Homecoming

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Homecoming

The deep thrumming of the engines slowly faded, leaving an oddly empty feeling inside. The sound had become an integral part of life after months in space. Looking at the display, the brilliant swirls of light, typical of tachyon travel, dimmed throwing the solitary figure's visage into shadowed relief as the bridge lighting automatically adjusted.

Lyle Jensen stood in rapt attention as sensors spewed arrival data across the screens. This was a one-man probe and his mission, the first to leave the Milky Way for the Magellanic Clouds, was to seek out other Earth-type planets. Now that the practical mysteries of space and time had been resolved, the exploration of space had begun in earnest. Perhaps, at last, the age old questions could be answered. Are we alone? Were we accidents or creations? Up to this point in time, no other life forms had been discovered.

The scrolling numbers suddenly stopped and one set stood out as they began flashing.

The second planet from the sun seemed to fit the parameters that had been preprogrammed. From what he could tell, it looked likely that he had found the proverbial "needle in the haystack." He chuckled to himself at the archaic reference. Too much reading on this trip, he thought with a grin.

It had to happen sometime! The thought ran through his head belying the excitement that coursed through his veins. Taking the orbital data, he programmed the ship to move in for a closer look. He would have several hours to wait now that he was in a solar system. Travel would be at sub-light speeds for safety reasons.

Lyle grabbed a quick shower and as he re-entered the control cabin, he felt the faint vibrations of the engines slow. The muffled pinging of thrusters cooling told him that a stable orbit had been achieved.

As he surveyed the planet, a new burst of data began moving across the screen. Damn, he thought. What he was seeing wasn't the signature of an Earth-type planet ... it was Earth! Air, water, land masses all seemed identical in relationship to pre-contamination Earth. As he began to study the close up images, a flash of light caught his attention.

What the hell? Zooming in, he was dumbfounded by the image that sharpened in his vision. A lighthouse stood on a shore line and just beyond, a statue of some kind. As the familiar image fought against his senses, he was overcome with dread for, unlike all the others planets he had visited, he knew something waited.

Time passed as he fought to reconcile what he was seeing with the improbability of it. He should report this immediately but he knew no one would believe it. There was only one course open to his curiosity, his humanity... he needed to see, to touch, to make it real.

The scene that met his eyes as he stepped out on the ground had such familiarity, yet held a strangeness so profound that he felt immobilized. At first he could only stand. The air was rich with energy and seemed to light the shapes. A pleasant breeze came off the water and the air was warm in the sunlight. The soaring spire of the lighthouse was like artwork and seemed to fill the whole landscape. It feels like home. The unbidden thought raced across his mind as he took in beauty of the new world.

Inhaling deeply, he slowly surveyed the area. Immediately, what captured his attention was the statue. This close, it had lost its abstract form and what he was looking at now was a large perfect replica of a human hand.

Slowly, he moved toward it without thought or hesitation. It was as if the makers had known there'd be this day as he approached without fear to stare at the display and felt energy coalesce around his mind.

"Welcome home, my child," he heard from an inner voice and as the love surrounded him, he felt his heart rejoice for he had found the wellspring of mankind ... he had found home.

Like a beautiful symphony, words and images began to play across his mind. A billion years of history had passed before this day. Over the next -- hours? days? – he learned of his ancestry. A gentle race, they eventually evolved beyond the physical. As a final act, they'd sent seeds to every galaxy, near and far away... and only one had blossomed and returned.

No longer corporeal, to them time held no sway. For the gods of time, forever's just a day, and patience is a lesson learned.

Finally, he understood and found himself sitting in the dying rays of sunlight. His mind was filled with thoughts of the gift of knowledge he had been given and he was surprised to feel tears sliding down his cheeks. They were tears of joy for his homecoming; they were tears of sadness for realizing he'd never meet these peaceful and loving ancestors.

As the melody of words and music began to fade in his mind, one thought came to the fore:

Through the mists of time and space,
wherever we might roam,
the one thing that we have learned:
all roads lead to home.

Notes
Prompt: Picture
Short Story (less than a 1,000 words)
Word Count: 875

Thank you for taking time to read my story! Please, take a moment and leave a comment. Criticism, corrections, reactions, - yes, even praise – all equally welcome.

Ken