Sword of Stars

Epilogue. The End Belated.

Garek sat in Cecil's old deck chair and watched as his grandchildren chased each other around the yard. He rocked lightly back and forth and rubbed at the wood on the arm of the chair, thinking about his old friend from all those years ago. It felt strange to Garek that he was now older than the old man the last time he had seen him.

A light breeze blew through the clearing and the star shone brilliantly above Tearith after many years of relative peace. Garek breathed in deep through his old lungs and coughed despite the freshness of the air.

"I tagged you!" Saraa whined at her older brother Franc. Her moppy head of blonde hair had definitely come from her mother.

Franc stopped running and turned. "No you didn't!" he poked his tongue out and ran as Saraa leapt after him.

After a while of futile pursuit, the small girl turned her sights on her cousins. Rem and Katt bolted as she began her assault. Their hair was darker and had taken after their father. The same dark that Garek's hair had once been. He ran a hand though his now thin white hair and sighed.

Garek let out a rumbling chuckle as Saraa fell flat on her face trying to tag Rem. Her brother laughed extra hard, even going so far as to fall on the ground and roll around with his hands to his stomach.

Saraa stood up and brushed the grass and dirt from her face. "Poppa, Franc is laughing at me!" she complained.

"Don't worry about it my dear," Garek's voice now held a mature and wise quality that was only gained by age. Or so he liked to think. "When he falls down you get to laugh at him as hard as you like."

A smile lit up Saraa's face and she turned to Franc and poked her tongue out.

Franc frowned. "You can't always take her side Poppa."

"I always root for the underdog my boy," Garek called.

"Poppa," Rem said, looking at the sky. "What is that light up there?" He pointed.

Garek grunted as he used his walking stick to help himself stand. He made his way down the creaky steps and looked up.

A bright light hung in the sky and it seemed to be getting closer and closer. Saraa and Katt screamed as the light burst brightly, turning the blue sky completely white.

Garek covered his face with an arm as he shut his eyes tight. Spots danced around on the inside of his eyelids. "Cover your eyes kids!" he yelled.

After a few seconds he opened his eyes a slither and saw that the sky was once again blue. No sigh of the harsh light remained. That must've been what Cecil was talking about. Was that the event finally reaching us here on Tearith?

"What was that Poppa?" Franc asked as he blinked wildly and rubbed at his eyes.

"Is everyone alright?" Garek rumbled.

They all nodded. "That was scary Poppa." Saraa sounded on the verge of tears. "What was it?"

Garek slowly made his way back up the stairs and sat back down in his chair with a groan of pain, not unusual for one his age. He rubbed at his white stubble as his grandchildren gathered around, sitting cross legged on the deck in front of him. "Did I ever tell you the story of how some friends and I saved the world?" Garek asked.

"Yeah you've told us before Poppa," Franc said with annoyance.

"We never heard the end though," Rem said to his cousin.

The normally silent Katt spoke up. "We get to hear the ending now?" she said with excitement. Saraa giggled with delight.

"Why would you not tell us until now, Poppa?" Rem asked.