Chapter 13: You Are Needed

Excitement and joy lit the faces of the crowd gathered before the wheelhouse. Michael held Desi’s hand and squeezed it, as they watched Ask and Embla step inside the building. Desi pulled him after them. “Come on,” she said, her smile wide and infectious. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her head as they watched the Gardians step onto the rainbow bridge and begin their walk - only to disappear into the mists.

“I can’t believe it’s finally here,” she said. “After all the talk, all the planning. After...”

Michael kissed the top of her head. “I know. Sometimes I wondered if it would ever happen. Now look at them.” Together they turned to look out beyond the wheelhouse, where people waited in a line all the way back to the city center.

Desi sighed. “I wish I could go.”

Michael spun her around in his arms so he could see her face. “You do? You never told me that before.”