“He didn't believe me,” said Anthony. “Your secret is still safe.”
“I can't read your thoughts,” said Destiny. “It's uncomfortable not knowing when you are telling me the truth.”
“Do you have any other clothes?” asked Anthony. “If not, we should get you a bathing suit before we go to the lake.”
“I only have what I am wearing,” said Destiny. “But it is not necessary that you buy me a bathing suit.”
“Around here, bathing suits are not optional,” said Anthony. “You can't go in swimming without one, at least not on a public beach.”
“What does a bathing suit look like,” asked Destiny. “I'm not sure If I saw one on TV.”
“That's mine in the back seat,” said Anthony.
“How does this one look?” asked Destiny as she turned her clothing into a bathing suit.”
“Amazing,” said Anthony. “But that's a boy's bathing suit. You're going to need a girl's bathing suit. It covers a little more territory. Put you normal clothing back on until we get to the lake and you can see some examples of girl's bathing suits.”
“Shouldn't you be watching the road?” asked Destiny. “Now your face is red. Are you getting a sunburn?”
“We're here,” said Anthony. “Now there's a nice bathing suit.”
“That doesn't cover more territory,” said Destiny.
“Maybe I should have said it covers the right territory,” said Anthony.
“You could cover more territory with a few of those band-aids they were selling in that store where you got gas,” said Destiny. “This clothing thing is a bit confusing.”
“You'll get the hang of it,” said Anthony. “The main thing to remember is to change your clothing on a regular basis.”
“Are we going swimming?” asked Destiny. “Will you teach me how to swim?”
“Of course,” said Anthony. “It's really easy.”
“So is kissing,” said Destiny. “I'm still waiting for my first lessons.”
“We usually do that after the sun goes down,” said Anthony. “And it's better when you're alone with someone. That reminds me. If any of the guys ask, tell them I'm your boyfriend, and we're going steady.”
“Anything else I should know?” asked Destiny.
“No. That should cover it for now,” said Anthony. “Hey! Wasn't that bathing suit red when we got out of the car?”
“I've been changing it on a regular basis,” said Destiny.
“No! I meant on a daily basis,” said Anthony. “And never in front of others except maybe your boyfriend.”
“Is that swimming?” asked Destiny. “It looks easy.”
“That's swimming,” said Anthony. “But don't get in water over your head until you've learned how. You can't breathe under water. Well at least, I can't.”
“So I should stop breathing when my head is underwater?” asked Destiny.
“Exactly,” said Anthony. “Now sit down with your head under water and see how long you can hold your breath.”
After what seemed like several minutes, Anthony was starting to get worried. Suddenly Destiny stood up holding a small boy. “Thanks,” he said as she put him down and he began walking back to the beach.
“What happened?” said Anthony. “Who was that?”
“That was Gregory. He got out too far and was having cramps,” said Destiny. “I could sense his distress and read his thoughts. I filled his lungs with air. I think I had my first kiss.”
“This isn't too far out,” said Anthony. “Why didn't he just stand up?”
“He was way out there by the diving platform,” said Destiny. “I swam underwater. Teach me to dive. Please.”
“I have a feeling you'll be teaching me before this is over,” said Anthony, “but come on.”
....................
Destiny was an excellent diver and did teach Anthony a few new dives. They spent most of the remaining summer at the lake and became very close. Destiny got a night job at the local hospital and soon moved in to her own apartment. They were inseporable when she wasn't working. Then one day Anthony got a call from the hospital. Destiny was in intensive care.
“How are you feeling,” asked Anthony as he stood beside her bed.
“Tired,” she said. “It doesn't look good. This body can't take the stress. I'm glad you're here. I'm going to have to leave soon, and I want you to go with me.”
“What do you mean leave?” said Anthony. “You don't mean die?”
“Of course not,” said Destiny. “But I have to change back into my natural form and I won't be able to remain here. I'll be continuing my journey through time and space. I need a companion. That's why I came here in the first place.”
“But who will look after my grandparents?” asked Anthony. “I can't just pick up and leave them all alone. There has to be a way for you to stay here.”
“It would take decades to regain the power required to create another body,” said Destiny. “If I stayed here we couldn't even communicate. I understand your desire to help your grandparents. I only wish there was time for you to teach me more about compassion.Goodbye, Anthony.”
Nurses rushed into the room as all of the monitoring systems began to beep and ring. “Where is she?” asked the nurse. “How did she get up? Did anyone see her leave the room?”
