Fan Fic and More

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An Acquaintance in The River of Time

Chapter 50

L



On Jeroglasst, the Drax-ta-Kiya knew that the time had arrived. The river of time told him so… Not with words, as we know them, but it spoke all the same. The Drax-ta-kiya had only to feel the eddies and currents at the edge of the river. Each one had its own special motion… its own particular dance in the stream. They were different today. Some time during the night they had changed. It was nothing that most beings would notice. Most beings were not even aware of the river of time, much less of some small change in an eddy or current. But the Drax-ta-kiya wasn’t most beings.

The old man stepped out onto the front porch of his house and stood with his face toward the beautiful valley below. His white, pupiless eyes saw nothing, but he saw everything. A smile appeared on his face, as the morning sun warmed him. Looking toward the sky, the Drax-ta-kiya spread his arms, and his body began to shimmer. At first, it looked as though his clothes were being whipped by the wind as the sunshine danced on them. But then the “sunshine” began to spread out, as streams of bright light -billions of tiny molecules- escaped from his body into the air then into the sky above, leaving the place where he had stood only moments before empty.

On Antar, there was another who felt the change. Though only six years old, he felt the knowledge of ages at times… times when he would allow himself to also join the stream, not as a mortal, but as an eternal. He had learned what few in the universe knew… how to transform his mortal body into a stream of immortal molecules and join the eternal river.

Kryys Guerin had changed during the night. He had somehow become six again as he slept. He no longer remembered being fifty-three. He no longer remembered being the President of Alyendis… or future Earth. He no longer remembered the events of his other childhood, growing up alone as an orphan, learning to live on his own, struggling to make a life for himself. He only knew that he wanted to play hide and seek with his best friends, Maya, Andya, JoLeesa, and Alyyx Evans and his sister, Jayyd and brother, Zorel.

During the night, they had changed, too. Instead of fourteen, fifteen, and nineteen, they were now five, six, and eight again. And they, too, wanted to play. In one way, Kryys was different though. Even at the age of six, he had been more than six. Now, as he played hide and seek, Kryys felt something… something in the stream… something in the wind. The feeling that he was being “called” grew stronger and stronger. Finally, Kryys answered the call. He didn’t think about it. He didn’t debate it. He didn’t wonder about it. He just answered it… as naturally as answering his mother’s call to come and eat. Kryys began to change. First, his hair and clothes seemed to wave in the wind, then the sunlight appeared to sparkle on him, then he seemed to come apart, as streams and streams of molecules made their way into the atmosphere above Antar to join the eternal river of time that flows through the universe.

To anyone seeing the streams of billions of atoms or molecules spreading out and making their way into the sky above, it would be difficult to fully comprehend that these disembodied, seemingly substanceless, particles of light comprised a single living soul, a being as eternal as the river itself. But that is exactly the case. As Kryys joined the river and flowed with it, “he” was met by the one who had called…

“Kryys. I am happy to see you. I knew that you would come.”

“Yes, Master. I have much to learn.”

“And I shall teach you. Your powers are great. There is no other in the universe with the potential that you possess. I have known this for a hundred years. You are the one.”

“I am only six, Master.”

“The river is time, Kryys. In it, there is no beginning… There is no ending… There just is. I have seen you here. Now it is time for you to learn and to fulfill the potential that was given to you.”

“I understand, Master. I wish to learn from you.”

“Yes… You are everything I believed you to be, Kryys! Your power is enormous… And your being is pure. You will use it well.”

“Thank you, Master. When shall I begin?”

“You already have, little sun drop. You are learning even as we speak.”

“Master, will I one day again become the President of Alyendis? Will I meet the girl who would become my wife again? Will my child be born?”

“You see, sun drop? You thought that you were only six, but you remember them. In the river, everything is revealed. You have only to open your eyes. Look! What do you see?”

Kryys smiled. It wasn’t a corporeal smile, for indeed he had no face, no body, no hands or feet, no mouth to speak with… but he was speaking… and he smiled.

“Do you see, sun drop?”

“Yes, Master, I see.”

“Excellent! Return home now, Kryys. I will call for you again. Each day, you must learn something.”

“Thank you, Master. It is a great honor to be taught by you.”

Kryys reappeared slowly behind the tree.

In the river, the caller drifted on, then he began to rematerialize, too. Soon, he was again standing on his porch overlooking the beautiful valley below. He held his face up to the sunlight…

“No, Kryys… It is I who am honored… to teach the one whom you will become.”



<center>End of Chapter 50

tbc…</center>

<center> <<<<<>>>>> Children Of The Universe <<<<<>>>>> </center>



The River of Time Revealed

Chapter 51

LI



“Kryys! …Kryys! You can come out! We give up! …Look, Zorel, you call him. Maybe he doesn’t hear me,” Maya said.

“Kryys,” Zorel called, “you can come out. You win! We can’t find you anywhere.”

Kryys stepped out from behind the tree.

“I looked there!” Andya said. “I know I did! You had to have been hiding somewhere else. Where were you?”

Kryys smiled. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a good hiding place any more, Andya.”

Kryys didn’t want to say where he had just been; but in all truth and honesty, he barely remembered himself. The knowledge that was imparted to him by the river of time while he was a part of it did not seem to remain with him when he was not in it. Right now, Kryys was again only six years old, and he had no memories except those of a six year old. Perhaps, as he grew older, he would remember more.

On Jeroglasst, the Drax-ta-kiya smiled. “Tomorrow I will call you again, sun drop. Today went very well… I am immensely pleased.

Several galaxies away, the Krolians were pleased, too. There was a knock on Premier Strojis’ door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Admiral Borkelis came in.

“Sir, I have news from the Xarian, Zasharn Shaqor-Niseel Vredis Davor, that it has happened.”

“The Xarian Zasharn? Then, the Antarians…?”

“Yes, Sir …Just as our scientists predicted. Their children have returned to the age they were when Antar was thrown out of time by our ionic ray. Apparently, they do not remember anything from these past nine years… nor do the adults.”

“That will change with time, Admiral. Some of the memories will return. How much returns will vary with the individual, I am told. Most adults will regain their memories within a short time; the children will remember different events when they are the same age as they were when the events happened to them in the false time line.”

“That’s what I am told, Sir.”

