Clicking Stones

by Nancy Tyler Glenn

  Victoria looked at the timer on the panel. "They should be ready to come out fairly soon."

  Jes shook her head. "They had a cup of their favorite herb tea this morning. They'll probably roll around for at least a couple more hours, then Erica will sleep for an hour or two."

  "Is it possible that Erica doesn't know what that tea is?" Victoria asked.

  "I know mother. She wouldn't take it if she knew."

  * * * *

  "Look, Jes," Erica beamed. "The kitten is pushing its head against my arm. This is the one I want. I'm going to call her Deeny. What are you going to call yours, Morgan?"

  "Mig," Morgan told her. "Petite Mig."

  "Let's run you through some tests and then you two need to get some exercise," Jes directed.

  "Morgan looks a little tired today," Erica observed.

  "I'll fix that later," Jes promised. "Why don't you plan on taking a walk after your tests."

  * * * *

  Morgan was quiet.

  "But we did take a walk," Erica insisted.

  Morgan was quiet.

  I don't know why you're being so stubborn," Erica admonished.

  Morgan was quiet.

  "She didn't say how far we had to walk," Erica challenged.

  Morgan was quiet.

  "We only have thirteen hours and forty minutes left of being sixty-eight." Tears glistened in Erica's eyes. "That means we haven't made love for almost six months."

  Morgan took Erica into her arms. "We don't need goddess tea to make love."

  "Morgan," Erica sobbed. "I'm out of balance."

  Morgan pressed the EMERGENCY button.

  * * * *

  "I should have caught that." Jes looked at Erica's limp form.

  "I should have caught it." Victoria looked at the numbers on the screen.

  "I should have caught it," Morgan said. "She's been acting depressed."

  "I should have caught it." Erica opened her eyes. "I was off center this morning."

  * * * *

  "Are you sure you don't want any?" Morgan invited. "We had a nice long walk."

  Erica took Morgan into her arms. "We don't need goddess tea to make love."

  * * * *

  Victoria was sitting by the anti-grav unit when Jes came in.

  "How are they doing?"

  Victoria turned a knob and sound filled the room: "Erica, your mouth... so soft..." Victoria turned the sound off.

  Jes looked at the timer on the panel. "They'll be in there for hours."

  Victoria shook her head. "They didn't have any tea. I'd say they'll be ready to come out in about twenty minutes."

  "Good," Jes told her. "I'd like to step up tests to twice a day."

  * * * *

  "What is that beautiful music?" Victoria asked.

  "It's mother playing her flute. She and Morgan are down by the creek."

  "Does she only play for Morgan?"

  Jes shook her head. "She plays only for herself."

  * * * *

  November 9, 2009

  Dear Kelly,

  Glad you like the graphics we sent to you. Morgan's sketches were fairly accurate. You'll see the next time you and wED come for a visit. Maybe after you finish Fragrance.

  The kittens got into some Livemore. I had forgotten about it. It was the supply we kept with the mares' things. I'm glad Morgan saw them running with it in their mouths, otherwise it could have been tragic. Anyway, we now have five-month old kittens.

  Morgan has been working on a special project. She said she thought about it one day when we were in anti-grav, after I had gone to sleep. It was during our withdrawal from Livemore. She is very secretive about it. Whenever I get near her computer while she is working, she turns it off. All I know is that she plans to use the laser tools that Jes gave her on her last birthday.

  Isi got back from her six months with the Evenki. She said it took that long to learn the language since she had to learn it from the people.

  I was going through some old boxes and came across a snapshot I took of Morgan one summer when we were girls. I got an old frame and now I have it sitting on my desk. It has always been my favorite snapshot of her.

  Morgan and I are both quite used to our new "suits" by now. I love hers and she loves mine. The advantage of having the real thing is we don't have to pull down the flap in the back.

  Morgan brought me some fresh peaches yesterday. It's nice to have fresh peaches in November.

  Gotta go now. I told Morgan I was going to make a pot of soup today.

  Give my love to wED.

  Love,

  Erica

  ~ Chapter 51 ~

  The two women lay at the foot of the bed listening to a sonodot of Erica's music. Deeny and Mig played in the corner of the room.

  At the end of the piece Morgan kissed Erica on the cheek. "You know, it's not too late for you to have a career in music.

  Erica laughed. "At ninety-five?"

  "Grandma Moses...

  "You've said that about twenty times in the last week. Are you trying to get me out of your hair? You know I do stay out of your way when you're working. Do you want me to go stay with the girls for a while?"

  "I want to hold you." Morgan sat against the headboard and pulled Erica toward her.

