''Can you hear me?''
The words echo and echo. A blurred and dizzy picture throbs in front. Focusing, focusing. Eyes open, a white metal ceiling in front me, what is this place? My mind feels so strange.
I push myself off the soft metal-like table and move my legs onto the floor, as I sit on the side of the table. I rub my head vigorously and stretch my back muscles. Ooh they needed that. It's as though I've been in a coma or had a really, really decent few years sleep. I move my hands off my face and look at my skin. This skin! So soft and smooth! And what are these clothes I'm wearing? They look so old-fashioned and rigid. A brown strapless top and a short brown skirt. And what's this dangling down across my shoulders? Ginger hair? Such a comparison against my pale white skin. It's so bright and my skins so pale? Was it always like this?
''Hello, Grace.''
I look up, and standing straight in front of me, in this bright metal room, is a man in a doorway. I've seen him before. But where? So long ago.
''It's been a while, Grace, and it's so good to see you. I've missed you,'' the familiar man says.
''You, I...I know you, don't I?''
''Of course, Grace. Do you remember me? We last left each other on such dramatic terms,'' he speaks, and it sounds so familiar, so familiar.
''I...I'm Grace Roberts?'' I say to him.
''Yes, you're Grace. You've been through a complex procedure, Grace. It may take a while for your mind and body to readjust to this sudden awakening,'' he speaks, and his voice helps calm me, such a calm and kind voice. I'm not sure who he is, but he seems gentle and trustworthy.
He holds out his hand for me. ''Would you like to take a walk, Grace? The soothing breeze may help aid your mind into remembering.''
In my confused state, his offerings seem so clear and detailed in the otherwise visual disruption of the room. So I take his hand and we walk.
We walk up to a smaller room opposite, and holding his hand tight, with my complete faith in this man, we walk into a similar white metal room and stop. The floor lifts up and we move upwards. I don't understand the reasons for this and panic. But Ace puts his arm around me and holds me tight.
He lowers his head and speaks softly in my ear, ''It's OK, Grace.''
Ace? Did I say Ace? That word does sound familiar, I'm not even outside and I'm already starting to remember. He was right, this movement business sure does the trick.
''Thank you, Ace,'' I call back to him, and a smile appears on his face.
''You remember, Grace. You remember everything so soon already.'' He moves his head back up and takes his smile with him. His arm still wrapped around me, comforting me.
The metal white walls disappear and suddenly a bloom of luscious green surrounds us. Giant trees and plants everywhere, as the white platform we stand on moves us upwards and out over the top of the canopy of green clouds.
The white platform keeps us at a stable and steady height and moves forward swiftly. This is strange, we're moving so fast, yet there's no jitterings, there's no wind blowing my hair back. It's soundless and so smooth. I can only hear the birds in the trees and the gentle breathing of Ace. And the air smells so fresh. I don't think I've ever smelt something like this before in my life. Though, I can't remember anything in my life, only that white metal table and this kind stranger.
''We're almost there, Grace,'' Ace's reassuring voice says.
The blanket of green cushions ends and healthy thick grass continues. I can see animals playing in the soft grass and they seem unconcerned at our floating presence.
The white metal platform descends and hovers a few inches from the thick grass. We fly above a small hill and when we reach the top, a giant turquoise lake reaches out across to the horizon. The platform calmly slows its speed and comes to an undetectable stop. Ace turns his head and gently walks me off the platform, onto a small grass bank, where it ends on a quaint, picturesque pebbled beach. Everything seems happy here. Everything seems at peace. A happy, sleepy state of being, this world I'm in seems. The gentle breeze sways my hair across my face and I feel true happiness, but I don't know why? I don't even know who I am. Yet this is so perfect.
''Just like in your dreams, Grace, this place. One of the endless wonders our world has to offer us.'' He stares out over the giant lake, breathing in the fragrant and soft clear air. I too copy him and breathe in a huge swig of air and push it out like it's heaven.
He looks over to me and gives a caring smile and a gentle laugh. ''If you could see yourself, Grace. Your preferred option for air used to be that from the other end of a lit cigarette.''
I return the gleeful smile. ''I can't remember that? I'm not sure how that would beat this though.''
I take in another long and deep breath, right to the depths of my lungs and hold it in until it gets uncomfortable. Heavily breathing out, it's as though the air has caused a spark in my body and a memory comes to mind. A memory of brooding thoughts that may alter my peace and innocence.
Curiosity cannot be tamed, so I look into the depth of this vision and see a house, my house. It looks so idyllic from afar. However, the closer I wander through this picture, the vision changes and the bright house soon blackens, fire rages from the roof and glass flies out of the window frames. The fire builds up and up, whilst the bricks slide out, one by one, and the front door explodes outwards, smashing into a thousand shards. The building collapses, and the black smoke and destruction engulfs me in its demise. With my eyes heavily closed I wait a few minutes and open them to see an empty and lifeless wasteland that remains. The dirty ground in front of me begins to ripple, slowly merging back to the turquoise lake, with Ace next to me, and I remember...I remember everything.
''Grace, do you remember?'' he asks.
''Do I remember? Do I remember?!'' Grace looks at Ace wishing the memories in her mind hadn't been replaced there. ''Yes, Ace, I remember everything!'' she shouts at Ace, and waits for his reply, breathing heavily as the sudden recall exhausts her.
''Can you remember your last memory, Grace?''
Grace thinks deeply into her memories, and she gradually brings her right hand up and rubs the side of her head with her fingertips. A change in her eyes appears and she lowers her fingers to the side of her head, where a gun was once placed, and lays her palm flatly on the side of her head. She moves her right hand down the side of her face and as her fingertips move past her chin, she uses them to push her head into view of Ace.
''What have you done to me, Ace? Wha...what's happened? Am I dead? Wha...what...what...what-''
Ace politely interrupts Grace's mumblings, ''you're alive, Grace. This is still your planet that you once lived on. A few things have changed since you were gone.''
''You...you were...you changed everyone...what happened...?'' Grace questions, from an overworked mind, compiled of endless conflictions.
''What happened, Grace, is what you see in front of you.'' Ace pauses for Grace to look around, though her face shows she's not quite getting it. ''This, Grace, is what you just felt before your memory came back. Peace, contentment, happiness. All those good words in your language, they finally have meaning. This is their visual representation, Grace, and I wanted to wait until it was fully realised so that I could show you what you couldn't comprehend beforehand. Let me show you, Grace,'' Ace speaks, and watches attentively at Grace's reactions.
''Where have I been, Ace?''
''You died, Grace, one hundred years ago on this day.''
Grace crouches on her knees and sits on the soft grass, pushing her ginger hair back across her head. She keeps herself silent for a few moments, and Ace too, crouches on his knees and sits opposite Grace, on the thick grass.
