When Forever Ends (Part 2: The Place with No Name)

XLIV

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F o r t y - F o u r

"If you know my future," I said, "then you must know which path I will choose."

The Wanderer nodded slowly. "You and I both know what you'll choose," he replied.

"Then do I really have a choice?" I asked, but it was a rhetorical question.

"How do I get out there?" I looked to Miracle, still sitting in the middle of the open.

He pointed behind me and I turned around, wondering what it was. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The atrium was still trashed and the halls leading off were still unmarked. "What-" I began, turning back to the Wanderer, but broke off when I saw that a ramp had appeared next to his desk leading down through the floor to the ground outside.

The little man gestured at the opening. "Your flight awaits," he said.

I began walking down the ramp when he called after me, "Wait! One more thing!" I halted and looked up at him inquiringly. "You can never speak of this place to anyone." I nodded, to show that I understood and he raised a hand in farewell. "Until next time!" he said.

I headed out onto the flat pavement towards the plane. As I got closer, the propeller on the front jerked suddenly and began spinning, as if yanked into motion by an unseen person. The whirring of the engine reached my ears, sounding loud in the silence.

I reached the stairs leading up to the door and took one last look at the Airport. Flat, strange architecture I hoped I'd never see again, though I knew it couldn't be. I looked out at the barren, ash-covered hills and was glad I wouldn't be back for a while.

I grabbed hold of the handrail and climbed up into the cabin. To my left was the cockpit. I stuck my head in, but there was no one to pilot the plane. A loud thud made me whirl around to look behind me, but it was just the door closing. I glanced at the few rows of seats in the passenger section of the plane and started in surprise. The Wanderer sat in the last seat, head back, eyes closed, as if asleep.

The engine suddenly got louder and rose in pitch, and I felt the floor begin moving beneath my feet. I made my way to a seat far from the Wanderer and sat down by the window as we moved along the smooth expanse of stone. I stared out the window and thought about the decision I had just made. I wasn't sure if it was the right one, but I realized that I just couldn't see myself taking any of the other flights.

The plane slowed and made a sharp turn, then I was pressed into my seat as the lone propeller spun wildly and dragged the vehicle across the runway, faster and faster. Then, with a slight lurch, we lifted off. I saw the ground fall away out the window and had a sudden urge to be sick. I took deep breaths to calm my unsettled stomach and instead thought about what awaited me at my destination.

I wonder what happened while I was here? I thought. Or will I return the moment after I left? I did not know what I might find at the end of my flight, or how I would explain what had happened here. I did not know what I would say to Erin, my long-lost, recently-found sister, or what that meant for my dad. I did not even know if I would ever make it home.

Miracle climbed higher into the hazy sky, dipping and wobbling irregularly, and angling towards the brilliant blue sun. It seemed we came close enough to touch its surface, to just reach out and trail my hand in its light, which was thrusting its way through the windows and filling Miracle with its radiance.

And just before the light blotted out everything, one thought burned bright in my mind. If I do somehow manage to get home, I will not be the same.