Universal Explorer: Leaving the Milky Way Galaxy

Albere was young, younger than he ever felt before. And, he was warm and comfortable. He thought that he must have survived the night, and that the morning sun had warmed his snowy retreat. But, he felt himself lying on his back and strangely naked. He was never naked this season. Through his still closed eyelids the light was blinding white--filtered through the snow?

Albere sat up and opened his eyes. He was blinded and surrounded by soft white light. Looking at his legs and feet, he was surprised to see them so unscarred and muscular, covered with the blonde hair he remembered in his youth. His torso too, was muscled and free of the familiar scars he remembered from his hard years of fighting and hunting. So strange. And this place, ... not a mountain top at all, just a white expanse with no end. He was sitting on something solid, but it was softer and smoother than the softest bed he'd ever made. And so warm.

To his left, his eye caught a box, longer than a man and as high as his chest. It was gleaming with the colors of gold, silver, and copper, and patterned like the leaves in a forest. He had never seen such a beautiful thing. He swung his legs off the place he had been lying, dangling his feet and staring at the box, covered with more copper than he'd ever seen. His arms were so strong supporting him. An opening appeared in the smooth whiteness to his right.

Out of the opening stepped the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen (except his Nona). She had the whitest skin and golden hair, and was dressed in spider web so fine that he could see everything through it. His peeing tool responded against his will, standing at attention. It hadn't done that in many notches. He was embarrassed, bewildered, and happy to see it do that. He covered himself with his hands but still had an incredible urge to touch the beauty before him.

The woman acknowledged his lust with a smile and spoke without speaking as she moved so close he could touch her. "Hi. I'm Kyla, your Guide. You are in a place you do not know, but it is safe and familiar. You have not been given relief because we want to record your reactions. All will be explained in time. Are you hungry or thirsty? You can have what you want. Just imagine it and it will happen.

Albere was not hungry or thirsty, but the sense of Kyla so invitingly close made him want a woman. He had not had a woman for many notches; not since the cast off woman had crawled into his bed by the fiery river. Her husband had died of the disease that befell all the copper makers, and she had no teeth. It was good for some things, but not for others.

Kyla, sensing his need, leaned forward and kissed his virgin mouth with white, even, gleaming teeth. He imagined he was in that secret hollow by the waterfall in the warm spring air. Kayla was naked now, and they were rolling in the cool, soft moss. He could smell the wild blossoms, the rich earth, the scent of her body. He could hear the water trickling down the mossy cliff, the birds chirping in the trees, and her cries as she loved him. He was an animal, so young and strong, and she was the mirror of his passion. The Collective was in ecstasy.

He awoke in the white room, hungry and thirsty, Kyla by his side, smiling into his eyes. As he sat up and swung his legs out toward the enticing box again, there were large gold, silver, and copper plates floating before him. The plates were filled with hot, cooked meat, broth, berries, nuts, and seeds, all to his liking, and drink that favored the potion made by the white-haired people of Nona. He ate and drank his fill, marveling at his good fortune. Kyla and the Collective marveled at his appetite.

His basic needs met, Albere turned his curiosity to the marvelous box. "What's in the box?" he said without speaking.

Kyla rose beside him, and with a wave of her hand, magically opened the box. "These are your things, found on the mountain with you. They are preserved just as they were found, for you to come back to them."

Tears welled in Albere's eyes as he saw how the mountain had treated his possessions, preserving some, obliterating others. He picked up his beloved ax, removed it from its hasp, and looked at it and rubbed it once again, admiring its durability, noticing that its luster paled when compared with the box that now held it. He reached for the pouch. Although old and weathered, its leather was, somehow, still supple. He opened it carefully and lifted out two locks of hair. Now, he cried openly.

"Would you like to see them again?" Kyla had anticipated his thoughts.

Albere, his head down, nodded, "Yes", in resignation. He knew that he had arrived too late to save them. In his experience, no one ever returned from the dead.

"You will. But first, there is someone I want you to meet." The opening appeared again, and a man and woman entered. Their clothing was similar to Kyla's. The man looked familiar, but the woman was different, strikingly different. Her skin was so dark, and something about her black hair intrigued him. He found her as attractive as Kyla.

"This is your descendent, Albert, and his wife, Esther."

Albere was not unfamiliar with the word. The elders had spent much time relating the history of his family's lineage and the importance of offspring to the continuation of the family. He was awe struck.

"But my family died. I burned their bodies myself. How can this be?" Albere's pain was obvious.

Kyla explained. "We traced Albert's DNA lineage to Nila. Nila was the mother of Tor at 22 Earth years of age. The father was a Thal."

Albere understood perfectly, but wondered how this could be. Albere thought he killed all the Thals. Perhaps that's why he never found Nila. But a Thal? Albere was experienced with the cruelties of nature, but he never would have welcomed a Thal to his family.

Albert spoke. "I was as surprised as you are now to learn that I had descended from you."

Esther stepped in. "I, like you, have come back from the dead. I know it doesn't seem possible, but once you've had the relief, as I have, you will understand. All things are not possible. But this thing is. Forgive us, but you, like me, are an experiment of the Collective. They want to experience your great loss, and your great pleasure, to have your loved ones back." She stepped forward and hugged him. Albere felt her tremendous energy surge through him. He couldn't help but believe her.

"Like the people by the fiery river, we know the secret." Albert explained in Albere's terms. "I will take some of Nona, Jan, and Nila's hair and recreate them for you. You will learn the ways from me as I will learn from you. The Collective will be amused and amazed. A solace in our long journey."

"But, ... Nila was lost!" Albere was confused.

"Nona must have braided some of Nila's hair into her own. Nona's lock contains hair from both. You will oversee their regrowth and rebirth. We will use my DNA memory and scan yours to help them remember. The rest, they will learn from us and the relief."

And so, Albere and his family were restored to the sunny slopes, living their lives by the river in a bountiful paradise without cruelty or danger. Jan had his own life tree to notch. Albere sometimes dreamed of the challenge of the high mountain pass. That, too, was possible. The Collective was amused.

Albert and Esther floated into the large chamber. A model of a solar system was developing before them as they watched. There was a promising planet. Their mission would be fulfilled.

The Beginning.