Morning light beamed through the open window of a small cottage, gently lulling the occupant from the dancing land of dreams. Flecks of brilliant color dotted the ceiling and walls. There was no rush, but the light invited Aino to participate in the new day it announced.
She stretched and slowly opened her eyes wide. She had been peeking for some time already, halfway waking and then drifting off again to surprise worlds her mind invented for her.
She rolled, fluffing her pillow, and then lay still a while longer.
The pools of light began to twinkle and vibrate from some movement outside. She smiled and waited, and then it came.
Aino! A deep, echoing voice called her name.
Her friend Bucket appeared at the window. He floated in the air, backlit against the brilliant sky.
As his name would suggest, his shape was cup like, and his voice boomed out from the bottom of the… bucket. He had to speak loudly when he was carrying items, as they muffled his voice.
Something protruded from inside him, and his silhouette made it look like he had a big hat or hairdo.
Come in! Aino called, as her foot emerged from below her blanket, and her nimble toes wiggled and stretched, reaching for the floor.
Bucket flew in through the window opening, and Aino could see that he was holding flowers. Ololian flowers are something to see! Not only are the colors magnificent, but the blooms will interact with you. If you put your nose toward them, they open to release the sweetest aromas you can imagine. They don’t always smell the same, the way earth flowers do. They trigger memories individual to their audience. You may get a whiff of your grandmother’s perfume, the smell of the sea, or spices. At other times, they simply offered up intoxicating aromas that grew naturally within them.
The flowers gave other gifts as well. They would open to reveal a small jewel, or treat.
For me? Aino asked.
Yes, I can hold them for you, Bucket offered.
Just set them on the windowsill, Aino suggested, you will want to hold other things today!
In no time, Aino was ready, and went out the front door. She inhaled deeply and stretched again.
Her home was in the foothills. Behind her cottage, colorful glasslike mountains rose, and in front of her, a valley sloped down toward plains in intense hues. I’ve hinted at it already, but I should tell you, she lived on a planet called Olo.

Every night, I fall asleep listening to The Adventures Of Flash Meridian. Yes, I listen to the sound of my own voice, reading words that I wrote. With each listen, I am teleported to Olo, and drift off to sleep validating myself, not out of vanity, but just gently remembering who I am. It’s easy for me to say this is enough. That I don’t care whether anyone else reads or appreciates my story. That is not entirely true. I want to share the gentle beauty and meaning that I experience. I long to discuss it with someone. At the same time, I wonder if it’s good. Silly thoughts! A friend listened to the whole story with me. At the end of each chapter, she yelled “More! More! I want to hear more!” She told me that it was good. And that I am good. I am confident that it will make its way to any who are ready and willing to hear it. If I’m wrong about that, I have loved it, and will continue to love it until my body vaporizes into a dust cloud, and I wake again to walk Olo’s surface.

[The great artist is one] who is never for a moment without the genius of childhood — a genius for which no aspect of life has become stale… master of that only too difficult art — sensitive spirits will understand me — of being sincere without being absurd.

– Baudelaire

FLASH MERIDIAN: From earliest childhood, Flash Meridian had been captivated by the night sky. After the sun dipped below the western horizon, he would stand in the treeless yard of his parents’ home and gaze at stars… planets… the moon… and dream of what lay beyond the highest traces of Earth’s atmosphere. Now he is engulfed in a night that never ends. Earth’s air-clouded view of the stars paled in comparison to the blazing orbs that looked like pin-pricks way back then. It seemed only natural that he would devote his life to the exploration of space and the radiation, temperature and other conditions of space.

ASH LANDER: Ash Lander is the definition of a hero. He is a highly intelligent and dashing figure, as well as a true friend. Who could be better to lead the search and rescue mission into the solar system to save Flash Meridian as he drifts through space?

KRATE AZIMUTH: Krate Azimuth’s impressive resume made it abundantly clear that he would be an ideal deep space astronaut. His working knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry was unsurpassed, so when men were needed for an emergency journey to the outer reaches of the solar system, his name was toward the top of everyone’s list. Despite his impressive credentials, Krate was a bit of an unsung hero, preferring to remain anonymous while others basked in the glow of the public spotlight.

