(no subject)

55.

He walked into the hanger without any expectations at all. That may explain the actual awe that filled his face when his eyes took in the giant room filled with banners and dancing people.

The banners had messages like “Viva McCauley!” and “Mickey Rules!”

It was obvious someone had purloined his I-Pod since the Chipmunks version of “Yellow Submarine” was blasting as he came through the doors.

Every one present turned and cheered as the boy entered. He truly had no idea what to do. He had never been the center of anything.

At the podium was Colonel Stonedragon. He called the room to attention. “My fellows, I would like to introduce the hero of the day. Can we get a round of applause for The Enabler, Michael McCauley!”

Hands patted him on the back and hands shook his hands as he moved to the podium. The Colonel also took his hand and led him to the speaker’s position.

The room grew quiet in anticipation.

“I am not a person to give speeches. I have a lot of things going on here that I haven’t ever done before,” He began.

“A lot of us too,” David called from the crowd and held up his glass of punch in toast.

Mickey laughed.

“I want to thank everybody that stood beside us. The world is safer for what you did. Thank you!”

The room exploded in cheers and laughter.

He might have thought of saying more, but the room had decided that the time for talk was over. The music cranked up and the party resumed.

Mickey was about to learn an important life lesson. Parties are their own excuse. Once they have begun everything else is just a distraction.

The Colonel came back up and directed Mickey down to an adjoining room. There he found his mother, David, Hank and the little girl he had known as “The Seer.”

“It is time for your present,” His mother told him.

“But you will have to help,” David told him.

“But, a bit of an explanation is called for, at the very lest,” Colonel Stonedragon added.

Mickey sat at the chair they had set out for him.

“We have know for sometime,” The British aristocrat informed, “That your father had maintained safety deposit boxes at banks all over the world for hundreds of years.”

He looked up at his mother, realizing that this was news to her as well.

“Using the many connections available to us we have accessed many of them.”

Mickey looked concerned.

“Nothing was removed from any of those boxes,” The Colonel assured, “But, we did leave messages in all of those we found.”

“What was in the messages?” Mickey demanded.

“That is the secret,” Stonedragon smiled, “But you need to do something.”

Mickey shrugged as if to say, “What is that?”

“If you would enable Hank there with a full amount of your energy, he is about to make a leap, for you,” The Colonel proposed.

Mickey said, “No sooner asked than done.”

Hank closed his eyes, jerked back in his seat and then relaxed and opened his eyes again.

The man had a boisterous grin on his face.

The Seer walked forward and put her hand on Hank’s shoulder. Images started to appear in the heads of those assembled.

There was a boy who could be mistaken for Mickey McCauley. He was slightly heavier, and just a bit taller, but it wouldn’t be hard to detect a family resemblance.

“Hey, guys,” The voice came across the years.

“I am here at the appointed time, and here is my message. You knew me as Benjy McCauley, a man who loved all three of you more than life itself,” The boy in their heads said.

There was a communal gasp.

“Now I am known as Randy McDonald. I live in the world 15 years from the day you are standing in.”

All three of them were silently tearing. Even Stonedragon was moved.

“Here,” He said as he held up a thin strip of paper, “Is my transit ticket to join the three of you for Mickey’s birthday party. I guess now it won’t be as a big surprise, but that’s okay.”

Mickey was fully crying and laughing uncontrollably.

“I intend on our being good friends, along with my new friend,” He said, as he motioned for someone to join him.

A boy who might be 12 walked into the picture.

“This is Peter Koss. You knew him as Vadid Shastan, and he has something he wanted to say to you,” The happy Dad told them.

The markedly handsome, muscular boy named Peter Koss walked forward and said, “I can only say that I am so sorry for all the pain I have caused. I hurt so horribly, I turned to slash the world back in that pain.”

He looked near breaking down, but Benjy (or Randy) held him up and gave him a boost.

“You, Maria and Mickey and David, you taught me that happiness was family. You taught me that I could find that happiness again.”

“I hope he does,” Said Maria.

“Thank you all,” He finished.

“This is going to end shortly,” Randy said, “So I’ll remind you, I will see you again. And I will always love you.”

The vision faded and they were back in the room.

Cliché as it might be, there was not a dry eye in the house.

But now, without a doubt, Mickey felt like a superhero.

He was going to see his father again.

That alone would have made him supremely happy.

Add to that that they had not only saved the world, but they may have saved a man.

That was as good an end as he could think of.

 

 

THE END

 

© 2005 by C. Wayne Owens