“I think that’s going to change for future seasons, though,” Reeves commented. “I don’t see Bob Maxwell in the producer’s chair for much longer.”
“Thank you, gentlemen… both of you,” Lorewyn said. “But he’s right, we’re done here. This was a good way to end my career. I’m not sorry about it. Phyllis was great to work with, as were you, George, and Jack, and the regulars. I guess the ‘Horsewoman of Hollywood’s Back Lot’ as they call me has ridden her last rodeo.”
“At least you went out swinging,” Reeves stated with admiration. “Fighting the heavies and standing up for truth and justice… just like Superman. In fact, I think the Man of Steel could learn a thing or two from Alivia Chambers… aka Supergirl.”
They enjoyed a final laugh together as Lorewyn offered her farewell. “Well, I might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… not quite… but I’ve been known to wear something that resembles a cape a time or two.”
CHAPTER 15
Lorewyn didn’t seek any further opportunities as a Hollywood stuntwoman. “Like Ariel Archer, the editing assistant,” she told Rhianyn. “That scene of the play is over now. The curtain has closed.”
“But what about the character of Alivia Chambers?” Rhianyn asked whimsically. “I’m still quite in love with her. I hope she doesn’t exit the stage… at least not without her beloved Antonia.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about that quite yet,” Lorewyn laughed in reply.
Rhianyn finally insisted that they get a television set. It was 1952. Most of their neighbors had one by now, and…
“I want to watch my wife as Lois Lane’s stunt double get socked by some big sweaty jock type, and then dropped from a building by the evil mastermind,” Rhianyn grinned mischievously.
Lorewyn just shook her head, swatting Rhianyn playfully. “They decided to actually use the first take on the socking scene,” she explained. “So it’s Phyllis who gets socked in the face in that episode, not me. And as for the drop from the building, well… Superman saves the day and catches me!”
“Hmm,” Rhianyn jested. “Is Superman faster than a speeding Owl?”
Although “Archer” was a retired surname, it seemed to pop up in re-runs. Lorewyn might’ve just been feeling nostalgic, or maybe she was just curious about how Humans in the 20th century did it, but when she saw the advertisement posted on the community bulletin board, she couldn’t resist.
The Pasadena Roving Archers.
It was a club for archery practice and training. They had been around for the past few years, although this was the first time Lorewyn had heard of them. She signed up and paid an introductory membership, just to get in and check it out.
“Do you have any experience?” She was asked. “Or are you a beginner?”
Lorewyn just smiled. “I have a little experience, yes.”
She used a composite long bow that the club had, having been taken out on the range for a field test. Lorewyn was making a conscious effort to hold back, to not show off or draw suspicion… but she felt that bow in her hands, the first time she had held one in decades. She pulled an arrow from the nearby quiver, just holding the fletching up to her face for a moment, letting it slide past her lips. She could smell the material, different from what she had fletched back home, of course… but it was so wonderful. She closed her eyes, reveling in the moment.
“Are you okay?” the instructor asked, concerned, noticing Lorewyn’s reaction. “Do you need to sit down?”
Lorewyn opened her eyes and grinned. “No, I’m fine,” she replied. “It’s just been a long time, that’s all.”
She took her stance, gripped the bowstring in her traditional style, leveled the weapon, aimed, then fired.
The arrow flew through the air, hitting the exact center of the bullseye.
Feeling the rush of adrenaline, Lorewyn grabbed two arrows from the quiver at once in a flash, target-splitting, and shooting both simultaneously, one hitting the bullseye of the target to the right of her lane, the other to the left.
Her hand went flying to the quiver again, this time grabbing three arrows and firing them all at once… again target-splitting them. One arrow split the shaft of the arrow that was already in the center of the bullseye in her target, another splitting the shaft of the arrow in the target to the right, and again, the third splitting the arrow in the target to the left. Lorewyn exhaled, smiling, then paused, lowering the bow. Had she gone too far? Perhaps. At least I didn’t spell-tip any, she thought.