  Erica sat against Morgan with her head relaxed against her lover's shoulder. She drew Morgan's arms around her.

  "You're so full of music." Morgan rubbed her face against Erica's hair. "I don't think I've heard you play the same thing twice since we withdrew from Livemore."

  "When are you going to be finished with the piece you started that same year? It's been twenty-three years." Erica toyed with the material of Morgan's pajamas and rubbed the bottom of Morgan's foot with the top of her own.

  "Twenty-four. I finished it today, but I wanted to wait until tomorrow to show you."

  Erica turned her face toward Morgan. "I've been so hungry to see your new work."

  Morgan nuzzled Erica and hugged her with her legs. "Would you like a cup of tea before we go to bed?"

  "No. I like going to bed with you without it."

  "You used to want it every night." Morgan cupped Erica's breasts in her hands.

  "That was before we withdrew from Livemore. Our lovemaking was getting a little repetitious." She reached up and touched Morgan's cheek. "I love the changing beauty of this face. I don't need goddess tea to appreciate you. You're just pissed because you don't have any way to make me do what you want."

  Morgan released Erica's breasts and drew her lover's hands into her own. "I have to go spend some time with Jes this week."

  "Are you going to fly the I.F.O.?"

  "Yes, you never use it."

  "Please be careful, Morgan." Erica could feel emotion welling up in her. "If anything ever happened to you!" She rocked her head against Morgan's shoulder.

  Tears formed in Morgan's eyes. Her whisper was inaudible when she begged, "What can I do?"

  ~ Chapter 52 ~

  "Be careful of that step," Morgan warned. "I thought you told me you were going to fix it."

  "I will. I'll do it while you're gone," Erica promised.

  "And the garden?"

  "I know, there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day," Erica lamented.

  "What about getting someone in to get the roof fixed?"

  "I think it's an unnecessary expense, Morgan. When it rains we usually put up the C wave anyway."

  "That's because I've been working outside; now that this piece is finished we should get it fixed."

  "Morgan, just make a list of the things you want me to do. I can't remember everything."

  "I did. You'll remember to ask your computer?"

  "Of course. Why are you treating me like a child?"

  "Sorry... I..."

  "Why did you do this piece down here? You have such a nice studio."

  "You'll see why when we get there," Morgan promised.

  "You've been very secretive about this," Erica said slyl
y.

  "I know. It's a surprise. Close your eyes. I'll lead you the rest of the way."

  "OK, but be careful. You know how I feel about falling."

  "You can open your eyes now."

  Erica opened her eyes. "It's still covered. Why did you have me close my eyes?"

  "I didn't want you to try to guess."

  "It's right next to the path. Morgan, the path has been cleared."

  "I know. I used to do it on days when I couldn't get into the rhythm of my work."

  Erica held her Stone up and peered in. "It's clear as far as I can see. How far did you go?"

  Morgan swallowed her tears. "All the way to the end."

  "Well?"

  "Well, what?"

  "Don't you have something to show me?" Morgan grinned. "Close your eyes again."

  "I already did that."

  Morgan was quiet.

  "They're closed."

  Morgan removed the cover from her work. "You can look now."

  Erica opened her eyes and looked. Tears washed down her face. The sculpture was two girls about the age of nine. Their shoulders were touching. One of the little girls was gazing at the face of the other. The other was looking at something in her friend's hand. Behind each child stood a magnificent woman. The women were both wearing close-fitting helmets with a small oblong emblem on the front. Inside the emblem was an insignia. Each woman lightly touched the shoulders of the child in front of her, and each gazed into the eyes of the other with a look of love, compassion, wisdom, trust, acceptance, and joy.

  When Erica regained her composure, she examined the work more closely. "Morgan, the detail... even the fingernail I used to wear down from constantly twirling my Stone."

  "I hoped you would like it," Morgan said quietly.

  "I'm so surprised. Except for those two busts and some sketches, none of your work has been representational."

  "It wasn't that I couldn't do it. It was a choice. I am an artist, you know."

  "I know it, and the world knows it." Erica put her arms around her lover. "Everything you've done has been collected."

  "Not everything," Morgan reminded her. "Life Without You is still gathering dust in my studio. I couldn't have made bad art after we became lovers. Your music was such an inspiration to me, the work had to be good."

  "It's the other way around, Morgan. Your work was an inspiration for my music. Haven't you looked at the titles on the sonodiscs and sonodots? The one we were listening to last night was called 'Morgan 5342.' Your favorite is called 'Meditation on Life With You.' I have a few inspired by Kelly, like 'Fascination with Fascination' and many inspired by nature, but by far, your work has inspired my best music.

