The sun had already set but the horizon still glowed in light orange and yellow. For one second Jason wondered about the missing red but remembered quickly that the people of the Oceanplanet had always used water and solar energy as their main energy supply. Therefore, the atmosphere was clean of emissions, unlike the atmosphere on Earth.

They sat silently on the roof of the highest tower/pyramid, Neri close to his right, Shalamorn and Mera a few inches away.

It had been an exhausting day, and Jason enjoyed this moment alone with his thoughts. Birds were chirping but he could also hear noises of unknown animals. In some distance, across the roof of the forest, the sea was glittering in the last light of the day. It was still warm and damp, but darkness slowly took over, for there was no moon. Stars came out and astonished he looked at the crossing rings which surrounded the Oceanplanet. Bright and shiny, as if painted on the sky.

Astrophysicists, Biologists, Geographers, … All kinds of scientists would die to study the Oceanplanet, Jason reckoned.

He lay back, his head resting on his crossed arms.

"Sister?" asked Neri suddenly. Her concerned tone made him turn his head to give Mera a look. In fact, tears were glittering on her cheeks. Shalamorn put her hand on Mera's shoulder to comfort her. "When I first came here," Mera started with a thick voice, "jalis were singing at night. Their beautiful songs filled the air, putting children to sleep. Now, they are gone. So much is gone. So many are dead." Her voice broke and she turned away.

"Yes," Neri agreed sadly. "It feels empty. Like no heart."

Jason sat up and searched for words to comfort them. "Nature has the ability to recover itself," he said carefully. "I'm sure this world will get its heart back. The three of you being here … I mean, if it's true what you say about the Gift, then your bare presence may be the first step to healing the planet."

Shalamorn gave him a warm smile. "Unfortunately, it is not that easy."

"Jason is right," Neri objected. "I feel people believe. We should believe, too."

"On Earth, there is a saying," Jason replied on a sudden impulse. "'Faith can move mountains'."

"Are you a religious person, Jason?" Shalamorn wanted to know.

Jason shrugged, tugged up his left knee and rested his arm on it. "My parents are both scientists. My grandma, … my father's mother, made us go to church sometimes. But she and Mum never really got along. After my parents got divorced, the contact went down to a few calls a year. – But no, I don't consider myself religious. Not even very spiritual." He gave Neri a look. "But you surely changed things."

Neri smiled at him and leant over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"In what way?" Shalamorn asked.

Jason realised, he didn't care anymore about cuddling in front of her. However, his heart made a jump. The way Neri leant on him as if taken for granted, filled him with pride.

Mera's gaze put a little damper on it. She didn't smile at them, as she used to do. She had watched the gesture, frowning. Her expression was thoughtful.

Jason forced himself back to focus on Shalamorn. Surely, Mera was just lost in her sorrow and her dark face had nothing to do with them.

"Neri's appearance brought a lot of questions," Jason explained. "Brett and me, we were curious, of course, but we also just enjoyed the fact, we were friends with someone special. Mum couldn't just let it be and started doing tests on her and her abilities. But she never got the answers, she was looking for. At some point, she just accepted that Neri as a person was more important to her than as a scientific object. The telepathy, though, the communication with Charly, was the only thing, she kept researching. Once, she mentioned a theory, about some kind of telepathic field."

"A telepathic field?"

"Yeah, there was this scientist … Sheldrick? Sheldrake?" He shrugged. "Something like that. But he collected data from pet behaviour which could not be explained by simple habits. Cats, who knew about the exact time of their owner's arrival, although they didn't come home at the same time every night. Dogs, who knew immediately, if something was wrong with their owners, even before they did. For him, the animal's behaviour goes back to so-called morphic fields. Some kind of collective memory of nature. A living library, you could say."

Shalamorn smiled a strange smile.

"Well," Jason quickly added, "it is highly discussed. Just a theory."

Shalamorn's smile grew wider. "You call it a theory, but for us, it is common knowledge."

Jason and Neri straightened up at the same time.

