Another twenty-five years had passed.
Mars was now Earth's second home. Regular flights operated from Earth. People came for business, for study, for tourism. Martian people also went to Earth—to see their ancestors' homeland, to see oceans, to see mountains.
But Martian people were no longer as before. They had changed. Slightly taller, eyes slightly larger, lungs slightly stronger—because they grew up in Mars' low gravity. When Earth people came to Mars, they initially struggled to walk—low gravity made them fear falling. But Martians ran and jumped comfortably.
Zara was now nearing forty. She had become a doctor. Graduating from the medical college named after Emon, she now worked at Mars' main hospital. Her specialty—researching physical differences between people from the two planets.
Today Zara sat with a difficult case. A child, age five. Born on Mars, but father from Earth, mother from Mars. Such children were called "children of two worlds." Their bodies were complex—sometimes they couldn't tolerate Earth's gravity, sometimes Mars' atmosphere troubled them.
The child's name was Ryan. He had respiratory problems. In Mars' atmosphere, he wasn't getting enough oxygen. But taking him to Earth might weaken his bones, because Earth's gravity was much stronger than Mars'.
Zara spoke with his mother. The mother's name was Sara. Sara was crying.
"Doctor Zara, will my son live?"
Zara was silent. She knew this question wasn't easy to answer. She herself was a child of two worlds. Her father Jon was Martian, her mother was from Earth. But Jon grew up on Mars, so his body had adapted. And Zara?
Zara remembered, she too had respiratory problems as a child. Lina was alive then. Lina had taken her to a special chamber where an atmosphere between Earth and Mars could be created. Zara had to stay there day after day. In that chamber, she grew up, played, studied. In that chamber, her body developed for both planets.
"We'll put Ryan in a special chamber," Zara said. "With an intermediate atmosphere. Gradually his body will adapt."
Sara asked, "How long will it take?"
Zara said, "About a year. Then he can live on Mars, and also visit Earth. He'll be a true child of two worlds."
Sara calmed somewhat. But Zara knew this path wasn't easy. Ryan would need care his whole life. His body would never be completely normal. But he would live.
That night, Zara returned home. Her father Jon sat on the balcony, looking at the sky.
"Father, what are you looking at?"
Jon said, "That little blue dot—Earth. Your mother was there. That's where I met her."
Zara knew her mother was from Earth. Jon had gone to Earth to study, and they met. Love. Marriage. Then Zara. But when Zara was three, her mother died. Earth disease, Martian body couldn't tolerate.
"Father, do you remember Mother?"
Jon smiled. "Every day. Without her, you wouldn't exist. Without her, I wouldn't understand that love knows no boundaries. Earth and Mars may be different, but love isn't different."
Zara sat beside her father. "Today I saw a child. He also has problems. A child of two worlds."
Jon said, "They aren't problems, they're possibilities. The future lies within them. One day Earth and Mars people will mix so much they can't be separated. Then there won't be Earth people and Mars people—only people."
Zara was silent, thinking about her father's words. Father was right. These children were tomorrow's Earth, tomorrow's Mars. They would suffer, but they would build new history.
The next morning, Zara went to the hospital. She took Ryan to the special chamber. The small child was afraid of the chamber. Crying.
Zara held his hand and said, "Scared? You know, when I was as small as you, I also had to stay in a chamber like this. Many days. But look, I'm fine now. You'll be fine too."
Ryan asked, "Are you also a child of two worlds?"
Zara smiled. "Yes, I am. And you are too. We're special. We can unite two worlds."
Ryan calmed slightly. He entered the chamber. The door closed.
Zara watched through the window. The small child sat inside. In his hand, a toy—an Earth-shaped balloon. He played, floating the balloon.
Tears filled Zara's eyes. But within those tears, a smile.
She said in her heart, "Auntie Lina, do you see? I'm walking the path you taught. What you did for me, I'm doing the same. Saving the children of two worlds."
That night, Zara opened her diary:
"Dear Diary, today I put a child named Ryan in the special chamber. His father from Earth, mother from Mars. He has respiratory problems. He must be saved. Just as Lina saved me. I wondered—what are these children of two worlds really? Curse or blessing? Then I understood—they are blessings. The future lies within them. One day Earth and Mars will become one. And they will witness that unity. Their suffering won't be in vain. They will build a new world."
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