THE LAST OF EDEN ADVANCE
By
Elizabeth Heckert
E-Mail: PomMom2Be@aol.com (if Ellie or Maggie reads this.. EMAIL ME! LOL)
Timeline: Far future
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Written when I was 14 so take it for what it's worth! (now 20.. so it's an old piece)
The Last of the Eden Advance
by Elizabeth Heckert
It was just after sunset on G889, the landscape surrounding the city of New
Pacifica illuminated by the dim glow of twilight. The lights reflecting in
the pool before the Great Monument, situated in a secluded area set off
aways from the rest of the city, danced in strange and mysterious patterns
before Devon Adair's eyes.
It was such a beautiful night, as were most on G889; the two great moons
hung above her in the sky, casting their own reflection in the pool which
Devon sat beside, gazing up at the Great Monument. It had been erected just
a few years before, with a great ceremony and celebration following. It was
a tribute to the Eden Advance, those who had founded this colony, made it
all possible. In memory of those who had made it, and those who were lost
along the way. It seemed to stand for everything that represented what Devon
was; her hopes, her dreams, her entire life was represented in this
beautifully carved statue.
It depicted a Terrian, standing tall and proud over the land it overlooked,
down the hill to New Pacifica, its staff held straight, seeming to crackle
with the energy that the glowing veins of morganite inset in it contained.
Beside this Terrian stood a small boy, a curiously shaped walking stick in
his hand, gazing straight ahead towards the horizon, where the Sea of Antius
bordered what was now the great city of New Pacifica. Ulysses Adair, at
eight years old, the time of his Transformation by the Terrians.
Below the sculpture, were the names. The names of all the members of the
Eden Advance crew, even those who had perished before reaching the planet's
surface, and those who had never been accounted for. Devon got up from her
seat beside the reflecting pool to examine the delicately engraved names of
the crew.
Julia Heller, Alonzo Solace, Morgan Martin... to some school children in New
Pacifica, they were just names. Historical figures, names in books, they
meant nothing, absolutely nothing. But to Devon they were friends, perhaps
friends close enough to even be considered family. Indeed, over the years,
the Advance had become maybe even closer than family. They had experienced
both life and death together, and that was something that could never be
forgotten. And so the bond had remained, even as one by one they had all
passed on from the world they had known, leaving sometimes as abruptly as
they fled their homes on the Stations decades before. Others has simply
faded away gradually, become like the distant speck of light in the heavens
that represented Earth, and the life they left behind so long ago.
Devon gently brushed her finger against the cool stone of the monument,
feeling each of the names carefully, as if doing so would bring back the
memories that had begun to fade over the years, some of which had been long
lost. Eben Syngh, Alicia Denner, Bess Martin, John Danziger... Devon smiled
slightly when she saw that name, running her fingers against the monument
where it was ingraved lovingly. John... he had been a good man. Quite
stubborn, but a good man. And an even better husband...
With a sigh, Devon once again looked up at the statue that sat atop the
names. Uly looked so young in the statue, so small, not at all the tall,
handsome man he had grown to become. He had been a child then, sure enough,
but now he had children of his own. Mairi and Audrea... every time Devon saw
her grandchildren, she couldn't help but think how much they reminded her of
herself. Actually, they reminded her of many things, as everything having to
do with this planet had a habit of doing.
But now it was getting late, and Devon's frail body was growing tired. Uly
had always warned her--warned her not to go out this late at night; it would
be the death of her, he'd said. But Devon still had one more stop to make
before calling it a night.
Arriving at the large clearing on the bluffs overlooking the Sea of Antius,
Devon slowly knelt down to the ground, casting her eyes to the sky, where
the stars were now shining brilliantly. She then bowed her head to face the
ground, as was the custom of the Terrians--a culture she had grown to know
well over the years--and mumbled softly, "G889, for years you have been home
and sanctuary to myself and my family, but now I must ask that it end. The
others are gone, each having left when the time was right, and even my son
and daughter-and-law have now passed on. I do not question your reasons for
taking them, nor do I feel wronged by your doing so. All that I ask is that
you let this end now. I am the last of us; the last of the Eden Advance."
Pressing her palms into the earth, Devon closed her eyes and trilled softly,
in the Terrian way that her son had taught her, and then, with a soft sigh,
she took her last breath.
And then she awoke. It was dawn, the sun rising up over the waters of the
Sea, the people of the city waking to a new day. Devon slowly raised her
head to look about her surroundings. She was in the burial grounds, sure
enough, where all the others had been buried, where she had shut her eyes
the night before. But what was going on? She had asked the planet to take
her back, so why hadn't it?
She was momentarily confused, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Immediatly on her feet, she twisted about to see what it was. Her jaw
dropped in awe as she realized it was John, his image defined from pure
light cast by the sun of G889 down onto the planet, smiling at her, and
offering his hand.
"What, John? But you died, years ago, in the accident... "
"Shhh, Devon, it's all right," he said, and motioned about them. It was then that she
realized they were not alone. They were surrounded by their family, the Eden
Advance members, all shimmering beings of light, all welcoming her. Devon
anxiously accepted John's hand, and a sudden feeling of peace spread about
her. Then, the entire group bowed their heads, and receded into the earth.
G889 had taken them back.