"What?" Jason asked. "You're saying this guy was right about this?"

"Do you remember what we talked about at the conference with the President? About our way of storing history in a common memory?" He nodded, and Shalamorn ran on. "Indeed, we are connected telepathically, as you know. The family bonds are even stronger. This morphic field, how you call it, includes every living thing, as well. But communication is, of course, limited to the few creatures with a consciousness of their own, and it also depends on the extent of the telepathic ability."

"What do you think, Jason?" Neri asked.

"Yes," Mera added. "Faith? Religion? Telepathy? Where are you going with this?"

The idea took shape in his mind. "Maybe, this is just science fiction stuff … " He hesitated, but went on after remembering, they would never laugh at him. "But you touched the synchronium with your mind, and it healed the ocean. To me, it sounds like the synchronium is just some kind of catalyst. You said, your ancestors also were in possession of the Gift, and that you stored your stories, your past in this collective memory. Maybe, their Gift is still there. Like a footprint."

"You think," Mera said, and her face lit up, "if we could get access to the memories of the Gift, we could put it directly into use to save our planets?" She exchanged an excited look with Neri, and both turned to their mother.

Shalamorn's forehead was in wrinkles, and his heart sank. "Well, this idea is not totally new," she began and looked at each of them. "But it is considered fairytale material. Stuff of old legends and myths. Partially, even of religious prophecies."

"In every fairytale lies a drop of truth, isn't it?" Mera asked. "Another saying on Earth," she explained quickly. Obviously, she wasn't ready to give up on this thought so fast. Neri's expression told him, she wasn't either.

"Hm," Shalamorn made. "I have to admit, we focused research on space travel and Earth in the last centuries. The holy brothers and sisters in the temples will maybe know more about this. But religion never had much priority in my reign. I'm afraid, I don't really have a good stand with them."

"But it's worth a shot, isn't it?" Jason argued.

"Yes, it is," Shalamorn agreed. "Tomorrow, we have to meet with the council, but the day after, we will visit the main temple in this province."

"Jason," Neri said quietly and touched his arm, while Mera and Shalamorn already had climbed through a window into the tower again. "Do you really think this is the way to healing?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "But think of it: all they ever told you, is that you have the Gift of healing and mending. But they never told you, or Mera, what you're supposed to do with it. Brett told me, you brought him back once. And you certainly healed me."

"You?"

"Remember, when I told you about my Dad?"

"You teach me about crying," she said. "You were sad."

He squeezed her hand. "Yes, I was. It was the first time that I talked to anyone about this. With you, it felt right. Easy. And when you touched me to reach for the tears, there was sort of a relief running through me. A huge weight was lifted from me. You healed me."

"Yes, I remember," Neri replied. "It was first time I trusted you. When I felt, you're a good person. I wanted to help you."

"Maybe, that's the point," Jason nodded. "It's not enough to just be there. Maybe, the three of you together, you find some way to access the Gifts of your ancestors."

"There is a lot 'maybe' in your speak," Neri pointed out.

He took both her hands into his. "What do you think?" he wanted to know.

She broke into a grin. "That, maybe, it is the way."

He grinned back and caressed the back of her hands affectionately. She leant forward, and he bent his head to meet her halfway. The kiss was soft and sweet. He took her face into his hands, and her hands rested on his hips. Their breath mingled with every touch of their lips. The butterflies in his stomach danced helter-skelter, and he wished for the touch never to end. Gently she asked for access to the tip of her tongue, and he granted it. His heart beat frantically in his chest, when he, once again, tasted the warm flesh of her tongue. She sighed quietly and closed the small distance between their bodies. The way she played with his tongue was almost demanding now, and unexpectedly, he felt her hands on his skin. She had slipped under his T-shirt, her fingertips running across his back. Shivers ran down his spine. Suddenly, he became aware, that she certainly felt his arousal.

Stop.

Stop right now.

He carefully retreated and took a deep breath. "We should go inside," he murmured.