The End of the Story

by

Diane Mullen

Bennu looked out of the plane's window as it circled over San Francisco Bay, preparing to land. His thoughts were lost in the past, contemplating the years since he had been awakened. It'd been 20 years since then. Twenty years spent roaming North America, and then other parts of the world, trying to find Mira. Without Mira, or the information in the destroyed databanks of his sarcophagus, it was impossible for him to know what his mission, his purpose on Earth, was supposed to have been. The original mission may no longer be important for him - he had a new mission now. A mission to protect Earth and her people from Yago. But he felt that he needed to insure the success of the original mission as well.

Many times Bennu had found hints and clues about Mira's location, only to find that the information had deliberately been planted to mislead, or that she had been moved. She was originally supposed to have been buried in North America, but many things had led Bennu to search elsewhere in the world as well. Maybe it was time to stop searching.

The new mission that Bennu felt he had been given was important - and difficult - enough to keep him well occupied. In his travels, Bennu had determined that humans, collectively and individually, needed his help. That had to be the reason he found himself in a world a hundred years earlier than expected. With Yago's influence, humans were all too likely to destroy themselves and their planet without some gentle guidance. Bennu was glad that he had been able to provide that guidance, from a distance, on many occasions. He was sorry for those times that he had been unable to help.

Still, he had to keep looking for Mira. Even if he would no longer be able to carry out the original mission, he had to determine that she was safe and would be able to carry it out on her own. Maybe the lead he was following, as vague as it was, would give him the answers he needed.

Walking out of the airport into a warm, sunny San Francisco day, Bennu smiled and took a deep breath. Somehow, the air in the United States was a little more invigorating than anywhere else. Maybe it was the people - rude and pushy, but so energetic and excited about life. Their thoughts and emotions had a vibrancy that couldn't be mistaken.

His smile didn't last long, however. It faded from his face as his thoughts returned to their earlier path. He had been awake on this planet for 20 years now - and he was 20 years older. He had been bred to be perfectly in tune with his home planet of Eldobran, and he would have lived a thousand years or more. Even there, he would have aged, but here, where he depended on the power in his medallion to exist at all and where medical science was only beginning to make important discoveries, the aging was progressing much faster. While actually well over 100, Bennu appeared to be approximately 50 in Earth years. A human approaching 50 was considered to be past his prime, and ready to wind down and prepare to retire. Still as fit as ever, his body nonetheless had begun to remind him of his apparent age. His muscles and joints had begun to complain when he over used them. Any injuries other than minor cuts and scrapes seemed to take more power to heal. He had begun to wonder if he'd be able to make a real difference on this world before death claimed him.

Bennu could accept the fact that he was aging as was normal for the humans he found himself among. He could even accept the idea that he would die within a very few more decades. What he had a very hard time accepting was that he would die alone.

"Excuse me," a woman breathed as she brushed past Bennu.

Bennu slowed and looked around. He had been wandering down the street without really paying attention to where he was. The stores in this area seemed to be devoted to metaphysical shops and natural or herbal food stores. Suddenly, Bennu stopped short. Displayed in the window before him was a perfect copy of the Phoenix symbol as it had been engraved on Mira's sarcophagus.

An oil painting, full of swirling clouds of color, occupied the place of honor in the center of the window. The focus of the painting, the origin of the swirls of color, was undeniably Mira's Phoenix. Not exactly the same as the symbol around Bennu's neck, yet somehow it was a twin.

Bennu walked through the door, afraid to hope. A light incense tickled his nose and a musical chime announced his entrance. The shop was warmly lit and gentle fans kept the air circulating without the need for an air conditioner. Books on alternative faiths filled a bookcase on one wall. Candles lined another. Cases in the middle of the room held herbs and stones. A jewelry counter at the back of the room displayed many religious symbols.

As Bennu stood looking around, a woman came out of a door to the back. She wore flat heeled sandals, a flowing skirt of cotton that hung to mid-calf, and a sleeveless blouse with a low scoop neck. Her waist-length blonde hair, held back from her face by a ribbon, showed a few silver highlights. Other than that, she had a timeless look and could have been anywhere from her late 20s to early 40s.

