Miguel looked through the porthole. Although he was beginning to get used to being away from home, he still couldn’t stop thinking about what happened during the past few days. He felt alone.
Thera saw Miguel’s face and again, she felt the same remorse. She felt like she needed to change Miguel’s mood—like if it was her responsibility. She even considered bringing him back to Earth even without learning the answer.
She walked over to the central control—the same console that broadcasted events occurring on Earth and the one which also showed Miguel the reason for Thera’s lonely journey. She pressed her hand against the glowing panel, which eventually scanned her palm print. She pushed and turned several buttons. The control panel opened up to reveal an orb made up of pure energy.
She held onto it as if carrying a fragile globe. With smooth movements of her hand across the surface of the sphere, Memory seemed to change her course. Instead of traveling in auto-pilot, Thera gained control over Memory’s trajectory. Miguel did not notice they were heading to a different place. He didn’t even know where they were heading in the first place.
I can’t believe this spacecraft can give you whatever you need, Miguel thought as he looked at the generic view of space. He previously learned from the holographic transmission that Memories could grant whatever their occupants needed. It doesn’t even give me happiness.
“Miguel,” Miguel didn’t notice Thera behind him until she spoke, “there’s something I would like to show you.” He looked at Thera. He hoped it wasn’t anything that would remind him of the hurtful past. He stood up and followed her to the other side. He noticed the orb of energy hovering above the control panel. He wondered what it was when Thera called his attention. “It’s not much, but I hope you’ll like it.”
With a slight hand gesture, the whole wall that separated them from space parted. Only a thin barrier of energy protected them from the vacuum and pressure. Beyond the barrier were atmospheric clouds closer than when Miguel saw earlier. The clouds formed images of flowers—flowers of different sizes and shapes, and of different colors and hues. Distant asteroids and comets made up images of bees as they trailed space.
“Wow! This is marvelous!” Miguel exclaimed to which Thera looked at him. When she saw a smile on his face, her heart jumped. Although she didn’t understand what that feeling was, she felt comforted and… happy?
“The first time I’ve seen this place,” Thera explained. “It reminded me of something. That’s why I always treasured this place.”
“It’s beautiful, Thera,” Miguel confirmed. He looked at Thera, who was watching him all along. “Thank you.”
Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.
Victor Hugo