CRYSTAL WEIGHTLESS: Crystal Weightless and her identical twin sister, Gravity were born under mysterious circumstances and left in the airlock of a space school for girls. The two were raised under the heavy hand of the institution’s rule book. Crystal found it difficult dealing with the strict guidelines which bound her, and as she grew older, she fought for her independence more and more fiercely. Mischievious as she may have been, Crystal had a good heart. After studying under the glaring lights of the classroom with the other girls, Crystal liked to go off by herself into dark, open space, and just float free. Nothing to tie her down, no one looking over her shoulder or distracting her from her dreams. Weightlessness was her drug. While the other girls studied inertia from books, Crystal experienced it first hand, honing both her mental and physical skills, and growing into a strong, capable space girl.

GRAVITY: Gravity and her twin sister Crystal Weightless were left as newborn infants in the airlock of the Federation’s training school for girls, where they were accepted into the fold of the institution and raised under a clinical watchful eye backed by the Federation. Gravity turned out to be just what the Federation preferred, a cookie cutter version of their ideal for young women. Studious, serious, sensible. Gravity was content to live her life by the rulebook, while she watched her sister fight for her freedom and individuality.

SLY WORMHOLE: Major Sly Wormhole was an officer with the Federation, and was usually stationed on Earth. As it turns out, Wormhole wasn’t cut out for his job. It started with missing office supplies and just got worse. Sly Wormhole does not play well with others. When it was discovered that he sabotaged the mission of Ash Lander and Krate Azimuth to rescue Flash Meridian, and attempted to kill them all, formal charges were brought against him. Lo and behold, Wormhole was nowhere to be found. Little did anyone know he had stolen a ship and was headed to Mars to finish the job he had originally set out to do.

NEBULA X: Nebula X is a multi-purpose fashion droid with self generating parts. She has universal linguistic and protocol functions, stealth and cloaking features, and high definition audio and video components as well as radar, heat vision and communications capabilities. She also has a long term sleep function so that she can be deployed to distant systems and remain dormant en route.

HOLLYGRAM: Holly Gram visits people in need and brings guidance and comfort. She is beamed into situations as a holographic image. Lost in the abyss of deep space? Never despair. Holly Gram can reach you. She is your guardian angel. Where does she come from?

SGT. SNOWPANTS: Sgt. Snowpants is a former soldier who now makes a living any way he can… repairing equipment, hauling freight [aka smuggling], or as a bounty hunter.

PJ RAYGUN: PJ Raygun, put simply, is a space cowboy. Like the renegade outlaws of the old American West, PJ Raygun is a loner. Dashing and debonaire, Mr. Raygun leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake, for he is constantly on the move. Pursued by the Federation, or just restless, PJ Raygun doesn’t put down roots. He loves the thrill of making his own way in the universe.

DOCK GALAXY: Dock Galaxy works for Nomicon, the multi-national, multi-planetary company that is planning to set up a colony on Mars. He’s a company man. Whatever is good for Nomicon is good for Dock Galaxy. He’s level headed and a hard worker. His opinion is the opinion of Nomicon. Give him his allotted coffee breaks and no one gets hurt. Hee Hee.

YOUNG FLASH MERIDIAN: As a boy, Flash Meridian lived with his parents on a Michigan farm. A contemplative and creative child, Flash always felt a longing for something he could not find in this world. Something he could not even name. The thing vanished as quickly as the longing came on, like a beautiful dream.

FIN MARTIN: Fin Martin is an eccentric scientist working in the vicinity of Washington D.C. in and around the year 1961. Because of his genius, his services are often requested by the government, particularly the Space program. When a strange ship known as the Trans-Neptunian Interloper suddenly turns up near the capital, Fin Martin is summoned by an agent of the U.S. Government. What he learns from this ship enables America to eventually place a man on the moon.

CELESTE VELA: Celeste Vela is a student at the Federation’s Training School for girls. She is a classmate and friend of Crystal Weightless and Gravity. Celeste is one of the more popular girls. Is this due to her natural charm and poise? Her sense of humor and infectious laugh? Her undying loyalty to friends? Or could it possibly be because she has her own spacecraft? Hmmm. You decide!

KD: If it’s true that Good things come in small packages, than what could be better than this little space girl?

COR EPSILON: Cor Epsilon is a Space Traffic Controller with Alpha Control on Earth in the 22nd century. It is Cor who is on duty the morning Flash Meridian’s radio transmissions are finally and miraculously received on his return to Earth after being presumed lost forever in space.

BERTHA: Bertha works for the government. In fact, she is a clerk in the White House under the Kennedy administration. Her job is boring and her workload is heavy. For entertainment, she spends her free time talking on the ham radio in her basement. One night as she scanned for friends to chat with, she picked up a signal from a guy pretending to be a space man. Or so she thought. She unknowingly talked Flash Meridian down onto a residential street in Washington. Flash was unaware that he had gone through a time warp on his return to Earth placing him over one hundred years back in time.