The instructor dropped his pad on the ground, his jaw opening wide. When he was finally able to speak, he just kind of mumbled.
“D-D-Do you… I mean… ummm… We might be in need of another instructor around here… if you’re interested?”
***
Rhianyn’s own style of instruction had taken an interesting turn as well at the observatory. Her role as a curator and tour guide had been going exceedingly well, and she had learned a lot, taking what she already knew and augmenting it considerably. She found herself becoming more and more interested in space sciences, and studied on her own plus through the resources available at Griffith about the advances that Humanity was making in the area of astronomy and astrophysics. She became increasingly fascinated when the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, when NASA was established the following year, and as the U.S. and Russia seemed to begin competing in what would soon be called the “space race.”
Her knowledge paid off and soon came to the attention of the director of the observatory, who offered Rhianyn the opportunity to conduct seminars through Griffith, geared especially toward kids. The observatory would invite students to come and hear presentations about the work going on, about topics related to space, technology, and exploration. Sometimes, Rhianyn would go to local schools and do these seminars. Lorewyn was impressed, and had to tease her a little bit.
“All those Human children, Blackbird,” she mused. “How do you manage them?”
“Quite simple,” Rhianyn replied, motioning to one of the trees in their front yard. “I just don’t answer questions about my age.”
Rhianyn had an interesting case of “management,” however, when a group of students from nearby Eagle Rock High School came to the observatory for one of her seminars in the Spring of 1958. She gave one of her typical presentations, offering some background as to her own experience flying for Hughes and in the WASP’s, then discussing how celestial navigation works. She had included a segment in her seminar focusing on the age of the universe, the Big Bang model, the expansion of space, measuring distance in light years, and a brief examination of the now-departed Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity.
It wasn’t an especially in-depth seminar, but Rhianyn found that most students found it informative, and in some cases entertaining, as she tried to offer some elements of humor. But with this particular seminar, she became keenly aware that there was one student, a young man of about 16, who was continually whispering things to the young lady next to him. It almost seemed as if he was offering commentary on everything Rhianyn was saying, and he glanced at her from time to time as he whispered, as if he knew he was out of line and watching to see if Rhianyn noticed.
She noticed, of course. At one point, she paused in her seminar and looked over toward the young man. “Excuse me,” she said. “Do you have anything you’d like to offer? My understanding was that I was conducting this seminar solo. However, I’m happy to share the podium with someone else, if you have something insightful or educational that you’d like to contribute.”
She stepped back, giving a genuine opportunity for him to respond. He did, in fact, answer. “Yes, I was just telling my friend, Barbara, all the misinformation you’re giving us and trying to set the record straight.”
There was a sudden turning of heads as the other students faced him, their eyes wide in disbelief. Rhianyn wasn’t fazed at all, however, and continued looking at the young man, then nodded pleasantly. “I see,” she stated. “Woul
d you care to come up here and ‘set the record straight’ as you say? If I’m providing misleading information, then by all means, I’d like to have that information amended.”
The young man just grinned but didn’t stand up. “I don’t need to come up there,” he replied smugly. “I can say what needs to be said right here. You’re just one of those Commie scientists who doesn’t believe in God. You and the rest of the beatniks out there, trying to undermine America, trying to turn us over to Russia. This is how you all do it, through the schools, through seminars like this. More like brain-washing. Lead the kids astray with lies. God created the universe and everything in it in six days! The Bible says so. You’re just trying to distort the truth.”
He sat back and glared at Rhianyn in a challenging way. Rhianyn just smiled and stepped back up to the podium. She didn’t seem agitated in any way. The students turned toward her to see what she would say in response.
“You know, I’m glad you spoke up… I’m sorry, I don’t think I know your name,” she continued. “You mentioned your friend’s name, Barbara, but I’d like to know your name too.”
