other and held one another at the elbows to carefully traded places.

            As soon as Roland got to the rear he announced, “Another boat, following us.”  Boston concluded that the elf eyes were better than twenty-twenty.  She had guessed as much.  When Roland took the binoculars for a closer look, he said something they did not want to hear.  “Gott-Druk at the helm.  One in orange.”  He returned the binoculars.  “Cloaked.  Invisible to human eyes, but not so sophisticated as to prevent my seeing.”

            The click they heard was Captain Decker attaching the scope to his rifle.

            “Hold,” Lockhart said.   “It is staying beyond normal human sight.  It probably doesn’t imagine it has been seen.  We are too vulnerable at sea.  As long as he keeps his distance, we can ignore him.”

            “I am sniper trained,” Decker said.

            “But he is invisible to your eyes,” Roland reiterated.

            “Besides, return fire given the weaponry that is probably at his disposal would blow the ship out from beneath us.”

            “At least,” Katie agreed.

            “So we just ignore him?”  Lincoln asked.

            “For now.”  Lockhart nodded.  “If it follows us through the time gate, we can probably set a better trap further on.”

            “Agreed.”  Captain Decker unlatched his scope.

            Then they sat until the silence became complete.

            They sat for a long time with nothing to look at but the sea and each other.

            “Hats,” Alexis insisted early on.  “We are getting much too much sun.”

            They sat and listened to the water splash against the sides of the boat.

            “I wish I brought a deck of cards,” Lockhart said.

            The Mediterranean smelled especially strong of salt and brine.

            Boston fingered her khaki shorts made from that marvelous fairy weave.  She began to change the color, tried stripes, dots and flower prints before she changed them back to khaki.  That entertained everyone for a few minutes.

            The sea looked as endless as the time.

            “This database is interesting,” Lincoln said.  “Did you know there are whole novels downloaded.”  Several hands shot out and slapped Lincoln hard enough to almost make him drop the handheld.

            “I was wondering why you kept staring at the thing,” Lockhart said.

            “What are you reading?”  Boston and Alexis asked together.

            “David Copperfield,” he answered.

            “Not some science fiction like Lord of the Rings or something?”  Captain Decker wondered.

            Lincoln shook his head.  “I prefer realistic fiction.”

            “Yeah,” Lockhart said.  “But I have found that realism is not necessarily realistic.”

            “I can see that,” Katie said.

            “Storm coming up fast.”  Roland was still looking behind, keeping an eye on their follower.  The wind shifted to blow from the stern and while a good blow might have tempted them to try running with the wind, these clouds looked very dark.

            “Lieutenant.  Help me get the sail down.”  Captain Decker ordered.

            “Lincoln, you and I need to hold the rudder,” Lockhart said.

            “Father!”  Alexis stepped forward to bring down their makeshift jib, but Mingus was staring at the clouds.  The lead cloud had a face, and one that did not look happy.

            “Djin!” 

            “Probably unhappy that we keep killing his lesser cousins,” Roland suggested.

            “The ghouls,” Mingus explained to the Captain and Lieutenant who paused.

            Mingus shook his head and went to help Alexis.  Everything was down and tied by the time the storm hit, including the crew, and good thing.  The first strike snapped the rudder and nearly capsized the boat.  Katie and Lincoln would have been washed overboard if they were not secured.

            Lockhart set guards in the night to watch for the Gott-Druk.  He was especially concerned about the behavior and comments of the ones in the orange jumpsuits.  He guessed they were from the future and tossed into the past like them, and everyone agreed with that conclusion.  “There is no telling the capabilities in terms of advanced equipment they might have with them,” he concluded.

            That night, people slept well enough despite everything.  They were learning to sleep when they could.  The night was warm and the sky was clear when Captain Decker took the watch.  He looked to the moon and was glad it was not full.  He watched the stars and was equally glad that none of them moved.  All calm, he thought right before he felt the splitting headache.  He squinted, and put a hand to his head.  When he looked again, he had a shock.

            The sleepers in the room were all ghouls.  He looked where Boston and Lieutenant Harper were asleep.  He saw only ghouls.  They looked like female ghouls and he never imagined there was such a thing.  Something in his mind said they needed to be killed.  It said they all turned into ghouls because they were asleep and unable to resist.  It said the only reason he was not turned was because he was awake.  He believed what his head told him, but at the same time his military mind did not cease to work.  He was too exposed where he was, so he got up quietly to first move behind cover.

            “Captain Decker, close your eyes.”  The Captain heard the words and recognized the voice.

            “Mister Mingus?”

            “Exactly.  The real ghoul has cast a glamour.  I see it, too.  None of our friends have become ghouls.  It is an illusion.”

            Captain Decker paused.  “How do I know you are not lying to me?”

            “Man, close your eyes.  Just listen to my voice.  The Kairos is hunting the ghoul right now.”

            Two of the sleepers stirred.  Lockhart because he just lay down and Boston because she was a light sleeper.

            “Decker?”  It was Boston’s voice that came out of that ghoul mouth.  “What is it?”  That time the voice had a ghoulish sound to it.  Captain Decker raised his rifle, but he did not pull the trigger.  He slammed his eyes shut.

            “Keep your eyes closed.  And don’t trust your ears.  The humans can be made to sound like ghouls.  I have enough magic to cut through that part of the illusion.  You must trust me.”

            “Sir.”  Captain Decker said and sweated because he came very close to killing everyone.

            “Keep talking,” one of the ghouls said, but it sounded enough like Lockhart so Captain Decker did not open his eyes.

            “The ghoul had to come to the surface and get close to affect the glamour,” Mingus continued.  “Roland is with Odelion.  It can’t be far away.  They will get it.  Trust me.”

            “How can I trust you?  Maybe everyone has turned into ghouls.  You may be the illusion trying to disarm me.”

