It occurred to Flash that he may have made a mistake leaving Olo. He understood that mistakes are only made in hindsight. In any given situation, we do the best we can, and when faced with a choice, the strongest motivator wins out. Buffy and Skip had been the only other residents, so there was no place for him. Now, those who had been dormant had risen from the ground, and many others had been attracted, as he had, to the beautiful little planet. Was he too hasty in departing?
He longed for the colorful planet which had attracted him since before its transformation, and he read in the pages of the Ololian book that its inhabitants longed for him, too.
An uneasiness came over Flash Meridian. He was no longer satisfied to be alone in the mothership which had been his home for so long.
Every second, he sped further from Olo, with no destination in mind.
He glanced at the K. D. head for a moment, and then instructed it “Take me back to Olo.”
The ship began a subtle but definite change of course, arcing in an enormous curve that would send him back in the direction he had come. Unlike the violent slingshot he had chanced in the original TNI, this was practically imperceptible. Not as agile as the TNI2, at least the mothership was maneuverable.
There was more gravity pulling Flash deep into the cushions of his chair, and his arms felt heavy, but when the ship eventually pulled out of the turn, everything seemed exactly as it had been before. Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed. For the first time since escaping the black hole, Flash knew where he was headed.
It would be a long trip, but not as long as a journey into nothingness.
The ship knew the way back to Olo, so, in a way, Flash felt like he was just along for the ride. He could eat, read, exercise and sleep while the onboard computer did all the work.
The trip now reminded Flash of summer vacations he took with his family when he was a child. Not only because of the anticipation he felt about his destination, but also because those were carefree road trips with his father at the wheel. His mother would say “Go to sleep, and when you wake up, maybe we will be at Grammy’s house.”
Flash was so anxious to arrive at his destination now, he told himself
“Go to sleep, and maybe when you wake up, you will be at Olo.”
Try as he might, Flash was unable to fall asleep. He reached for the book. Before opening it, he looked at the cover, remembering the day he retrieved it. It had been so precious to Buffy and Skip, and then they cast it aside. Now it had become precious to Flash.
He couldn’t understand how a book could speak so specifically to him, or how a book could write itself the way this one did.
Parts of the book read like movie scripts, telling of colorful characters and grand adventures. Other parts of the book read like an Ololian newspaper. Still other parts were like personal letters from loved ones. He could always find what he needed in the book.
One thing he never saw in its pages was a list of rules.