THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A LATERAL TIME TRAVELLER

 

The Autobiography Of A Lateral Time Traveller

 

 

 

 

(Author's Name Withheld)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited By: Forrest Wayne Schultz, Chairman
Chrononautics Deparment
Paranormal Research Institute
Grantville, Georgia USA
www.paranormalresearchinstitute.edu/chrononautics

 

April 25, 2014

Editorial Note:

 

     My editorial responsibilities have been purely custodial in nature. At the author's request, there have been no alterations, deletions, or additions to the text he wrote and placed into our custody for publication at this time. We certify that this is indeed the verbatim text of the author and that we have found no reason to question the author's integrity or sanity. This article constitutes the introduction to the book by the author, which is now being printed and will be published soon.

 

Copyright 2014 by the Paranormal Research Institute

-1-

     I had always wondered whether alternate possible time-lines really exist but I never thought I would have the opportunity to find out. I have chosen to remain anonymous and to delay publication until this time because I have no wish to be ridiculed or advised to consult a psychiatrist, nor do I wish for myself or the others involved to be harassed by questioners. To protect my anonymity I shall only disclose those details needed for you to know what happened in order that you my get some idea of what it feels like to suddenly find yourself in a different time-line. Those interested in research into this subject may consult the organization publishing my account.

 

     If you have not surmised as much by now, let me warn you right here at the outset that I am not a writer and I am not trying to entertain you. If you are not interested in alternate time-lines I would advise you to stop at this point. Let me also warn you that I can offer you no scientific explanation for what happened to me. Although I myself am a scientist in this time-line as well as the one from which I came, and although I have spent many hours discussing it with the researchers in the institute publishing this account, we are no nearer to an explanation now than ever. Nor have we built any machine which can travel to other time-lines, such as you read about in science fiction stories. Nor did I travel here in one -- at least not one piloted by me.

 

     Here now is what happened. One day (without any warning that anything strange was about to happen) while I was at home alone one Saturday morning while walking through the living room, I suddenly passed out. When I regained consciousness I found myself lying on the floor of a strange house dressed in clothing I had never worn before. I was assisted to my feet by a man I had never seen before dressed in a butler's uniform. He addressed me by name (Dr. ________) as though he were my servant, which I soon discovered he was.

 

 

 

-2-

 

 

 

 

    As an avid science fiction fan with an especial interest in time travel stories, the first conjecture which entered my mind was that I had travelled to an alternate time-line where I was being mistaken for my alternate self who had lived in that line prior to my transport there. Subsequent investigations amply confirmed this hypothesis. In this new time line I have the same name, bodily features, voice, temperament and abilities, so that no one has suspected anything. I am also the same age because I arrived during the same hour, day, and year when I had left my original time-line. Therefore it was indeed a lateral time travel, i.e. a travel sideways to an alternate possible history of the world rather than a travel backward or forward to a different time within the same history.

 

     As quickly as possible after my arrival here I devoted as much effort as I was able to finding out what my alternate self had been up to, and in what respects this time-line differed from the one I had left. I soon learned that many things were different both in my personal history and in world history. My studies indicated that apparently this time-line diverged from my original time-line in approximately 1959. The divergence may have happened earlier than this but it cannot have come later because there were many events in this time-line after 1959 which are different from those which occurred in the other. I was able to determine this because my transport did not result in the loss of memory of my knowledge of the time-line in which I had previously lived. Also, the transport itself did not add anything to my knowledge about this time line. What I have learned about this time-line I had to discover after my arrival here. All of the time-line differences I have discovered are on file at the research institute mentioned above where they are available for study. Here in this introduction I shall give an overview of them to be followed by a detailed examination of some of the major ones in the chapters to follow. Although there are many differences in world history (different Presidents, different wars, etc.), the differences most significant for me are those in my personal life. Actually, the world here is not much different from the one I left.

 

    

 

-3-

 

 

 

 

     As mentioned above, I can find no differences in my personal time-line prior to 1959. I have here the same birth date, parents, siblings, home town, and educational experience up through 1959. I also attended and graduated from the same college there as here, but some of the courses I took after 1959 are different, as my transcript indicates. After graduation the divergence becomes great. In this time-line, my alternate self went on to graduate school for a Ph.D.; in my previous time-line I took degrees in theology and philosophy and ended up as a Professor of Philosophy of Science. Here my alternate self after some post-doctoral studies pursued an empirical research career, including one major discovery which proved to be lucrative.

 

     Fortunately, since my transport here occurred early on a Saturday morning, I had the rest of the weekend to familiarize myself with the career which my alternate self had been following so that by Monday I was sufficiently familiar with the duties and schedule expected of me. Another fortunate factor was that "my" schedule for the week ahead involved preparation for some special lectures I was to give concerning "my" latest research, so that by the time I returned to "my" lab the following week I was well acquainted with the subject and able to resume the work just as thought I were my alternate self.

     In fact, in some ways I was better prepared than he due to my knowledge of my former time-line. There were some discoveries made there which were not made here which I was able to incorporate into my work. Also, my philosophical training helped me to find some flaws in the logic and theoretical structure of my alternate self's work which he had not seen. In this way I was able, as the saying goes, to have "the best of both worlds"! There were, to be sure, some tricky situations which developed, such as not recognizing someone I was supposed to know or "forgetting" some important matters, but fortunately the reputation of my alternate self for absentmindedness usually covered over such matters without much difficulty.

