There was so much to take in. The cheering crowd, the laser lights, the whale, the royal couple. But Flash was focused on the baby.
Lem stayed in the ship while Peck disembarked and wandered into the crowd.
When Flash stepped out from the shadow of the TNI2, the colors bounced off of his silver suit, and he was engulfed in intense beams of dancing light.
At first, the light felt hot and seemed to shoot right through his body. Then he noticed that the blue beams pierced him with a cool sensation. Each color had its own temperature. This was secondary to the dazzling visual effect, and he took it all in as he walked toward Buffy and Skip. The baby stared, wide eyed at the happy commotion. Lem remained aboard the pod.
The King and Queen were in their finery, perched upon the back of the white whale, surrounded by their adoring subjects. Flash could not help noticing how different they appeared than the last time he saw them. Their confidence was apparent.
These thoughts bubbled up through his mind effortlessly, and then dissipated, laying the mental groundwork for everything else he would see and hear.
The whale tipped forward, gently lowering its rostrum toward the ground, and its tail fluke waved slowly in the air above the throng. As the riders slid, arm in arm, down the dorsal ridge, their royal robes fluttered and billowed. Moments later, they stood before Flash Meridian in the very spot where they had first met. The three shared a firm embrace, and the accolades from the masses were deafening.
In retrospect, Flash likened it to John Frum’s return to the island of Tanna, an historical fact, which many in the 21st century had dismissed as misguided fantasy.
The trio then turned, to look out over the crowd, waving.
Skip leaned toward Flash and said “welcome home.”
The whales began dipping their noses or pectoral flippers to the ground, allowing the people to climb up onto their backs.
At first glance, as Flash looked out over the Ololians gathered on the crystal plain, they seemed familiar to him. He had a feeling of déjà vu which flickered noticeably in his mind, but passed with the commotion of the scene.
The baby became heavy, and Flash’s arm began to ache. So much so, that he had to put her down. He was shocked to see that she could stand on her own. She looked so big standing in front of him. Whenever he glanced away, and then looked back again, she was bigger than she had been only a moment before. Was it something in the Ololian atmosphere that was causing this rapid development?
Flash turned to Buffy and Skip in a panic, and said “Look at my daughter! She has suddenly grown so big!”
Skip only smiled and said “Isn’t it funny how they do that?” And waved to the crowd.
Flash looked at Mad and said “I’m not ready for you to grow up yet.” But it was too late. An adult woman looked back at him.
The crowd began to disperse, and Flash said “What should we do now?”
“I’m going to the mountains,” Mad said, pointing toward the colorful peaks in the distance, and with that, she was gone.
What could Flash do? He loved his child, but she had grown so quickly, and left him standing there.
Buffy noticed the bemused look on his face and asked “what’s the matter?”
“Everything has changed,” Flash said.
Buffy only laughed and reminded him “You are on Olo. Everything changes here.”
It was true. Flash had seen the entire planet transform from a dull gray sphere into a vibrant paradise before his very eyes. In the short time he had been away, throngs of people had appeared where there had been a population of only two.
“You have to accept the changes,” The queen continued. “It won’t ever be the way it was. Enjoy every day. Every minute. Every breath, because the next one will be different than the last. Every breath, no matter how sweet, must be exhaled to make room for the next one. You are packing a lot of life into a short time.”
Her words resonated with Flash. He couldn’t be sad that his child had left. He was happy that she had come into his life at all. She was a portent of more wonderful experiences that still awaited him.