by Mack Maloney
At the same time, it was agreed among the United Planets troopers that they would not get into any details with the locals about how they'd arrived here or why they were all still wearing combat suits while everyone else wore little else than short white tunics or at most, the long white gowns.
Every authentically departed soul Hunter and Xara had spoken to here had another thing in common: not one of them had ever bothered to see what was over the next bill, never mind the next mountain. Just like the customers of the crude holo-girl trips, they were so happy where they were, they never had any reason to go anywhere else. The same was soon true for the 40,000 members of the United Planets vessels. This place was so beautiful, the desire to move beyond one's own sight line just wasn't there for them.
But not so Hunter and Xara. They were in love, but they were also very curious. Some things they just had to know.
So they had explored this place, setting off on journeys that took them hundreds of miles away from Happy Valley. They had seen many things in these walking trips, had met many souls, had discovered many things about this strange and wonderful place. And in doing so, they had become as close as two souls could be.
They'd begun this particular trek — their 113th — by going over the mountains northwest of Happy Valley.
It was a direction they'd not taken before. Most of their trips started out heading due west. As always, once on the other side of the small range, they'd come upon yet another row of valleys, all laid out, perfectly, in a series of rolling hills and vast, grassy plains. They cut across this row of valleys, then climbed over the next mountain range, then through the next series of valleys, and so on.
As with all their other journeys, the beautiful landscape never changed. Just like the beach and the ocean, they seemed to go on forever. They'd discovered that the number thirty-three was important just about anywhere they went. Each valley was exactly thirty-three miles around, had exactly thirty-three streams, thirty-three ponds, and thirty-three apple orchards. Always one long river wound through it; always exactly thirty-three miles long. They'd found no woods here, no forests, no cluttered glens. The largest group of trees they'd come across numbered, no surprise, thirty-three. The emerald grass grew everywhere, but not one blade reached more than three or thirty-three inches high. There were no weeds, no thistles, no thorns on any of the flowers. There were no rocks, at least not on the valley floors.
No sinkholes, no ditches or exposed roots. The deepest part of any pond or stream either thirty-three inches or thirty-three feet exactly. The same with the river, which, at its widest point, was always thirty-three feet across.
However, this trip proved to be different, as they eventually came to a valley unlike any other they'd seen. It was located about fifty mountain ranges over from Happy Valley and featured the same gently meandering river, the same perfectly planted orchards, the same scattered concentrations of shiny, happy people. But this valley also contained a vast lake, right in the middle. Its water seemed as golden as the light from the sun. In fact, its surface reflected the sky so intensely, it was almost hard to look at. Smooth as glass, it was surrounded by hundreds of individual apple trees. Their blossoms scented the air with an almost orgasmic sweetness.
Hunter and Xara were both surprised by this change in the terrain. In all their other sojourns, the topographic pattern of this place had remained the same. But a bigger surprise was yet to come.
As they drew closer to the lake, they were able to see its far shore. On the other side was a city. It looked like an enormous palace, huge and bright; so bright, they could see it clearly even though it was still a great distance away. It had towers and spires and domed structures; some were spherical, triangular, some conical. The illumination seemed to be coming from the shimmering of the buildings themselves and everything contained within them. There was an almost visible vibration surrounding the city.
They stopped at the lake's edge; from here they could see people lounging on the far shore. They could also hear singing coming from the city, a call-and-response chorus between two choirs. The voices echoed across the mirrored lake, one choir singing from somewhere on high, the other from deep inside the dazzling metropolis. They soon realized there were many different songs being sung at once, by many different voices. Yet they were all in perfect harmony.
At one point, Hunter looked down at his feet and was surprised to see they were moving in rhythm to this music. Then he felt his fingers begin to snap, and his head begin to sway back and forth. Then it began happening to Xara, too. A moment later, they were both dancing! It was a crazy moment; Xara moved very gracefully and naturally, but Hunter had never danced a step in his life. He'd tried to stop himself, but at the same moment he knew he couldn't — and he didn't want to. He felt like he was being filled up inside. The joy was indescribable. There were no words for the sensation. Ecstasy didn't even come close. They danced like this for what seemed like a very long time, his feet moving, her body caught up in the ethereal orchestrations, both of them bathed in the reflected warmth of the water. Finally, their eyes teared up. And then the music stopped, fading out in one long echoing coda. They'd both collapsed to the ground, laughing and exhausted.
After a while, their wits returned and they got to their feet. They drank some of the sweet water and felt refreshed again. Then came a great temptation to jump into the lake and swim to the other side and visit the city. And they probably would have done this except for one thing: the city looked so magnificent, they were afraid if they'd entered the place, they might not want to leave.
So they'd moved on.
They went over the next mountain range and walked through the next series of valleys.
