Admiral's Ghost

by NB VanYoos

  Fate’s Teacher

  Tyler didn’t know what had happened, but he’d been dreaming of he and Linda in Mexico. He remembered they’d had a son—a beautiful son with light brown hair and green eyes. Although he’d known it was a dream, the pleasure of being with her and their son seemed so real. His awareness lingered on the remnants, watching helplessly as they faded into his subconscious.

  Laying on something soft, he heard hushed sounds close by. A comforting warmth spread through his body. How can I feel? The thought was confusing considering his predicament. He shouldn’t be able to feel. He remembered entering the violent inferno of the star, yet everything was dark.

  The sounds grew louder—a crackling. It sounded like a … fire? Did the inside of a sun make this kind of sound? It was so comforting, he couldn’t believe he was inside a star. I hear and feel, but see only darkness? Wherever he was, he didn’t want to leave. He preferred the warm darkness to the cold depression of space.

  Did I dream? He remembered Linda with their son. How did I sleep? Since becoming the insubstantial spirit, he’d never needed sleep, so why now? The sound was definitely a fire, the distinctive crackling and occasional pop left little doubt. Tyler wanted to see what made the noise, but darkness hid the flames. Slowly a light grew, blinding at first, then warm and yellow.

  Tyler opened his eyes. He was stunned, he had eyes! He blinked several times to make sure. A quick scan revealed a soft couch in front of a cozy fireplace. From his position, he couldn’t see the rest of the room. He sat up to clear the sleep.

  How can this be happening? He wondered confused. It was disturbing, yet the change in environment was welcome. He surveyed the room covered in dark wood paneling barely lit by the fire’s warm glow. Although the fire was the only source of light, if Tyler looked away, his eyes adjusted to the darker parts of the room.

  It was somewhat large with bookshelves from floor to ceiling on the left and back walls. Ornate candles, lamps and figurines were prominently displayed on beautifully carved tables, and to the right of the fire, a large, overstuffed red leather chair sat empty, a small end table next to it holding an ashtray, pipe and teacup. The effect was surreal after Tyler’s mindless search through space. He had a strange feeling he should know this place, but it was far more elegant than anything he’d ever known. Still, the room nagged at his memory. I know this place, but where?

  Somewhere deep in inside, a thought rose to the surface, Uncle Sal’s. That’s it! This was the set from the Uncle Sal’s show he’d watched as a kid. But this wasn’t a set, it looked real. It had four walls, and one door. Tyler knew sets were not actual rooms, just stages made to look like one.

  As he stood, he marveled at the sensations of feeling once more. How wonderful to have a body, to feel and to hear the world around you. He stared at the body, surprised it was as he remembered. He was even wearing his favorite pair of jeans and silk shirt. Everything down to the shoes was just as he remembered. Is this real, or just a dream? It didn’t feel like a dream, but how did he get here? Was he back on Earth?

  “I found you here.” A deep, soft voice spoke from his right.

  Tyler turned towards the sound and stared at Uncle Sal sitting peacefully in the red leather chair. As grandfatherly man loaded his pipe, he looked exactly as Tyler remembered. He wore the same brown tweed slacks, a white button-down shirt with a blue tie underneath a red vest. Everything was identical, even the wire rimmed glasses and thick black mustache peppered with gray.

  What was left of his thinning gray hair was combed neatly back with a straight part on the left side. Tyler felt like a kid again, filled with the excitement that preceded this part of the show. The part where Uncle Sal read one of his adventure stories. But this can’t be? They had canceled the Uncle Sal show when Tyler was in junior high, and he distinctly remembered when Uncle Sal, really Sal Horowitz, had died several years later. This must be a dream, how else could he have a body and be in Uncle Sal’s place?

  “I created your body,” Uncle Sal said calmly, “and this one too.” He pointed at his own with the pipe.

  “But,” Tyler stumbled, the words struggling to form in his throat, “I thought I was dead, or something worse. Where are we?” Tyler sat back down, confusion sapping his strength.

  “We are inside one of my stars,” Uncle Sal said calmly, “I found you here.” He said it casually as though that explained everything. “I wondered who you were, or more precisely, what you were. I've never seen anything in so much pain before. So, I wanted to help.” He finished, smiling.