 

 

 

-4-

 

 

 

     There were a great many differences in my personal life as well. For one thing, in this time-line I am married to a different woman! This presented, of course, a very tricky ethical dilemma for me, as it would for anyone who takes the prohibition against adultery seriously.

 

     How I resolved this ethical problem as well as the ethics of stepping into the shoes of my alternate self will be discussed in the chapters to follow. All I will say here is that for me the crucial factor was the fact that my transfer had displaced my alternate self from this time-line. I never saw him or had any indications that he was still here. I also learned that immediately before my transport, my alternate self was wearing the same clothes, and was standing at the same spot where I landed when I arrived here. Because what had happened was a clear case of displacement, I felt it was incumbent upon me to assume the responsibilities of my alternate self. Whether this was the right thing to do I am not completely sure, but it is what I did.

 

     What I have written above is both the introduction to my story as well as what happened during the first six hours here in this new time-line. I arrived here at 9 AM and spent until 3 PM acquainting myself with what my alternate self had been doing in his scientific work. I spent from 3 PM through 5 PM getting information on his wife. (The butler me that she had phoned and said she would return at 5 PM.) I quickly looked through all the relevant files and documents and photographs I could find pertaining to her. The results of this search are noted in the beginning of the first chapter. The drama which ensued when I met her comprises the rest of that first chapter -- and what a drama that was!!

 

     By the time you read this I will no longer be here but will have experienced a different kind of transport, and in this new and better world on high I believe I may find some answers.

 

 

 

 

 

-5-

 

 

     POSTSCRIPT

 

     I do not remember  when I first imagined this story, but I do know that I did not write it down until June 4, 1986.  When I saw how much fun it was to write and how much fun it was winning the short story contest in which I entered it, I decided to write down all the other short stories I had imagined, and henceforth I have usually written down each one shortly after imagining it.

     Each of these stories is written as a narration by the main character who is a scientist or engineer or academic.  By doing so I am able to write my stories in my natural writing style rather than vainly attempting to write in a “literary” style. 

     I do not recall why I chose ALTT as my entry into the contest but it is not surprising that I did so because time travel stories are among my favorite kind of science fiction.  The wording of the story here (April 25, 2014) is the same as the original with a few exceptions.  The second last paragraph was not in the original story.  I also changed the address of the Paranormal Research Institute from Riverdale, GA (where I lived in 1986) to Grantville, GA (where I have lived since 1991).  AND, of course, the website address was added (there was no world wide web in 1986!).

     The story itself is simply what I myself would do if my travel to an alternate time line were to displace my alternate self from that time line:  I would assume his responsibilities.

     I do not know if alternate time lines exist but I do know that the Infinite Omniscient Mind of God not only knows all actualities, He also knows all possibilities, a very important point which few theologians ever mention!

     I hope you have found this story to be interesting. 

 

-6-

 

LADY IRENE AND THE FINAL CYANOCUBE: THE FIRST ADVENTURE OF THE CYANOCUBE - BEARER

 
Lady  Irene  and  the  Final  Cyanocube


 
By   Forrest   Wayne   Schultz


 

 
     It was only because Bill was a good friend that I acceded to his strange request.  The request was also strange in its verbal form.  Bill, like me, is very loquacious.  But not this time.  He very tersely and very urgently implored me that I drop what I was doing  and drive immediately to a certain store in a certain town where I would meet a certain young lady who would tell me the task I was to perform.  And that's all he said.  It was clear to me that he strongly believed that this was a task which ought to be done, that it was a very important task, and that it was necessary that I be the one to do it.  So I told him, "OK, I'll do it.".

 
     I had never heard of the town before, but it was easy to find.  Since it was a warm beautiful spring morning, I drove there in my convertible with the top down.  It was especially enjoyable to me because, after waiting almost a lifetime, I finally owned my own convertible, and this was only my second trip in it.  The journey to the town took about a hour.  Immediately after I decided to do what Bill asked me to, I somehow just knew it was the right thing to do.  As I drove through the beautiful countryside this feeling of rightness grew stronger until by the time I arrived at the designated rendezvous I was thoroughly convinced I was doing the right thing.

 

    The young lady I met there made a very favorable impression upon me as she spoke to me.  To fulfill her responsibility in the grave matter at hand she valiantly overcame her acute shyness and boldly addressed me, introduced herself, and stated that we must leave at once to go to the place on the nearby mountain where I would perform my task.  Although  she was quite plain in speech, appearance, and dress, I could tell that deep  down inside (hidden from public view) she was a very sophisticated and very exciting person, and that it was only because of her responsibility for my appointed task that I was granted this rarely bestowed insight.  In her brief address to me she communicated a zeal for, and an almost hilarious delight in, the impending task.  As a result, I not only knew it was my responsibility to accomplish this task, but I now also ardently desired to do it and to please her by doing it.  A woman who can have that kind of effect upon a man is a very exciting woman indeed.
                                                                 
 

-1-

    
 

 

 