They met many congregations of people along the way; the scattered communities could usually be found near riverbanks or along the edges of ponds. They were always warm and friendly and, upon seeing them, would always exchange pleasantries. Sometimes Hunter and Xara would stop and chat and drink some water with them. They both knew they could stay a minute or a year; it didn't matter. They would be welcome whatever the case, and the interaction would always be rich and interesting. But never once did they mention where they'd come from, or how they got there, or why they were different from everyone else. Hunter wasn't sure if it would have made any difference. That's the way it was in this place. It was the ultimate in tranquillity. No need to worry, no reason not to be happy. There was only one difference between these souls and him and Xara. They had all died and passed over; Hunter and Xara had not. At least not yet.
They'd pressed on, walking nonstop for days, weeks, months, it was always so hard to tell. Even counting the twilight interludes didn't help because they didn't seem to appear on any regular basis. They just happened when they happened. But through it all, neither he nor Xara ever felt tired. They were never fatigued, never felt anything but vigor and energy and the desire to keep moving on.
They came to one valley — Number 399—where it was absolutely quiet. No breeze. No babbling of the streams. Stillness beyond explanation. Off to the right were mountains that seemed different, too.
They were colored in the deep hue of sapphire and were uniformly round, with no peaks. On the near side of their slopes were thousands of lights, almost like there were thousands of tiny structures up there, and they had all become illuminated. And on the highest point was another city.
This one looked like something from a fairy tale. Towers connected to towers, connected to even more towers. It was covered with climbing foliage, and trees full of red and yellow blossoms, each one visible, even though Hunter and Xara were at least five miles away.
The city looked just as large as the one they'd discovered near the lake, yet it seemed to be teetering on the edge of this bright blue mountain. Rays of golden light were streaming up from someplace behind it. They rivaled in brightness and intensity those coming from the big friendly sun, hanging close overhead. That's why this city seemed to be made entirely of light.
&nbs
p; Once again, they'd been tempted to draw closer and explore the place; Hunter was very curious about what lay within. But they decided not to, because once again, they felt they couldn't risk the temptation of entering the city and then not wanting to leave.
After another long trek, lasting maybe a month or so in their minds, in and out of another 134 more valleys, they came over a mountain to find yet another city. It was in the middle of a lush field about ten miles off in the distance.
Like the others, it was a collection of tremendously intricate structures, domes, towers: soaring, all of them. But they seemed to be made of crystal, a crystal that glowed with an extremely bright light from within. Over the long journey, they'd come to regret not visiting the first city — the City of Songs — and then the second place, The City of Light. Hunter couldn't resist it anymore. Neither could Xara. They decided to investigate this place up close.
They would come to call it the City of Smiles.
A long, winding road led to the front gates of the city. The closer Hunter and Xara got, the larger these gates seemed to become. Finally, they reached the outskirts, and they were standing before these gates. By this time they seemed to stretch so far up into the deep blue sky, they went out of sight. They were made of pearl — literally, pearly gates. Beyond were more structures and streets made of gold. The buildings sparkled with very intense light.
Hunter took one step forward and pushed on the gates with his finger. They opened, as if on some invisible command. Inside, very bright light was emanating from just about everywhere. He hesitated a moment. His chest was filled with electricity, an energy that was close to sexual, it was that intense. If this feeling could grow any further inside him, he knew it really would be hard to leave this place. He turned to look at Xara. He knew she felt exactly the same way.
They stepped inside. The city appeared to be made not just of crystal but also marble and gemstones.
The buildings were just incredible in their sweeping designs, size, and majesty. They walked hand in hand down the main street. There were other individuals everywhere. They looked no different than those they'd encountered in the countryside, except they all seemed to have the most amazing, gleaming smiles.
They were all friendly and gracious and peaceful. Hunter and Xara bowed and waved and smiled, but they didn't speak to anyone. Hunter still believed it was important not be loose-lipped about how they happened to wind up here, strangers in Paradise.
Most important, the city had a feeling of great sprit, and it had nothing to do with religion. The buildings were simply mind-blowing in their unearthly design and lavish, bright colors, but they saw nothing that even vaguely resembled a church. Nor had they run into any holy men here — or anywhere.
No priests in Heaven? Hunter only knew one, his friend Pater Tomm, who was with the UPF contingent back in Happy Valley. And sometimes he wasn't too sure about him.
They reached a main square. It was gigantic, seemingly too big for the periphery of the city, but that's how things were here, too; the perspective always seemed to be a little deceiving. There was a crowd gathered at the far side of the square. They were listening to one person, clad in all white, who seemed to be elevated slightly above everyone else. Intrigued, Hunter and Xara moved toward the gathering, just to see what all the hubbub was about. But the crowd broke up before they got halfway across the square.