  Uncle Sal lit his pipe, clouds of smoke billowing in the darkness overhead. He had such a serene look, as if this were normal, and everything was as it should be. Tyler remembered the sun he’d submerged in. Pain? That was true. He remembered wanting to die, wanting to turn everything over to the alien inside. Was this the alien?

  “Uh, h-how can this be inside a star, it looks so real?” Tyler asked, not sure he wanted the explanation.

  “It is real,” Uncle Sal explained, “I made it myself—inside the star.” He shifted in his seat and pointed his pipe at Tyler, “I made you as well. You were just a spirit, so I made you a body—a body I believe you once had.” He puffed his pipe, blowing a smoke ring toward the fireplace.

  “Yes, this is the body I once had … but I thought it was gone forever.” Tyler sat back, relaxing slightly, happy for the experience of being human. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel like this again, to be me, really me.” He smiled at Uncle Sal, a genuine smile of gratitude.

  “What happened to your old body?” Uncle Sal asked. “Are you an Onyalum?”

  “A what? Onielum? What is an Onielum?” Tyler was confused by the word, although it seemed to cause something inside to stir. The alien? He wasn’t certain, but it would explain a lot.

  “Ah! Then, you are not an ‘Oh-ny-a-lum’. That may be why I can hear your thoughts.”

  ‘Oh-ny-a-lum’. Tyler let the word roll around his mind. “Is that how you created this, from my thoughts?” Tyler was more than astounded.

  “Yes, this seemed like a setting that would comfort you.” He gestured at the room around them. “Does it make you feel uneasy? I could change it.”

  “No, no, it is fine. This is the set from a television show I watched as a kid. A television show I liked.” Tyler did feel comfortable. The sleep probably helped.

  “I see.” Uncle Sal pondered that for a moment, then looking at the contents of his pipe, he set it down. “I see a world in your thoughts, a world not unlike many I have created, yet it is not one of mine.”

  “Earth?” Tyler offered.

  “Earth. Yes, that is what it is called. Is it close to here?” Uncle Sal asked mildly, interest on his face.

  “I don’t know.” It hurt Tyler to admit that fact.

  “Ah, I am beginning to see a pattern.” Uncle Sal picked up his pipe and lit it once more, blowing huge clouds of smoke throughout the room.

  Tyler noted the smell and it flooded his mind with memories from his childhood. His grandfather had smoked a pipe for a short while when Tyler was young. Although he’d quit shortly thereafter, Tyler still remembered the sweet, woody smell his mother complained about when they came to visit. Unfortunately, he died when Tyler was nine, and Tyler always wished he’d known him better.

  “What pattern do you see?” Tyler asked, curious for any information that would shed light on his predicament. “What is an Onyalum?”

  “An Onyalum is a creature of the Universe. They are not made of real matter,” he gestured with his pipe all around them, “but exist outside the real Universe. They travel through it, able to observe it, yet unable to interact with anything that is made of matter.” He stared at the floor deep in thought.

  “Everything we see in the Universe is made of matter with a light sprinkling of the ethereal substance of the Universe. It is what gives matter its life. In this way, all things are connected to the Universe by this fabric of the insubstantial life fo
rce. From the smallest particles to the largest stars, each contains an ethereal component that binds them together.”

  Uncle Sal blew rings into the air, satisfied with his explanation. “The complexity of the matter dictates the amount of ethereal substance it contains. Take for instance the life similar to the bodies we currently possess, they possess a large amount of the ethereal life force, thus endowing them with more than just life. They have consciousness and a sense of self.”

  He paused to refill his pipe and relit it in a blaze of flame and smoke. “For an Onyalum, matter cannot affect them and they cannot affect matter. It is only when the two are merged that one may control the other. As matter dies or is destroyed, the ethereal essence of that matter is released into the Universe to be recycled in another creation. During this point of release, an Onyalum may replace the missing essence, thus merging with the matter and taking control.”