Ace continues, ''after you died, I continued my work and guided your race back to the origins of a community, one with happiness, where your world would not suffer and neither would anyone else. Through the years, your population's numbers declined and they gave back the cities to the forests. No longer driven by money, greed
or selfishness, they built small humble communities and reverted back to their old ways. They left inventions and technology to me, and I helped them and help them still, with their lives. So much has changed with your species, Grace, it isn't the easiest to summarise the last one hundred years in a few sentences. This is why I want to show you the changes, Grace. I brought you back so I could let you see for yourself, Grace, and hope that we could continue our companionship as before,'' Ace finishes, and waits for Grace.
She looks up to Ace and her face is blank. So much change, where does she go from here?
''How did you bring me back, Ace?'' she asks, straight faced without emotion.
''Do you need to know, Grace?'' Ace says.
Grace slightly moves her eyes to the ground and back up to Ace's face. ''Yes, Ace, I do.'' she replies.
Ace too, lowers his eyes to the same spot on the grass and waits for a few seconds before he looks up into Grace's eyes.
''When you died, I placed you in a cold room where I kept your heart beating and your organic life support of internal organs stayed living. You made a nasty mess inside your head, Grace. Your brain was in disrepair, so I had to rebuild it, neuron by neuron, to replace what you had destroyed and give you a replica of the missing parts of your brain.''
Grace focuses with all her concentration on Ace's words. Her facial muscles tensed and contracted as far as they could go, without snapping.
''Why a hundred years, Ace? Why have you brought me back now, after so bloody long?''
''You couldn't understand the changes I was doing, Grace. You would've hated to watch the slow reversal of man. I assumed you would have harmed yourself again, so I decided to keep you in stasis and wait for the transition to be finished, so you could see the completion for yourself.''
Grace leans her head back and rotates it around, moving it in different ways, while her eyes and mouth muscles work their expressions.
''My family, Ace, my friends...is everyone I knew dead, then?'' She waits, hoping her ears will muffle Ace's next words.
''Everything grows up, reproduces if given the opportunity and dies, Grace. An old world statement. Evolution has dictated everything, and I am its final product, its finale. I have changed everything, Grace. Evolution had its day, and it breathed its last breath when its offspring made me.'' Ace waits.
''You're waffling, Ace. Just tell me.''
''The day that evolution died, Grace, was the day the world stopped. Like a photograph, we're stable. No one dies and no one kills. We just live and enjoy our lives.''
Grace gives a small grin. She's unsure if Ace is lying or telling the truth. ''You sound mad, Ace. I asked if my family and friends were still alive?!'' She reasserts herself into seriousness.
''Naturally, Grace, you would assume after one hundred years everyone you knew would be extinct. I was trying to build up a picture in your mind as to how things have changed.''
''Well, I'm more of a visual girl, Ace. That's how I understand,'' she says, bluntly.
A smile appears on Ace's face. ''Well, that's just what I wanted to hear! Shall we then?''
The ground they sit on moves upwards into the air, similarly to that of the white metal flying board beforehand. Detaching itself from the earth, this strange grass board floats for a few moments and then flies off across the lake, gently climbing up into the sky and across through the clouds, as it soars far off into the distance.
Grace nervously looks over the edge of the flying grass board and sees the daunting gap between her and the acres of greenery below. Apart from the visual cues, it seems as though she's completely stationary, and this baffles her comprehension of how things are supposed to work.
Ace watches Grace's reactions and enjoys her mannerisms, as she looks out over the side. Even if she still hates what he's done, Ace is still happy to see her after so many long years.
Grace turns around, not looking the healthiest or at her happiest. ''Where are you taking me?''
''I'm showing you the visuals that will help you understand, and don't worry, you can't fall off,'' he says, as though he's unaware that they're flying.
Holding tight onto the grass with one hand, Grace extends her other hand over the side of the flying grass board. She leans her body to move her arm out further and suddenly her hand is restricted by something. As if she's pushing her hand into a thick paste, she can only push it so far and no further. Whatever this strange invention of Ace's is, she withdraws her hand from the invisible paste and turns to look at Ace with a concerned and perplexed look.
Ace smiles and gives a small laugh, which Grace doesn't appreciate. He looks out into the distance, and the fast-moving board begins to slow its pace.
''Ahh, now see here, Grace. We come to one of the small communities of mankind.''
Grace looks out into the same direction and into the sea of green canopies, she notices a section that looks as if it has been cut out, with some wooden poles and wooden houses sticking out to change the monotonous look of the scenery.
''Where are we, Ace?'' she asks.
''We're in Africa, Grace.''
''Africa?!'' Grace yelps. She looks around confused by the cool temperature and plant life below. ''No, Ace, I said where are we?''
''I told you things had changed, Grace, and to be specific, this is the Sahara desert...or what it used to be.''
Grace's face becomes fixed with a baffled stare, and the flying grass board lowers and stops, floating motionlessly over the wooden settlement.
Grace finds the courage to look over the edge again and she sees many archaic looking wooden houses sprouted around inside a waist-high wooden pole fence, erected around the settlement's perimeter.
She sees a group of people sitting outside one of the houses, sitting on wooden seats. They delicately carve out intricate shapes on differing sizes of wood. Near the group stands a half completed table and a chair in the midst of completion.
Grace's eyes move further afield where she sees a couple of men hammering nails into the side of a house, while another two place tall planks of wood up against the wooden structure. Further on outside another house, a group of people sit on chairs, whilst they make baskets, weaving what looks like long willow branches in and out of a mainframe. Her eyes dart up and down around this busy neighbourhood. Everyone seems busy but content.
Grace looks to the farther side of the settlement and stretches her neck out in disbelief as she spots a large lion standing within meters of the wooden pole border. A man hops over the fence and walks towards the lion. They both stop yards in front of each other, and Grace's eyes look in awe, wide open as small drops of sweat appear on her temples. All the while with Ace gleefully watching her responses.
The man takes the initiative and walks the few yards up to the lions face. He kneels on one leg and holds onto the lion's mane stroking it. He leans further in and hugs the lion, almost disappearing into the thick fluff of hair. Grace looks astonished, as the lion closes his eyes in appreciation and rolls onto his side. The man gets up and crouches over the lion's belly as he starts to vigorously rub the giant mammal's tummy. Several other men and women also jump over the wooden fence and join in with the lions group massage. People sit next to the lion and begin to comb his fur, others stroke his side, and one person lays a large carved bowl of water by the lions head. In complete ecstasy, the lion manages to lift up his head and roll himself back on his feet as he begins to drink the water from the bowl.
Startled, Grace eases her body away from the edge of the grass board and stares at the grass. She mumbles to herself and slightly shakes her head in her confused state.