Small groups of people leaving the gathering walked past them, exchanging greetings and strobe-flash smiles, but the travelers were more interested in the being who had been doing the talking. They saw him, way up ahead, walking away from the square and down an avenue of particularly bright crystal, a group of followers in tow. Though his face was hidden from them, there was a glow around this individual that was unlike anything Hunter and Xara had seen since coming here. It certainly wasn't surrounding anyone else. As they drew closer, the glow around him became so intense, they could barely look at it. Now the excitement was beginning to surge inside them again. They both felt the overwhelming need to talk to this person. But the closer they got, the farther he moved away. After a while, they lost sight of him.
Finally reaching the end of the avenue of crystal, they found themselves in an enormous garden. It was filled with the bright emerald grass, and there were many trees, all of them full of flowers and apples.
Xara reached up, pulled an apple off of one tree, and gave it to Hunter. He took a huge bite. Another apple immediately grew back.
There were many people in this garden. Some were sitting at easels, painting. Others were playing flutes that emitted only the sweetest of sounds. Dancers moving with incredible lightness and grace were all around them. The music grew, and more people were seen with instruments, and the voices rose, and suddenly a heavenly choir was on hand once again, making music that at once sounded different yet was playing in perfect harmony. Hunter looked down at his boots and saw they were beginning to move to the rhythm again.
He didn't want to embarrass himself a second time, so they left the garden and turned back toward the avenue. They looked in every direction, but by this time, the glowing being had disappeared for good.
Leaving the City of Smiles wasn't so hard after that.
They continued west, through more valleys, across more shallow rivers, over more low mountains.
They hiked on for what seemed like months.
They usually walked hand in hand, talking endlessly, stopping whenever they wanted to study more closely some little amazing thing, of which there was an endless supply here.
When they did stop, it was not to rest but just to lie next to each other and admire the sights.
Sometimes they would watch the twilight from a mountaintop or hill and descend as soon as the sun appeared again. Sometimes they would lie naked in a shallow stream and allow the pure, crystalline water to run over them. They made love incessantly — in the heavenly way, that is. Hunter was always left panting at the sight of Xara's perfect and pert body. She, always in a perceptible glow, before, during, and after.
This was love in Paradise, perfect and beautiful. Who would not want to stay in this place forever?
What could ever make anyone want to leave?
They came to a particularly interesting river valley.
The sky seemed extremely blue above it. The colors of the meadow were extraordinarily bright, and the grass, as always, vividly emerald. They found flowers blooming in colors they'd never imagined before. The beauty was incredible. There seemed to be a soft white light glowing from everything within.
It was almost as if they could see life itself inside the petals of the flowers.
They walked farther through these fields and were soon upon a river, near a grand apple tree, beyond which was a gently rolling hill.
This would be a good place to wait for the twilight — and this is where they found themselves now.
Strangely, Xara fell asleep soon after they'd arrived.
Hunter could not recall her doing this before, but the last thing he wanted was to disturb her. He caressed her as she lay, softly breathing. The dusk arrived, and the stars came out.
But this time they looked different…
Instead of the ever-changing, swirling constellations, filled in with meteorites, comets, and swiftly moving moons, this twilight sky was static and nearly empty. There were only a few bright lights above him, and just one, solitary moon.
It took Hunter a while before he realized what he was looking at. This was a recreation of the night sky above Earth! It was the view above Big Bright City, the capital of the Mother Planet and the place where Hunter and Xara first met.
Hunter took this as a romantic sign. He held Xara even closer. But then something else began happening, something else he'd never seen here before: the sky above had become cloudy.
These were not puffy white clouds that might produce an amazing colorscape at sunset. These were dark, ominous clouds, angry and so close, Hunter felt like he could reach up and touch them. They did
n't last long, dissipating as the sun finally came up again.
But for the first time, Hunter thought things didn't seem so perfect here in Paradise.
He finally woke Xara. She was astonished to realize she'd actually gone to sleep. He explained to her what had happened and how the sky had changed, and how the dark clouds had made an appearance.
She startled him by saying she'd dreamed nearly the same thing, only the clouds had been bloodred.
Shaken by this experience, she suggested they head back to Happy Valley. Hunter agreed.
They started walking east. Over a river, and through a field, they found themselves moving much quicker than on the out-bound trek. It was a very peculiar feeling. Then something told Hunter they could get there faster if they tried running. So they started running, and they were amazed at how fast they were able to run. Soon they were covering the distance across a valley in remarkable time.
Then the thought struck Hunter that if they started leaping— doing running jumps — they could cover more ground even quicker. So they began leaping together, and suddenly they were doing jumps that defied all manner of gravity, if in fact it was gravity that kept everyone's feet down here. Soon, with each leap, Hunter was putting his hands out in front of him and finding that whenever he did this, he would stay airborne for unnaturally long periods of time — ten to fifteen seconds at least. Xara started doing the same, both of them laughing madly.
The farther they leaped, and the more they were able to stretch themselves out, the more distance they could cover while airborne. Finally, they took one huge leap together, put their hands out in front of them, and stretched their legs out— and they stayed airborne like this, just a few feet off the ground, for what seemed like a very long time.