The woman smiled at Bennu. "Merry meet," she said. "Can I help you find something?"

Bennu shook his head. "No." He gestured toward the window. "That painting is very interesting - can you tell me about it?"

"It was painted by a friend of mine. She asked me to sell it for her - are you interested in buying it?"

Bennu gave a half smile and spread his empty hands. "I'm afraid I couldn't afford it. Besides, I would have no place to put it. I would like to know about your friend, though."

The woman looked Bennu over carefully, from head to toe and back again. Finally, she nodded. "You don't seem like a stalker ... tell you what. Come back this evening - a little before 8:00. My coven is meeting here and friend will be here. I can introduce you."

Bennu nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait," the woman said, putting out her hand as if to stop him. "What's your name?"

"I am Bennu."

The woman considered that for a moment, then smiled. "Well met, Bennu. I'm Becky."

Bennu left the shop and wandered around the area for a while. He found a vegetarian restaurant and was able to buy himself dinner with money he had left from a job he'd gotten not long ago. After more wandering, he found a park where he was able to sit quietly under the trees until time to return to the shop.

As soon as he walked out the door, Becky walked to the phone behind the register and quickly dialed a number. The other end was picked up almost immediately.

"Kiera, honey, you're never going to believe this. An absolutely yummy man is interested in your painting."

Kiera laughed. "Becky, what on earth are you talking about?"

"You know your painting, the one with the weird symbol in the center? I put it on display in the front window this morning. A tall, blond, blue-eyed man stopped in, asking about it. I told him to come back tonight and I'd introduce him to you."

"Why? Why not just sell him the painting?"

Becky shrugged, even though Kiera couldn't see her. "He can't afford to buy it, he said. But he was interested in learning about you." A long silence came from Kiera. "Kiera, honey, what is it? He seemed like a nice man."

Kiera's laugh sounded somehow brittle. "I've met plenty of nice seeming men who weren't."

"Listen, honey, you've got to let that go ... it's in the past."

Kiera sighed. "I know. When this guy shows up tonight, any chance I could get a look at him, without him seeing me, before you introduce us?"

"Sure, I can arrange that, no problem. Just get here a little early."

Later that evening, Becky's shop still glowed with light while most of the others around her were dark. Bennu walked up to the front door, only to find it locked. He hesitated a moment, then knocked. A moment later, he could see Becky come out of the back room.

She hurried over to the door and opened it for Bennu. "I'm sorry, I forgot to leave the door open for you ... the members of my coven all know to use the back door in the evening."

From the shadows of the back room, Keira looked Bennu over carefully as he walked in. She didn't recognize him, and saw nothing threatening about him, so she shrugged to herself and walked out.

Bennu saw a beautiful woman with long, dark hair and large, dark eyes walk out of the back room. Her Native American heritage was evident not only in her looks, but in the jewelry she wore. She was dressed in faded jeans, a clingy, light-weight blouse of dark blue and wedge-heeled sandals. Her lithe body swayed intoxicatingly and Bennu had to remind himself to blink as she stopped in front of him. She held out her hand to him.

"Hi. I'm Keira. I understand you were asking about my painting," she said as he shook her hand.

Bennu nodded. "I'm Bennu. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions, if you don't mind."

Keira shrugged. "I don't mind." She gestured toward the back room. "We've got a few minutes before the rest of the coven arrives. Why don't we go sit - I'm sure Becky won't mind."

She looked over at Becky, questioningly. Becky smiled and nodded. "Be my guests."

Bennu followed Keira into the back. One side of the area was set up as a kitchenette. The other side was a comfortable seating area, large enough and with enough seats for at least 14 people. Two doors at the back lead on to other rooms.

"Have seat - would you like some tea, or coffee?" Keira turned to look up into Bennu's eyes.

Bennu slowly looked down into Keira's eyes, and even more slowly allowed a smile to warm his own. "No, thank you." He looked away, looking over at the seating area.