“Well, Admiral, I guess this means we have a job to do.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I’ll contact the Antarian King Zan and ask him and his Queen to meet with us as early as possible so that we can prepare them for the memories that will be returning soon and explain what has happened.”

“Very good, Sir.”

It was two hours after sunrise when Max and Liz stepped through the portal into the offices of Premier Strojis on Krolus. Michael and Maria were with them, as often was the case when Max traveled off-planet. Max walked over to greet the Premier, and as he took his hand, he noticed that Shaqor was there, too.

“This must be important,” Max said. “I see we have representation from three corners of the universe.”

The premier smiled. “Well, not quite, but close, I guess. Zan, I have asked you here to explain some things before they happen… because we believe that it will be… easier that way.”

Max looked concerned. Michael leaned forward in his seat.

“What’s going to happen?” Michael asked.

“Perhaps I should have said, what already has happened,” Premier Strojis corrected. What is going to happen now is that you… well, Antarians -adults, at least- will begin to remember.”

Premier Strojis explained the events of the last nine years. When he finished, Liz and Maria were shaking, and Max and Michael were about two shades paler than they had been when they came in. Maria was the first to speak…

“Nine years? Nine years my children were away on some other planet as slaves of that perverted, foul-smelling, lizard-spawned Ghor named Hosk?”

Maria got louder with each word, as tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Michael put his arm around her to comfort her, but it wasn’t working.

“Where was I all this time? How did I just let this happen?” Maria cried. Beside her, Liz buried her face in her hands and appeared to be sobbing.

“Well, this isn’t going very well,” Premier Strojis said.

“Sir,” Admiral Borkelis reminded him, “Remember how we felt? And we were only out of time for eighteen days. They have to get over the feelings of guilt. They have to understand it wasn’t their fault.”

The Premier, the Admiral, and Shaqor spent some time going into detail about how the ray had made it appear that the children had all died and the heroic way Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Shaqor, and many others had fought to find the children and reunite them all with their families. He reminded them that every child had been found and saved. This seemed to have a calming effect, but they were still extremely shaken.

“Your memories will begin to return, possibly in as little as a few days,” Premier Strojis explained. “Your children will not remember anything that happened to them until they are the same age as they were when each event happened. Eventually, they will remember everything, but it will not all come to them at once. It is important that you understand these facts…

The ionic ray displaces the flow of time for those who are affected by the ray. It does not send them back in time. It basically takes them out of time so that, as time continues to pass normally for the rest of the universe, the individuals affected by the ray are trapped in a time bubble and age falsely within this separate bubble. The effect of the ray disappears when the events that caused it are reversed; in this case, when all the children were returned to Antar. At that time, Antar rejoined the natural flow of time at the point where it had left it. The children -and the adults- were again the same age they were when they left the flow of time. The rest of the universe, however, had continued in normal time those nine years. The Ghors that Shaqor banished are still banished and won’t be coming back. The planets with which Antar forged friendships all remember what happened and remain your staunch allies. They were not thrown out of the flow of time. Their children were kidnapped, not taken by the ray as the Antarian children were.

This may not be a true or precise equivalent, but maybe the best way to try to understand the flow of time and how it was affected by the ionic ray is to imagine a linear-conveyance processional vehicle on a long track…”

“A what?” Maria asked.

“Like a train,” Michael said.

“The blast of the ray knocked the car with the Antarians in it off the track,” the premier continued, “…while the rest of the passengers and cars continued on for nine more exits. Then, the Antarians put their car back on the track and resumed their journey at the same place where they had been knocked off the track. They didn’t go backward, and they didn’t simply stop existing during that time, but they hadn’t gone forward at all either. Like I said, it’s not a good or true comparison with time, but…”

“I think I get it,” Liz said. The others nodded that they, too, understood, at least in a superficial sense.

“Shag? You remember all this?” Max asked.

“I wasn’t on Antar, so yeah, I remember.”

“You missed out on losing nine years off your age, huh?”

“Shag smiled. “Yeah, I’m all tore up about it. Let’s see, I’m 12,000 and some-odd years old. Since I don’t remember how much the some-odd is, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“Can we go home?” Liz said. “I think I want to see my kids.”

Maria nodded. Max and Michael shook the Premier and the Admiral’s hands and thanked them then thanked Shag. Liz didn’t hesitate in calling for the portal.

By the end of five days, Max and Liz, and most other adult Antarians it seemed, had remembered most of what had happened. The children also remembered being transported by the ray onto Hosk’s ship and being told by Hosk that he had created them with his machine. But as yet, they did not remember much of anything else. And as children, they didn’t think much more of it. It was, for now at least, merely a curiosity.

Diane seemed quite happy this day, however.

“You seem to be in a happy-happy, joy-joy mood, Diane,” Liz said. “What’s your secret?”

“I lost nine years, but Dan was on Earth when the ray hit, and he didn’t.”

“Oh… is that good?”

“Well, he was seven years younger than me; but now I’m two years younger than him.”

“I didn’t know that, Diane.”

“Neither did anyone else. So let’s just not tell them, okay?”

Liz smiled and laughed. “Okay, It’ll be our little secret.”


<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>

Somewhere above Antar, in the river of time, a voice spoke…

“Can you see the end of the universe, sun drop?”

“No Master. I cannot.”

“Why is that?”

“There must be no end.”

“There is not. The universe is infinite, as the river of time is immortal.”

“Master Drax?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know this if you have never been to the end? If there is no end, and we can never reach the end, how do we know that somewhere there is not an end?”

The Drax-ta-kiya smiled to himself. “You are thinking as a finite creature, sun drop. Open your mind… Think as an infinite, immortal being… Think as one with the stream… Open your immortal eyes. What do you see?”

“Ah! I see, Master! You are right. There is no end.”

“Sun drop, I should like to have an orange. Will you bring me an orange from Earth?”

Kryys allowed his atoms to stream into the river. Within a moment he was on Earth. The Drax-ta-kiya was right beside him. Kryys handed the Drax-ta-kiya an orange from a tree.

“Thank you, sun drop, but there is another way.”

“How is that, Master?”

“Take my hand.”

Without any warning, the two stood on Antar.

“How did we do that, Master?”

“We became one with the universe for a second.”

“Is that a better way, Master?”

“It is faster… but there is no 'better.' It is only 'another' way.”

“Shall I try it, Master?”

“Of course. Bring me a Betonian Vinis.”

