Poppins’ Return

Chapter 10 – A walk in the park

Knowing about something and “knowing” something are two totally different animals. For the last two days, my lover had been educating me on the finer points of temporal combat. In that time, I had gone from confident, to frustrated, to downright depressed. I just wasn’t getting it.

We were taking a break from our exercises while we picnicked at a nearby park. It was a woodsy place with lots of open spaces where we could spar without being disturbed. And it was important that we not be disturbed because Marly was showing me things that might be a little hard to explain to your average Joe.

Take, for example, the fact that my lovely little redhead was immune to the laws of gravity. I was learning the proper way to throw an opponent, and Marly was allowing herself to be caught so that I could do so. Normally, I had about as much luck of catching her in a lock as the QE2 has of sailing comfortably in my bathtub. It was a tough maneuver, but to her surprise and mine, I managed to hit it on my third try. Being a little frustrated with my progress, which she said was just fine for now, I really gave it my all and literally launched her into the air.

The throw was designed to send an opponent’s feet up over their head so they came down hard and hopefully on their back. When I realized what I had just done, I spun around in the hope of catching her fall or something. I need not have worried. My lover had done a complete flip and was landing softly on her feet. When I say softly, what I mean is that she was floating down to the ground like a leaf. When her toes touched the earth, I snapped my head up to look for the guide wires that of course were not there. My eyes had seen it, but my brain refused to accept it. It was just wrong.

Marly turned to face me, and seeing that I was struggling again with my whole concept of reality, she grimaced and took on a very worried expression.

“Uhhh… I think you had better sit down,” she said wiping her hands slowly on her thighs.

“Sit down? Marly, did I just see what I think I did?”

“Well, that depends on what you think you saw, you see?”

Her wordplay was lost on me.

“Holy shit! No wonder you can spin in the air like you do. You don’t weigh anything!”

She took my hand and led me to a shady area nearby. We sat down facing each other and she rubbed my palms while she spoke.

“Actually, I weigh just what you would expect me to. Weight is not the issue.”

“I’m listening…”

She sighed heavily. “Okay… When you fully understand temporal space, gravity becomes an irrelevant factor. You may ‘weigh’ a certain amount at any given point in temporal space, but that amount is just as flexible as the rest of time. For example, sitting here talking to you, and barring for the moment any temporal changes, I would ‘weigh’ about 54 kilograms if there was a scale under me. But if I were to climb that tree over there and jump from say, that second branch with the scale still under me, my weight would be zero until I reached the ground, right?”

“Yeah…” I answered, still confused.

“So the difference between my weight now, and my weight in the air is simply a matter of where I am in time. The temporal path of gravity is so clear that it’s almost blinding when you finally see it. But, just like any temporal path, it can be redirected, or turned or cut off entirely.”

“So, what you’re saying then, is that by simply altering a path, you can make yourself weigh whatever you want?” I was amazed.

“Yes, and anything else for that matter, although it’s much harder to alter the temporal gravitational path of an object other than your own body.”

“That’s incredible! Can you show me?”

She bit her lip. “Well, I guess I can risk it this once. Normally, I try hard not to use this ability if there is any chance at all for someone to see me. It’s just too hard to explain.”

“I’ll bet. So can you lift that rock over there or something?…”

I saw a lopsided smile form on her face.

“What?…”

“Look down,” she said, locking eyes with me.

I let my head fall toward the ground and saw that her body was floating about two inches of the ground. She was still sitting cross-legged in front of me, and there had been no sound, yet there she was. My eyes were like saucers.

“Is it hard?” I asked, leaning down to look under her.

“Not at all. Effortless really. Oh what the hell…”

Suddenly, she unfolded and reached for my hands. I let her take them and stared up in complete amazement as she hovered face down with her legs out away from us. Her face came up close, and she placed her lips to mine in a light kiss while the rest of her body hung in the air about three feet from the ground. It was the strangest kiss I have ever had the fortune to participate in.

“Wow…” I said as she settled silently to the ground again, resuming her sitting position. “Do you think you could teach me to do that?”

“Uh… well, maybe not. That particular ability is part of the genetic gift that makes me able to alter temporal space.”

I frowned. “I thought you said that anyone could alter temporal paths?”

“Yes, in theory that’s true. Hmmm.. First let me tell you a little about the inner working of your mind. In every human, there are a number of components that make up what you would call your consciousness. In most people, a good portion of these components are linked together into a single unit, allowing them to perform the everyday functions of normal existence. In a fewer number of people, certain special components are linked that allow them access to unusual functions such as an innate understanding of advanced mathematics, or the ability to compose music in their heads. In a very, very small number of people, certain links have been made to highly unusual components dealing with non-linear temporal space. Just having a knowledge that temporal space exists has probably created that component from the bowels of your mind, but in order to use those functions, you will need to link to that component, and that is a very difficult thing indeed.”

“And that’s what I need to do?”

“Yes. But to get you there may be impossible. Beyond the members of my own clan, I have never heard of anyone being able to link to that component… other than certain races of the Fae, such as the Faeries.”

“Oh. So I guess I’m grounded.”

“Probably, but I can guide you in how you might be able to work on it. It’s called Imaging, and it involves making visual analogies for mental processes.”

I smiled. “This sounds awfully new-age…”

She grinned back. “Actually, it’s older than human existence. Would you like to try it?”

“What have I got to lose? Sure.”

And that’s how I ended up laying on my back with my eyes closed while Marly did something funny with her fingers on my forehead. She said she was “loosening up the connections between my conscious and unconscious.” Whatever. The massage was nice, and pretty soon I started to drift into what felt like a light sleep. I dreamt that I was floating around an object that was both infinitely large, and infinitely small at the same time. It was also as heavy as the whole world, and as light as the air. The object was a ball which was covered with long spikes that rose out from its surface. It appeared to be made of metal, perhaps bronze, and seemed very old. I was compelled to find a way inside the ball, but to saw no door or hatch.

And then I heard Marly’s soft voice from all around me. She was whispering that I should try to get into the object by not trying. I was confused, but when I looked at the ball again, I saw a tiny hole. I knew that I wouldn’t fit through the pin sized opening, so I didn’t try. Instantly, I was seemingly drawn forward and plunged through the micro opening like I was entering a giant space station.

Inside the sphere, I saw a landscape of strangely shaped plates. Most of the plates were linked like giant aluminum puzzle pieces, and formed a large but unreadable body of text etched across the whole of the construction. Just to the side of this assemblage, were a few plates that floated free and unlinked.

Again, my lover’s whispers came to me, but much fainter. She was telling me to complete the puzzle. I found that by will alone, I could move the plates around and try the floating pieces against the edges of the construct. But no matter how I tried, the free plates would not fall into place to join the larger construct. The edges were very complex, and there seemed to be an almost infinite number of combinations, and I soon tired. Reaching back out, I wanted to ask Marly if there were a way to speed up the process, but in doing so, I snapped back outside the object and then abruptly to consciousness. She was looking down at me with a warm and friendly smile.

“Any luck?” She asked.

“No,” I replied. “But I have a lot of things I can try. You say that it’s just a matter of making the components fit, right?”

“Basically. The ‘hows’ of controlling temporal paths seem to come naturally and instantly to those who have the gift.”

I explained the vision of the object and the construct within it, as well as the floating pieces and was rewarded by a rare look of surprise.

“Not many are able to see their Ka so clearly. Especially on their first visit. Interesting…” She gazed off, obviously considering something serious.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Oh… nothing. Sorry. We should continue your sparring lessons. You can work on the construct later tonight, or even while you sleep.”

I wish everything could be learned like that.