Lyn's Talent

By Lorna Hopkins Keith

Lyn Harlan, young schoolteacher, finds herself stranded on her half-brother's world, with a sense of loss, a feeling of something very important she must do, and without her memory.
She must recapture her memory, perform the quest, and return to Earth; and has no idea where to start.
Adam, her half-brother, has been waiting for her. Their father has told him that when she arrives, it will be time for Adam and Lyn to start the new race to replace the dying Watchers.
She adamantly refuses to have anything to do with it.
Quinbar, of the galactic ruling Centar, has his own plans for Lyn, which she must thwart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483519081

Lorna Hopkins Keith

Lorna Hopkins Keith, born in Hollywood, California, with a B.A. in Mathematics, has been writing since her teens. Fascinated by both numbers and words, she is also a musician, photographer, and puzzler.Lorna has self-published a science fiction trilogy, attended many science fiction conventions and writing workshops, and has read science fiction most of her life.She grew up in California, lived in Colorado, and moved to Florida with her physical therapist husband, where they live by a lake with a chatty calico cat.

Book preview

me.

PART ONE RUTHOR

Chapter 1 AWAKENING

Still on the edge of panic, I stared at the man who claimed to be my brother. No, was all I could get out. Even though my memory was gone, I knew I’d never seen him before. Suddenly weak in the knees, I sat down.

Behind the shabby desk, the man who called himself Adam said, It is a shock for you, yes? He glanced down at the sheet of paper I’d given him, with only my name, Lyn, written on it. I’d been brought here from the train, because I had no papers. My life had just begun here, on his world.

Yes, Lyn, it is true. The man, Adam, pushed aside the piece of paper and twisted his hands together. You and I have the same father. I arranged for you to come here to me. It is time for us to join.

Father? I repeated. I sat on the edge of a hard chair, my arms wrapped around my shoulders, holding myself together. It couldn’t be; but then, why the sense of loss, and anger?

Adam nodded. That is why you were brought here.

Behind my terror and anger, it made sense. Someone or something had to have brought me here to Adam’s world.

Adam rose and handed me a small piece of paper. Here, Father gave me this so I would know you.

An image of a young woman with dark curly hair and a wide mouth stared at me.

She could be your sister, I said. I felt a connection with him, within me. The panic eased a bit.

She is. You are. I grew up on this world, Ruthor. You come from a world called Earth. Father traveled back and forth. Did he not tell you about me? He returned to his seat and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

I don’t remember. I glared at him. What was this nonsense?

Ah, right. He smiled.

Dad, I said. It just popped out. You look like him. Oh. Something kicked me in the gut and I blinked away tears. He’s dead.

Yes. It was time for us to meet.

But, why… Where is this? Where do I live? What do you know about me? Can you take me home? I wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to go.

One moment. He stuck his head out into the anteroom, said something to the clerk, returned, and added, Come with me. There is a room for you at the boarding house where I live.

Okay, I said, after a moment. What choice did I have? At least it would be some place to stay, and there would be other people there. I followed him out another door. We walked along a short brown hall to a rear door and down a narrow street lined with old brick buildings.

To answer your questions, this is Rei, the capital city of Ruthor, Adam said, striding along. You cannot leave the way you came.

I stayed with him because I didn’t know what else to do. A knot the size of my head curled in my stomach. How did I get here? I looked up at him.

Not now. He glanced around. We reached a wider road and, at the corner, boarded an electric trolley. Adam dropped a couple coins in a slot and we found seats.

I don’t have any money, or anything except what I’m wearing, I said, looking at the brown buildings with diamond shaped windows that we were passing.

I will see to that. To answer your other question, you lived in a town called Haven on your earth, with a mother, father and sister. Also there was a cousin who lived with you. His father was your mother’s brother.

A sister and a cousin. That seemed right, but no names or pictures came to my mind.

They’ll be wondering where I am. Is there any way to get a message to them? I bit my knuckle.

No. He stood. Here is our stop. He led the way down a tree lined street to a freshly painted blue three story house, the sun half way down the sky behind it.

The front door opened into a large, bright yellow foyer. A plump older woman with deep blue eyes welcomed us. Mrs. Tosun, this is my sister, Lyn, Adam said.

Pleasure, the woman replied. I have a very nice room for a young lady on the top floor. Where are your things?

All I’ve got is what I am wearing. Not even a toothbrush. The terror faded away.

Let me see what I can find. She bustled away.

