The Second Wave (32 page)

“You stayed.”

This time the words weren’t an echo in his
mind. They were spoken out loud. They startled him out of his
trance-like concentration. There was no doubt who had said them, he
didn’t have to open his eyes to see her. Her image was so vivid in
his mind; all her feelings, thoughts, hopes and wishes made her
stand before his mind’s eye as he had never seen her before. He
opened his eyes, just to make sure, and there she lay before him in
the ever changing, glistening light of life, as if no harm had ever
come to her. The cheeks pale, the eyes bright, the lips rosy; a
beautiful constant in the never ending maelstrom of noise that was
filling up his head.

“Does it ever stop?” asked he, certain she
would know what he was talking about.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Her
voice wafted towards him, so much clearer than all the other voices
combined, “Close your eyes for a bit. It will help your
headache.”

He did. It was still a lot to take in. But he
had a long time to learn. She took his hand. “It feels so good to
be home.”

“It does indeed,” he agreed.

He helped her up at last, and together they
stood, arm in arm, and watched the life that unfolded around them
at a dizzying speed. Complete serenity washed over him as he
realized he had indeed come home. It wasn’t where his path ended,
it was merely where it changed direction. Life was just beginning
for them.

They closed their eyes and listened.

* * * *

No longer in need of a shield to protect them
from the atmosphere on Earth, the set of government buildings
outside Rome, known as Wormhole HQ, bathed in the afternoon sun.
The sky was spotlessly blue, almost turquoise and the sun’s rays
were warm and lush.

It was only the fourth day since the climate
had so rapidly changed, and people were still in awe of it all.
Engineers, assistants, administrators, even Bob from the
cafeteria—everyone was outside, walking on the luscious, green
lawn, just relishing the light, the warmth and the soft, warm wind
in their hair.

The only two people not outside were, in
fact, Tom and Phil deLuca, who were suspicious of sunlight. They
preferred the iridescent glow of their computer screens. They
stayed cooped up in their lab, played their games and, every once
in a while, checked the wormhole connection, which was as stable as
never before. Whatever minuscule movements Earth and Alternearth
made previously had stopped. The two planets were in absolute
synchrony. So that was one task off their to-do list. Which, as a
result, meant: more time for the two geniuses to play their
favorite game.

THE END

* * * *

ABOUT LESKA BEIRKIRCHER

Offspring of an Italian/German family in
Germany, Leska attended a Catholic all girls school before going on
to university to get a degree in Japanese. She lived and worked in
Japan for a year as a kindergarten teacher, then underwent teacher
and theatre pedagogics training. She is currently a classroom
teacher in Alaska.

She told stories even before she could write
them down, and was always fascinated by words and language
(according to trustworthy sources, a.k.a. parents). As far as the
written word is concerned, nothing is safe from her—novels,
drabbles, poems, plays, scripts; she tries everything at least
once.

Her passions include tea parties, all things
edible (first and foremost chocolate), science-fiction in any form,
researching, and snow.

When Leska isn't in front of a class
teaching, or working on another novel, you're most likely to find
her at home, daydreaming about other worlds. Her lifelong dream:
Produce her own TV Series and write blockbuster screenplays for
Steven Spielberg!

ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

JMS Books LLC is a small
electronic press specializing in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender fiction (including erotica, romance, and young adult),
as well as popular and literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
While our preference is for GLBT stories, we accept stories
containing any and all sexualities, as well as general fiction
without a romantic subplot. Visit our site at
jms-books.com
for our latest releases and submission
guidelines!