Junkman is Awake by D.A.Sanford - HTML preview

Life must go on

My wife and I are now in our fourth crew. We will say right her that we have had battles but we have never lost a single fighter. Most have passed in old age. All crews know that we are immortal. But each and every member has their names in a leather bound book near the control room of each and everyone that has served on the Bone Yard. We do not put a death date by the names. Because, to us, none have died. They went on a mission and are there on their new world waiting to greet the new ones to the final life.

All the originals from both the goblin worlds and the Invent Unlimited world have also moved on but they have chosen well on their successors. They still reflect the ambition and dedication to the founders ideals.

Our fourth crew is getting older and getting ready to put land under their feet permanently.

Vannessa and I still have not aged one day from that day we were made immortal physically but not mentally. Vanessa was seventy or so when we were married and made immortal.

I was in my forties when I was killed by space junk. Now it has been over one hundred and twenty years as mates. Again physically we are the same but mentally. I will say right here that our love has had it’s ups and downs but most of all we are good friends.

One day, as we are getting ready for bed, she just says a simple set of words in the form of a question. “How would you feel if we just flew the ship to go live with Amy?”

I knew that is really was not a question. More like a heavy statement. I do not answer but hug her tightly. When I feel that it is right I say that I do miss her and also our crew that have gone to settle that world.

“Do you think that it is time to call the gods?” I ask.

“In the morning” is all she says. We just hug each other and fall asleep.

We both wake to the sound of airplanes, helicopters and such. We open our eyes and see the imps flying. This is something that I have seen before but this is not the same room.

The door opens and there are the gods of all.

“Welcome, get dressed and come to the kitchen.

We do and there is a wonderful breakfast.

“You are both still asleep in your world. We have heard your request. Your ship will not be able to cross that divide. But a duplicate is now ready in that realm and it is being prepared by your crews and the goblin depot workers on that side. Your ship on this side will live on. We have chosen two that are mates who share your views. When you wake in the morning you will have a week to make the necessary preparations. That pair will also know and come forward to lead that very morning. They will have your interaction powers the second after you walk through the ship’s hatch.”

We haven’t said a word. There is no need. We thank them for understanding.

Then it is morning. We wake to the knock on our cabin door. It is the couple and both know that they are the ones.

“We have docked at the goblin world. The crew has assembled. The book has been opened and the scribe is waiting.”

We get dressed and they lead us to the gathering.

I let Vannessa speak. Without a word between us, she was commissioned, as an AI so it is only fitting that she is the one to first announce us leaving.

“A very long time ago, I was only an AI running this ship. Then one day I was docked at this very same dock just waiting to be disassembled when Jacob saved me. We have had a wonderful time but it is time for our names to be recorded in the book.”

I take over, “This ship will continue. These two have been chosen by the Gods of all to take over this ship. They have the same values and all that is needed to serve this ship well. In a week we will have a door opened and we will step onto the ship that has been crewed and waiting for us by those who have gone before us. We now turn over the command to them. We now will take the docks shuttle down to the world. We will not return here. The leaders of the world have already been informed by the gods of what is happening.

Vannessa now says formally, “Captains, please assume your new duties and escort us off your ship. May this ship serve you in your endeavors.”

The crew snaps to attention as our escort, with the new captains in the lead, take us to the hatch and we are formally piped overboard. It is both a sad but joyful time. We are now putting our feet on a path that will lead to our crews.

Hand in hand we step out and onto the dock. As with our tradition the hatch is closed as to not see any tears on either side of the hatch.

The dock’s shuttle is formally decorated and when we touch down, what must be almost all the world’s population is there. We are told that other worlds will be opening doors for the celebration of life but this time was for the first world.

As we are standing there, something happens that only has been written in the historical records. The world hears humming.

Out steps a young woman. She comes to us and addresses us and the goblins.

‘I am the one you know as the first. I have been given the opportunity to jump here from the final life. I am here to say that I am proud of what you goblins have done with the meager things I started you with. With that you improved yourselves. Defended yourselves and made your worlds the envy of the universe.”

Then she turns to us, “You two have done more for the universe than anyone of the gods have ever done. You have made worlds cherish education and being self sufficient but to help others. You put such a high price on yourselves that there in not enough wealth in all the universe to even put a down payment on you. Your legacy as well as that ship will carry on until time itself expires.”

