Gorgeous fireworks burst in the night sky. Some were bright red like fire, some were rich yellow like gold bars, while some were deep blue like cornflowers. They were like flowers, and they were like happy smiling faces too -- far more comforting than the horrible profile of the forest. There were deafening explosions in the distance, which was the laughter of fireworks.

"Wow, that's beautiful!" Ranran couldn't help admiring.

"Why are there fireworks? Is today any special day on this planet?" Said Rebecca curiously.

Handel took his time to answer, "Yes. The residents here call this day 'Ghost Day'. Those fireworks are just the beginning, because soon there will be skeleton-shaped fireworks shining in the night sky. They are more colorful and beautiful."

"Oh? Ghost Day?" Aria span her leading wheels, confused.

"How can there be such a holiday? What will the residents do?" Photon was also puzzled.

"We mainly do two things: commemorate the lives lost, and think about the meaning of life." Replied Handel thoughtfully.

"Think about the meaning of life..." William sighed heavily, "To me, it seems like a luxury."

"Why?"

"Because I don't even know how long I have left."

"What?" Handel was stunned to hear William say the words in a leaden voice. Then, in a broken voice, he asked,

"What do you mean by that... ?"

William's head sank slowly. His eyes lost their light, and his heart beat feebly. Gradually, the scenes of him being tortured by You-Know-Who appeared in front of his eyes. It cut him like thousands of sharp knives, leaving deep wounds on his heart. He gasped, and for a moment he felt very weak. It was not like what he was when he first came into this universe.

After a minute or so of silence, he slowly raised his head and uttered these words in a heavy, almost non-existent voice,

"I will not go home."

"Don't say that, boy." Handel stroked William's hair with his wrinkled hand. For some reason, William felt a mysterious force rush into him like spring water.

Handel asked him to explain why he didn't think he could go home.

"Well, I... A You-Know-Who I've never met is trying to kill me.

"In fact, as you can see, I am not a resident here. My home is on a planet far, far away. That distance must be beyond your imagination.

"I've been on a space travel, but our spaceship needs extra energy to take us home, which is why I'm here. We can't go back until we collect enough energy. But that You-Know-Who doesn't want to see us back, and I don't know why. Anyway, he did everything he could to kill us here. We've had numerous close calls -- including the recent fight with the spider. But the signs are that the road ahead is only getting more and more dangerous. So, I really think we're going to die here."

The skeleton-shaped fireworks outside the window were still bursting with brilliant colors, setting off the dim stars in the night sky. As if the stars had heard William's words, they twinkled more feebly.

No one spoke. William's companions understood his feelings.

Handel stood up shivering, and went to the window to look at the skeleton-shaped fireworks. He watched them in silence. Then he staggered back to the sofa, sat down, and asked William,

"All lives end, don't they?"

"Yes." William replied.

"Oh, the universe is so big and so long ago, and we?" Sighed Handel, "Perhaps we are to the universe what ants are to the stars. It is infinitely bigger than us and infinitely longer than our lives. In the eyes of the universe, we are only a tiny speck."

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Everyone nodded.

Handel continued, "So, at the end of your life, do you want to be like fireworks bursting out the brightest light, or do you want to be like dirt buried in the deepest ground?"

William was stunned. He did not know how to answer this question, for he had never thought about it.

"This is what the inhabitants of this planet are doing today. Everyone asks themselves that question, bar none." Handel smiled, "You may not have the answer yet, but please let me tell you mine first.

"Actually, I didn't realize that I had great musical talent at first. At that time, I thought I would be buried like dirt and forgotten by the universe. One night, however, my choices changed.

"I came to the nighttime hemisphere and was walking by a stream. Suddenly, I heard a strange sound coming from under my feet. So I looked down, trying to figure out what was making the sound.

"I couldn't believe my eyes. I saw some bright little flowers! I looked at them more closely. Their beautiful blue-purple fluorescence caught my eye, and I figured out why they made such a clear, beautiful sound. Their stamens were actually little bells, which means they ring when there is wind.

