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1:01

is extremely late at

1:03

night. Or extremely early in

1:05

the morning, who can say? Well, Felix

1:07

probably could. The ship

1:09

is moving slow. And

1:12

Merlin is on the

1:14

control deck, pouring over some

1:16

continuous feed spools by the

1:18

dim light of a safe

1:21

lamp, drinking, you guessed it,

1:23

coffee, Tranquility tinkering with some

1:25

upgrades to daggle's teletheric contraption

1:27

thing, as he does so.

1:29

Pretty much everyone else on

1:31

the ship is asleep. Shugruggles

1:34

left his shift here in

1:36

control early, since Merlin was

1:38

hanging out anyway. And

1:40

than the silent... companion of

1:42

the Bocular Man, Merlin has

1:45

had the entire control deck

1:47

to himself since then. just

1:49

him, the Fold light, and

1:51

a great number of quietly puttering

1:54

punch disks and popular calculators. It's

1:56

peaceful. The ship

1:58

is now by... below and

2:00

down current from Akuta, and

2:03

has for the last several

2:05

days been descending slowly through

2:08

a vast ancient, slow-moving terror

2:10

storm here in the depths.

2:13

Some riled-up fold. Rather than

2:15

rerouting around it, which could

2:18

add a week or more

2:20

onto their journey, they've decided

2:23

to just descend straight through

2:25

it. Easy. Magic ship. This

2:28

is something that normal fold

2:30

mercables definitely can't do without

2:33

risking damage or destruction. Ask

2:35

Mickey sometime. Navigating in regular

2:37

fold is hard enough. So

2:40

they are taking the opportunity

2:42

to take some science measurements.

2:45

As long as they're descending

2:47

here anyway. Lots of cool

2:50

weird data to collect. Hence

2:52

all of the spooling paper

2:55

and taking bockimeters. Inky darkness

2:57

swirls outside the crystalline windows

3:00

of the control deck as

3:02

the ship descends. Giant swirling

3:05

textures and different densities of

3:07

fold, ranging from the usual

3:10

midnight fog, to huge, slow-flowing

3:12

washes of black zero-gravity liquid,

3:14

not unlike the ferrofluid type

3:17

stuff inside the fold light.

3:19

It's a huge, quiet, low

3:22

energy system. Possibly thousands of

3:24

years old. The remnants of

3:27

some major inciting event that

3:29

disturbed the fold a long,

3:32

long time ago. Once upon

3:34

a time, this storm was

3:37

likely furious, ravenous, violently alive.

3:39

But today, it is languid,

3:42

slow, and strange. Distant soft

3:44

lights occasionally flicker out there

3:47

in the darkness. distant bioluminescent

3:49

creatures, maybe some foolhardy ships,

3:52

maybe far away islets, but

3:54

for the most part, it

3:56

is dark and peaceful. Merlin

3:59

drinks his

4:01

coffee and watches. the

4:04

window. This terror seems

4:06

terror seems to be

4:08

predominantly themed. Scraps

4:10

scraps of fabric flutter

4:13

in the in the

4:15

current. lace, canvas, canvas,

4:17

velvet, Occasionally, a more a

4:20

more more - cr- Crafted

4:22

detail sticks out A

4:24

sleeve on on the

4:26

wind a button a

4:28

pocket embroidery. intricate tapestry weave, the

4:30

corner corner of a

4:33

fitted sheet. But but

4:35

nothing fully into into

4:37

anything resembling a completely

4:40

Comprehensible item a school a

4:42

school of fish or a

4:44

murmuration of starlings, the flock of

4:46

fabric scraps billows beyond the

4:48

the walls. walls. Scenes of of

4:51

material perhaps miles, perhaps

4:53

hundreds of miles miles long. they

4:55

press close against the windows,

4:57

flapping against the glass kind

4:59

of like the glass, in

5:02

a car like the scrubbers is wash.