She smiles and with the same hum, she is gone. We look out and see all the people are on their knee. We take to the knee also. The goblin leader is the first to rise and tells us all to rise.

“It is an occasion that all of you need to record and send that to our historian.”

That is all he said. He walks off and we follow him.

He opens the door to his house and follows us in. The façade he had on falls off and he is trembling. He only repeats ”Oh my gods”

He calms enough to ask, “Did you just see that?” His mind has snapped. “The first was here, in my time, from the final life. Oh my gods.”

Vannessa does the only thing that she can think of. She grabs hold of him and puts him into a hug as she strokes his head telling him in a soft voice to just breathe. That took about ten minutes but it did work.

He regained his composure and now is back among the living. He thanks her for being there for him when it was supposed to be the other way around.

Now composed, he has us sit and he goes to get us some refreshments.

While gone, we see a portrait of a female goblin but it has a black ribbon on it. We know what that means. It is the reason he is getting the drinks. We look at each other and I tell her to wait for the right moment.

He returns with a tray on it was three mismatched glasses of water. Some had spilled on the tray. He says he is sorry for the mess. “My mate is shaking her head at me right now but I am lost since she crossed over.

“We are going in a week. I know the gods have spoken to you about this. Unlike natural death, we immortals just open a door and step through. No pain or death, no body left behind.”

She takes his hand gently looks into his eyes and asks, “You want to go and be with her?”

That is all he needed. He is again being hugged but this time he was crying his eyes out while telling her that he just wanted to die when she left but knew that it was wrong to kill himself.

I told him that he was coming with us. “I want you to write a letter right now and we will all sign it. Explain that you have received an invitation to join us on our voyage to the final life and name your successor. Write that we choose to go now.

He writes it and it hits him that we mean to go now, not in a week. I tell him that it seemed weird to say that in a week we would go.

He finishes and both of us sign it then ask if this is what he really wants. Without a word, he signs. Before the ink is dry, the gods of all appear and open the door. There on the other side is his mate with open arms. He runs through and we go hand in hand through it.

With that, the gods of all step out side of the home.

Their appearance draws everyone back. They wait until all settle.

“When you write your accounts of this day for your historian, you need to add that they have crossed over. Before they did, the invited your leader to join them. We opened the door and his wife welcomed him home. The two of the Bone Yard stepped through hand in hand.

The female god of all now finishes. “The three are now asleep in their beds. They will wake up in their morning. Each will be thirty again. They will stretch and realize that this side is now their dream. They will not forget it. You may just hear from them sometime. Like the first, the Supreme lets them talk to you when you most need it. Like the first, they may even come back to help or intervene.”

Now they disappear.

The elders cautiously open the door. All they find is three mismatched water glasses. The tray has some spilt water on it from carrying the tray. Then they find the note. A copy of the note is posted only after the artist and historian document the room and the lack of remains.

The crew of the Bone Yard are now on the world. The celebration of life is held. Leaders from all the worlds that Jacob and Vannessa have touched are there. They celebrate and tell tales of what they saw to all that were not there.

The art that was generated of the room and also the artist’s conception of what the door looks like and the leaders wife won the other side with open arms. Another of the two hand in hand walking through to the other side.

There were tears of joy because a long held belief had been confirmed. There is another life and our loved ones wait until our time to leave is at hand. We will sleep and awake to a big reunion.

Authors notes:

Here I go again. I like tie ins. For those who may not have read them. The commandos are from “The Electronic Commandos” and I could not help myself.

The goblin world was started for freed slaves by the one they called the first. This is from “The girl and her red note book.”

As a side note, You should read “The misfit failure is a demigod.” That gives you the origin of the jumpers. It is like a prequel to the girl and her red notebook.

This book was from an article on the web. I was looking at the number of satellites being put into space and a recent movie about congestion in orbit caused me to make a note of it. That made me think of the possibility of a junk collector just going a little faster in the same direction and just plowing the stuff back towards earth.

My mind is strange another idea is about a real discovery the cinnabar queen. There are others but I need to dream and possibly chase the squirrels.

D.A.Sanford