“It’s David,” he answered. “David Christianson. My father’s a pastor.”
“Ah,” Rhianyn said. “Well, nice to meet you, David. I’m Antonia Blackstone. I can see that your faith is very important to you. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve known many, many good people who profess faith in God. I take it that you’re a Christian? That you believe in Jesus?”
“I most certainly do,” David replied confidently. There were a couple of softly-spoken “amens” from some other students. “And if you’re not, there’s still a chance for you to repent and believe… or else you’ll burn in hell with all the other unbelievers.”
Rhianyn slowly began to step down from the podium and made her way into the group of students sitting in the audience. “You know, David, I’ve actually read the Bible. Quite a bit in fact. I have some unique history when it comes to the Bible’s development, its first printing using the press, its varied translations, and so forth. But I’ve read it, most definitely. It’s a fascinating book, really. I like the stories, especially the ones that deal with amazing things that happened in the natural world, like the story about how Moses parted the Red Sea, or the Great Flood in Noah’s time, or how Joshua commanded the sun to stand still in the sky, or how Jonah was swallowed up by a large fish… or perhaps a whale. Some different interpretations on that. Anyway, I like the stories about Jesus too, how he turned water into wine, fed a multitude with just a few loaves of bread, and how he healed those who were sick. Jesus is regarded as an important person in the Jewish and Muslim faiths as well, you know, as a prophet. I like those stories because to me they tell about people wanting to understand their world… and not just that, but understand the world, nature, divinity, in terms of how people interact with the cosmos, and with each other. I think that’s the power of faith… it’s about seeking understanding and relationship. What do you think about that, David?”
David, however, had fallen silent. Rhianyn continued. “And in that sense, faith and science really aren’t that different at all. Science is about seeking understanding too. Scientists just often use different tools. But the goal is quite similar. Scientists want to learn about the cosmos, how its different parts interact… and ultimately about those relationships. Because the universe is all about relationships, David. Relationships of different elements to each other, different types of particles and what they do when they interact. And that’s true for people too. Because the cosmos is about us as well, our role in the universe, how we interact with its elements and with each other. I think much of what Jesus taught falls in line with that. We live in a vast and complex world, David. Sometimes that seems overwhelming, and people might fear that. Fear often causes people to react in trying to use dogmatic explanations. When that happens, their world becomes much smaller. Perhaps it’s more manageable for them that way, but that’s not realistic. When that happens, people shut themselves off to trying to find answers to things that at first might seem mysterious… or unexplainable.”
Rhianyn was moving through the rows of students as she was speaking, discreetly using her fingers at her side to cast a spell as she was passing David’s seat, which happened to be in the exact middle of the auditorium. As she was wrapping up her comments, she returned to the front.
“I wish we had more time to talk about this, but I’m afraid our time together has come to an end. Thank you so much for attending this seminar, and I hope you all have a good rest of your day.”
Rhianyn motioned with her hand, indicating that the students could leave. The hand gesture was also the final somatic component in the spell. All of the students in the group stood to exit… except for David. He was paralyzed from the waist down… more than just paralyzed actually. The lower portion of his body was being held in place in his chair by the magical effect. He couldn’t get up.
“David, what’s wrong?” Barbara asked, concerned. David tried to move but couldn’t. “Something… something’s wrong!” he exclaimed. “I can’t move my legs. I can’t get up!” He tried to lift himself using his arms, but that didn’t work either. The other students had realized what was happening and stopped exiting. They started gathering around. Rhianyn stepped closer.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. “The seminar is over. You can leave if you’d like.” She offered a sincere-looking gaze.
“Miss Blackstone, something is wrong!” Barbara cried out. “David can’t move. It’s like he’s… stuck or something!”
Rhianyn approached him, keeping the spell in effect. She took hold of his arms and tried to physically lift him up. It didn’t work, of course. She stepped back, acting as if in thought. “This is very strange,” she stated. “I’ve never seen this happen in this auditorium before during a presentation.”
