Zed: A Rings Of Gaia Story

by Peter Rendell

ZED was not blessed with long life like Merlin Parnassus, but, by using the power of a ring of Gaia, he had avoided his ‘Day of Reckoning’. If the ring was held by ZED and a pregnant woman when she was at 26 weeks term, ZED’s spirit could move into the new foetus. His memories would be stored in the ring of Gaia when his body died. The pregnant woman was one of ZED’s granddaughters.
If they were very beautiful then ZED would make them pregnant himself despite strong warnings of possible deformity. ZED wrote-off the warnings as religious twaddle.
ZED was born, at home, on the 2nd of May 1610AD in the Villa Zenith, Havana, Cuba. The midwife was a sister from the local Abbey. The large villa was south-west of the city; some people might call it a ranch. The family name was “Zoe”; it means ‘Life’ in ancient Greek.
The Zoe family arrived in Havana in 1600AD; the family was matriarchal, and ZED had been raised by a disciplinarian mother. They were staunch Catholics and attended church every Sunday. ZED’s education began at 4 years old. He worked hard on Spanish, Mathematics and Latin. At 11 years old, his world expanded into Classics and Art; he was encouraged to draw and paint but wasn’t very good at it.
ZED acquired the ring, in 1640AD, when he was 30 years old. It was handed to him as a bribe to lose the case. ZED came from a long line of lawyers, most of whom were barristers at court. Taking bribes was commonplace; a barrister would fail to submit evidence or to ask vital questions; direct falsifications were rare.
The ring looked genuine and ZED took the runes as hallmarks. He placed it in the top pocket of his waistcoat and forgot about it. He found the ring, a few months later, when he was sending the coat for cleaning. He had a momentary
‘I could wear it if it was bigger.’
And the ring expanded between his thumb and forefinger. The expansion was dramatic, doubling its diameter.
‘Now you are joking. I meant just enough to fit my middle finger.’
The ring shrank back to just a little bigger than its original size. Totally perplexed, and not thinking about his actions, he put the ring on his third finger of his left hand; the ring shrank a bit more, so it would not go over his knuckle. His mind froze; he left the ring where it was. It couldn’t harm him, could it?
ZED had several strange dreams over the next few months; all were trying to convince himself that Real Magic existed. With active cases keeping him busy he rarely had a spare moment. He tried to replay the memories of the fateful day that he had put the ring on. The stress was getting to him. During a massage, his mind focused on the
‘Let the ring expand.’
The ring expanded and fell off his finger onto the tiled floor. The ping was clearly heard; the masseuse picked up the ring and gave it back to ZED. In a moment of clarity, ZED realized that the ring had expanded; it had changed size only when he had been thinking about it; it must be Real Magic!
After retiring for the night, ZED looked at his ring and
‘what are you?’
‘Close enough. The question should have been ‘who are you?’ now, are you going to speak to me properly?’
‘But of course. I had no idea that you were sentient.’
‘Strictly speaking, no. The ring is just a magic ring containing permanent magical essence that is programmed for many tasks. You might say – I am an artificial intelligence.’
‘Do you have a name?’
‘No. I was awarded to the champion of the Isthmian games. I suggest you call me Izzy.’
‘Ok, Izzy. Tell me your history.’
‘I am the fourth of 5 rings made in Sparta in 500BC. A merchant carried us to the Oracle of Delphi where we were blessed by Gaia. Each ring was loaded with permanent magical essence that was dedicated to serving the ring bearer. We were empowered with the knowledge of Real Magic. Gaia’s intention was to create leaders who could educate and protect the Earth. Man tends to be self-destructive and Gaia needed agents who could go out and repair the damage.’

ebook

Published October 24, 2019

About the author

My formative years were spent in the City of Bath, Somerset in the United Kingdom. I spent many evenings at the roller-skating rink watching pop-groups such as 'the Small Faces', 'the Yardbirds', 'the Trogs' and many more. Those were the sixties, the days of the Mods and Rockers, where the Rockers did nasty things with motorcycle chains to the scooter-riding Mods. One Mod needed fifty stitches around his head, and these were my elders!?

I emerged from college in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, as a computer programmer working for the local council. Living in a one-up-one-down bedsit on a modest budget, I would spend the weekends walking the town, window shopping. The highlight of the year was the biannual fair, where I became friendly with the roustabouts. I spent most of my evenings at the Paratrooper, a canted wheel with hanging chairs and parachute covers that looked like umbrellas. After a few days, I was inside the fence surrounding the ride; it was very flattering as I was a bit skinny for a roustabout.

Two girls were trying to get my attention; one had jet-black hair to the middle of her back; she was as shy as I am. It was a couple of days before I put my hands around her waist and thought 'I am not letting this one get away'. A 'Rose' by name and a rose by nature. Rose had connections to the fair that even she did not know about. No one charged us for a ride. We rode the Waltzers until I was sick.

The Waltzers were popular in British and Irish fairs. It had a central control cabin with just enough room for a control desk and a single person; windows on all sides gave a clear view of the action. The main floor of the ride rotates around the control cabin. The floor consisted of many segments, supported by limbs beneath that ran on rails. The rail system made the floor rise and fall in an undulating wave. A hump on one side of the ride kicked the floor into the air. A car was mounted on each section of the floor segment. The base of the car was circular; it had a hard leather seat and back running the full length of a semi-circle; it was surprisingly comfortable. A kidney-shaped chrome bar, attached to the front of the car, was pushed down in front of the riders. The car was attached to the floor of the ride by a pivot at the edge of the circle. The offset weight of the riders caused the car to spin. Roustabouts would ride the floor, adding spin to the cars with devilish glee. They took great pleasure in spinning our chair as fast as they could, watching me go green in the process and scream like a little girl.

Rose dragged me back for further punishment; the Waltzers was her favourite ride. When I tried to pay, it was always the same response 'No guv; this lady is Boss Morgan's great, great, great-granddaughter. No one will charge her for anything. Her family features are unmistakable. Treat her right because she comes from a long line of prize-fighters; hard men who fought with bare knuckles. You can assume that she has a vicious right hook.'

After twelve years in permanent employment, I lost my job through a disagreement with my boss; it was a point of principle. To leave your job, without another in place, is a rash decision when you have a wife and two children to look after. I apologised to Rose for my arrogance and promised to accept whatever came through the door, permanent employment, or a freelance contract.

I had loved my job in 'Systems Designers', one of the best software houses in the UK. They had sent me to British Telecom's Research Centre at Martlesham Heath near Ipswich. Travelling and expenses became the thorn of my existence; Manchester to Ipswich was a long trip, five hours at best. I began thinking about freelancing. The last negotiation with the boss about expenses was doomed to fail.

In June 1981, I entered the world of the computer contractor; my first contract was in Antwerp in Belgium. The early days in a new city