Keeping Time

Chapter 19

There was a mournful silence after the portal closed. Through the cheering of the villagers who had come out of hiding and took off their inter-dimensional wrist bands, and the Vampires whom hearts began to beat again and whose eyes slowly turned back to their normal color, sat Kadmon staring at the sky where he last saw Maoko.

Adam put his arm around him and Kadmon sobbed, both united by the love they had shared for her.

Then a blast. A splash of purple light appeared. Everyone ducked.

Maoko fell from the sky onto the sand, her body making a small thud when it hit the ground.

Kadmon ran to her and put his ear to her heart. She was alive.

Maoko slowly opened her eyes.

"Maoko"

"Hi Kadmon"

"You're alive"

"It's just as well"

"But how?"

"There were beings full of light and taller than I had ever seen in my life. They asked me if I wanted to go back. I said yes"

"Did you see Queen Justina and Queen Manevola?"

"Yes, I did in fact. Though they were paying no attention to me. They simply had too much to catch up on. I also saw my sister for a while."

"And?"

"She was happy to see me but she said I needed to go back to help build the nation of Indonesia."

"Did she say anything about me?"

"She said you need to be on your best behavior"

He laughed

Showa stared up into the sky where the Queens had left.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered

Myst turned to her and put her hands in hers.

"We do what we always do. We continue on living and helping the human race."

"Yet we can't do it without a Time Queen."

"It's true. We need a Time Queen and a Time King."

They turned to Lux and Adam

"What?" they both said in unison

Myst knelt and so did Showa. Maoko and Kadmon knelt as well.

"It would be our honor," said Myst, "To serve your majesties."

"Rise," said Lux "Hug me. Come on you guys."

The girls hugged.

"Suppose it's true," said Adam. "I guess we need to get hitched."

"That's the least romantic thing you could utter" laughed Lux, elbowing him in the ribs.

They all said goodbye. Myst, Showa, Adam, and Lux leaving on the time machines. Kadmon and Maoko walked back into the woods with their hands around each other's waist.

Maoko and Kadmon both helped rebuild during the rebellion that soon followed in Indonesia - in which the Indonesians declared their own national sovereignty.

After, they moved to Hokkaido. Kadmon, traumatized by the war, smoked and died of Lung Cancer. Maoko died afterward in the 1993 Okushiri tsunami.