 
     We rode to our destination in my convertible at her insistence.  Lady Irene – for such was her name – confided to me that she wished to own a convertible but her super-serious parents regarded convertibles as frivolities beneath their exalted station and unsuitable for a family having such a lofty mission in life.  Ironically, although I sympathized with Irene, it almost seemed like her parents might be right because she spent the entire half-hour drive up the mountain enjoying the feel of the sunshine upon her face and the breeze blowing through her long beautiful red hair.  I soon became so caught up in enjoying her enjoyment that I suppressed my annoyance at the fact that Irene was so enamored with the sunshine and the breeze that she said not one word about the super-important task I was soon to perform.                                             
    
 
     I am a very curious person.  It was only because Bill so strongly insisted upon the necessity of my immediate departure that I suppressed my curiosity about the nature of the task.  I spent the entire hour of the drive to the rendezvous with Irene trying to guess what the nature of the task was and why I was the designated agent.  What unique ability or knowledge did I have that resulted in my being selected?

 
     The first possibility I entertained was my ether theory, which is radically different from the reigning Copenhagen School of Interpretation.  I had often imagined solving an important physics puzzle posed to me by a great scientist who had been unable to find the answer because he was basing his research upon the theoretical structure of The Copenhagen School.  But, as I pondered the matter some more, I soon began to doubt this scenario, because it appeared that my task would be more akin to a fantasy quest.  This supposition was strengthened in my mind when I met Lady Irene, heard that her family had a "lofty mission", and learned that our destination was on a mountain.  This thought of a quest was  appealing to me because I love the fantasy stories of  C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.  So maybe I would be going on a quest for a magic sword or something like that.

 

 
    Well, it turned out that my annoyance at Irene was ill-founded because the task I was to perform was extremely simple and easy.  All I had to do was to remove a small magenta-colored crystalline cube out of a device and replace it with an identically sized cyan-colored cube which Irene would give me.  The device was housed in a quaint Alpine-Village sort of cottage located a short distance down a foot path which began near where I had parked my car.  There would be no problem with the cube transfer, Irene told me.  The magentacube was easy to spot (at the very center of the device) and would pop right out with a gentle tug, and the cyanocube would be popped right into the hole left vacant by the removal of the magentacube.  Nothing to it!

 

-2-

 

 

 
     However before Irene went to her purse to get the cyanocube I suddenly became aware of evil beings readying themselves to thwart the accomplishment of my task.  So, in my mind I immediately sent up a terse urgent prayer to God to protect me, Irene, the cube, and the device with a two-fold shield:  (1). What is called in certain Christian circles a "Hedge of Protection" and (2). What in Star Trek is called a "Cloak of Invisibility", but modified so as to apply only to evil beings.  This meant that evil beings could neither see nor harm me, Irene, the cube, or the device.  I sensed an immediate answer to this prayer, which went into effect just prior to Irene's reaching into her purse to get the cyanocube.  This cyanocube was inside a beautiful red cedar box, similar to those used by wealthy women to hold expensive jewelry. 

 

 
    Irene instructed me to follow this sequence.  First, pull the magentacube out of the device, then open the box, get the cyanocube out and insert it into the device, then put the magentacube into the box, and walk back up the path to the car.  This is precisely what I proceeded to do.

 
      There were, however, two slight interruptions.  First, as I was walking down the path to the cottage there suddenly appeared in front of me a strange man.  As he began to speak to me I sensed, almost immediately, that he was extremely wise, extremely good, and extremely powerful, and that he had a good sense of humor.  He addressed me (in a tone of voice that somehow managed to be both solemn and playful) in magnificent Latin such as would be used at the high point of some holy or royal festival.  A rough translation would be something like this:  "Hail to you, most noble Bearer of the Puissant Cyanocube!".  He then switched to ordinary contemporary American English and informed me that evil beings were lurking nearby and he asked me to give him permission for him (and his colleagues) to destroy them.  I granted it at once.  He then paused for a moment, smiled, and then said, "Well, that takes care of that!".  After this he told me that his name was Michael and that if I sensed any more evil beings that I should, in my mind, utter his name and implore his aid.  This I agreed to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-3-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
      He then disappeared and I proceeded the rest of the way down the path to the cottage and quickly accomplished my task with no problems whatever.  The door to the cottage was unlocked, the device was the only object it contained, and the magentacube was easily located, being prominently situated in the very center of the device.  I pulled gently on the magentacube, which popped out very easily.  I then reached into my pocket,  got out the  cedar "jewelry box", and removed the cyanocube, which was radiant with the most beautiful glow I had ever seen of blue-green (cyan), which is my favorite color.  I then popped  the cyanocube into the device, placed the magentacube into the cedar box, and put it into my pocket.  As I was about to turn around and leave the cottage, it seemed to me that the device somehow had been rejuvenated by my insertion of the cyanocube.  I then noted the parallel between the cubes and electric storage batteries.  The dial on an ammeter will point to the right, green zone when its wires are connected to a fully charged battery, and it will point to the left, red zone when connected to a battery with low charge.  Well anyway ….