Kryys allowed himself to become one with the universe for a flicker of a moment that would have gone unnoticed to any mortal creature. He seemed to merely reach out and obtain the item requested, a small fruit. The effect was instantaneous.

“Excellent, sun drop! I am pleased. I will see you here again tomorrow.”

“Yes, Master! Thank you!”

“Tomorrow,” the Drax-ta-kiya said to himself, as he reappeared on his porch overlooking the scenic valley on Jeroglasst, “I will speak with the boy’s parents. They should know that he will one day be the one that he is to become.”



<center>End of Chapter 51

tbc…</center>



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A Lot of Explaining

Chapter 52

LII



“Did you want to see me Dad?”

Yes, I did… I do! Sit down, Alyyx.”

Max wasn’t used to this kind of talk. His son was, after all, only 7 years old. Granted, he had, until recently, been 16, but according to the Krolians, he should have no memory of that until he was 16 again… in the normal flow of time this time. Max’s concern was that his now 7-year-old son had 16-year-old desires. Max started to speak and coughed a bit…

Alyyx… I… uh… well, your Uncle Michael and Auntie Maria that is… saw you and Jayyd in the woods… uh…” Max breathed in slowly, deliberately… then out again.

“Kissing,” Alyyx said for him.

Max looked up with a stunned look. “Uh, yeah… kissing.”

Max couldn’t believe how much trouble he was having saying this simple, innocent little word. It’s not as though he hadn’t done it himself… and more… when he was younger, but he hadn’t been 7 years old, and Alyyx was his son. Alyyx was supposed to be… well, a little boy.

Max had all his memories back now, so he knew about Alyyx and Jayyd’s escape from Hosk on Gadyslar, and he understood their feelings for each other then… when she was 15 and he 16… but that wasn’t this Alyyx. The little boy sitting in front of him was only seven. Jayyd was only six.

“Alyyx, your Mom and I… and Jayyd’s Mom and Dad… well, we wondered why you wanted to kiss Jayyd now. We remember when you were on Michael’s Moon you ran from Jayyd. I was hoping you could explain it to me… What changed?”

“I guess my feelings changed,” Alyyx said. “I feel different now.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

Alyyx thought about it. “No… but… it’s just that me and Jayyd…”

“Jayyd and I,” Max corrected.

“Yeah… Jayyd and I… belong together now.”

“Belong together?” Max seemed troubled.

“Yeah, she’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Max said, “…a girlfriend! Well, I… I guess that’s okay. Is that all?”

“Yeah… I’m not old enough to get married, Dad!”

“I’m glad you know that,” Max said. “That’s all, Alyyx. I just wanted to ask you about that.”

“Okay,” Alyyx said. He ran back outside to play with the others.

Max walked into the hallway. Liz was standing there, and she had a grin on her face.

“That was real smooth, Max,” she giggled.

“I thought so,” Max said. He wasn’t sure if he should say “thanks” or throw a pillow at Liz.

“I didn’t know you were listening,” Max said.

Liz giggled again.


<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>

By some coincidence, Michael and Maria Guerin happened to be sharing a kiss themselves at that very moment, when suddenly the room began to brighten around them.

Maria tapped Michael on the shoulder.

“Uh, Michael! You make me see stars and lights, Galaxy lover, but something tells me this isn’t you…”

Michael opened his eyes and spun around, placing a hand in the air defensively, as he saw the swirling lights in the room around them. He wasn’t sure exactly where he should fire a blast if it were to become necessary to fire one. There was nothing solid there to fire at, just atoms spinning around in the air. It made him think of Kryys.

Kryys! No, Kryys would never invade their privacy in this way. Michael continued to hold his hand up. As the lights coalesced into a form, an old man stood before them. Michael noticed that the old man was blind. His eyes were all white; they had no pupils at all. Somehow, it seemed oddly disconcerting.

“Who are you?” Michael asked. “What do you want in my house?”

The old man smiled. Somehow, he did not seem threatening, but Michael was taking no chances.

“Who I am is unimportant; but since you wish to know, I am called the Drax-ta-kiya.”

Michael slowly began to put his hand down; but his muscles remained tensed, ready for action.

“Drax-ta-kiya? You’re that guy that the Krolian admiral, Admiral Borkelis, went to see.”

“Yes, Admiral Borkelis came to see me on Jeroglasst. Since then, I have also seen your son, Kryys.”

“You saw Kryys? Why?”

“That is why I have come,” the old man said… “to tell you why. But I think you will not understand if I tell you. I think that I must show you…”

The Drax-ta-kiya reached out and touched Michael and Maria. As he did, all three began to dissolve into billions of tiny bright molecules; and as they dissolved, Michael began to laugh.

“Michael…” Maria said as their atoms ascended toward the sky with the Drax-ta-kiya, “I don’t quite see what you think is so funny?”

“It tickles,” Michael said.

Moments later, the three stood next to the river of time.

“Open your eyes,” a voice said. It was the voice of the Drax-ta-kiya. “Look forward into the river of time… into the future. What is it that you see?”

“I see the river,” Maria said.

“And what do you see?” the old man asked Michael.

“I see the river, too.”

“Now look further down the river. What do you see?”

Michael and Maria both allowed their new forms to “look” into the future… down the river of time.

“I see… chaos,” Michael said.

“Chaos! Yes, that is a good description,” the old man agreed.

“The river seems to have exploded every which way,” Maria said. “It has no form, no boundaries, no destination. It looks like it just ruptured and flooded everything.”

“That, too, is a very good description,” the old man said. “…and quite accurate.”

“What does it mean?” Michael asked.

“It means,” the Drax-ta-kiya said, “the end of the universe.”

“Why are you telling… showing us this?” Maria asked.

“Because there is something that I have been able to see. If you look beyond the chaos, perhaps you may see it, too.”

“I just see eternal chaos,” Michael said.

“Yes!” the Drax-ta-kiya said. “…but that is from our perspective. Look again. There is a divergence.”

“Divergence?” Michael asked. He looked harder. “I think I see what you’re talking about. It’s… as though there are two possible futures. The chaos may continue after it begins… until all life -as we know it- is ended… or at some point, the chaos may be contained and the flow may be normalized again.”

“That is what I see,” the Drax-ta-kiya said.

“How can the chaos be changed,” Maria asked. “When will the chaos happen?”

