Tempus Frangit Ch. 06

My George, however appeared to spend a great deal of his time with his sister Sian, they were always surfing together. Whilst Myra's daughter Emily was always... Well, she was forever making herself look as alluring as possible, even from a very young age; for my George's benefit I eventually came to realise. The girl had never been as fixated on surfing as the rest of us were and once she was old enough to start thinking about boys... Well I'm sure you get where I'm going here.

Eventually I kind of worked it that my George spent, about a third of his time with us mixing with all of us. Another third... er well as he grew older chatting-up and eventually courting Myra's daughter Emily; much to her obvious delight. And the other third with his sister Sian. What they found to talk about all the time, I just could never understand, but Sian and George appeared to be nattering away to each other, almost every time I clapped eyes on them. And what's more I knew that Sian would always sense my interest in them (that came with the territory, Sian had inherited the same gift, just as strong as her mother's) and she'd smile back at me.

Sian stood out as the most thoughtful of my children. She seemed to have a fascination about the future. Well that isn't quite true... more a fascination with my adventures there. Sian appeared to enjoy my telling and retelling of my adventures (no holds barred when she grew older), no matter how many times I repeated it to her. Very often Sian would start me off on the old reminiscence road, by asking me to tell her the story again.

Oh by the way, when the children were very young we'd soon discovered that, with a group of closely related people like my family... especially when all of whom either had the gift, or at least developed the sense a little, as I had that there was little point in trying to keep the truth about Douglas and my trip to the future, a secret from the children. Or that their mother's were... different from all their school chums mothers.

I have no idea of why I know that none of my children, or Douglas's either ever mentioned to any outsiders what made our family units stand apart from the norm. I'm pretty sure that Ottilie didn't even tell John Pemberton either, quite surprising that the lad never got curious, and I have to admit that that sometimes made me wonder; but I prefer not to think that way.

Eventually my George's visits became so casual that they all but went unnoticed by me. Rather odd when you're sitting there and your son -- who you haven't clapped eyes on for six months -- walks in the door, says "Hi dad" and then opens the fridge looking for a cold drink, as if he hadn't been away more than a couple of hours. Sometimes I'd be lucky if I got a good-bye out of the bugger before he went back. Mind you Sian always conveyed the news to me... mentally, when he did leave. Perhaps my George relied on her doing that.

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George was eighteen when he asked me if he could take Emily back with him for a short visit. Astonished, I told him that it wasn't up to me he'd have to ask Doug and Myra. I also queried what the Simuls' would have to say about that plan.

"She's fine with it dad, providing you have no objections." My George replied.

"Then it's down the Sugget's my boy, not me!" I informed him.

Well he and Emily did ask Doug and Myra, and they apparently agreed. But then... well, I suppose one might term it, all-hell broke loose. If Emily was going then her younger sister wanted to know why she couldn't go as well. And Ottilie and her two youngest siblings wanted in as well.

Somewhat strangely, Sian was adamant right from the first time she heard the idea mentioned, that she did not wish to go; but her younger sister and brother quite definitely did.

Even more strangely I thought at first, my George appeared to be ready for their requests, and informed me -- in private -- that permission had been granted for all five of the children to spend some time in the City and with Sylvia and Rose. He even had the necessary equipment with him to transport them as well. I looked the boy in the eye and said.

"You tell me, George; do they go and do they all decide to come back again? It would appear that Simul was untruthful with me, Thomas's chronicles must predict this visit."

"They do father, but Simul did not really lie to you. Technically your other children aren't of this time, they are of our time. However you will be relieved to know that they all come back. Even Emily although I'd really like her to stay with me. Simul has said I'll have to ask her again the future."

"Then she must surely be able to tell you whether..."

"I'm not allowed to know my own future as Thomas predicts it, father!"

"Damn, I wonder when I'm going to find out who this Thomas bloke is?"

"Bloke father! I'm surprised that you think that Thomas is a man."

"Isn't he?"

"Well, I've never thought he was and neither does mother. Stood to reason when you look at it from the right perspective."

"I never though that your mother was... er."

"Intelligent father? Well you are wrong there! A little slow on the uptake sometimes, I will admit. But mother told me a long time ago that she thought that Thomas was a female."

"She does!"

"Oh yes, mother is positive about that. But mother thinks that... Well dad, you have you look at the big picture, living as you do in the here and now, in your own time. The females here aren't the second-class citizens that they once were; well not everywhere anyway! But as mother says -- how many religious texts are there that you can think of, that were written by females? And whether you realise it or not that's what Thomas's writings have become in our time, a sort of religious prediction of the future."

"Well there's the book of Ruth in the bible, if I recall correctly. I never was..."

"Yes, so mother told me. But what happened to all the other Christian Gospels written by females? They were discarded... squashed by the male dominated Christian Church soon after it got organised. They were written as there are references to them in ancient texts, but they were not included in the Christian bible that people use in your time.

No; Thomas knowing that a world at war with itself, would most likely be completely dominated by men ... Well, she... he maybe even you father! Decided that a male name on those papers would be best."

"Oh and does your mother have any idea who this female Thomas is going to turn out to be?"

"Mother doesn't, because she's never met her; but I do have my suspicions."

"And you think she is George?"

"Ah father, now that would be telling! I'm sure that when she is old enough you'll work it out for yourself."

"George..."

"All right father, but I'm not going to actually say who I believe she is likely to turn out to be. What I will say is that Thomas, whoever she/he is, can never have visited the future. Simul has so many questions that aren't answered in Thomas's Chronicles. Had Thomas been there he... then she would most probably have answered those questions. Logical?"

"Pretty logical, yes George."

"All right father, which of your offspring has not shown the slightest interest in actually visiting the future?"

"I found myself looking across at young Sian!"

"Best candidate I can come up with as well, dad! You know, she can quote you word for word on your visit to the future. But I think I'd let her decide if and when to start writing them, if I was you. Oh and I know that she's already shown great interest in some of the disused mines around here. And guess where those Chronicles were eventually discovered."

"At the bottom of a disused mine?" I suggested.

"Yes, when it was being converted into an shelter of some kind, or safe living accommodation during the catastrophe."

-----

I haven't broached the subject with Sian as of yet. But I'm sure that one day, when she thinks the time is right, she'll tell me that's she's ready to start writing. That's assuming that Thomas hasn't started writing already, and is purposely not telling me. You can't know the answer to everything, can you?

Oh well, we shall see what the morrow holds.

Termini

Life goes on