bill bird love story hidden gifts

8/2/2019 Bill Bird Love Story Hidden Gifts

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Table of Contents

1 Setting Scenes ......................................... 2

2 Flash Back .................................................. 18

3 Atmospherics............................................. 29

4 Mysterious Fliers...................................... 35

5 Rusty............................................................. 45

6 An Offer of Flight.................................... 59

7 Judith.......................................................... 69

8 Simulations ............................................... 78

9 A Conversation with Judith ................. 88

10 Learning to Crawl .................................... 96

11 Learning to Trust ................................... 104

12 The Secret .............................................. 114

13 Running ...................................................... 125

14 Kites ........................................................... 133

15 Dropping the Harness ........................... 141

16 First Flight ................................................ 150

17 Livvy Takes some Knocks ...................... 16218 The Citadel ............................................... 180

19 The Meeting ............................................ 189

20 An Aura in the Sky ................................ 201

21 Caught ....................................................... 212

22 The Test .................................................. 219

23 The unexpected Guest ......................... 230

24 Further Developments ........................ 239

25 Early one Morning .................................. 249

26 North Sea Nightmare ........................... 258

27 Angels ......................................................... 268

28 Reviews and memories ........................... 280

29 Marine Adventures ................................. 29730 The Conference ............................................. 31131 Darius ............................................................ 328

32 The Strike ................................................. 350

33 The Flier .................................................... 368


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34 False Conclusions .................................... 381

35 Airport Emergency ................................. 396

36 Knife Edge Sample .................................. 407

37 Epilogue ...................................................... 418

Hidden Gifts(fifth draft)

Chapter 1Setting Scenes

Although there was no snow or even frost, the intense cold was

unmistakable. Indeed, even if the scene were viewed casually out through a

window, say from a warm caf or out of a busy city office, the freezing

temperature outside would still have had an immediate impact. It wasnt as

though the cold air could be seen as such, although the breath of the people rose

up like steam everywhere, it was the behaviour of the people themselves which

characterised the scene with an arctic flavour.

Judith was relatively warm as she stood on the pavement taking in the

demeanour of the passing people. She was unashamedly wearing a fur coat. In

this weather, accusing, disapproving glares were all but absent from the crowd

around her. This was no time to be thinking of animal rights. She also had her

hands clasped inside a fur muff, and a fur hat graced her head; these three items

were a relic of her youth several decades before indeed so long a time before,

that the welfare of animals were then not a consideration. Now pulled out from

the wardrobe of her London flat; if they were not a Godsend they were certainly

a precious gift from those long gone, forlorn creatures.

On this occasion, the biting Siberian air which had swept across London, wasalso a precious gift for her. She had been searching for the man from Moscow

for months now. He was so well burrowed into the fabric of the City life -

possibly having arrived years before - that even her penetrating perceptions hadfailed to pick him out. The sudden cold snap had hit the city six hours before

just as the people were waking for their working day. The idea had come to herin a dream in the early hours of that very morning, even as the numbing cold


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was sliding its icy fingers up the Thames Estuary towards the sleeping millions

of Greater London.

It had been a dream about a fish. It was a clever fish who had come out of the

water and disguised herself as girl in a school and nobody knew what was

happening as she made the other children forget their books and lose their pens

and get ink from the dark blue pots onto their fingers nobody knew that is

until one day, it rained. The rain came down in torrents and everywhere got wetincluding all the children. That touch of water caught the fish unawares and it

brought out her fishiness not so much fishiness that anybody else noticed

but Judith did.

At that moment in the vision she had been wakened by her alarm. She was

more puzzled than enlightened by any potential meaning in the dream. Puzzled

that is, until she turned on the radio. Her thoughts - even at that time of the day

on the man from Moscow who was so well hidden - suddenly came alive when

she heard the weather warning. A mass of air from Russia.

A mass of air from Russia, and she was looking for a Russian!

Judith got up and began to move about in her flat. She washed and dressed

and had a light breakfast. There was nothing in her flat that wasnt useful, and

everything that was there was carefully placed in a known position. This was soimportant, that Judith would invite no-one into her flat except her trusted

cleaner for fear that any other person might casually but annoyingly move

something so that Judith would have to spend many precious moments, feeling

around for it. Judith was blind. Judith was blind to visible light. However, since

her youth, something else had begun to make use of the sensation starved visual

cortex of her mind. That something else was her warm and generous heart.

Somehow her heart had found its way into her mind and discovered a vast,

unused playground there a playground which - had she not been blind - would

have been filled to capacity with gathering, holding and processing visual

images of the world outside. As it was, the playground was empty, void,

deserted, unused so her heart began to play. It played with the auras of all the

living things around her. It played with the auras of both plants and animals. Itplayed with the auras of mosses and lichens right through to the vivid, complex

auras and atmospheres of the people around her. Her heart played with these

auras and occupied its time painting them as visual images onto the empty blank

canvas of her mind. Soon, the young Judith began to piece together a world


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about her A world made not of images from the light reflected off of things, but

made from images coming from the internal light within the living things

themselves.

Only living things revealed themselves to her in this way. So as Judith

moved about her flat, the only things that she could see was the auras of her

house plants. Now Judith - having nothing in her flat that was not useful - found

that these plants were very useful, indeed essential to her. PhilodendronScanlens draped the walls by her doors, pushing tendrils out over the door

panels so that she could find them with ease and tell if they were open or closed.

A mother of thousands hung in front of each window, so that its shimmering

essence could be perceived by her, moving in the breeze if the window was

open. A tradescantias here, an ivy there, a spider plant in the corner, all located

essential geography and pieces of furniture in the three spacious rooms. All

were easy to care for plants, for their health was important to her and of

course their auras would tell her if they were dry or in need of a drop of food in

their water.

The thought of the cold soon to arrive outside had brought the memory of the

fur coat. She had rummaged in the wardrobe and found it. It still had the faint

aura of the animals from which it had been made even after so many decadesand it was this that had made her keep it, despite her unease with its origins. She

put it on and found the muff and hat as well. She was glad of them as soon as

she stepped out onto the pavement, so penetrating and icy had the air already

become.

She began to walk the streets of the City looking for the Russian. She had a

two-way radio slung over her shoulder hanging by her side and under her coat.

It felt solid and heavy, Although there were now much smaller and lighter ones

that did the same job, she felt more secure and comfortable with the weight of

this piece of 1950s technology. The aerial was a fine wire built into the strap

and the earpiece and microphone ran up under her collar and into her neatly cut,

full head of intensely white hair, to emerge by her ear. She spoke briefly to her

superior, Craig and told him of her plans as she began her search.Six hours later she was still there. She had walked for miles within the

square mile following the flow of the auras of the people. This was the only

way that she could tell where the pavements and streets were. If the auras were

walking freely and easily, she knew she could walk in the same path safely. If


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the auras paused and took on a slight question of safety, she knew she was

coming to a road junction. She would always choose to follow the aura of

someone who had an air of confidence. In this way she had come to know the

streets of the City quite well. She could usually tell where she was at any time

through an instinctual remembering of how she got to be there.

She had only paused for refreshment by buying tea or sandwiches from stalls.

She could not go inside a caf or restaurant because glass, although transparentto visible light, obscured her perception of auras. Fortunately, because clothing

was woven from fibres and therefore full of life enhancing air, it obscured little

of the internal atmospheres of the people around her.

Those who were naturally cheerful, were holding themselves tightly and they

were marvelling at the intense chill of the air. They were using the big freeze as

an opportunity to engage with their fellows with comments about the

extraordinaryness of it all. Their atmospheres, which Judith could perceive

within their auras, were warm red glows surrounded by lively, darting blues and

purples dancing like a fire around them and between them and interlacing with

the presence of others.

Those who were more naturally doleful were holding out and waiting for it to

all go away. Their atmospheres projected out ahead of them, impatient to get tothe warmth and shelter of where they were going. Again there was a warm red,

inner glow, but it was surrounded by a steady green border which kept each

centre isolated from those around and focussed on the intent to be elsewhere.

