Despite merge with the Superhuman World SW11, our world is still freezing.

I look like Death with long white hair right now, whether or not I am
actually Death at the time. I sometimes am. But Death is largely on automatic right now. When I'm on leave, I have increasingly pale skin
and black eye sockets.

We mostly live in trains, just like I remember in my time travel trip to
this era. They have convenient power plants. We can scavenge fuel for
those.

Amazon is still around. They basically run our part of the world right
now. I still work for one of their warehouses. I've been to scavenge
some winter-bound drugstores around here, for things other than fuel.
We can't keep that up for long, though.

...

My younger self is here. He's helping kids play Teenagers from Outer
Space in one of the Trainvilles. I know which Trainville, of course. I
stood and watched him. He *might* have noticed me. If so, he thought I
was Death dressed up as him. If I'd been him knowing I know now, I
would have said, "Death, I see you."

This is my signal. I shall go now, alongside all who would come
alongside. How many of my relatives?

...

To my brother Calvin... "Do you dream of a warm sustainable world? I
know where to find one."

He likes that idea. He's always been a science fiction fan, so he is
fine with alternate universes. But he has to gather his family from
what remains of university.

...

To my sister Lauren... "Do you dream of a warm sustainable world?"

She interrupts me... "Yes! We can still fix our world!"

I say, "*I* know of two worlds, one to watch it break and one which is
already fixed. What do you want for your children??"

"The world we live in! What other world can we have??"

"I could describe... but now it's time to ask the rest of the family.
What world do *they* want??"

"You'll have to ask them yourself."

...


I am actually a functionary of Death. And Death is here if they should
stay. So I *do* ask them.

* Drew, still has plans based in the present world somehow. Someone
he's working with. I ask him who. He says, "L".

* Liz, still has plans based in the present world somehow. Someone
she's working with. She says, "L".

* Lana, ready to leave and so is her boyfriend.

I just don't ask about "L". I don't sense that he *brings* Death.
Other than that, he's none of my business.

...


Crud. There is ceremony at my sister's place, as Lana says goodbye to
her mom for what could be forever. Naturally my sister is staying with
the holdouts.

Then we go to my brother's place. Not by way of the trains between the Trainvilles. We are all going to know my reality-walking powers soon,
so I might as well use them now.

From Calvin's place, I leave with a party of six other grown or
nearly-grown people from my clan.

We briefly see a shining City of Light. I've seen that before. (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/airplane.htm ) But there are
directions back away from the Afterlife, to our part of the multiverse.
I quietly point that way, while saying "We Want to Go That Way". So we go.

...

"L" gloats. "I now have those others! I've eaten their motivation!
They shall not survive here, but they shall go wherever I place them!"

...

Author's Note, from before: Oh my, Wyatt Ferguson *did* go from 2002 to
see the end of the world. (http://eilertech.com/stories/neverwas.htm )
But he later saw himself traveling back... *Now* he follows up.

Creator's credit for "L" goes to Drew Perron.

(signed) Scott Eiler, 10 Feb 2023.

Coming soon: Pedigo!


--
-- (signed) Scott Eiler 8{D> ------ http://www.eilertech.com/ -------

"Your Royal Highness, instead of devoting yourself exclusively
to Minerva, should, instead, rather offer sacrifice at the altars
of Bacchus, Orpheus, Venus, and Morpheus."

- Advice to Prince Duarte of Portugal. From "The golden age of
Prince Henry the Navigator", by Joaquim Pedro Oliveira Martins.
Coming soon to Project Gutenberg.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.6
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)