~AN~ Hullo, all. S'not quite the end yet!
Bass: Actually, it is.
Oh yeah. 'Hem. Anyway, on to author's note business…first off, thank'ee ever so much for pointing that out, Molly! Now I know the difference between Ideya Capture and Ideya Palace…*nod* Thanks!
To Nix and Fang: My parents are very careful with matters concerning internet safety and such, so I had to ask them first before I gave out my address. ^_^ I'm honored that you'd want it, but I'd rather not just post it in a public place, so I'm putting it up in my bio section. If you could be kind enough to leave a review once you get it, so I can take it down as soon as I get that e-mail? I'd be very much obliged if you'd take the time!
There, that's all. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: "I can't believe it's already the end, guys. I mean…heck, I thought this torture was gonna drag on another three weeks!!"---AC
Disclaimer Num. 2: "*WHAP*"---Avis
And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.
And Death Shall Have No Dominion, by Dylan Thomas
Epilogue: One Hundred Years Later
The boy looked around in wonder. He was in a sunny valley, grass waving at his feet, wind blowing gently through his hair. Paradise.
He grinned and began running across the fields of grass, whooping and flinging his arms wide to catch the wind, finally slowing to spin in dizzy circles until he collapsed, panting, into the soft, welcoming carpet of green.
He lay there for awhile, watching the clouds float by lazily overhead, and was just inspecting a daisy that was blooming to his right when a shining glint caught his eye.
He blinked, squinted, and then sat upright, squinting again. It looked almost like a giant bubble, only box-shaped…and there was something inside.
He bounced up and bounded nearer, leaping over the daisies and wildflowers that sprouted up in the thick grass. As he came closer, he realized that the thing inside was a person---a sleeping person, lying stretched out on the air as if he were lying on a bed. He was floating.
The boy slowed and walked up to the thing, staring at its shimmering surface and wondering if it was safe to touch. It looked sort of like those force fields he'd seen in sci-fi movies…
The person inside stretched, yawned, and opened shining violet eyes, meeting his startled blue gaze with dreamy inquisitiveness.
Then the person's expression changed to one of shock, and he leapt up, pressing against the sparkling walls. Instantly sparks flew and he pulled back, wincing as if in pain, but still staring at the boy outside. His eyes were riveted on the glowing red orb that floated lazily about the boy's body.
His lips moved, and the boy could almost make out the words. "Courage Ideya…"
The person straightened, his expression forcing itself into a calmer air, and held out one hand as if asking the boy to take it. The boy eyed him, trying to figure out what was going on; the person gestured to his hand, eyes begging.
Finally the boy reached out, wincing as his hand touched the barrier, but no sparks flew; his hand passed through without any pain. He felt the person grasp his fingers tightly, emotion trembling through his flesh---and then he felt himself become covered in a warm feeling of life, and the person was gone.
He did not feel scared; he instinctively knew he could trust the person that was now within and around him. A voice spoke, and it came out of his own mouth. "Thank you. I'm NiGHTS---and I'm free."
~The Beginning~