  Uncle Sal blew another series of smoke rings toward the fireplace, apparently amused at this newfound ability. Tyler waited patiently. “However,” Uncle Sal continued, “this ability to control comes at a cost, for the matter controls the Onyalum.” He paused again, briefly watching Tyler struggle to absorb his words.

  Tyler listened closely, and was beginning to make the connection between the Onyalum and what he’d become.

  “So basically, the Onyalum can possess someone when their own spirit is released?” It didn’t fit any theology Tyler knew. “But, does that mean the person is dead, or gone, or what?”

  Uncle Sal looked calmly at Tyler, small streams of smoke releasing casually from the sides of his mouth as he sucked gently on the pipe.

  “Your choice of words seems to fit the nature of the Onyalum well. They possess the matter and likewise, the matter possesses them. Once an Onyalum possesses a body, they are unable to release themselves from that matter. Only when that matter is once again killed or destroyed is the Onyalum released. They are prisoners within the matter, yet they control it.”

  “Okay, I believe I understand. I had the same experience with a simple life form on a planet near here. I was pulled into the creature and was trapped until the creature died. Maybe I am an Onyalum.” He stared at his hands as if some branding might appear to confirm his statement.

  Uncle Sal watched Tyler with a puzzled look. “I do not believe you are an Onyalum, but something else … something new and different.” He blew a smoke ring before continuing. “I see into your thoughts, something I do with my own creations, but never with an Onyalum. They are private, mysterious creatures, hiding inside creations, observing and enjoying the benefits of real life.” He paused looking troubled by something he’d thought of. “Unfortunately, many Onyalum are malevolent creatures that seek power and use it to bring pain and destruction.”

  Tyler absorbed this quietly. If he was not Onyalum, then what was he? He felt the alien presence stir. The talk of Onyalum seemed to interest the buried entity. He was about to mention this strange presence, when Uncle Sal started again.

  “I see your pattern as an accident or something. Your thoughts betray a simple being, something I myself might create, yet your insubstantial existence belies that and would indicate you are an Onyalum.” He blew a thick cloud of smoke as he said this, once again distracted by the novelty. “I do not believe you were created, at least, not by design.” He stopped to empty his pipe and set it down in the ashtray.

  “I suppose the Universe may have created you, a new type of Onyalum perhaps?” He looked at Tyler intently, as though waiting for confirmation. Tyler didn’t know what to say.

  “Then again, it is more likely you are a creation of happenstance and accident. Your previous life would not be so narrow and transparent if you were solely an Onyalum.” He stopped and waited patiently, looking for Tyler to respond.

  “I…” Tyler began, and then stopped confused. “I suppose what you say may be true, but I just don’t know how I came to be. My previous life was certainly simple, at least compared to now. I never knew anything existed outside my small world, until I was struck by something that ripped me out of that world and threw me into the middle of the Universe.” Tyler was excited and angry as he retold the sad tale. “I am a changed being of new and frightening abilities, but forever lost in this vast Universe.” He stopped and stared at the fire. “I don’t know what I am.”

  The statement was flat and emotionless, his anger having nothing specific to blame things on. Tyler stared into the flames, memories of his previous life flashing before his eyes.

  “Hmmm…” Uncle Sal murmured slowly. He was staring at Tyler as though trying to pierce the exterior and study the guts of this strange new life form he had discovered. They both sat quietly for a while, Tyler staring into the fire, Uncle Sal staring into Tyler.

  Finally, Uncle Sal broke the silence, “I see a lot of pain and sorrow in you Tyler, and I believe I understand the causes. I have seen much pain and sorrow within many of my creations.” He stood up and walked to the fire, opening the screen and throwing more wood onto the dying flames.

  “You have been taken, by accident, from the only world you knew. Now, you cannot find that world and you worry you will never find it. It must be upsetting.”

  With the fire burning brightly, Uncle Sal closed the screen and returned to his chair. He picked up his pipe and loaded more tobacco into the smoldering bowl.

  “I remember a time, so long ago that I could not even describe it to you in terms that would make sense to you, I, too, knew a world that I cherished. It was the first world I ever created. Looking back at it now, I suppose it was a rather simple, unrealistic world, but it suited me. I had created many creatures to inhabit this world, and they all loved me as I loved them. I would often live among them, relishing their happiness, taking care of their needs, watching them grow and evolve into wonderful beings.” He paused to light his pipe.

