by Robin Miller
By Robin Miller
Note: List on page 169 Day 88
I woke early enough that even the the sun was not up yet. Kitty was asleep on the sofa, the fire was almost out, and the rain had stopped. I got a cup of coffee and quietly went to my writing room to work. I finished book six, and was now putting some thoughts down for book 7. Then Kitty came to the open door and asked me to come to bed for a little bit, in a sexy way, that told me just what she wanted. It was daybreak before we got out of bed again, and the children were already up and at the table with their laptops. I asked them what they were studying and they said the planets history, but it only goes back about 500 years. I said, "that must be about when they got their first recorders, before that they only the stories they told."
Prowler, "it talks about how they did trade with other people that came here from space, and how they grew crops just to trade."
Kitten, "but an nothing about the time before that."
I said, "you will only find the rest of their history in their poetry and stories." Kitten, "most of that does not have a date on it."
Prowler, "and there is so much of it we may be many years going through it all. Even though we are downloading the voice recordings, so our computer can translate it to writing that we can go through much faster."
I said, "well, you are talking about a thousand years of history about a civilization that developed from a group of travelers from another planet. History has always been a hard subject to get facts on, even when there are records about it, you're still going to find holes. The trick to history isto treat it like a painting, if you stand back far enough, you don't notice the missing parts."
I then got myself a cup of coffee and asked what was for breakfast. Kitty said, "eggs, sausages, fried potatoes and biscuits."
I said, "sounds good," then went out to the porch for a smoke. Owsee was already there and said good morning as I came out. I return the greeting and asked if he had a good sleep.
Owsee, "yes, a very good sleep. I'm feeling much better now."
I said, "I'm done with book 6. I'll stop by the book factory and make up 100,000 or so today."
Owsee, "I'll take a download from your computer. Oh though I don't think I'll have much time to read today."
I said, "sure, I can give you a download, remind me after breakfast." I sat down and lit my pipe, and thought about telling him about the gift the techno sages gave me, but it could be such a powerful weapon even Owsee may treat me differently just knowing I had it. Something that could increase my telekinetic power by a thousand is no small thing. I decided I would try to keep the secret a while longer.
I said, "so, 19 sites, that will keep you busy today. Do you think you will be done in time for supper?"
Owsee, "I don't know, depends on how smooth things go. I sent your computer the exact location of the sites, so you can talk to your contractor about them." I said, "he is just going to love me when I tell him I have 19 sites for him to build on."
Owsee, "and on the day you tell him you want to build 19 hotels he will make you part of his family."
I said, “wait until I call the man that makes and installs the transmission equipment, no doubt I'll make this year too.”
Owsee, "and what about the idea of putting up more clubs? If you want to the multi-colored light panels on the ceiling you better order them now, as it may take a long time to make them all."
I said, "everything will need to be ordered in advance. Why the chairs alone, for the clubs, come to almost 5,000 and that's just the ones in the middle." Owsee, "and we are talking about a hell of a lot a floor tile."
I said, "a lot of everything."
Kitty called us to breakfast, and we took our place at the dining room table. As we passed the potatoes I said, "we will soon beable to take these from our garden."
Owsee, "I bet there are a lot of small ones out there now. They're even better when they are small."
Kitty, "but if we start eating things before they are full-grown it will all be gone soon."
I said, "it will all be gone soon anyway, it's a small garden, just big enough so that children can see what it takes to be a farmer."
Kitten, "don't worry father, we'd definitely appreciate what farmers must go through to bring in a crop."
Prowler, "and what plumbers and welders do."
Kitten, "and what it takes to run a shop like mothers."
I said, "and what about engineering, what do you think about that job?" Prowler, "well, we like engineering, it's fun. I think they are the lucky ones." Kitten, "yes, we could do that job all day and not get bored."
Owsee, "and what do you think of being a captain of a space station?" Prowler, "well, father now has a good crew that don't need him much." Kitten, "unless there is a problem or war."
Kitty, "children!"
I said, "no no, they're quite right. I have a crew that don't bother me with the small things, and Gripper is doing a great job as well. For a captain it's not how much you do, but what you do and when. And if the crew is happy then I feel I'm doing a good job, even if it is part-time."
Owsee, "well, all I got to say is that, when war came to this planet you were the one to step up and do something. You saved us all, and we didn't lose a man. If a vote was taken you would be captain of our defenses for life!"
I said, "don't think I want to do it for the rest of my life, just until someone better comes along."
Owsee, "then you will be doing it for life."
I said, "I think Gripper would make a fine captain, one day, and he will live a good 100 years longer than I will."
Owsee, "but you are from Earth, our mother planet, I don't think we would put our full trust in someone from Tronic."
I said, "well, he has plenty of time to gain your trust. I don't plan on stepping down anytime soon, and before I forget to say it -- -- these are good biscuits." Owsee, "yes, very good."