 
     I exited the house and began walking up the path back toward my car when I sensed evil beings again.  As instructed, I mentally contacted Michael, who, before I could "say" anything, "said" to me, "Yeah, I see 'em.  You want me to zap 'em?".  To which I responded, "Indubitably!".  He replied, "You have wondrously restrained your curiosity and loquacity.  I shall reward you by telling you what is going on here.  The first evil beings my colleagues and I destroyed were what you would call 'evil mages'.  This current group is a gang of human thugs which are colloquially referred to as 'hit men'.  When the original plan -- to destroy the cyanocube – failed, the Poneru  (i.e. the evil mages) switched to 'Plan B', which was to destroy first 'The Guardians' (Irene's family) and then 'The Device' (as you call it).  They were preparing to do so when I first contacted you, and then destroyed them before they had a chance to act.  I needed to destroy them, because, you see, you neglected to include The Guardians in the Protection/Invisibility Shield you requested and received from The Boss.  You would have accomplished your task and The Device, the Cubes, you, and Irene would have been unharmed but The Guardians would have been destroyed, which would have left The Device unguarded after you left. You walked out of the house at precisely 10:00 AM , which is the time when 'Plan C' was activated, which was to happen in case Plan B had not been accomplished by 10:00 AM ."

 
     "In accord with this Plan C, a group of "hit men" proceeded to drive up the mountain in their cars intending to come to this location where they would position themselves in hidden preselected spots from which they would assassinate you as you walked down the path to the cottage.  The flaw in their plans was due to a mistranslation of the document they were consulting according to which you would not walk down the path until a few minutes before noon and then would insert the Cyanocube at precisely 12 Noon .  But the document did not say '12 Noon '; it said 'in the morning before 12 Noon '.  OK, now I will let you watch the destruction of the hit men."  I then saw, just as though I were standing at the very spot, the hit men fall dead in their cars and their cars careen off the road and crash into a ravine.  Michael then informed me that I would need to leave here in a hurry because The Guardians  were about to get furious.

-4-

  
 

 
  "OK, Michael", I said.  "I will do so.  And thank you for your help and your information!"

 
     "Glad to be of help!  Oh, and when you pray your prayer of thanksgiving, be sure to slip in a mention of my name.  The Boss is displeased with me because I botched the job I had right before this one."

 
     "What?  I didn't know angels could botch jobs!  You are an angel, aren't you, or something like that?"

 
     "Yeah, something like that.  Angels are sinless, but we can make mistakes.  Actually, I think The Boss allows them to happen on purpose to keep us from getting puffed up with pride like You Know Who."

 
     "OK.  Goodbye, Michael"
     "Goodbye, Cyanocube Bearer"                 
           When I returned to the car Irene was anxiously awaiting me and wanted to know if everything went all right.  She was concerned because it had taken me longer than it should have.  I informed her that the task was accomplished but that we needed to leave at once because her family was about "to hit the roof".  I responded to her puzzled look by saying, "Get in the car; I will explain as we drive away."

 
     As we drove past the house we suddenly heard a gavel banging loudly followed by several irate, stentorian, and shocked voices beginning with that of the Guardians' leader.

 
     "All Right, WHO destroyed the Poneru??!!  I did NOT authorize that.  …."
     "My Lord, excuse me, more bad news – Look At That Screen!  SOMEONE HAS CONTACTED THE MACROBES !!!!!!    WHAT??   WHAT??  NO!!  NO!!  I DIDN'T DO IT.  NOR I ! ………

 
     Then, as we drove out of range of these voices I told Irene:  "That is what I meant".  I then told her of my conversations with Michael and what he had done, and she explained to me that the Macrobes were a special group of high angels, and that, according to Guardian Rules, only the leader could contact them and then only after a Special Council meeting with all the other Guardians.  She said the Guardians were puffed up with pride and were envious of each other and were always at strife among themselves.  The outburst I had witnessed was not uncommon, she said. 

-5-

 

     After we drove into the town Irene took me to a beautiful restaurant where she had reserved a small banquet room for our celebration luncheon.  Although she had literally put up her hair (after another pleasant breeze treatment in the convertible ride), she figuratively "let down her hair", confiding in me all kinds of things.  For instance, in addition to the failings noted above, The Guardians were very misogynistic.  The only reason that Irene was given the responsibility of locating me, giving me the Cyanocube, and instructing me in my task is because they regarded that as a very menial job.  To them, the insertion of the Cyanocube into The Device was of little more significance than something like changing a light bulb.  As I thought about this situation I realized that I should do something about The Guardians both because they needed to be straightened out and because I did not want to see Irene subjected to life among people like that.  Therefore, after we concluded the Banquet I asked Irene to go for a walk with me in the park behind the restaurant. 

 
     I then told her what I had in mind.  I was going to mentally contact Michael and ask him to straighten out the Guardians. Irene said she would appreciate that very much.  All her efforts to that end had been in vain.  I therefore mentally contacted Michael and we had this "conversation".

 
     "Oh, Michael, are you there?"
    
 
"Yes, I am here, Cyanocube Bearer, and I was hoping you would call."
    
 
"I cannot in good conscience leave here without doing something about the spiritualcondition of The Guardians.  I want you to go with me to The Guardians' house and call them to account to see if perhaps they will straighten up.  The Device has just received a physical rejuvenation.  The Guardians need a spiritual rejuvenation.  Do you agree and will you please do this?"
   
 
      "I agree and will be glad to do this.  In fact, I was hoping you would ask!"