5:04

lost in a hypnotic trance

5:06

watching this dance of fabric, when

5:09

suddenly when suddenly... Felix,

5:11

in the the elevator,

5:14

holding a small plate of cold

5:16

cut snacks with crackers. He

5:18

looks a bit startled and not entirely

5:20

pleased to see Merlin there on the

5:22

control deck. to brightens up,

5:24

though. on the good! Just the person

5:26

I needed to talk to.

5:29

I was wondering, Oh what time

5:31

is it, Felix? I needed to

5:33

talk to. I was starts

5:35

at what time is it Felix?

5:37

Well, my shift starts

5:40

at three, so it's three. Ah,

5:42

oh, okay. But uh, you're not

5:44

you're not scheduled, at least I

5:46

didn't think you were. you were. Well,

5:48

what are what are you doing down

5:50

here, Merlin? I I couldn't sleep. sleep. I

5:53

I felt like keeping busy instead. Shug

5:55

was starting to to get tired

5:57

anyway, so I offered to...

5:59

I'm an eye on things. to

6:02

I'd been meaning to

6:04

review for report for the I

6:06

can so don't change your out. Felix

6:08

continues over to his little

6:10

time -keeping station here in

6:12

the corner of here in

6:14

takes a seat control and takes a

6:16

seat. Okay. I'm kind of used to having

6:18

of used to having this

6:20

time for myself, but adjust.

6:22

Please can adjust your behavior change

6:24

your behavior on my Merlin yearning for

6:26

yearning for Felix to change

6:28

his behavior. Do you need any any

6:31

help with what you're doing?

6:33

doing? Help? Felix boggles at him.

6:35

time? That's a good one. Isn't That's

6:37

a good one. gild of there a

6:39

whole guild of all work together together

6:42

in some capacity? the Yeah, and

6:44

the training to a a timekeeper

6:46

is incredibly rigorous. rigorous and specialized. No

6:48

but man, only slow me

6:50

down. slow me if there's one

6:52

thing you don't want, it's

6:55

a slow don't want, it's a slow timekeeper.

6:57

is nice seems clear clear that

6:59

neither of them is really

7:01

going to enjoy each other's

7:03

company unless they do something

7:06

about it about it.

7:08

is is the uncomfortable silence,

7:10

watching the long scans

7:12

of fabric tumble of

7:14

outside of the windows. and

7:17

surge You know, of the windows.

7:19

a little... feeling a little

7:21

on edge. Would you for for

7:23

some bud, Felix? I I

7:25

brought a whole crown

7:27

down. down. Felix turns in

7:29

his chair raising raising

7:32

his eyebrows in Oh, I heard

7:34

you were an altar boy. Sure, I

7:36

heard you were an altar

7:38

boy. man why

7:40

not? to proffer steps

7:42

in to he programmed

7:44

when he hears he altar

7:47

he hears the word

7:49

alter so. And Merlin lights up

7:51

the lights up the

7:53

purple broccoli -like substance within,

7:55

takes a smoky puff and hands

7:57

it off to Felix. it.

8:00

who does the same. the same. if

8:03

I may, why did you even

8:05

take this job? You don't seem to

8:07

if I may, why

8:10

did you even take

8:12

this job? You

8:14

don't seem to be exactly

8:16

enjoying the experience. Felix is

8:18

tinkering with his primary its

8:21

listening critically to its ticking.

8:23

What gives you that impression? My

8:25

attitude is fine. attitude is

8:28

fine. fine. I'm I'm thrilled to be

8:30

here. I'm pissed I wasn't first in

8:32

line. I only got this posting

8:34

because the primary chamberlain is expecting, and

8:37

the secondary chamberlain is being

8:39

investigated for time Chamberlain is

8:41

is time? Don't ask. You

8:43

do not want to know. theft?

8:45

Anyway, You do not was next in

8:48

line, so I was I am. so here

8:50

This is huge. for my

8:52

career. my career. the voyage really takes

8:54

us past the the last time house,

8:56

I could discover a new month.

