by Franci Neale
Chapter 2
It All Started at Middle Mind
After I first read Sarah’s notes about the translucent white cylinder I quickly rummaged through the piles of stuff to find out what it was. It took hours to piece the information together, but it was worth it. Unfortunately, as many times as I’ve tried, I can’t find a good way to make the explanation anything but wordy and circuitous. The good part is that you’ll meet Seymore and Valentino before Sarah does.
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Seymore and his brother, Valentino, had been overseeing Middle Mind for so long it was hard for them to remember having done anything else. It was such important work assisting those in transition from The Rim of Creations. They both vicariously enjoyed the fabulous tales and adventures of those returning after a tour of free will and creation at the edge of All of Everything.
The Great Psyche created the concept of Transitioning. However, the means for each transitioner to completely review and understand their achievements and purposes had been created by the brothers. They had enhanced and honed the tools and methods that were used by the transitioners to return to their entity, go on to a support station, train to assist at Middle Mind or prepare to return for another tour at The Rim. Every other part of the Support System in which they all served depended on the elegant and successful management skills of Seymore and Valentino at Middle Mind.
They had been together, sometimes as brothers and sometimes as old friends, through many tours and transitions of their own. Many times they had chosen to expand their purposes at the Rim of Creations and on those tours they were always brothers. The last time was as William and Henry James and at Middle Mind they had retained most of the image, demeanor and temperament of the great philosopher/academic and the prolific writer of complex literature. They had no recollection of exactly what they had accomplished at the Rim during their last tour as it was the purpose of Transition to provide each returning individual the means to wipe their personal slate clean and start afresh to further pursue their purpose or adopt a completely new one. The brothers had chosen the later and become the Prime Administrators of Middle Mind.
The respite from creating at The Rim had been wonderful for both of them. By staying at Middle Mind they could continue being brothers and the depth and affection of that relationship supported them and their work with the transitioners. They were both loved and admired throughout every part of Middle Mind.
Seymore took most of the transitions that were especially difficult; some were quite mysterious. It’s impossible to know how those circumstances are created, but they had to be sorted out and managed at Middle Mind before a clean transition toward a new choice could begin
Valentino’s expertise was his extraordinary ability to bring order to complexity. He easily understood the stories of the transitioners and could keep track of who belonged to what thread of experience and why. He kept meticulous records and they were used by many others who aided in the myriad of transitions that were the responsibility of Middle Mind. It was a huge and vital operation and Valentino’s skills were the main stay that made it run easily and faithfully to the benefit of all.
Valentino was especially adept at ferreting out just the right niche for fulfilling a transitioner’s hopes and desires and providing a wide and diversified catalog of choices. He also was expert at implementing innovations and concepts originating with transitioners. Seymore excelled at elaborate constructs and creations; he was also a master terraformer. They managed and enhanced a rich framework and resource for transitioners to manipulate so they could more easily and fully understand their purposes, either new or on-going ones.
Seymore and Valentino had a handsome area where they could work, live and serve the needs of Middle Mind. It was not all their construct, but was composed of the best of the buildings and grounds from fragments of memories carried back from The Rim of Creations by various transitioners’ experience on the great campuses at The Rim. Because the facility where Administration was housed was loved and used it was very stable and reassuring. Occasionally an unattached memory trace emerged from the transition process would be added to the compound. The most recent addition was a large black and white cat that Seymore particularly liked. He was a very small fragment that had no need to return to its source so Seymore commandeered him for company in his spacious offices.
Fred, the cat, had an unusual intelligence and frequently would inspire Seymore to more contemplation than was his custom. Seymore found pleasure in the low hum of Fred’s purring as he sat on the wide wood window sill. Seymore sometimes wondered if Fred had commandeered him instead of the other way around. He seemed to have a specific intent to comfort and soothe Seymore and a purpose beyond regular catness. Seymore like him very much.
It was in this handsome, intelligent and useful environment that Seymore was both comfortable and effective. It was the same environment where the unexpected occurred. Something that had never been a part of Seymore’s experience; it would have been delightful if it hadn’t been unsettling.
At a moment when the light on the grounds was at its most appealing, a soft zephyr blew through a half open window. On the breeze a brilliant light rode in to sit opposite Seymore and announce that he would soon be blessed with a visit from the Great Psyche Essence.
In all of his memory Seymore did not have a recollection as momentous or meaningful as that simple message. It was hugely outrageous and portended a wide range of possibilities and suggested that potent shifts were in the offing. Psyche, who spent all her time at Psyche Essence as far as Seymore knew, had never come to Middle Mind since he and Valentino had assumed its management. Since there were no issues or conditions at Middle Mind that were in any way unmanageable, a visit from the elegant, though distant and reportedly chilly, Psyche seemed at least curious.
The bright light that carried the news was a Mercury Messenger, though Seymore was too dumbstruck to initially make that connection, and the message was delivered without fanfare or explanation; typical of the tidy communicator. Seymore leaned forward and quietly asked the obvious question, “Why?”