 

 

-6-

 

 

 

 
    
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
     We then put into operation the steps we had decided to follow.  After driving back up the mountain to the house with Irene, I burst into the Guardians Council Chamber (where they were still conducting their postmortem, albeit in subdued voices now), bellowed forth in Latin the Guardians credo, and announced to them:  "Your questions will now be answered and certain questions will be asked of you by Michael, The Leader of the Macrobes!" Immediately after my announcement Michael appeared by my side clad in radiant garments.  The Guardians were so stunned they fell to the floor and prostrated themselves.  Michael told them to get off the floor and sit down in their seats.  He then proceeded to conduct a lengthy session with them.  First, he said, "None of you destroyed the Poneru; I destroyed the Poneru.  No one contacted me.  I initiated  contact.  Those are my answers to your questions.  Now I have some questions for you."

 

     Then He proceeded to question The Guardians point by point on various principles involving their guardianship found in their Guardians Handbook.  In each case he asked them to recite the particular point in their Solemn Oath (which sounded sort of like the Boy Scout Oath) he wished to address.  Then, in each case, he would ask them if they had obeyed that particular principle of the Oath.  He dealt, as I had expected he would, with those principles dealing with the eschewing of pride, strife, envy, and misogyny.  The Guardians were extremely uncomfortable with this treatment but were so terrified of Michael that they dared not raise any objection.  Finally, Michael came to what they were dreading:  that section of the Handbook which states that the Macrobes will revoke the Guardianship of any Guardians violating the Oath.  The Guardians were petrified and all but weeping when Michael asked them his final question:  "Can anyone give me a reason why I should not revoke your guardianship?"

 
     At this point I (who had been silently standing next to Michael during all this time) said,  "Michael, you may want to consider placing the Guardians on probation, during which period they would devote themselves to a severe regimen of spiritual rejuvenation you would prescribe to them.  You could delay your final decision as to their fate until after you examine how they conducted themselves during this probationary period."  Michael, turning and facing me, replied:  "The suggestion is quite good but I have serious doubts about whether these men will improve."  He then turned to face The Guardians and asked them if they would be willing to subject themselves to such a regimen as he would prescribe.  They were so relieved that they heartily agreed.

 

 

 

-7-

 

 

 

 

 
     As Michael began to set forth his regimen for The Guardians, I left the Council room and walked with Irene at her request into a special, rarely used, exquisite chamber.  As we were approaching this chamber she explained that the Cyanocube I had borne and inserted into The Device was the last one to which The Guardians had access.  There was, in fact, only one more Cyanocube in existence, which would be the last one needed but that it was sealed in a special safe which could only be opened by typing the proper passwords into the appropriate boxes on a computer "Key" screen.  All of the many efforts by the Guardians to figure out these passwords were unsuccessful.  This was why she asked me to come here with her to this Chamber:  to see if I could discover these passwords.  To get to this "Key" screen, one followed the instructions on the opening screen.  After Irene had told me this, we reached the special chamber, she unlocked the door, and we walked over to the gorgeous table on which the computer monitor was seated.  She then turned on the computer and clicked on the "Start" icon, which put onto the monitor a screen with the most beautiful graphics I have ever seen.  The picture bore an ornate Latin title with a gorgeous Old English font:  "Key To Unlock The Repository of the Final Cyanocube".  At the very bottom of this screen, in English, were these instructions (followed by a blank line) "Type the word 'friend' here, then click 'Enter'."

 
     I was astounded when I saw those words but surprised that they evoked no emotion whatever from Irene.  So I asked her, "Don't those words remind you of something?".  She shook her head "No".

 

     I then asked her to remember the Door to the Mountain of Moria on which this invitation was inscribed:  "Speak 'friend' and enter".  She gave me a puzzled look.  "Oh, no!", I exclaimed, "You haven't read The Lord of the Rings!  I suppose your super-serious parents have forbidden that too because they think the reading of fantasy is frivolity!    That's a shame.  That book is so wonderful I have read it five times!"  She replied that she had heard it was good but was afraid to read it because her parents might catch her at it.  "Maybe", she mused, "they will change their mind after they complete Michael's regimen."

 
     We then returned our attention to the computer monitor, and Irene, as instructed on the screen, typed in the word "Friend" on the blank line and then clicked "Enter".  This now put us onto the screen where the passwords would need to be typed.  As soon as I looked at it I knew the answer.  The lines for the three passwords were arranged into a pattern with the first word on a line above the line containing the other two words separated by a space, with a cord coming from this top word descending to and surrounding the two words on the lower line.  There was an arrow with a symbol on it on top of this cord pointing downward and the same kind of arrow with the same symbol on top of it between the two words on the bottom line with the arrow pointing from left to right. 

-8-

 
 

 
   Here is the meaning of this picture.  The symbol on the arrows is a crown and the picture as a whole is a symbol of the climax of The Lord of the Rings:  The Coronation of Aragorn.  The three passwords were the names of the three participants in this Coronation:  1. Gandalf, on the top line, who directed the actions of The Fellowship (symbolized by the circumscribing cord), who (as symbolized by the arrow) passed the Crown to 2. Frodo, who had to complete his task of destroying The Ring in the fires of Mt. Doom before the Throne of Gondor could be re-occupied, which is symbolized by the arrow with the Crown on top passing from Frodo to 3.Aragorn, who only then could ascend to his Throne to became King.  As soon as Irene typed in these three words in the proper places, the screen lit up and beautiful music began to play – some of the finest I have ever heard.  And then the safe door opened where we saw the red cedar box which held The Final Cyanocube.
                                                                                          February 29, 2004
NOTES:
Bill is a real person:  Bill Gardiner, an old friend of mine, who is indeed loquacious.
The rest of the characters are fictional.