What Judith was looking for was someone whose aura showed that he was

carrying a deception within a surround of confidence. The deception would

appear as a tiny but intense nimbus, isolated and at odds with the rest of the

atmospherics with the presence of the person. Unfortunately, this being one of

the financial capitals of the world, there were many such folk around. This fact

had made her work very difficult over that last few months difficult that is,

until now. Now, she was looking for someone who was carrying a deception

within a surround of confidence all within a physical body which was very

much at home in this weather.Suddenly, all the factors clicked into place and there he was. It was

unmistakable. His internal metabolism had shifted already, his thyroid still

glowing from effecting the change. Well worn pathways of micro-circulation

had been brought into play on his skin, his liver was converting lipoids in a well


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practised way, his insulin levels were steady but active in a lifelong habit and

his lungs, unusually well supplied with blood, were able to warm this ultra-

chilled air with ease. This man, unlike any other she had seen that day, was

absolutely at home in this climate. Perhaps he was Inuit, perhaps a Laplander.

She studied the sophisticated nature of the core of deception, deep within his air

of confidence and decided he was definitely not one of those. Perhaps he was

Canadian, Norwegian or Swedish. These were wealthy countries and theircitizens lived in central heating and would not have the acclimatisation that this

man had. Judith knew with a certainty that this was her man. This was a

Muscovite at home in a deep Siberian winter. She pressed a button on the radio

through her pocket and spoke softly, turning her head slightly to one side so that

she could be heard in the microphone by her ear.

Craig. Ive found him.

The radio crackled almost immediately. Craig must have been continually

monitoring her as he went about his busy life.

Where are you? Where is he?

Im somewhere on Cheapside, heading towards Mansion House on the

south side. Im not sure but I think I just crossed Bow Lane. Hes walking quite

fast and is just in front of me.Ive got a couple of chaps near you. Weve been hoping you might come up

with something. What are you wearing?

A full length fur coat, with a fur hat and muff. I cant remember the

colour if I ever knew.

Craigs agents came along side her minutes later. A woman in that kind of

coat really sood out from the crowd. She pointed the Muscovite out, hoping that

he wasnt looking. The man showed no change in his intent. She had passed him

over to the agents successfully.

Judith had been right. He was their man. He had entered Newcastle as a

youth twelve years before and after cultivating a northern identity, had come

south, and with the aid of a few well laid KGB plants had furthered his career

deep within the Bank of England. Internal Intelligence knew that informationwas getting out that was destabilising the pound - to the advantage of the Rouble

- but no-one knew how it was getting out. The Muscovite was so well hidden in

his Newcastle guise that they would never have found him. Never at all that is

but for Judiths vigilance during the cold snap. It was to be her last mission.


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It was now the late 1980s and Judith could sense the approach of the demise

of the Soviet Union. She would soon be in her eighties herself and it was time to

retire. She had more important things to do and it was now time to do them. She

visited Craig soon after and handed in her resignation. She would go and live

permanently in her small country retreat in the Cotswolds.

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More than a decade later, a very different scene. It was cold, not because of

the climate but because of the altitude. The fliers were dressed warmly against

the chill air.

Hortza was soaring near the top of his range. The thinness of the air was

leaving him breathless and giddy despite his extraordinary fitness. He looked

down on the frost glazed cliff edge below. Despite the fact that the jagged ridge

was cresting at an altittude of nearly five thousand metres, it was receding into

the distance below him. The updraft of air caused by the wind surging up the

steep face of this terrain could easily have carried him higher but he was in

danger of blacking out from lack of oxygen. Four of his fellow fliers were

circling below, climbing steadily on the same ascending wave of air that hadcarried him so high. Also below him, he could see two more of his fellows,

gliding rapidly down, using the height to which they had climbed to fuel a series

of dives and acrobatics.

Suddenly there was a crackling in Hortzas ear. It was his radio. He was

being called in. So were Futard and Soraya. He tipped his tail fin down to begin

his descent and soon the wind was shrieking over his wing tips. He did not tarry

to play with his speed using dives and stalls, wheels and turns as had been his

plan. He headed straight towards the cliff-clinging stone ramparts of the

mountain citadel twenty kilometres to the south. Out of the corner of his eye, he

could see two of the others following suit. Their loyalty was absolute and there

was never any questioning or dallying on orders. It was not a loyalty based on

fear but on devotion, gratitude and a passion for flying. They would be therewithin ten minutes.

Hortzas descent was the beginning of an adventure that would culminate all

of their training so far. Hortzas descent was also the beginning of the end of


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Judiths retirement.

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Later that day, in the same mountain Citadel, Darius was at work. The

mechanical arm, having twisted off the lid, gently and smoothly tipped the

contents of the canister into the flask. The flow of the culture medium seemed to

hang as a thick, smooth, honey-like strand, stretching from the pouring lip of thelarger vessel into mouth the stoutly made, metal cylinder. The transfer was

almost complete in one smooth, ripple-free pour, when a sudden shiver from

nowhere, passed through his body as he held the controls. The still small

movement tremored through his hands and onto the levers which operated the

mechanical arms. In turn, the slight judder passed along the arms causing a tiny

ripple to flick through the smooth strand of the pour. Unseen by the scientist, the

ripple hit the surface of the medium in the flask and a minute splash occurred. A

microscopic droplet was ejected into the air. The droplet was so small and light,

that it floated in the air currents within the sealed, glass enclosure in which the

procedure was taking place. The flask was sitting on a set of scales. As the

weight reached a predetermined figure, the mechanical arm straightened the

canister and replaced the lid. It then screwed another lid, smoothly and securelyonto the flask. As a final precaution, a spray of strong disinfectant, washed the

interior of the enclosure, thoroughly sterilising the outer surfaces of the two

vessels. The droplet however, had floated above the spray nozzles which

projected down from the roof of the enclosure. It was unaffected.

As Darius opened the enclosure, the sudden ingress of air swirled around the

interior carrying the droplet with it out into the open and down onto the cuff of

his left rubber glove. The scientist, placed the flask into a soft, cushioned,

protective container that had been specially made for it. He screwed the lid on

that and resealed the enclosure. He placed the container into a holdall. Only

then did he pull the right glove off with the left. Then, taking hold of the cuff of

the left with his bare right fingers, he pulled the left glove off also. The droplet

smeared onto his right index finger.Darius left the lab and went into the adjoining apartment next door. His wife

met him in the hall. He lifted her veil and gazed upon her beauty. On a sudden

impulse, he playfully touched the tip of her nose with his index finger, and

kissed her on her lips. She sighed and drew in a deep breath. That was all it


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took. Such an event had been calculated as being a one in forty million chance.

He had, however, shivered in the way that he had shivered. The droplet had

been created. She was now infected.

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A few days later, in Birminham, England, A young woman stood on the edge

of a track at the Paralympic Trials. It was unconscious at first, but she gradually

became aware that there was a young man sitting next to her. What she sensedabout him was his intent. He was still, unmoving yet engrossed in the

wheelchair race. It was her guide-dog Rusty that made the first move. The dog

crossed over to her right side to be next to him. This was awkward because she

always held his harness with her left hand so that he could guide her. She was

used to following Rusty, so her attention naturally followed the dogs movement.

The second thing that drew her attention was a certain quality in his atmosphere.

It was one that she had rarely encountered before and she was puzzled by it. He

had something about him that was content. He also had something about him

that was thrilled to be alive. This paradox puzzled her. It reminded her of an

essence that she was beginning to recognise in herself. It was a longing that both

touched her with its candour and disturbed her in her dreams at night. It was an

essence which was asking her why she was so different that few people wouldcome close to her. Why did she feel that she had a remarkable destiny despite

the fact that she was so disabled that merely navigating around in the world of

sighted people took the majority of her creative effort?

She turned to him slightly, My dog seems to like your after shave. She

surprised herself, first of all because her sensitive sense of smell told her that he

was not wearing aftercare and secondly that she had dared to initiate a

conversation at all.

No, I think it more likely that he likes my eau de hot dog. He responded

lightly. She had already guessed what he was eating.