I must return to my office to finish up for the day, Adam said. When I come home, we will go to supper. This is your home now.

Thank you, I said, standing back against a wall, knuckle in my mouth. Don’t leave me, my mind screamed. He touched my arm and left. I still didn’t understand what had happened and why I couldn’t remember anything of my life before I woke up in a meadow on this world. At least there was someone who knew who I was, and a place for me to stay.

The landlady returned with an armful of supplies and led me up to my room. By the time she left, I knew that she had three daughters, eight grandchildren, liked one son-in-law, a second was passable, and the third a cad.

The little room had a soft bed, brown chair and table, wardrobe, and a picture of a tall, five masted ship on the wall. There was a bathroom down the hall. I had also acquired a pink flowered nightdress, comb, toothbrush and soap. A pile of fluffy pink towels sat on the table.

I knelt on the bed to peer out the window, and saw the sea. The land behind the house ended in a line against the blueness. The vast stretch of sea and sky triggered a feeling that stayed hidden in the mist. This was a place I could live in, for a while. But I still needed to retrieve my memories, find out more about this world and my previous life, and how I could get Adam to take or send me home.

#

When Adam returned, I heaved a sigh of relief. With all this uncertainty, I wasn’t sure he would come back. So he knew the landlady, but that didn’t mean he lived here.

As we walked down the street past the trolley stop, he asked whether I was satisfied with the room.

It’s okay. I like being able to see the sea. At a cafe with green and sea blue curtains, Adam led us to a table. He seated me and to the server.

I looked around at the shelves of pots and figurines and added, I need a crash course in everything. So many questions.

They will be answered in time, Adam said, smiling at me. He ordered a meal of stew and dark bread, and a rosy fruit. As we ate, he talked about his city. I could have had a better position, but I chose Identity Department because that way I was situated to meet you.

Did you know I was going to be on the train?

No, but anyone entering the city without papers is brought to me.

Okay, I nodded. It made sense. This was very nice, I added, wiping my lips with the cloth by my bowl. How long had it been since I’d eaten? The panic lay under the surface now.

On the way back to our rooms Adam asked, So you do not remember anything of your past before today?

No. I have some feelings about the kind of person I am, the kinds of things I did, but nothing concrete. You must have doctors and things here, can they help? And how soon can you get me home?

I will find you a memory specialist. We both need you to have your memories.

At the boarding house he led me into a cozy parlor on the ground floor. The only other occupant was a white-haired lady reading in a pale orange rocker festooned with beads, by the fire. We sat in a pair of stuffed green chairs in the opposite corner next to a wooden bookshelf. A pattern of corkscrew flowers in red and orange decorated a green carpet.

This is one of the most pleasing days of my life, Adam said. I have looked forward to meeting you for many years.

You knew I was coming?

Of course. He glanced at the old woman and lowered his voice. You must know that few women are outspoken here. Watch other women and see how they behave. He reached out, then pulled his hand back.

I suddenly felt a hunger for human, physical touch. I need to learn how to read. If you can show me your letters…

You sound like a teacher. Are you?

I don’t know. I thought about it for a moment. I could be. Somehow it felt right. He pulled out a children’s book and we practiced with it for a while. Beginning to feel comfortable with him, I relaxed a little.

Presently, he said, I must leave now. I have to think what to do next. He smiled. I never planned much what to do when you came, and not at all if you did not have your memories. I must work tomorrow, but you can do what you wish, as long as you stay near the house. You can ask Mrs. Tosun for anything you need. There will be a meal in the morning. Again he reached for me, and again he pulled back. I will see you in the midday. Sleep well, he said as he left.

I sat back and stared at the fire. Adam was pleasant to be with, but this brother and sister stuff was just nonsense. At least I had some semblance of a life, even if it was only a few hours old. All I could do now was get some sleep and see what would happen tomorrow.

I took the book up to my room, opened the round window, and sat on the bed where I could look out at the sea. The narrow blue band at the bottom of the paler blue sky beckoned. I wished I knew why it was so important to me. I took a deep breath and held it. A strange, damp aroma tickled my nose. I’d never smelled anything like that before.

Later, as I was washing up for bed, I tried to remove the dark blue ring with the green stone that had been on my finger when I woke in the meadow, but it wouldn’t budge. Why was I wearing it? Could it be a link to my missing past?

Chapter 2 CONNECTING

I woke to full daylight, and, for a moment, wondered where I was. At least I remembered who I was. And then… Adam, I said, sitting up. I jumped out of bed, dressed, and ran downstairs, only to find that he’d already left for work.