Keira blinked and shook her head, as if clearing away cobwebs from her mind. Then she moved to one of the couches and sat down. Bennu sat down in a chair facing her.

"Well," Keira said, spreading her hands, "what is it that you would like to know?"

"The symbol in the center of your painting - where did you see it?"

"What makes you think I saw it somewhere? Why do you think I didn't just create it myself?"

Bennu took a deep breath and pulled his medallion out from under his shirt. "Because I am familiar with the symbol - I know where it comes from. As you see, I wear it's twin."

Keira leaned forward to study Bennu's medallion. "It's not quite the same - but I can see that it must have come from the same artist." Keira sat back and studied Bennu's face. "Well. I think you must be the one I was given the message for."

Bennu started. "Message? Who gave you a message?"

Keira frowned. "I'm not sure."She forestalled Bennu's attempt to speak with a raised hand. "Wait, I will explain as best I can." She sat back and gathered her thoughts for a moment. When she spoke again, her eyes were closed as if to aid her in seeing what had happened in the past.

"It was about 10 years ago. I was hiking in the mountains in Washington state. It was late spring, and the weather was beautiful. I'd heard about an Native American burial site that was hidden higher on the mountain."

She opened her eyes to look at Bennu. "I was studying natural history at Washington State University at the time. Everyone new about the main burial site, several of my classes had gone up there to do studies. But I'd heard about a different site, one that no one had gone to since the last Native American was buried there."

She took a deep breath. "So, I was hiking into the mountains looking for this hidden site. I was really enjoying the day, and honestly not paying as much attention to where I was walking as I should have." She smiled self-deprecatingly. "I mean, I wasn't lost, I knew where I was, but I was looking more at the tops of the trees against the sky than at the ground and where I was placing my feet. So, of course, I fell."

She looked at Bennu and shrugged. He nodded encouragingly. "What else should I have expected?" She shook her head. "Anyway, I fell into this crevice. I couldn't climb back out - I'd twisted an ankle, and it was too far, too steep. So I started trying to find see if there was another way out - and there was. The crevice lead to a cave system that honeycombed the area."

She took another deep breath. "Of course, at that point I was afraid I'd get lost. Caves were leading off in several directions. It was dark. I had my flashlight, but it was a small one, not really intended for spelunking. So I sat down to try to gather my thoughts and figure out what to do. And then I saw it."

Bennu leaned forward. "The symbol?"

She shook her head. "No, not yet. But there was a glow, a light, down one of the passages. I thought at first it was daylight, that it was the way out. So I hobbled toward it. It led me to an alcove. The alcove seemed to be filled with light - as if the light was some kind of liquid and the alcove was a jar to hold it."

She paused a moment, remembering. "Afterwards, I was never sure that I hadn't passed out and dreamed everything. It was all so ... surreal." Her eyes closed again as she relived the memory. "The light seemed to flow out toward me, it engulfed me. Then I saw a -a sarcophagus, I guess you'd call it. It was standing on end. It was all gold and shiny, and the light seemed to emanate from it. There was a window, of sorts, near the top. I thought I saw a shadow of - someone - inside. Below the window, there was writing on the lid, but I couldn't read it. I don't know what language it was in. There was also that symbol - it was pulsing somehow, bright and reddish. Then a woman appeared."

Keira paused, and opened her eyes to look at Bennu. "She had a medallion around her neck, like yours, but the symbol on it matched that on the sarcophagus." Keira shook her head. "I thought that I should have been jealous of her - she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. But somehow, I knew that I could never be jealous, not of her. We could have been the best of friends. Then I heard her voice, but the weird thing was that she wasn't speaking - her lips didn't move. She said, 'I am Mira. Please tell him I am safe, and our mission will proceed as planned. All is well.' After that, the woman, Mira, disappeared. The light seemed to point out a path to me, which led me out of the caves."

There was a longer pause this time, as Keira reviewed what she had just said. "'Please tell him' - but she didn't tell me who he might be." She looked quizzically at Bennu.