“Ah, those are two very different questions,” the old man said. The answer to the first question is closer than you know. What I have seen is that there is only one… other than the Creator of the universe himself… who can repair the chaos and bring the universe back. That one is your son, Kryys. The answer to the second question is that there is no answer… none that I can see. The river is unreadable where it is destroyed. The time cannot be known… only the sureness that it will happen.”

“But… you mentioned the Creator… you mean God? Would God allow it… the universe… to be destroyed?” Maria asked.

“Perhaps that is not for us to know,” the old man said. “Perhaps it is our obligation to preserve what has been given us. If we are determined to destroy ourselves… our universe… the Creator can always start again… create something new. The answers have always been found in the river, child… if we look. The river is eternal, and it will continue after the chaos. The question is whether we, our physical beings that is, and our universe, will continue or not. And the river has told me that this universe, the one in which we live, and all life in it, will one day owe its continuation to your son… if it continues.”

That last part seemed ominous to Michael and Maria. “What can Kryys do? Can he change it by himself?” Maria asked.

“I do not know what,” the old man said, “and I do not know when. But I have seen that it is one of two possible futures. If the future includes us, it will be because he found a way. To help him… to give him every possible ‘tool’ he may need to do whatever it is he must do, I shall teach him all that I know. I must return to my planet now.”

Inside Michael and Maria’s house, lights swirled, as two forms, Michael and Maria, reappeared. The Drax-ta-kiya was gone.



<center>End of Chapter 52

tbc…</center>

<center> <<<<<>>>>> Children Of The Universe <<<<<>>>>> </center>



New Beginnings

Chapter 53

LIII



Maria and Michael looked at each other as their atoms coalesced into two recognizable human forms again.

“Do you think the situation that Kryys will need to fix is the same one he fixed before… you know, when the Earth was in such bad shape because of Lieutenant Jasper,” Maria asked.

“I don’t know,” Michael said… “Maybe… but that was just the Earth. Sounds like this is a lot more serious… the whole universe… the whole river of time.”

“Yeah, I know,” Maria said. “It does… and it looks like we’re not going to know when it’s going to happen.”

“Well, one thing I picked up when we were looking,” Michael said… “The chaos doesn’t happen in our lifetimes. If Kryys is going to fix whatever happens, he’ll have to do it by going into the distant future, but I couldn’t see when… only that it was not in our lifetimes.”

“Could you tell if it was before he became president or after that,” Maria asked.

Michael shook his head. “No… I couldn’t tell.”


<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>

Four weeks later, not far from Michael and Maria’s house. At the Valenti Ranch, a young pawgor emerged from the woods and crossed over the field to the front of the Valenti house, settling down on the porch to wait. It didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes, Danyy came bounding out of the house.

“Now there’s something that’s really nice to see,” Kathleen said.

“What’s that,” Jim asked.

“Danyy and the pawgor playing together again… I’m sure you noticed the change in the pawgor, too.”

“Yeah… the whole planet is nine years younger again.”

“Danyy’s pawgor was starting to act old and wasn’t getting around too well anymore… he had a kind of limp… and he always looked sad,” Kathleen said, “…but look at him now! He’s his old self again!”

“Pawgors can live 50 or 60 years,” Jim said. “He wasn’t really old… probably just getting a bit out of shape and maybe a little arthritis in the joints from moping around without Danyy to play with.”

“Whatever… he’s back to his old self now!”

“I can see that,” Jim said.

At that moment, Danyy came running into the house.

“Mom! Dad! Come out!”

Kathleen walked out onto the porch followed by Jim. She gasped, and her mouth fell open.

“Jim, we need to tell Max! He’ll want to know about this!”

On the porch was the pawgor, looking every bit the picture of health. At the bottom of the steps sat another pawgor… and three fuzzy little pawgors.

Kathleen approached them carefully, watching the young mama pawgor for any signs of aggression. But the young mama pawgor seemed to understand that these humans intended them no harm.

“Oh, they’re adorable!” Kathleen exclaimed, picking up one of the toothy little furballs.

Jim laughed. “You’re confirming the image of us, Kath! Who else on Antar would refer to pawgors as adorable!”

“Do you realize, Jim, these may be the first babies born on this planet in nine years,” Kathleen said, her eyes becoming misty.

The young mama pawgor edged over to Kathleen and smelled her hand then licked it. She then looked at Danyy’s pawgor, which in turn looked at Danyy.

“Mama… is it true?”

“Is what true, Danyy?”

“You’re going to have a baby, too?”

Kathleen gasped. She knew that the pawgor could tell things by smell and other senses, but this was information that Kathleen herself did not even know yet.

“Danyy… I… I don’t know. I have been feeling different, Jim. Maybe… it could be.”

Jim stood with his mouth open in stunned disbelief.

“Kath, maybe you should come in and lie down.”

“Oh Jim, if I am pregnant, I’ve still got nine months almost to go. I don’t move as fast as a pawgor.”

Jim smiled. “I don’t know, Kath, I’d say the pawgor’s got nothing on some of your moves.”

Kathleen smiled and flushed slightly… “Jim! Ixnay with anyyDay here!”

Jim grinned. “You’re talking pig Latin in front of someone who can read animals’ thoughts, Kath.”

Kathleen pursed her lips together. “If I didn’t think you were so adorable, Jim… Ooh!”

She smiled and kissed Jim, who put his arms around her and kissed her back passionately. The pawgors found their behavior amusing; Danyy explained that it was something humans did that sometimes seemed to cause babies.


<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>

Back at Michael and Maria’s, Maria sat staring out the window at the sky above.

“Michael, there’s something I want to do.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to go back and see Kryys again… the older Kryys… and see if he became president.”

“In 7,278?”

“Yeah, do you think Max would let us take the new granolith?”

“He let Admiral Borkelis! I’d say he’d better let me,” Michael joked. “I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem… I kinda wouldn’t mind seeing my 53-year-old son again, too. I guess that seems strange.”

“Not to me,” Maria said, giving him a kiss.

Four days later, the new granolith sailed into Alyendis’ territorial space and was promptly surrounded by escort crafts. Minutes later, as the group neared Earth orbit, the bridge of the new granolith glowed brightly for a moment. Then the light disappeared, and in its place stood two figures dressed in military issue body suits and helmets with deeply tinted visors.