8:58

month. Implementing a new

9:00

month is a whole other problem,

9:02

but one step at a time. one looks

9:05

time. He looks at Merlin,

9:08

That was a little was a little

9:10

I see. I see. So, have you

9:12

have you ever accompanied

9:14

the time, Bowie? Felix puts his

9:17

watch down, leans back in

9:19

his chair, and stretches a little bit. a

9:21

I've done Yeah, once. Bowie

9:24

duty on a Upon a time.

9:26

So you are quite Well in

9:29

a sense sense.

9:31

one particular I suppose you

9:33

could say. you Felix holds out

9:35

his hand for the his takes

9:37

another hit. altar bud and takes another

9:39

hit. I hope to hope

9:41

to do it again someday. All

9:43

this blasting up and down

9:45

between the extremes of the

9:47

cosmos is exhausting, but drifting

9:50

down current along the median, along

9:52

the that's the way to

9:54

travel. the way to travel. It's...

9:56

peaceful, a whole

9:59

traversa... spent floating next

10:01

to the to the buoy

10:03

just watching the cosmos go

10:05

by. by. Suddenly he he

10:07

seems embarrassed for for

10:10

waxing he changes the

10:12

subject. changes the subject. So are

10:14

you all So, are you all

10:16

recovered from whatever to you to

10:18

you up there at the

10:20

firmament? takes another hit as

10:23

well. hit as It wasn't really

10:25

the firmament. and the firmament

10:27

is just a theory just a

10:29

theory anyway. Yeah, If you don't want to talk about

10:31

it, then don't talk about it. to talk

10:33

about it, then don't talk about it. Merlin

10:35

stews in contemplation a minute. What

10:38

What the rest of

10:40

the crew is aware

10:42

of is is simply some

10:44

huge Leviathan, which no

10:47

no clear a clear look

10:49

at, prompted their quick retreat

10:51

from the Un. the UN. that

10:53

the stress of that

10:55

experience left Merlin, left Dot,

10:57

and even Dot, unconscious. unconscious.

11:00

That alone is plenty of of

11:02

knowledge to grapple

11:04

with. with. Merlin regards

11:06

the smouldering in the

11:08

piece. in the piece, but yes, I

11:10

feel feel back to my

11:13

old self. it's true. it's true. It

11:15

seems that whatever evaporated out

11:17

of him has left no lasting

11:19

damage, as far as he

11:21

can tell. tell. But this descent

11:23

now into the the

11:25

lightless depths. doesn't exactly

11:28

have him feeling normal either, for

11:30

for different reasons. That's

11:33

super-duper to here. do

11:36

to have our chief cosmologist indisposed

11:39

for most of the

11:41

voyage most of guess the

11:43

Though I guess the is basically

11:45

over over. not really

11:47

a really right, guy, right? Merlin.

11:49

of glares that. What

11:51

What are you

11:53

implying? Your area of of

11:55

expertise. It's It's mostly to

11:57

do with with mica and the

11:59

higher... altitudes and stuff. right?

12:01

Well, yes, most

12:03

of my professional career has

12:06

been focused there, but

12:08

I am here, you know.

12:11

in the fold, learning,

12:13

trying to answer questions like

12:16

how long do terror systems

12:18

like these persist after the

12:20

initial light exposure that incited

12:22

them? How dramatically do

12:24

they mutate from their

12:26

original characteristics? Is there a

12:28

reliable way to calculate

12:30

a terror's exact age? Merlin

12:33

gazes out the windows

12:35

at the swirling textiles. he

12:38

even has to admit to himself

12:40

that beyond his

12:42

academic understanding of light -fold

12:44

interactivity. He honestly has

12:46

no clue how this

12:49

kind of thing happens.

12:51

He sees some beautiful quilt work

12:53

outside in the storm that looks

12:55

for all the world as though

12:57

it could have been crafted with

13:00

human intentionality. The

13:02

fold is full of such

13:04

wonders. The fold

13:06

is full of such wonders.