Over the past 24 years, Flash Meridian has been described as a hero, a superhero and an action figure. For a long time, I believed it. Those are natural descriptions for a futuristic astronaut, hurtling through uncharted space and encountering alien beings.

That is, until a 14 year old pointed out that Flash Meridian doesn’t DO anything!

He fixes broken equipment, and hikes distant planets at times, but he mostly sits in his spaceship sipping lattes and thinking deep thoughts about his life, the universe, and his place in it. Kind of like me.

He doesn’t really fight villains. He doesn’t possess any unusual strength or have any notable abilities.

I’m in the process of producing the complete audiobook. Friends who have listened to parts of it have not described it as thrilling, but rather darling, and have said that it helped them fall asleep. But in a good way.

I’m not offended.

I’ve described this as introspective.

When I used to do late night radio shows, listeners called in saying that my voice was relaxing. The music I played was melancholy. One listener even said my music was morbid. Ok. I just think it’s beautiful.

I’ve written guided imagery meditations specifically with relaxation and sleep as the goal. I fall asleep to the sound of my own voice every night.

This is what I do. I subvert a genre. It’s similar to the way I present the world in my paintings. You might think you’re looking at majestic old growth pines, only to later notice the fish swimming in the treetops.

I accept that my story is not the action adventure you might expect. It just happens to be set in outer space.

It comes out of me, with the themes and flavor that flow through me. That’s not unexpected. If it helps you fall asleep, it’s served a purpose. If it makes you think differently about life and death, it’s served a purpose. If it entertains you, it’s served a purpose. If it inspires you to express something that you find flowing through you, it’s served a purpose.

For my mom, who flew off to another world in 2020.

Flash could not believe his luck. Or should I say his Luuuk. Here he was, sitting in the sun with his grandson, looking at trees that towered over gigantic jewels that protruded from the forest floor. He had connected with himself in a way he never thought possible. He felt as if the past had never happened. He had never been hurt. Never been lied to or taken advantage of. At the same time, he had experienced it all. He could see his life the way he had seen the holograms in the castle apartment. He recognized the wear and tear of life, but saw it through the lens of his own childlike wonder and innocence.

He didn’t care what happened next.

This was not apathy or denial, but acceptance. He had no plan. The mothership was secure in Olo’s gravitational pull. His friends had their own free will, and only love bound them to each other.

Outcomes were not his to decide. He looked to the child for guidance, and only asked that he not mess this up.

Flash recalled how his child self reached out and took his hand, and believed that he could learn to trust again.

In that moment, Flash came to a realization. About himself, about Olo, about the people he had seen on the plain, and about something he had read in the book. He hadn’t thought much about it at the time. He had read that the population of the planet had arisen from the ground, and others had come from elsewhere. The ground he walked on was the outermost layer of HIM. The grievances surfaced from deep within him. It was all here. Everything he longed for was here, and he could access it. Everything he feared could be faced. Outside influences could still enrich him. He had found, at long last, the home he had desired. All his feelings of disarray fell into place in that instant. Everything was intact. Nothing was lost. What he thought was broken suddenly fit together like the crystal edifices, and he saw that it was beautiful. Like before, he trusted his grandson to guide him. It was purely out of curiosity when he asked “where are we going?”

“To my mom’s house,” Luuu said. “The rest of the family is there.”

Flash remembered the joyful duo that burst from the mountain cave, and his daughter’s discovery of more family among the reeflike peaks.

Luuu continued, “Your mom is especially excited to see you.”

So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us. – Gaston Bachelard

The child Flash looked sad, so adult Flash spoke to him. “Don’t be afraid. I am you from the future. I’ve come back to let you know that you will be ok. We made it.”

The image in the light just stared, wide eyed, and Flash wondered if he could hear him. As he thought this, the boy reached out from the shaft of light, and took his hand. This was not a hologram, but a real boy. Flash knelt down and hugged the child that he had been. “I’m so glad to find you again.”

When Flash looked at the child, he looked into his own eyes. It wasn’t like a mirror, this was a real person, someone different than him. Different and yet the same. This was him before all of the influences. Before the doubts and disappointments. This was a child just building his self image. Flash remembered the feeling, and hugged him again. “I love you,” Flash said, “I love you exactly as you are.”

It’s true. Flash loved this innocent version of himself, and wanted to provide him with everything he needed. Everything he needed to hear. “I am going to take care of you,” Flash reassured.