She surprised herself again. Youve got him sussed already. She actually

knew that Rusty was rarely led by his stomach and that begging was not one of

his habits.He did not reply. She was enjoying her new found bravery. Do you race?

She enquired after a short period of time. She could not perceive the wheelchair,

but she was aware that he was sitting and that the light of his auric presence

showed only from his waist up.


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No, I used to. I actually got on quite well, but ultimately I am too light. She

listened for a catch of regret in his voice. It wasnt there. The fact was that he

seemed almost excited by the fact. She sensed this both in his atmosphere and in

the tone of his voice.

I would have thought that lightness was an advantage. She was genuinely

puzzled by his reply but also wanted the conversation to go on. She became

aware of his gaze directly on her. It bathed her. She liked it despite itsdirectness.

Im sorry I hadnt noticed. He was faltering now. He had obviously

noticed her blindness. I havent got any legs. He had stated it as a matter of

fact, but the impact shocked her. Although she knew he was sitting in a

wheelchair, she had not read the extent of his disability so intrigued was she by

the fullness of his personal presence and character. She was now a bit flustered.

Oh I didnt realise but surely if it is a wheelchair race? Her voice

tailed off.

Actually you couldnt know, his voice had gone softer now, what I

mean is you would have had to have had the experience I have no legs at all,

just a pelvis As I push on the wheels with my arms my body tends to fall

forward as I finish the sweep. He was waiting for acknowledgement, so shenodded slightly. I have to be strapped in This works but it hinders me from

excelling. He was speaking to her as if he really wanted Livvy to know

something about him. What he said was direct and unembellished yet she sensed

in his atmosphere that it wasnt the whole story.

Im sui generis! He added maintaining his gaze on her That means I am

in a genre of which I am the only example, a bit like a Duckbilled Platypus.

She was slightly annoyed at the abstract science. She also sensed that he was

covering something. She could feel it.

He sensed her stepping back What I mean is that there is no category in

which I could fairly compete his voice had slowed I mean, I was doing it

just for the sake of being with my friends she was alert to his atmosphere now.

It appeared to her that he was searching to say something that he couldnt say.And then I found He stopped himself outright.

She knew he had got himself into a cul de sac. He couldnt or wouldnt go

any further with his answer for fear of revealing something. She had seen that

atmospheric before. It was unusual but unmistakable. She became confused and


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might have faltered in the flow of the conversation if she hadnt picked up on a

slight accent.

You dont sound English, she said, as much a question as a statement.

Im Canadian. He paused. My father was born here and emigrated to

Toronto when he was in his late teens.

And youve come back Livvy finished for him.

Yes, I guess I have. I was staying with my aunt and uncle Shes myfathers sister. Again there was a hidden element that crept into his demeanor.

Livvy could tell he wasnt being devious as such. It was more that he was being

inexplicably cautious. She remained puzzled.

Were you in an accident? she asked.

Funny you should ask he replied, my mom told me that my coming along

was an accident. We found that we were unexpectedly expecting. was the way

she put it.

She laughed, enjoying his sense of humour. She responded, Me too I

mean, I wasnt an accident, they wanted me very much and I have an older

sister. But I have been blind since birth. she felt the need to tell a bit more.

Im not totally blind Im told that what I see is like what others see on a

moonless night It is sunny now and Im aware of where you are but I have somany other ways of seeing you. Now she too was in a cul de sac or was she?

She had tried so often to tell others of what she could feel and of the world of

auras in which she lived. It was a world of textures, of living presence which

she alone seemed to be able to sense. When she did try to describe something of

it, she had always been met by rebuff or jokes. It hurt, and she stopped risking

it. Maybe she could take that risk with him. No. He had stopped and she would

stop too.

What? Do you mean you can hear where I am? He asked.

Yes, thats right. She replied exaggerating the power of one sense to keep

the others secret. People breath and are constantly moving around in small

ways that I can hear. I have quite a good sense of smell too, if that doesnt

sound too intrusive. She giggled because it was actually quite true.Gosh! Nothing bad I hope?

No, but only because I like eau de hot dog. He joined her laughter.

Livvy had not yet fully grasped the breadth, texture and depth of the world -

which through her uniquely developing senses - she actually did live in. It was a


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world made up of an unknown, little understood quality of presence. It was what

she could only describe as a kind of buzzy light which surrounded every living

thing and living being. She could hear sounds acutely, which if others stopped

and closed their eyes to hear, they would be amazed by. She was also aware of

the scents and odours that are rife in our busy human world. If others took the

time to smell things in the way that Livvy did, they too would begin to be lost in

that world. Yet all of these senses others have, and override by reason of theirpreoccupation with sight.

Livvy, however, in addition to all of this, had ventured into a world which

others only ever touch the edge of. A world where every living thing carries an

envelope of silent music; notes without sound, colours without light, tingling

without touch. A world of vibrancy and vividness, which at times was so painful

that she had to leave the room and at other times was so rich in soundless

melody that she simply basked in it. It was in this world, that she felt his

presence. It was rose-coloured, clear and full of life. His atmosphere was

dynamic and to the point. It was these qualities that drew her to him.

Alex noticed her musing and looked around for something to say.

Oh, and of course you have the dog as well.

Yes, this is Rusty. She deliberately bent down to ruffle the dogs head.Rusty responded and pushed his muzzle into the mans side.

Hello Rusty, Im Alex Rogers, will you introduce me to your mistress?

Oh Im sorry, Alex! Rusty has so much better manners than I do! Im

Livvy. Livvy Johnson Keeping her left hand on Rustys neck, she reached out

her right hand formally, relieved to be having a normal conversation at last and

thrilled inwardly to know his name. The fact that he had no legs or indeed what

he looked like in any way whatsoever had no impact on her. The idea of

appearance had no meaning for her. Living in a world of sensed essences of

being, his presence was more filled out than anyone she had met for a long time.

Do you do any sports? Alex enquired.

I swim regularly. In a pool that is. I have to be accompanied in the sea. Ive

done so since I was a child. Im not so keen on swimming lengths though. Ibanged my head on the end a little too often. She giggled again.

He laughed too, Not the best way to use your sense of touch I guess.

No, its certainly not. She felt even more at ease. What I really like to do

is to swim underwater. Its so beautiful down there. I can stay down for quite a


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long time. I love it. Theres just me and my sense of balance. Nothing else. I can

dive and twist and turn. Its almost like flying. She noticed a sudden jump in

his atmosphere. It was almost a jolt.

Mmm, he responded pensively, there must be a wonderful sense of

freedom in flying.

Yes, there is. Underwater flying anyway. I wouldnt know any other kind of

course.There was a longing in his atmosphere. She had seen the atmosphere that

comes with longing often enough in others, but this was different. It was as

though he was longing to tell her something. He broke into her thoughts. Why

would you need a sense of balance to swim? I would have thought that you

couldnt fall over even if you tried.

She laughed.

I need to know where up is, Alex. Thats where the air is.

Oh, of course! He was pleasantly surprised. I do that all the time, I just

never thought about it like that. Again there was something in his atmosphere

that told her he was alluding to something far more dynamic than he could talk

about.

She picked up on his original question.I also walk a lot, but I would like to do something a bit more challenging.

I would have thought walking without sight was quite a challenge, he

replied with an admiring tone. It was a quality of admiration which she felt she

could accept. It had been a challenge, but one which was becoming increasingly

easy.

It is, she replied, I guess like you said, I am looking for something to do

with my friends. I hear that there are quite a lot of blind people here running

great races. I want to find out how they do it. She felt she couldnt tell him how

much running she was doing, because he would want to know how it was

possible.

Yeah. Ive seen that off in the distance. Ive generally been a bit

preoccupied with my own sport, but I hear that there are a couple of world classblind runners here today. I think they use a sighted partner. I guess their partners

must be pretty fast too.

Oh, replied Livvy, I thought they might be using some other sense.