13:08

Merlin remarks. I just hope

13:10

that I can understand what

13:12

it is we see. This

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14:14

two co -workers fall into

14:17

a moment of semi

14:19

-uncompanionable silence. Merlin

14:22

sighs and turns to the

14:24

Bocular Man. Bocular Man.

14:29

Did you go through all

14:31

of the inscribed discs with

14:33

the spare bulb, like I

14:35

showed you? Yes, Merlin. I

14:38

might need you to run them

14:40

again, we're not seeing the sink reflected

14:42

in these. He

14:45

trails off. Merlin's

14:50

gaze is clapped

14:53

on the stormy darkness

14:55

outside the ship,

14:57

his eyes widening. There

14:59

is a guy outside of the

15:01

ship tapping on the glass and

15:03

waving enthusiastically, clearly glad to have

15:05

caught Merlin's attention. Who the fuck

15:07

is that? I don't have a

15:10

response for that inquiry. Yeah,

15:13

uh, there's a

15:15

guy. He's gliding - beside

15:17

the ship, slung

15:19

casually under a sorta

15:21

hand -made -looking, unpowered hang glider

15:23

parasail thing, composed of

15:25

eclectic quiltwork and embroidery, dangling

15:28

with little lanterns and

15:30

satchels of supplies. There's a

15:32

smiling baby strapped to his

15:34

chest, contentedly blowing raspberries. The

15:36

raspberries. guy waves again, and

15:38

then gently grasps and waves

15:40

the the baby as well. He calls

15:42

something that they can't hear but it's

15:45

not hard to lip -read. is

15:47

saying hello Uh, why

15:49

Should we uh,

15:51

let - Whoa! do

15:54

you know this guy

15:56

do I do -

15:58

the - This

16:00

is interesting, the altar butt is

16:02

also really starting to kick in. Huh.

16:04

whoo. What? Whoa. What uh,

16:07

what a strain is this,

16:09

Merlin? I, it shouldn't, that

16:11

we've had barely any. - We're both

16:13

seeing this right? guy is flying

16:15

along in his glider. He He waves again.

16:17

taps. He looks at Merlin. looks at Felix.

16:19

He points to himself. He He points to

16:21

them. Merlin

16:24

swaps a couple of

16:26

punched discs into the fold

16:28

main insertion bay and

16:31

a dark mica speaking to

16:33

outside the ship and

16:35

motions for the guy to

16:37

speak into it. The

16:39

guy examines the sudden new

16:41

protrusion with an expression of

16:43

calm amusement. Can, can

16:45

you hear us? Felix is

16:48

half crouching behind his

16:50

chair in stoned awe.

16:52

Hello? The

16:55

guy says, Nice

16:57

to meeting you and

16:59

also the ship.

17:01

My name is Zoran

17:03

and is - pats

17:05

the baby. who coos and

17:07

blows bubbles. Is my little

17:09

one but they have not

17:12

named themselves yet.

17:14

Merlin is seized with a fierce

17:16

scientific excitement. On the other

17:18

side of this dark mica

17:20

is a genuine denizen of

17:22

the deep fold. Felix, who

17:24

knows what incredible knowledge he

17:26

might have to share this

17:28

region? Who knows what incredible

17:30

knowledge Merlin may be able to

17:32

impart in turn a great beating

17:34

of the minds. Greetings, Zoran.

17:36

This is the ship

17:38

of the cosmological consortium.

17:40

I am Chief Cosmologist

17:42

Merlin Vaught. Ours is

17:44

a mission of peace

17:47

and discovery. I would

17:49

love to have a

17:51

conversation with you if

17:53

you're amenable. We are

17:55

having a conversation Merlin.

17:57

Oh, yeah, so they

17:59

are. Whoa, dude. Yes,

18:01

of course, but where are

18:03

my hands? Would you like

18:05

to come in? Yes, that

18:07

would be wonderful. The current

18:09

has brought us together. Whoa,

18:11

whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you

18:13

are not about to let

18:16

that guy on board, are

18:18

you, Merlin? No worries either

18:20

way. I'm good out here.

