The Speed of Darkness
Epilogue

The small bird found himself standing in the middle of a large, white room. It seemed to go on for miles around him, like he could walk for days in any direction and never see anything but pure white. Even though he felt like he was in a concrete room, as if there were walls right next to him. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to determine where he was.

The last thing he remembered was getting hit with the Sun's energy. The energy ball he was sure was going to end his life and vaporize him into nothingness. He had done it to protect Manfredi. He suddenly felt a wave of fear roll over his body as he wondered if he was dead.

He couldn't be dead now, though, could he? He ran his flippers over his body. Everything seemed to be in place. He pinched himself, and was relieved to feel the pain that resulted. His feathers seemed unscathed, his beak was untouched, ans his eyesight was never better. So where was he?

He began waddling in a random direction, looking for any sign of something other than whiteness. Maybe this was some sort of large operating room, where the veterinarian was about to perform surgery on him? Maybe he was a little loopy on the anesthetics he was sure the vet had given him in the first place? Nothing seemed to make sense except the fact that he could determine what way was up and what way was down.

The penguin waddled for a long time. His feelings of hopelessness grew as his speed increased. There must be something out here. Something that signaled where he should go or at least where he was. It felt so empty.

He saw a speck come into his vision suddenly. Relieved to to finally see something other than the pure whiteness, he moved towards it. It gained form as he grew closer to it.

He gasped when he recognized the body of a human being floating slightly above the ground, arms crossed across his chest, his legs tightly closed together. Was he alright, just floating there like that? What was supporting him? The small penguin wondered if there was even any gravity in this place as he picked up his pace to get closer.

When he got close enough to make out the details, he recognized the man. It was the crazy sailor that charged into the antechamber after those evil penguins. The one that had been swinging the ice pick madly. The one that had been vaporized by the Sun.

The small penguin stopped waddling, looking up curiously at the man floating before him. He looked like he was in a peaceful slumber, almost as if he was meditating or something. Just floating there, in the air. The penguin became enveloped by the strange sight, and jumped when a voice came from behind him.

"It's strange having some company here again," it said.

It was a deep voice, and seemed to be coming at the small bird from all directions at once. It boomed with power, but also held a sense of beauty. The penguin spun his head around, looking for its origin. He gasped and jumped back when he located it next to him.

Standing next to him was a penguin. It had not been there only a moment before, and the small bird was frightened. It looked like a normal penguin, maybe some type of emperor because it stood so tall. The small bird gasped as he realized it was radiating light. Even against the whiteness around him, the penguin could tell it was glowing.

"There is no need to be frightened," it said, looking down at the small bird.

The words instantly had a calming effect on the other penguin. It was like he suddenly felt like he had known this glowing penguin all of his life, even though he was positive he had never seen it before.

"Who are you?" he asked the glowing penguin.

"Who am I? Who are you?" it asked back.

"I'm Private."
"I know who you are," it said.

"How? Why did you ask?" continued the small bird.

"Merely because you seemed confused."
"Well, yeah, but that's because I don't know who you are, I think," the small bird said.

The glowing penguin paused for a moment, and then responded, "You should know who I am."

"You seem familiar, but I really don't know what's going on," returned the small bird, looking up to the mysterious penguin.

"Strange," commented the penguin.

"Am I dead?" the smaller penguin asked suddenly.

The glowing penguin looked down at him, not expressing anything. His face was a blank slate. "You seem to be breathing to me," he said.

The small bird slapped his head, growing frustrated. He devised a different strategy. "This place, what is it? And why is this man floating here?"

"This is the Sun," the penguin returned.

The smaller bird gasped. "What? Really?"

"Yes. This man floats here because he was absorbed by the Sun. It's nice to have a little company again after so long."

The smaller bird looked up to the man and felt a little uneasy. "Have I been absorbed into the Sun, too?"
"No," the penguin answered, simply. "It doesn't absorb animals. Only human beings."

"But I must have been absorbed," the small penguin argued, "I'm here, and I got hit by the Sun..."

"I'm not really sure how you got here, to be honest. You're the first animal I've ever seen in here,"

"But you're a penguin," the small bird countered.

"I am not."

"Then what are you?"
"I am the Sun," it responded. "You are imagining me to look like something you're most familiar with. Something that makes sense to you."

The small bird was blown away. Was he holding a conversation with Earth's life energy?
"You could say that," it responded. The smaller bird looked bewildered at the statement, so it continued, "Your thoughts are shared by all in here."

"Do you at least know why I've been brought here? There must be a reason, if animals don't normally get absorbed," the small bird wondered.

"Perhaps," the glowing penguin responded, "or maybe there isn't. These things don't reveal themselves right away. There is one thing I'm sure of, however.

"What's that?" asked the small bird.

"Animals don't belong here. You have much still to do in the real world."

"What kind of stuff?" the small bird wondered.

"You will be aware of it when the time comes," the glowing penguin returned.

"That doesn't help me much," the small bird said back, a touch of anger creeping into his voice.

The glowing penguin's face was unmoving as the small bird next to him tensed up a bit. "Perhaps it is time for you to get back to the real world? Your friends are probably worried for you."

"Yeah," the small bird responded, glancing back up to the floating man. "What about him?"

"He'll stay in here for some time. As I said, the Sun only accepts human beings."

The small bird was suddenly glad he was a penguin and not a person, as the idea of being trapped here did not appeal to him. He suddenly cleared his mind of these thoughts as the penguin entity near him turned to him, realizing that he was sharing these things.

"I cannot say for sure why you were brought here," he said, his voice continuing to boom around the small penguin from all sides, "but you must realize that there is far more for you to do back in your own world."

"Yes," responded the other bird, "I do."

The glowing penguin smiled at the words. Suddenly, the small bird felt himself getting pulled away from the strange penguin entity and the floating man. He was flying backward at an insane rate, but he felt as though he could be standing still. It didn't disorientate him or make him cry out in surprise.

It wasn't until he woke up, laying on the floor of a boat, than he realized it may have all actually been a dream.

THE END