"I later learned that the residents call it an 'instant', which means it has a life span of only four hours. I was shocked, because I didn't know what an appropriate time I had chosen! And what surprised me even more was that in order to be beautiful for a few hours, they must sleep quietly in the form of seeds for eight years! Then their light will be gradually extinguished, and the petals will fall, as if they had not existed!

"I was blown away by it. I felt a wave of uneasiness coming over me. The small flowers can emit such a beautiful light in four hours, but if they do not believe in their own strength, just lingering through these four hours, won't they feel pity when they wither? And I have a decades-long life but I do not think I can do anything! When I say goodbye to this universe, won't I be left with nothing but a belly full of regrets?

"My mind changed from that moment. 'I must believe that I am strong enough to do something,' I said to myself, 'and give it all I can to make this life worthwhile.'

" 'Those little flowers made a beautiful sound,' I tried to recall, 'and seemed to have a pitch. It was F, if I heard it right.' So I went back and was overjoyed to find that the bells had an F pitch.

"I was proud and crazy that I had discovered my musical potential and decided to pursue it. Although I had thought about giving up, but every time I wanted to quit, the instant flowers would emerge in front of my eyes. It was not at all easy to bloom that beautiful blue-purple light in four hours, yet they did it anyway, didn't they? The road of music is also rugged, but how can it be compared with the flowers? So, I'm here today, and it's all because of the instant flowers."

Handel smiled and looked at William. "So, do you still want to be buried like dirt?" He asked.

"NO!" William replied loudly. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Thank you, Mr Handel." He stood up and said, "We must strive to do something to make this life worthwhile. You are right. Neither your music journey nor my adventure has been smooth sailing. However, compared with the instant flowers, how easy our tasks are! Since the flowers can use firm confidence and unremitting efforts to let their lives bloom the most gorgeous light, I too can.

"Besides, You-Know-Who tried to kill me by destroying my mental defenses, and all the time I wondered if I would ever be able to go back. But things are different now. I'm sure I can go back."

"Yes, you can, boy." Handel smiled, "I had a similar problem when developing a lot of musicians. In other words, they sometimes doubted their own strengths. But I finally succeeded in building their confidences. Many of my students knew about the instant flowers from me. Had I failed to do so, there would have been many students who would have fallen by the wayside, and there would have been many lives who could have blossomed with a brighter light.

"Confidence is like the lead of fireworks, while struggle is like their fuel. At the same time, confidence is the motivation of the struggle, because without a lead, the fuel cannot be successfully ignited. Whether the firework takes off and how high it goes depend on the quality of the lead and how much fuel the firework is carrying.

"Let me give you a word, William, and may it help you to succeed in your journey home: forge your lead with rock-like faith, and fill your fuel with fire-like struggle. Then you will become the most gorgeous fireworks, interpreting the meaning of life with dazzling light."

The airship broke into thunderous applause. "What you have said is very reasonable." Said Photon respectfully, "We will remember it."

"That's right, Mr Handel." Natalie said, "My master is in much better shape. I'm sure his mental defenses will never be broken by You-Know-Who again."

"Come on, Master!" Rebecca exclaimed. Then the "Come on" rang out through the air.

William's eyes sparkled again. He felt a strange sensation enveloping him and slowly circling. Then, when he spoke, he felt like his voice was different, because he was louder and more determined,

"I will go home!"

William said to Handel, "Words can't express how grateful I am to you, Mr Handel. If I had not met you, it is very likely that I would soon say goodbye to this universe. We will soon be able to collect all the energy, and then we can go back to our distant home."

"That's good, boy." Handel smiled kindly, "I hope you'll be home soon! It's getting late. I have to go back, too. See you!"

"Farewell!" The party jumped on sphere fighters and flew out of the airship, watching as the aerogel jack-o'-lantern carried Handel away, disappearing into the night sky filled with brilliant fireworks.