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Oh, well Ive seen visually impaired people play football with a ball that

sings, replied Alex

Wow! I could enjoy that, said Livvy

There was an awkward silence. The conversation had gone on for quite a

long time compared with her normal experience. Usually the awkward silence

came very soon and Livvy would back out with a nice meeting you and that

would be the end of it. This was in part because of her natural shyness and inpart because she was herself a paradox. She could see very little yet the visual

impact of her physical appearance was substantial. She was medium build, but

lithe and athletic. She had vivid chestnut hair, full lips and an angularity of face

that was just far enough away from a classic beauty to make her even more

interesting. When coming into her presence, people were aware of her alertness

and yet her large violet eyes drifted as if in a dream. At the age of eighteen she

was only just learning the elusive art of conversation. An age where formative

skills of how to put a person at ease through showing interest, how to reveal

enough of herself to reciprocate without overwhelming, were only beginning to

be explored. She longed for a deeper level of companionship and love, yet the

impact of her appearance stilted all attempts. Other girls were suspicious, young

men either tongue-tied or behaving in a strange, false way that she couldntunderstand. Never having viewed the countenance of a human being, the

countenance of her own race - no more than a blurred imprint of the face of her

own mother since birth - the impact of her own appearance on others was both a

puzzle to her and something that she was becoming resigned to. It was this

resignation that was both her protection and her deepest concern. Was she going

to be alone all of her life? She was determined not to be.

Have you travelled far? She asked, breaking the silence. She felt an

increased warmth coming from his presence. She instinctively knew what it

was. He too was used to being chatted to briefly and then abandoned. She

sensed that he was pleased that she had stayed through the silence.

I have been living somewhat south of here in the Cotswolds, he answered,

But Ill also be spending a lot of time in London with my job.Oh what do you do? She asked.

Ive taken a year out as a researcher in a technology development company.

I am hoping they might help sponsor me through my physics degree next year.

Gosh, thats really interesting. What sort of research are you involved in?


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She sensed his hesitation. It had the same feeling about it that she had

encountered a few minutes before. Oh just processing data, he replied,

sounds more glamorous than it is.

She didnt want to push him. If she was reading his atmospherics correctly he

was slightly agitated and whats more, lying outright. She floundered a bit

trying to change tactics.

Is it just your legs youre missing? She didnt know why she had askedsuch a personal question, perhaps she had been curious about his condition but

there was an underlying question that was nagging her as well. Im sorry, she

giggled nervously I dont know why I asked that.

Its all right, he laughed, my doctor tells me that I have two femoral

arteries with nothing much to do, so everything else is very well looked after,

thank you.

She knew that embarrassment could be seen by the sighted, and she could

certainly feel her cheeks burning. She felt strongly attracted to him as a man and

she now realised that she had unconsciously wanted to know if that attraction

was rightly placed. It was just at that moment that events moved them apart. She

was saved from her embarrassment.

Livvy, this is Magnus. The introduction from Alex jolted her out of herthoughts. She could feel the presence of a large burly man, now standing behind

Alexs wheelchair.

Hello, Livvy. Acknowledged the man curtly. Alex we must be going.

Livvy sensed there was a protective air in his attitude. It was as if he wanted to

keep Alex away from her.

Hello Magnus. Replied Livvy in a measured way. She felt Alex turn

towards her, there was a brief awkward silence that asked, indeed demanded a

decision that was not taken up.

Really nice to meet you Livvy. It came as a letdown from Alex. She was

old fashioned enough to feel that it was not her place to ask for numbers or

addresses herself.

Bye now. nodded Magnus over his shoulder as he began to push thewheelchair away.

Yeah, you too Alex. Livvys voice trailed after them, unable to disguise a

note of disappointment.


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Livvy felt empty. She had really enjoyed their time together. It had potential

and meaning and had been primarily brought to an end by Magnus. It was then

that she noticed a very strange thing. Part of Alexs aura was still with her! It

was there, just to her right, and it stayed with her as she began to walk off. A

definite wisp of rose-coloured substance, identical in nature to the light of his

auric presence which had surrounded him when they were together. Suddenly

she felt content. This means something, she thought to herself. I dont knowwhat, but it definitely means something!

Chapter 2Flash Back

Alex felt a deep twinge of regret as Magnus walked beside him as he

wheeled himself towards the exit of the sports ground. He wished he had asked

Livvy for her phone number or some means of getting in touch with her again.

He didnt even know what part of the country she lived in. Now it was too late.

Alex began musing to himself. This had become such a significant place for

him. A year ago when he was last here, he had met Magnus and his life turned

completely around. Today he returned to meet this strange and wonderful girl.

Alex had remained in awe of Magnus ever since he first met him. Now - herealised for the first time - he felt an irritation with this man who had done so

much for him. The very idea that he might feel any sort of irritation withMagnus was surprising to him.


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Why are we in such a hurry, Magnus? He asked, cautiously testing out this

new found rebellion.

The car is waiting around the front. Soon there will be crowds of people

trying to get out of here and we will get stuck in the traffic.

Well, couldnt you have waited until I finished talking to Livvy? You were

really rude. One minute we were talking, the next you just barged in and off we

go. I didnt even get to say goodbye to her. Alex felt his hackles rising as heallowed his anger to rise up.

Look, Alex. Magnus had softened his voice now. He had a sensing of what

was going on with Alex. We have to be so careful at this stage of the game.

With your new mission in life, you cannot afford to get involved with anyone.

Even the simplest conversation will quite quickly beg questions that you will

not be able to answer. What if she were to say, And what do you do Alex?

How would you answer that?

That last question was uncannily accurate. Alex covered his discomfort with

by furthering the challenge. I see, so you did butt in and whisk me away so that

I couldnt talk to her! Alexs anger was rising even more, and he was not afraid

of it.

Yes I did Alex, answered Magnus in a calm and matter of fact way.Well up yours, Magnus! Ive never met anyone like that and we were

getting on just fine until you came along. You dont own me. Surely I can have

the odd conversation without you treating me like a kid talking to strangers,

Alex was really on the boil now.

Magnus put his hand on Alexs shoulder to stop him. He walked around in

front of the young man. He judged that even though they were in the middle of a

fast moving crowd, by the very nature of the bustle, it was a safe place to speak

plainly. He chose to remain standing upright even though Alex was at a lower

level in the cahir.

Alex, that is just it. Magnus said in a firm but gentle voice. Youre nota

kid anymore! All this has been a lot of fun so far, but you need to get it into

your head that what were doing isntkids stuff. It may be fun now but therereally is a serious edge to what we are doing and it will get very dangerous!

When we start operating, people will be seeing things out of the corner of their

eye that they dont understand. Therell be questions and therell be noses

poking into things where they dont belong. This is big boy stuff and you are


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sure as hell going to need some big boy discipline. Im sorry. In fact Im really

sorry. She was a striking young woman. Alex you have to keep your life really

simple. If youre going to stay on board you cant afford any complications in

your life whatsoever.

Alex stared back, fuming. He was fuming because he knew that Magnus was

right. He was fuming because he realised that Magnus did own him in a sense

because there was nothing he wanted more than to be part of the project. He wasfuming because he also wanted to see Livvy again and sensed how strong that

desire could become. He was fuming because he knew there was no choice.

Magnus saw this process going on in him, He stood looking kindly at him for

a few seconds, then turned to continue on their way. Alex soon caught up and

wheeled along side him. Soon they had croosed the car park and were

approaching a large saloon car. The driver was waiting leaning against the side

of the car. He was leaning enough to appear relaxed but not so much as to look

unprofessional. He was in fact very professional.

Hi Ross, lets be getting on our way. Magnus spoke softly but firmly. The

driver held open the door, Alex pulled himself up out of the chair by reaching

for the frame above the car door with his strong athletic arms. He slipped

himself into the rear seat with the grace of a dancer. Any one who saw Alexmove, soon realised that he wasnt disabled at all. To say he was differently-

abled was not to be politically correct. It was a fact. He was differently and

beautifully abled with a grace about him that people quickly recognised so that

they felt at ease with him.

Ross folded the chair and put it into the boot. Magnus got into the front

passenger seat and Ross sat behind the wheel. The car sped off into the

gathering dusk.