            “No one has touched you.  Don’t touch him.”  Alexis was up and about to do that very thing.  She backed off.  “Listen, Captain.  If they were real ghouls they would have you on the ground already and be feasting off your soul.”  Mingus paused.  “Hurry up,” he said the words through what sounded like gritted teeth.  He was running out of things to say to keep the Captain distracted.

            “It’s a trick,” Captain Decker said.  “It has to be a trick.”  He was about to open his eyes when they all heard an unearthly scream.  They heard a voice a moment later.  It was a human voice.

            “All clear.”

            Mingus came in from the outside.  He had been speaking through the doorway with his back to the outside wall.  “All clear,” he repeated the words but still kept back from touching the Captain.  Captain Decker opened his eyes, slowly.  Everyone looked human again.  What is more, the voice in his head appeared to be gone.  He set his rifle on the floor where he stood and walked out into the night.

            “No.”  Lockhart prevented anyone from following him.

            Odelion found Decker sitting in the chief’s chair by the council rock.  Of course, Captain Decker would have no way of knowing it was supposed to be a sacred seat, like a throne of sorts.  Odelion did not mind.  He just took Balamine’s seat.

            “Are you alright?”  He asked.  Captain Decker spoke but he did not look at Odelion.

            “Why did you bring me on this mission?  I nearly killed everyone.”

            “A-ha!  So you admit that lady Alice and Glen and I are all the same person.”

            “It would be kind of hard not to admit that at this point.”

            Odelion  waited before he spoke in case the Captain had something more to say.  “You are here because of your military background.  You are a marine ranger, you have been with the seals, done specialized missions in the field and have the training in both strategy and tactics that may be needed to get everyone home safe and in one piece.”

            “But that is why I almost killed everyone.  And I could have.”

            “But you didn’t, and now that glamour will be much harder for another ghoul to get away with.  You are experienced and with such experience comes a natural resistance.”

            “Small comfort.”

            Odelion stood, but he had one more thing to say.  “Take as much time as you need, only remember your crew needs you, too.”

            Captain Decker nodded before he asked his question.  “So why are you up?”

            Odelion smiled a very broad smile.  “I have four wives.  You don’t think I get any real sleep, do you?”

            Captain Decker nodded but said no more as Odelion walked off.

            Roland came back to the hut at the same time.  “Ghoul scouts come in threes,” he said.  “And seven in the force to follow.”

            “That is two,” Mingus counted.  “Anenki’s and Odelion’s.”  No one had to say there was another one out there, somewhere, and seven to follow after that.

###

            In the morning, Odelion took them straight to the docks.  “This is modeled after the ships of the Arisopholas in the south.  They regularly make trips to trade in North Africa, so it should be seaworthy as far as you are going.”

            “Look out for the Gott-Druk in the orange jumpsuit,” Lockhart reminded Odelion.  “He looked to have a sophistication of devices that your present day Gott-Druk do not possess.  He and his crew called your Gott-Druk weapons primitive.”

            “So you really think he does not belong here.”

            Lockhart looked around before he nodded.  “We all think it, and he may yet tip the balance of the coming conflict.”

            Odelion nodded.  “I will watch.  My wild men are out even now on the edge of the village, watching.  That was how we knew of the attack in advance.”

            “Technology is good,” Captain Decker said with a look at Lieutenant Harper.  “But there is no substitute for a good pair of eyes.”

            Odelion just nodded again and he and his wives said good-bye.  “I have asked that Oceanus watch over you in your journey,” Odelion added at the last, and he waved while the travelers shoved off.  No one saw a small fishing boat with a good sail pull up its own anchor and drift into the wake of the bigger ship.  No one noticed, so no one saw that the boat appeared to be empty.

            “Hold.”  Captain Decker threw up his hand when they got close and no one argued.  They peeked out from behind the trees.  They could see smoke from fires high in the sky and guessed it was the village, but they saw no houses because of the small hill that blocked their view. 

            The airship looked to have more in common with a glider or navy seaplane than a spaceship from their angle.  It landed on the water, skidded, bounced and slid to a stop like a rock might skip across the surface of a lake.  The Gott-Druk climbed out.  There were six and they wore something like rubber mukluks that allowed their short, squat bodies to scramble to the shore without a serious wetting.

            Lockhart started to rise.  He had in mind to talk it out, but Roland held him down.  The three Gott-Druk in orange came out from the trees to meet the newcomers on the shore, and the first words out of the orange leader’s mouth were not kind.

            “Idiots!  How are we going to surprise anyone when you come blundering in with your noisy antique.  Did it occur to you to stop up shore and walk here, quietly?”

            “Chief,”  One of the other orange men spoke.  “Look at these primitive weapons.”  He pointed at his fellow Gott-Druk and the handguns they carried.

            “Better than the sticks and stones we will be facing.”  The leader ignored his fellow to give out his instructions.  “Kill everyone, males, females and children.  That is the only way you idiots will not miss him.”

            “Right,” Lockhart nodded to Roland and instead of getting up, he pulled his shotgun up to sight.  Captain Decker already had his up.  Lieutenant Harper, Boston and Lincoln readied themselves.  Roland unhooked his sword, but got his bow ready.

            The Gott-Druk spread out as they removed the mukluks and began to climb the little hill.  Lockhart simply said “fire,” and the Gott-Druk began to fall.  Two of the orange men and four of the six Gott-Druk from the plane went down before anyone returned fire.  The last two from the plane each got off a shot.  The travelers had to duck and flatten themselves to the ground.  One tree was set on fire.  Luckily, no one was hurt though they all felt the heat. 

            Then the last two Gott-Druk from the plane fell.  They were downed by weapons similar to their own heat rays. That fire came from the top of the hill and some men stood on that hilltop when it was over.

            “Lincoln, Roland and Decker only,” Lockhart said as he stood.  “The rest of you stay hidden.”   The men stepped free of the trees and Captain Decker spoke softly.

            “We missed the orange leader.”

            “I noticed,” Lockhart responded quietly which inspired Lincoln to count the Gott-Druk dead.  Lockhart raised his hand and waved to the men on the hill.  “Elenar!”  He shouted.

