Inspired by Arthur C. Clarke

We all have virtual mentors - figures whom may have passed away or not within reach whose work we so admire that it plays a part in shaping our own.

And when you reflect on the impact of your mentor, there's most likely a scene or event that you can place yourself at which is your year zero of your fan affair.

Like many scifiers I was heavily influenced by Arthur C Clarke's writings. Oh and Marvel comics.

I'd bought a futuristic manual at a bric a brac shop, second hand which became a reference book to turn to, particularly when reading Applied Chemistry at university.

Clarke' super science had chemisty centre point playing an extraordinary role - the possibility of fission. For a novice chemist and dreamer like me it was manna from heaven.

Clarke's forsight about Sat comms, coupled with a few others I'd come across: E.M Forster's The Machine Stops and Vannevar Bush's As we may think telegraphed this bizzare unimaginable world with something we now call the Internet.

The Internet under ARPANET was some way off.

Science Fiction has done a lot that we can be thankful for.

Though thank goodness though they've stopped killing off the black dude in sci fi films after the opening credits.

I remember hsoting a radio prog a while back when this actor made a strong case analysing Sci fi flicks which in the first half,the black dude goes, then the woman - though I didn't know at the time, but the censors would not let you show a woman being shot on screen or suffering a fatal death.

Right where was I....

Yes, so today this morning I came across this; a neatly typed series of letters in a book I'd written to someone with a strong underlying pretext . The date: Tuesday Dec 1990 8:13 PM. .... the spoils of youth eh?

Dadawoman pondered to peer at the universe from the hatch of her helius II shuttle. It was peaceful in he pod. The flickers of light and irredescent flames from distance stars made her recall memories from the parrallel universe thirty light years ago.

She had met mongoji-arantula and shared quark-filling moments with his amber. They had been warm; the light they bathed in as they emerged under the amber inducing rays that brought goose pimples over her thorax.

It seemed like yesterday, when she was caught in the cross winds; her life turned sideways by her decision to pilot a solo mission to the Agorra.

Faustian-kye had inadvertently colided with her pod. She toiled to keep her hellius under control.

It appeared at first she would collide with the planetary particles. She wracked her inner self for what seemed eternity. She could have blown the hull gasket to lessen the gyrations but that would have meant sacrificing toto, her pet cheecho.

Her thoughts were truly symbiotic. Cheecho would stay whatever the costs. It was a rare species to be celebrated from the Agorra triangle. Warriors fought to the bitter end for a chance to return with one. She had acquired hers through exceptional circumstances.

{ EDIT 4 PARAS}

Dada gave a final burst to the fuel injector; her videodell having captured her mood asked in seminal tone:

"Dell 1 wants to know why Dada, strong in faith, looks so sad".
"There are somethings even a hyperintelligent computer like yourself dell will never understand".
End ++

If I ran an institition I'd hold a class called "Dreamers!"