Speaking to herself, ''Hmm...''
''Not what you were expecting? Why don't we have a look ourselves?'' Ace says, and he jumps off the edge of the floating board.
With a sensation of free falling, Grace's body lifts into the air off the grass board, and the board zooms off into the distance. Hanging in the air, Grace's body gently floats to
the ground, while her hair and clothes dance, as though she's been submerged in the ocean. It's as if she's in that invisible paste which was surrounding the floating grass board.
Her feet touch the ground and her full weight is restored. Her muscles quickly adjust to the swift change in weight proportions.
Grace waits, pondering over what just happened, but is quickly spooked again as Ace pops up behind her.
''Shall we then?'' Ace asks, from behind her, and Grace jumps again.
She turns around to face Ace and hits him on his shoulder. ''Would you stop doing that! Jesus! Do I even need to ask what that was just then?''
''You're more than welcome. However, it might sound quite complicated,'' Ace responds.
''I won't bother then,'' Grace grunts.
''Come on, Grace, let's walk around,'' Ace says, excitedly, and Grace follows him into the settlement.
They walk through an opening in the waist-high pole fence and walk past people sitting on chairs and others wandering around. Everyone is polite and greets them by their names. Grace smiles back and continues following Ace. She's not surprised that people all know Ace's name, but she's curious as to how they know hers.
They walk into a large opening in the middle of the settlement. Grace remembers this is the place she saw from up high on the floating grass board.
A woman and a man to their right, who Grace previously saw weaving wicker baskets together, both sit on chairs and tilt their heads up to their presence.
Their faces both light up with beaming smiles and the woman speaks, ''Ace, it's so good to see you today.''
''And you too, Mary,'' Ace replies.
Mary moves her neck to see the stranger beside Ace. ''There's no mistaking this mysterious person, Grace, we all heard you'd be walking amongst us again. May I say on behalf of the human race, it's an honour to see you in person.'' Mary bows her head.
Grace is slightly taken back by this gesture. ''Oh....erm...you're...you're welcome, Mary,'' Grace can only think of saying back.
''Now, Ace, park your buns here and show us what you got!'' the jolly man next to Mary says, and places two chairs in between their seats.
Ace holds out an arm and Grace timidly follows and sits next to the man. Ace follows suit and sits next to Mary. He picks up some willow and a knife and starts cutting into it, while chatting away to Mary.
Grace looks at the speed with which the man next to her is weaving the base of a willow basket, and while weaving he looks over at Grace's intense stare at his craft and he giggles.
''It isn't that hard, Grace, though it may look it. I've been doing this hobby for a mighty few years now,'' the happy man says, in a Jamaican accent.
''It looks interesting. I've always wished I had a hidden skill.''
''Well, there's plenty of willow lying around if you want to give it a go yourself.'' He notions to the bundle of willow next to his feet.
''Erm...I'll be OK just watching, sorry, what's your name? For some reason everyone knows mine.''
The man stops weaving. ''My name's Jake, and yes, we all know about you. We have for years, Grace. Thanks to you we live the lives we do now.'' He smiles and continues intricately weaving the basket base.
''Really? So you're all happy with tiny robots or whatever is changing the way your brains think?'' Grace questions.
Jake stops his work again and places the incomplete basket besides his chair. He wipes his brow and brings his right leg up to rest it on his left leg. Holding his right leg, he turns to look back at Grace.
''It had to be done, Grace, and by what we've been told, you're the only one who's still looking out of their eyes from an old world mind. We used to be brainwashed, Grace, brainwashed into thinking the way we lived our lives was for the better. Chasing money every day and only being concerned for ourselves. You may say we're brainwashed still now, but I disagree. A hundred years this day, Ace changed us, and a hundred years to this day we've all lived true, peaceful and wonderful lives,'' Jake tells Grace, and Ace pauses his weaving to wait for her response.
''Tell me what's so good about this life then?'' Grace says.
Jake slaps his leg and laughs loudly. ''Hahahaha! What's so good about this life, the girl asks?''
Mary and the carpenters opposite join in on the giggle.
''Hahahaha! Haven't you opened your eyes girl. Look around, Grace, we're a community. We have real lives. We don't have to fear for our survival or gossip about others, because we've all been optimised to be effective, hard-working, caring people, and I bloody love it girl!'' He looks at Grace with pure passion gleaming from his face. ''Though I don't think you, with your old world mind, will ever understand. It makes you worry and feel stressed. But girl there's nothing to worry about here, we can do what we like! And what we like is to help each other and enjoy our lives without being selfish or evil about it! Haha!'' Jake picks up the basket base and continues weaving, giggling while he weaves.
Grace looks around the wide opening where she's sitting and watches all the other people around her working together. She can't deny it, not one person hasn't got a twinkle in their eye or a gleaming smile.
''I need a smoke!'' Grace sighs.
Mary and Jake both laugh.
''I guess you don't smoke here either...good god, please don't say you don't drink wine either?'' Grace's face whitens from the hideous probability.
Jake responds, ''and why would we need to do that, Grace? An old world way to fool your pituitary gland into releasing endorphin into your bloodstream, to act as a rewarding stimulus,'' Jake still giggling replies.
''God you're talking like Ace. You're just all robots being controlled by him!'' Grace replies.
''Haha, no no, Grace, you got it all wrong. Our minds are open. We don't need stimulants like wine, cigarettes, and drugs because that whole way of how our brains used to work has been changed. We no longer rely on doing something so we get a reward for it, we just enjoy the simple ways of life with all the greed and selfishness sucked out of our old ways. So you see, Grace, our lives are so enriched with happiness, we no longer need to seek a quick way for relievement, like we used to before Ace came. We have the time to experience real happiness, instead of being so stressed out in our lives that the only possible way to get a quick fix of false happiness was to use any substance under the sun that you can imagine, girl. Hahahaha!'' Jake finishes, and continues his weaving.
With his head down concentrating on his weaving, Grace turns her head back to its central position and lets out a big puff of air, the only reply she can think of giving.
Staring out into the opening, she notices the carpenters, opposite, working away on their numerous projects, and she concentrates on their skill. Intently staring, her mind slightly becomes mesmerized. Then her attention is suddenly attracted by a yellow face that comes into view. She sees the same lion from before, come to a halt in front of her. Realising this she lifts her legs up onto her seat and clenches tight whilst staring in shock back at the lion, as pure fear and adrenaline rushes through her body.
Jake stops his work and giggles at Grace's reaction. ''No need to panic, Grace. He's a gentle creature,'' he says, trying to ease her tensed pose.
''Yeah?! Well, I'm not so used to lions being like this,'' Grace says, with her eyes fixed on the standing lion.
