Stars

Part II - The Journey

"Hey Mom, come and check this out! This is so cool!" Aaron had been bouncing around the apartment ever since they had been escorted to their new home. "Hurry up Mom!" He certainly sounded more exited than when he was exploring the bathroom.

"OK honey. I'm coming." Melinda had just gotten comfortable in a recliner she found in what was apparently the living room. She had started flipping through the Orientation Manual when Aaron called. She set the volume down in the chair as she rose and headed off down the hallway. His voice seemed to be coming from the room at the end of the hall, opposite the bathroom.

"Check it out Mom." Aaron was sitting on what looked like a window sill tapping frantically on a keypad set in the casement. Entering the room Melinda was surprised to see a lovely, grassy hillside. A small herd of white-tail deer grazing in the sun. "This is so cool."
Stepping up beside the boy, she watched the scene fade to gray, shift to a soft blue-green and refocus on a lively seascape. She could here the crash of the surf and the cries of the gulls.

"What have you got there Sport?" Melinda had seen artificial windows before but she hadn't considered finding them on board the Ark. It must be an attempt to minimize homesickness. She didn't think it would work.

"So far I found three different scenes. How many do you think there are, Mom?" Aaron was still fiddling with the keyboard.

"I really I don't know Honey. But I'm sure the manual will tell us all about it." She really should be checking out the Orientation Manual.

"Do you think this could be my room Mom? I found it first." From his tone it was obvious that he wasn't really sure if that particular rule applied.

"I don't know Sport. We haven't checked out the rest of the place yet"

"But I get a room with a window right?"

"We'll see. Let's go see the other bedroom. Ok?" Instead of answering, he tore out of the room and down the hall. Melinda followed, though at a slightly slower pace. Upon entering, Melinda saw that this room was considerably larger than the other and there was an attached bath. Obviously the master bedroom.

"You know what Sport? I think you were right before. You can have the other room. This one will suit your father and me just fine. Why don't you grab your bags and start unpacking while I put some dinner together?"

On that note Aaron headed out toward the front door and Melinda strode out to the kitchen to check out the food processor. Aaron grabbed the rope on his duffle bag and began dragging it down the hall to his new room. Melinda stood in front of the processor pondering possible dinner menus.

"You got that Honey?"

"Yeah Mom, I got it." He had just gotten the bag inside the doorway when his attention again focused on the window. Wondering how many different scenes there were, he climbed onto the sill and began tapping in codes. Quickly, the hillside scene appeared on the screen. He typed in another set of numbers. The scene changed to a tranquil seascape with a smoldering mountain in the distance. A new code and a majestic conifer forest settled onto the screen, the insects and birds creating a soothing sound in the background. Tap, tap, tap. A snow capped peak standing among frozen clouds. One more try.

It took Aaron a moment to comprehend the scene before him. A glistening blue ball covered in swirling white. Terriana. A tiny black dot appeared near the center of the globe and began a gentle arc across the screen as it grew slowly in size. He realized that he was watching a shuttle approaching the Ark. He became so engrossed in the scene that he ducked as the speeding ball hurtled toward him. He knew immediately that this would be his favorite view.

"Five minutes to dinner Hon. How are you doing?" A sheepish grin spread across his face as he switched off the display and turned to see his mother standing in the door way.