 
The character flaws of The Guardians are often found in the mages of fantasy stories.  I thought it would be interesting to write a story in which they are called to account for these flaws.

 
I purposely portrayed Michael as a harmonious blend of solemnity and playfulness because I believe that angels are neither "stuffy" (as they are often presented in traditional writings) nor are they buffoons (as certain modern writers like Andrew Greeley portray them).

 
The term "macrobes" I borrowed from C.S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength but here they refer to good angels, rather than evil ones.

 
The term "Poneru" I borrowed from my fantasy short story "The Defeat of the Poneru".  It is derived from a Greek adjective meaning "evil".

 
I borrowed the term and concept of a "Cyanocube" powering a magical device from my fantasy short story "The Cyanocube of Kalothor", but that story is quite different.

 
An elaboration of the significance of what I said about Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn can be found in my paper "Christological Analogies in the Lord of the Rings", which is published in the December 2002 issue of the Chalcedon Report.

 
I borrowed the concept of a young lady named Lady Irene discovering my identity and encouraging me to perform my mission from my short story "The Secret Hero", but that story is radically different.        F. S.


 

-9-

  

DREXEL

Drexel

 

by   Forrest   Wayne   Schultz

 
     Anne got right to the point:  she urgently needed me to find an endangered friend; she would immediately give me $10,000 just to listen to what she had to say; she would then give me an additional $100,000 if I tried to find him; and she would give me an additional $1,000,000 if I succeeded in finding him before he died.  (Anne is one of the wealthiest people around here.)  I immediately agreed to help because Anne is one of my best friends.  Anne does not hesitate to ask her friends for help if she needs it and she insists on expressing her appreciation for the help you give her.  Judging by the dollar amounts, this must be someone really important to her.

 
     After hanging up the phone I got dressed and awaited Anne's arrival.  She had called me on her cell phone on her way to my house to pick me up.  She knows that because of my poor night vision I do not drive my car on the country roads around here after dark.  After she picked me up she told me the gist of the situation as we drive to the home of our mutual friends, Linda & Sam, who own one of the finest mansions in Newnan.  It turns out that the missing man is Linda's brother Joe, a lifelong bachelor, who came to live with them about a year ago after he retired from his engineering career.  And, the reason they are frantic is that they believe that Joe ran away in order to commit suicide.

 
     When Linda & Sam got home that day they found a letter to them from Joe, which sounded like his swan song to them.  In it he implied that he had gone away to end his life.  Anne came over and cried with them but then suddenly changed her demeanor and dramatically announced:  "Forrest will know how to find him"!  She said she could not explain HOW she knew this but she was absolutely sure of it.

 
     At first I had serious doubts about what I could do because I did not know the man (or so I thought) and there wasn't anything they told me about him that clicked until they said he had graduated from Drexel, which is also my alma mater.  Then it all came back:  very suddenly and very forcefully. 

 
     One day (45 years ago) while we were freshman students Joe told me (and he was completely serious) that if ever in the years ahead he decided to commit suicide he would do it on the afternoon of Founders Day.  And immediately before doing it he would stand at the south end of the Great Court and when the Clock above him showed 12 Noon he would face toward the bust of Founder Anthony J. Drexel (positioned on the landing on the north side of the Court) and give him a reverent and hearty goodbye salute.  Joe greatly appreciated Drexel and Anthony J. for founding it and he felt he should show this gratitude to him before he "shuffled off this mortal coil".  As I looked at the calendar, I realized we would have to hurry:  Founders Day was tomorrow!!

 

-1-

 
     When Joe and I matriculated in September 1957 it was called Drexel Institute of Technology.  Since our graduation it has grown considerably and is now called Drexel University .  During our student years there almost all of the classes were held in the Main Building .  The Main Building consisted of the original (four story) building, on the northeast corner of 32^nd and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia , plus the additions built onto to it along Chestnut Street which resulted in a building approximately a block long.  The original building was constructed in a beautiful Victorian style in 1891, the year Drexel was founded.  The Great Court has a very large square floor located approximately in the center of the original building on the first floor surrounded by open space on the first floor and by balconies which overlook it on the second, third, and fourth floors.  At the time I was there the Great Court was the hub of the campus and was so large that it plus the surrounding space plus the balcony space could accommodate almost the whole student body.  And one of the favorite places to arrange to meet someone was under The  Clock on the south side of the Court.  Most of the north side of the Court on the first floor is taken up by three stairways: a central stairway that descends to the basement flanked by two stairways which ascend to a landing approximately 2/3rds of the way up toward the second floor.  It is on this landing that the bust of Our Founder, Anthony J. Drexel is located.