Kitty, "thank you. Now that I know you like them I'll make them more often." Owsee, "when I was growing up, sometimes we would have nothing but biscuits and gravy for a meal. And it didn't matter what time of day it was, they were good anytime."
Kitty, "in all the time I've known you, you have never made that."
Owsee, "I could never get the gravy right, but my father was good at it." After breakfast we helped Kitty with the scarf orders, then she went to the shop and I took Owsee to the station to talk to Gripper about using his ship. We could've just called, but some things are best done in person, like asking for favors. Then the children and I went to story land Park to see how things were going. They must've worked all night, because the light poles were up and most of the parking lot was done. There were six men in the stone, V-shaped ditch, laying pipe for water and running power lines. Stony, my contractor, was at the end of the road where the main building would go. I could see the steel frame of the building was already in place, and they were pouring some more stone. I walked up to stony and said, "are you trying to get a reputation as a miracle worker?"
Stony, "we did get a lot done overnight. Had to fly in another crew from the other side of the planet to do it, but just because thisis a big job don't mean it has to take a long time."
I said, "you mentioned the other side of the planet, I'm building a radio station there. As a matter of fact, I'm building 19 of them all around the world. If you want the job, you can subcontract it out to the individual sites and I’ll just pay you. I'll have my architect draw up the plans, but they will all be like the one down the road."
Stony, "yeah sure, I can find people to do the job for you."
I said, "good, my friend Owsee is mining the crystals as we speak, but maybe he can show you the sites tomorrow."
Stony, "tomorrow
will be fine. By the way, some things came for you, I put them in a cargo container over there."
I said thank you, and went over to see what we had. There were two large boxes of trail lights, and six rolls of rope with buoys, plus one without. A shipping chip said, "extra rope free of charge."
I thought to myself, that was nice of him. I would need extra rope to tie anchors to the buoy line to keep it in place. We then headed over to the small lake to see how the beach looked. On the way we saw the plumber working on the sewer line from the food stands. I asked how it was going, and he said, "I had to come in a few hours before sunup with a helper, to do the plumbing to the building, so they could start the stone pour. So it's going to be a long day, but other than that things are going well. We should be done in a few hours, unless you have something more for me to do."
I said, "what about the rest of the plumbing to the main building?" Plummer, "I need to wait until they get it more done before I can start on that, but yes, I will take care of it."
I said good, and thank you, then the Twins and I went to the new beach. It was just what I wanted, 200 feet long, and no more than 4 feet deep up to 50 feet in. The day labor crew were raking the beach off as we got there. I told them to bring the rope with buoys on it, and the other one, to the beach. I would have the contractor cut some steel up for anchors, and bring them over to the beach as well. Then they should work on filling in the ditches where the plumber is done, rake it all off and call it a day, I would call if I had more work. We then went to talk to the contractor about the anchors. He said, "that's putting some scrap to good use," and that he would put a hole in each one for the rope. Then we went to the book factory to make copies of my new book. It was only then that I remembered I forgot to give Owsee a download. I would most likely see him at supper anyway. Arty had the morning orders done already, so we made up 200 for the space station, 100 for Kitty’s shop, 50 forGoo da wa and the bar, and a hundred for the hotel store and to give away. I would send a few to lunar one and give Gripper a copy as well. Then we started to print out 100,000 to have in stock for Mr. Tem to buy for the schools. I went to my office to call him, but first gave my architect a call and told him I wanted plans to build other broadcast stations like the one I had next door. He said he would get right on it, and I told him to give the plans to my contractor. Then I called Mr. Tem and told him I had a new book. He said he would take 200,000 right off. I told him the first 100,000 would be ready by the end of the day, and he said he would transfer of the credits and have the books picked up. I thanked him and wished him good reading. Then, with Arty's help, we took some books to the hotel store. My storekeeper was glad to see them, and she said a number of people had been asking. Then the children and I took a box of books to the base on the moon. The mechanic thanked me for the silicone like stuff that was sent to him, and said it will cut down on a lot of repairs.
I said, "well, I'm just glad I could help. If you need more just tell Gripper." Then the Twins in the went back to the planet and my club. We were not real hungry, but I needed a sit down and a drink. Still we polished off a cheese platter and a bowl of breadsticks, as well as the nuts on table. The bartender asked if we would like more, and I had to say, "don't tempt us. We can't seem to keep our hands off to them."
Newsy came in and stopped by the table, saying he was here to get a drink while working on the noonday news report. I gave him the credit chip I got from Owsee and said, "here is your expense account, just what you asked for, and your daily wage is now tripled. That was hard for me to get for you, as Owsee is my partner in radio and has a say. But I think you can be worth it if you can put together at least a good 15 to 30 minute show each day for each of the 20 stations." Newsy, "I'll try not to let your down sir, but it will take time to find reporters from each city to give me reports that are local."
I said, "here is a tip. We are building a new station in 19 new cities, Owsee has the list and my contractor will have it tomorrow. The land is already bought, and Owsee is minding the crystals today."
Newsy, "that's a good tip, I can work with that."
