Sci-Fi fantasy from an unknown author
Amaranth Rose 026
The Raznack saga continues, in Chapter 26, as Griffendahl demonstrates to Teldar that copies of living people can be made, by introducing him to the beauty and diversity of Debbiewood
Chapter 25 can be found here: https://medium.com/@gjsittler/amaranth-rose-025-e1494ba422ef
The entire series is listed here: https://gjsittler.medium.com/list/this-mortal-coil-081bdde292a6
Chapter 26: Welcome to Debbiewood
“Rokal and I never knew we were courting the same woman until after I asked Marina to marry me. She didn’t realize we were brothers, either. It came as quite a shock to all of us. For five years we barely saw anything of Rokal. I thought he was angry with us. When Maxim was born I finally went to him and had it out with him. It was then he told me he just couldn’t cope with his feelings when he saw us together. Since then he’s been like a second father to Maxim, and we’ve grown closer, but I know he still has a hard time with his feelings.”
“How does Marina feel about Rokal, Teldar?” Griffendahl queried.
“She’s very fond of him. I know if I were gone she’d very likely marry him. It’s been hard on her, knowing she’s been the source of so much unhappiness for him. She’d like for us all to be happy. Many times over the years she’s remarked that she wished she’d been twins so that both of us would have been happy.”
“You have just the one child?”
“Yes. We would have liked to have had more, but… there were complications. We were lucky to have Maxim.”
“He’s a fine young man. You must be very proud of him.”
Teldar nodded.
“Have you considered adopting another child?” Sometimes spare embryos were incubated and given to adoptive parents.
“Yes. But there are so few of those. It usually takes a hefty bribe to procure one, and while we are comfortable, we’re not rich. Why do you ask, My Lord?”
“I happen to be in possession of some spare embryos at the moment, Teldar. They’re incubating right now, as a matter of fact. The result of a minor misunderstanding in the cloning laboratory. They are the result of an error made by one of my employees, so I am responsible for their, er, disposition. I find myself in the position of needing to find responsible foster parents for them. There would be the standard fostering contract and a few provisos, and the usual support allowance.”
“You said they were the result of an error, My Lord? Is there something wrong with these embryos?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with them at all,” Griffendahl reassured him. “It’s just that a paperwork error occurred. A work order was duplicated by mistake, and two technicians got the same order, so it was done twice. Our policy is never to destroy a healthy living person, and by the time the error was discovered, they were already implanted in the Valvimo cylinders. They’re a few months along now, and they appear to be developing perfectly. My technicians do excellent work, Teldar; these embryos will develop into children no one need be ashamed of.”
“Why not raise them yourself?”
“I’m a busy man, and rather old. I really have no business raising children just now. I doubt I’d have the patience for it, either, and no single man should be trying to raise several lively little girls in one bunch. It would be like trying to herd rock tigers.”
“Several?”
“Well, yes. It was a rather large error.”
“You don’t look all that old, Lord Griffendahl. In fact, you look like a teenaged boy, if you will excuse my observation.”
“Well, I’m really quite old, especially on the inside.”
“How much do you want in exchange for one of these embryos?”
“In your case I don’t want money, Teldar. Money can’t buy happiness. I want to make someone happy.”
“How do you propose to do that, My Lord?”
Griffendahl drew a deep breath before continuing. “Teldar, I would like to make a copy of your wife Marina. In exchange for a red-haired baby girl in a few month’s time.”
“A copy? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Is that possible, My Lord?”
“Yes. In fact, if you’d like to take a walk with me, I’ll show you some copies right now.”
They walked across Castle Royal to the apartment complex Nick had dubbed “Debbiewood”.
“Good day, My Lord,” the guard at the front entry greeted him.
“Good day. Teldar is with me, Yevahn. He’s come to see some copies for himself.”
Yevahn pressed a button on a console, and the steel grillwork doors slid noiselessly apart, permitting them to enter. As they passed the guardroom, Griffendahl chuckled. He knocked on the door, and after a moment Yevahn opened it.
“Yes, My Lord?”
