Short story

The silver-furred skunktaur walked calmly along the beach, waving hys fluffy tail in the wind. Hys paw pads felt the coolness of the wet sand, while the scent of the sea transported hys mind to that happy time when hy used to stroll with hys partner Maine and their two young children.

At one point in hys walk, hy stopped in front of the sand dune still visible despite the passing of time. It was a special place for hym, for it had been witness to long and deep conversations with several of hys friends during the later years. The last of them, a young engineer of spirited impetuosity, who had recently arrived from the planet Terra.

The skunktaur looked at the small sand hill with nostalgia and excitedly remembered hys human friend, who had been by hys side as hys previous body succumbed slowly to disease and old age, until hy fell asleep forever.

"Esteban, my boy. I am so sorry for all the pain you had to experience in your life... If the laws of the universe allowed it, I would gladly switch places with you, for I have lived too long. I know your heart was broken when you saw me leave. But I suppose that suffering was also part of your own karma. To me... you were just an innocent child learning to walk... Forgive me for leaving you before you could fly on your own," hy said to hymself, while a couple of tears ran down hys cheeks.

Hy tried to smile but couldn't. All hys knowledge and wisdom could not give hym the comfort hy needed at that moment.

The waves gently licked the sand while the sea breeze shook hys white curly hair and hys abundant tufted tail. The weight of nostalgia seemed to sink hys body into the ground and make hys breathing difficult at times. Hy decided to rest on the mound and gaze at the horizon, as hy had done so many times before. The magic of that sight remained captivating. Hy closed hys eyes and took a deep breath. Hy imagined that hys last traveling companion, that boy full of doubts and fears, was by hys side. Hy even heard in hys mind those melodies that Esteban kept in his archaic music player."

Suddenly, a shadow stopped over hym, covering the light of Chakastra. The skunktaur looked up and saw a human being standing right in front of hym. With a tall and thin figure, this man dressed almost formally: he wore a jacket, tie, cloth pants, and kept his hands in his pockets.

"You?, here?" The skunktaur asked intrigued.

"Hello Vroeg" greeted the stranger.

"It's strange thing... The last time we met, I could clearly perceive your thoughts with my talent. But now, I don't feel anything. Did you get a mind-blocking implant or something?" Asked the skunk standing on all four legs. But the human was silent for an instant, cracking a smile, before answering.

"Don't be afraid Vroeg. I am still the same man you saw in the Archipelago. And I don't use anything to block your talents. You can't catch my thoughts simply because, I'm in front of you as I really am."

"I'm not afraid, professor, just curious," Vroeg hurriedly replied by moving hys ears. Both of them stared into each other's eyes for an instant.
"Heh heh... I don't need my talent to know you're a shy person, Ben."

"That's true," replied the human.

"What have you come for? What do you want from me?" asked Vroeg with a smile.

"I know you miss your wife Maine, and also Esteban. I'm here to tell you that you still have the rest of your family with you. To your children Rena, Chorre and Ugkar. To your grandchildren Holly, Cora and Teo. To your sister Rogar and also to your old friend Bram, among others," the man replied calmly.

"Ben. For them, and for the rest of the universe, I am dead. I am an anomaly of fate," said the skunktaur with an air of nostalgia.

"Vroeg, true death happens when the heart stops loving, not when it stops beating," Ben replied with a smile. Then he added.

"Tell me, did you ever stop loving your family while they kept you hidden from the world and motionless? Wasn't it you who told me that death is but a stumble in a long race?"

"Heh heh... You have good thoughts, but I don't remember teaching that to you," the skunk said in surprise.

"Vroeg, Esteban was always a part of me. A manifestation of my own yearning for youth. A boy full of doubts, fears and resentments. But at the same time, with enormous potential, full of hope, like everyone reading this! You guided Esteban very well. And I thank you for that." Ben concluded. Vroeg was silent for an instant. The wind crept playfully between both figures standing on the beach, bringing the refreshing aroma of the sea and waves. Vroeg, after meditating for a moment, looked Ben direct at the eyes and declared.

"You said so, Professor. I miss Maine and Esteban. And my love for them, and for my whole family, is unconditional."

"Hmmm... Then never stop loving them, Vroeg. Because love is more powerful than death. The whole universe, and existence itself, is sustained by love," Ben replied, pointing his arm outstretched toward the horizon. At that instant, Vroeg observed in the distance, two figures walking together on the beach, approaching. Surprised, hy took a few steps towards them. Hy stared incredulously at Ben for a moment and Ben nodded with a smile.

"Go with them, my friend," said the human. Then, Vroeg hurried hys walk, getting closer and closer to those two people who walked serenely holding hands. One was a beautiful skunktaur in feminine phase of harmonious figure, while the other, a young man. Both radiated joy on their faces. Vroeg could not believe that vision.

"Maine! Esteban! It is you?" Hy exclaimed in surprise. Hy looked back, as if wanting to confirm that vision with Ben, but him was gone. He had disappeared from the beach, as mysteriously as he arrived, for his true nature had no place in that reality. Vroeg understood all this and smiled. And hys happiness was capital to confirm that that skunktaur was Maine, hys wife who died years ago. And also the young human, was hys beloved friend Esteban. The three hugged each other excitedly, as the wind caressed their faces and stirred their tears. A warm light enveloped them. A light that made Chakastra itself pale, and an energy of love, flooded the place, warming everyone's heart.

"What a delight to be able to feel your hands on my face again, dear Maine," Vroeg said, sobbing.

"Oh... My love. How happy I am to see you again" replied the female with a radiant face.

"Vroeg! I can't believe you're here!" Esteban said in turn, hugging hym tightly.

"My dear child... There's so much I have to tell you..." The skunktaur replied with excitement in hys voice.

"I can't wait to see our children and grandchildren again!" Maine said with emotion.
"And I to all my family and friends," Esteban exclaimed. Vroeg smiled inwardly as hy noticed that again, hy could catch Ben's thoughts in a section away from the beach.

Far away, the professor was still walking on the sand with the hands in his pockets. As he approached some rocks, a grey-furred chakat came out to meet him.

"Are you okay, Ben? I notice you somewhat exhausted" shi asked wagging hir tail.

"Yes, Evod, thank you. Everything is fine," the human replied with a smile.

"Why did it take so long?" Asked again the chakat. Then Ben tenderly took hir hands and declared.

"You ask me why I'm tired, dear Evod? Because the decision to be happy requires courage, perseverance and effort."

Evod, looking at him with a smile, declared.

"Prrrr... Then let's go back to the hotel to rest. My mother is waiting for us, heh heh. The beach weather whetted my appetite"

"Heh hehe... I hope Janyr ordered something good for lunch," Ben said before leaving with his friend Chakat Evod, skirting the shore, constantly licked by the swaying waves.

(Set in Chakat Universe by