Sophie, in a heartbeat was in everyone's home, on every television. In the virtual reality, or her father’s mind, which ever was more relevant, she wished to see the old colonial house, the one deep in the Louisiana Bayou. It was her father's oasis of peace in his digital prison. As fast as a heartbeat, he was ahead smiling. She knew, just with the spike his depression was under control.

It warmed her heart and this positive energy resonated back to everyone watching.

She had arrived in her father's new interface; the resolution was much improved from anything she had ever seen in the past. Sophie was standing in tall wet Louisiana grass in front of the wooden house with all its imperfections. Unlike every other time she visited this place, it now felt real. The pixels and this odd-color pallet were gone. Sophie entered this digital world as easily as she had slipped into the Purple or the Lower. If this was her father's mind, it no longer felt like she was in an electronic game. Everything felt real; she even could see her own hands and body. She could even smell. The air was charged with the ozone formed by the rotting trunks floating in the marshes. She had entered a new world, not a simple gaming interface.

Truth was, the Attractor had been given a passport to navigating between the worlds and dream or digital bliss were such a world. To her, this felt good, like falling asleep. Her father was sitting on his favorite creaky porch swing. It was rocking slowly. Next to Laurent sat Malik, the young boy from the Purple. The creature bore the angelic face of the character from Le Petit Prince. The companion sat on a knitted cushion and was holding Laurent's hand. On the porch, between the pair’s feet slept an old basset hound.

The moment father and daughter saw each other, there was a spark. Laurent let the boy go and Sophie ignored the tall Indian man now standing beside her. They both ran to each other. The two did not have a care in the world. Sophie's serious persona was gone, instead she acted like a loving twelve year old daughter.

Sophie cared so deeply for her father, nothing else mattered.

The computer interface effortlessly broadcasted every angle of the heart-warming reunion as the pair slammed against each other. They hugged under the watchful eye of their two alien friends and billions over the internet. Laurent could only guess how stressed his daughter must have been these last few days. Time moved faster in his digital world. To him, Malik had saved his life over a year ago.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. Laurent lived for those few moments when he was reunited with his daughter. He knew each was a gift. She was the only thing which made any sense to him, and the only reason he was still alive. He loved her so deeply. As they hugged the rest of the world faded.

The hug lasted forever.

They both turned their faces away from the other as tears began to flow. Laurent held her close. After a minute, he gently let her down. Laurent brushed her hair and looked at her face while resting on a knee. The moment he saw her eyes, he began to cry again but of joy. He was a child given a puppy for Christmas. His hands were shaking. The technology was marvelous, he could truly see her. It had been years since he was able to see anything but a picture superimposed on a digital body. Back on Earth, his reality was far from perfect, here on Mars, thanks to Marilyn, he finally felt alive.

“You are back,” he whispered. Deep down, the couple knew each reunion had to count. No one, not even the famous Sophie cheated death this way without consequences. Sophie, generally so careful with her words, was unable to hide her true feelings.

"Don't you do that again, you scared me! I need you." She meant every word of what she mustered out.

The paroles of the girl warmed his heart; they vindicated his efforts to stay alive in this strange dirty prison. Sophie did not care about Mars, about Electoral, or even herself. She truly loved her father and wanted him to be happy. In his face, she saw his love. The man cared for her so much. She could ask for no better father.

"God," he finally whispered, "I love you so damn much." His speech was incoherent for such a long time. Laurent finally took a deep breath and tried to regain the control over his emotions. He changed the topic. "You are on Mars Sophie, with me, that's so amazing. Don't cry. Look how great this is. I can finally see you." Hand above her head, he guided her into a spin like a figure-skater. Laurent looked deep into her eyes. Irrespective of the situation in the outside world, they both had one digital creature to thank. They felt gratitude toward Marilyn.

