GloKat and the Art of Timing, page 5
“You will need to know how to get back,” Charles finally said.
Gloria exhaled slowly, then stood back, awaiting instructions.
“StarKat will reanimate when you leave the Tombs of Perpetua. She will take you back. You’ll have to follow her one more time.”
“I understand,” was all Gloria could manage.
“The spirit of StarKat will remain here in Avonova. I will take care of her for you.”
“Thank you.”
Chapter
Ninety-Six
“I love you, daddy,” Gloria said.
“I love you, too, Glo. I will always be here for you. Now, go and see what you can do to help those people on your Earth.”
“I will.”
It was difficult to walk away from her father, but the need to help others was too strong to stand still.
She would miss her friends in Sparkadia, she would miss the antics of StarKat, and above all, she would miss her father. But knowing that she had his blessings going forward fueled her to trust in the parka and exit the caverns for good.
Chapter
Ninety-Seven
GloKat walked along slowly through the vast Avonovan tundra, taking in the beautiful, wondrous landscape of vibrant hues. Gloria dreaded saying goodbye to StarKat, a feeling she sensed was reciprocated through the parka’s inner lining.
“So The Designer turned out to be my dad,” Gloria said, to make small talk in their silence.
“Yeah. Who would have thought that?” StarKat responded.
“Me,” Gloria deadpanned.
They broke into laughter, the kind that felt like sunshine on the soul.
“I’m going to miss you so much, StarKat,” Gloria said.
“I’ll miss you, too. But always remember this.”
“What?”
“To friendship and beyond!”
Chapter
Ninety-Eight
StarKat began to expand and pretty soon she formed into a parachute over Gloria’s head. Then, slowly, StarKat settled around Gloria and the labyrinth emerged once again.
Gloria gently caressed the insides of the fabric walls. “Thank you, my friend.”
She took her time carefully navigating the parka’s nooks and crannies, remembering her father’s face and the beautiful things she’d seen during her time in Avonova. She wondered if Snooker was still performing those trick shots with Hotpaws cheering along. She wondered if she’d still remember the taste of Kana and Kensu’s cuisine.
Then she emerged in her dorm room.
Chapter
Ninety-Nine
She slowly removed the parka, placing it back onto the chair by her desk. She thought she would’ve been happier to be home, but images of Avonova still rang strongly in her mind.
She quietly reached into the pocket of her StarKat parka, trying to ignore the pangs of guilt she felt for taking the animation out of it. The Avonovan Irises were still there.
She’d come back to Earth for this one thing. She’d given up a paradise for a place that was anything but that.
Gazing at her palm, she noticed something: the plants were beginning to grow.
Chapter
One Hundred
The trip to New Detroit would be a long, harsh one along the rails, but she and her rail-bike were up for the challenge. The plan was to plant the Avonovan Irises there. She knew if she could save New Detroit, she could save the world.
With the StarKat parka tied around her waist, she set off on her uncertain journey, her imagination fueled with what could be if the Earth did survive.
Though she rode alone, she carried all of the love she’d felt and all of the memories she’d made, understanding that one person could make a difference.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my wife and daughter for supporting me through this journey. (Zoë, Daddy has finally written a book for you!)
Thank you to the following individuals for the roles they played in the development of the character GloKat: Tristan Root, Daniel Perez, Sebastian Cordoso, JoAnna Frazar, Edmundo Sanchez, Chris Campbell, Rory Alderton, SIXMOREVODKA, Emma Coats, Abigail Harvey, Kevin McGinnis, Jimmy Steorts, Andre Ribeiro, Andre Abrahmson, Torley Wong, Reno Deguzman, Ernest Eastlund, Patrick Faulwetter, Alvin Lee, Khoa Tran, Tim Paauwe, Acea Spades Black, Valeri Lee, Byran Ross, Jake Spencer-Goodsir, Cedric Neukirchen, Jarrod Spurrier, Joseph Marin, Matthew Garcia-Dunn, Krisy Elrod, Libby Elrod, Chandler Thomlison, Travis Thompkins, Tanya Thomlison, and Max!
Special thanks to Emma Coats for entrusting me with this character, to Abigail Harvey for her wonderful recommendations in the editing of this book, to Alvin Lee for his beautiful and dynamic artwork, and to Matthew Garcia-Dunn for helping this story to reach its full potential and for supporting this book when it was just an inkling of an idea.
About the Author
Ran Walker is the author of twenty-eight books. He is the winner of the Indie Author Project’s 2019 Indie Author of the Year Award, the 2019 Black Caucus of the ALA Fiction Ebook Award, the 2018 Virginia Author Project Award for Adult Fiction, and the 2021 Blind Corner Afrofuturism Microfiction Award. He teaches creative writing at Hampton University and at Writer’s Digest University and lives with his wife and daughter in Virginia. He can be reached via his website, www.ranwalker.com.
Also by Ran Walker
B-Sides and Remixes
30 Love: A Novel
Mojo’s Guitar: A Novel/(Il était une fois Morris Jones)
Afro Nerd in Love: A Novella
The Keys of My Soul: A Novel
The Race of Races: A Novel
The Illest: A Novella
Bessie, Bop, or Bach: Collected Stories
Four Floors (with Sabin Prentis)
Black Hand Side: Stories
White Pages: A Novel
She Lives in My Lap
Reverb
Work-In-Progress
Daykeeper
Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear On No Stamps
Portable Black Magic
The Strange Museum: 50-Word Stories
Bees + Things + Flowers: Microfictions
The World Is Yours: Microfictions
Can I Kick It?: Sneaker Microfiction and Poetry
The Golden Book: A 50-Year Marriage Told In 50-Word Stories
Keep It 100: 100-Word Stories
A Burst of Gray: A Novel In 100-Word Stories
The Library of Afro Curiosities: 100-Word Stories
Black Marker: A Novel In 100-Word Stories
Ran Walker, GloKat and the Art of Timing