            At least one man there waved back.  “Lockhart!”

###

            “My wives,” Odelion introduced them.  “Philias is my cook, and also likes to eat I might add.”  She was plump, but very warm and welcoming. 

            “Balamine is my worker bee.”  By contrast with Philias, Balamine looked to be in great shape but perhaps too skinny.  “Her goal is to open the first spa and gym on the island.”

            “Oh?  Good for you,” the others said before Odelion said, “Just kidding.”

            “I’m the one who stands between this too large family and starvation,” Balamine said with a smile for the travelers but a hard look for Odelion.

            “Memseti,” Odelion moved on to the African woman.  “She is my Barbie doll but with a brain.  She sees to the children  And then,” he paused.  “Where is my first wife?  Where is Asterasine?”

            “Here I am.”  The woman came in from the outside carrying a woven basket full of fresh picked flowers.  “Just to freshen the home for your friends.”  She put the basket in the corner before anyone realized she was missing her left arm from the elbow down.

            “Gott-Druk,” Odelion referred to the missing limb.  He gave Asterasine a kiss before he sat down on the floor.  When he sat, the others sat.  There were soft skins spread around the dirt floor for that purpose.  In many ways that made it feel more like they were in a tent than a home, but there were several rooms at the back for the children so it was something like a house as well.

            “But now the Elenar have left,” Lincoln said, casually.  “What will you do if the Gott-Druk return in force?”

            “As far as it goes, they were right.  Your sticks and stones are no match for their energy weapons,” Lockhart added.

            “Radiation weapons,” Odelion said.  “And I know it.  We will leave the island when they come.  We will sail to Crete, Sicily, Southern Spain and North Africa.  We will begin again.”

            “But the Elenar –“ Alexis started to speak but stopped when Odelion held up his hand.

            “They have not gone far, and they are watching.  When the Gott-Druk come in force, they will return to do battle.  Sadly, my people would never survive such a battle.  We must leave or die.”

            “Such a pessimist,” Philias shook her head as she brought in a great tray of fish and vegetables.  Memseti followed with the first bread they had seen, albeit, unleavened.  “We will live and be happy.”  Philias gave Odelion a kiss and sighed and smiled at the man.  Memseti followed suit, but lingered a bit on Odelion’s lips.

            “But right now we must also feed the children.”  Memseti followed Philias out the door.

            Balamine came in after the other two left.  She carried clay cups and a big jug of very weak fermented beer.  “You must eat and sleep.  Rest is important for your good health.”

            “Listen to yourself,” Odelion pointed at her.  Balamine looked at him and rolled her eyes, but this time she smiled for him.

            “But now, for us.”  Boston spoke over the fish.  “Our way looks like it is over the water.”

            Odelion nodded.  “I have a boat in mind that will carry you all, that is if you trust my late Neolithic craftsmen.”

            Several of the travelers looked around the room.  It was Lincoln who spoke up.

            “I don’t see as we have much choice.”

Long before RPGs, before D&D, before gaming captured so many minds.  Back before the internet, before laptops, before the home computer – when typewriters ruled, and manual ones at that.  Back when the printed word was still printed, and expensive apart from the library, and some movies were in Technicolor, but most were still in black and white.  Back when televisions were just making their way into homes and there was not much to see yet on those gritty, flipping, black and white screens; there was a boy of six or seven years who grabbed pencils, colored pencils, crayons and paper and went to sit in his room like a hermit – and he told himself stories.

The boy told about reality and things beyond reality.  He charted the stars in dreams and visions and whole worlds and universes got put on that paper.  At first it was more pictures than words, but it was all words in a sense, and the more the boy grew the more the words took over.  He could perceive things unknown by normal people, and communicate them through the most powerful invention ever devised – words.

With words, this young boy could create new life and new civilizations and boldly go – years before Star Trek ever found its way to the small screen.  He could travel anywhere in space and time years before Doctor Who stole the TARDIS.  In his mind and heart, his perception could expand into infinity, but it was the words – words and pictures – that made it all real.

Perception and Communication.  Perception is the root of all science, and communication is the root of all understanding.  These are the two keys to storytelling, and storytelling is the essence of what makes us human, above all.  Perception and communication are the essence of what defines reality in the human mind and separates us from the animals and all the rest of creation.  It is not alone that we can perceive reality in a kind of self-awareness.  All animals perceive.  But it is the fact that we can put our perceptions into words.  It is the words that are all powerful.

John was brilliant when he said, In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.  All things were made by the Word, when God said, Let there be light.  And God showed grace from the beginning when he told Adam to name all of the animals.  Those human words from a human mind defined the reality God made.

The Baptist came to Witness: to perceive the reality of the Word made flesh, and he came to Testify to it, to put it into words so others could understand what he witnessed.

The Word made flesh was the true Light, that is the true light of God who said the first word, Let there be light.

Many people do not understand this.  It may be too basic, too simple in a way.  To Receive him is to receive the light (the light of understanding) – to be filled with light.  It is to be able to see (perceive reality) clearly for the first time, wherein there is no darkness.  Then it is up to us to Believe in the reality we perceive which is underlined for us in the Word spoken, the Word written, the Word made flesh. 

Those who believe understand that Grace is the way of God, even as it was from the beginning with Adam.  This we know through the Truth, spoken.  What is truth?  It is the Word.  It is not A word of truth.  It is THE Word of truth, the same that was in the beginning.

Perception:  No one has seen God, but the Word has seen God.  The Word is God.  And no one can make God known.  Communication: but the Word can make him known.

Christmas is:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… full of Grace and Truth.

This is what the little boy perceived when he was just a little boy, and now he has told you the story.

Merry Christmas, or as my friends across the water say, Happy Christmas.  For me, this is the time of year when I  begin to set goals and resolutions for the coming year.  (Why wait until New Year’s Eve)? 