To recreate the digital world with them in it, Marilyn had to reach deep into brain signals. The pair's Rho waves, like music helped convey their emotions. Marilyn was able to recreate every wrinkle in their faces. Laurent knew Marilyn was watching the reunion, so he offered: "Isn't Marilyn great, I can finally see you." Sophie had not realized that this last year, her father could not really see her. She wondered what he was really able to feel. "You are so brave Sophie, I hope you know how much I love you. I don't want to be a burden on you."

"A burden, never!"

None of the three billion eyeballs watching from Earth were dry. The family reunion was charged with raw emotions. No one dared touch a dial or even make a sound. This was more than a compelling story, the power of Sophie's waves flowed in the Cosmos, amplified across the void and flooded the blue gem of the Solar System. Now that the waves were known, others could feel the girl deep inside. As her birthday approached, Sophie's gift seemed to amplify. What was once a nagging impression was now a warming feeling.

The invisible power was at work. Subtle, the waves meshed with every human brain. Each mind was warmed by the girl. She gave everyone courage and love.

"Who is your friend?" asked Laurent pointing at the tall Indian man behind Sophie. Reality returned to her oasis of joy. In her back, Liam was wiping his tears. Sophie tuned to look at him and smiled. There stood an old dark-skinned bearded man, the perfectly fitting body for her new companion. Liam was dressed in a sophisticated brown three-piece suit. The Oldest looked as he should, wise in years. Marilyn's choice (as usual) was impeccable.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Daddy, let me introduce my new friend Liam. He is the oldest person in the Universe. He comes from another strange crystal world and he knows Malik." Liam cringed by the girl’s frankness. His secret was out.

"You are the Sophie?" asked the boy sitting from the porch. Last time Malik saw her, he was a firefly and she was wearing a large dress in Wonderland. A second rocking bench appeared next to the first one on the porch. All four could now sit. On the coffee table, two more lemonade glasses appeared.

Liam walked to the father-daughter couple and held out his hand to Laurent. "It truly is an honor sir, what shall I call you?"

"Laurent will do just fine. The oldest person, really? How old are you?"

"Father of Sophie, Laurent, your gift to the Multiverse is a blessing. It is for us to savor. No words can convey my true gratitude. Your daughter is perfection. Your family reunion was very touching. Time passes at different rates between worlds, so my age is difficult to ascertain here. I believe the Multiverse was a tenth of its current age when I was born. So my age would be close to nine-tenth of the age you give your own dimension." Liam had a charming Hindu accent.

Malik from the porch said to himself, "I wish I had a family."

Sophie grabbed Liam's hand and helped him to the seat next to Malik. Sophie asked Liam to hold the boy's hand. There was a strange feeling about the reunion. There they sat in this strange digital reality.

The girl poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to Liam. "Try this. It's a bit bitter but it helps fight this heat. Some people like to add sugar." Liam looked at the boy sitting next to him and touched the blond hair. There sat a Metil inches from him. Liam's wildest dreams had come true. He forced himself to interact, "In my world, we all look identical. There is great beauty in diversity. The color of your hair is like gold." He looked at the eyes. "Blue eyes. You are so beautiful. Sophie, my wish to see your world is more than fulfilled," he kept to himself the end of the sentence. He was ready to say he could now die. This was no time for negative energy. Liam then saw the darker skin of his own hand. "I like your world Sophie." Then he said to himself while looking at the boy, "a Metil."

The boy replied, "I like this world too. Laurent showed me how to play chess, I love chess. Laurent is very intelligent and kind. Sophie is lucky to have him as a father.” They young girl was thinking about the boy.

Sophie grabbed her father's hand and both sat. "Are you okay daddy?"

"Want to play chess with me?" asked Malik to the Indian man. Liam smiled as he let Sophie and her father talk.

"I am fine," replied Laurent to his daughter, "I had some quality time with Malik. He even played Electoral, he was good. Did you see him?" Malik's eyes were fixated on the couple holding hands. For over a year, he had barely let it go of Laurent in fear of the connection being lost. Now Sophie had returned and taken his place. He felt like his time next to Laurent was at an end. He tried in vain not to cry. He failed.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl.