Maybe I could develop a secret identity, like Superman did. Alex was

musing out loud but Magnus knew there was a serious thought behind it. There

was a silence while he considered the idea. Superman didnt develop Clark

Kent, he already was Clark Kent, said Magnus.

No he wasnt, he was Joel from the planet Krypton, retorted Alex.Naw, Joel was his dad, besides, Clark Kent was useful, he was a reporter

and that put him in touch with all the bad things going on in the world so that

his Superman identity could fix them. Magnus was sparring with him now.


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I suppose you are going to tell me the same goes for Peter Parker and

Spiderman. Parker was a news photographer Well what about Batman and

Bruce Ward? Bruce wasnt in the news business. Alex was warming to this

new relationship with Magnus, it was as though having stood up for himself,

they were becoming friends.

Well, Bruce was Bruce, he invented Batman. It wasnt the other way

around. He couldnt just disappear as Bruce. Anyway, somebody had to own themansion above the Bat Cave and pay taxes on it. Can you imagine some civil

servant trying to work out the rateable value of the Bat Cave? Magnus, had

his arm hooked over behind the drivers seat to turn himself towards Alex.

He must have had a tax disc for the Batmobile otherwise he might have

been pulled over just when he was about to catch the Joker. Alex had settled

himself down into the corner against the door and the seat back.

Naw, the joker was always in front and he didnt have a tax disc either. The

cops would have got him first.

Do planes have tax discs? Will I need one? Alex quipped.

Whos going to check?

Youre not suggesting we do something illegal are you?

Tax discs are for motors. You dont have a motor. I dont need a tax disc towalk around, you dont need one to fly.

The car carried on into the darkness on its long journey. The pair continued

to parry with each other as the kilometres rolled by. After a while during a lull

in the conversation, Alex drifted off to sleep.

A sudden bump in the road awakened him, maybe it was just an especially

sharp bend. He came out of his dream and his thoughts drifted back to Livvy

and their time in the sports arena. They then drifted back even further to the

time - exactly a year before and in almost the same place - when Alex had first

met Magnus.

He remembered the time well, in fact he was unlikely ever to forget it. It was

at the height of his training in the paralympic trials. He had been racing

wheelchairs. He had been racing well. In fact he had been training regularly formonths and was now at the peak of his performance. He let his mind drift back

to that time, a year before.

He could remember just how he felt as he rested after a particular race. He

had come third again, and the reality of it was beginning to dawn on him. He


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knew he could do no better than he had just done. He was being brutally honest

with himself and it hurt to do so. As good as he had been, there were many

who were faster, more able to sustain the pace and more able to manoeuvre their

wheelchairs with ease. Alex was shifting in his attitude towards himself but it

was a near-violent ebb and flow. In one moment he would be beating himself up

emotionally, for not doing better. In another moment, and this instance was just

such a one, he would be puzzled as to why his substantially increased effortsproduced little improvement in his performance. He was at the top of his ability

and yet he was feeling absolutely at rock bottom.

It was then that he looked up to see his coach, Martin, walking across the

field towards him. He saw that he was accompanied by a larger, more burley

figure of a man who was probably in his early fifties. As the pair came nearer,

Alex sensed an air of ease about the stranger despite his being overdressed, with

mud splattered on his leather shoes and trouser cuffs. Alex found the mans

assurance disturbing as he himself was in a state of self-doubt. He pushed his

irritation down and managed a smile as they approached.

Alex, Id like you to meet Magnus Kowalczyk. Martin nodded towards the

man. Alex managed an acknowledgement that came out more as a grunt. He was

not in a mood for socialising.Mr. Kowalczyk

Call me, Magnus, the stranger interjected

Oh, said Martin, Okay Magnus represents a large innovative design

company. Theyre quite keen on helping to sponsor our team.

Oh, thats good. Alexs response was dull. The last thing he wanted to hear

was something upbeat about a sport he was beginning to feel a distinct failure

in. His attitude had not passed Martin by yet his coach continued doggedly.

Magnus watched you race in the last two events. He specialises in

ergonomic design. I think he has a really interesting take on whats holding you

back.

Alex perked up at that point and took an interest. Now, when he looked back

on that conversation, he remembered it as a turning point in his life. It wasMagnus who had noticed the dynamics of how the particular nature of his

disability held him back from leading the pack. It was Magnus who had first

noticed that the problem arose from the shape of his body as a whole.


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It took someone who could stand apart to see the significance of the others

having legs, even though they were either paralysed or amputated lower down.

Without any legs at all, Alexs torso was a tapered trunk. He had to be strapped

to the back of his chair for him to maintain enough stability to be able to

manoeuvre and stay the course of the race. This restricted his movements so that

no matter how much he trained, the disadvantage was always that little bit too

much. He was more successful in the marathon than in the sprints. In thedistance races, his endurance abilities and lightness began to show their

advantage but Alex had to race people with enough legs left to give them

balance and leverage in the chair. On cornering and vying for position, the

others could outmanoeuvre him, and that was a simple fact. As Magnus

explained his theories to him in simple, easy-to-understand terms, Alex not only

began to feel better about himself, but he began to warm to the older man as

well.

From what youre saying, he said, after pondering Magnuss words, I can

race for the sake of it, for the thrill of being in the competition, but I can forget

about winning.

No, replied Magnus, thats not necessarily so at all. Its just that the

wheelchair that youre using is basically a racy version of a conventional one. Inmy experience, when a designer starts to work from first principles when he

learns from what has gone on before but isnt restricted by it well it can be

amazing what can be done.

Are you saying that a wheelchair could be designed that took into account

the restrictions of my condition?

Wouldnt be surprised.

What if you did build such a thing, and I started winning? Alex asked.

Wouldnt people say that it was because I had a superior wheelchair rather than

seeing that it was just compensating for my body shape?

Well they might indeed, said Magnus. We would have to be careful with

the appearance. If youre dealing with the same wind resistance and the

propulsion is coming from your arms with the same angle of leverage as theothers, theres not much they could say. Im thinking of the recumbent bicycle

which is banned from cycle racing because it changes the whole basis on which

a bicycle works by lowering the wind resistance and so on. We wouldnt be


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doing that. Wed be doing something more subtle, but it would be really

effective for your individual make-up.

Are you making me an offer? Alex asked, hesitantly.

Yes I am, Alex, replied Magnus. He turned to Martin. With your

permission, of course.

Absolutely, said Martin. I think thats a wonderful offer.

What would I have to do? Alex asked, feeling excited and at the same timea little overwhelmed.

Well, I guess the best thing is to come over to the headquarters of

Innovative Systems Design, thats my company, and meet my design team.

Magnus looked quizzically at Martin. Just then a man started towards them from

the benches of the race organisers. When he had come near enough, he called

out to Martin and gestured for him to come over to the benches.

Looks like my attention is needed, said Martin. You two carry on.

Whatever you need, Magnus, you have my backing. Martin left them with a

cheery wave over his shoulder.

How about tomorrow, about eleven? asked Magnus. He produced a card

which had a cleverly designed fold-out map on the back with a set of directions.

Alex studied it briefly.Hmm, he replied, Looks like I could get a train from the station near my

house Okay. He looked shyly up from the map.

Good, said Magnus. He looked at the young man steadily. I cant help

thinking, horses for courses.

What do you mean? asked Alex.

Well, I guess it literally means that some horses are better suited to flat

racing and others are better suited to the steeplechase.

Oh Alex felt awkward with the metaphor. Magnus saw this and decided

to be more pointed.

Wheelchair racing is an activity for which you are not fully suited. So, we

could redesign the apparatus so that it would work better for you and well do

that. But just suppose there was an activity - an interesting activity - for whichyour body-shape was absolutely ideal. What I am talking about is an activity for

which you were perfectly designed. Then everyone else would have a handicap

with respect to that. Even two legged people. Magnus posed this proposition

slowly.


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Well, I cant think what that would be, replied Alex.

Of course not. Thats because very few people have your body shape so it

stands to reason that such an activity would not enter into peoples consideration

or if it did, they would regard it as impossible. So its not surprising that it

hasnt come to your attention. Something in Magnuss voice, pulled Alex up

short. It was as though the man was speaking about something real rather than a

supposition.Have you got something in mind? he asked directly. His curiosity was

overcoming his shyness.

