Encompassing Love by Richard Lord

making it all up.
    “That was just before I was born.  I’m not as old as you.”  She thought on what he was saying for a while and then said, “So it doesn’t make sense!  What made you so crazy?  Eating snake or the hot sun up here?”  She looked at him, studying his face.
    “Yeah, well there’s a thing about time.  I’ve lived a lot more of it by moving through it, staying in some of the times for long periods and then back at different times.  So even though I age slower, it’s been long enough that it’s beginning to show.”  He gave her a look wondering if she was understanding his explanation at all.  Then he added, “I’ve gone around the sun more times in my life than the planet has, if that helps to explain it.  Therefore more years in my time than, for instance, you.  You stayed in the same place, relative to the sun.”  He thought about that and looked at her and then said, “Never mind.  I can barely explain it to people who get the concept of relativity and time travel, let alone to someone who...”  He abruptly stops himself.
    “You still think I’m stupid?”  She asked.
    “No, I think you haven’t been given the chance to learn.  That’s what I’m trying to do.”  He looked down into the sand and asked, “Do you want me to take you back now?”
    “Just stay in front of me and give me your knife.  I’ll think about it.”  She held out her hand and tapped her foot as if she was in a hurry.
    He reached into his shirt and handed over the knife then he asked, “What made you decide I wouldn’t just use it on you when I pulled it out?”
    Tomorrow looked at him.  She gestured with the knife for him to keep walking as she answered, “Because you’re crazy.  You think you’re doing what you are supposed to do.”
    Adam turned and began walking while laughing, “Not bad logic at all.  Wrong, but not bad.  Plus, if I’m crazy from eating snakes and the hot sun, why do you want to stay up here?”
    Tomorrow replied, “Hard to explain.  I’ll think about it and get back to you.”
    Adam turned to see her smile as he himself began laughing.  “Clever.  I told you I didn’t think you were stupid.”

CHAPTER 8
    “The truth is a fleeting creature, like a shrew.  I was told if you see one three times in your life you die.  I met a lot of shrews.” – from the Book of Persistence
    “Sir, we know what you actually trained him in, off the books.  There were witnesses.”  The General’s face contorted as he spoke and his hand moved to wipe the look off of his own face.  “What were you thinking?  He already wasn’t like us, you made him faster, smarter and taught him how to do things I any normal man would go pale at considering.”
    “I made him realize he needed to survive, because people like you would hunt him if they knew what he could do.  I taught him what we are supposed to teach.  Survival.  Good luck getting a tag on that one.  He’s not going to come in easy.  You can sit there with that look on your face like you are in control, but I promise you, he’s in control of his life.  That’s what we are supposed to teach.”  The Lieutenant pauses and then adds, “I serve for a purpose.  When I see someone like that, I’m supposed to act.  Don’t think for a minute he had it easy, I made sure of that.  Think instead of what he does for us because we forged him.”  The Lieutenant looks over at his bottle of whiskey.  “I wouldn’t change a thing and if we could go back and redo it, think of all of the things that would have gone horribly wrong that we are responsible for making sure don’t”
    The General sits back and considers the words for about a second and then sits up and says, “I think he’s more dangerous than all of the threats he may or may not have had a hand in stopping.”  The General raises his voice, “He has own plan!”
    The Lieutenant fires back, “The funny thing is, we’ll never know what all he