There was never a day when Flash changed into an adult. Every day of his life, he looked like he had the day before. Somehow, those imperceptible changes added up to a slow moving transformation.

“I want to bring you home with me.”

“Just remember I am inside you,” the boy said with a giggle. “I’ll go with you in your heart.”

If his life were a book, this child would remain in the early chapters. No matter how far he read in the story, his childhood self would remain, safe and indelibly printed on the first pages. He just needed to flip back, and he would see it there.

If this cave represented his life, the opening still sat at the other end, waiting for his return. With the options sealed off, he could see life for what it was. A straight journey from one end to the other.

If Olo were a painting of his life, the initial brushstrokes still lay at the core. As each step toward the surface expanded like tree rings or like layers of pigment, each one was a little larger than the last.

He could never leave this child, and this child would always be there for him.

The boy yawned and looked sleepy. Flash scooped him up and sat with his back against the wall. He cradled him, telling him happy stories about his life… their life.

In the soft white glow of the crystal, Flash fell asleep. Both parts of him slipped into a dream together. They dug for buried treasure in a sandbox. They pretended they were horses galloping through the playground. They drew lines in the dirt, creating the floor plan of a house they could live in together.

In his dream, the school bell rang. Little Flash ran into the building, and big Flash awoke in the tunnel.

When he stepped into the glowing white pillar, he was swept up at great speed, and found himself standing once again on the surface of Olo, beneath a rainbow arch.

“Sorry I took so long,” he said to Luuu, who sat on the bottom crystal. He sat next to him, and put his arm around his grandson’s shoulder.

“I just sat down,” Luuu said, smiling.

“Self study is a sacred act. The deeper you go, the clearer you see that awareness is a divine treasure.”

As Flash continued, the tiny specks of light in the ceiling grew, and began to illuminate his surroundings.

One of these ceiling lights protruded from the darkness above, and Flash could see that it was the bottom end of a crystal refracting light from the surface. Strange as it might seem, Flash had almost forgotten that he was on (or in) Olo. The darkness took away all sense of place or time, and now his sight was being restored. He could see that this was a long, straight passageway rather than a huge arena, as he had pictured it at first.

More lights appeared above him as he continued to walk on beneath them, and as he progressed, the gems produced beams of light that looked like spotlights or illuminated pillars. Within the beams, a slowly swirling haze caught the light, like dust particles hanging in the still air. He continued walking, sometimes stepping into the projected lights, as they became more frequent. A ray of red light caught his eye, not only due to the hue, but because he thought he saw something… a form or figure in the haze. On closer inspection, he saw only a nebulous cloud, and continued on his way. In another beam, he thought he saw a hand reaching out to him. In another, the hand was beckoning.

The shapes became more defined.

He now walked through a rainbow of light, and it reminded him of the time he hovered with the whales above the throng of acquaintances on the plain below, or when he plunged beneath the waves on the ocean planet.

The hands that encouraged him along, now seemed to be attached to misty bodies. The hands were no longer muddled. They gesticulated in an urgent, yet inviting manner along the still straight and unobstructed pathway.

This whole time, Lem was in the apartment in the castle. She had breakfast on the balcony, and enjoyed some quiet time alone. As the light changed throughout the day, the hologram also changed, and kept her entertained.

Flash continued walking through the tunnel. He was curious, yet confident, knowing that he was walking through a painting of his life. Like the cave, his life had been a straight road. Options not taken were not options at all, since they were not utilized. If he had taken any detour, he would not have arrived here. He would be someone else, somewhere else.

He continued on, though the lights faded away. It was much darker now. Not pitch black, but nearly. He knew what to do. He just continued walking straight ahead, the darkness didn’t slow him down.

Another light appeared, a white beam ahead of him in the distance. As he neared it, he saw a figure in the light. The nearer he got to it, the more distinct it became.

The figure of a little boy stood in the shaft of light, staring at Flash with wide eyes. Flash recognized him at once. He recognized himself.

“Hello,” Flash said quietly, the first word he had spoken since he entered the cave.

Flash was so happy to see his grandson, Luuu, he couldn’t think of anything else. He was much bigger now, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. The forest and the open meadow dissolved, and the whale, while not totally forgotten, swam right out of his consciousness.

“Where did you go?” the boy asked.

“I just took the long way back to you,” Flash answered. “I had to pick up some friends, and bring them back here. Besides, sometimes it’s nice to take the long way home.”