So I review the year, and if you are like me I tend to see every mistake, accident, slip of the tongue, nasty moment…  I hope my random acts of kindness somehow balance that ledger… 

But seriously, I review my last year’s goals and resolutions and count my successes and failures, my additions and adjustments throughout the year and my cross-offs (because what sounded great last December turned out to be stupid in July).  I first see what is carry-over, like something that should have made it into a five year plan.  Then I add before I subtract. 

I always over expect.  That might just be me, but I figure if I set my goals and resolutions too low I’ll have a lazy year.  As long as I understand there is deliberately more than I can possibly do so I don’t stress over it, my time won’t be wasted (and I will never have the excuse of saying I’m bored with nothing to do).

There are already several resolutions for 2012.  Focusing on marketing my work is a big one.  I’ll be working with a friend somewhere between the last of December and first weeks of January to zero in.  He does this kind of “game planning” for a living and consults for Wall Street types.  I don’t know if he got occupied.  I’ll have to ask when I see him.

Meanwhile, have you thought about 2012?  Is it going to be the greatest year ever?  Oh?  How so? 

After 4176 BC on Malta.  Kairos:  Odelion 

Recording…

            “I think it is ugly.”  Boston rarely minced her words.

            “It’s artistic,” Lincoln tried to give the benefit of the doubt.  He had his pad and pencil out to make a rendering. 

            “It looks like it has been here for a long time.  Let me see.”  Katie Harper finally pulled out one of the mysterious bits of technology from of her backpack.  She examined the carving by scanning it and checking the readout.   It was a flat faced carving on a stone, not really a statue, and it was set all alone in a clearing in the jungle.

            “A representation of some demon-god,” Boston suggested. 

            “No.  A true rendering of a spiritual reality, I would say.”  Mingus touched it carefully.  “I would call it a greater spirit of the night.” 

            “Call it a dream spirit,” Alexis suggested.

            Lincoln amended that.  “A nightmare spirit.”  It had a flat head with high brows like a Neanderthal, eyes that glared and were far bigger than necessary, fangs for teeth, and four arms that ended in claws and looked to be reaching for the onlookers.

            Katie spoke again.  “According to my best estimate, this carving is about three thousand years old.”

            “Let me see.”  Boston stepped over to look at Katie’s equipment.  “The amulet also has a temporal setting.  It says thirty four hundred years.”  She showed Katie so they could compare.

            “But you said, or rather Lincoln read from the database that we have only traveled three hundred and fifty years since the beginning.”  Captain Decker did the math.  “You are saying this is older than the Kairos.”

            “I would say three thousand plus years older.”  Katie nodded.  “That would make it pre-flood.”

            “Gott-Druk,” Mingus said.

            “Neanderthal,” Lockhart translated for those who did not know. 

            People nodded.  “I had forgotten,” Alexis admitted.

            “This is Malta,” Katie said.  “There should be some old temples around here as well, though they may be ruins already after the flood.  It would be a good way to check the readings.”

            “Quiet.”  Roland’s word was sharp.  His hunter senses were on alert since they climbed down the mountain and entered the jungle and he was presently the only one who was paying attention to the wilderness.  People looked up and he waved quickly to one side of the clearing.  Everyone scattered, hid and did their best to remain perfectly quiet.

            They heard the strangers before they saw them.  There were three, and they clearly looked Neanderthal.  They all had on orange jumps suits of a sort that looked technologically way beyond what the humans imagined the Gott-Druk should have.  Lieutenant Harper and Captain Decker in particular were looking for classic cavemen.

            “But the locals are resistant, our ancient cousins are behaving stupidly and there are Elenar reported in the area.”  One of the Gott-Druk complained as he counted off his fingers.

            A second Gott-Druk, the evident leader of the group quieted his fellow.  He held up a device of some kind.  He pressed some buttons and looked into a screen.  “An ancient Ankaron Battleship.  I don’t think we even have one of those in a museum.”  He turned his device off and reassured his comrade.  “You could take it down with a handgun.”

            “Still, there is the one favored by the powers of the earth.  He has already cost our cousins dearly.”  The Gott-Druk counted a fourth finger.

            “Yes,” the leader said.  “But if we can eliminate him and take down the Elenar, the first plan may yet go forth as conceived.”

            The third one spoke.  “But if the first plan succeeds, we may never be born.”

            “Worth the risk,” the leader said as he lifted his device and punched some more buttons.  He lowered it and scanned 180 degrees of the forest where the travelers were hiding.  “But come.  Too many eyes and ears here.”

            The others looked.  “I see nothing,” one said, but the leader moved off and the others were obliged to follow.

            Captain Decker and Roland cautioned everyone to remain silent.  They led them through the trees, and not in a straight line.  Roland scouted up front to pick out the trail and Captain Decker watched the rear.  They were a mile beyond the carving in the clearing before Roland let anyone speak.

            “What were they on about?”  Katie Harper wanted to know.

            “I met the Elenar in the future – back home.  They are like Cro-Mangon and if not the enemies of the Gott-Druk, they are watchers at least determined to make sure the Neanderthals don’t come back and try to retake the earth.”

            “I see,” Boston said.  “But where would the human race fit, if the Neanderthals were successful, I mean in retaking the earth?”

            “We would not fit,” Lockhart said.

            “Or become a permanent slave underclass,” Mingus suggested.

            “Well, one thing.”  Lincoln spoke up.  “I suspect the favored of the gods is the Kairos and if the Gott-Druk plan is to eliminate him it might be a good idea if we find him first.”

            “Right.”  Boston spoke with some vigor.  “This way.”  She had the amulet out and pointed.  Roland joined her at the front. 

            It was hardly another mile before they came to the sea.  It was not the best beach.  In fact, the jungle marched right down to the water in several places where there was a ledge.  They could see where the waves were digging the dirt out from beneath the trees and imagine there might be a beach some day, but not yet.

            “I thought we might find a village,” Alexis said.  Lincoln shrugged.  Roland, Mingus and the marines kept quiet.  Boston, though, shook the amulet the way Doctor Procter used to shake it.

