Mr. Rogers

March 3rd 2003

It's been a good life, the anticancer medication that they gave me was tinkertech but honestly I'm tired, I'm ready to go see God. Everyone's been so helpful, yes I know I could have asked Woody for help but I'd rather not ask for special treatment and take up a spot someone else needs. Death is a part of life, and I don't mind passing into God's kingdom.

I looked outside my house's window at the chirping birds, a Nobel prize is in a glass case. I don't feel like I deserve it, but I didn't want to insult anyone. I think over my life and I'm ok with it. I did my best to create a better world. To educate children, and parents to try to reflect God's love and compassion for us all. I think about the show, the struggles, the people I have met and known, and my mind drifts back to Seattle.

I was scared, frightened but I held onto my faith, and in the darkness of Lincoln Park, I found a friend.

"Can I change? Can I become a better person?"

The television's on, I'm watching people walking on Mars, walking throughout the solar system. Some people have tried to give me credit for this, but honestly sometimes all people need to change, to embrace the light is just one person to believe in them. I smile and look out at the sky, the future is in some ways uncertain, a lot of people are scared and frightened, but I have lived through war and I know that in time it ends.

The darkness will eventually end and I feel that a much brighter day will shine forth, and though I'm in pain I can honestly say that I helped make this happen. I smiled at the ceiling, images of the rings of Saturn in my head, visions of the future. I remember having tea with a confused scared man, now I look at him as his wife lovelingly hugs him close, his arm is protectively draped around her.

In the end love is stronger then hate, it overcomes fear, it overcomes ignorance, and it overcomes lies and deceit. I smile, the world's getting darker now, and it's ok, my regrets are few and Me? I'm just going home.

It's going to be another wonderful day in the neighborhood.

-

Alex Keys

Seattle Spring break 2003

One more year until I graduate college, maybe I shouldn't have majored in Philosophy but I like, really expanded my mind you know? Totally learned a lot of new things, my parents were pretty chill about it, Mom owns the crystal shop downtown and totally filled me in on everything. On chakras, Astrology, crystals, tarrot and a whole bunch of other important stuff. She says I can work with her after I finish school and that would be pretty cool. I could do palm reading and other stuff.

I looked at the tree in the distance, and looked at my stuff. This was important, Mom says you have to like find yourself and stuff. Get in touch with your inner power and like commune with the spirits and stuff. When Ironwood showed up we were all scared, even dad who isn't into the whole spiritual scene like me and mom, but mom was like let's go into a drum circle and try to send out good vibes. She gathered up a bunch of her friends and we all chanted and stuff sending out vibes to get him to chillax, and then he did like, yah know?

I asked mom why that didn't work for the other cities and she talked about ley lines and how Seattle sat on a nexus were several lines crossed, you know a place with really strong magic like Stonehenge, or the pyramids. It's why we built the Space Needle, to connect us to all that psychic power, and I nodded my head cause like, mom knew stuff.

Life in the city changed, a lot of people, like left and the cops, the military and the Protectorate moved in, which kind of harshed things, mom was worried that it would upset the vibe of the city but things you know kept going. Life went on and nobody died, old Ironwood found a girl and married her. Mom said it was a good thing because she was attached to an Ice spirit and would be able to cool him down and stuff. I just studied and worked hard, but sometimes I would just walk around and space yah know?

Things became,you know normal, the whole Leviathan thing happened but we were evacuated for that and the city was like fine. Mom was a little upset about how Leviathan died, but dad was like you don't mess with a man's family and expect to get away with it, and I like understood where dad was coming from. The wheel of Karma has to turn and if you go around doing uncool stuff to people then it's going to come back to you eventually. I stopped thinking about everything and got into the kayak. I was ready, the World tree was about a mile off shore and I could paddle there, I had enough food and water to last me.

The night was cool and in the soft moonlight, the tree glowed with power. I saw the open portal in front of me. I had read up on some leaked stuff online about which portals went where, I had some maps, and a general idea of what I was doing. My muscles burned as I paddled and I felt a tinglying sensation as I traveled through the portal and into another world.

It was dark now, or still dark, the tunnel seemed to go on for... I looked up at the sky and saw two moons. I looked outside and saw the dust and red dirt of Mars. I stopped my boat and took it to the side. I brought out my waterproof camera and took pictures and then I meditated. I took some time to take in the energy of Mars, to like understand it and stuff. Then I brought out some food and had breakfast. When I was finished I meditated again, packed up my stuff and started paddling.

The World trees off of Earth were big, and getting bigger all the time, eventually they would be bigger then a place like New york and stuff, but for now I paddled, taking careful detors. The tunnels occasionally became clear, showing the outside world, I saw docks leading to the interior of the tree, and the tunnels themselves were lit up with glowing light.

I took more pictures and then smiled when I saw the next portal, now I was on Europa, and the view was amazing. I continued my journey, meditating, taking pictures and trying to get in all the energy, eventually I finally got to Pluto and I felt tired but... I also felt at peace. This was...I can't describe it but for a moment I was like all enlightened and stuff, at one with the universe. When I was finished on Pluto, I started paddling home, it was eaiser because of the light gravity. When I crossed the final portal everything felt heavy again. I continued paddling, looked up at the moon and sailed back home.

When I got to the docks I found my parents old minivan, strapped the kayak to it and drove home. I think I'm going to write a book on this, tell people about it, this is like some major spiritual stuff.