  “I was new at creating and I suppose I was bound to make mistakes. The star this world revolved around was young. Not my first, but I was still new to the process. Before I realized what was happening, the star imploded with a devastating explosion that destroyed all the worlds around it. That wonderful world and all its creatures were obliterated in the blink of an eye.” He puffed his pipe, the memory of the incident drawing his face into a sad expression, an expression that didn’t fit Uncle Sal.

  “At first I was angry. I lashed out at what was left and destroyed it all. It took time, but I eventually calmed down and set myself to the task of creating again. But this time, I paid closer attention than before. I worked for millennia, crafting, perfecting, and guiding my creations. I was determined to build the greatest creations in the Universe, and for a while, I did. I don’t really know how many worlds I created—it was hundreds or thousands of galaxies. No other creator worked as hard and diligently as I did, and I filled the Universe with a magnificent array of worlds and creatures.” He was gesturing expansively, the movement threatening to shake tobacco from his pipe.

  He put his arms down and stuck the pipe in his mouth, drawing in smoke before releasing a large cloud followed by smoke rings that looked more like tiny galaxies swirling across the room. Tyler was intrigued by these fascinating rings, watching them gather on the far wall before dissipating.

  “Alas, I finally stopped creating. I looked upon all I had done and wanted to enjoy each and every one. I went to many worlds and tried to live among the creatures I had created, but they did not know me. During the millennia of creating, my own creations evolved, creating their own worlds and religions, worlds that didn’t include me. Many became hostile, damning me as an evil spirit sent to destroy them. I tried to change their minds. I gave them prosperity, health, happiness, but always they would turn against me. I tried punishing them, showing them that nothing could stand against me, but that bred fear, and through this fear, a false love.”

  He shifted in his chair and grabbed the lighter to relight the pipe. Tyler was fascinated; he was listening to a god. A god telling him about
creation, worship, and love. Tyler was awed.

  Uncle Sal began again, his pipe exuding puffs of smoke as he talked. “Oh, there were many who accepted me, loved me for who I was and not because of what I might do. I spent a great deal of time on these worlds, helping them prosper and grow into something I was proud of. But it was never the same as that first world. Try as I might, I was unable to reproduce the innocence and newness of that first world. It wasn’t that I loved my new worlds any less, they simply were different. I knew I could never have that first world again, and the loss of it brought me great sorrow.”

  The sadness on Uncle Sal’s face was real, and Tyler knew this god’s loss was even greater than his own, insignificant loss.

  Uncle Sal shot Tyler a look of great intensity. “You see, loss is a very real part of this Universe because change is a very real part of this Universe. You cannot question it and though you may not understand it, you cannot change it.” He leaned forward, staring directly into Tyler’s eyes, a look of concern and compassion replacing the sadness. “You have changed, Tyler, like everything else. Your loss is very real and very painful, but it is only part of your journey through this Universe. You have been given something special, something that few creatures can ever experience or understand. Relish this new existence and find new worlds. They will never be the same as that first world, but that does not make them any less special.” He leaned back, apparently satisfied with his speech. Once again, he puffed his pipe.

  Tyler knew he spoke the truth. Knew he would likely never find Earth again, but that shouldn’t stop him from exploring new worlds and gaining new experiences. He looked back fondly at the excitement he’d felt possessing the small globular creatures, the thrill of mating and the intense pleasure when successful. He would never find that experience on Earth, at least not in his previous life.

  He realized he’d been indulging in self-pity and had to face up to the realization he could not change his predicament, but could embrace it and use it to discover a Universe he’d never imagined.

  “I suppose drowning in my own anguish was self-pity. I’ve never really experienced loss before, and with the confusion of my circumstances, I didn’t really know what to do. My loss seems insignificant compared to yours. I am sorry to have burdened you with it.” Tyler folded his hands in his lap and stared at the floor.

