Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1163.

The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 1163
by Angharad

Copyright © 2010 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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Lunch was rather meagre that day–I was too upset to eat and although I’d given Trish half an hour of healing, she didn’t look a lot better. She was, however, able to talk pretty well normally again.

“I’ve got black eyes,Mummy.”

“Yes, I had noticed, sweetheart.”

“Why?”

“It’s the way facial bruising goes...”

“No, I mean why have I? Your blue light is supposed to sort it out.”

“I don’t know, you know I’ve never understood it–just trusted it to do what was required. I assume from the fact you can talk normally again, not sounding like an otter with sinus trouble, means you can breathe properly again?”

“An otter with sinus trouble? What’s sinus, isn’t it a mountain in Israel that Moses went up?”

“Sounds like a definite case of Mosesitis,” how I kept a straight face I had no idea.

“What’s that, Mummy?”

“Mistaking things from the Bible, it’s a very widespread problem that affects half the population of the Northern Hemisphere and much of the Southern one.”

“But we were doing Moses in school and he went up Mount Sinus.”

“Yeah, I heard he got up God’s nose.”

“Don’t be silly, Mummy, God doesn’t have a nose.”

“So how are we created in his image then?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Forget it kiddo, I’ll just confuse you with my prejudices. I don’t believe what the nuns teach you because there’s no evidence about much of it at all, including how a group of people wandered about in Israel for forty years. It’s preposterous, even allowing for the fact that Moses was a man and obviously wouldn’t ask for directions.”

“What does preposterous mean?”

“Beyond belief, ridiculous.”

“Why is it ridiculous?”

“Well it’s like a large group wandering round Wales for forty years and not being able to find the Brecon Beacons.”

“But Sister Claire said it was because Moses had annoyed God by smashing the Ten Commandments.”

“What, so He took away their sense of direction? Sorry, sweetheart, this is why I think much of it is rubbish, because it doesn’t make any sense to a modern reader. It was based on an oral tradition which was eventually written down.”

“Sister Claire said it was the word of God.”

“Yeah, don’t tell me ghost written by the Holy Spirit?”

“I don’t understand, Mummy.”

“It was a rhetorical question and one you’ll understand one day.”

“Is it the word of God?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart, I very much doubt it but then I’m not sure there’s a God to dictate it or write it.”

“Isn’t that hennesy?”

“I think you mean, heresy, and yes it probably is–but it’s what I believe. Show me the evidence and answer my questions and I’ll believe.”

“Sister Claire said the evidence is all about us.”

“I think she’d need to be more specific to convince anyone but a believer, because science can counter that she is confusing emotion with cognition.”

“Big words, Mummy.”

“Yes, sorry, darling. I mean, she can say that simply looking about her she feels she sees the hand of her God. I can, however, see the same things and see only the evolution of the landscape and the things which live there.”

“I still don’t understand, Mummy.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart. When you’re old enough you can decide if you believe or not–there is no right or wrong, even though people get so upset about it they actually kill each other. That is wrong, and one of the darker things about religion.”

“What do you mean, Mummy?”

“Religion is responsible for the deaths of millions of people over the centuries.”

“Did it kill the Pharaoh’s son?”

“Back to Moses, are we?” I asked and she nodded. “I don’t know, there are people who believe that if the Moses tale is true, and it might not be, they have discovered evidence of the exodus from Egypt. Personally, I think it’s wishful thinking–they say if you look long enough you’ll find what you’re seeking, or think you have.”

“Are they telling me lies, Mummy?”

“That would be a very dangerous thing to say, Trish; what I would suggest is to accept what the nuns tell as being what they believe to be true. That doesn’t mean you have to unless you agree with them. I happen not to, but I want you and the others to make up your own minds when you’re old enough.”

“Do I take it with a pinch of salt then, Mummy?”

“Yes, that’d about sum it up. Like some people believe putting corks in bed stops cramp, you don’t have to accept it if you think it isn’t true, just don’t say so in a loud voice or you’ll be in trouble with them.”

“Will they burn a steak for me?”

“I think you mean will they burn you at the stake?” I corrected her, and she slapped her hand over her mouth and laughed, as soon as she touched her face and laughed the bruising disappeared.

“What’s the matter, Mummy?”

“Go and look in the hall mirror.”

“See, your blue light did work,” she exclaimed.

“Did it?” I said to myself then answered her, “Of course, darling. Now come and have some more to eat.”

I managed to force some ice cream down her, suggesting that if they’d had ice cream in those days, Moses would have discovered the Promised Land a whole lot quicker.

“Why is that, Mummy?”

“Well he could have followed an ice cream van to the nearest town.”

“You are silly, Mummy, that’s like saying he dropped his mobile phone on Mount Sinus.”

“Nah, he used to talk to a bush, and I don’t think it was the US President.”

“What–Mr O. Banana Bush?” she giggled at her joke.

“Absolutely,” I said trying not to sound too much like Tom.

“D’you want to come to collect the others after I feed the baby?”

“May I help you with the baby?”

“Of course you may, darling.” I was pleased to encourage her participation in babycare, because it isn’t something she usually does–surely it wasn’t the bang on her head, was it?

I fed the wee yin while Trish supervised, then I supervised whilst she changed her nappy, making faces and disgusting noises about poo, which the baby found highly amusing.

I wondered if Trish would ever be maternal material, but there’s a lot of time for her to grow up yet. If she becomes a high flier she might not have time anyway, let alone the desire, and she’d have to adopt or use a surrogate. That’s her business and who knows which direction her life will take when she’s older. Being very intelligent doesn’t always make it easier, especially when you consider the world is usually run by morons–well, they’re the only ones daft enough to believe they can sort everything–usually it just means they haven’t appreciated the seriousness of the situation.

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