  Morgan looked at her. "You haven't seen my work for twenty-four years."

  "I see your face, Morgan."

  Morgan cupped Erica's face in her hands and kissed her. When she pulled her mouth away she held her lover very close. Finally she looked up at the sky. "I'd better get going. I don't want to get into traffic."

  "Morgan." Tears filled Erica's eyes. "Last night was the softest you've ever been with me."

  "I know," Morgan whispered.

  "Isn't there something you'd like to do before you leave?" Erica asked her.

  "Yes." Morgan took out her Stone.

  ~ Chapter 53 ~

  Jes looked at the numbers on the screen. "Does mother know?"

  Morgan shook her head.

  "Don't you want her with you?"

  "Of course, I do." Morgan's voice was unsteady. "What I want more is for her to have a few more days without any worries. She worries about me too much anyway."

  "I'll send Isi up to be with her." Jes started out of the room.

  "Leave her alone," Morgan directed. "We've discussed it hypothetically. She wants to be alone."

  Jes turned. "What will she do?"

  "Tomorrow she'll go down to the sculpture I completed, and meditate and play her flute. The next day she'll write to her friend Kelly and maybe try to do one or two of the things on her list. In a couple of days, when her Stone has faded, she'll call. Tell her I left her a message."

  "I mean - what is she going to do?"

  "Whatever she does," Morgan said with finality.

  "Do you have any pain?" Jes asked her.

  Morgan smiled. "You're the one who told me that pain has been obsolete since the eighties. If you are talking about suffering, frankly, yes. I know it's going to be very difficult for her."

  "If only you two hadn't remained so isolated."

  Morgan laughed. "Isolated? How can you say that? With the I.F.O. we're within hours of any place we want to go. With the computer we're connected to every desk on the planet."

  "That antique?" Jes looked at her. "It must be fifty years old."

  "Not quite," Morgan grumbled. "She likes it and it gets the job done."

  "But you two have spent so much time alone," Jes said.

  "Not alone," Morgan corrected. "Together. We've had a wonderful life - together. Since withdrawing from Livemore, every day has been an adventure. I enjoyed working without the pressure of needing to produce. Sometimes I'd only work an hour or two. I usually spent an hour practicing the techniques you taught me for slowing down my system."

  "Meditation?"

  Morgan nodded. "Sometimes at night Erica would play her flute and I'd play the triangle or finger cymbals. Musically she'd carry me on a beautiful adventure. Other times she'd work with me on the wood carvings for the children at the shelter. There were times we just floated around in anti-grav singing a few choruses of 'I Left My Stone in Nicaragua.'

  "Isi and I have often talked about the way you two love each other."

  Morgan ran her fingers through her snow white hair. "I always loved your mother. What we had to learn was compassion, wisdom, trust, acceptance, and the joy of living every day fully. We never really understood our love. It's like people learning that the sixth sense was nothing more than using all of the five senses together. They never really understood the sixth sense, but at least they knew when they didn't have it, it was because they weren't using the five."

  "Let's get you to bed," Jes advised.

  Morgan handed Jes a box of sonodots. "When it's time, I'd like to go into anti-grav and listen to some music." She pointed to one of the sonodots. "Put this one on last. It's called 'Meditation on Life With You.'"

  * * * *

  April 13, 2033

  Dear Kelly,

  I was planning to write to you yesterday but I spent the day meditating on Morgan's latest masterpiece. You aren't going to believe it. No wonder it took her twenty-four years.

  She had to go down to spend some time with the girls. I suspect they are having some kind of problem, because this is the third time Morgan has gone there in the past three months.

  Morgan left me a list of things to do that would take twenty years. She must be getting old, thinking I could do all those things in four days.

  Billy and Britain were here last week. Billy is almost sixty-nine and Britain is sixty-seven. If I had looked that good at their age I never would have taken Livemore. Of course I was only their age for one day while I was withdrawing. Jes ran them through her contraption and said they would probably live another two hundred years without Livemore.

  When Morgan gets back I'm going to make a pot of her favorite soup. I think she's been a little tired lately. Poor darling, works her butt off.

  She cleared my old path for me. I meant to ask her what was at the end. I'll have to wait until she gets back.

  This month is our seventeen thousand, eight hundred and eighty-fifty monthiversary. Just kidding, it's our forty-ninth anniversary. I have to polish those silver goblets. Also I want to talk to her about the amount of vinegar she put in last year. The goblet with the vinegar was so bitter I could hardly swallow it. I asked her if we could go back to Paris for our fiftieth and she said we'll see. She's usually more direct in her answers. Maybe she has something else planned.