The Time Travelers' Club: Chapter 49 -- Learning to Make Orbs

Sam woke up refreshed from his nap and ready to go someplace else. Back through the laundry room and down the stairs, Sam saw the parlor doors were shut.

"Sam, back here."  Mrs. Steers was in the kitchen.  "Feeling ok?"

"Sure am and I'm ready to go. How about Mexico to see the Aztecs?"

"Sorry, we have other plans for you," said Mrs. Steers.

Rose came into the kitchen. "I am here to teach you the art of creating and using orbs."

Sam 's eyes widened with excitement. "Really!"

Rose led him into the front parlor. "Yes. It is time for me to see what kind of abilities you have."

Sam noticed that the front parlor furniture was pushed out of the center of the room. Rose sat down on the tuffet in the center of the room where the coffee table had been. Sam stood in front of her.

Rose looked him straight in the eye. "Obs are not toys.  They are very dangerous balls of light and energy.  Electricity that can shock a person to death if the orb is powerful enough.   You must be very careful when you make or use one. I am extremely serious."

"I understand," said Sam with trepidation.

"Sam, I want you to repeat the following words after me. The incantation is rather tricky. You must not make a hand motion while you say them?"

Sam shook his head.

"The words of the incantation are 'lucem vis venire ad me.' Now repeat after me."

"Lucem vis..."

Sam repeated it perfectly.

"Venire ad me."

"Very good," said Rose. "You picked up the words quickly and perfectly."

"Thanks," said Sam. His comfort level around her grew. She treated him like an adult, unlike Mrs. Steers who took the grandmotherly-approach by worrying about him.

Rose continued his lesson. "The next part.  While saying the words, rotate your palms either direction until two strands of light appear then work them into a ball."   Rose stopped to demonstrate by making a miniature orb.  "It's like rolling modeling clay in your hands. Sometimes, with enough practice, you can make them with your index fingers."  She pulled her hands apart and the orb popped and disappeared.

Rose continued. "The denser the orb, the stronger they are.  Very few have ever made very dense orbs.  Size also matters.  Some can only make orbs about the size of oranges.  Mine are very dense. I take pride in that. I can also make them various sizes.  Not many can do that either."

Sam studied Rose's demonstration.  "How big can they get?"

"A few can makes ones the size of basketball, but they take care not to make them that big.   That size can bust a hole in a wall. And that's all they can do."

Sam was mesmerized.

"Think of modeling clay," she reminded him. "You'll find it's very elastic and will mold into a ball."

Rose made an orb the size of a tangerine, rolling it in and out between her fingers, then over her palm and finally the back of her hand. She was the master.  "You can make them as big as your ability will allow you.

"You're very good at those," said Sam. "When did you first learn to make them?"

Rose smiled and kept her orb going.  "I was about your age. I had a wonderful teacher who encouraged me and discovered that my abilities exceeded any others at the time."

Unnoticed, Xavier appeared, perched on an empty spot on the fireplace mantle. "Orb making 101?"

Rose and Sam jumped. Rose's orb flew straight up to the ceiling and crashed sending sparks and flares all over.  Sam covered his head as Rose grabbed a magazine from the end table and fanned them as they fell.  After all the sparks were out, Rose gave Xavier a death-stare.

"Do not sneak up on people?"

Xavier smirked. "I do it just for my own amusement."

"Really, stuffed shirt," said Rose. "Why don’t you come down here and I’ll give you something for your amusement."

Majestically, Xavier waved his hand. "Carry on."

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Rose turned back to Sam. "As I was saying, the feeling of an orb is like static electricity that isn’t a simple zap at first, but then it gets warm..."

"Aha." Ari arrived, appearing from behind the curtains in the front room windows.  Xavier and Sam giggled. Rose stood up, turned, and stared fiercely at Ari.  He knew he had interrupted something.

"Is everyone here now!?" Rose had a slight temper that came out every once in awhile. Her face got bright red.

Mrs. Steers strolled in. "What’s going on?"

Rose spun around and glared at her.

"Um... I see," said Mrs. Steers cautiously.  She recognized the angry look on Rose’s face.  Glancing at Ari and Xavier, she knew Sam's education had been interrupted.

Trying to lighten the mood, she immediately sat down on a side chair right inside the archway. "Sooo... How’s the lesson going?"

Composing herself, Rose returned her attention to Sam.

"I want you to try making an orb. Say the words with me."

In unison, they repeated the incantation several times, before Rose took his hands and starting moving his palms in a circular motion over each other in opposite directions as if rolling an invisible ball between them.

At first, nothing happened.  Rose took her hands away, while Sam continued swirling his palms. He chanted the incantation alone.  Standing behind them, Ari leaned forward to see past Rose. Xavier sat perfectly still up on the mantel. And Mrs. Steers watched eagerly. All focused on the space between Sam’s palms.

"Lucem vis venire ad me... lucem vis venire ad me... lucem vis venire ad me..."

Snap! Snap! Two sparks snapped between Sam’s palms. Sam’s eyes widened. The sparks swirled as Sam continued to recite and roll his palms.

A pure white glowing orb about the size of a golf ball quickly formed. Rose slowly sat back as she watched the orb grow larger and larger to about the size of a softball. Studying it, she tried to look through it, but it was too dense.

Xavier’s eyes widened. Ari took a few steps back. And Mrs. Steers ran out of the room. Sam glanced at each of them, judging that they were impressed by his orb. He worked harder and formed an orb twice as big.

Putting her palms about a foot from Sam’s, Rose could feel energy being sucked into the orb. Sam’s hands got warmer to a point he could see his palms getting redder. Panicking, Rose reached out, grabbed Sam’s hands, and pushed them together. The orb burst like a balloon, sending sparks out from between his hands.

Mrs. Steers came back into the room with a bowl. "Quick, Sam, put your hands in this bowl of ice water."

Sam looked at the welts on his palms and submerged them into the ice water. Wincing, his palms began to tingle and burn.

"That was interesting," said Xavier. "Looks like you might have some major competition coming your way, Rose."

"Come along Sam," said Mrs. Steers. "Let’s go out into the kitchen and get some more ice on them. Don’t worry. Your hands will be fine. I have salve that soothe the welts and the stinging will soon go away."

After they left the room, Ari sat down next to Rose.

"Wow, that orb?" Ari shook his head.

Xavier leaned back against the fireplace wall. "I can’t believe that orb.  Very dense and pure white. Rose, what’s your thoughts?"

Rose stared down at the floor.

"Rose?" whispered Ari.

"Uh," uttered Rose. "I... I don’t know what to think. It was the whitest. The thickest orb I have ever seen."

"What about your teacher’s orbs?" Ari peered out into the hallway to make sure Mrs. Steers or Sam weren’t on their way back to the parlor. "Do you think he can make them the same size as your teacher?"

"The orb was the densest I have ever seen. Pure white." Rose walked around the front parlor, stopping in the archway to make sure they were alone. "He’s got a gift. He will be a champion orb master. From all we know about orbs, those that are pure white and that dense are unbelievably rare. Only a few throughout the documented history of the club have been able to make them."

"We need to talk to Lottie," said Xavier. "We all need to know. Sam will need better protection if it appears he is truly the one. The true descendent."

"I’ll find out," said Rose. "I will be able to convince her to call a meeting."