            “What?”  Lockhart asked.

            “The amulet points straight out to sea, twenty miles.”

            “Nautical miles?” Captain Decker asked.

            “Let me see,” Lockhart imitated Boston’s curious attitude and she showed him.  “But it is a little to the south.  Let’s try this way.  Maybe there is a peninsula or something.

            “Not on Malta,” Katie shook her head.

            “Another island?”  Boston turned to face the marine.

            “No,” Lincoln answered.  “There are two or so other islands in the Malta group, but they are north, not south.”

            “The woods!”  Roland spoke sharply again and everyone jumped.  An airship of some sort came into view.  It was noisy, like is was driven by an internal combustion engine, and it flew low and slow across the water.  Lockhart and Lincoln agreed it was a shuttle, probably four to six passengers plus crew. 

            “Surgical strike,” Captain Decker suggested.

            “Hurry!”  Lockhart said, and they hurried south in the wake of that ship.

            Everyone had plenty to eat and plenty of beef as things got back to normal, except Risah sat with the children for the rest of the evening which was unheard of.  There was even some beef left over from the tables which the cooks promptly worked to preserve for lunch on the following day, but Dantu would not let Risah get up and help.

            At the head table, the travelers were fascinated by the entertainment.  Anenki sat between Bashte and Gagrena and had a hard time staying straight in the middle.  He wanted to lean in Bashte’s direction and away from the woman who would not leave him alone.

            Gagrena focused all her attention on Anenki.  She spoke cold and civil words to Lili, clearly despised Niudim and ignored Nanna because Nanna was not hers.  The rest might as well have been invisible.  The woman fawned on Anenki.  She kept touching him, his hand, his arm, like they were lovers of old.  Everyone figured she wanted the best deal she could get for her city, Uruk, and she was using her looks and sex to get it. 

            Anenki tried to be polite but he could not always help himself.  Gagrena’s ego appeared boundless, so perhaps she did not notice that whenever she touched him, Anenki turned up his nose.  When asked, Gagrena admitted she had not dedicated her city to any particular god.  She was a woman who believed that the purpose of everyone in the world was to serve her so after that it did not really matter.  Boston was surprised she had not built a temple to herself and later regretted that she put the idea in the woman’s mind. 

            “Nanna.”  Bashte finally spoke into the void.  Nanna was yawning again.  “Let’s go check and see that the children are in bed.”  Anenki grabbed Bashte’s hand, but Bashte  simply said, “You will be fine,” and she let go.  Everyone paused to watch them go and then Gagrena spoke.

            “We finally got rid of the nursemaid.”

            “Not at all,” Anenki responded.  He had just about reached his limit of politeness.  “She is my good wife, my living wife as opposed to my dead one.”  Back when Gagrena first left Anenki, he counted her as dead.  He had not mentioned it in many years but just then he could not help himself.  Gagrena was not put off.

            “Anenki, I worry about you.  You are not as strong as you think.  You need a woman beside you, a real woman.”

            “I have one, thank you.”

            Gagrena frowned ever so slightly as she took his hand and tried to catch his eyes.  “I just wanted you to know that I am here for you, just like we were meant to be from the beginning.  I would hate to see you all alone, I mean if something should ever happen to young Bashte.”

            Lincoln, Lockhart, Katie and Mingus all sat up straight.  Anenki looked at them, looked at Gagrena and jumped out of his chair.  “Bashte!”  He ran for the stairs.  The others followed.  Lockhart pulled the pistol he wore at his side.  Captain Decker brought the rifle that was never out of his reach.  Lincoln grabbed the wicked looking knife with which he had cut the big servings of beef.  Roland pulled his sword as they ran.

            The children were huddled in one bed, crying.  Gagrena’s little army of seven men were all there in the big room.  Bashte was there too, down on the floor.  She was not bleeding or unconscious, but her hand went to the back of her head where she was struck.  Nanna had her hands up, and that made a small shield against the men.  She could easily deflect a spear, but she had no confidence of holding the men if they decided to rush her all at once.   No one said, wait or what are you doing, or let’s talk about this.  Lockhart and Captain Decker simply fired.  Lincoln threw his knife and put his man down,  It was a talent no one knew he had.  Roland also put his man down easily with the sword.  The other five went down just as fast.  Captain Decker got three to Lockhart’s two.

            The children screamed at the noise.  Nanna dropped her hands and her jaw.  Doctor Mishka spoke up from the floor because Anenki had gone away and the good Doctor had taken his place to make sure Bashte did not have a concussion.

            “Men and guns.  How sick I am of such things,” Mishka said.  “Nanna, help your Mama to walk over to the children.”

            “Yes, Doctor,” Nanna said to what was obviously a familiar face.  She helped Bashte stand as the rest of the crew piled into the room which suddenly did not seem so big.  Doctor Mishka immediately took Alexis to see which of the men might be saved.  She instructed Boston and Katie to staunch the bleeding on the two who only looked wounded while she quickly checked the two who were clearly dead.  They saved the other five, though the one with the shattered knee would never walk well again.

            “Anenki?”  Gagrena straggled in at the end of the line.  It took her a moment to realize what happened. 

            “Here,” Mishka said.  She did not have time to play games.

            “Where?”  Gagrena wondered, before she looked twice at the Doctor.  This was not the first time she had seen Anenki become a different person and not even the first time she saw him become a woman.  “I am glad you are alright.”

            “Bull.”  Mishka got in her face.  “Anenki is too polite.  Let me tell you something.  On your own, you are a danger to yourself and to others.  You know, in the Soviet days we lock up people like you for your own protection and for ours.”

            “What if she had someone to watch over her?”  A voice spoke up near the bed where the children were quieted in Bashte and Nanna’s arms.  It was a woman’s voice that spoke, one that could only be described as perfect, and it turned every head in the room.  Most that could, including the travelers went straight to their knees at this vision of holy beauty.  Gagrena became terribly frightened and fell to her face.

