The Key of Astrea

by Nicholas Marson

  “Is that a calligraphy set?” Kensei asked.

  “It’s supposed to look like one,” Mazu said. “We’ve heard that it’s challenging to fly with foreign liquids in your world, so we disguised the treatment in case you need to travel.”

  “That’s very thoughtful, thank you,” Adriana said as she took one of the boxes.

  “I have something to give you too,” Jenny said to Mazu. “When I first met your mom—I mean, Lin—she gave me this bag to hide the Riftkey in. She made me promise to give it back after saving the Selkans, so…”

  Mazu stepped forward and took the burstepi.

  “It has a bunch of her things inside, and, well, I thought you should have it.”

  “Thank you, Jenny. She left behind a legacy for me to live up to.”

  “No.” Jenny smiled. “She would have wanted for you to live your own life.” Jenny wondered if her mom would be proud of what she had done. “Be yourself.”

  “You’re right,” Mazu said as she took Jack’s hand.

  “Why have you been avoiding me?” Jack asked.

  Mazu shrugged and looked away. “I didn’t think you’d want anything to do with an engineered human.”

  “That doesn’t matter to me,” Jack said as he searched her eyes. “Half the people I know are genetically engineered. I’m not a hundred percent pure human myself.”

  Mazu smiled, then she and Jack led the way through the forest to the cabin.

  The smell of moss, wood, and decomposed leaves filled her nose, and the ancient trees of the Esperanza Woods swayed and groaned in the breeze. Butterflies the size of her hand and dragonflies the size of birds fluttered through the air.

  Jenny stood with Adriana and Kensei at the base of the cabin steps.

  “This was quite the summer break,” Kensei said.

  “It’s winter for us,” Adriana said.

  “I’m actually looking forward to going back to school,” Jenny said.

  “Me too.”

  Adriana was the first to leave. She said her goodbyes and hugged everyone before entering the cabin. After a minute, there was a flash of light, and Mazu asked who would be next.

  Jenny turned to Kensei. “You go next.” She wanted to look around the cabin, and she didn’t want to hold him up.

  “If you insist,” Kensei said his goodbyes, then rushed up the steps.

  When it was her turn, Jenny entered the cabin and looked around. The stacked log walls and wooden floors seemed more charming now. She looked in the corner for the pile of rags that had been Heather, but of course, the Alfur was not there. She did find her black hat, however, right where she left it. Jenny picked it up and placed it on her head.

  Jenny took a deep breath, shifted the duffel bag to her back, and approached the wooden ladder. The upside-down VRGo puzzle waited for her at the uppermost rung. She started climbing. As her head and shoulders entered the cube, she felt something pull her upward. The walls of the cabin disappeared as she flew through time and space.

  Jenny tumbled out of the VRGo puzzle box and banged into the closet door. She reached out to catch herself, but only succeeded in pulling her clothes off their hangers. Outside her room, she heard someone climbing the creaky wooden stairs.

  “Jenny!” Bea called out. “Is that you?”

  Jenny’s heart fluttered at the sound of Bea’s voice. “Yeah.” She slid the closet door open. “It’s me.”

  Bea flung the bedroom door open and rushed forward with her arms out. Then, she stopped herself after remembering that Jenny didn’t like to be touched. She stood just inside the room and smoothed her long floral dress over her legs. Jenny stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her aunt. Bea raised her eyebrows in surprise, and her body went stiff. Then she relaxed and enjoyed the embrace.

  When Jenny pulled away, Bea held her at arm’s length and looked her over. “Where have you been?”

  Not knowing what to say, Jenny just shook her head.

  “What are these bruises from?”

  “Would you believe they’re from vacuum exposure?” Jenny laughed.

  “I would.”

  Jenny cocked her head. “Wait, what?”

  Bea smiled. “After finding your note, I panicked at first, but Michael arrived a few minutes later and explained everything…”

  “And you believed him?”

  “No, not at first. I thought he was crazy.” She shook her head. “He said you were in a parallel universe.”

  “He told you that?”

  “Yes, then he said that you had been recruited to save an alien species.”

  Jenny shook her head and sat down on her bed. “It’s all true.”

  “I know.” Bea nodded. “He had a device he called a Topo. He showed me things about his world, things that couldn’t be from here, like movies and music that never existed, and spaceships and aliens.”

  “It all sounds so crazy.” Jenny looked at Bea with tears in her eyes. “I was so upset about losing Mom. I’m sorry I left. I should have realized that you were in pain too.”

  “Shh, it’s okay,” Bea said, pulling her into her bony arms. “I was your age when my mother died. I should have remembered how I felt then. I lost a part of myself that day. Ruby may be gone, but she’ll also always be with us.”

  Jenny nodded. “I know, and now I believe it too.” She touched her mother’s amulet under her green dress.

  “You’re so grown-up now.” Bea searched Jenny’s eyes. “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard to learn my business. All I wanted was to prepare you for when I’m no longer here, to give you the means to take care of yourself.”

  “That reminds me.” Jenny reached inside her duffel bag and removed the calligraphy set. “I have something for you.” Jenny popped the latches open and revealed the siphonophore vials inside.

  Bea cocked her head. “Calligraphy?”

  “No, this is the cure to the family curse. It will repair the genetic defect in our DNA.”

  “What do I do?”

  Jenny fit a vial into the injector. “Just roll up your sleeve.”

  Back at the Sol Terminal, a spaceship covered with hundreds of antennas—giving it the appearance of a huge porcupine—arrived to send and receive the galactic news.

  Acknowledgments

  I want to start by thanking my wife, Natalie Perrin. She stuck by me through the five years it took to complete this book. She put up with me constantly killing off beloved characters and changing the plot, but did so with love and patience (maybe a touch of frustration). She is the single best person I know.

  Next, I’d like to thank Lynsey Griswold, Michelle Hope, and Alida Winternheimer who provided editorial expertise and keen insight in bringing my story to life.

  Furthermore, I couldn’t have finished this story without research and inspiration. In addition to reading a substantial stack of books, I also read plenty of blogs, listened to dozens of podcasts, and watched hundreds of videos in preparation for this story. Special thanks to: Writing Excuses, Mythcreant, and Writership who helped to refine my craft; and YouTube channels like Because Science, and Isaac Arthur provided me with topics, research, and inspiration.

  About the Author

  Nicholas Marson is a Portland, Oregon native, where he raced outrigger canoes and grew to love coffee. He's two meters tall, and once lived in a tiny house. He graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in biology and graphic design. He is an older brother to two siblings, a husband to an incredible wife, and a father to a princess in training. Now he lives in Eugene where he works as a web developer and translates daydreams into words.

  Learn more at, https://www.nicholasmarson.com/.

 

 

 
ale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share