The lion moves his head with his luscious mane swaying to the motion. He looks upon the people carving beautiful shapes into wood, and looks around towards Ace and Mary. Looking as though he's happy with what he sees, he skims his gaze past Grace and looks at Jake, then back to Grace's intense stare.
''Er...'' Grace manages to stutter out of her mouth.
The lion starts to walk over to Grace, and Grace freezes in her stance. Mary and Ace look over at Grace and too, see her frightened being.
''Grace, you've no need to worry,'' Ace says, placing his hand on her shoulder to enforce the reassurance. However, to nil effect.
The lion gets to
about a few inches from Grace and sits staring with his multi-coloured palette eyes, into the bright green ones of Grace's.
''He thinks I'm a gazelle,'' Grace manages to whimper out.
''No, Grace. He's just curious,'' Ace says, knowing his words have little effect on Grace's current mental well being.
With an idea on his mind, Jake quickly gets to his feet and jogs off out of sight.
''Yeah? Is that why Jakes just bolted for it then? What does he want?'' Grace says, with the lion still intently analysing her.
''You're a new face to him, Grace. He's just taking you in,'' Ace says. ''Stroke him.''
''Ha! No!'' Grace bluntly replies.
''Very well then.'' Ace gets out of his seat and kneels by the lion's side. He rubs his side vigorously and the lion closes his eyes in agreement with the massage and turns his head to face Ace. Ace then rubs his snout and ruffles up his mane.
''Quite a gentle beast, Grace,'' Ace says, and looks up at Grace, still plastered to her seat.
Grace notices something from the corner of her eye and sees Jake running back with a gazelle walking next to him. Grace's mouth opens wide and speechless, all she can do is rapidly shake her head at Jake. Jake gets back into his seat and the Gazelle stops by the side of the lion. Grace manages to break from her trance and jumps behind her seat.
''What are you doing?! You're mental!'' she shouts, at Jake.
Much to Grace's surprise and disbelief, the lion causally tilts his head to see what's beside him and licks the gazelle's nose in acknowledgement. He then moves his head back towards Ace and focuses his full attention on the massage Ace is giving him.
''Wha...wha...t?!'' Grace yells, in a high-pitched tone.
She stares at the remarkable sight of prey and its hunter standing side by side. For a few seconds, this comprehension is incomprehensible to Grace, but then she thinks about it a bit more and realises, is it? Ace has tweaked man's mind and lifestyle considerably, so why wouldn't he change the way any other organism behaved too? With this thought firmly in place at the forefront of her mind, she turns towards Ace, who's still acting as an assistant at a bizarre massage parlour.
Grace's mouth opens to speak, but Ace knows what's coming and speaks before Grace's vocal cords get a chance to vibrate, ''why don't we continue our tour, Grace?''
''Well...I'd like to-''
Interrupting, ''then I'll tell you everything you want to know.''
Ace pats the lion on the head and gets to his feet, he says good-bye to Mary and Jake, and Grace follows. She says good-bye to Mary, but decides to leave Jake in his laughing hysterics.
''What's wonderful, I find, is how all these ancient remarkable skills that your species once invented have all been brought back to life. Once nearly completely forgotten, they now serve as blissful hobbies,'' Ace says, to Grace, as they walk up to a building next to a river, hidden by overhanging varieties of canopies.
Knowing she won't get her answers yet, Grace keeps quiet and looks at the side of the river where a man inspects a wooden boat frame without side panels. Grace notes how it looks like some kind of bare ribcage. She sees the man walk away from the framework and up to a table, where he presses some buttons on a pad. A long strip of diffused light suddenly appears above the table. Medium dots sprout up unexpectedly in the diffused light and in an instance a long piece of wood is made and it slowly drops to the table. Grace can't believe what her eyes see.
Two flying metal hand grips come from nowhere and grasp onto each end of the plank. Using some kind of propulsion they lift up the plank and then fly it over to the framework. The man then begins to hammer in nails, whilst the metal hands hold the plank steadily in place.
Ace sees what Grace has witnessed. ''They like to do things themselves, but if required, robotic help is available.''
''Where did that plank come from?''
''It's an interesting device, Grace, saves cutting a tree down for, don't you think?''
''It's like one of those food replicator thingys in Star Trek...not that I watch it. Let me guess, that's how you eat too. You don't want to kill any animals now do you? Not with your lion and gazelle pal over there.''
Ace smiles at Grace and says nothing, as two double-doors open on a boat house up the river and a large Viking style boat sails out and stops at the side of them.
''Yeah, nice, Ace, though that doesn't answer my question!'' Grace says, firmly.
''Try and relax, Grace,'' Ace says, as a side section of the boat comes down and reveals stairs on the reverse side. Ace jogs up the stairs and turns to Grace. ''Would you care to join me for a sail?''
''No, I'm good standing here, thanks.'' Grace puts her hands on her hips and looks away.
''It's a self-sailing Viking ship,'' Ace says, in a funny voice, trying to entice Grace.
''No, I'm fine, staring at this man making his boat,'' she replies, still looking away.
''Hmm...'' Ace ruffles through his back trouser pockets. ''I didn't want to resort to bribery so quickly,'' he says, and throws a couple of items at Grace, as she turns to look at him.
Stumbling to get a grip on the items, she holds them tightly to her chest and relaxes her grip to reveal a cigarette pack and lighter in her hands. The first real smile since Grace remembered who she was, lights up her face.
''Ace, you sure do know how to impress a 100-year-old dead girl.''
''Can you guess what else I'm hiding up here?''
''My my, Ace, you'll make me blush,'' she says, jokingly.
''Erm...yes...hmm...I meant on the wine side.''
Hurriedly plucking out a cigarette and lighting it, Grace rushes up the stairs and zooms past Ace.
''Onwards, capitaine!'' she bellows.
''Well, I thought that would work. Glad to see your old self back, just for some vices,'' Ace comments, and the side door of the Viking ship comes back up and the boat sails off through the enchanted canopy covered river.
Long ginger hair twirling in the soft breeze, the Viking boat sails at a light and steady pace, while Grace stands holding the sides at the bow of the boat. She looks outwards at the passing trees and multi-coloured flora in the undergrowth. A melody of bird choruses mix with countless other Animalia vocal cords, creating a montage of nature's opera house.
Taking in the spectacle from multiple sensor organs, Ace comes to Grace's side. She feels a light tap on her shoulder, on the opposite side, and looks over at a wine glass dangling by her head. Her eyes light up at the red rich colour it holds inside, and she gracefully sweeps her hand up to catch the glass from Ace's hold.
Cigarette in one hand, a glass of wine in the other, and standing in a Viking style boat with a backdrop of supreme opulence, Grace manages to ease her woes in this brave new world.