  “Nonsense,” Uncle Sal said jovially, “I was not burdened. It was something I’d not experienced in a long time. You see, a great deal of time has passed since I interacted with any of my creations. By now, no one knows me or knows that I even exist. They have evolved beyond needing me, and I simply let them grow without my intervention. Perhaps that is for the best. But I enjoyed finding someone who needed my help—I’d forgotten how it felt to be needed.”

  Uncle Sal put the pipe down and sat up. “Come, let me show you some of my creations. Perhaps you will find something in them that will help you rejoice in your newfound existence.”

  Tyler followed Uncle Sal to the right side of the room and a door concealed behind paneling. Uncle Sal pressed gently against the side of the door, releasing it a crack. Light poured into the room, a brightness that was blinding after the dim firelight.

  “Before we enter, I want you to know that we will not be visible to the inhabitants. Their physiology is far different than yours, and they are not aware of life outside their world. I do not wish to upset them with something that may be disturbing to the belief systems they have created.”

  Uncle Sal opened the door and walked through. Tyler followed into the bright light. As the door closed, Tyler found himself standing on what appeared to be a small dirt road through a tiny village. The sky was as blue as Earth’s, but the clouds were slightly reddish colored despite the sun being directly overhead. Like a sunset at noon.

  Tyler was taken by the fresh smells of vegetation and the incredible quietness broken only by the sounds of small animals in the fields and woods around them. Small creatures flew among the trees overhead. Tyler supposed they were birds, although the vibrant colors were quite different than anything he remembered on Earth.

  The tiny village consisted of three small buildings constructed from what Tyler assumed was dirt or other natural materials. It gave each a light tan color with mottled streaks of brown. The roofs were made of wood or another material fashioned into tiles layered from the top of the roof to the bottom where it met the exterior walls. Each building possessed a second floor and ample windows with a single door centered in the front under a small porch. They were basic dwellings, but looked comfortable.

  Surrounding the village, dense woods and open fields spread out toward distant hills. Most of the fields held abundant crops growing under the warm sun. The setting was rural and tranquil, with an air temperature that was pleasantly warm with only a hint of humidity. A light cool breeze blew in across the fields, bringing the rich smell of tilled soil and earthy crops. Uncle Sal let him absorb the surroundings before speaking.

  “I created this world billions of years ago. I was determined to create a peaceful world rich in diversity and abundant with resources. The weather on this planet is moderate from pole to pole, a challenge to get right. It rains regularly, but not too much or too often.”

  He pointed to the village. “Those structures were built by one of several intelligent creatures that evolved on this world. There are actually three intelligent life forms, more than I have ever created on any other world. I suppose the pleasant, abundant riches of this world helped spur this development.”

  Uncle Sal walked down the left side of the street toward one of the buildings, stopping on the top step of the porch.

  “This was the last world I ever created, and the one I am most proud of. You see, not only did three different creatures evolve into intelligent life, but they coexist peacefully. The usual plagues of creation, war, famine, disease, competition, do not exist here. Come, let us go in and see some of these wonderful people.”

  Tyler watched as Uncle Sal walked through the closed door. It was disconcerting to see, especially when one of his arms came back through, gesturing for Tyler to follow. Tyler shrugged and walked up the steps and through the door. The transition through the door was smooth without feeling.

  They stood within a small foyer, stairs straight ahead and two doors on either side. Small hooks were fastened to the wall by the front door with colorful garments hanging on them.

  Uncle Sal headed through the doorway on the right and walked through the simply furnished room towards the back of the house. Tyler followed, taking in the intricately carved furnishings and knickknacks throughout the room. They walked through another doorway into a dining area with a large table set with dishware and steaming bowls of food. Uncle Sal paused before heading through another doorway into the kitchen. Tyler hurried to keep up.

  Through the opposite doorway, they turned right and entered a small room where candles burned against the far wall. The candles were lined on a tiered dais beneath the figure of a creature that vaguely looked like an elephant, but was too thin and human shaped. On the floor of the room, kneeling before the figurine were four seemingly human shaped bodies bent in prayer.

  “They are worshipping their god before they eat.” Uncle Sal walked through them toward the figurine on the dais. “Undoubtedly an early predecessor now deified and worshipped.”

