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.

Flash surmised that light hitting the wall at different angles during different seasons might account for a variety of projected images. This was more plausible than the thought of the stones being rearranged or replaced.

When night fell over the house, an orange glow from bedroom windows appeared, and stars twinkled above, he knew his ride was here. When he turned toward the balcony, he almost tripped over the metallic sphere that sat, nestled in the thick carpet.

“Is anyone coming with me?” Flash asked. It was no surprise when Lem slowly shook her head from side to side, then turned away.

“We have other plans,” Poikani said, and Bucket added in a reassuring tone,

“You have to do this on your own.”

Flash stepped out onto the balcony, and saw the colorful landscape stretching far into the distance. Without a second thought, he stepped onto the pectoral flipper that bridged the vast height, and climbed onto the back of the whale that was docked in the air.

As they circled the castle, he saw the walls flooding the courtyard with a rainbow of historical images. People were waving up to him as he passed above them.

The ground fell away as he went out from the plateau. The air was still, and pleasant. Here on Olo, he did not feel giddy or unsafe at heights, like he did on Earth, even though nothing secured him to the whale.

As the ground fell from the cliffs to lowlands, the trees became more dense. The trees of the forest shaded the colorful surface of the planet, yet their leaves seemed to contain the hues they grew from, but darker and more tree like. Rivers and streams cut through the undergrowth and cascaded down waterfalls which gave way to rapids, and widened into shallows.

The whale descended gently into a clearing, and then raised its great tail into the air. Flash began to slide down the ridge of the whale’s spine, first slowly, then faster as the bow of the animal continued to lower. He landed on his feet with a soft thump, and felt the coolness of the sparkling shadow engulf him as it rose.

Eventually, Flash got up, and opened the curtains. Light poured into the room, through the colored gemstones of which the wall was made. He looked back toward the bed to see the holographic image the light projected.

It was no longer a forest scene with fish swimming in the branches like the last time. Instead, he saw a house, whose lawn reached to the edges of the bed. It was a two story house with white siding, and a one story addition off the back. Flash recognized the home immediately. It had a stoop on the side leading into a covered entrance door. There was another door on the front of the house, with a small cement porch and a walkway leading out to the sidewalk. Above the front door, in black script, were the words “four sixteen.”

“We lived in that house when I was a little boy,” Flash said to Lem and Poikani. I can’t tell you exactly what they saw, because they were still on the bed, and it looked to Flash like they were inside the house. He could see them, and the other side of the room through the image.

He just looked at it, and remembered that it had been gray before the siding was added. A tall tree had grown by the side of the house, before the back was added on.

Bucket, who had been hovering in the room, moved toward Flash. When he glided into the beams of light, the image of the house moved. Sunlight reflected off the windows, and yellow light danced across the white exterior, and across the grass. He heard a peal of laughter, and saw a child enter the scene from the right, walking along the sidewalk. Under his arm, the little boy clutched a stuffed dog, and Flash whispered “Hush Puppy.”

The boy went into the house through the side door, which closed behind him.

“That was me,” Flash said in a soft voice.

“It still is,” Bucket said.

Flash and his companions descended toward the surface of Olo, and landed on the crystal plain.

The king and queen were there to greet him. They welcomed his family, and were all whisked away on whaleback to the castle, where a reception banquet awaited them.

Flash talked with the king, about all that had transpired since they last saw each other.

He told him of his concern that his presence might eventually cause harm to Olo, and yet he couldn’t seem to stay away. The king reassured him.

“You cannot cause harm to this planet. We are all here because of you. Of course you were drawn back to us. The colors on the surface flowed out of you. The images you see from high above are just the outermost layer. They run deep below the surface to the planet’s core. Olo is a painting of your life, past, present and future. You are safe because everything still and already exists. Every moment, with its mistakes and triumphs, is still here. Everything you love and everything you fear, is here on Olo. What you love on Olo is something lovable about you. You can go as deep as you want to go, but you don’t have to. Going or not going doesn’t change anything except your understanding.”

“I would like to see what is there,” Flash said, with a hint of hesitation.

He remembered when HollyGram took him back through his life, including his childhood, to the moment of his conception. He wondered if there was a connection.

“Tomorrow, a guide will take you to the cave.

Tonight, we will celebrate your homecoming.”

What a wonderful party it was. Everyone ate, drank, laughed and talked. Open ends were brought together. Apprehensions were resolved, and everyone appreciated each other for the very one that they were.

Everyone was there. Among the guests were PJ Raygun, Sgt. Snowpants, Crystal and Gravity, along with HollyGram, Ash and Krate. It was a star-studded event!

When Nebula X took the stage, everyone went wild. She could sing and dance for days and never tire. The light show that shot from her fingertips illuminated the ballroom of the castle. She was able to incorporate the jewels that were embedded in the walls, washing the party not only with colors, but pictures that pulsed with the music and told the story of Flash Meridian and the other guests in their journeys that brought them to that very night. When the party was finally over, and everyone left, she stayed and single handedly cleaned up the mess.