The first intruder reached up and unsnapped a lock on the side of the helmet then removed the helmet all in one swift, smooth move. The intruder shook her head, and her hair fell down over her shoulders. Then the other intruder took off his helmet, too. He looked around the room, and Maria smiled as her eyes met his. He had Michael’s eyes.

Six minutes later, the new granolith glided smoothly as a pelican with its wings outstretched on the wind in over the Atlantic Ocean then over the Potomac River, tracing a gentle arch back around what was once Washington, DC, following the sleek little escort corsairs.

“Well,” Michael said, “The pentagon is still there… the Capitol… the White House!”

“Yeah, and there are still no streets!” Maria said.

Michael and Maria watched as anti-gravity cars below them zipped back and forth in neat, orderly patterns… but with no streets.

The military corsairs slowed their speed to slow forward as they passed over the airport and headed to the side nearest the pentagon. Michael sat the new granilith down on its anti-grav lock system about ten feet off the ground, and he and Maria transported to the tarmac below. There, they were met by the young man and woman whom they had already seen and several other young pilots and military crewmen who escorted them politely to a waiting anti-grav vehicle that resembled an extravagant, futuristic, black “Hummer-style” limo.

As it had before, the “limo” headed out of the Spaceport and directly across a field of grass and flowers, over a hillside planted with lilies and crocuses, and straight into the Potomac River! Michael and Maria still felt as though they should prepare to get wet, as the anti-gravity vehicle sped smoothly, without even slowing, right out over the water and on across to the other side as though the river weren’t even there.

“Cool!” Michael said again. “I could really get to like this!”

Within minutes, the anti-grav limo pulled under a covered entrance at the back of the White House then passed through two double-wide doors that opened automatically. It came to a stop inside a large room. The fly-up, gull-wing, DeLorean-style doors of the limo rose automatically, and Michael and Maria stepped out.

Michael sat down in one of the plush, overstuffed chairs in the room and helped himself to the mix of M&M’s, redhots, cinnamon sticks, and Jalapeño peppers in a dish on the end table.

“Kryys still has great taste,” he commented, stuffing a Jalapeño and several M&M’s into his mouth together.

Soon, two guards with white gloves stepped into the room from a hall on the other side.

“We have been asked to escort you to the dining room,” one of the guards said. “You are expected.”

Maria looked at Michael. “Expected?”

Michael shrugged.

As they entered the dining room, they noticed that the table was lavishly set. It was obvious that someone was expected here today and this was probably not an ordinary meal, even for the President of the World… if that’s what Kryys still was.

From a side door, a pleasant, nice-looking lady entered the room with several younger individuals. One of these was the girl who had appeared on the new granilith… and one was the young man who had Michael’s eyes. The two others with her appeared to be in their mid-teens.

The lady turned and looked as a man walked in. It was Kryys. He smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the lips; then the two of them walked together over to Maria and Michael.

“Mom… Dad… This is my wife, Lisa Renée. And these are our children…” He indicated the young man with ‘Michael’s eyes…’ “This is Michael Guerin II… and the young lady is his wife, Robin.” Kryys turned and motioned toward the older of the two teens, “This is our son, Noel Trasves, whom we named after my good friend Taz Valenti… and because he was born on Christmas Day, just as Taz was; and this, he said, motioning toward the younger teen, is our daughter, Crystal Jayyd. Crystal was named for my wife’s best friend and for Jayyd… as you can guess. We thought the names sounded good together and honored her best friend and my little sis, too.”

Michael said ‘hello’ to each one and shook his or her hand, and Maria hugged Lisa Renée then the others as they were introduced.

“Kryys, I have so many questions,” Michael said.

Kryys smiled broadly. “Let’s all have a seat. Then we can talk.”

Each one was directed to a place at the table.

“I knew you would have questions, Dad,” Kryys said. “Go ahead.”

“Where to start?” Michael said, wondering to himself out loud. “You seemed to know we were coming. I was curious about that…”

“I saw it in the river,” Kryys said, “…the river of time. It was no secret.”

“Can’t hide anything from you anymore can we, Kryys?” Michael said with a chuckle.

“Not much,” Kryys said, grinning.

“Did they find a cure for that Voracious flu thing?” Michael asked.

“Yes,” Maria wanted to know, too. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see the two of you both together! That was such a wonderful surprise!”

“The ‘Vorian’ flu… Yeah,” Kryys said… “When the ‘Vorian’ flu epidemic started, I found a cure for it myself using techniques that the Drax-ta-kiya taught me in order to tap deeper into the knowledge of the river of time and time itself. Hundreds of thousands of Vorians may have been saved by finding an early cure… I like to think so anyway.”

“Hundreds of thousands of Vorians,” Michael said, “and hundreds of thousands from other planets… including your wife.”

Somehow Kryys and Lisa Renée didn’t seem as stunned by this revelation as Michael had thought they might be. Somewhere deep within his own subconscious, Kryys either knew or remembered something. And as for Lisa Renée, she seemed to know, too, that she had been given a second chance at life with Kryys. Lisa Renée was extremely intuitive, and Maria surmised that she might actually have picked it up from Kryys himself without ever having had to ask. Maria noted to herself, too, the coincidence of the name, Renée, which means “reborn” in French.

“So… you still President of the World?” Michael asked. “I see you’re still in the White House.”

Kryys shook his head.

“Oh,” Michael said. “Well, being President of the USA and having your wife with you is better than being President of the World! It’s a matter of perspective.”

“That’s true, Dad,” Kryys said. “I’d be a beggar if that’s what it took to have her with me. But actually, my title is, ‘President of Alyendis and the Allied Planets.’ Oh! That includes Antar, by the way.”

Michael almost choked on his drink.

“Antar? You mean… you’re like… over Zan?”

Kryys laughed. “No. In the first place, the King of Antar still rules Antar, and that is one of Zan’s descendants. It will probably always be so. Never in the history of the universe has there been such a reign of prosperity, loyalty, and satisfaction as there has been on Antar these past five thousand plus years. But Antar is a member of the Allied Planets, which I guess is kind of like what the United Nations was supposed to be in your day but maybe never quite achieved. I’m still the President of Alyendis, too… my title just got a little longer. It’s a real pain when I have to sign official documents, I assure you.”

Michael laughed. “I’ll bet! Darn! I couldn’t wait to tell Max that you were the President of his planet! I may tell him anyway!”