Griffendahl pointed behind him to a young woman of about twenty, sitting at a counter with a book open before her. She was quite beautiful; her skin had a pale, almost luminous quality, and her fiery red hair was drawn back from her face in a ponytail. She was slender and graceful looking. He walked over to her.
“I see Kaitlenn has found herself a nice quiet place to study,” he said.
The young woman looked up at him and blushed. “How did you know it was me, Father?”
He bent and kissed her cheek lightly. “Every good father knows his children, my dear. How are you coming with that?”
“Pretty well. There are still some parts of the central theory I don’t understand. But it’s starting to make sense.”
He nodded. “You’ll get it in time. Perhaps I’ll stop by tomorrow and help you with it.”
“Thank you, Father. I would appreciate the help.” She looked questioningly at Teldar.
“Kaitlenn, I’d like you to meet Teldar. He’s interested in seeing some copied persons. Teldar, this is Kaitlenn. She’s one of the copies I told you about.”
“How do you do, Teldar, Sir?” she said pleasantly. “Pleased to meet you.” She shook hands with him.
“Do you come down here often, Kaitlenn?” Griffendahl asked.
She nodded. “It’s quiet and Yevahn is really nice to me.” She looked about and gave him a sly wink. “Don’t tell the house mother, but sometimes we order pizza and have it delivered. She doesn’t approve of pizza. And the cafeteria doesn’t make it very often.”
Griffendahl chuckled. He made a mental note to talk to the cooks and see if pizza could be made to appear more frequently.
“I shall guard your secrets as carefully as if they were my own, my dear.” They both laughed. “Now we’ll be off, and you keep to your studies. And behave yourself, dear. Yevahn needs his job. Don’t get him in trouble.”
Her brow furrowed with concern. “Can I still kiss him once in a while?” she whispered.
“Uh-oh. I think I’d better be sure I do stop in tomorrow. I think we’d better have a little chat, Kaitlenn.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow, dear.” They left the guardroom and headed for the elevator. When it arrived, Griffendahl motioned Teldar in.
Then he hit a button at random.
“Girls, please, we have company.” The house mother’s voice rang out over the combined noise of a pillow fight, a couple of arguments and several loud conversations. Suddenly all was silence.
“It’s Lord Griffendahl!” one called out. There was a stampeding rush, and ten nearly identical red-haired women lined up in front of him in order of arrival. They were all as beautiful as the woman in the guardroom was.
He smiled broadly. “Very good, girls, very good!” He proceeded to call them each by name and give them a hug and a kiss on the cheek in turn.
“How do you know which one of us is which, Father? You’re never wrong,” one of them asked.
He chuckled softly. “A father’s secrets should never be revealed. Now, ladies, I’d like you to meet Teldar. We’ve been discussing copying a member of his family, and he wanted to meet some copied persons for himself.”
They stayed for perhaps an hour. Griffendahl did not interfere, except when Teldar seemed overwhelmed by the mob. Finally they took their leave. As they walked back to Griffendahl’s office, Teldar was deep in thought.
“I see what you mean, My Lord, about herding rock tigers,” he said when they were in his office once more. “Those copies seem to be very much individuals, in spite of being copies.”
Griffendahl glanced at the clock. “If you wait just a little bit, you can meet the original they were all made from.”
In a few minutes Debbie arrived. He met her halfway across the room. She threw her arms around him and held him close, kissing him passionately.
“I think she likes me,” he said, chuckling softly. “Debbie, dear, we have company.” He introduced them and they talked for a while before Teldar left.
“Now, where were we?” he asked.
She grinned and hugged him tightly. “Make love to me, Myrrielle? Please?”
He hesitated. “I was going to fix supper…”
“Myrrielle! Can’t supper wait? Please?”
“Well, since you’re begging for me,” he chuckled, “I guess I’d better do as you ask. I wouldn’t want to upset you. You might break my jaw.”
“Myrrielle!” she scolded laughingly. He took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom.
Chapter 27 is published here: https://gjsittler.medium.com/amaranth-rose-027-4e860e2d3f2f
NOTE: Comments and claps are encouragement to publish more. Since the author is deceased, there won’t be any edits, other than spelling or punctuation correction.