            “Inmama.”  Little Nippur called and reached out, and Innan picked up the child, kissed her, and held her for a moment on her hip.

            “Someone to watch over her might work,” Mishka said.  “It would be a headache though.”  She went straight back to work on the wounded.  It was what she was there for.

            Innan appeared to shrug.  She raised her free hand and the bullets all extracted themselves.  “I believe these are yours,” she said, as the bullets set themselves in front of Lockhart and Captain Decker.

            “Yes, er, thank you.”

            “That was remarkable to watch.”  Innan looked over the dead and wounded and clicked her tongue.

              “Yes,”  Mishka poked her head up once more.  “You can tell Enki and Enlil that in the future, the human race becomes very efficient at war and killing.  That should help them since they have now been given oversight for war.  And you.  But it is too early in the game for a rogue city and maybe a war.  Let us get closer to a dozen cities, get trade going and all that first, I think.”

            “Wise as always,” Innan said.  She handed Nippur back to her Mama, gave Bashte a sisterly kiss on the cheek and stepped up to Gagrena who was trembling and dared not look up from the floor.  Mishka noticed before she went back to work.  It was sometimes hard for the Kairos to remember just what the fear of the gods could do to a person.  It could transform them, though she doubted anything would transform Gagrena in the long term.

            “I will take your city of Uruk,” Innan said.  “I am sure Anenki will help us get things on the right foot.  Meanwhile, a temple would be nice.  Enlil and Enki both say there is nothing like it.”  Innan put her finger to her cheek to think.  “And now I have to ask.”  She stepped up to Lockhart.  “Why are you here?  You don’t belong here.”

            Lockhart’s tongue refused to work in the presence of the goddess of desire.  Fortunately, Mingus and Roland were most respectful, but being spiritual creatures themselves, they were not affected by the goddess in the same way as the humans.

            “We are travelers through time,” Roland offered a more thorough description than Lockhart usually offered.  “We will be moving on in a day or two.”

            “And this one?”  Innan snapped her finger and a ghoul appeared beside her.  The ghoul’s face was expressionless.  It looked unable to move or speak.  “He also does not belong.  I don’t suppose this is one of yours.”

            “Not ours, Lady” Mingus answered.  “But I believe he may have been the source of the poison, earlier.”

            Innan smiled which just about caused several people to faint from her beauty.  “The elder elf is wise.  I think we need not retain this one.”  She waved in the ghoul’s direction and the ghoul skipped the dying part.  He turned straight to a misty green smoke and left only a green smudge on the floor.  “And now, my children.”  Innan clapped her hands and she, Gagrena and the seven dead and wounded from the floor all vanished.

            “Hey!”  Only Doctor Mishka protested.  “I wasn’t finished with that one yet.”

            “A ghoul scout.”  Mingus shook his head.  “That means there are nine more out there.”

            “Eighty-nine,” Boston corrected. 

            The travelers gathered early for supper, full of guarded praise for Anenki’s little city.  “A bit too communal for my tastes,” Captain Decker summed up the consensus of the freedom loving Americans.

            “Of necessity,” Anenki responded.  “Before we began it was anarchy.  I mean, most people were nice and helped their neighbors when they could, but ultimately it was every man for himself.  Now, in order to make the kind of division of labor a city needs, it has to be communal.  You want a man to spend his days working in clay, not soil.  But he is thinking he has to grow crops and hunt and fish and tend to his goats and oxen to feed his family and have some to trade.  That way very little time can be spent on the clay.  So we guarantee, as well as we can, that he will receive the food he needs for his family, and the cloth or clothing and whatever else may be necessary so he can concentrate on the clay.  We have to be communal to do that.  You might call it excessively high taxes.”

            “I understand,” Katie Harper spoke up.  “It makes sense to me, at least.  Sumer was marked with a more communal kind of living than later civilizations.”

            “Remember, we are transitioning,” Anenki added.  “To be honest, I think Marx got it completely backwards.  Communism was really the first step, not the last.  Capitalism only developed with a money economy, but that won’t happen for, what, three thousand and some years.” 

            Several women interrupted by placing trays of fruit and vegetables on all of the tables.  Some of the people began to come into the banquet hall as well, talking and laughing in their own little groups.

            “So tell me about our guest, if you don’t mind.”  Lockhart finally asked the question everyone had been avoiding.  Anenki glanced at Bashte who encouraged him without a word.

            “Alright,” he said, and set himself to hold nothing back.  “About twelve years ago when we were first starting out, some of the motivation to build a city where people could live safe and secure was because of one man.  Nogao had convinced a number of people it was easier to take the labor of others than do the work themselves.”

            “Thief,” Lockhart said quietly.  Anenki nodded.

            “Well, we just got things going and he showed up with more than a hundred followers to try and take over the whole work.”

            “Don’t tell me, egged on by Gagrena,” Alexis said.

            “Sweetheart,” Lincoln reached for her hand.  He imagined she was wrong accusing the woman.

            “Sorry, she just reminds me of the type of personality that I despise in women.”

            “You have very good insights,” Bashte said to confirm that the accusation was accurate.

            “Yeah, they give all women a bad name,” Boston added.

            Anenki nodded the whole time, but then they all paused again as two men carried in half a bull for the main table.  There were roasts brought in for the other tables as well and the room was filling up.

            “Where is Gagrena?”  Bashte asked.

            “Fashionably late?” Alexis suggested.

            “Wanting to make a grand entrance,” Anenki nodded again.

            “Anyway,”  Lockhart wanted back to the story.

            “Anyway, Nogao was killed.  I killed him, and his people were left leaderless.  It was my brother Agur who took them with some well trained experts in the various disciplines and went north, back to the Tigris where we found him.  He started a second city, One that Enlil named after our baby, Nippur.”

            “We chiefly worship Enki in Eridu,” Bashte said.

            Anenki cut off the questions with a simple word.  “I flipped a coin.  Besides, Agur had met Enlil and the god was always associated more with the Tigris and Enki with the Euphrates so it all worked out.”