“She said goodbye and then she was gone,” said Anthony with tears in his eyes. “She just vanished.”
The nurses looked at him strangely then looked at the empty bed. “There's no way she walked out of here,” said the nurse. “This is going to be one for the record books.”
As Anthony left the hospital he was all ready regretting his decision. All his life he had dreamed of being abducted by aliens. Now one had given him the choice to go with her, and he had turned her down. He would never meet another alien, and he would never love another girl like he loved Destiny. But he had to go on. His grandparents depended on him, now more than ever. As the next few years passed he finished high school but never got a full time job or went off to college. Most of his time was spent with his grandparents.
As he and his grandma stood at the gravesite, they talked about his grandpa and how they would both miss him. “You're going to put me in a home and get on with your life,” said Grandma. “I won't have it any other way.”
“You love him very much, don't you,” asked Destiny.
“Land sakes alive, girl,” said Grandma. “Where have you been? Anthony said you were dead.”
“Destiny!” said Anthony. “You came back for me.”
“I never left,” she said. “I just skipped ahead a few years until the time was right.”
“When do we leave?” asked Anthony. “Just let me get a few papers signed.”
“Your mother can do that,” said Grandma. “Lucy, get over here and meet your future daughter-in-law.”
THE PORTAL of FOREVER II
“So how does this work?” asked Anthony. “Does this amulet of yours create a portal or a worm hole or something like that?”
“The amulet is the portal,” said Destiny. “We view our destination inside the amulet and press the button on the back. Our consciousness is sent there in the form of an energy plasma. ”
“And what's that like?” asked Anthony.
“A bit boring actually,” said Destiny. “I'm hoping it will be different with a companion.”
“What happens to our old bodies?” asked Anthony.
“I never stuck around long enough to find out,” said Destiny. “When we're ready, we can make new ones.”
“You said you didn't have enough energy to create a new one,” said Anthony. “That's why you have to leave.”
“We'll gather new energy in no time,” said Destiny. “But it may take a while for you to learn how to create a body.”
“How long did it take you to learn?” asked Anthony.
“75 million years,” said Destiny. “But I didn't have a teacher. Don't worry. By the time we find another
planet with intelligent life, you'll be more than ready.”
“But I thought life would be more prevalant than that,” said Anthony. “Scientists believe there are billions of planets capable of supporting life.”
“There are,” said Destiny. “But life has a way of destroying itself. Especially so called intelligent life. You not only have to be in the right place, you have to be there at the right time.”
“So where are we going now?” asked Anthony.
“You choose,” said Destiny. “Let me show you how this thing works.”
....................
“So I can go anywhere in the universe to any time period from the big bang to forever,” said Anthony. ”This could be a tough decision.”
“Hey, it's not like this is the last decision you'll ever make,” said Destiny. “We have time to see it all.”
“What if we get separated?” asked Anthony.
“I'll find you wherever you go,” said Destiny. “Soon you'll have all of my powers, and you'll be able to find me.”
“Talk about your long term commitments,” said Anthony. “What if we don't get along?”
“That would be sad indeed,” said Destiny. “But I suppose we could both find others in time.”
“Why can't we just go to a planet and create some new bodies,” said Anthony. “Why does life have to already exist there?”
“We don't create bodies from nothing. The building blocks have to be present,” said Destiny. “We merely assemble them.”
“Give me a clue,” said Anthony. “What sort of places do we need to see first?”
“When you can see them all, it makes little difference which ones you see first,” said Destiny. “Pick whatever interests you. But stay away from black holes and the end of time.”
“What about super novas and quasars?” asked Anthony.
“They are perfect sources of energy,” said Destiny. “But don't get too close at first until you learn how to control it.”
“What about the portal,” asked Anthony. “How can we take it with us.”
“It's converted into an energy plasma, just like we are,” said Destiny. “We can interface directly with it when it's in that form.”
“What about the time travel part,” asked Anthony. “How does that work?”
“There are two different ways,” said Destiny. “If you choose to move in space, the object you choose determines the amount of time travel involved. What you see is not what you get without traveling back in time to the day the light left the object.”
“And if you're not moving through space?” asked Anthony.
“I showed you how to search for objects in the universe,” said Destiny. “But you can set it for time differential rather than spacial. If there is no spacial travel involved, then the conversion to energy isn't required.”
“You get to keep your body,” said Anthony.