Bennu leaned back in his chair, his eyes on a distant time and place. "'All is well ....'" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the here and now and looking at Keira. "Thank you. I've been looking for this message for a very long time." He stood, and began to move toward the door.

Keira jumped to her feet and quickly stepped in front of him. "You can't just say 'Thank you' and leave! Please, I need to know what this is all about."

Bennu stopped and looked down into Keira's face. "There is not much I can tell you."

Keira shrugged. "Tell me what you can. Please."

Bennu searched her face for a moment, then nodded. "Mira is my partner. We'd lost contact with each other. Now I know that I can stop searching for her."

Keira shook her head. "Come on, there's more to it than that. What mission was she talking about? And what about the weird way she spoke to me? And the alcove full of light? What's that all about?"

Before Bennu could answer her, one of the doors at the back opened. Another woman entered.

"Hey, Keira," she said. "Who's this? A new member for our coven?"

Keira smiled. "Hey, Janet. No," she said. She put a hand on Bennu's arm, preventing him from walking away. "He's interested in my painting, not the coven."

Keira turned to Bennu. "Please - we need to continue our discussion. Let's take a walk."

Bennu reluctantly nodded his agreement.

Keira led Bennu out through the front. "Becky, we're going to take a walk. Don't worry, I'll be here tomorrow night." Becky nodded and locked the front door behind them.

"Alright," Keira said as the walked down the quiet street. "Tell me all about it."

"That is difficult," Bennu said.

"Yeah, I know," Keira replied. She gestured toward the stars. "So, which one is yours?"

Bennu raised his hand and began to point - and abruptly brought his hand back down. "What did you say?"

Keira chuckled. "Which star does your planet circle?" She looked at Bennu from the corner of her eye. "Yes, I know you're an alien."

Bennu stopped in his tracks and stared at her. For a moment, he was silent. Finally, he said, "How did you know that?"

Keira stopped a pace in front of Bennu and turned to face him. "I've had ten years to think about this. No matter how what I saw was accomplished, it's clearly beyond any technology on Earth. I think it was Mira I saw inside that sarcophagus, that she was somehow projecting her image to talk to me." She looked Bennu up and down. "You're obviously real, but if you're her partner - and you're wearing the twin to her medallion, so it makes sense that you are - then you're probably from the same place, the same world, she is."

Bennu nodded. "Sound reasoning. Very well, I'll tell you everything. Let's go find a place to sit in the park, where we won't be overheard."

Together they walked to the park and sat on a bench. Bennu proceeded to tell Keira the entire story of where he, and Mira, were from and why they were on Earth. He told her about his early awakening and the years that had passed since. He told her about his constant battle to stay one step ahead of Yago. Through it all, she sat quietly, listening. When he finally finished, they sat together in silence.

Many minutes passed before Keira stirred. "What will you do now?" she asked.

Bennu looked up at the stars. "I guess I'll pretty much keep doing what I have been doing - protecting Earth and her people from Yago." He smiled. "It'll be nice, actually, to be able to keep my focus on where I am and what I'm doing, without having to worry about Mira, or the future."

The silence returned as they sat companionably together. The stars turned in the sky. Each was lost in their thoughts, but somehow neither felt alone.

Sometime later, Keira stirred. "You need help - someone a little more reliable than whoever may happen to be around when you need them."

Bennu turned to look at her. "Did you have someone in mind?"

Keira nodded, a big smile lighting her face. "As a matter of fact, I did. Me. Before you start to object, hear me out."

Bennu had actually opened his mouth to object, but he closed his mouth and nodded.

"Good," Keira said. "I can help you. I have resources. I have contacts." She stopped and looked into his eyes. "Please, I want to help you. Don't turn me away. Who else can you turn to? Who else can you trust with the truth?"

Bennu studied her face, and touched her thoughts and feelings, considering what she had said. It was true, there was no one else. Not since Ward had died. In would be good to have someone he could rely on. Keira could be that someone.

For another moment, he just sat, looking at her. The he smiled, as much to himself as to her. Yes, it would be nice to have someone in his life. It would be nice not to spend his life alone. It would be nice not to face aging, and death, alone.

THE END