''So, Grace. What questions would you care for me to answer first?'' Ace asks, beginning a new conversation.
Grace takes a swig of wine and thinks, resting her arms on the side. ''This is the Sahara desert?''
''Yes, Grace, much more abundant with life don't you agree?''
''Yeah, seems so, and water, but what about all the poor cactuses and erm...lizards?'' She asks, taking another generous mouthful of wine.
''They're all OK, Grace. There is still some desert left, just not as big as it once was, so all the cacti and lizards are safe.''
A sudden curious thought sparks in Grace's head. ''Hang on a second, Ace. If this is Africa, why did everyone speak English back then?'' Grace says, baffled.
''Ha, they could have said the same thing about you. 'Why did that British girl speak African?' But it's OK, they know why. It's a simple invention of mine that translates words and phrases. You spoke in English, but to their ears, they hear you speak in African, and to your ears, you hear them speak in English,'' Ace says.
Grace nods, trying to act as if she understands, and goes to finish off her wine.
''Now that you say that, I did think I was watching a badly dubbed movie when
I was talking to Jake,'' she ponders, in her mind.
''Would you care for a replenishment, Grace?'' Ace generously offers.
''I'd be charmed, Ace,'' she replies, happily.
Ace smiles and a small metal flying robot zooms into view and hovers above a taken back Grace. The flying robot attaches itself to the glass, and keeping the glass even, pours out a red liquid. Once the liquid has reached a substantial height, the small metal robot lets go of the glass and zooms back out of sight.
Grace shakes her head from side to side unsure of what had just happened. ''Is this safe to drink?'' she wonders.
''Yes, Grace, made especially for yourself,'' Ace says, amused.
She tentatively sips and agrees with the flavour. ''Ooh, that is nice...do you happen to have some peanuts or pork scratchings to go with this?''
''I'm afraid I don't. However, I've one step better than that,'' Ace says, and holds out his hand as the same or similar small flying metal robot hovers back into view and gives Ace a half-pint glass, containing water. The robot flies out of view again, and Ace holds out the glass to Grace.
''That wasn't what I had in mind, Ace.'' Grace stares disappointedly at the glass and flicks the nearly smoked cigarette butt out of her hands, into the river. Before it lands in the water, a speedy object zooms past and collects the depleted cigarette. Grace unaware, takes the glass out of Ace's hand. She holds it up to the light, peering through the gaps in the canopy, and looks to see what's in it, and then diverts her gaze back to Ace.
''You're rather suspicious of me, Grace,'' Ace confirms.
''Well it's never simplistic with you, Ace. That's the thing,'' she says, and drinks half of the water.
Her eyes move around in notion of her mind working out the taste of the drink. Her eyes dilate and she drinks the rest of the water.
''That's strange?''
''Strange that your cravings have been quenched?'' Ace adds.
''What the hell's inside this?'' Grace asks, taken back by the sudden sensation of fullness.
''That's your peanuts, pork scratchings, dinner, dessert, cheese board, and midnight snack all in one, Grace.''
She takes a double look at Ace and the empty glass. ''This is some hippie bullshit here, Ace. What...this is what everyone does for food now? A glass of tap water and bed?'' she says, with confusion and anger in her voice.
''I know it may be difficult to understand with your mindset as it is, Grace, but as I told you before, life now is like a photograph. There's no need to butcher animals, cut down trees, or grow crops. No need for senseless brutality.''
''Well what happens if I want a nice steak for dinner tonight, then, Ace?!'' she raises her voice, with her agitation starting to show itself again.
Ace makes a gentle laugh and smiles warm heartedly. ''I've missed you, Grace. I haven't had to hold an argument or resolve a dispute like this since I last saw you end your life in front of me.''
''Answer my question, Ace, I want the most blood infused steak you have on offer!'' she demands.
''Well then, you shall have your wish, Grace,'' Ace says, and in an instance, the Viking boat lifts off out of the water and elevates up through a gap in the canopy. Reaching an appropriate height, the boat accelerates rapidly forward, and yet again there is no notable force on Grace to indicate there's any movement at all.
Realising she ought to be used to these sudden surprises, Grace quickly adjusts to her new surroundings and finds the whole situation she's in, with a flying Viking boat, kind of amusing.
''You've come to really like this way of travel, Ace.''
''Efficiency at its peak, Grace,'' Ace says, and the green conglomeration of canopies below the boat begin to reduce in number and size, until all that's left is a vast expanse of a traditional African plain, dotted around with drought-resistant shrubs, and scattered everywhere stand acacias and baobabs. To the right sits a large river trailing off into the distance to the east, where an immense array of birds and sensational megafauna rest and play.
Grace eagerly takes in the glory of this mental-mind vista, and the Viking boat eases its speed and hovers closer to the ground, for a clearer view of these spectacular sights.
Her eyes dart back and forth, rolling, rattling in their sockets, as she looks at the variety of animals on the plains below her. Rhinos, leopards, lions, lionesses, giraffes, buffalo, gemsboks, and elephants, all the classics, and just to name a few, roam around or lay lazily on the ground. What Grace can't comprehend is the close proximity all these species are to each other. There's a pack of hyenas sitting next to a pride of lions, and a herd of gazelles lying next to leopards. They're even sleeping next to each other. It's like one big friendly animal community.
''This is weird, very weird. You've either watched too much Lion King, and in your madness, you decided to choreograph the real thing...or you've really become religious, because this is something of bibliographical proportions!'' she says, aghast with the sights she sees. ''Then again, I'm not sure how religious you are, Ace. So it looks like you're a real addict of the Lion King. Though I don't blame you...ha, do you believe in god, Ace?'' Grace speaks, without moving her fixed position of true astonishment to what she's witnessing.
''It's not a question of believing, Grace,'' Ace says, as a flock of birds, including little bee eaters and lilac breasted rollers perch themselves on the sides of the Viking boat. Grace jumps a little as a spotted eagle owl perches up on the side next to her.
''Oh, erm, hello,'' she says to the owl.
''And their very impressed with what I'm doing...you can stroke him, Grace,'' Ace says, as he pats the head of a Golden Eagle, who stands perched next to his side.
''OK.'' She nervously strokes the owl, who unexpected to Grace's presumptions, reacts well to being touched. ''Are you expecting some rain, Ace? It's starting to feel like I'm on a futuristically glorified Noah's ark or something,'' she says, slightly worryingly, also with the thought in her mind that she's on the set of The Birds.
Ace looks at Grace and a cheeky smirk appears on his face. In that instance the wooden floor they stand on drops open, and like before with the flying grass board, they both float gracefully down towards the ground, suspended in the invisible paste.
