The Planet-Gazer cemetery

-... and when I’m at the top of Olympus Mons on Mars, I will throw a rock over the edge and see how it rolls down the biggest mountain in the Solar System-, you explained with excitement.

-What is it with boys and throwing rocks?-, I asked you.

-I can’t really explain it. We just like seeing the impact it has. It makes us feel powerful-, you said.

-That's so dumb. But I would also like to go to Mars one day. You know, my mom is a Planet-Gazer-, I bragged.

-Really? Wow, that’s so cool. Which planets has she visited? How does it feel to be in zero gravity? What’s the craziest planet she has ever been to? -. I could see in your eyes how excited you were to know more about her. You respected Planet-Gazers with all your heart.

-Calm down! One question at a time. Well… she’s been to every planet in the solar system and to a few in Alfa Centauri.

-Wooow. Your mother is so cool. Could I meet her one day?

-Only if you don’t blast her with questions the moment you see her-, I told you jokingly.

-Hahaha, deal. What 's her name?

-Juliet-, I replied.

-Well. Tell Juliet that I would really like to meet her and that I will only ask one question per minute as her daughter requested.

That was the first time you heard about my mother. Who would have thought you two would end up being so close. You never said it outloud but I know she was like a mother to you. And she loved you like a son too.

I know it hurt when you found out she hid the truth of your upbringing from you. But she only did it to protect you. She loved you with all her heart. Your genes had nothing to do with it.

---

Saturday 8th of July 3018

It was 12:10 in the morning and Nyco still hadn’t arrived. When they were texting yesterday they agreed to meet at 11:45 on Asteroid square. She got her E-Cube out and set it to texting mode, which made it expand into a small tablet. She texted him “Where are you?” next to a watch emoticon. Nyco responded with an apology image of a raccoon with his hands together.

5 minutes later he arrived apologizing for his tardiness.

-Sorry, for that. I’m so used to flying around all the time that I forgot how much it takes to get to a place by foot-, he explained apologetically. He had a small bouquet of flowers made of Dahlias, her mother’s favorite flower. She knew he would get her those so she bought a couple of roses instead.

-It 's ok. But lunch is on you today-, she said with a wink.

-Hahaha, sure. Shall we go then?

-Yes, but before that, let me show you this video of a boy walking around the city without his pants on. It was filmed a couple of days ago. It’s all over social media-. Emma handed him her E-C.

-Oh no no no. I was so careful so nobody would see me. They recorded me? I hope you can’t see any… What is this?-. The video the girl showed him was of a baby in his diapers walking around the house.

-Hahahaha nobody saw you. I’m just teasing you-, she kid.

-Very funny Em. Veeeery funny.

-Come on, it’s just a joke. From far away people would have thought you were wearing a swimming suit, even if someone saw you, nobody would even look twice.

-I hope you are right.

-By the way. Did you throw the other Rocket Boot? They have the other pair so maybe they could trace it back to you-, Emma pointed out.

-Naaah, it’s ok. I took the registration chip it had. It can’t be traced back to one of the school's Rocket Boots.

-I would toss it to the bin just in case.

-No waaay. It was really hard getting these boots. What I did was detach the propulsor from the rest of the boot and attached it to one of my normal shoes. Look.-, Nyco showed his right shoe with a proud face. He had carved a big hole on the sole and strapped the propulsor with a black strap. He smiled like a kid with new shoes. -I haven’t tried it out yet, but hopefully it works just fine.

-When you try it, don’t do it near me in case it blows up-, Emma requested as they started walking to the Gate.

Like every month, Emma and Nyco were going to the Planet-Gazer cemetery to visit Juliet’s grave. This cemetery was a big satellite that orbited the earth, the only way to access it was through a spaceship or a Gate. Since Emma was scared of flying, this was the only way they accessed the cemetery. The poor girl hated that it was over the earth's atmosphere. She wished it would be somewhere on earth, but since Planet-Gazers made a living off exploring space, they thought it would be fitting to have them up there as a sign of respect for their service to the human race. It was a way to keep them up in the skies for all eternity.

When they got to the huge white Gate, all they could see was a big arch made out of Liridum, the only metal capable of producing and withstanding the energy needed for teleportation. Every Warpy and Gate had a high component of this Liridum, without it, the machine would just explode. The Gate was 10 stories high since it was also used to teleport spaceships to other corners of the universe. Nyco observed the beautiful carvings in the arch. He could see sculptures of astronauts, planets, stars and all space travelers. A way of expressing the rich history of space exploration.

They waited patiently with the rest of the crowd. Jumping was very expensive so they only opened the gates at certain times of the day. At exactly 12:30 the big arch emitted a loud low-pitched noise. An orange curtain of light formed inside the arch, the Gate was ready for its travelers. The crowd started walking in and so did Emma and Nyco.

They walked through the orange light and stepped on the other side as if their atoms hadn’t just detached and reattached several kilometers apart in a perfect manner. The thought of it always amazed Emma, no matter how many times she used the Gates or her Warpy. She appreciated the orange color of the gates, otherwise they would be able to see other people’s insides when jumping.

Nyco got a little dizzy as he wasn’t very used to teleporting. He only did it when he went to the cemetery. When he finally regained his senses, he looked up and saw the massive statue that was on the entrance. It was a bronze statue of Lirid, the first Space-Gazer and discoverer of the metal that permitted teleportation. She was his all time hero, after Juliet of course. He gave the statue a military salute as always and went through the front gates.

This cemetery was one of the most beautiful constructions ever made. It was a huge grass field with white tombstones everywhere. But that wasn’t the best part, the whole ceiling was made of reinforced glass, so you could see the earth and the stars all around you. Truly a sight worthy of our brave travelers.

The two teenagers walked silently with their respective flowers in their hands. After 15 minutes or so of walking through all the other grieving families they arrived at Juliet’s tomb. Emma looked at the picture of her late mother. She was smiling in a loving and caring way.
Nyco thought about how she always had the friendliest of faces, a trait he was glad it was passed on to Emma.