Yes I do. Well talk about that tomorrow as well. Magnus looked at his

watch. I must be going Alex. There are a couple of sponsorship items I want to

discuss with Martin.

Okay Magnus, Alex replied, Ill see you then.

Magnus nodded and walked towards the benches where Martin was in

conversation. Alex watched him go then began wheeling his way over to join

his friends.

The car rumbled slightly as it turned onto a narrow road jerking Alex out of

his revere and back to the journey home.. Soon the powerful headlights bit

lower into the black road surface as they began to climb a steep escarpment. Heremembered then that the original purpose for their visit to the paralympic trials

was for Magnus to complete some business with the racing team.

How did your meeting go with Martin? Alex asked. He had also had an

encounter with his former coach and it had been somewhat subdued.

It went very well, Alex. The sponsorship deal has been very helpful to him.

I guess its been a good salve for any ruffled feathers he might have. Magnus

looked meaningfully over his shoulder. Alex remained thoughtful. Although he

was absolutely certain he had done the right thing in leaving the team, he still

felt guilty about it. It had been a hard decision to make, but in the end he

couldnt afford to divide his time between the racing and his new project.

Magnus knew he felt awkward about the way he had left.

It was good value for money, Alex, he added as a way of drawing theyoung man out.

Well I hope so, came the reply at length.


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Dont get me wrong, Magnus added, I dont really see it as a purchase,

more a making sure that we didnt damage the team by taking you out of it. You

understand that dont you.

Actually Alex hadnt. He actually felt awkward about the whole thing. He

now realised that Magnus had planned his recruitment; and that he had done so

even before he had started the sponsorship. Indeed the sponsorship had been a

means to that end. He also knew the urgency behind why Magnus had done it. Itjust didnt sit well with his sense of fair play.

It was helpful for him to hear Magnus describe the deal as a compensation.

The day trip had been an eye-opener for him. He had seen how the money had

gone into the program and had provided training and a sense of excitement and

belonging for three new boys, all a couple of years younger than him. He had

found a purpose to his life. Now, as a direct result of his decisions, they had

found one too.

The car reached the top of the escarpment and soon swept round a bend. It

stopped so that Magnus could get out to open a large set of gates. Ross drove

the car through into the dark gardens beyond.

........................................................................................

Eleven months before the drop had escaped and Dariuss wife had

become infected, Darius was being driven back from the airport. His

mind was brooding on his mission to Morocco and the purchase he had

made there of a small freighter. He was mulling over the negotiations he

had made on its routing in the months to come. Darius had planned it

well and the voyages had been accepted without question by the Captain.

The vessel was in good condition and Darius had been particularly

interested in the high forecastle with its unobstructed deck on top. Still,

there was a sense of unease with it. Unease was more disturbing for

Darius than it was for others. He was troubled by a darkness, a insidious

shadow that haunted him. It was as though his love and care for thepeople of this valley had separated him away from another part of

himself, a part over which he was losing control. He was aware that it

was under the influence of the shadow that he had bought the vessel and


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he was losing the ability to contain or even understand what he was

going to do with it.

The car turned out of the high mountain pass and into his home

region. His heart lifted. The green carpet of healthy crops spread right

up to the jumbled rocks at the base of the high cliff faces. Small, well kept

villages dotted the landscape and people could be see going about theirbusiness. The region was rapidly becoming known as Kasderouss, The

Valley of the Angels. At first sight be the obvious reason why was the

startling contrast between the abundance here and the disarray of the

rest of the country would.

There was another reason however angels actually had been seen

here; many times. The people had seen them and they in turn felt seen by

the messengers of the Great One. They felt that their lives were honoured

and respected. The visitations had a practical effect as well. Often a

potential problem would suddenly and mysteriously be solved after the

appearance in the air above of one of these beautiful beings. Also too,

new ideas would somehow enter a community and be whispered around.Ideas that would have needed an Angels perspective. Then

wonderfully the means to put the ideas into action would somehow

appear. This happened time and time again so that, over the last few

years, the grace of Allah could be seen in undeniable display everywhere

in the region.

Darius smiled to himself and sighed. He was home. He settled down

into the back seat and watched the landscape go by with pleasure. The

driver who had sped along the twisting dangerous road up to that point,

had slowed to a respectful pace as they had left the pass, even though the

road was now straight, smooth and well maintained. Darius was now at

ease with himself again.


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Chapter 3Atmospherics

The day that Alex first met Magnus at the paralympics trials was also a

significant day for Livvy. It was then that she first met Rusty who was to

become her guide-dog and trusted friend.David, her father, was driving her to the house of the Thomas family who

had trained Rusty since he was a puppy. They had trained many generations ofguide dogs in their Hampshire country home and were well known for their

intelligent and alert prodigies. Livvys parents were lucky to have made


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enquiries at just the time when Rusty was due to be introduced to his first

owner. Livvy and her father had set out from Richmond early that day and had

soon left the environs of London behind as they drove south-west.

The conversation between them had long since died. This might have been

because David had given his attention to negotiating the numerous bends of a

narrow country lane but there was something else as well. He glanced over at

his daughter as they came to a straighter stretch of road. She was now 17 and hecould feel a gap that had grown between them. Livvys older sister Janey, had

passed through a similar uncomfortable phase and now, even though she was

21and at university, he felt a close bond with her as a young adult.

Somehow it was different with Livvy. The gap between them seemed more

than the normal rift which enabled the inevitable transition from childhood to

adulthood. Such transitional rifts always seemed to crash somewhere into the

teenage years with the recognisable signpost, Daddy youre such a

blockhead or whatever the current catch-phrase was. David understood this

yet he still found the gap with Livvy difficult to understand even with the

wisdom of his 45 years. It wasnt as though she had really indicated that she

thought he was a blockhead, it was more that she seemed frustrated with him for

some reason. Although he had tried many times and in many different ways, hecouldnt find a way to get through to her. He estimated that there would be

about half an hour before they got to the Thomass house. He decided he would

try once again to re-establish his relationship with her.

Livvy appeared to be looking out the window at the passing woodland

through which could be seen large ivy-clad houses. Even though she was

virtually blind, it seemed that the vague impressions that she could see kept her

eyes aligned and attentive in a distant sort of way. David had researched the

nature of her condition thoroughly, and knowing that her sight was limited to

the dimmest of black and white impressions, he often wondered what kept her

so engrossed in her surroundings.

Were travelling down a narrow road, through leafy evergreen woods, he

began telling her. Every so often there is the drive of a large house going off toone side or other. Sometimes you can get a glimpse of the houses through the

trees. There are lots of rhododendrons and laurels. The flowers are beautiful at

this time of year. Livvys father always used the same formula to try and break


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through to her. It used to work so well. They would spend a lot of time together

with him describing their surroundings.

Thanks Dad, Livvy replied, nonchalantly. She had been aware of the

gradual change in her fathers atmosphere since they had left Richmond. It

fascinated her. It had gone from pale blue with vivid pulses to a steady red

rotating swirl. She found the texture of atmospheric imagery that was occurring

within the car even more interesting than the voluminous shimmering of thewoodland outside the car. Now on the threshold of adulthood, her perceptive

ability was developing with the same steady and rapid pace that her physical

body had gone through as she grew from being a small child to a young woman.

Although she had never seen colours in a visual sense, she used the language of

colour to describe her rapidly developing sense of the light which surrounded

every living presence within her vicinity. She let the simple Thanks Dad. hang

in the air, and felt a thrill as she watched the change in his aura. This was cause

and effect at work and she was in control

Her father waited, puzzled and increasingly irritated. Why didnt she

appreciate his taking the time to explain her surroundings to her? Dont you

like me telling you about what is going on around you? He asked, voicing his

exasperation.Well sure Dad. She felt some satifaction that she was finally getting

through to him. Her father might have been speaking out of vexation but for her

it was the beginning of a breakthrough.