Michael and Max were much like close brothers. In many ways, they maintained a very competitive relationship. In reality, they were best of friends… life buddies. And besides that, Michael was Zan’s loyal number one General. But Michael was always happy to best Max at anything, not in order to replace him or topple him …not to belittle or denigrate him, but just to say, “Here I am… on the top! I’m King of the Mountain! I did it!” …but they always returned to the status quo. It was, after all, as it should be. If Max were not the good King that he was… If they were not the best of friends, as they were… If a lot of things… it might well be another story. But everything was, they both knew, as it belonged to be.

Michael and Maria spent the rest of the day at the White House talking, looking at baby photos and photos of their grandchildren’s childhood, watching a game of football on TV, eating popcorn liberally doused with Tabasco sauce, and just getting to know Kryys’ family and their own grandchildren… grandchildren whom they would always have to travel over five thousand years into the future now to see. Then they spent the night in the Lincoln bedroom.

Maria settled into the bed and looked at Michael. He was sniffing the sheets and pillow cover.

“Michael… What in the world are you doing?”

“Just seeing if it’s true that they smell like Barbara Streisand,” Michael said with a grin.

Maria hit him over the head with her pillow. “How… would… you… know…” she said as she whacked him repeatedly with the pillow, “what… she… smells like… anyway!”

“Well, I don’t… but I heard she spent a lot of nights in the Lincoln bedroom,” Michael laughed, as Maria’s pillow continued to rain down on his head. Finally, tired of whacking Michael senseless, Maria fell into his arms. Michael wrapped his arms around Maria and buried his face in her hair.

“Ever since I lost you when Kivar destroyed the Earth before,” Michael said, “There’s always been only one smell that I could never get out of my head… That was the smell of your hair and your skin. It’s like… some kind of aphrodisiac to me, Maria.”

Maria raised her head and looked at Michael and a smile came over her face.

In the vast expanse of time that knows no end, a voice said, “Mary Todd, I don’t think you’d better be a’ lookin’ in the bedroom tonight.”

“Why Abraham? Whatever shouldn’t I be seein’ in the bedroom?”

“It’s… uh… gonna be actively occupied, my Dear.”




<center>End of Chapter 53

tbc…</center>

<center> <<<<<>>>>> Children Of The Universe <<<<<>>>>> </center>



Change… The Only Constant

Chapter 54

LIV



Somewhere in a galaxy far, far away (Imagine these words leaning and moving away from you if you wish)… Okay, to be precise, somewhere in sector Q97 of the known universe, an area of space that lies so far from any other planet that it would take several lifetimes in the fastest known ship to reach any other planet from it, a new planet has appeared from out of nowhere. Its name is Ghorbidfael. It has two moons, but one is considered small and relatively insignificant. The other moon, named Gadyslar, had, until recently, been the site of a very large, well funded, and efficiently run slave trading operation, with many underground chambers and cells on multiple levels that went all the way to the moon’s core.

The sordid history of the Moon of Gadyslar was now, however, just that… history. It seemed unlikely that it would ever see such activities again. In fact, life on the planet Ghorbidfael had taken a radical turn in recent months.

“Get back to work, Hosk! This road needs to be finished this month, not next year!”

“Aw, shut up, Krendahl! When did Ghorbidfael start needing new roads anyway?”

“When we started having to work for a living.”

“Ghors don’t work, Krendahl. Ghors sell slaves!”

“Not any more, Hosk, in case you haven’t noticed. We have to work now… and so do you if you expect to eat! We have laws now.”

“And that’s another thing, Krendahl… Ghorbidfael never had any laws before. That’s what was so great about our planet!”

“That’s ‘cause it never needed any laws, Hosk. You were always off the planet. Besides, Ghorbidfael was dependant on slave trade for profits before. Everything was accepted as okay then. Now we have to do… other things… things that require cooperation… and work!”

“You take this chain off my leg, Krendahl, I’ll show you some other things I can do!”

“Not a chance, Hosk! Dig! And talk less!”

“Who put you in charge, you mangy, gray scalawok?”

“The same council that put you out here, Hosk, with a chain on your leg, till you’re reformed.”

Krendahl burst out laughing as he said this.

“What’s so funny, scalawok?

“The idea of you… reformed! I figure you’ll be here for a long time, Hosk!”

“That’s what you get for figuring, Krendahl. I’ll be out of here and have my moon back. Then I’ll feed you to the Growligs!”

“Ooh, I’m scared, Hosk! Look around you! Look out there in the sky! What do you see? Do you see any stars? No! There aren’t any. They’re all too far away to see! Face it, Hosk… The rest of us have. Things have changed, and we have to change, too.”

“Never, Krendahl!”

Krendahl laughed. “That’s why you’ll be here forever, Hosk.”

Krendahl moved closer to Hosk, and Hosk instinctively started to pull himself up to his full height, but something in his memory made him quickly deflate again.

“You still thinkin’ about that female from Antar, Hosk… the one that clobbered you where you weren’t expecting it? Don’t think we don’t know about that here. The whole universe does.”

“Is nothing a secret anymore, scalawok? Is there no dignity?”

“Dignity? Dignity! Let’s see! I think I’ll look that word up, Hosk! Funny you should use it.”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t expect you to know it, Krendahl! You’re just a mangy scalawok! Dignity is earned… by ones like me who can crush ones like you until you show it to us… and like it!”

“That chain on your leg and this frodtak in my hands say that you’ve got that backwards, Hosk.”

“Only for now, scalawok!”

“Enough talk, Hosk!” Krendahl fired a shot from his frodtak into the ground at Hosk’s feet. “Get back to digging! We’ve got a road to build.”

Hosk picked up his yut and began to dig. Krendahl leaned back on a tree and watched him carefully.

“Yeah… there may be some advantages to this new life after all, Hosk… for some of us at least, those who can learn to change and adapt. You, on the other hand… I don’t know.”

In the infinite void of space, the planet Ghorbidfael floated on in its new place in the universe, far from any other planets or beings that it could enslave or harm. Krendahl was right, though. Ghorbidfael was changing. It had a long way to go before it would ever be considered a “civilized” planet, but change was happening. And nothing, not even Hosk, could stop change.