            “Except for Gagrena,” Katie pointed out.  “I take it she did not follow your brother.”

            “No,” Anenki said the word with an underline.  “She was not about to have any man rule over her.  Not even Enlil.  She took about a third of the group and broke away to build her own place.  She calls it Uruk.  It is on the Euphrates, but up river approaching half-way between Eridu and Nippur.”  Anenki’s voice trailed off and there was silence only interrupted by Lincoln tapping his knife gently on the table.

            “Where is that woman?”  Lincoln asked.

            “Hungry?”

            “That beef smells great.”

            “Why not cut yourself a steak?”  Captain Decker offered.

            “Wait,” Anenki held up his hand.  “It is polite to wait.  Though maybe I should eat before she gets here.  She will just give me indigestion.”

            “You don’t like her much,” Boston understated the case.

            Anenki countered.  “Actually, I feel sorry for her.  She has been at me all afternoon about how she misses me and we really had a good thing and she foolishly let me get away.  I would say she is trying to put the moves on me, and she is still rather nice to look at.  But you know, now that I am not a teenager with hormones ruining my brain I can see that she does not lie very well at all.”

            “Father,” Lili spoke up.  “Maybe I should fetch Mother.”

            Anenki did not have time to answer because his sister Dantu came in with Risah in her arms.  “Anenki!”  She shouted.  “Don’t eat the roast!”  Risah collapsed to the ground.

            Everyone moved, but it was Alexis who got there first.  She laid her hands over Risah and that familiar glow appeared for those who could see it.  “She has been poisoned,” Alexis announced in the sudden silence of that big room.

            “Keep back, give them room.”  Captain Decker and Lockhart had to play policemen.

            “Maybe I can draw it out of her,”  Alexis suggested.  She began to work with her hands.  No one saw Gagrena come into the room, but when she realized what was going on, they all heard her.

            “You are trying to kill me!”

            Bashte jumped.  “You are not stupid.  If we wanted to harm you we would not test it out on Anenki’s sister first.”

            There was a sudden flash of darkness and Alexis got knocked back on her rump.  “Magically protected,” she managed to say as she rushed her hand to her head to fight the dizzy feeling.

            “Nanna!”  Anenki immediately called for his daughter, the daughter of the goddess Innan.

            “Me?  Daddy?”

            “You can do it.  I’m right here, but right now you are the only one who can do it.”

            “Daddy?”

            “Hurry, please,” Dantu pleaded.

            Anenki brought Nanna to Risah and had her kneel.  When he let go, Nanna closed her eyes and put her hands out like Alexis.  Nanna’s glow was much richer, much fuller and more golden in color.  They saw the darkness come up and push against her hands.  Nanna shrieked, but Anenki laid a hand on her shoulder and encouraged her.

            “You can do this.  You are stronger than any darkness.  Get angry.”

            Nanna got angry and the darkness cracked and broke and blew away on the wind.

            “Son, your hand,” Mingus said, and Roland gave it.  “Concentrate,” Mingus added as he reached down and snatched Alexis’ bone wand.  He waved it slowly in the air, twice and then gave it a sharp jerk.  There was a pale blue light that popped from the wand, like a globe.  It began to float around the room, slowly at first before it got up a good head of steam.  It went from table to table, separated twice and came back together before it finally lighted on the roast at the head table.  The whole roast fairly glowed soft blue before the darkness came out of the roast and swallowed the light.

            “Only our roast is poisoned,” Roland said as Mingus paused to catch his breath. 

            By then, Alexis was up and coaching Nanna.  “There it is,” Alexis said.  “All gathered in one place.  Now raise your hands, slowly.”  Nanna did, and a small drop of something came right out of Risah’s body.  It followed Nanna’s hands into the air.  Nanna squealed.

            “I did it.  I did it.”

            Anenki handed Alexis a cup in which she caught the drop while Bashte hugged Nanna.

            “Mama, I did it!”  Nanna hugged her back.

            “I’m so proud of you,” Bashte added.

            As Risah began to come around, Lili, who had knelt beside Dantu and held Dantu’s hand, looked up at Bashte.  Bashte put her other arm around Lili and kissed her cheek as well.  “I’m proud of all my children,”  she said before she apologized to Dantu.  “I’m sorry I don’t have another arm for you.”  Dantu looked up and nodded, but her eyes were full of tears and she had no words.

            “And you too,”  Bashte let go of Nanna and Lili to give Niudim a big hug.  The young man understood enough to know he almost lost his aunt Risah and he was near tears as well.  Nanna and Lili also went to him and joined in a kind of group hug.

            “Ah, the power of love,” Anenki said and turned to face Gagrena.  “True love conquers all.”  Anenki paused.  “Did I just say that?”

            “Yes you did,” Lockhart responded from the table where he and Captain Decker were lifting the roast on its tray.  Lincoln and several of the men were there to help.  They intended to bury the beast somewhere out of town.

            “But I hate clichés,” Anenki finished.

            “But father,” Roland turned to Mingus.  “Who would do such a thing?”  In answer they heard an angry moan come from beneath their feet.  Lockhart and Decker had to shuffle their hands to keep from dropping the roast.  It sounded like someone was very frustrated.

            Their stuff, as Lincoln called it, turned out to be in place, dry and the technology all functioned normally.  Their tents were amazingly still up, and the fire was relit.  “Enki went to great lengths to be thorough,” Lincoln commented.

            “Yes, thanks,” Lockhart said with a look to the sky.  He explained to Boston’s curious face.  “It never hurts to be polite.”

            “Exactly,” Lincoln agreed.  “Thank you.  I recall from the stick people what it means to get on the wrong side of the gods.”

            “Oh, Lincoln,” Alexis protested and dragged him off.  “I was trying to forget about all that.”

            Everyone slept well after that.  They felt that if they were being watched, they were also being watched over by someone far more capable than a cockroach.  When the morning came, they felt refreshed and after some fake coffee, they trooped down to the cooking fires.

