I looked up at the others, all diligently working, and tried to memorize their faces. Natilia, my friend, confident and best technician we had. Her serious face couldn't keep my memory from hearing her elfin laughter that had more than once saved me from being too far from humor's edge. Lito, who could spin tales like the ancient storytellers and bring lost worlds and their inhabitants into clear focus. Shaya, the quiet one who healed with a touch, but was always alone. Jarn, the ever-in-charge pillar of strength, who could also shed tears over the loss of a star. So many of them stood around me, each special in my heart.

Then I glanced over and found his eyes touching mine. He flashed his full smile and his dark eyes sparkled with the intensity of native drums. He seemed unafraid, yet I knew he had realized there was no hope left. Sweet, gentle, powerful, playful, with a unrelenting eye for detail... our musical shaman. I reached out for him and then life turned black.

I'm not sure where I am now, but I know both Atlantis and I are gone in the way I once knew. It's all so strange, yet not as I expected. I want to find the others. I want to remember our customs, our stories, our ceremonies.

In the distance I can see a light... his face... and with it come colors to illuminate the darkness. I seem to float up to his smile and feel joy weave into me. I say the only thing that makes sense... "Let's do it again, without the crystals this time!" and his laughter draws the universe into a spiral dance of musical tones leading us into a new world.

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Sweetly, Chelle Rogers © 1995-2000