Flash went up to his room and slept. He slipped effortlessly into beautiful dreams where he felt secure, accepted and valued. The spirit of the celebration lingered after he awoke, like a faint, rejuvenating aroma. His talk with the king the day before had freed him from that pervasive feeling that he would destroy things simply by his presence. This world was formed by him and for him without him even realizing it. Whatever dangerous thing he might encounter already lived inside of him, so facing it was nothing to fear, it was just his to understand or accept. Fear could give way to love.

Flash felt happy, just laying in that big bed with Lem and Poikani still sleeping next to him. He didn’t know what time it was, but he saw the light glowing softly around the edges of the heavy drapes. The bed was comfortable. Not too soft or too firm. A heavy blanket covered him, right up to his chin, and it was neither too warm nor too cool. The air was still and silent.

He knew he would have an adventure today. Though he didn’t know what to expect, he did not worry, or try to guess what would happen. He only focused on his breath, slowly and deliberately inhaling the delicious Ololian air, and exhaling again. Each breath a complete story of beginning and ending. He noticed the subtle rise and fall of his chest through the bedding. Any stress from his travel had dissipated, and he was content.

Today I visited the home of a Flash Meridian follower/collector, and saw these items on her living room shelf. The action figure is from 2000.

“You are a function of what the whole universe is doing in the same way that a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.” ― Alan Watts

---

Flash called out to everyone aboard to come and see something.

Poikani got up and walked across the cockpit. The sphere followed him. He didn’t seem to have trouble making new friends.

Flash pointed out a speck of light in the distance and announced “that is Olo.”

Everyone felt a rush of joy and excitement.

Lem, Poikani and Bucket chattered, and the sphere vibrated, but Flash just stared wistfully at the spark, dangling there in space.

Very gradually, Olo grew as the ship approached. It was an ornament. It filled more and more of the view.

Flash used the geoglyphs to find his way, and was always on the lookout for whales.

The ship stabilized its position and Flash turned to his family.

“Is everyone ready?”

Poikani seemed hesitant, and motioned toward the sphere with a questioning look.

“Bring it.”

Flash had worried, on previous visits, that his presence would have a negative effect on Olo. On his journey through space, he came to the realization that he was not an outsider here at all. He hadn’t come into the universe, he came out of it, the way a wave comes out of the sea. Furthermore, there was no past to regret, and no future to worry about. There was only this present moment.

He was right where he belonged, and he was who he should be.

Or so he told himself. You see, Flash Meridian was unsure whether he actually belonged on Olo. As much as he loved it… as much as he wanted to feel completely at home, there was a nagging doubt that gnawed at the back of his mind. The problem may have been that Flash had never really felt content and settled anywhere.

He kept these thoughts to himself. He and his family were eager to land. They longed to stretch their legs and walk in the open air of the crystal encrusted plain. That is, those who had legs. Bucket could float, and the sphere could roll along. Flash looked forward to feeling the temperatures of the light that beamed from the crystals.

He opened the hatch, and one by one, they squeezed into the small pod. It was a tight fit, but they all managed to board, and the hatch closed tight.

With a soft thump, they were jettisoned from the ship. A gentle roll flipped the craft and they began their descent toward the bubble of atmosphere. Flash couldn’t help remembering the view on his first visit, when the whales skimmed the air just beyond the border of space.

He remembered his second visit, with his daughter, and how soon she was gone. What could he do? She grew up before he was ready.

It took the table of elements longer than usual. Longer than a lobster dinner or a ruby, anyway. What finally came out took everyone by surprise, and they all just stared at it for a while.

It was a sphere. Its surface was mottled red and brown. Poikani reached to pick it up, but it was too heavy for him. Flash retrieved it and set it on the floor. It landed with a thump.

What is it? Poikani asked.

It’s metal, Flash answered. Beyond that, no one could say.

It was a beautiful object. Simple yet mysterious. Elegantly minimal. Compelling.

Bucket offered to hold it.

Lem just stared at it from a safe distance.

Poikani stroked it. The surface was slightly textured. It was cool to the touch.

It’s vibrating, he said. Up close to it like that, he could hear a tinkling sound emanating from it.

Hello, he said, still caressing it, and he started to hum. The sphere hummed, too.

He likes me, Poikani said with a smile.

He didn’t look up, but continued petting the sphere and humming.

Flash was fascinated. He hadn’t expected life to inhabit forms that looked like inanimate objects. He looked at Bucket and mused Everything is alive.

Someone suggested that Bucket play some music for the sphere, just to see what would happen. When he did, Flash immediately recognized the tune. It was the music the mother ship had been picking up all this time. The ghost of a whisper that had haunted Flash, and had been woven into the fabric of his life. It had become the soundtrack to his journey through space.

That was you? Flash gasped.

Now he could hear the full range of tones without the static and gaps. It was a lonely nocturne that Flash found both beautiful and devastating. It had a sadness and urgency born of eons of isolation and longing. It reminded him of something he had heard before in the whale song off Olo so long ago. Imagine isolating the cello or bass violin from a symphony. It was like that. Music you could feel even if you weren’t sure you could hear it.

