The song stopped, and the last of the prisoners stood up. Cosmo ran over to where his father had been held, and then knelt down looking for traces of his presence. There was nothing, not the tiniest particle of gray dust, just a big void echoing in his heart. Even Scarface’s bone medallion had already evaporated, disappearing into the pocket of shadow. Cosmo turned towards Titiana accusingly, while the others hugged each other. But he didn’t have a chance to voice his reproach because their prison had fallen to the ground. A new person had entered who was greeted with a variety of salutations. Known by different names, the Walnut Man, the Master of Time, Titiana’s elderly protector, he appeared in those incarnations. And a few more. The form he was in when Scarface had been his disciple and the one when the Duc had sworn his allegiance to him. He had come to take back his seat, right next to the leader of their domain. Her right arm and advisor. He stopped Cosmo from speaking.
“She didn’t have a choice, my boy. The despicable worm would have done much more harm to your father than evaporating him. And you can believe me that he won’t be neglected.”
“But why was he here? He should have been in his laboratory working with his equipment.”
“He had to come. It’s thanks to him that all these people you had met were able to join you here. Without his sacrifice, Lalea would have been lost. And undoubtedly even worse. Our universes are connected, and there are even others.”
Still on his knees, Cosmo pleaded, “But I don’t understand, I don’t understand. Why all of this? Why us?”
“That’s the way it is. It’s been written since the beginning of time. The princess needed you as much as those on Lalea did. You also have your own magic, even if you don’t know it.”
“Magic! What kind?”
“That’s for you to discover. Alone.”
The Master walked away from Cosmo and spoke to Merlin.
“They’ve been here long enough. And you, too. It’s time for you to take them home.”
“But...”
“You really believe they’re ready to take back their handicaps? Who would want to? But it’s up to you to convince them. Quickly. It would be a shame if the potion you used to come here were to backfire. We have work to do here.”
The Duc and Titiana followed him as he passed through the opening in the wall, and then they disappeared.
After several moments of greetings among friends, Aidan’s reanimation, and one story told after the next, Merlin got on with the task he’d been given by the Walnut Man. He felt an itch under his skin and deduced that he was feeling the first of the side effects of the famous potion. He was now in a hurry. Which wasn’t the case for his students.
Arthur wanted to make sure Titiana was going to be fine, Albin wanted to help eradicate any remaining of evil on Lalea, and the inhabitants wanted to organize a dinner in their honor. None of them felt any urgency to leave.
He took each one aside and reminded them about their world. Arthur’s mother was suffering at her husband’s bedside and didn’t have the courage to let him die, Albin’s father regretted having neglected his son for so long, Sara’s parents had lost all interest in their family trips, Aidan’s parents, he had nothing to say there, and as for Cosmo’s mother, she already had one mourning to face. He played with their feelings of guilt, the most formidable of weapons. And also that they weren’t from Lalea. For the moment, during this celebratory time, they were accepted, but how long would it take for them to be looked at strangely, to be avoided? At home, they could improve their situation, but on Lalea they would never really belong.
Merlin was eloquent. The tingling of his fingers and toes made him even more convincing. Sara was the first to give in, and Albin certainly wasn’t going to let her return alone, though he tried to negotiate a delay. The mention of Arthur’s mother brought him back to reality, and Aidan, ultimately a follower, copied them. Cosmo remained silent, not ready to make a decision. They respected what they took to be mourning, and together they headed out of Midway, trying not to look back.
The friends they had made during their journey didn’t see them leave. They were watching what had been Scarface’s prized home implode to the ground and disappear. Streets were festive again, stomachs were pleasantly full, and children ran out of reach of their parents with revived schlirbs at their heels.
They were crossing the bridge when Finlay caught up with them and grabbed Arthur’s hand, his face filled with pleading. Arthur was torn between his mother who needed him and this world that he could protect. Cosmo wanted to help him make up his mind.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.”
Everyone stopped in their tracks, everyone except for Merlin who was trying to move them along.
“I’m staying here. I’m not leaving. Don’t look at me like that. Why would I go back there? My father’s dead, and I’m now responsible for myself. Even my mother won’t ever believe me. And then what would I do? Tedious research on this or that phenomenon, typing on adapted keyboards? By the time I got my theories typed into the computer, ten other people would have already published theirs. No! My place is here.”
Albin, attempting to reason with him, expressed what he was trying to forget.
“You think it’s better here? We don’t know anything about this world, we don’t understand anything. How long would it take before you accidentally offended them and ended up in prison? Everything we do is different. Oh, me too, I’d love to be able to stay. But it’s not possible. And then, you know, we’re not alone. People are waiting for us. You want your mother to lose both a father and a son at the same time?”
“Don’t worry. She’ll do just fine without us. I was always in the way of her career. I wasn’t presentable. Being a female scientist is already difficult. And then a child...” His voice broke into a whisper. “handicapped on top of it all.”