I said, "make up a short recording for my announcers on the space station to play, and by the way, my book 6 is now for sale."
Newsy, "people will want to hear that as well. Anything new about story land Park?"
I said, "a 200 foot long beach is in, two food stands, BBQ meat sandwiches and slices of smorgesh pie. We also have a soda stand, and the main building is going up."
Newsy, "sounds like some real progress. Do you have an opening date in mind?" I said, "no, but it should be soon, I'll keep you updated."
Newsy, "this is all good stuff, I'll put it in my report today. By the way, people are asking about the eclipse yesterday. Word is, it was the techno-sages on the move, any comments?"
I said, "just that they were passing by, nothing else."
Newsy, "alright then, I need to go work this into my report. Thank you for your time sir, and thank you for the new job."
Shortly after he left our table we went back to the park’s beach to set up the rope with buoys. The hardest part was to carry out the steel anchors to put in place, so I use my telekinetic abilities to bring the anchors out to me. I didn't like to show off the power, but only the Twins were around and they already knew about it. Though I can't recall ever showing off in front of them, even so, they didn't say a word about it. As if they just knew this was not a thing to talk about. After we were done I stood on the beach and looked at the buoy line. The middle may have been a foot off, but a foot in 200 is still plenty good. It was all starting to look the way I wanted it, perhaps some benches to sit on. Maybe a place to put your clothes while swimming, I would have to think on it. The children suggested a short, one to 2 foot, wall to separate the sand from the woods. It could be made of natural stone, so as to blend in better with the surroundings. I thought that was a good idea, and it would give people a place to put their clothes so they didn’t get sandy. So we went to talk to the contractor about it. Stony was checking the forms as they got ready to pour the first floor of my building. I told him about the stone wall I wanted to build, and he said he could pour a wall in no time. I said I wanted it to look more natural, and he said, "well the stone quarry is only a half hour away. I can get you whatever you want."
I said, "I need enough to build a one to 2 foot high and wide wall, 300 feet long." He said he would call in the order, and I said I would tell the day labor men they had another day or two of work. So I told the workers about the wall, then the children and I went to lunch. I wanted to walk so I could see how the work on a parking lot was coming, but I was too tired. I was always tired after using my telekinetic powers to move things. So we got on my ship for the short hop. We did however take the time to stop at the radio station to get the list of people that called in about the jobs as a storyteller, then it was to the club. It was just about midday by then, and we ordered the seafood platter. While we were waiting I made myself in rum & juice, with a pinch of fire powder, and got online looking for a small transport to use in the park. I wanted something with a seat for one or two people, with a cargo area in back to move things around the park. I found what I was looking for under farm supply equipment, and called the place up to buy one. They said for a small transport charge they could fly it there in less than an hour. I said fine, and told them where to send it. Then I pulled out a radio, I had on me, and we listen to the noon news. Newsy had a lot of interesting things to say. His report lasted a good half hour, and he made everything sound important. I had just started to look over the list of storytellers, that were interested in working at my park, when the food came. So I put it aside, but not out of mind. There were over 30 names on the list, and I’m sure there would be more. I thought to myself that it may be best only to interview the ones that were willing to relocate, or live in town. I should make that clear on the radio before more call in. But for now I would have to call each one on the list and ask the question. I thought about all of this as
I ate and drank, and decided to try to do both each and call people. To my surprise 20 of the people on the list were willing to live at my hotel, I thought the number would be less. I had decided that three hours a night would be as much as anyone maycare to listen to, and half a hour per storyteller was sufficient for them to sell themselves. So I gave each one a day and time, starting tomorrow, to come in and tell stories on the radio. We would record and rebroadcast them over each channel, at the proper time, and let people call in to vote on the storyteller of their choice. Even after I had my 10, I would also have a list of storytellers and cities they lived in. It would be handy for callbacks to produce shows at their nearby stations. I was looking down the road with the information I would get. Shortly after we were done eating my beeper then went off, telling me something was wrong at the book factory. So we took a stroll over there, anticipating the lack of paper or ink, but found the computers saying system error.
Arty said, "okay, so what do I do about this?"
I said, "it has never done this before."
Kitten said, "try rebooting the computer."
I said, "okay let's do that. Which button is it?"
Prowler pointed to one and said, "try that one."
So I did, and the computer soon said, “standing by.”
Moments later we were making books again. I asked what could of caused the problem, and the twins said a lack of power or a surge. Arty said, “now I know one more thing to do.”
I told Arty that Mr. Tem had increased his order to 200,000 books. So when the first two containers were full, just put them to the side and fill two more. He said, "big order."
I said, “there are a lot of schools on his list.”
Arty, "well there are more than schoolchildren reading your books. I have been making close to 5,000 books to fill the daily orders, that's about a thousand of each book per day."
I said, "yes, but with more than a thousand cities, that’s only one of each per city per day. When that number gets to 10 then 50 we will be talking." Arty, "for that many I’ll need help."