  Uncle Sal turned from the figurine and looked closely at the kneeling figures on the floor.

  “They developed this religion thousands of years ago, in an attempt to explain the bounty of their lives. I was never here for them, so they do not know me. Unfortunate, I suppose, but I am still happy and proud of what they have become.”

  The figures on the floor spoke strange phrases that Tyler did not understand. Suddenly they stopped, rose from the floor and made gestures toward their god before turning to leave the room. Only then did Tyler see them fully. Although their proportions were human, their faces were definitely not.

  The skin w
as a pale yellow and the mouth was quite generous with two fairly large teeth or tusks protruding from either side. The nose, or more accurately, the trunk, hung at least four feet from the face and appeared to have small fingers or joints at the end. The slanted eyes were slightly out on the side of the face, and the color was a deep green that looked intense against the yellow skin. The hands were small with only four, chubby digits, three and what appeared to be a thumb.

  Tyler was amazed to see something so similar to a human, yet not like one at all. For the first time, he gazed on a truly intelligent, alien life form. He watched as one used its trunk to extinguish the candles and put them away in a box next to the figurine of their god. The creature had four small, round breasts concealed by loose clothing. Tyler assumed she was female.

  “Beautiful, aren’t they?” Uncle Sal was smiling as he watched his creations go about cleaning up after worship. Tyler wasn’t sure beautiful was the word he would use, but then he couldn’t help but think of them as some distorted human being, grossly crossed with an elephant.

  Uncle Sal looked at him with concern. “Your bias against these creatures does not speak highly of your kind.” He walked past Tyler toward the dining room.

  Tyler knew he was being superficial, but he had never seen intelligent life so similar to humans. Clearly, it would take time for him to get accustomed to alien life forms. He didn’t think of himself as prejudice, more likely cautious and wary of something that was different.

  Tyler followed the female through the kitchen into the dining room. All stood waiting for her arrival before taking their seats. Uncle Sal stood against the back wall, arms folded, looking thoughtful.

  Tyler wasn’t sure if he had upset him or not. “Look, I didn’t mean to think such things, I’ve just never seen another intelligent life form. It is true though, my species does have a history of judging others by their looks or differences. We only have one intelligent life form on my world, and our dominance came at the cost of many other, lower life forms.”

  Tyler leaned against the doorway from the kitchen and watched as the family passed and served food. He knew his excuse was lame, but it was all he had. He simply couldn’t stop his reaction, but he hoped that he could one day change it.

  Uncle Sal looked up, concern replaced with a light smile. “I understand Tyler, your world is not unlike many I have created. Competition and dominance play major roles in the lives of its inhabitants, thus creating a wedge between them and others that threaten their survival. Distrust is inherent in the evolutionary processes that control them. Do not worry, I believe you will overcome these limitations.”

  Uncle Sal stood from the wall and walked back to the front of the house. “Come, there is more to see.”

  Tyler followed him through front door, expecting to come out on the front porch as before. Instead, he found himself on another world, standing next to a deep chasm.

  The sky was dark red with black clouds or smoke that obscured the pale sun. The air was acrid, like a forest fire, and the ground shook violently, nearly knocking Tyler to the ground. When it stopped, Tyler watched a plume of red hot lava spew from a volcanic dome in the distance. All around, plumes of smoke rose from the heaving ground. Tyler saw no life, plant or otherwise. Uncle Sal was somber as he stared at the distant volcano.

  “This world is being torn apart, reaching the end of its existence. The dominant life form left thousands of years ago, settling on another, more stable world. You see, this world is a moon orbiting a gas giant that has been collapsing for millennia. The gravitational pull has become so strong, it is tearing its moons apart.”

  He stared across the expanse, watching plumes of smoke that indicated the last moments of a dying world.

  “You see, Tyler, this, too, is part of life in the Universe. As it is created, so, too, will it be destroyed. There is neither right nor wrong in this pattern, it is only the natural flow of creation. This, too, would have been your fate, had you remained on your world. Now, however, you have been given a gift few will ever know, the gift of eternity. Choose what to do with it, and that will determine right or wrong. I cannot choose your fate, it is only in your hands.”