Breakfast was a bowl of mush with berries and some sort of milk. Not something I usually ate, but satisfying. Afterward, Mrs. Tosun took me down a few blocks to a store that had everything from fruits to clothes to books. We looked for clothes and personal items for me, and put them on Adam’s account.

I was glad to get out of there; none of the fruit and other foods looked much like anything I knew. And the clothes… My grandmothers might have worn something like that in their younger days. On the way back, she told me about every family in every house we passed.

As we reached the front door, she said, I must warn you about the edge of the land. You must stay away from it, there is danger there.

I ignored her warning; nothing could keep me away from the sea. But work first. I spent the rest of the morning studying my reading.

Adam returned for the midday meal at the boarding house. Afterward, he took me to a memory specialist who poked and prodded my head and asked a lot of questions, most of which I couldn’t answer. Then he gave me a vial of tablets and told us I would start remembering things in a few days.

When you remember, you will understand what we need to do, Adam said on the way home.

He returned to his office. I stuck the vial in the back of my drawer, went out and around to the rear of the house. Beyond a vegetable garden, a grassy field wide enough to hold another street of houses lay between me and the edge. It didn’t take long to cross it. At the top I knelt down and peered over. The sea slammed against the bottom of the cliff. Narrow rocky beach stretched as far as I could see in either direction.

A need to get closer to the sea overwhelmed me. I wandered for a while along the cliff, which sloped downward, and found a rocky point with a sheltered place between boulders. I curled into it and listened to the crashing of the waves and the occasional squawk of a sea bird, and smelled the salty sea scent. This was the most like home I’d experienced so far. I must have lived near the sea on my home world.

Earth. The word brought no pictures, but it must have been something like this. I sat back, squirmed into a comfortable position, and closed my eyes. The sound of the waves lapped at the edges of the mist in my mind. I had sat by an ocean many times, but no pictures came. Someone often had been with me, but who? Perhaps, in time, I would get somewhere, sitting here every day. But I didn’t have time; there was something vitally important I had to do. And I didn’t have a clue to what it was.

Adam was my anchor in this world, but I was only beginning to know him. There were things he knew about me, things he had not yet told me. Why? And what?

Too many questions. I opened my eyes. The ring. I wondered whether I could sell it, if I could get it off. I traced the odd shape of the stone. It was loose in the setting, and I twisted it.

I am here, a deep male voice said in my right ear. I jumped up and looked around; there was no one in sight.

Who are you? Where are you? I demanded, heart pounding.

A pause.

I am Quinbar. Do you not remember the receiver I implanted in your ear, the sender ring you have?

I don’t remember anything. Where are you? Who are you? My knuckle went to my mouth.

Another pause.

We are in a spaceship moving toward the sun of the world you are on. I hear you through your sender ring. Why do you not remember?

I don’t know. I found myself here on Ruther yesterday, with no memory at all. Who are you? Are you coming to take me home? I stared out at the sea.

Again, a pause. He must be far away.

I am a friend. We have been searching for you. My hackles rose. Something told me that he was no friend of mine.

Lyn, babe, how are you? said a very familiar, rather shaky voice.

An intense longing surged over me and a name popped out of the mist. Larry?

You remember.

Not really, it’s all so vague. Adam told me you are my cousin. But I know you, your voice.

A murmur of voices. You have met Adam, then, Quinbar said. Has he spoken of marriage?

What? I looked around. Marriage to whom?

When he does, contact me by rubbing the stone in the ring.

In the brief seconds before he disconnected, I heard a couple of voices in the background. Larry and someone else. Someone I had known. Who? Why couldn’t I remember? How could I break through this damn mist?

Chapter 3 PROPOSING

The following evening Adam took me for a walk to a neighborhood park with circles of flowers and grass surrounded by narrow trees. He selected a bench away from the view of the sea. I was still thinking about Larry. He was very special to me, but I could not remember why. More than just a cousin. And as hard as I tried, I could not picture his face.

We must talk, Adam began. There is something very important that you must know. First, you were brought here by the Watchers. They are a people much beyond us. They have been creating a race who can follow them when they are gone. He put up a hand as I opened my mouth. I will answer your questions after I have finished. You and I are the next step in their new race. We have hidden talents that will become evident in our children.

What! I jumped up and backed away.

