The Good Reaper Read Online Free Page A

who grew up together. My parents still expected us to
get married someday but I had never thought of Syrma in a romantic way. She had
grown into a beautiful Ranjisi female but we were more like brother and sister
than boyfriend and girlfriend.
    “Punks are kind of like our islanders except that islanders
actually withdraw from society and live primitively. Punks seem to be angrier
and they still live within human society. However, you must understand that
Earth is less evolved than Ranjisan. I think humans have a lot more to be angry
about.”
    “I read that they still have wars,” My brother Minkar said.
“Is that true?”
    “Yes. As far as I know from reading Earth’s history, there
has never been a period in time when there wasn’t a war raging in one part of
the planet or another.”
    “So why did you volunteer to go there?” Alula asked. “It
doesn’t seem like a very nice place.”
    “Ranjisan once had tribal wars, but that was many, many
centuries ago,” I said. “There are things I like about humans.” I paused for a
moment and continued, “I think it’s their passion.” Everyone was nodding and
making thoughtful noises as if they were deep in thought.
    “Without passion, there is no life,” my father said loudly
as he entered the room. “Come. Let’s sit in the dining room. It will be the
first time we’ve all been seated at the round table in almost two years.” My
father had just passed his 100 th birthday which was kind of middle
aged for a Ranjisi. He was in great shape and exercised and jogged almost every
day. He considered himself a progressive, open minded thinker so I wasn’t
surprised he appeared not to notice my new hairdo. My mother’s only reaction
was to raise one eyebrow and stare for a few moments without saying anything.
    We spent the rest of the night sipping fermented spica syrup
and talking about old times until late in the night.
     
    ***
    I spent my last day on Ranjisan just relaxing with Alula,
Altair and my parents. The following morning the Exploratorium shuttle was
their before dawn. As we stepped outside and were about to say our final
goodbyes I was surprised to see Syrma standing there. “Syrma you didn’t have to
get up so early. We did say goodbye the other night.”
    “It’s okay. I wanted to give you something.” Syrma handed me
a small sparkling silver box. I looked suspiciously up at Syrma as I opened it.
Inside was a chain that matched the box. It shimmered and seemed to change
colors as I lifted it out of the box. At the end of the chain was a small
pendant in the shape of a Shelyak. A Shelyak is a tiny winged animal that had been
brought back from near extinction on Ranjisan. It was known as the most valued
vegetation cross-pollinator on Ranjisan. As the Shelyak began dying off, many
families of trees and flowers began to disappear. When the Shelyak made its
comeback, Ranjisan went through the most amazing and beautiful period of plant
growth. Hundreds of new families of colorful flowers and flowering trees began
appearing. The Shelyak became known as the symbol of life, love and rebirth.
    The pendant had a tiny button on the bottom. When I pressed
the button I was speechless when I looked inside. There was what appeared to be
a tiny hand-painted portrait of Syrma and me holding hands. I was speechless
and somewhat awestruck. I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. I knew we were friends
for life but I was suddenly faced with a haunting question that had never
occurred to me before. Did Syrma think of me as more than a friend? We hugged
tightly for several moments before I hopped into the shuttle. I would have two
years to think about that very question as I began the next chapter of my life.
    The voyage to planet Earth was primarily a period of rest
and meditation. I had been to the ship several times during my training so I
felt completely ready for the journey. We have several ship designs but most of
them are circular and saucer shaped. Humans