When the sphere joined in, they sang in unison, creating a wall of sound. Then it broke off into an unexpected harmony, and everyone was mesmerized. Even Lem. The music reminded her of Ino. She thought of all the things she had lost. All the friends and planetmates. She thought of Peck, and knew she would see him again soon. Seeing him would represent seeing all of it again, at least enough to say goodbye, maybe. Having that closure, perhaps she could move on with her new friends and family.

The sadness of the song made Flash think of his daughter and her son.

The ship was all that Poikani knew.

The music was all that the sphere knew.

The K. D. head added the song to the library of human knowledge.

Time passed for Flash and his family, as it has for us who follow this story.

Lem, who was naturally cautious, came to accept and even embrace Bucket. It was hard to remember a time before he came aboard. He fit in so well, and Flash remembered Bucket’s words. That he had been made as a special gift for him. At any rate, no one could come up with a better explanation. The story of a teapot orbiting Jupiter didn’t sound so far fetched. I think it’s true.

As the mothership traveled closer to Olo, excitement grew, and everyone strained to make it out in the distance.

Those who had been there before reminisced about its beauty, and these first hand accounts added to the information that appeared in the book.

Everyone was anxious to get to Olo, but no one had the feeling that it was taking too long. This was just life aboard a spacecraft. You get there when you do. No amount of wishing or being anxious would move the ship any faster.

There comes a time when the best plan of action… the only plan of action is to relax, prepare, and dream.

They played. As I told you, Bucket would lead trivia games. They weren’t like trivia games on earth. Flash was the only one aboard who had been to earth. Well, the K.D. Head had been made there, and because she contained all of human history, Flash didn’t stand a chance playing against her.

“Will I make new friends on Olo?” Poikani asked.

“Oh yes,” Lem answered. “Many new friends.”

This made Poikani happy, but also a little nervous. He was comfortable with those aboard the ship. They were his family. Bucket was the only new person he had ever met, and there was a transition when he arrived.

“It will be fine,” Lem reassured, though she recalled that her relationship with Bucket had been the most difficult. “It would be nice if you could practice along the way.”

“How can I do that?” He asked. “I can’t just say table of elements, make me a new friend, can I?”

Suddenly the system was activated, and began piecing molecules together to form something.

Flash was nervous. Could the table of elements create a living thing? Bodies are made of molecules, but could it animate them? He imagined all the things that could go wrong.

If a living thing came out of the chute, what then? If there was a problem, he faced the moral dilemma of sending it back to be broken down again, thus killing it. Not to mention that the system would be missing those molecules spent in its formation.

He agreed with Poikani’s reservation about asking such a thing, just as he questioned asking the universe for another child.

The wheels were in motion. Flash didn’t know if the process could be stopped, and the result of stopping it could be more horrifying than the end result, whatever that might be.

Ready or not, something or someone was coming.

Everyone aboard the mothership was excited about seeing Olo. In his anticipation, Flash fell asleep, and woke to a dream. He found himself in a desolate world. A dry, colorless world, lit with pure white light. The air was hot and dry, the landscape was coated with gray dust.

He walked, leaving crisp boot prints in the fine powder that blanketed everything. It softened the edges of anything that may lay buried. There was no wind, yet he trudged between dunes.

The sky was dazzling white. No cloud broke the blinding dome of sky.

Flash walked on, reminding himself that this was simply a dream. He was curious, but also longed to awaken again in the soft light of his ship.

On and on he walked, first up a hill and then across a muffled plateau.

He looked back at his path, which fell away behind him. Only his footprints broke the monotony of gray dust. It was so fine he couldn’t call it sand. This place reminded Flash of something he could not quite place. Perhaps the emptiness recalled his visit to Ino with Peck. There was something more.

He walked on. He walked onward and upward, and eventually found himself on a precipice where he finally caught a glimpse of color in this grayscale world.

Something in the valley before him glowed. A serpentine shape lay against the bland hollow, and on the other side of it, burned a rainbow of light.

Flash forgot about the heat, forgot his thirst and the weariness of his legs.

He raced toward the color.

The harsh light of this world pierced a low, winding wall of colored stones.

When he reached the other side of it, Flash Meridian found himself immersed in a three dimensional world of transparent light.

He followed the wall until he came to a dip in the terrain. Here, the light flooded through a deep section of exposed wall, projecting, in great detail, an image of Buffy, the queen of Olo, looking down at him as he stared, bewildered, up at her.

These were the ruins of the Ololian castle.

As he realized this, he woke in the mothership. He asked the table of elements for a glass of water.

Flash was relieved to know that it had only been a dream. Still, if Olo were to die like Ino did, and become a barren wasteland, the castle walls would continue working. That is, they would preserve Olo’s history in holograms for future explorers or archaeologists to discover. Their function was not dependent upon any technology. They didn’t need an operator, or even an audience in order to beam their message to eternity.

He thought again of Ino, and of Earth as it once was.