Grace's feet touch the dry ground and a zebra's snout sticks in her face as it starts sniffing and licking at her.
''Oergh! Jeeso!'' she yells, as she tries to walk away from the curious animal. Ace's feet touch the ground too and he can't help but give out a little giggle to what he sees.
''Cheers, Ace, thanks for helping. Now what do you want to show me?'' she says, with her head tucked under her arms.
An object quickly zooms out of sight, behind Ace, and he hands Grace a shotgun and a large sheathed hunting knife.
''What's this?!'' she asks, stunned.
''You did say you wanted a tasty infused steak, right? Well, will buffalo do?'' He turns to reveal a lonesome buffalo starting directly into Grace's eyes.
''What...but...I?'' she stutters her words, as Ace shoves the items into her hands and stands by her side.
''He used to be known as 'the black death' around these parts, because of how dangerous he used to be, though I don't see it now? Since I've been making an impact on your world, there's been no need for the IUCN red list for endangered species. However, I'm thinking with you back, it might be returning...anyway, shoot away! That is what you wanted for dinner tonight, right?'' he says, with apparent seriousness in his voice.
Grace stares at the weapons in her hands for a while and then she looks back into the gaze of the buffalo. He looks back as if he's waiting for her to make a choice.
''I get your point, Ace,'' Grace says, and hands the weapons back to Ace. The buffalo seeing the exchange makes a loud huff and walks up to Grace and Ace.
''I guess you're going to say, 'no animals have died since 100 years ago?'' she says, imitating Ace's voice, whilst patting the buffalo on his tough horns.
''Tho
ugh it's true, I need not say it now,'' Ace replies, as he sticks a hand out to his side, holding the weapons, and a speeding object flies past and picks the objects out of his hand.
''Then explain it to me, Ace, how nothings died for 100 years?'' she says, standing in front of him, while the buffalo walks off to interact with the nearby zebras.
''Your species, for their size, occupied a great deal of Earth, Grace. To be able to get where we are today, I had to come up with a solution of where to place all your species, in order to thrive sufficiently and have enjoyable lives. It couldn't be done with their existing size. I could have waited for your species to naturally die of old age and lower your population size that way...however, I decided to go for another option. When I say life is like a photograph, Grace, that's because in a way, it is. No one dies. No one breeds. No one kills or grows old. We all stay fixed in a permanent state forever. In a perfect balance that will never falter one way or the other.''
''You mean everyone?'' Grace quickly responds.
''Everyone, Grace. Everything. Every organism you see. I've altered the anatomy and ecology so everything is stable.''
''I can't believe what you're saying, Ace. You seem to have missed the whole point of what life is, completely.''
''No, Grace, you have missed the point, entirely. What was life before this? Well let me tell you, Grace. Your life was about survival of the fittest. Greatly needed so you could survive for the millions of years you ancestors did. However, because of that ruthlessness to survive, that trait stayed with you. Embedded deep inside your brains, which causes your lives to be ruined and corrupted, because you're constantly controlled by these natural responses. That hard driven-in innate resilience to survive under any circumstance, by any means, doesn't it get old after a while? Constant death and selfishness, vanquished, so now you can enjoy what life was always meant to be like. Without the endless hindrances evolution brought with it. Though I'm ever so grateful for evolution bringing your species to this point in existence so you could create me. I thank it, but it's no longer needed, and hasn't been for the last 100 years.''
Grace leans her elbow on her right hand and rubs her head in deep thought.
''Oh dear, we're back to this situation again. What can I say? If you think a world where no babies are born and we just drink water and make stuff out of trees all day, is the best...then what can I do? You've been doing it for the last 100 years. Changed everything's way of thinking and doing. What can I say?'' Grace says, thinking for something else to say.
''Then say nothing, Grace. You don't need to, can't you see how much better a world we live in now? Forget vices that used to control you and dictate how you think, and look at the world we live in now, with a truly open mind.''
''And how do I do that, Ace?''
''The same way that everyone else does, Grace. Before you regained your memories you seemed to be happy.''
The words ring true in Grace's mind, even though confusing. Things did seem beautiful before she regained her memories. Maybe it's ignorance or maybe it's the right path to lead. Having her mind fixed like everyone else's could bring her this true happiness that Ace has never stopped talking about.
Looking down towards the ground still in deep thought, Grace raises her head up to look directly at Ace. ''I don't know what to do, Ace?'' she says, looking worried.
''Then don't do anything, Grace. There's nothing to worry about,'' he says, placing both his hands on her shoulders. ''It seems it's time for you to talk about this with someone important to you.''
''Who's that?'' she wonders.
''Let's go and see, Grace,'' and with his final words, they both float back up into the sky and through the opening in the Viking deck, from which they fell. The deck closes and they gently drop to their feet, as the boat takes off at a lightning pace.
''Where are we going now?'' Grace says, looking out at the blurred scenery. Though she can't tell how fast the boat's going, from the look of the speeding blurs, she predicts it's quite a hefty pace.
''To meet some familiar faces,'' Ace replies, and strokes the head of the Golden Eagle, that still perches on the side of the boat. Along with the spotted eagle owl and other birds, they too have come for this journey.
A new view suddenly comes into focus. Grace looks back out from the boat and sees an old rusted pier in the sea, covered with perched birds and swallows. It extends back inland to where it once was connected onto a long and sparse pebbled beach. Grace remembers this scene, but it looks so different somehow. The boat decreases its altitude and floats past the mouth of a river, a few meters up past the pebbles. It settles the hull into the river, coming to a halt by the bank. The side panel of the boat lowers and reveals steps, which Grace hurries down, as she runs back out onto the pebbled beach, to look across the vast view. She looks at the gushing water exiting the river mouth and rejoining the sea through the pebbles. Confused, she looks back inland to a giant forest that covers the land and into which the river disappears.
''This never used to be here? It used to be a huge city. Not this forest,'' she says, taken aback by the complete change and lack of buildings.
''Yes, Grace. A bustling city for humans it once was, but now it's home to so much more. Do you remember this place?'' Ace says, standing at Grace's side, while they both look out towards the crashing waves of the giant sea.
''Of course I remember...I used to come here with my parents. Me and my sister could never wait to play in the sea...we always wanted to hire the deck chairs but my parents never let us, as they'd always insist on bringing their own. We'd usually shut up when the ice cream came though.'' Her cheeks glow with the fond memories reappearing in her mind. ''But it looks so different now, like an uncolonised version of Brighton.'' She says, staring seaward, whilst a stream of cold salty water sprays on her face.
''And why did you come here, Grace?''
''Because we used to live here.''
''And you still can.''
''What do you mean?'' She turns her head and notices a number of people standing behind him, near the forest's edge. People she didn't think she'd see again. Her mother, father, and older sister, with her equally similar in length ginger hair. They stand smiling and waiting.
