“We did what we should have done long ago. Now it is over. Thanks to you, Harvey Crane. The human race is fortunate to have such a fearless and resolute representative.”
Harvey knew he should have been elated. So many concerns. So many worries. He had no capacity for joy at that moment, despite the warmth and peace exuding from every particle in his surroundings.
“We are touched by your sacrifice. This is why we are restoring your place of memorial,” the being told him. “To honor you. To honor your bravery. This is a sacred place. These graves deserve to be treated with respect. And so do you, Harvey Crane.”
With a wave of its arm, an area a few meters away came alight in lilac pastel luminance. The shimmering mist separated like a curtain, revealing a mass of healing beads, churning and coalescing into a semi-solid state in the shape of a bed. On the bed’s surface Harvey saw someone familiar. Immediately he started running to the bedside.
“We have one last gift,” said the Guardian. “In honor of your bravery.”
No words, no language devised by human minds would have been sufficient. When he saw her lying there, cradled by the effervescent beads, youth restored, beauty intact, he broke into the worst fit of weeping since the day he was born.
“We have faithfully recreated your Cemetery Planet,” the Guardian told him. “Every grave has been restored. Every human body put back in its place…all but one.”
“Lea,” through his sobs he said her name. She opened her eyes. A gentle sigh. She rose to her feet, aided by the tender nuzzle from the beaded mass. She gazed at him and he at her. Lea. It was her. No ugly parasite. No holographic facsimile. This was the real thing.
Her facial expression changed from elation to concern. She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Then she tried again, forcing the sound from her throat. One single word.
“Harvey.”
They fell into each other’s embrace, surrounded by a cloud of tiny biomechanical gems. Behind them, the yawning porthole let in the first few rubicund rays of Piscis Austrini peeking over Mount Mausolus, filtering through the ethereal haze inside the Guardians’ ship. In the foreground, spreading in every direction to the far distance where mirage mixed with shadowy silhouette, countless headstones served as an ever present reminder that, in all matters of love and war, the dead would always rule on Cemetery Planet.
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From the author...
It’s my sincere hope you’ve enjoyed reading CEMETERY PLANET: The Complete Series. If you wish to offer your feedback, I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to write a review and let me know what you think. Thanks in advance,
-J.
Cemetery Planet: The Complete Series Page 19