18:22

I just saw you over

18:24

here as I was flying

18:26

and thought. I would come

18:28

to say I. He could

18:30

be a pirate. Really, Felix?

18:33

He has a baby. Where

18:35

do you think pirates come

18:37

from? Hmm, decision time. Zoron

18:39

doesn't really seem like a

18:41

threat, does he? Is he

18:43

an illusion? Some kind of

18:45

manifestation of the terror? or

18:47

of the ultramud? Felix, this

18:49

is science. I am not

18:52

going to let this once

18:54

in a lifetime opportunity pass

18:56

us by. I'll take responsibility

18:58

for him. Oh, I don't

19:00

know, man, I don't know.

19:02

Please, Zorron, come in. Merlin

19:04

pulls a few levers, punches

19:06

a few disks, and extrudes

19:08

a dark mic at heirlock,

19:11

out of the side of

19:13

control. And Zoron lands neatly

19:15

within. The parasail deflates and

19:17

crumples, and Zoron quickly and

19:19

expertly rolls it under one

19:21

arm, neatly folding it and

19:23

slinging a net full of

19:25

supplies over his other shoulder.

19:28

He grins and nods to

19:30

Merlin, to Felix. They exchange

19:32

a look. Merlin nodding enthusiastically,

19:34

while Felix desperately shakes his

19:36

head. And then Merlin, heirlock

19:38

doors Zoron, the rest of

19:40

the way inside. Thank

19:43

you very much Merlin Vott. Hello, Zoran

19:46

nods, smiles to Felix. Felix gulps, and

19:48

Zoran puts his things down on the

19:50

ground. He pats the baby attached to

19:53

his chest and takes a seat directly

19:55

in the middle of the floor and

19:57

begins to... Open some

19:59

little leather bags of

20:02

leather bags nuts kind

20:04

of a Drink. of some

20:07

kind Who can say? Baby

20:09

the, uh, uh, excuse

20:11

me, again, can this is

20:13

Felix, Felix This is Felix. Felix

20:15

Uh, hello, Felix. Hello, Felix.

20:18

who are you? you? My

20:20

name is Zoran, and

20:22

this is... is my little

20:24

one, but they they have

20:26

got it got it, got

20:28

it, but got it but like

20:30

are you, where where come

20:32

you come from? out

20:35

the out the window to the

20:37

fold oh you're a a jokester how Did

20:39

you come to be here

20:41

zoran pats his glider folded

20:43

on the floor beside

20:45

floor beside him do help? help Are

20:47

you lost? Are you a a pirate

20:49

I am just here along

20:52

the fold that comes my comes my

20:54

way. How many of you

20:56

are there? There are very

20:58

many of us all over

21:00

the fold we have been doing

21:02

as I am doing now

21:05

for many generations. many We

21:07

find our way to

21:09

many places many places on

21:11

me. Johnny is... Felix's defensive

21:14

tension is is... to

21:16

slump, starting to

21:18

relax to relax, of a

21:20

confused of a confused stupor. Merlin

21:23

is into it, though. though. We

21:25

We are also on

21:27

a journey. This is our

21:29

ship. It our is a

21:31

mic- Careful of It's nothing more Careful,

21:33

of Merlin. It's nothing more

21:35

than what anyone could

21:37

read in the press. Have

21:39

you heard of the

21:41

Cosmological Consortium? I have have never

21:43

heard of the Cosmological

21:45

Consortium. liquid to begins to feed

21:47

some kind of honey -colored

21:49

liquid to the baby

21:51

who child. joyously. seem particularly

21:53

Zoran doesn't seem particularly

21:56

interested in any of

21:58

the incredible devices and jingies. Angling

22:00

around him. He's more just kind

22:02

of just his legs his legs,

22:04

his spine a little bit and

22:06

kind of playing with his

22:08

baby playing eating a little bit

22:10

of eating a little bit of his food stash. him, this

22:12

this of a of a control deck is

22:14

nothing more than a convenient place to

22:16

sit down and stretch out the kings

22:18

in his back for a moment. back for

22:21

a has your journey been

22:23

taking you? you? We've been

22:25

to the highest attempted altitudes

22:27

of the cosmos, reaching nearly...

