It's finally finished. Thanks to everyone for making it better than it might otherwise have been. It's very strange… for such a long time I've wanted this to be finished. I've wanted it done and not hanging over my head. But at the end of this chapter, part of me felt very sad…
…Well, who knows what the future may hold, eh? So long, and thanks for all the fish.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The airport was a world of light. It gleamed off whitewashed walls, metallic baggage and faces shining with the promise of escape. Slick grime glinted out of every crevice and blinded the darkly colored group of young'uns as they said their final farewells.
"Biya! Be sure to clean your nostrils!" Dragon called after one fangirl. "I won't forget you! You is my bruddah!" She suddenly turned and grabbed the ankle of another. "Don't go! Noooooooooooo- okay, bye. Doo doo dee doo…"
Ground control to Major Tom
Quin sat somewhat aside from the others at the gate, who were all hugging and laughing and kicking each other's heads farewell. She wondered what it would be like to go home after a thing like the convention. Would everything be the same?
Ground control to Major Tom
"We're sinking back into reality!" Raved The Slayer "Now it's nothing but burned toast and schoolwork, and people kicking the back of your seat!"
"Are you even trying to make sense?" Asked Idgie politely.
"Sort of…" The Slayer looked at her shoes. The announcement rang over their heads saying gate 7C would be boarding soon. The fangirls stood, waiting, half expecting some other voice to take control as it had when they'd first arrived at the convention. But when none did, they waved goodbye with stifled disappointment, exchanged phone numbers and dispersed to their respective flight gates. Some got on planes to O'Hare airport, some to Van Nuys, some to JFK. They flew across the country and away from each other. The Slayer snapped her backpack closed and, with a final glance at the gate, walked off to her own destiny.
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground control to Major Tom
Three people walked into gate 7C, bound for the same destination. They were CryingChild, Mel the Mad Bunny, and Galadriel Weasely. The last of these found her seat, which was away from the others, and looked out the window. Noticing the stranger next to her appeared somewhat nervous, she decided to calm him down with some reassuring words.
"Boy, it sure would suck if the roof flew off while we were in the air, wouldn't it? Or if we flamed out and fell into the ocean. I don't know about you, but having rough shards of twisted metal flung through my midsection is not my idea of a fun time!" GW leaned closer to the man, who by this point had gone very pale. "Just between the two of us, who would YOU eat first if we were stranded on a mountain? Me, I'd definitely go with that guy with the bad haircut over there." She suddenly paused and cocked her head. "Are those NORMAL sounds for an engine to be making?" The man groaned.
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition, and may God's love be with you
CryingChild watched as the plane left the ground. She smiled contentedly. What a perfect way to see herself off to college- by turning her cousin into a Zim fan. Not to mention having the wildest week of her life! Spending the whole last day hobnobbing with the Irkens and communing with Happy Noodle Boy. It had been an experience she'd never forget, and it gave her promise for an exciting future.
This is ground control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
Mel, who sat next to her, was much more nervous than excited. It had been one thing being newly obsessive at the convention, where such behavior was permitted, even normal. What would it be like once she reached home? She tugged on the hem of her grey t-shirt, and thought of her Nailbunny one, deep in her backpack. She'd hidden it inside a larger sweatshirt, and would likely have to hide it at home. She had gotten some tips from people at the convention whose parents didn't approve of JtHM, but still she worried. What would it be like returning to her friends, or family? Would she act the way she acted before, or admit to the change inside her?
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare
Meanwhile, on another plane, Ztar was also thinking of her return. She was just beginning the flight home, but could already feel her memories of the past week becoming distant. Still clear, but with a dreamlike quality to them. How had it been real? Flying home was like leaping into another dimension, one released from the convention's unique rules and realities. Ztar wasn't sure if she liked the idea. But she WAS going home…
This is Major Tom to ground control
I'm stepping through the door
Bast, on her own flight, felt less stoic about it. She was restlessly tossing in her seat, looking down at the shrinking houses. Her head buzzed- she thought forward. Would her home and family seem mundane after this week? Would she ever be able to look at the world in the way she had before? But then, if sights like the ones she had seen at the convention were possible, imagine what else might be…
And I'm floating in the most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
And on her plane, KidK imagined just that. As the clouds whizzed by she saw galaxies swirling in them. She imagined all the possibilities- things that she had suspected might be true, and things she'd never dreamed were possible, all fell into the realm of reality now. She sat back and thought about things like Chakras, Mana, UFOs, Black Helicopters, Chupacabras, Deja vu, Exploding Heads, Bilocation, Jersey Devils, Djinn, Satyrs, Vampires, Giant Robots...
For here am I sitting in a tin can
Far above the world
Planet Earth is blue, and there's nothing I can do
...Changelings, Demons, Demonomancy, Telepathy, Necromancy, Aleuromancy, Geomancy and Bibliomancy. Kat thought about all these and more as her plane flew on. It took her a few minutes to recognize the high pitched voice of the passenger behind her as something familiar. Turning around and peering over the seat, her eyes widened to see a person who did not look quite real, but was very definitely there. Tod Casil, who talked to his mutilated teddy bear, assuring it that the plane was not flying over any major bodies of water, eliminating the danger of giant sea monsters reaching up and grabbing it mid flight. Kat bit her lip in joy. This would clearly be no ordinary flight.
Ground control to Major Tom
Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong
Can you hear me Major Tom?
And, one by one, all the convention-goers discovered on their flight something they couldn't explain. Before long, others who'd never even been to the convention began to notice them as well. Confusion, fear, delight and amazement broke out in pockets everywhere, and all passengers, real and unreal, flew off into the night.
Can you hear me Major Tom?
Can you hear…?
…
The End.