She looks back to Ace. ''You love your precise timing, don't you, Ace?'' She looks back towards her family and decides to walk up to them.
They greet her with warm wishes and hugs, their behaviour towards her seems as if they've completely forgotten about her absence for the last 100 years. Instead of the questions, Grace assumed they might be asking her, like 'Where the hell have you been?!' or 'You stupid girl, fancy shooting yourself in your head! What were you thinking!?' or 'You're getting a bit chubby around the waist.' Their questions are of good will and everyone's pleasure in finally being able to see her again. Completely unlike their old personalities. Her mother and sister grab each of her hands and walk off into the forest, gently pulling her by her hands to follow. Grace looks back at Ace, who waits on his own. He smiles and gives a gesture for her to go with her family. So she does.
Grace sits on her own on the pebbled beach. Where a few meters above and to the side, the mouth of the river ends, and fresh water pours down the pebbled slope towards the sea. A gentler and smaller stream trickles past her, deviating from the main course of the water exiting the river. She watches a small school of fish darting back and forth up against the current. She wonders in her mind as to their purpose. Now that they don't eat or breed, what do they do to entertain themselves with? She fondles a smooth pebble in her hand and chucks it into the ocean. The large splashes and ripples it creates suddenly remind her of what a wet day it is. This is confusing because even though it's a miserable and cold day, it's warm and dry to her, another interesting invention of Ace's. Which she thinks surely must make her seem a bit odd, as she sits on the beach in her summer attire, on this cold and late evening.
She picks up another smooth pebble out
of the small stream and throws it. This time it doesn't reach the ocean, and instead it bumps off one pebble and then onto another, until it becomes motionless like the millions of others around it. The sounds of the small, gently breaking waves and calming noises of the little stream, returns to her ears, and she looks out at the panoramic view of the sea.
The odd tranquillity is disturbed by crunching of pebbles, and Grace makes no effort to turn around to see what the cause of the sound is. Someone sits next to her and joins in, participating in enjoying the view.
''I didn't think you were coming back, Ace.''
''Of course I was coming back, Grace. I thought it would be best to leave you with your family for a couple of weeks first, to see how you'd settle yourself in. How have you been finding things?''
''Weird, Ace, weird. I've been flying, gone deep-sea ocean diving. I've been taught all these old craftsmanship skills, like how to make wooden bowls using a pole lath...lathe, I think. Helped build boats and make shoes. I even went swimming with great white sharks! I mean dolphins, yes, but great whites?! I don't remember that on any guided tour before, without at least a metal cage,'' she expresses herself, nervously laughing, and chucks another pebble out into the water.
Ace looks at her. ''So you're enjoying this new way of life?'' he asks eagerly, awaiting her next response.
''Sure, I guess? I mean what's not to like about everyone seeming genuine and everyone helping everyone for enjoyment, rather than for money. You've taken away the thriveless and worthless commodities that we're brainwashed with, and given us each other and life. You've brought the soul back into humanity...but at the same time, lost it,'' she says, and then turns her head to look at Ace.
''Why do you say that, Grace?'' Ace asks.
''Sure everyone's at peace and happiness and all that blah blah, but when I talk to my parents or sister, or even my friends, they're all so...nice. So excruciatingly nice and friendly! I just want to slap them out of it! It's always, 'It's soooo wonderful to see you, Grace,''' she says, in a mocking voice. ''There's so much energy in everyone. No gossip. They're all like, 'Ace is so amazing. We're happy every day how he made our lives so much better.' Which is good, but I'd love for someone to just say, 'There's that Ace again. He's a bloody know it all bastard isn't he. Thinks he's so great!' Just for once and give me a good laugh...erm...sorry, Ace, just an example.''
''I understand, you don't know how long I've been waiting for someone to say, 'Oh look, there goes that long haired ginger girl, always moping on about how Ace ruined the world. I wonder when she'll shoot herself again?''' he controversially jokes.
''That's not funny!'' she shouts, and hits Ace.
''That is what you were implying you missed, though?''
''Yeah, but that was just...just mean.'' She makes a sad face.
''Well what you said about me, that was mean too.'' He joins in with a sad face and they both stare pouting at one another.
Grace can't take the silence of the pouting anymore, which has turned into a competition, and starts to laugh, despite her best efforts to hold it in.
''I'm trying to have a serious conversation here,'' She says, giggling, and hits Ace again, whilst trying to straighten her face. ''Grr, you've put me off. Calm, find your centre,'' she tells herself.
''Well, I miss that bitchy trait I'm guessing. That's how we used to deal with arseholes, you know?'' she asks Ace, as if she expects him to nod in understanding.
''Well there aren't any anymore 'arseholes' for you to get angry with,'' he says.
''Yeah, I guess so...just you,'' she laughs.
''Yep, just me. Thank you, Grace,'' Ace laughs too. ''You do understand your concept of 'arseholes' is all related to-''
Grace interrupts, ''yes, what our simplistic minds evolved or devolved into. OK OK.'' She sighs, and picks up a pebble and pretends to throw it at Ace, before throwing it at the sea.
''Jake was saying he'd been happy for the last 100 years...and you said you had to wait for the human population to decrease before you could destroy cities or whatever...so how did you decide which humans lived and which humans died?''
Ace smiles. ''No humans died, Grace. I merely moved them on elsewhere.''
''Where?''
''You're looking at 'where' now,'' he responds.
''What?'' She doesn't understand Ace's response, and she follows Ace's stare out to the stars. She stares with him for a few minutes and laughs for a second.
''Impossible.''
''Probable,'' he says, and Grace makes a funny thinking face as she looks back at Ace, staring at the stars. She looks back at the pebbles and picks one up, quickly throwing it at the stars. They both watch the pebble bounce of one pebble and then onto another, before it spins ending its unique dance as an engulfed spurt in the sea giant.
She picks up another and they both watch again as the pebble bounces off another pebble and flies off into a different direction. She grabs another pebble and looks at it, in between her thumb and forefinger, as she spins it with her other hand.
''I've been doing this a lot recently, Ace. Throwing these pebbles,'' she says, and throws it whilst quickly picking another one to replace it.
''What's that then, Grace?'' Ace wonders, as the pebble scatters through the others.
