“OPEN IT!” Mundo yelled. The athletic man hopped off his chaise and knelt in the sand next to Sandra. She sat up and stared at the black envelope the stranger handed her. Sandra and her best friend, Mundo, rested under a beach umbrella on vacation when the stranger appeared. A vertical black hole appeared in the air next to Sandra’s seat; then, a short white-haired man stepped out of it. The man handed her the envelope then stepped into his portal and disappeared without a word. They both had an idea of what it was and Sandra tore one side of the envelope. She pulled the letter out and smiled once she saw the first word.
“Congratulations!” She squealed with delight as she read the letter to Mundo. “I am happy to inform you that your application to become a resident has been approved.” She bounced in her seat as she read. “You have a maximum of six weeks to sort your affairs on your current Earth. There is a portal enclosed should you be ready sooner.” Sandra handed the envelope to Mundo so he could check then kept reading. “We look forward to having you join our community. Sincerely, Angel Castillo. #46, El Sol.” She looked at Mundo. He handed Sandra a small black business card with a golden sun logo on it.
“Here’s the portal,” he smiled. Once she took the card he stood from the sand and sat next to her on her plastic-y lounger. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close for a side-hug. His fingertips traced the watermelon tattoo on her arm. He inked the watermelon slice with its seeds shaped like the number 28 for her himself. “That’s awesome, I’m super happy for you,” he said. He sounded wistful.
“I’ll come back to visit,” she rested her head on his shoulder. “C’mon, it’s a whole Earth for Uniques only!” Sandra could not help but smile when she said it. “I’m sure I’ll befriend a Celestial or two that can give me a ride.” Mundo nodded.
“Yeah, of course. Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you,” he chuckled. “How much of that six weeks do you think you’ll need?” Sandra slipped her hand into his and squeezed it.
“Need?” she shrugged. “I’m giving everything to you anyway, I can leave right now.” She felt him deflate against her, but she squeezed his hand harder. “But now that I can quit work, I’ll just hang out with you for the six weeks.”
“Thanks,” he hugged her again.
“Who knows? With all those Uniques in one place maybe one of them can figure out how to separate a Mundo from its Earth. Then you can come with me.” She tried to encourage him. He shook his head.
“I’d like that, but I’m pretty sure it’s impossible without killing me and this Earth.” He leaned in and kissed the dark brown curls on top of her head. “Let’s focus on the next six weeks instead. They have to be amazing.”