 
     I needed to explain all of this to Linda, Sam, and Anne because none of them had ever been on the Drexel campus, and, in fact, they had only ever visited Philadelphia one time, and that was to see the Liberty Bell.  We agreed that we would need to fly to Philly as soon as we could the following morning to get to Drexel in time to stop Joe before he made his salute to the Founder in the Great Court at 12 Noon .  Sam is an almost-retired business executive who still has access to the corporate jet of his company.  He made the arrangements for us to use it first thing in the morning to fly to Philly on our rescue mission.  We would take with us the corporate limo which we would then use to drive to the Drexel campus, in order to avoid having to rent a car. Although it had been many years since I had lived in Philly, I still remembered the main roads and streets and knew exactly which ones to take to get from the airport where we would land to the Drexel campus.  After we landed and got into the limo to head for Drexel I used Sam's cell phone to call the Drexel Alumni Office and arranged for permission to park in one of the University parking lots near the Main Building .  The Alumni Office periodically calls the alumni and I had always found them to be very nice:  they were this time also.

 
     Now came the tricky part.  We arrived at the Great Court at 10:44 AM, which was well in advance of 12 Noon, but we did not know exactly when Joe would arrive in the Court and from what direction he would enter it.  We wanted to be able to see him coming without him seeing us.  Just as we had figured out how to position ourselves to watch the area near The Clock, I suddenly remembered something else.  (Being back on the campus, in fact, brought back a lot of memories.)    I recalled that Joe had said he would make his farewell salute dressed just like he was, which was in his Drexel Jacket, which was dark blue with the word "DREXEL" in gold on the back.  (The style has changed since then.)  So I told them what to look for.  I had no sooner done so than Joe walked up the steps from the basement clad in his old Drexel jacket and began looking around the Great Court .  This was at 11:01 AM .                  

 

 

-2-

    Anne was the first to see and approach him and he likewise saw her first.  He was thoroughly astonished.  "Anne, what are you doing here" he shouted!  Then he croaked, barely audibly, "Linda, Sam, what….?", as he saw them coming toward him.  When he was about to faint, I approached him and slapped him back into alertness with my greeting, "So, Joe, you came to say goodbye to Our Founder, did you?  Well, now, I don't believe he would approve of the way you plan to "shuffle off your mortal coil", would he?  Doing that would bring dishonor to him, wouldn't it?  After all, you ARE a Drexel alumnus!  Do you think he would want to read 'Drexel Alumnus Commits Suicide'?  Let's go back to Jawjuh now and when it is your NATURAL time to go, we will bring you back here and then you can make your farewell with honor!"

 
                                                                                                    December 2003

 

 
NOTES

 
     Joe, Anne, Linda, & Sam are fictional and are not based on any real persons.

 
     However, Drexel and Newnan are real and what is said about them here is true, and native Georgians pronounce the name of their state "Jawjuh".  Newnan is located along Interstate 85 approximately one hour south of Atlanta and is known for its mansions and other beautiful homes and it is reached from my house by driving over country roads.  I am grateful for the many interesting experiences I have had here in Coweta County as well as for the many interesting ones I had at Drexel.      F. S.


 

 
Forrest Wayne Schultz graduated from Drexel in 1963 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.  He has lived in Coweta County , GA since 1991.  He is an active member of the Coweta Writers Group, serving as its delegate to the Newnan-Coweta Arts Council.
 

 

 

 

 

-3-

 

 

 
  

WHY I DID NOT BECOME A HERO

Why I Did Not Become A Hero

 

 

A Nano-Story

 

 

 

By Forrest W. Schultz

 

 

 

Before I tell you this story, let me warn any writers or aspiring writers not to use it as a model for your stories. If you want to get them published, that is. There is only one point to this story, so I shall get right to it.

 
I love solving mysteries and love the thought of being a hero, but God told me I was to do no such thing. So, I immediately packed my bags and left town and never returned and I put the matter from my mind except for my decision now to write this to exhort you not to do something if God tells you not to.

 
Amen and Finis.

 
P.S. The "Nano-" in "Nano-Story" means very very small, as in Nanotechnology. It has no reference to NaNo – National Novel Writing Month!!

THE JAGUAR LADY

The Jaguar Lady

 

 

(The Sequel To Identity)

 

 

By Forrest Wayne Schultz

 

 

 

     I have been asked to tell you about The Jaguar Lady, which is only fitting, I suppose, since it was I who bestowed upon her that title. The Jaguar Lady is a very unusual individual, which is also fitting, because I first met her in the course of my lawyerly duty of executing for my client the most unusual will I have ever seen or heard of. It was when she was waiting in the living room while the heir and I were in the study going over the legal papers, that I asked him if "The Jaguar Lady" was his woman. I received the answer when he accepted my invitation to join the Lions Club in these words, "You know, I think I will; I will need to be a Lion to keep that Jaguar lady under control!".

 
     The surficial reason for my calling her the Jaguar Lady was that she was driving a Jaguar automobile and that she was arrayed from head to foot in Jaguar apparel: Jaguar cap, Jaguar dress, Jaguar coat, Jaguar earrings, Jaguar boots, and Jaguar purse. The profound reason was that her clothing was NOT a pose, but expressed who she was. It was because she WAS The Jaguar Lady that she wore the Jaguar apparel and drove the Jaguar car. I learned about the difference between "presence" and "pose" from my sister Eve, who is a woman's clothing designer.