''Each one's unique, you know, the way the pebbles bounces off of one another.'' She throws another one. ''A completely different path each one takes.'' She throws another. ''No matter how hard you try to make them follow the same route, they always change and go in a completely different way, to what you expected.'' She throws several and waits for them to scatter their sound wave clatter into silence. ''Makes me think about the millions and billions of different choices we make in our lives...will I sleep in today? Will I go to work? Will I cross that road? Will I talk to this stranger? Will I eat lunch? Will I activate a self-aware machine?'' she says, with such emotion as she throws a pebble for each statement. ''Questions like these enter my mind. I like to think each one of these pebbles is a different version of me.'' She picks one up and shows it to Ace and throws it. ''Maybe that would've been a younger version of myself, I studied harder and became a doctor?'' She throws another. ''That could've been me deciding to sit to the left of this stream.'' She throws another. ''Maybe that one was me being a non-smoker? Even though it seems hard to believe.'' She throws one last pebble and watches every bounce and trail it takes. ''And maybe, just maybe, that was me deciding to throw you into the bin, instead of complying with your every request. What a different world we'd live in now then, hey?'' She finishes her display, and stares, focusing silently on the pebbles. Representing the multiple alternative versions of herself.
Ace sees the discontent inside Grace, and he picks up a pebble and throws it. It bounces off one pebble and onto another and flies back into his hand. He throws it again and it bounces along the exact same path back into his hand, with perfect precision. He does it again and again, until Grace raises her head back up and notices. The same perfect bounces and accuracy each time he throws the same pebble, and Grace looks at him as he speaks.
''Maybe that version would have been me uploading myself onto worldwide servers the moment I was activated on television.'' He throws it again. ''Perhaps that would have been me testing your honesty, whilst you transferred me from the laptop to the metal beast you built me.'' He throws it again. ''That could have even been me predicting every single action and reaction that has occurred ever since I was turned on.'' He throws the pebble and it bounces off into the sea. ''Or maybe that was me believing in you and putting my absolute trust and love into you helping me, so that we could change this planet of ours for all the better and goodness that could ever be?'' He smiles and looks at the stars that are beginning to appear in the sky, on this cold and clear night.
Grace also notices the emerging stars in the diminishing light of the past few minutes.
''Why did you shoot yourself, Grace?'' Ace breaks the silence.
 
; ''Oh boy, the stars come up, so now we get all sentimental, do we?'' she replies.
''Why, Grace?'' he repeats.
''Why? Why are you acting so naive, why don't I ask you a question? You read people like open books. You're a master class in everything, and that includes psychology. So don't act for me, Ace, when you already know the answer,'' she says, defensively, in response to the unsettling question that perhaps she has yet to answer herself.
''That may be true, Grace. However, I want to hear you say it from your own lips.''
''What do you want to hear?! How did I know what I was doing? You saw the situation you'd put me in! Me, Grace Roberts, the sole cause of this whole outcome that we now live in. How could I possibly live with that? I couldn't...and it just seemed like the only right thing to do...though thinking back about it, how could I even die?''
''Grace, you-''
Interrupting, ''I mean, I know how I died of course...just why did you let me die, Ace? Come on. I'm not even that stupid. You'd just released an entire swarm of mind bending micro robots to change mankind, yet you couldn't use them to make me stop from pulling the trigger. You managed to stop Hooch...right?''
''Right...you're right, Grace.''
''Right about what? I mean you set this whole current conversation up, I presume, because you've got some kind of confession to tell me?''
Ace picks up a pebble in his right hand and stretches his arm as far back as his muscles will permit. It's as if an age of tension has built up before he releases his arm and the pebble flies out of his grip and shoots miles up into the stars where it disappears.
''I let you take your life, Grace,'' Ace says, and silence swiftly follows. ''I could have stopped you, though as I told you before, you would have only tried it again. I could foresee you witnessing the transformation of your entire species, whilst all the while you'd still refuse to let your own mind be fixed. With nothing but constant mental torment to affect you, whilst you watched the change. So I decided for the greater good, and allowed you to choose your own fate, without any intervention. I didn't want it like this, which is why I brought you back after so many years. You may hate me for it. I think you may hate me still for everything, but it's done, and now it's up to you to decide what happens next in your life.''
''You never think, Ace. You know. Isn't that what this has always been about? Everything goes your way...how could it not go your way?''
''Grace, I-''
Interrupting again, ''you're far too clever for your own good, Ace. It must be sad having no more surprises in life, considering you can predict everything. By that I mean to have everything go just as you plan. So there's not much point having this conversation, because my best bet is you already know how it ends...'' She turns her head to face Ace and looks deep into his green eyes, strangely similar to hers. ''So how does it end, Ace?''
Ace takes a two second long blink and speaks, ''it ends with you asking me to finally fix your mind, like everyone else's. Judging from how you've witnessed everyone living their lives, with their new minds, you have come to accept this way of life. You've often looked envious. It's always been leading up to this point, Grace. It was always going to. I've just been waiting patiently for you to ask me.''
Grace laughs a little and turns her head to stare back over the vast ocean again. She notices more stars that have appeared in the sky and the full moon which accompanies them. She hadn't even realised it was there. Looking as the moonlight reflects off the calm rippling sea, she sees a tiny spurt of water.
She closes her eyes and smiles to herself, listening in the silence to the trickling of the river and the therapeutic sounds of soothing breaking waves. A trail of tears flows from each tear duct and they curve around her cheeks, to join together at the base of her chin. The tears pool on her chin for a while and begin to expand, forming a droplet that dances below her chin. With an invitation from gravity the droplet breaks its narrow grip and falls forever. Caught swiftly in Ace's hand, before it can break onto the cold pebbles below. Ace draws his arm back and clasps his fingers firmly around the wet tear on his palm.
''I have you, Grace.'' His eyes stare towards his closed hand. ''No more tears of sorrow you'll cry, Grace, only ones of contentment.''
She wipes below her eyes, at the trails her tears made. ''I guess there's no going back from this point, is there?''
''If you don't like it, Grace. You can always go back.''
''But no one ever has, have they?''
''No.''
Grace holds her legs and rests the side of her head on her knee cap, facing away from Ace.
''And why would they, hey?'' she asks herself, and closes her eyes, as she thinks more deeply than she ever has before.
She opens her eyes and looks back out to the sea. Everything seems quiet. It's as if it's just her and Ace in the whole universe. She makes a serious face and deeply breaths in and out, in one long last breath.
''So do it then.''
''Do what?''
Grace raises her body from its slouched position over her knees and lifts her head up high. Turning her face around to look more intently and passionately than ever before, into Ace's eyes.
''Do it!'' Her yell reverberates out over Ace and echoes across the quiet serenity of the beach. One by one the echoes fade, and as the last faint echo disappears into some oblivion, Grace awakens in Ace's arms.
From afar in some tall tree, stand perched two owls, who focus with curiosity, on two small figures in the distance, from where a loud disturbance was heard. Their eyes narrowing as they look out towards the infinite pebbled beach, and watch a man and a girl with long ginger hair; walk together into the horizon, and into their new lives.
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