The sun rises over an alien landscape. The sunrise is bright and beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. Purple leaves sway gently from thick white trees as a gentle breeze filters through them.

Fields of grass the color of amber stretch as far as the eyes can sea.

In the distance is a large lumbering beast, thick protective scales covering its hide as its twin snouts pull up tufts of grass to stuff into its gaping maw.

As the camera pulls back, a girl of about twenty years of age is looking in a mirror. She spins at the sound of someone knocking on her door, tears in her eyes.

"Lily! It's Founder's Day!"

He's similar in age to the girl, but instead of sadness in his eyes, there is barely contained excitement The same instant that the words leave his mouth, his expression sobers.

"Crap, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"It's ok, I'll see you at the ceremony."

She assures the man before he hurries off. Turning back to the mirror, she absently reaches up and touches the faint scar on her brow, then steels her resolve.

Not long after she stands among a large crowd of people, nearly all filled with joy and excitement, a sharp contrast to the sadness in her eyes.

"You call me Founder, but that's a title that rests heavy on my brow. A Founder is one who begins something, someone who sets history in motion. Our colony is young, yet I would argue that only a single person here can truly be called Founder. One person we can look at who embodies everything we aspire to become, every hope and dream we have for the future."

There's a short pause as the man lets his words sober the crowd.

"Every colony has its traditions. Every colony has moments that define it. For us, that defining moment came before we even arrived on this new world. And it has become a symbol of all that we aspire to be. Our first colony ship, the one that was supposed to lay the ground work that would allow us to live here was struck by a rogue comet before entering the system. The results of which,. . . ."

The man falters, his expression becoming haunted.

"More than a thousand lives were lost that day, and a single life began. We know about the rogue comet because of the ship's computer. We know the important parts because of Markel Woodward. He left a recording of his final hours. We all know the story, but I'm telling it again because it is a part of who we are."

When the man's eyes find Lily in the crowd, he smiles sadly to her, a smile that she returns with tears streaming down her face.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Markel is everything we aspire to be. His selflessness, his love, his sacrifice, everything he did in his final hours was to ensure a future for his daughter, to make sure that even once he was gone, that she could carry on in his place. He bright his daughter into this world even as his wife died. He traversed through a broken ship holding onto an impossible hope with no other goal than to ensure his daughter survived, knowing that he would never know her fate for sure. He might also be why none of us has ever had bacon."

A sad sort of chuckle goes through the crowd.

"Twenty years ago today, we first set foot on this world. Twenty years after our ill fated sister ship was to arrive. It has been hard, we've struggled and earned everything we have through blood sweat and tears. We've had more than our fair share of heartache, but through it all we've aspired to be something more. Markel never gave up, and we followed his example. We've created a statue in his honor, to be unveiled shortly, a declaration to ourselves that we will always aspire to protect and love those around us no matter the cost."

A murmur of agreement goes through the crowd.

"Lily Woodward was given the recording of her fathers final words on her 13th birthday. Well, plus about twenty years of cryosleep."

The laughter is subdued, and those near Lily reach out to hug her and whisper words of comfort.

"I talked with her at length the other day, asking her permission to share that recording with all of you. She cried a little, she laughed a little, and she agreed to share it with all of us."

The Founder does something at his podium, then a new voice begins to speak. The voice is raw, punctuated by the chattering of teeth.

"Hey baby girl. I'm sorry about the forehead. I didn't realize it was that cold already. If it makes you feel any better, I think it tore me up worse than you. I hope you don't end up with a scar. Your mother, Lana wanted to name you Lily, so I hope that whoever finds you honors that. I love you more than anything."

There's a soft wheeze, followed by a sort of swallowing sound before the chattering of teeth can be heard.

"I wish I had all day to talk to you, but the computer says I'll sort of fall asleep in a little while. I thought I'd tell you some stories. You know, the kind of thing every kid hates to hear their parents tell, like 'I was a kid too' stuff, how we met, all of that kind of stuff. None of that got recorded in the personally logs, so the only way you'll ever hear it is if I tell you now."

For a little more than an hour he talks, telling stories that make people laugh, stories that make people cry, and stories that make those gathered hold their loved ones close. Toward the end, his voice has started to be hard to understand, and his words come slower.

"I'm feeling pretty tired. Having a hard time thinking. I hope I didn't forget anything important. Got a few more things to say. Find yourself a good man, someone who love you as much as I do. Tell him I'll kick his ass if he ever makes you cry. Heh. Get married, love your husband, love your kids, that's more important than anything. And be happy, smile, make sure the people around you know you love them. Live life without regrets and never forget to treasure the little moments."

The sound of breathing, labored, can be heard for several long seconds before his voice returns.

"Where was I? I might have nodded off for a second. Shit, I never found a diaper for you before I stuck you in the pod. Whoever finds you is going to hate me. I, . . . I'm feeling kind of tired. I think I'm going to take a little nap. Maybe I'll remember a few more stories when I wake back up. Love you."

The silence lingers, the breathing becoming shallow until silence reigns.

"Love you too dad."

END