22:30

Zoron his head. head. No,

22:32

no, no, no, head. no,

22:34

Mervyn, where has your journey

22:37

journey been taking you?

22:39

being philosophical, He he wants us to talk about

22:41

our feelings. our feelings. I see. I... Merlin

22:43

doesn't quite doesn't quite know how

22:45

to be with this guy

22:48

that they just let in

22:50

from the storm. How far

22:52

do you want to go? Our

22:54

aim is to get as deep

22:57

into the depths as we are

22:59

able, and then continue on our

23:01

journey to the end of the

23:03

cosmos, to the delta and beyond.

23:05

Zoran looks at Felix. Felix,

23:07

unfortunately, understands what Zoran

23:09

is getting at. No,

23:12

Merlin. He's talking about like

23:14

how far do you

23:16

want to go Zoron,

23:19

man man, I I get what

23:21

you're saying, but to be honest,

23:23

I am a little bit little

23:25

right now right now,

23:27

and I'm just confused. Where

23:29

you come from? Like, how long long

23:32

have you been out there?

23:34

Where are you going? going? I am

23:36

going wherever the fold wants to take to

23:38

take you. I yeah, I

23:40

think I'm starting to

23:42

get it. to get it. you

23:44

want to to find? How old

23:46

are you? Zoron shrugs. Felix riled

23:48

up again. up like, How do you

23:50

how do you tell know, Time? He

23:53

know, at his He gestures

23:55

at his desk, covered in

23:57

arcane time Zoron appears at the the

23:59

desk with... Disinterest. The

24:01

baby is crawling across

24:03

the floor, puttering around underneath

24:05

a navigation desk here. Zoron

24:07

comfortably and casually, crawls

24:09

after it. it. Felix at

24:11

at Merlin helplessly. is quickly realizing

24:14

that he hates Zoron. He does

24:16

He does not seem notably

24:18

impressed by the ship,

24:20

nor moved by its historical

24:22

and scientific significance. He

24:24

has no books. no He

24:26

never studied at any at any

24:29

schools. He is only curious

24:31

about feelings, not facts. Felix

24:33

feels similarly, the the flagrant disregard

24:35

for the value of of timekeeping. this

24:37

guy so this guy about all

24:39

the time all the time It's more

24:41

than he can stomach. he can stomach.

24:43

not seem to care about any

24:45

of the things that either

24:48

of these two men have of these

24:50

two painstakingly built their entire lives,

24:52

professions, and livelihoods upon. He

24:54

is now underneath the navigation desk

24:56

with his baby, playing with

24:59

his young with his baby. Like, deeply, not even really

25:01

even really aware of the

25:03

ship or of brought people Listen, they've

25:05

brought people aboard for tours

25:07

before, and usually they find the

25:10

ship somewhat intriguing. intriguing. Zoron not

25:12

even notice. Hey, what are you doing under

25:14

there? Please be you doing

25:16

under there? anything careful. Don't

25:18

touch anything that's extremely delicate

25:20

equipment you're playing playing than

25:22

than answering of of questions, Merlin...

25:25

just asking questions of his own.

25:27

of his What do you do you do

25:29

out there? yeah, like what do do you

25:31

do for a living? a Do

25:33

you Do you read? How do you the time when

25:35

you're hanging from that s - hanging from that

25:38

climbs out from underneath

25:40

the navigation desk, holding

25:42

and gesturing to desk,

25:44

baby. and you don't to his

25:46

or anything? don't read or anything?