I might show a little more interest if you took a little more interest in me,

she said winding his frustration up a notch.

What d you mean, take a little interest in you?! He was now almost

shouting. Here I am taking the day off work, driving you all the way down

here, buying the petrol, theres wear and tear on the car, your mother and I spent

weeks finding this dog for you and he wont be cheap either, and you say, Oh

Ill deem to have a mild conversation with you if you take an interest in me!

Livvy watched in amazement as her fathers aura became at first even more

intensely red and torrid as he began this short tirade and then a calm greenunder-layer emerged with the red substance rolling around on the top as he

finished.


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Well Im your daughter, she retorted, this time without any pause

whatsoever. Youre supposed to look after me. She watched to see what his

aura would do, little darts of purple were piercing the green.

Do you think all I do for you, I do just out of duty? He fumed.

Well, your father looked after you, and the best way you can pay him back

is to look after his granddaughters. Her inner sense picked up a brown swirl,

which looped around the whole of his presence. Wow, I wonder what that is,she thought to herself. It was total perplexity, her father had lost all words.

Ill look after your granddaughters for you. She ventured, sweetly. The

brown stuff seemed to be an atmospheric caught between the red of anger and

the green of calm. It shifted a bit to the green end.

After the experience of you two, I think Id like grandsons. He said,

pretending to speak through gritted teeth. She heard the humour in his voice and

the relief. The first she saw as yellow dancing over his forehead, and the second

as a dynamic shimmering green over his heart. It was then that she saw the

serious bit even before he spoke. He had paused, and it emerged around his

throat. It was white and steady.

You know my father actually didnt really look after me He hardly saw

me at all. He wouldnt have done all this for me. He spoke rather dully. Hewasnt one for dwelling on such things and it made him uncomfortable talking

about it. He felt his daughters gaze penetrating right through him. He took his

eyes off the road for a split second to glance at her. How could she do that? She

wasnt even looking at him. Her eyes were looking sightlessly at a spot just in

front of his chest yet he felt exposed by her attentive watchfulness boring into

him.

Well Daddy. She spoke with sudden warmth and emotion. You do what

you do from your heart, even though you were never shown. She reached

across herself and laid her hand unerringly on his shoulder and snuggled face

towards him with her cheek on her wrist. There was a silence between them for

a couple of miles, during which David felt a return of love for his daughter. It

was a new love, like the love he had for Janey. The love that a father wouldhave for his daughter as she became a young woman. The shift had been made.

Livvy felt rather than saw a warm red join the white. They became swirling

colours moving down to her fathers torso before coming over to her to enfold

her. She relaxed in them. For the first time in many months she felt happy.


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Dad? she enquired softly, sitting back straight in her seat.

Yes Livvy? he answered, keeping his eyes on the road.

Theres a difference between caring for someone, and being interested in

them. Her attention was on the red and white swirls as she spoke. She spoke

slowly as if not wanting to disturb their enfolding energy; yet she was reassured

enough by them to open the subject which she had longed for. If she could not

share this topic with her father, who could she share it with?The red and white swirls, remained steady. Uh-huh David murmured

encouragingly.

You care for houses and things by thinking about what they might need and

giving it to them, She went on, a slight agitation stirred in the swirls. I mean

its wonderful that you do that. The swirls settled down again. If youre

interested in someone, its not about what they need, it is about who they are.

The brown cloud returned and the red and white enfoldment withdrew.

I dont understand the difference? David was genuinely puzzled and it

showed in his voice.

Well, Livvy went on, feeling more cautious without the surround of the red

and white swirl. Looking after me is doing all those things that you do for me

that you were describing, and Dad, Im really grateful to you for all the thingsthat you do for me; and I know that there is so much else that you do as well.

Being interested in who I am, is about wanting to know what I think about, how

I see the world, what I am feeling at any one time.

How can I know about all those things if you dont tell me. David

answered defensively, the brown in his aura changing a little the red direction.

Well she slowed deliberately until the red returned a little to brown.

You could ask me The brown even took on a tinge of green. I ask you

questions about you all the time and you then tell me about yourself. You tell

me how you feel, what youre thinking, what youve been doing. Would you tell

me all that if I didnt ask?

At this, a definite white light dawned in her fathers brown atmospheric.

David had suddenly understood where the gap had come in. His daughter hadstopped asking him about himself and so he had unconsciously assumed that she

wasnt interested any more. That was why he had felt shut out of her life! It

suddenly occurred to him that from his own perspective, he had never really

been in her life, she had been much more in his.


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David felt embarrassed by the simplicity of what she had said. Perhaps it was

the notion of receiving wisdom from a 17 year old girl. It reminded him of an

experience hed had when doing maths as a boy. He had often found himself

stuck with a complex concept just as he found himself stuck with Livvys

question now. Then all of a sudden, the maths teacher would demonstrate

something, and the light would come on. From then on he failed to understand

how anyone could miss the very thing that a few minutes before had been somystifying to him. That was easy to live with. He was then a boy and the

teacher was grown-up. Here he was, 45, worldly wise and quite accomplished,

being taught basic arithmetic by a slip of a girl.

Dad? Are your there? Livvy was genuinely puzzled, his aura had almost

faded to nothing and without it she could hardly discern anything of him at all.

Oh, sorry love, the road back there was a bit tricky and it needed my full

attention. Her fathers aura had suddenly bounced back and this time there was

a bright purple blob in the middle of it. Um, she thought, is that what a little

white lie looks like. They drove on for the next five minutes.

Livvy? David finally broke the silence.

Yes Dad? she responded simply and without pause.

Whats it like to be you?This time it was Livvys red and white swirling presence that surrounded and

enfolded her father. She was very rarely aware of her own aura and it was only

at times such as this that it caught her attention. He of course, noticed nothing

but a deep settling in himself as his daughter began to open her heart to tell him

of the world in which she lived.

By the time they reached the entrance to the Thomass country house, Livvy

had outlined, for the very first time in her life to anyone, the true nature of her

world. The world which for her consisted of the texture, shape and colour of

living etheric presence. The world which in one sense she shared with

everybody, and in another shared with no other that she had yet met.

Her father had listened intently with interest and no hint of scepticism. This

was all that she needed from him. She needed no advice; for how could he giveit? She wanted no approval; for compared with what would he be giving it? She

expected no questions; for she had opened up an entirely new area in his

understanding.


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David really did need time to digest what his daughter had told him. The turn

up the drive to the Thomass house came at just the right moment. Now was the

time to meet Livvys new dog. Something practical and pragmatic to do!

Chapter 4Mysterious Fliers

Magnus, the director of Innovative Systems Design, was in his office. It was

the day after he had found Alex and that particular young man was due in this

office in half an hour. Magnus was bending down over some photographs and

looking at them as if for the first time despite having seen them a thousand

times.

How much should I tell the boy? he mused aloud even though he was

alone.

The photographs were very pixelated. They were certainly not works of art

and yet they held a fascination for Magnus. The first set of five had been taken

by satellite over Montanistan four months previously. They had been enlarged

to the limit. They showed the wind scultured topography of an arid plain,

broken by the high steep cliffs that were characteristic of that distant Asiancountry. Three bird-like objects could be seen, wings outspread in the centre of

each section chosen for enlargement. Some distance away their shadows were

cast on the ground, showing that they were flying at a considerable height. Tiny

as they were in the photographs, calculations showed that they had wingspans of

some ten metres. Short of them being Jurassic Park escapees they had to be

man-made, yet each consecutive frame showed small changes in the wing shape

that were consistent with the movement of living birds.

The next series of four were taken by a patrol ofSAS operatives in the same

area. Going in to investigate the satellite photos, they had observed the sameobjects behaving as if they were out exercising each afternoon. Taken from the

vantage point of a cliff top with a telephoto lens from about two kilometres

away, the three birds could be seen again with a similar resolution to thesatellite shots. Again, each shot showed changes in wing shape consistent with

the movement of living birds. A highly significant part of the SAS report was

that throughout their observations, the pair had not heard a single sound in the


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still desert air. Not a peep, not even the faintest hint of the drone of propellors

had come from the direction of the birds.