 
     Eve, who is still a teenager and thus is still living at home, had just finished making lunch for the two of us when I arrived there after I was finished at the heir's farmhouse. She was absolutely astounded when I told her about the Jaguar Lady. She was so excited she could hardly speak. It turns out that she has just begun a project of designing a line of women's clothing with a Jaguar motif -- and it is NOT going well!! She begged me to take her to see the Jaguar Lady at once. I can see why. Eve is not a Jaguar Lady but an aspiring Jaguar Lady. There is one respect, though, in which I believe she has already attained Jaguarhood -- she knows how to wrap me around her little finger, even though I am much older than she (almost 30) and am her legal guardian!! (Both of our parents recently died.)

 
     We immediately got into the car and drove back to the farmhouse where I introduced her to the Jaguar Lady. They immediately "hit it off", so that it was not long before The Jaguar Lady went with Eve to the clothing design studio, which is right here in town, while I took the heir (who is now my client) on a tour of the farmland he now owns.

 
     The testator had done no farming on the land because he believed that the Old Testament principle of letting the land lie fallow every seventh year is a "natural" principle (i.e. the land actually needs to have its land sabbath) rather than a "religious" principle, such as the animal sacrifices, which were discontinued in the New Testament. The previous owner and his ancestors had farmed the land every year, so that the land had accumulated a total of 32 years of land sabbaths owed to it by the time the testator bought it. He had owned it for 30 years, so that there were two years of land sabbaths remaining to be made up. I was surprised when the heir told me that he also believed in the land sabbath principle, although his own father and his ancestors, who had been farmers, did not believe in it. Therefore he would keep the land sabbath for at least the next two years after which he would decide what to do.

 
     My law firm -- a one lawyer operation -- has been in our family for many generations, and I learned all I needed to know from law school plus what my father taught me before he died. One of the main parts of this training from my father was getting me thoroughly acquainted with our entire list of clients. He could tell me very little about the testator of this unusual will because he only ever met him once, when he signed the contract becoming his lawyer 30 years ago. All of the other contact my father had with the man was either by phone (rarely); or by mail or FAX (usually); or (more recently) by email. The man very rarely even came home to the farm. My father believed he was some kind of a secret agent. He handled almost all the man's financial transactions such as his taxes, his utility bills, and paying and supervising the "handyman-housekeeper" couple who came around periodically to keep the house, barn, and yard in shape. My father received a very high fee for doing this, so he really did not care that much what the man's occupation was, which was an unusual attitude in this rural community, where everybody knows about everybody!! Well, enough of that!

 
     Eve came home late that evening absolutely enthralled with the Jaguar Lady. It turns out that the Jaguar Lady is a self-taught clothes designer -- all her Jaguar apparel she designed herself. When Eve's boss and mentor, the owner of the clothes designing shop, met The Jaguar Lady, she too was so astounded at seeing exactly what she wanted in the Jaguar apparel (it was far superior to what she could have done herself) that on the spot she signed a contract with her for an exorbitant amount of money. In return she gets exclusive rights to the Jaguar Lady's clothing designs. I know this because I was called in to draw up the legal papers for it.

 

      I know little about the technicalities of clothing design but I do clearly understand the two principles behind The Jaguar Lady's clothes. First, she believes very firmly in what is now being called traditional American values, especially the high moral precepts involved. Secondly, she strongly believes that a highly moral life is a strong and exciting and dynamic and interesting life, not a boring, insipid life. She abhors evil not just because it is evil but also because it is banal. This she learned from two of her mentors: C. S. Lewis (who vividly depicted it in his wicked character in his novel Perelandra); and Hannah Arendt, who became well known among 20th century intellectuals for her phrase "the banality of evil". The Jaguar Lady also likes to talk about the etymology of the word virtue, whose actual meaning is "strength" and is thereby related to cognates such as virile; and how virtue contrasts with vice, whose meaning is weakness and is related to such terms as "vitiate", meaning to weaken.

 
     The Jaguar is strong and beautiful and fast, thereby providing an apt symbol for the true meaning of virtue. The Jaguar Lady is very concerned about the sorry state of women's clothes among those who wish to be or claim to be virtuous women. Some of these women believe they should wear dowdy clothes. Others, overreacting against this, go in for "sexy" clothing, thinking that makes them exciting. Still others regard clothing with indifference and just wear what they feel like or what is in style. The Jaguar Lady wants her clothes to "make a statement" and the statement she wishes to make is that because she is virtuous, she is exciting and dynamic and strong and beautiful. She wishes to be attractive in THIS way (not in a "porno" way) and thereby attract others to the cause of virtue. And, like the Jaguar, she is a fighter. Her husband calls her a spiritual warrior. She assisted him greatly in the remarkable victories he won which are recounted in Identity. And she is now assisting many women in joining in the spiritual war, which is discussed in the New Testament. I am so grateful to her for this, especially for the influence she is having upon Eve, who is just about to graduate to the status of mature Jaguar Lady.

 
     And the Jaguar Lady learns from her husband, who is a world-view scholar, who is now writing books and articles about how men and women should think and how they should live. He is showing in word what she is showing in clothing -- that the virtuous life is the thoughtful life, the strong life, the dynamic life, the exciting life, the beautiful life. And he learns from her much about human relationships.

 
     And, Eve just told me that she is now at work designing (with the help of her husband) clothing for what she is calling The Lion Man!!

 

 

 

 
December 29, 2008

 
Forrest Schultz
Grantville, GA