-The End-
By
Elizabeth Heckert
E-Mail: PomMom2Be@aol.com (if Ellie or Maggie reads this.. EMAIL ME! LOL)
Timeline: Far future
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Written when I was 14 so take it for what it's worth! (now 20.. so it's an old piece)
The Last of the Eden Advance
by Elizabeth Heckert
It was just after sunset on G889, the landscape surrounding the city of New
Pacifica illuminated by the dim glow of twilight. The lights reflecting in
the pool before the Great Monument, situated in a secluded area set off
aways from the rest of the city, danced in strange and mysterious patterns
before Devon Adair's eyes.
It was such a beautiful night, as were most on G889; the two great moons
hung above her in the sky, casting their own reflection in the pool which
Devon sat beside, gazing up at the Great Monument. It had been erected just
a few years before, with a great ceremony and celebration following. It was
a tribute to the Eden Advance, those who had founded this colony, made it
all possible. In memory of those who had made it, and those who were lost
along the way. It seemed to stand for everything that represented what Devon
was; her hopes, her dreams, her entire life was represented in this
beautifully carved statue.
It depicted a Terrian, standing tall and proud over the land it overlooked,
down the hill to New Pacifica, its staff held straight, seeming to crackle
with the energy that the glowing veins of morganite inset in it contained.
Beside this Terrian stood a small boy, a curiously shaped walking stick in
his hand, gazing straight ahead towards the horizon, where the Sea of Antius
bordered what was now the great city of New Pacifica. Ulysses Adair, at
eight years old, the time of his Transformation by the Terrians.
Below the sculpture, were the names. The names of all the members of the
Eden Advance crew, even those who had perished before reaching the planet's
surface, and those who had never been accounted for. Devon got up from her
seat beside the reflecting pool to examine the delicately engraved names of
the crew.
Julia Heller, Alonzo Solace, Morgan Martin... to some school children in New
Pacifica, they were just names. Historical figures, names in books, they
meant nothing, absolutely nothing. But to Devon they were friends, perhaps
friends close enough to even be considered family. Indeed, over the years,
the Advance had become maybe even closer than family. They had experienced
both life and death together, and that was something that could never be
forgotten. And so the bond had remained, even as one by one they had all
passed on from the world they had known, leaving sometimes as abruptly as
they fled their homes on the Stations decades before. Others has simply
faded away gradually, become like the distant speck of light in the heavens
that represented Earth, and the life they left behind so long ago.
Devon gently brushed her finger against the cool stone of the monument,
feeling each of the names carefully, as if doing so would bring back the
memories that had begun to fade over the years, some of which had been long
lost. Eben Syngh, Alicia Denner, Bess Martin, John Danziger... Devon smiled
slightly when she saw that name, running her fingers against the monument
where it was ingraved lovingly. John... he had been a good man. Quite
stubborn, but a good man. And an even better husband...
With a sigh, Devon once again looked up at the statue that sat atop the
names. Uly looked so young in the statue, so small, not at all the tall,
handsome man he had grown to become. He had been a child then, sure enough,
but now he had children of his own. Mairi and Audrea... every time Devon saw
her grandchildren, she couldn't help but think how much they reminded her of
herself. Actually, they reminded her of many things, as everything having to
do with this planet had a habit of doing.
But now it was getting late, and Devon's frail body was growing tired. Uly
had always warned her--warned her not to go out this late at night; it would
be the death of her, he'd said. But Devon still had one more stop to make
before calling it a night.
Arriving at the large clearing on the bluffs overlooking the Sea of Antius,
Devon slowly knelt down to the ground, casting her eyes to the sky, where
the stars were now shining brilliantly. She then bowed her head to face the
ground, as was the custom of the Terrians--a culture she had grown to know
well over the years--and mumbled softly, "G889, for years you have been home
and sanctuary to myself and my family, but now I must ask that it end. The
others are gone, each having left when the time was right, and even my son
and daughter-and-law have now passed on. I do not question your reasons for
taking them, nor do I feel wronged by your doing so. All that I ask is that
you let this end now. I am the last of us; the last of the Eden Advance."
Pressing her palms into the earth, Devon closed her eyes and trilled softly,
in the Terrian way that her son had taught her, and then, with a soft sigh,
she took her last breath.
And then she awoke. It was dawn, the sun rising up over the waters of the
Sea, the people of the city waking to a new day. Devon slowly raised her
head to look about her surroundings. She was in the burial grounds, sure
enough, where all the others had been buried, where she had shut her eyes
the night before. But what was going on? She had asked the planet to take
her back, so why hadn't it?
She was momentarily confused, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Immediatly on her feet, she twisted about to see what it was. Her jaw
dropped in awe as she realized it was John, his image defined from pure
light cast by the sun of G889 down onto the planet, smiling at her, and
offering his hand.
"What, John? But you died, years ago, in the accident... "
"Shhh, Devon, it's all right," he said, and motioned about them. It was then that she
realized they were not alone. They were surrounded by their family, the Eden
Advance members, all shimmering beings of light, all welcoming her. Devon
anxiously accepted John's hand, and a sudden feeling of peace spread about
her. Then, the entire group bowed their heads, and receded into the earth.
G889 had taken them back.
-The End-