“Help me, please!” David exclaimed, trying to thrash but unable to do anything. The other students were just in awe, not understanding what was happening.
“I’m not sure what I can do,” Rhianyn said. “I tried lifting you up. Maybe if a few others join and try together?” She motioned for some other students to help. They gathered around and joined efforts, trying to lift him up. But it was no use.
“This can’t be happening!” David shrieked. “Please, do something!”
“I think this might be one of those times when I have to admit that it’s beyond my reasoning,” Rhianyn considered. “But I have an idea. You’re a Christian. You believe in the power of prayer, right? Perhaps if you pray to God, he will help you. That’s what the Bible teaches, yes? Maybe this is some act of the Devil. But the power of God is greater, right? Try praying! Here, I’ll pray with you. I’m sure others here will…”
“Just stop it already!” David shouted, still trying to break free. “This isn’t about God or the Devil! There has to be some reason for this! Maybe… something magnetic about the room, or… in the observatory… the telescope!”
Rhianyn nodded, smiling. “Sounds like you’re trying to figure it out… like a scientist. Let’s test a theory. Maybe there’s something about this room and the people in it. The mass of our bodies, the gravity of the earth, the shape of the room… and you’re sitting in the exact center. What if we moved in a certain way? Maybe if people left the room or shifted to another side, or something like that, yes? It might cause a change in some effect.” She turned to the rest of the students. “What do you all think about that? Care to test a hypothesis?”
There was a lot of agreeing. Barbara was the first one to rush to the other side of the auditorium. Other students quickly moved around as well, distancing themselves from the center area with the chairs. Rhianyn backed up as well.
“Try now, David,” she suggested. David tried to free himself, but he was still stuck. Rhianyn checked her watch. The auditorium was scheduled for another event. She would have to wrap this up quickly.
“Okay, I have one more idea,” she said. “Let�
��s everyone together, on the count of three, jump. Just jump up right where you’re standing. Maybe that will shake something in whatever this bizarre effect is!”
The students nodded, readily agreeing. Rhianyn led the count. “One… two… three!” Everyone in the auditorium jumped at the same time. A host of feet landed on the floor simultaneously, causing a loud thud.
Rhianyn had released the spell as they were all jumping. “Okay,” she exclaimed, addressing David. “Try now!”
David tried moving and found that he could get up out of his seat. Barbara ran to hug him as everyone else applauded in relief. Rhianyn smiled, walking over to David and giving him a pat on the shoulder.
“Praise the Lord,” she stated. “You’re free at last!”
The students all exited the auditorium. Rhianyn noticed David looking back at her as he left with Barbara, that smugness now evaporated.
She lingered for only a moment more, gathering up her notes, then exited herself, humming the tune to I Saw the Light by Hank Williams.
CHAPTER 16
Charity Stephens joined the Pasadena Roving Archers in January 1959, shortly after New Year’s. She had long chestnut brown hair, soft blue eyes, and turned a lot of heads when she entered a room. She caught Lorewyn’s attention immediately, who thought Charity looked remarkably like her Elven friend from long ago, Shyntiel.
Normally, Lorewyn would’ve told Rhianyn about this uncanny resemblance right away, but for some reason she didn’t mention Charity at all… which Lorewyn herself found unsettling. It was a small thing, yes, but why did she not tell her wife about it as she normally would? Lorewyn was troubled by this.
Charity was in her 30’s, single, a former competitive swimmer who knew Esther Williams, and for the past several years a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Lorewyn found a lot in common to talk about, although she didn’t mention her previous identity as Ariel Archer. Charity, however, had followed Hollywood gossip enough to know who Alivia Chambers was, even though she didn’t recognize Lorewyn on sight.
Two Birds, One Feather: The Lives and Times of Lorewyn & Rhianyn in America Page 17