  Uncle Sal stood silently, staring at Tyler with a serious expression. It made Tyler think about his own inadequacies. He knew what Uncle Sal said was true, that his destiny was his to make. It was the inevitable decision Tyler had been avoiding. He didn’t want that responsibility. He wanted something he could blame it on, something or someone that would take it from him.

  “I feel the presence of something inside me, perhaps it is an Onyalum, I don’t know.” Tyler felt guilty at hiding this from Uncle Sal before. He knew he’d come close to giving up and turning his life over to the essence of the alien. Now, he was ashamed by such a cowardly act.

  Uncle Sal showed pity. “I know about that presence in you. I wasn’t sure what it was but now I am. I do believe it is an Onyalum that has become irreversibly combined with you, creating this new Tyler.”

  “What if it takes over? I almost let it before you found me.”

  “I do not think you will let it, at least not anymore. I believe it will simply become a part of you, another part of your being.”

  “But what if it is a malevolent Onyalum? Will it make me do bad things and make wrong choices?” Tyler was concerned he might change more into the Onyalum and that might lead to even more horrible events—events he couldn’t control.

  Uncle Sal smiled. “I do not think so, Tyler, but maybe it will, and maybe it won’t. That is a journey you must take alone. I wanted you to see that life and death abounds throughout the Universe. You are not alone. You may be something new and unique, and you may be judged by that, perhaps unfairly, but you must make the choices that will determine how Tyler fits into this Universe.”

  “I don’t want to hurt or destroy,” Tyler began, “I don’t really know what I want. I realize I will probably never find my world, but can I really find happiness on another?”

  “You won’t know until you try.”

  Tyler knew Uncle Sal was right, that he would have to make his own decisions and seek out new worlds. He would have to overcome his limited background to seek out new life forms and build new relationships. It was he who was different, and he would be the one who would have to adjust to the strange worlds he encountered.

  Tyler felt a glimmer of excitement, a chance to see something new and different, something alien. He began to look forward to it.

  Uncle Sal smiled. “I am glad you are excited, but remember, loss is a very real part of life.” He gestured at the dying world around them. “You must be prepared for the eventuality that you will always go on when those around you will not. You must live for the moment, knowing that the moment will be gone as fast as it came. Enjoy those moments and others around you will enjoy them as well. Then, you will make the right decisions.”

  “I understand what you are saying, but I don’t know how well I will take future losses. However, I am willing to try.”

  “Good! Come, let us start you on your journey.” Uncle Sal turned from the edge of the cliff and walked towards a door that stood amid the decaying world. The effect was strange, like something out of the twilight zone.

  Before opening the door, Uncle Sal turned towards Tyler. “I want you to know that I am willing to help you whenever you feel you need it. I cannot make your decisions, but I will be willing to discuss them with you or simply talk as a friend. Many creators will not offer you this type of friendship, they will be wary of you, because they will see you as an Onyalum. Be prepared for that.”

  Uncle Sal put his hands on the doorknob, preparing to open it.

  “But how will I find you?” Tyler knew he would need this friendship, it was the only one he had.

  “My name, the name I was given when I was created, is Thosolan. Simply think my name very hard and very directly, and I will hear you and find you.”

  Uncle Sal opened the door and through it Tyler saw the inten
se burning of the sun they’d started in.

  “My body will not survive going through the door will it?”

  “No, you will lose your body once more, but you will be free to begin your journey. There are many worlds in my galaxies, feel free to explore them and experience the life that is so precious.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Sa…, I mean, Thosolan, your friendship and help mean a great deal to me. I will try making myself into something better than I was.”

  Tyler moved toward the door, but was stopped short by Thosolan’s hand. Thosolan extended his hand as though to shake, and Tyler was taken aback by this human gesture. He took Thosolan’s hand in a warm embrace.

  “It is you that you must make proud, Tyler. Only then can others be proud of you. Good luck, and remember, I am always here if you need me.”

  Tyler nodded and stepped through the doorway, feeling only a momentary burning before entering the silence of the Universe.