The little messenger, suspended in mid-air with the tiny wings on his heels flapping rapidly, responded with obvious impatience, “I have no idea, I am only the messenger, but Psyche knows and I’m sure she’ll tell you. ”He then vanished as quickly as he’d arrived. Seymore was left to think over the possibilities and stared with thrilled uncertainty at his office door. He spontaneously got up and opened it to the out of doors. There, filling the doorway, was Psyche. Glorious Psyche, regaled in a dramatic regal costume wearing and equally royal expression of cool aloofness.
Psyche, creator of Middle Mind and the great mental essence was here, on his doorstep, to see him. Seymore was paralyzed with wonder. Psyche greeted him with far more warmth than he expected, and said, “Nothing is wrong, Seymore. Your services are needed in a new enterprise.”
Seymore sat down, a necessity in the moment, and Psyche joined him at the table near the window. The cat immediately jumped on the table and sat conveniently so that Psyche could stroke his head and back; suddenly Seymore knew more than he knew before, but was not sure what he now knew about his cat.
Carefully and patiently, Psyche set out what brought her to Seymore.
Psyche, being a Primary Essence, was all things of the mind and considered by some to be the giver of life, and Seymore knew that most new undertakings originated with her. She looked directly and intently at Seymore and said, “Valentino’s work is the most essential to Middle Mind, and so we have decided that our new creation will go to you, Seymore. It is to be a new platform for returning to The Rim of Creations without transitioning at all. It is a completely new and much needed innovation.”
She waited a moment in her delivery without shifting her glittering green eyes and then continued, “The situation that requires this new platform came about because those creating at The Rim are crafting a solution to a problem
in a way that needs to be supported outside The Rim. More and more frequently hurt or damaged or deeply unhappy creators decide on their own to leave The Rim early. Because their principal focus is creating, the most earnest and sincere have inadvertently conjured clever means of reshaping Units of Creation into large, high-velocity tunnels of light and water. The formations provided an avenue out of The Rim and into the paths that lead to other zones, platforms, planes and dimensions.”
So far, Seymore understood very little of what the Primary Essence was talking about. He didn’t say so but she immediately elaborated, “The problem with these new constructs is that they are unstable and potentially dangerous. Since there are not established trails or patterns dedicated to their use their velocity and lack of guidance leaves them unfocused after leaving The Rim. They have already wandered to penetrate more protected and usually inaccessible areas in a variety of dimensions. A few times the inter-dimensional projections had made it all the way to their original entity, or, embarrassingly, to an unrelated entity.” She paused to let that information be absorbed and Seymore tried his best to look like it had been.
Her presentation went on, “There are all kinds of stop-gap means now being used whenever one of the intrusions occurs, which is becoming more frequent. The interceptions are being done in an ad hoc manner without any coordination. So far nothing really unmanageable had happened, but it appears fairly certain that something will. ”She stopped and breathed a deep sign representing her frustration with the wayward light tunnels.
“The complaints about these intrusions have all been directed to Psyche Essence, of course. There is only a hodge-podge of information and nothing to rely on about the nature of the lights or their passengers. It has become obvious that it is up to us to fix it. The creators appeared to be using their minds to bend and reform creative units into light structures. There is no reliable information on how they do that. ”Her lack of clear information and an understanding of the lights were obviously upsetting to the Great Psyche. To Seymore it seemed likely that she didn’t have an inkling of what to do in the situation and was going to pass the problem on to him. He was right.
Quite suddenly Psyche smiled in a friendly, even beguiling, manner and said, “Your skills at terraforming are legendary. My reports are that here at Middle Mind you can instantaneously create the right physical atmosphere that is required for a complicated transition and can disassemble and rearrange creations with equal speed and agility to good effect. I am convinced your talents are just what are needed in this situation.
“Eventually, Seymore,” she enunciated his name with a smooth hint of affection, “we believe you will uncover for us how the creators make their elegant escape routes. It may be that the creators also don’t understand how they manifest the lights primarily because it nearly always happened in instances of dire stress or serious physical injury and without any pre-planning. We know that the light tunnels don’t appear regularly and don’t last beyond the pressure of the hurtful event. There does appear to be a firmly established pattern for the light’s creation that any creator at The Rim can access in times of deep distress. We are nearly certain that the pattern occurs only at The Rim. Additionally, they are increasing in frequency which reinforces the pattern.” She leaned back in her chair and neatly folded her slender hands in her lap. She lowered her head waiting for some signal from Seymore. He was somewhere back at the concept of lights leaving the rim with riders.
Psyche raised her head and leaned forward to provide Fred with a steady, smiling gaze and gently stroked his head as she softly said, “The whole process cries out for order.”
Seymore finally managed, “Yes, I can see that. ”It was more a space filler than a statement of fact.
Despite its brevity and lack of content, Psyche seemed delighted with Seymore’s response. She went on to observe, “There are a few hurdles though.” Seymore thought that was probably a laughable understatement.“ And I appreciate that you have never started from scratch in a new environment and for this project, if I have persuaded you, it will be necessary to do so.”
