Tonya was in Vish's mum house. It was the twins' first birthday, and a feast was being prepared. Ruby was in the kitchen with Shinda, Vish's sister. They had bonded over their love of cooking and were chopping up vegetables in preparation for the party. A Smiley Culture song played on a little speaker as a huge curry bubbled away on the stove.
Tonya sat in the living room watching Birdie bounce Roho up and down on her knee as he giggled with joy.
Tarak, one of Shinda's twins, was sitting up on the table smearing paint over a fresh sheet of paper. His chubby little hands swirled the paint onto the page as he chuckled in delight. Mira, the other twin, was on the ground chewing the arm off a little woollen bear that Tonya had made her. Tonya had named the bear Tangles and Mira took it everywhere she went.
The TV was on in the corner of the room, a news piece was running about a fire that had broken out in Greece.
Despite her best efforts, Tonya hadn't been able to fix the Earths climate disaster when she had gone inside the Harp. She knew now that Tamashi had been right. Humans were responsible for the destruction of the planet, as without the man-made pollution, the sky explosives wouldn't have been made, without the explosives, the Samsara wouldn't have fled, and the babies on earth wouldn't have lost their minds. Without the pollution the weather wouldn't be altered beyond repair and the planet wouldn't be so destroyed.
Tonya watched the news, as it reported how the fire had already taken many lives and destroyed many homes. She knew now how connected everything is, how interlocked all of biodiversity is on a universal scale.
Tonya looked up as Vish popped his head around the door. He held two helmets in his hands and had a cheeky look on his face.
"Right, do you want to get a ride in before everyone starts coming? We've probably got about an hour before the million guests Shinda's invited start turning up."
"Come on, then," she said with a grin. "I'll race you there."
With that she dashed out the house and Vish followed behind her, laughing. The pair ran across the grasslands to the beach, where they found their two dirt bikes chained up to a fence.
Tonya got on hers first and quickly pulled on her helmet.
She revved her bike's engine and it spat out, growling loudly. She sped away from the fence and up onto the sand bank beside the beach, leaving Vish behind in a puff of dirt.
"Come on slow coach" She shouted to Vish "I'll race you to the arcades."
The orange clouds reflected in the sea, holding the secrets of the atmosphere in its choppy waves. She felt fearless as she rode her bike with confidence along the sand bank.
Up front she could see the familiar mound of sand piled high on the dune. She raised her body up and off the seat, with her knees slightly belt she lent forward into the jump. As her dirt dirt bike flew through the atmosphere, she felt herself soaring like a bird. She had never felt so free.
THE END.