<center>End of Chapter 54

tbc…</center>

Christmas With
The Children of the Universe

Chapter 55

LV



Three fuzzy little pawgors carefully pranced around on the snow, delighting in stalking something moving just beneath the surface. Every now and then one would pounce and trap the “snow-bogie” with a great flourish and show of delight. The mama pawgor, watching her three toothy little ones play, seemed to be satisfied to enjoy their “hunt” vicariously. She looked over nearby to watch Danyy come sliding down the snow-covered hill on his belly. Right behind him was his bosom buddy, the young male pawgor, her mate. A little further down the hill, a young Orstosian “ember,” seeing itself directly in the path of Danyy and the pawgor, flashed and leapt into the nearest tree, melting a large bowl-shaped depression in the snow where it had just been. As Danyy and the pawgor slid down into the hole and up and out again on the other side, they became airborne momentarily. The pawgor landed on the snow again backwards and spread-eagle with Danyy now draped across his back sideways. Odd as it might have seemed, the mama pawgor seemed to be laughing at them…

Max and Liz were thrilled. Everyone was having fun, and it was looking like the day was going to be a total success. There were Dragon children, Leafvian children, Droufa children, Growahnit children, Yargishi children, and children from over twenty other planets, including many Antarian children besides their own. There were also a good number of adults from each planet, and everyone seemed to be having the greatest time of their lives!

Maria and Liz were giggling and thoroughly enjoying the sight of Michael playing Santa, something he had done once before. In fact, Liz and Maria were reprising earlier roles themselves…

“Come on Candycane! Come on Snowflake! Let’s mingle! Hop to it! No standing around!”

Oh! Did I mention… Isabel was reprising her earlier role, too… the role of “Christmas Nazi,” as Michael had called her when Isabel had organized Roswell's Christmas festival. Michael had been Santa, and Liz and Maria had been his elves, “Snowflake” and “Candycane.” Today, they were playing those roles again. Isabel grinned, and "Snowflake" and "Candycane" grinned back. Today was all in fun. And today was different in one other very important way. Today, it was alright if the kids pulled “Santa’s” beard off or knew that Liz and Maria were not really elves. That’s because today, what everyone was really waiting for while Michael and the others entertained them was for the “real” Santa Claus and his real reindeers and elves to show up.

And today, everyone was a child again.

"This is so exciting!” Kathleen said to Diane and Dan standing beside her. “I can’t wait to see the reindeers actually flying overhead and Santa’s sleigh land."

“I want to see Rudolph!” Diane said.

Yep! You heard right! The real thing was coming. This was guaranteed, because, after all, they were at the North Pole at Santa’s own workshop. Mrs. Claus was there… She and several elves had passed out hot chocolate and lots of other “goodies,” and soon, Santa himself would be returning with presents and lots of good cheer for all.

“Santa’s on his way, Dears,” Mrs. Claus told the children. “He won’t be long now! I got word that he’s flying over Canada at this very moment.”

The fact is, Christmas, as a holiday, was unfamiliar to most of the planets represented here today, but the concept of goodwill to all and joy and peace on Earth -or on whatever planet each one was from- seemed to strike a chord that every individual could identify with and appreciate fully. And as for presents and lots of goodies, well… every child in the universe seems to be cut from one mold… They all get goose bumps and wide eyes just thinking about it.

“Can I please have another soft charcoal-tar candy cane?” a young Orstosian “ember” asked Mrs. Santa Claus.

Mrs. Claus, who it seemed was always prepared for everyone, handed the little Orstosian whirlwind of gas vapors another soft charcoal and tar candy cane with a smile, then she handed a candy cane made of light-as-air sugary cotton candy wisps to a Leafvian child.

Naturally, Mrs. Claus explained to the children that the spirit of giving was what made this part of Christmas special, not the getting… “We all love to receive, but remember that the joy of giving is far greater than the joy of getting,” she said, repeating this message each time she handed out a candy cane, a cookie, or some other “goodie” to a child.

As she spoke, suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. Everyone looked up in the sky. Santa was coming.

"I hear sleighbells," Mareeya and Ceelya Whitman exclaimed together, excited.

"There he is!" Taz shouted, pointing toward the horizon. Everyone looked up. Sure enough, there was Santa's sleigh gliding through the sky in the distance pulled by his team of flying reindeers.

Soon, they could hear Santa himself… “Ho! Ho! Ho! Meeeeerry Christmas!”

The sleigh and the reindeers passed right over their heads and made a wide arching turn around the landing area. Then Santa brought the sleigh smoothly in on its runners, sliding up beside the waiting crowd… and what an unusual crowd!

The children rushed to touch the reindeers and pet them. Diane patted Rudolph on the side and touched his nose, which began to glow brightly.

“I don’t believe it! It really glows! I don’t believe it!” Diane said over and over.

Santa handed candy canes out to all the children -young and old- then walked over and sat down in the chair that had been used earlier by Michael when he was pretending to be Santa. “Candycane” and “Snowflake” helped the real elves line the children up, and the elves brought sacks of presents over to Santa.

Liz-Jolee z’Varec was first in line, hopping into Santa’s lap.

"Is your beard real, Santa?"

Santa laughed and invited her to tug on it. Unlike Michael’s beard, Santa’s was clearly real, she decided. After talking with him, Santa gave her a present.

“Thank you,” Liz-JoLee said politely.

“You’re welcome, Liz! Merrrry Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho!”

Next on Santa’s lap was a Leafvian child. The Leafvian, called a “fern child” by Max and the others when they originally found them, weighed nothing at all… literally. It actually floated just above Santa’s lap. Its voice was soft and melodic as it explained to Santa that it already had the greatest present it could ask for… It was back home again with its parents. It was also grateful for meeting special friends like the Droufas and especially grateful for the wonderful ones who had rescued them and showed them so much kindness. It wished there was something it could do to repay the rescuers, and it asked Santa to be good to them.

Santa smiled and handed the Leafvian child a gift. “Here is a gift that I know you will like, little one, but the greatest gift is one that you already have. For you have in you the real spirit of Christmas. Merrrry Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!”

Santa’s eyes twinkled with delight as the Leafvian child floated off his lap and away to open her present. Suddenly, there was a flash, and an Orstosian “ember” leapt into Santa’s lap. Santa was prepared, however.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa said to the little whirlwind of gasses, “Have you been a good little girl?”

The Orstosian assured Santa that she had.

