Flash Meridian rarely made plans. If he were invited somewhere, or summoned, that was different. He went.
On days like this one, he had nothing scheduled. He had his routines, like getting out of bed and eating breakfast. Even those were flexible.
He stepped back inside his apartment. It was cooler in here, but not dark. A kaleidoscope of intense color swept across the floor, and up onto any surface it could reach. This carpet of light was not the same as the holograms that formed on and above the bed.
It looked like a forest of tall trees growing up from the mattress, and Flash remembered the first time he had seen that here in his suite. Lem had been on the bed, shaded, and seemingly unaware of the underbrush that surrounded her, the stream that gurgled nearby, and the fish that swam amongst the highest branches.
I miss you, Lem, Flash said, surprised by his own voice.
He longed for the time when she had been present physically. He still felt her presence, and he was happy knowing that she was at peace.
A fish zig zagged down the tree, weaving its way through the boughs. It stopped in an open space between the top of one branch and the bottom of another. It stood out, silhouetted as it was, against the far side of the room behind it. It faced the unopened bottle given to him at the bottom of the ocean. Of course. He would spend the day with Lem. Or the morning. Or as long as he could.
He picked up a diamond goblet from a shelf, and opened the wine.
No lightning bolt shot from the neck, the way she entered the room on their first meeting. No blinding blaze or smoke. No charred smell. Still, he felt her presence already. The sweet aroma of the wine was like her.
He poured a small amount into his glass, and swirled it. The liquid seemed to come alive. He was hesitant, not wanting to waste a drop. Not wanting to run out.
He took a sip, and heard her voice.
Don’t worry. The bottle will not empty as long as you are alive.
He glanced to his left and saw her once again in the glade.
Oh Lem.

There was no talk of sadness. No regret. They were together, so they enjoyed the time. I won’t tell you all the things they talked about, but she did confirm that she visited him through the kindness of the whale calf.
She also described her view from inside the hologram. Can you guess what she saw?
That wasn’t a trick question. She saw tree trunks rising up. She saw the underside of branches, a sparkling stream, and the other side of the room through it.
She told Flash that that is what life is like. The details of the present moment surround us, and tower above us. She went on to say that when the hologram of life is turned off… when the drapes are closed, you will find a bigger, more real world, of which that hologram was only a tiny detail. Like when a play ends, and the curtain closes. Everyone goes out of the theater and back to their real life.
As you already know, the wine let Flash enter into Lem’s dreams. On this occasion, she took him to Ino. Flash had experienced her planet as a barren, lifeless place, shrouded in grief.
It was unrecognizable to him in Lem’s memory. Warm yellow light shone down on a colorful patchwork landscape. Beneath the bright flowers, whose blossoms were enormous, was a vibrant green. The ground cover was thick and cool. They walked barefooted, and the refreshing carpet beneath them balanced the heat of the dazzling air.
She led him down a row of houses, each in a happy hue. They stopped in front of a red door.
Come on in, Lem said as the door swung open.
The room was well lit and comfortable. It was filled with interesting objects. It’s impossible to say who enjoyed the conversation more… Flash, who asked about things, or Lem who told him about them.
When their visit was over, Flash understood Lem’s caution and reticence during their time together, especially aboard the mothership. He knew he would see her again, in another visit like this, or after the curtain call.