Psyche now had Seymore’s attention and said, “I couldn’t possibly do something like that on my own.”
“Absolutely not!” exclaimed Psyche with a dramatic hand flourish, “I have enlisted the services of a clever and talented minion of the Great Mercury who is also an accomplished communicator on many levels. Her name is Mesa and she is enthusiastic about assisting the Great Terraformer of Middle Mind”
Seymore was again unable to speak. Was she so certain of his cooperation that she had already hired his help? It appeared so.
Psyche diverted Seymore from his own thoughts as she set out the mission for him. “It is important to find a way to connect with the creators who are sending out the avenues of light and send them back without changing them or their original purpose for being at The Rim. I am asking you, with Mesa’s help, to oversee a yet-to-be-created plane. It should be one that is easily managed with a few able helpers where careful tests and experiments can be made to ultimately establish a receiver for the illuminated pleas from The Rim. You will also need to create the tools and methods for intercepting the creators before they intrude into other areas where they are less than welcome. The good results can then be established as a functioning platform to process the light tunnels, protect the creators and safely, quickly and easily return them to their original Rim purposes.” Psyche again leaned back in her chair and lowered her head to stare at her primly clasped hands.
Having heard Psyche out on her proposal, Seymore wondered if he was even interested in this undertaking and said so. Psyche quickly suggested that the assignment didn’t need to be permanent and that, when everything was arranged, tested and working well at the new platform, Seymore could most certainly return to Middle Mind. Psyche then added, “I am sure that Valentino can easily manage everything at Middle Mind in your absence. You might want to set up a means of communication that would make Valentino a private support for yourself, a resource for the project and a way to keep track of Middle Mind during your absence. Mesa can help you with that.”
Seymore wanted more instructions and directions but Psyche said she didn’t have any, “I’ve told you everything that I know and what the nature of the endeavor is as well as our deep desire to assist the creators who are in deep distress." Psyche seldom ventured away from her Place of Essence; and this trip to Middle Mind was extremely rare, exotic and apparently over. It was clear, though, that the distress of the creators motivated her to ask, almost implore, Seymore to create the remedy for assisting the wayward great lights and their precious riders.
Almost reluctantly, Seymore agreed. It was Psyche’s request; what else could he do? But, he was actually nervous, a long forgotten experience.
In a flash Psyche was gone. Seymore wondered if he could trust himself to know that he had actually received this incredible instruction from the Great Psyche. Fortunately, his uncertainly was quickly dispelled when Valentino peered around the door from his office and asked, “Who was that!?”
Seymore look at his trusted brother and slowly, with hesitation and deep uncertainty said, “That was the Great Psyche Essence.” He then told him in detail what she had said and requested. When he was finished Valentino smiled widely with his special brand of charm and said, “This is wonderful. I’ll be glad to take care of everything. When do you start?” He noticed that the cat was smiling the same way Valentino was. He wished the cat could talk.
Valentino asked Seymore to join him for his regular constitutional of walking the campus down to the Transition Zone entrance and back. He usually didn’t take part in this routine, but Seymore thought it might be a good way to clear his head and make a few plans for his own comfort and well being. As they moved along the wandering pathway and enjoyed the soft, filtered light, he and Valentino pondered the ramifications of Psyche’s assignment. As they returned to the handsome building, Seymore�
�s mind went to where he would be living and working; a sure sign that he was leaving Middle Mind. Comfort was one of Seymore’s heart’s desires.
Seymore didn’t yet appreciation that a place to live was the least of the issues he would soon face. On this assignment there was no there there. And that, in a nutshell, was what proved to be the first of many hurdles. Seymore was going to create the there there, whatever and wherever there was going to be.
In the absence of any concrete instructions, Seymore felt at loose ends. Without direction or even a wish to hang on to, he began to question his choice. He decided the best thing to do was to bring his work at Middle Mind to a temporary close and slowly began passing information and instructions off to Valentino. He brought some of the assistants in for special briefings on transitions that were at critical stages and others that were just about to complete.
He was unhappy at having to part with Fred. He told Valentino that he wanted to be sure the cat stayed and his brother graciously agreed to look out for him. Fred would remain in Seymore’s big office, one of the assistants would check on him regularly and Valentino was just next door .For Seymore it was reassuring to know that Fred would be at his office when he returned and supported his belief that this was just a short project.
Still no hint of when and how this project would begin. And then another Mercury Messenger appeared in the usual flash of bright yellow light. The messenger announced that The Honorable Mercury was on his way to see him. He went to the outside door and the tall, handsome form of the great communicator walked in and sat down. He introduced his formless companion; she was a Mercurial fragment that was on loan to Seymore for the new project as Psyche had promised. Her name was Mesa and when introduced to Seymore she lightly materialized as a lovely young woman with wings. Seymore thought that her image charming, though not impressive, and said he was glad to meet her. He was very glad that Psyche had sent them as it meant that finally something was happening.
Mesa asked Seymore if he was ready. He said, “I am.” In a blink Mercury left and Seymore and Mesa were together in the middle of nowhere. Literally, no where!