25:48

No. Zoran says, why would I do

25:50

that? you know, know

25:52

Merlin here an accomplished author. It is

25:55

wonderful that your journey has taken

25:57

you in that way, way, Marlin. How

25:59

did you come? to be doing this.

26:01

It found me the same

26:03

way that I found it. Did

26:05

you? parents teach you, is there like

26:07

a school for Whatever that

26:09

you do is Zoran

26:12

gestures to the baby and leans down

26:14

to pick up some of his

26:16

snacks which he now offers to Felix

26:18

and Rollo. Some fermented things that

26:20

kind of a, sort of a sun

26:22

tea, un tea, fold tea, kombucha

26:24

sort of a thing. Kind of a

26:26

sourdough, some pickles, some kind of

26:28

a cheese. Everything is kind

26:30

of fermented in one way or another.

26:33

May I? Zoran indicating the

26:35

snack tray brought down

26:38

by Felix, the crackers? Yeah,

26:40

sure. Do

26:42

Do you - are you like good

26:44

for food? Do you need anything else

26:46

brought down to you? Are Are

26:48

you lost? Mother Artifice's head descends upside

26:51

down out of the ceiling. It's

26:53

not severed or disembodied, he's just up

26:55

there looking down. He sticks an

26:57

arm through, he waves. Hello, Merlin. I

26:59

just wanted to pop in and

27:01

ask a quick question. I hope I'm

27:03

not interrupting. Merlin jolts,

27:05

as though he's been caught doing something

27:07

that is definitely not allowed. But he

27:09

looks blearily up at Mother

27:11

Artifice. Uh, no, of course. Go

27:13

ahead. The ship's pool is

27:15

very cold. Could you please use

27:17

the appropriate disk to make

27:20

it hot? I fancy a swim.

27:22

Ah, yes, Yes. Certainly Mother

27:24

Artifice. I'd be happy to. Thank

27:26

you. That is all. Sorry

27:28

for interrupting. Mother Artifice inclines

27:30

his head at Zoran in polite

27:32

greeting and he disappears back through

27:34

the ceiling. Zoran appears to be

27:36

packing his things. He's regathering

27:38

his glider, reattaching the baby

27:40

to its harness on his

27:42

chest. Can we offer you

27:44

any supplies? Do you need

27:46

food or anything? Are you

27:48

trying to get somewhere that

27:50

we can help bring you?

27:52

No, Zoran says happily The

27:54

baby giggles. And

27:56

it's time for me to be on my

27:58

way. Thank you for. you for letting

28:00

me visit with you for a moment. Thank

28:02

you for letting me try these foods,

28:04

figs. And thank

28:06

you for talking. I hope

28:09

that your journey takes you to

28:11

somewhere that is where you

28:13

need to be. He makes a

28:15

gesture with his hand that,

28:17

in this cosmos, is understood to

28:20

mean surf's up. It is

28:22

time for me to scoot. With

28:25

his glider -ended baby, Zoran steps

28:27

into the airlock. Merlin activates it

28:29

for him. The interior door shuts,

28:31

the exterior door opens, and the

28:33

parasail, with a whoop, opens. The opens,

28:35

lines snapping tight, and with a

28:38

wave and a smile, Zoran and

28:40

his baby soar straight up into

28:42

the storm and vanish into the

28:44

dark. Merlin

28:46

and Felix stare after

28:48

him, slack -jawed in

28:51

Felix's case, watching him

28:53

disappear into the cosmic

28:55

curtains. Okay, so, not

28:57

a pirate, but not

29:00

a guy I want

29:02

to spend. Felix

29:04

looks slowly to

29:06

Merlin. A lot of

29:08

time with either. Merlin

29:12

casts a side -eye to

29:14

Felix. You

29:16

know, Felix, you're

29:18

not so bad. Thanks

29:35

for listening to Unend.

29:37

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29:39

please rate and review

29:41

to help someone new discover

29:43

the cosmos. You can

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