My occult nephew called. 

Harry Dresden and Sandman Slim agree that knowing an entity’s true name gives power.  I don’t know if the true name is just somebody’s real name or has something to do with pronouns, so he agreed to be referred to as “nephew Horus”.  Horus is his spirit animal or familiar or some damn thing.  Nephew Horus could explain it, but that might not help.

Nephew Horus is very intelligent1 .  Having taught AP Physics for 17 years and teaching at a summer camp for genius children, I am skeptical when a colleague would tell me that a particular student is very intelligent.  Early in my career, I was told that a student I’d have the following year, Tim, was very intelligent. 

After I’d had Tim for a year, I told Tim that “everyone says that he is very intelligent, but he might just be weird”.   Ten years later, Tim came back to visit after making a pile of money working for Microsoft and prior to moving to Japan for a new position.  He recalled that conversation, and agreed that he wasn’t smart, just weird.

Nephew Horus directs his intelligence toward the occult and fringe, and away from practical skills.  I have another nephew who is not academically-minded, but has an aptitude for practical skills.  He likes to work and is kind of a hoss, so we’ll call him nephew Horse.

If I had a problem with my house, I’d call nephew Horse since he can fix problems with drywall, plumbing, excavation or concrete.  If my house had a problem with me, I’d call nephew Horus since he can fix problems with hexes, evil spirits or bad juju.

Nephew Horus is currently in Fargo, and wants to return to Ohio after a failed romance.  When he told me that he didn’t have a credit card, I was ready for him to ask for money.  Instead, he asked if I’d consider flying to Fargo, renting a vehicle, and driving home with him.  Expenses would be covered by a third party.  His request was consistent with my retirement plan to be useful to my extended family, so I considered it.

Rather than fly out, this was an opportunity to try a long trip with the camper and Sparky.

My camper is a toy hauler, so has a loading ramp and open floor space.  Along with my truck, all of Horus’s positions could be loaded.  Checking Google Maps, Fargo didn’t look too far.  It’s just on the other side of Lake Superior, a thousand miles from home.  The trip would be all highway with pretty flat terrain.

Footnote:

Intelligent1 :  In the sense that someone can absorb new knowledge and understand novel concepts.  The kind of thing that is revealed on an ACT or SAT.  Being intelligent doesn’t make someone a better person, wiser or more likely to live a good life.