Yes, Lyn, we are to marry, live here, and our children and their descendants will spread throughout this world and develop the technology to go into space and to other worlds. We are the beginning of something immense. He held out his hand. Father has already given me your hand in marriage. All we need do is sign the proper papers. With a wife, I will be allotted larger living quarters, and I can take care of you properly.

I took another step back and stared at him. No way. So this was what he had been hiding. No wonder. I couldn’t accept even the idea of it. And this was what Quinbar meant. Why would he want it? What kind of nonsense is this? I stomped my foot. And what makes you think I’ll go along with it?

You will. When I was seventeen, Father told me about it, and that it would be about ten years more before you were brought here. Did he not tell you? Adam rose.

I don’t remember if he did, but I don’t think he would have. I mean, how can we if we’re brother and sister?

The Watchers will make sure our children are healthy and whole.

The Watchers. I don’t believe this. They sound like something made up. I bet I was just thrown out of that train wreck. I turned away.

But you were unhurt.

Except for my head.

Adam approached me. I moved away. The Watchers are real and they did bring you here, he said. I realize that you are confused because of your memory loss. There is another specialist I am trying to arrange to see you. We need your memory back.

You got that right. I hate not knowing who I am. And I couldn’t marry you anyway until I get my memory back. So let’s just put that aside for now. I stared at a nearby tree, focusing on the leaf patterns as if they could tell me something of the patterns of my past.

I am growing fond of you, Lyn, Adam said. I cannot wait too long.

Somehow I think you are a patient person. I looked at him. But tell me, how do I go about getting a job? I need to do something to support myself and keep busy.

And, of course, you do not remember what you did before.

No. But I did have some sort of job. This sitting home all day doesn’t feel right.

I can take care of you. He touched my arm.

No, don’t you understand? I don’t want to be taken care of. I need to be able to live my own life. That’s just the way I am. I turned away, fuming. Who did he think he was?

Very well, Lyn, he said behind me. In the morning I will take you to the Department of Employment and see what they can do for you.

Thanks.

#

After a morning of testing, I was sent to a widget factory. They were sort of like screws with handles. When I left at the end of the day, I knew I’d have to find something else. Sorting screws was far worse than sitting around on the back porch learning to read.

As I walked back to the boarding house, trying to figure out how to tell Adam, I passed a nursery school. Children’s voices called to me, and I stopped to watch them play.

Children. There was a connection to my past. I’d never had any, but suddenly I was sure that I had worked with children. Teaching? I watched a little longer, and continued on.

Thinking about this, and what Adam had talked about the night before, I missed the street to the boarding house. Only after I came to the park did I realize it, and turned back.

I found the street because Adam was standing on the corner.

What were you doing down there? he demanded.

I missed the street. I don’t think I have a very good sense of direction. A flare of anger hit me. Did he have to watch every step I took?

Use landmarks. That tree. He pointed to a large round tree on the corner.

Okay. I would forget it before we got home. A thought just occurred to me. What if I’m already married and can’t remember it?

You cannot be. The Watchers would not allow it.

How would they stop me if I didn’t know I was supposed to save myself for you?

They have their ways.

Nonsense, I thought. This was all too unreal. But he believed it.

#

In the morning I returned to the nursery school, marched up to the door, knocked, and asked the tall girl who answered it whether I could see whoever was in charge. I was taken to an office off the front hall, small, light yellow, and full of desk and cabinets.

She wants to see you, said the tall girl as she disappeared. The grey-haired woman in back of the desk looked up.

Hello, I said. My name is Lyn. I have worked with children before, and was wondering if there was any job I could do here.

The woman stared at me with dark eyes. Where have you worked before?

I don’t remember. I was hit on the head and lost all my memories. But I know I’ve worked with children.

Are you registered with the Department of Employment? She fiddled with a piece of paper.

Yes. I’ll even work a day for no pay.

She smiled. I’ll accept that. Flora, she called. She’ll show you around.

I was put to work helping an older woman clean up a pair of toddlers who had just been brought in. I watched and bathed and fed little children. At the end of the day, the gray haired woman told me to come back in the morning.

Adam was not pleased. You are much better than a cleaning woman, he said.

But I like being with the children. I think maybe I was a teacher of young children.

Very well. But after we are married, you will leave that place.

I rolled my eyes as he turned away. If I feel like it, I thought. If I let him marry me.

#

Later that night, I rubbed the stone in the ring and told Quinbar about Adam’s proposal and my job. The pauses were shorter.

You must do two things, Quinbar said, through the implant in my ear. "First, get married. Then find a place where we can land and pick you