December 22, 2037
The tremendous roar of a rocket launch woke little Vito from a deep sleep. He climbed out of bed and, guided by the faint light of a floor lamp, ran into Daphne's room. His parents weren't home.
Vito went to Michael's study, turned on the lights, and expertly put on the headset connected to VESSEL. He pressed the switch and entered the dreamlike ocean of the subconscious.
As if watching an old movie, Vito held Michael's hand as they strolled along a beach bathed in the setting sun. He heard the familiar Sicilian folk song Speak softly love again.
Speak softly love, hold me close, our hearts entwined,
Semantic sensing, a moment of tender trembling.
In a world that belongs to just the two of us,
We share an experience beyond compare.
The sun warms the wine of our years,
We become one, melting into a night of blue velvet.
Speak softly love, let only the heavens hear,
I give you this life, and pledge you all my days,
Our vow of love.
My life is yours, because
You spoke softly of love and came to me.
Electricity surged and swirled through little Vito's brain. It seemed to be discharging uncontrollably. Vito saw a tall, gaunt man whose body was almost transparent.
The man slowly approached a woman, until their bodies merged completely. Vito followed that body as it took flight, floating in space.
The electric current faded, and Vito regained consciousness.
Before dawn, the little boy saw the bright Morning Star. His father had told him it was Venus.
On the other side of the Earth, Anna, the fifth-generation granddaughter of Andek, celebrated her sixth birthday with her family. Irene and her daughter Mandy had invited Martha, Andek's former wife, to remember Andek, who had passed