“It still requires a great deal of energy,” said Destiny. “So even if you're pretty sure life will exist at some point in time, you are limited to how many jumps you can make without re-energizing. If you space the jumps too far apart, you could miss it completely.”
“Fortunately you found me,” said Anthony. “I couldn't imagine life without you now, and this is only the beginning.”
“I feel the same way,” said Destiny. “I never want to be lonely again.”
“So are we ready to go?” asked Anthony.
“Ready as we'll ever be,” said Destiny. “Push the button.”
....................
“Wow, this is more beautiful than I imagined,” said Anthony. “And I can feel the energy growing within me.”
“Star nurseries are my favorites,” said Destiny. “The hydrogen clouds are almost intoxicating.”
“I can feel all the different forms of energy flowing through me,” said Anthony. “It's like I see, smell, taste and hear all at once. But I can't separate the senses.”
“Use them all,” said Destiny. “Learn to measure the energy levels and velocities. Learn to predict future events.”
“How do I do that?” asked Anthony.
“Let us join together,” said Destiny. “Maybe you can draw from my knowledge.”
“Is this sexual?” asked Anthony. “Because it feels almost sexual. It's the most wonderful feeling I've ever experienced.”
“It is incredible, isn't it?” asked Destiny. “I was right. This is better than being alone.”
“This is better than apple pie,” said Anthony, “and it's probably not as fattening.”
....................
“I had no idea you were that smart,” said Anthony. “I feel like I know everything about the universe. The knowledge transfer worked.”
“Obviously not well enough,” said Destiny, “or you would realize we've only scratched the surface.”
“We could try it again,” said Anthony.
“Maybe later,” said Destiny. “I've got a headache.”
“What!” said Anthony. “You don't even have a head.”
“Come here, silly,” said Destiny. “I'm joking.”
....................
“That was better than the first time,” said Anthony. “I see what you mean. We do have a lot to learn.”
“Let's get started,” said Destiny. “While in this plasma state we're limited to traveling at the speed of light. Let's look around a bit and build up some energy reserves before we make another jump.”
“You're the leader,” said Anthony. “Lead the way.”
....................
“Do you feel that, Anthony?” asked Destiny. “We're passing through an ion trail.”
“Yeah,” said Anthony. “It's about 327 years old. It was probably made by some sort of ion propulsion system.”
“A spaceship,” said Destiny. “That's pretty good for a beginner. I'm impressed.”
“Should we follow it back to it origin or forward to its destination?” asked Anthony.
“The trail will get fresher if we follow it to its destination,” said Destiny. “We may lose the trail if we go the other way.”
“You're right,” said Anthony. “Besides, they could be returning home for all we know.”
....................
“It looks like they're traveling at 1/4 the speed of light. Assuming they are still traveling at that speed, we'll catch them in about a century,” said Anthony. “Couldn't we just jump ahead?”
“Patience, Anthony,” said Destiny. “The journey is half the fun. Besides, they may have reached their destination 300 years ago. In that case we'll be there in a few years.”
“It's going to take a while to learn to think of myself as ageless,” said Anthony. “I still think of time as being limited.”
“You'll get used to it,” said Destiny. “This will give us time to get to know each other better. So far, I've only experienced a few months of your life, and I've lived billions of years that you haven't experienced yet.”
“I'm sorry that I don't have a long life like yours that I can share with you,” said Anthony.
“The value of a life is not measured in years, Anthony,” said Destiny. “You'll learn to realize that.”
“When did you first realize that you were immortal?” asked Anthony.
“I not sure I ever did,” said Destiny, “until I talked with the time traveler that gave me the portal. I believed that everyone everywhere had extremely long lives.”
....................
“The ion trail seems to end at the orbital path of the second planet in that solar system,” said Anthony. “What do we do now?”
“When I found Earth, I studied the life forms for several years before I created a body,” said Destiny. “That seemed to work out fine.”
“You don't mess with something that works,” said Anthony. “But won't we be detected?”
“Not if we spread out,” said Destiny. “They won't worry about a few parts per billion mixed into their atmosphere.”
“Will we still be able to function when we're spread so thinly?” asked Anthony.
“We'll be able to study the entire world at once,” said Destiny. “Right down to the molecular level. But we'll probably need to remain separate. You take the Northern Hemisphere and I'll take the Southern. See you in a year or so.”
SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES VOLUME IX Page 8