"You can have him back," said Malik, "he is your father, not mine."

Laurent's answer was immediate. "No, no, no, you are not getting away from me that easy. This is not how families and friendships work on earth. You are not losing me, Sophie has gained a little brother. She has always wanted one, you can ask her. But be careful what you wish for, as a sister she can be bossy. You will see that." Both Liam and Laurent smiled. The boy wiped the tears.

Sophie reached over and pinched the top of his hand. "Ouch! What was that?" cried the boy.

"That's what big sisters do!" Everyone laughed. “They taunt but love little brothers.” The boy recognized the humor, family taunting was also common to his world. Sophie continued, "I also get to steal some of your food but I have to protect you at school from the bullies. I can be tough, you know. Bullies are afraid of me." Malik was now smiling from ear to ear. His new sister was in charge, and that made him feel better. She got up, standing pulled him up and hugged him deeply.

"As we talk about forming a new family, let me introduce your uncle Liam."

There was power in words and Sophie wielded them elegantly. At his venerable age, nothing normally touched the heart of the Oldest, but being called an uncle by the girl did. She continued, "Like you, he comes from a different world. I went to his world and brought him back. He understands what is going on and why you are here. He was a prisoner of his world and wanted to travel really bad. So here he is."

Malik smiled at the new uncle. "I escaped my world and my family passed at my birth. Do you have a family?"

"In the Lower, we have no family. We are not born from others. We are born as our own slowly evolving creatures after millions of years. I do not know how it feels to have parents. In your world young man, your parents share part of themselves to form you. That must be unique."

"I am a bastard. I killed my parents at the time of my birth. I am an outcast." The boy said the words without sadness.

Sophie ignored and continued, "Liam promised to help us."

"What can he help us with?" asked Laurent, "What is going on?"

Liam did not answer. Sophie spoke, "He calls it the Sixth Attraction. Something really important is going to happen and Liam says unless we do the right thing, our world will end. It's very complicated." Sophie knew the reunion was broadcasted around the world. "Liam, unless Marilyn stops you, can you please explain to daddy what is going on?"

Liam looked around as if he felt like someone was ready to pull the plug on the broadcast. He did not expect to be talking to billions of humans so soon after his arrival. He was not one to question the wishes of the Attractor. Sophie nodded in approval, he was to speak. The girl was in charge. Liam could think of no better way to teach of the doom of a world than over a glass of lemonade.

Liam drank, "We have medication which tastes like this in my world."

"So do we," volunteered Malik.

Liam looked around as if he was still waiting for something bad to happen. "Are you sure I must speak Attractor?" The use of the name surprised Laurent.

"Yes." She turned to her father, "Daddy, you specifically need to listen to his story. I think this all relates to you."

"Everyone will hear it," reminded Liam.

"I know. Liam, adults lie and hide things to each other. They lie by omission. People watching have the same right to this information as we do. Being honest has always worked for me. Only someone who opposes us would try to stop your tale." The ploy was wise. She knew Marilyn was a secretive creature. It probably itched to intervene and stop.

"Your sister is an optimist and sucks at taking no for an answer," Laurent said to Malik, "and you know what? It does work for her." Laurent turned to Liam, "You called her Attractor, what is that?"

Liam stood up, tugged on his vest as if he had worn one all his life and began. This was the most important story ever told to the human race. Humanity felt it and no fool acted otherwise.

Liam's tale would be galactic in magnitude. The oldest living creature was about to speak. Unbeknownst to Liam and Sophie, Marilyn sent the conversation into the Nexus. Thousands of worlds were given a front row. Marilyn even played the chimes announcing the words of the Oldest. She played them in the background so Liam could hear them. It gave him pause. He was born for what he would say next. The solemn nature of this speech wasn’t lost on him, but he alone could speak.

Liam took a deep breath, "The short or the long version?"

Sophie grabbed a glass, "The long."

Began the most important story ever told.