Episode 44: I Know Who You Are

A blip appeared on radar, so Flash tried to bring it up on his screen. If it was an asteroid, it was a very small one. It wasn’t moving like an asteroid. It appeared to be a very small ship. And it was approaching.

Flash grabbed his radio. “Identify yourself”, he said.

He only heard static in response. Still, the unidentified object was closing in on his ship.

Flash was not worried about the approaching object even though he didn’t know what it was. All he saw was a blip on the radar screen, and all he heard was static, yet the object felt very familiar and comforting.

“Do you read me?” Flash tried the radio again. “This is Flash Meridian,” he said.

“I know who you are,” a voice said. It was either a weak signal or a very quiet voice. Not quite a human voice. The sound of it filled Flash with a sense of nostalgia.

When Flash was, at last, able to see it on the screen, he could hardly believe his eyes.

“Geronimo and Comanche?” he asked in disbelief. This made no sense to him at all.

“When you were a child, you played with us. We are but two of many come back to see you.”

“Many what?” Flash asked, though he already knew the answer to his question.

“Childhood memories,” Geronimo answered.

“How is it that you are here… In outer space?” he asked.

“We are everywhere you are. Playing with us, you made us a part of you, and thus gave us life. That little corner of your mind… A place you haven’t thought of for a long, long time… A place you may not even remember… That is where we live.”

“But I do remember you. Can you come aboard?”

“We only needed you to ask”

With that, Flash found himself face to face with two of his favorite old toys.

“You’re much bigger than I remember,” Flash observed.

“You are much bigger than we remember.” Geronimo smiled and Flash looked into his eyes. “As you grew, we grew. As you learned, we developed. Being a part of you, we benefitted from everything you saw and experienced. Even subconsciously. We are the parts of you that you aren’t even aware of.”

“I thought you were lost,” Flash said, stroking Comanche’s face.

“Nothing is really ever lost. Every detail is still here,” Geronimo said, touching Flash’s forehead. “Every face you’ve ever seen in a crowd. Every word you’ve heard. Every detail. We come back from time to time. When you are ready. When you least expect it, we might appear.”

“I’m glad,” Flash said. He felt so happy and fulfilled. “Wait. You said two of many…”

“I did,” Geronimo agreed and pointed to the screen. Flash only caught a glimpse before everything began to disappear. He felt as though he were being pulled, or sucked out of the room. The next thing he knew, he was waking up, with an overwhelming feeling of longing to return to that dream. It wasn’t the toys he longed for. It was the innocence of youth. The security of being cared for by loving parents. The wonder of discovering the world for the first time.

This was Flash’s experience, not a fantasy. The passage of time had changed him, but those life changes only built upon his formative years.