“Indeed you have!” Santa agreed. “And such a bright little ember at that! You want to grow up to be a flame-preserver and a civil protector, too! Those are big goals! …and good goals… a doctor and a civil protector!”

“How did you know that?” the little Orstosian asked Santa.

“Ho! Ho! Ho! I know!” Santa said… “I know!”

Santa gave her a gift, and she flashed from his lap back into the snow.

Next on Santa’s lap was a Droufa child.

“Ho! Ho! Ho! What have we here?” Santa laughed merrily. He knew that something was sitting on his lap, but all he could see were two big eyes looking at him.

“I am Ryobit, a Droufa,” the child said in a voice somewhat deeper than might be expected of a child, Droufa voices being deep “bass” in tone.

“Well, Ryobit, what would you like for Christmas,” Santa asked… but he already knew the answer.

“I would like something that I can give to my friend, Whist. Whist is a Leafvian, and he couldn’t come today. His family is all slightly sick from leaf wilt because they were in the sun too long at the beach. Now they must stay in the house with their feet in the water for two days until they are replenished.”

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa laughed. “You shall have it! Here is a present for your friend Whist… and here is another present… for you!”

The little Droufa smiled. Normally, a Droufa’s mouth is invisible like the rest of its body, but sometimes if a Droufa opens its mouth wide enough, one can see it; and Ryobit’s mouth was one big smile. Even his eyes seemed to smile, but no more than Santa’s.

The next child on Santa’s lap had to lean over in a big arch to talk to Santa. It was a Yargishi child. He stood 12 feet tall, though on average, he was only about as big around as a soft drink can.

One by one, Santa saw each one of the children… the Droufas, the Dragons, the Yargishis, the Antarians, the Growahnits, the Douradians, and all the rest, and he gave each one a present. Each child went off to open his or her present and play with it. The little Orstosian ember got the Orstosian equivalent of a toy doctor kit, which contained real tars and warmer coils, and a glow badge that actually glowed and identified her as a protector of her planet. Another Orstosian girl ember got a doll… one that swirled like a mini twister and flash-jumped on command. One of the Dragon children was already learning to ride the sled he got from Santa, and others were chasing little flying bird-like toys or toys that hopped or scurried around in the snow. Some of the Leafvian children got glitter and gauzy ornaments to place on their multiple little branches and others got Leafvian storybooks made of a gauzy material that almost floated in the air. Santa seemed to have it all, and somehow he seemed to know just exactly what each child wanted or would like the most. It was magical.

After all the children… and a few of the adults… had sat on Santa's lap, some in the group sang songs and had punch or eggnog. Many of the songs were traditional songs of their own planets and not really Christmas songs, but the spirit of the effort was the same. “Snowflake” and “Candycane” tried bravely, with some slight success, to teach some of the adults and children of the many different cultures present “Jingle Bells,” “White Christmas,” and “Silent Night." Though the “carolers” understood little or nothing of the words they were “singing,” they were all anxious to get into the spirit of the day and gave it an outstanding effort, serenading the others with the carols they had learned.

“Merry Christmas!” Liz shouted.

“Merly Chrima,” the Dragons and others shouted with her.

“And Happy Hanukkah!” Kyle shouted.

Liz looked at him and smiled then repeated the greeting.

“Haply Hankah!” the Dragons and others all shouted back.

“Good one, Kyle!” Liz said, “Do you know any more?”

“Just that,” Kyle said. “I thought we should all be as one today… I mean we’ve got Dragons and… swirling embers… and Leafvians… and who knows what else… and in the end we’re all one big family.”

Liz, Maria, Michael, and Max all raised their glasses. “I’ll second that,” Max said.

“We’ll third and fourth it,” Liz and Maria said as one.

“Who wants to ride in my sleigh?” Santa asked.

All of the children and about half of the adults rushed over to the sleigh. Santa laughed, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” Over the next hour, he gave everyone who wanted to ride a turn in the sleigh, carrying several at a time. Michael and Maria, Kyle and Jeliya, Alex and Isabel, and a few other couples got private rides together with Santa. Liz and Max did, too.

As they glided silently high above the North Pole, Liz leaned into Max’s arms. “It’s a little chilly up here.” Max put his arms around her. Liz looked into Max’s eyes and smiled. He put one hand behind her head and tilted his own head slightly until their lips touched. Liz put both arms around his neck and returned the kiss. Both of them just hoped Santa was a good driver who always kept his eyes “on the road.”

All too soon, the day drew to an end. Shaqor, Liz, and MayaSabriena worked together to send the guests back to their homes through the portal. A few were still enjoying the snow and the hills or the goodies in Santa’s workshop. All in all, it had been a wonderful day and a huge success.

Max looked at the little Hjiti. He was smiling from ear to ear. Max was, too.

“Well,” Max said, “You truly are Frebel-Ish, the maker of fairytales! This has been the most wondrous experience, my friend! How can I ever thank you?”

“You can come again and see the rest of my planet,” the little Hjity said. “Thanks to you, too, Zan. “This North Pole and workshop with the elves will be one of my favorite places to visit of all the creations on my planet! This was a wonderful idea.”

“You’re welcome,” Max said.

“Santa looked so real!” Liz said, still smiling.

Diane nodded, “Yeah! And the reindeers… Did you see Rudolph! He was adorable!”

“Now that I know what they look like,” the little Hjity said, “I will make them for my North Pole, too.”

Max looked at the little man. “What do you mean, ‘Now that you…’”

The little man smiled. “I didn’t make Santa and the reindeers yet. I wasn’t sure what they looked like when I created the North Pole, the workshop, the elves, and Mrs. Claus…”

“Well, if you didn’t…" Maria started to ask, "then what was…” She stopped and swallowed.

Diane looked up into the night sky. Far out in the distance, among the stars, she could just make out a tiny streak making its way through space. In front of it, every few seconds, there was a tiny reddish glow. Everyone stood, speechless, and watched, as it disappeared into the depths of space in the direction of Earth.

As they prepared to go home, too, a little Dragon child Michael had rescued from the caverns on Gadyslar bounded across the snow and jumped into Michael’s arms. It was his little friend, the one that seemed to have become so attached to him. The little Dragon pressed its mouth against the side of Michael’s face…

“Merly Chrima, Mike-el.”

Michael grinned. “Merly Chrima, Kiraugo.”