They talked about a lot of things, and both enjoyed being together in the shade, just on the edge of the forest. Eventually, Luuu asked “are you ready to go to the cave?”

Flash had almost forgotten. The child would guide him.

Yes, I am ready.

Luuu took Flash by the hand, and they walked together through dappled light. The shaded parts were cool and blue, but the sway of a branch could ignite hidden crystals into brilliant beams at any second.

Luuu walked confidently, and Flash felt safe, no matter how dark or steep the path. The boy sang while he walked, and sometimes said words that flowed from his imagination. Flash wondered what stories might be going through his grandson’s head, or perhaps what Luuu saw along the way that he had missed.

There was a lot to take in! Giant crystals jutted out of the ground, branches ranged from deep blues and purples to every shade of green you could think of. Beings flitted about above and around them, and everything vibrated in the shimmering light.

They may have walked for minutes or hours, feet or miles. Time meant nothing. The travelers just existed in the present, and watched the lovely scenes roll past them.

Nothing had to happen. Flash could have journeyed this way for eternity, never becoming tired or bored, never apprehensive about the path or what might come next.

Luuu led him up a natural stairway. Each step was a different color. At the top, they went down again. It was an arch of long gemstone crystals that would look, from the side, like a rainbow. At the other side was the entrance to a cave.

Luuu sat on the bottom step, and Flash peered into the darkness. He looked back at Luuu, who only shook his head. “This is as far as I can go.”

Flash remembered Bucket’s words, and knew he had to do this on his own.

Unafraid, he turned and vanished through the entrance.

It was dark. So dark, he couldn’t see anything. Not the ground. Not his hand. He looked back and saw his precious grandson sitting on the horizontal blue crystal. It was as though all light was just absorbed out of this cavern. The only sound he heard was his own breath. No. Beneath that, he sensed the rhythm of his heart.

He faced the darkness and stepped into it. The floor was smooth. He held his arms in front of him and walked slowly, so as not to hit a wall. He felt none.

When he looked back again, the illuminated mouth was gone, too.

He wasn’t afraid or brave, he felt comfortable, and walked on.

The words of the king came back to him. This was all a part of him. High above in the dark ceiling, he began to see light in his peripheral vision. When he turned his gaze upward, it was still black.

The further he went, the more distinct the starlike specks appeared. If he looked at one, it vanished, but the others, outside of his direct gaze, seemed brighter.

He continued straight ahead, never turning to the left or right, and thought this must be a simply enormous space.

His left arm grew tired, so he dropped it to his side. He picked up speed, in spite of the fact that an obstruction might be in his way, or the ground could give way to a chasm, and he would be lost in it. No matter.

Oh! The lights above him were definitely getting brighter. Bigger.

The whale swam away in the air over the trees, and Flash was left standing in a clearing. The light was bright. It reflected off the huge gemstone boulders that dotted the area, showering him with colorful beams. The whale had guided him here, but now it appeared he was on his own. He looked around, happy to be back on Olo. He was reminded of his first hour, when everything was new, and he didn’t know what to expect. That is how he felt again. He walked toward the trees. The shimmering air was warm, so he headed toward the shade. He stepped into a beam of blue light, and felt its chill. Then he heard the sound of laughter coming from the forest. He shaded his eyes with his hand, but could not see due to the glare. He blindly followed the giggle until he stepped into the shadows. There, he saw a child standing on a diamond outcropping, which jutted out from a net of woven tree roots.

“Grampa!” The boy called out, and Flash ran to him.

Meanwhile, Poikani, Bucket and the sphere went on an adventure of their own. The sphere almost got left behind with Lem, who stayed in the apartment. Bucket offered to hold him, and that was that. Peck met them in the castle courtyard, and they did all the touristy things People do on Olo. They saw the holograms of Olo’s history, which was interactive, and much more interesting than seeing it in the book. They ate lunch in the museum on the plain, and gathered a crowd of people asking questions. They were celebrities here.

After lunch, Peck and Poikani rode a whale through the treetops, and saw the fishlike aliens darting amongst the branches. Bucket and the sphere flew along beside them.

Olo was more wondrous than they imagined it would be. Poikani had only known the interior of the small spaceship, and Bucket had been all alone in space for eons.

Peck told Poikani stories about his mother and their life on Ino, which was a subject Lem didn’t discuss.

Toward evening, they returned to the crystal plain. The sphere was able to get around on its own, and Bucket’s dream of holding gems became a reality. He was finally able to feel the densities of various minerals in person, or should I say in bucket.