CYANOROD TALES
By Forrest Wayne Schultz
The Cyanorod
This morning I received a telephone call from a lawyer informing me that I was the heir of Mr. Sam Jones, a man I had never heard of, who had lived near Jonesville, a town I had never heard of. The estate consists of a beautiful historic country house and the 100 acres of woodland in which it is nestled plus a hefty stock portfolio plus a brand new BMW!
The will contains no explanation as to why I am the designated nor does the lawyer have any idea. After I signed the pertinent documents transferring the estate into my name, I got into my new BMW, and headed out to my new country estate where I was greeted by John and Joan Trimble, the couple who does the housekeeping and building & grounds work.
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I was favorably impressed with the Trimbles, especially concerning the excellent job they have been doing keeping everything in tip-top shape. But they were unable to give me any idea as to why Sam Jones had named me as his heir. Since almost all of their work had been routine, their contact with Jones had been minimal, so that they never got to know him well. All they could tell me was that he had been a recluse and that every day he had taken a long walk in the woods and spent the rest of his time holed up in his study with its large library of old books.
Of all the places on the estate to look for an answer to my question, it appeared that the study was the most promising. Its bookcases contained the books he had been reading, the desk contained his files, and the computer on the desk may hold some secrets, though he had not used it much.
While trying to decide where to start my investigations, I noticed on the wall an exquisite painting of an unusual medallion: its center depicted (clad in shiny silver armor and ready for battle) a valiant knight whose right hand (fisted and placed upon his heart as a sign of submission to his king) held a very small bluish-green rod, which was the focal point of the painting.
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Since the knight was grasping this Cyanorod as though it were his sword, it appeared that he was about to wield it as his weapon. As I was pondering this anomaly, the painting changed into a three-dimensional holographic projection with the Cyanorod extended in my direction beckoning me to pick it up and to wrap the palm of my right hand around it.
As soon as I palmed the Cyanorod I was transported into another world in a manner that was no different than walking out of one room into another! There was absolutely no sound at all, no flashing lights, no shimmering air, no “woo woo” music in the background or any of the other phenomena associated with such a thing in the popular literature and films. The mage who did this – if mage it was – is clearly a sophisticated one, not like the childish mages who add in all the extraneous stuff!!
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Upon my arrival into this new world I was told to insert the tip of the Cyanorod into a small recess in the center of the circle on the wall in front of me and to hold it there until it popped out, which took exactly 1.618 seconds. I then palmed the Cyanorod, was told “well done”, and was returned to the study, whereupon I re-inserted the Cyanorod into the hologram, which then collapsed back into the painting on the wall.
I was not told why this had happened or what the Cyanorod did. Maybe I had just saved a planet or a galaxy or an alternate universe or something. Who knows? But I DO know that I did the right thing! And that is what’s important!!
October 10, 2010
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Cyanorod – 2
As soon as I palmed The Cyanorod, there appeared on the wall in front of me a “movie” showing the scene of interest. Our mission: to recover the Xenocube from the mansion of the Unman [who was referred to a long time ago by Ray Bradbury as “Something Wicked This Way Comes”]. We accomplished our mission before Bradbury died yesterday, i.e. in time to fulfill the prophecy.
My partner in anti-crime is the indomitable Cara Coer [who was raised by her parents to emulate Cara-The-Feisty, the hero of Seabird]. She arrived at the scene as soon as I, following the instructions in the “movie”, hit the “Summon Cara” button on The Cyanorod.
After Cara exterminated the Unman, I hit the “Retrieve Xenocube” button. This opened the Xenovault and caused the Xenocube to rise and travel through the air and into the palm of the right hand of Cara, who used it to transport the Unman and his guards to the Xeno-Universe. Cara and I then had a delightful conversation about her namesake and about Ray Bradbury.
June 6, 2012
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Cyanorod – 3
In the estate I inherited from my benefactor the house is mine to live in, the books are mine to read, and the 100 acres of woodland is mine to walk in. BUT The Cyanorod is NOT mine to summon, nor is it mine to use as I please. The Cyanorod appears only at its own discretion, not mine. And, although I did wield it during its first two appearances, I followed its commands: it told me what to do; I did not tell it what to do! The Cyanorod is not magic and I am not a magician.
This morning The Cyanorod made its third and final appearance to me and issued its last command to me. This command is to bestow it upon Cara Coer, who henceforth will be its wielder. Then Cara suddenly appeared and I performed this bestowal. This concludes my tales of The Cyanorod. To learn of The Cyanorod’s future acts you will need to ask Cara. It has been nice talking to you and I now conclude with this:
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu !!
To You and You and You and You and You !!
October 28, 2017
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