The last photo still made Magnuss hair stand on end. It was another taken by

the SAS crew. This time it was a single night shot. The patrol had gone down

into the valley under the cover of darkness. To their surprise, the birds were to

be seen again flying in the moonlight. At one particular point, they were flying

with the full moon behind them. One of the operatives rested the 1000 mm lenson a rock and pointed it at the moon and waited. Apparently, the birds had

flown across the moon a couple of times before this one chance shot where he

had pressed the shutter on the Nikon at precisely the right moment. The rock

had steadied the camera perfectly. There in sharp silhouette against the

moonlight, through the translucent wings measuring 20 cm on the actual photo,

was the image of the head and outstretched arms of a man a man with a

tapering torso, and below that nothing nothing at all nothing but the

moonlight shining though the translucent fan shape of a tail assembly.

Magnus next read through Alexs medical record again. Internal Intelligence

had managed to obtain it through their Canadain counterpart. Magnus had

several other reports of people with similar conditions but none would really

have been up to the task. He had been at a point of giving up when a parallelsearch that he had been making came up trumps. He had been trolling through

Immigration files of entries into the United Kingdom. He had actually been

looking to see if anyone with a description like that of the flier in the

photograph had already come in from Montanistan. It was then that he came

across Alexs details from when the young man had landed at Heathrow from

Canada some six months before.

Alexs report stood out well amongst all the others. The report described

Alex as now being 18 years old. Had he been born with legs, he would likely

have had a height in the region of 176 cm and a weight of about 64 kg. Not a big

man, thought Magnus as he translated the metric into 59 weighing 10st. The

report then described his deformity as being prenatal, consisting of the complete

absence of any leg tissue whatsoever and a considerably underdeveloped pelvicregion. This resulted in a length of 99 cm and a weight of 35 Kg. The cause of

this deformity was unknown. The report then went on to describe the excellent

health of the boy, with a very sound cardiovascular and pulmonary system and

very well developed arm and chest muscles. He had an IQ of about 115. Of


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equal importance he was a Commonwealth citizen. There was a long history of

military co-operation between these two countries.

Smart, very strong, very healthy and all this in a package weighing not much

more than a sack of potatoes, translated Magnus to himself. If God wanted to

make the perfect human being for this job, he would have made Alex.

Magnus had made up his mind. He would put the first proposition to Alex.

He knew that it would be hugely beneficial for the boy, for his self esteem andfor his quality of life. The second proposition he would leave for later in the

hope that he would never have to put it to him.

Magnus looked up at the clock. It was time. He put the papers down walked

across the room and through the door.

............................................................

Whilst Magnus was looking at the photographs, Alex arrived at the long, low

building. It was only a few minutes wheeling from the train station. He looked

up at the discreet sign, Innovative Systems Design PLC, followed by a logo

made up of the letters ISD. He now knew that he was in the right place. He

smiled when he saw a brand new wheelchair ramp, freshly positioned on the

three concrete steps up to the spacious pavement leading to the front door. Iguess Im expected, he thought to himself. He was accurate in his assumption. A

bright and efficient young woman at the reception desk spotted him as he

entered and came over and directed him to a lift to the first floor.

Turn left as you come out and three doors down on your left, she instructed

reassuringly.

Alex had timed his visit as well as he could. The train schedule would have

got him there twenty minutes too early so he had wheeled himself around the

area before going to the ISD building. The area was an industrial complex

consisting of modern well-used buildings usually involved in businesses related

to supplying the nearby military base. He had used the twenty minutes well in

this excursion as it was now just at the agreed time for his meeting with

Magnus.On leaving the lift, he entered the third door on the left which was slightly

ajar. A slightly built greying man was seated at a table. There was a projector

and a screen on the wall, as well as various items on the table. Alex had no time


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to peruse the latter for just as he entered the room the greying man stood up,

another door opened and in walked Magnus.

Alex! exclaimed Magnus almost as if his appearance was a complete

surprise. So good to see you. May I introduce you to Fred Dexter? Fred is our

aviation expert here at ISD. He also takes a special interest in human-powered

flight which - as you are about to see - is going to come in quite useful.

Hello Alex, said Fred. Alex took his extended hand warmly and respondedshyly. The significance of Magnuss last words were already beginning to sink

in with a shock. A thrilling shock but a shock all the same. Magnus saw this.

Well, we might as well get right down to business. He said - then catching

himself - Oh, pardon my manners, tea? coffee? (then remembering Alexs

age) fruit juice?

Fruit juice please, requested Alex not because of his age but due to the

strict regime that Martin, his trainer, kept him on.

Ill have a coffee, Magnus. Fred added.

Good said Magnus, pouring out the drinks. Now I know you are here to

help us with a new design for a racing wheelchair, but theres something I want

you to see first. Is that Okay with you? Alex nodded in reply, his curiosity

having been tweaked.You ready to start, Fred?

Yes I am, answered Fred walking over to the slide projector and turning it

on. Magnus switched off the lights. Human powered flight, he began,

throwing up an image of Icarus, wings melting as he approached the Sun, has

been a dream of Mankind since time can be remembered. (a slide of a

Leonardo engraving) At first people watched birds and thought of ways of

building machines that could imitate them. Interestingly enough it was

Leonardo da Vinciwho came the closest to proposing a viable possibility even

though he was much earlier than many who suggested much less feasible

solutions. He was born in Italy in 1452 and made this sketch around 1506 about

thirteen years before he died. He also made this engraving which I will come

back to later. (a slide of the well known figure of a man with outstretched armsfitting exactly into a circle)

A century after Leonardo, another brilliant Italian named Giovanni

Alphonso Borelli was born in Naples in 1608. He is widely acknowledged as the

father of modern Bio-mechanics because of his posthumously published work


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De Motu Animalium in 1680 (A slide of an engraving showing levers, beams

and birds in cross-section.) A lesser known aspect of this work however is that

he demonstrated that for a man to fly like a bird he would need a hundred and

eighty centimetre long breast bone and one sixth of his body weight in Pectoral

muscles. Thats those big bulging muscles on your chest Alex.

Thanks Fred. I dont have very many muscles so I tend to know the names

of the ones I do have. responded the amused Alex, warming to Fred.Great Alex, thatll save some time. Now. What Borelli said was

approximately true in one way, but not in another. All kinds of things fly with

no muscles at all, leaves, dandelion seeds and Frisbees. What he meant was that

to be able to get off the ground and fly at will - with no reliance on the wind or

thermals or gliding from a height - then you would need a lot more muscle than

we have at our disposal and they would have to be arranged in very different

ways.

Our story now takes us a little further north to Switzerland where we have

the Bernoullis family in the eighteenth century. We focus in particular on Daniel

Bernoullis and his famous work Hydrodynamica which he completed in 1734.

Before this, people thought - rather logically I might add - that ships sailed on a

sea of water and bird sailed on a sea of air. The cross-section of a wing thereforeshould be like that of a boat, that is round on the bottom. (A slide of the two

brothers looking at a diagram of airflow over a wing.) Daniel showed that due

to fluid dynamics, the opposite was true. The true secret of flight was the

differential pressure resulting from air flowing over a wing with the camber on

the top. This is now common school physics but at the time it really was a

breakthrough.

Our next stop in history goes even further north to Yorkshire where a

certain baronet named Sir George Cayley became very interested in flight. He

was born in 1773 and had worked out the principles of fixed-wing aerodynamics

by the time he was in his early twenties. It was not until 1849 that he managed

to build a glider that carried a young boy from one side of a valley to another.

Four years later, he built a larger one that was able to do the same feat with hiselderly coachman.

From this point onwards we see a steady development of fixed wing

avionics with notable stars such as Germanys Otto Lilienthal, widely regarded

as the worlds first true aviator. He made over two thousand flights, some of


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them well over a quarter of a kilometre before he was killed in a flying accident

in 1898. (A slide of Lilienthal perched on a cliff top in a very beautiful early

version of a hang glider.)

Five years later came the famous flight at Kitty Hawk by the Wright

Brothers. Lilienthal - particularly bec

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