            Risah was already up working, preparing a luncheon for their coming guest.  Lili was there with Nanna and Niudim, but Lili was presently talking with a young man.  When Alexis and Boston walked up, Lili introduced Gordon who said he was pleased to meet them and promptly decided he had better get to work.  Alexis and Boston both watched Lili as Lili watched Gordon leave.

            “He seems very nice,” Alexis said as they went to join the others.  Lili only smiled and nodded.  Her tongue seemed tied.

            Nanna, though, had no trouble talking.  “Gordon, Gordon.  It is all I hear.”

            “Oh?”  Boston got nosey.  “A boyfriend, or maybe more?”  Lili turned a little red.

            “No way,”  Nanna shook her head.  “At least not until Gordon finds the courage to speak to Daddy.”

            “Nanna!”  Lili scolded her little sister, but Nanna thought it was funny so Lili stomped off to help Aunt Risah with the mush.

            “Careful,” Alexis spoke wisely.  “It will be your turn one day.”  Nanna paused, but shook her head.  That day seemed an eternity away.  That was the way teenagers always thought.

            They all ate the mush.  It was not grits or oatmeal or cream of wheat, exactly.  It was just mush, helped with a little fruit on top, but not helped much.  Lockhart was glad to set his aside when he saw Anenki and Bashte arrive.  They were cooing at each other like they were the only two people in the world.  Alexis and Boston sighed to see them, but Nanna thought it was gaggy.

            “I mean, they are so old,” Nanna said.

            “Good morning.” Niudim said and waved like they were far away.  Actually, nothing in Eridu was that far away as the morning proved.  Anenki gave the travelers the grand tour, as he called it.  They were done in an hour and ended up at the irrigation camp.

            “Kiluk,” Anenki pointed.  “He is the chief of the irrigation project.  Presently he and his staff are setting the minimum standards for plowing new fields.  As the city grows we will need to cultivate more and more land.”

            “Standards?”  Katie asked.

            “Sure,” Anenki smiled for her and waited for Lincoln to catch up in his notes.  “Right now innovation is highly prized.  We are all trying new things and looking for ways to improve.  But in a generation, standards will become rules and innovation will be harder.  Then rules will become regulation as we give birth to inspectors.  By three generations, regulations will become traditions, and then innovation will be very difficult.”

            “As quick as that?”  Lincoln asked.

            Anenki nodded.  “About a hundred years or so.”

            Kiluk waved to the visitors and limped over to talk to a man.  Alexis noticed and was more concerned with the limp.  “Crippled?”

            “Since birth,” Anenki confirmed.  “People like Kiluk and Niudim are one of the main reasons I agreed to build the first city.  Normally, I don’t interfere like this.  It isn’t safe, given all I know about the future.  But in this case, I have innovated nothing.  I just made it possible.”

            “I suppose in the old days the life expectancy for someone like Kiluk would not be good,” Katie suggested.

            “Or Niudim, or anyone who got old,”  Anenki confirmed.  “Now, at least they have a chance – for a few generations anyway.”

            “I understand,” Lockhart said, and as they wandered over to the temple, Anenki heard all about the river in the night.

            Anenki looked at the temple.  Some of the bricks crumbled and several looked more like mush than bricks.  “But hey, Duban is still working on the formula.  Innovation, remember?”   

###

            Gagrena arrived close to three in the afternoon.  She came into town seated in a plush chair carried on the shoulders of four rather large men.  Seven men followed her carrying spears like a kind of honor guard.  Another dozen people came after that, women mostly to attend to Gagrena’s needs.

            “Welcome to Eridu.”  Bashte had to say it.  Anenki wanted to say some other things.  To be sure, Gagrena was a beautiful girl who had become a stunning woman, especially with all the pampering.  But she had the personality of a snake and she had a bad attitude about everyone.  In short, she thought about herself and believed everyone else should think about her, too.

            “Anenki.”  Gagrena smiled at him.  “Put me down, put me down.”  As soon as her feet touched she rushed up and threw herself into Anenki’s arms.  He gave her a hug before he extracted himself from her bear-like grasp.  He drew a line at the kiss.  He did not want her kissing even his cheek in a friendly greeting.

            “Welcome to Eridu,” Bashte tried again.

            “Yes you.”  Gagrena acknowledged her at last.  “The nursemaid.  And how are the children?”

            “They are wonderful,” Bashte answered with a friendly smile.  “I am sure they would love to see you.  Why don’t we visit them.  We could spend the afternoon in playtime.”

            The look of horror that crossed Gagrena’s face was priceless.  Anenki was impressed.  Bashte did not have to do anything except tell the truth and be sincere.

            “I did not come here to play with the children,” Gagrena responded.  “That is your job, isn’t it?”

            “Oh it’s not a job.  It’s fun.”  Bashte stepped up and kissed Anenki, and there was some passion in that kiss.  Anenki responded with his whole heart, which made it worse for Gagrena.  Then Bashte wandered off slowly toward where the children were playing.

            “So, what brings you to Eridu?  I thought you and Pak were going to build your own city?”

            Gagrena watched Bashte and steamed.  She looked at the sky and offered a suggestion.  “Can we go inside where it is more private?”

            “Of course,” Anenki was gracious.  “But your people will have to stay out here.”  He shrugged.  “We have a nice place for you to spend the night.  It is right beside the rooms for the children.”  Gagrena paused.  “Of course if you would rather stay out here where you could be attended by your people, I will understand.”

            Gagrena frowned and waved Anenki to go with her to the door.  “Pak is an idiot,” she said.  “I have to do everything myself.”  Anenki knew that meant she made all the decisions.  He well remembered their few years together.  He was sure that did not mean she did actual work.   She would never lift a finger.  “I am going to need some of your chief men for a while – just to teach my own people or my city will never be more than a big village.”  Anenki understood.  Eridu pioneered most of what was needed to build and maintain a successful city.  His only fear was once Gagrena got her hands on his experts, he might never get them back, alive.