Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Five: The Return
Grace returned from Mars on a sunny Tuesday in July.
She had been gone for three years. Three years of living on a distant planet, conducting experiments, exploring the surface. Three years of being away from her family, her friends, her home.
The capsule landed in the ocean. The recovery team pulled her out. She was smiling. She was crying. She was home.
Lina watched on television and cried.
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The family gathered at the penthouse to welcome her home.
The penthouse was filled with people—Victor and Katherine, David and his half-siblings, Lily and Jake and Samuel, Leo and Maya and Stella and Daniel and Eleanor, Clara and Michael and Melody, Emily and Hope, and all the great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, great-great-great-grandchildren, and great-great-great-great-grandchildren.
Grace walked through the door.
She looked different. Thinner. Older. Her hair was shorter, her eyes were tired. But her smile was the same.
"Grandma," she said.
Lina walked to her granddaughter and pulled her into her arms.
"You're home," Lina said.
Grace hugged her back.
"I'm home," she said.
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The family celebrated.
They shared stories. They looked at photographs. They cried and laughed and remembered.
Grace talked about Mars. About the red dust, the rocky surface, the endless sky. About the experiments she had conducted, the discoveries she had made, the loneliness she had felt.
"I thought about all of you every day," she said.
Lina held her hand.
"We thought about you too," she said.
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That night, Lina sat on the couch with Grace.
The penthouse was quiet. The family was gone. The grandchildren were asleep.
"Are you okay?" Lina asked.
Grace nodded. "I'm tired. But I'm happy."
"You did it. You went to Mars."
Grace's eyes filled with tears.
"I did it," she said.
Lina pulled her granddaughter into her arms.
"I'm so proud of you," she said.
Grace hugged her back.
"I love you, Grandma," she said.
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I love you too, sweetheart. More than anything."
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The next morning, Lina sat in the garden with Grace.
The sun was warm. The flowers were blooming. The birds were singing.
"What's next?" Lina asked.
Grace thought about the question.
"I want to teach," she said. "I want to inspire the next generation. I want to help other kids dream of the stars."
Lina smiled.
"That's a beautiful dream," she said.
Grace leaned into her.
"I learned from the best," she said.
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End of Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Five