It was Sara’s turn to convince him.
“We have to go back. Not only for us or for our family. But we’ve learned something here, haven’t we? Standing tall or not, we’re different. We’ll always be different from everyone else. But maybe...maybe we should stop hiding and begin assuming our purpose in life. We still have a mission.”
Since no one seemed to understand what she meant, she continued.
“We have to teach the world that we’re not lesser beings just because we look weak. We have to show them that we, too, are worthy. Here, we learned to fight back, even though we were strangers, to move forward no matter what was ahead of us. Back there, we’re going to have to move forward, too. And...as it is here, we won’t win that battle unless we stick together. As those who helped us here even though we were different.”
She was right. They weren’t sure how they would go about it, but they hadn’t had any idea on Lalea, either. It became easier to return home carrying the torch of superheroes with a mission. Yet, when they asked Cosmo once more if he would come back with them, he wouldn’t change his stance. Merlin, more and more upset, began hearing a countdown in his brain. Time really was ticking for him, and he felt less and less inclined to mediate the discussion about who was or wasn’t coming back with him.
Titiana came up to them from behind, followed by the Master of Time. She seemed to have already learned enough tricks to magically show up.
“Let him stay here. He’s right. It’s been a long time since the master had an apprentice. I just did away with the last one.”
“You mean to say—”
“Yes, even the Great Wise One makes mistakes. But Lalea still needs young Cosmo. More than your world does. His role here isn’t finished.”
“Wait a moment, Mr. Walnut, or whatever your name is. What exactly do you mean by ‘his role isn’t finished’?”
“Nothing more than what I said. But the pages of time still need to be turned before he learns why he was created. Leave without fear, my young friends. But leave now; your companion is losing patience.”
They turned towards Merlin as the Master of Time pointed
at him. He was trembling and visibly turning paler. Aidan still wanted to add to the discussion, ask a question maybe, but realized they were alone. Titiana had spirited away, bringing along with her the Master of Time, Cosmo, and Finlay. This time they no longer had a reason to linger, and so they gathered into their altered circle. Several seconds later, their footprints were stamped into the wet ground.
CHAPTER 29 NO STORY IS EVER TRULY FINISHED
The story stops here. For the moment. The heroes must continue to dream the next pages of their story.
Upon return, Albin and his friends absolved Merlin by accusing a tall man with a long scar on his cheek. Cosmo’s mother finally found solace and went back to torturing her interns. Arthur helped the doctors convince his mother to let go of her husband. He’s thinking about becoming a doctor. His friends are discouraging him from becoming a surgeon. Aidan was finally able to walk, but he’ll never be able to run. At least he will have learned that he doesn’t need to be on a field be a part of a team. He introduced Albin to a certain blonde, but Albin turned his attention back to Sara. He realized he preferred her, and his feelings were reciprocated. Perhaps they’ll have children one day. Albin’s father commented that the combination of Sara’s bossiness and his son’s grouchiness would make for some genuine hell raisers on the grass. But he didn’t mean it in a bad way.
They each in their own way have tried to change the world. Circumstances have helped them out some. Since their return, no one in their town makes fun of them anymore, nor do they ignore them. There are already more of them today convincing other people that a handicap doesn’t mean giving up one’s place in the world.
Merlin continues to encourage them. After a short sabbatical, recommended by higher authorities, he has returned to substitute teaching. He goes from town to town and sows the good word.
And on Lalea...Titiana is learning how to fulfill her role under the auspices of the Master of Time. She has finally shed her timid nature. All she needed was to find the place where she could shine. Her light is magnificent.
The shadows have stayed away, finally. No one has yet to come in direct contact with them. That’s all the better. There is no warning strong enough against them. They still growl sometimes. People can hear them if they try really hard, but the majority on Lalea would rather not.
As for me, I’m teaching Finlay to speak. And I’m learning a little magic, too. They have schools here that teach only that. Sometimes I wonder if it might be more useful than math. In any case, it’s more fun. It has taken time, but they’ve finally accepted me. Yes, me, Cosmo, the lost traveler, the little professor, I’ve become one of them. And I’ve learned that life has so much more to teach me.
About the author
Mélanie de Coster writes from home while sipping tea, surrounded by her big garden. Children’s books, young adult fiction and fantasy novels....She has written so many stories and has no plans to stop following her dream. She has presented at conferences for young adult fantasy literature, a genre she particularly enjoys.
Far Side of the Universe was featured at a university conference in Canada on the theme of disabilities in fantasy novels.
If you enjoyed this book, please let her know by writing a comment on the site where you purchased it.
http://www.melaniedecoster.com
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[1] See On devrait toujours choisir sa famille by the same author
Far Side of the Universe Page 16